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ISSUE NO. 1592

7 - 13 January 2016

COSTA BLANCA NORTH YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION

Newest arrivals of the new year THERE has been a slight fall in birthrate in the Valencian Community compared to 2014

By Linda Hall Martina, born at Denia Hospital is the Marina Altaâ€™s first 2016 baby. She was born at 12.43am on January 1, the hospital said, and is the first child of Cristina Yuste and Fernando Moragon who live in Calpe.

Martinaâ€™s mother was admitted to Denia hospital at 11.15 on the night of December 31 and she entered the world just under 90 minutes later in what the hospital revealed was a natural birth. She weighed 3.66 kilos. Both mother and child are in perfect health and doing well, doctors said.

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LOCAL NEWS

Less food supply NEW EU regulations will reduce the number of Alicante Province residents eligible for Food Bank supplies. In February 2015 when the first of the three annual deliv-

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NEWS

Silence for Torrevieja ANOTHER grim milestone for gender violence

eries arrived, 50,000 were entitled to provisions, but this will fall to 37,500 now that supplies are limited to those with incomes of less than €5,000 a year.

Job is half-done vALICANTE CITY residents’ associations complained about the regional government’s Housing and Public Works department neglect of the new €10 million southern access. This is ap-

parently abandoned, they said, with unfinished and untended garden zones, particularly near the Federico Mayo roundabout which they claimed is an uncontrolled parking area for buses, lorries and coaches.

Ripe for picking

SILENT TRIBUTE: A three minute silence was held in Torrevieja.

By Linda Hall THE nispero season will arrive a month early this year, Callosa and Marina Baja growers predicted, as fruit is already ripening in the unseasonably high temperatures. A few of the earliest varieties were picked in December, the Callosa cooperative said, the first time in living memory that they have been collected so soon.

ZERO tolerance on gender violence has been called for nationwide by Monica Oltra, vice-president of Valencia’s regional government, after marking a three

minutes’ silence for the double murder in Torrevieja of 31-year-old Anna Nadolska and her nine-month-old daughter Maja. Tributes and silences were repeated across town and city halls in Alicante Province. The mother and daughter died

at the hands of her partner Lukasz who then took his own life. Their bodies were found on New Year’s Eve and Anna’s death would mark the 56th killing in Spain of women by their partners in 2015.

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Fast exit

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7 - 13 January 2016 / Costa Blanca North

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Art is not quite Banksy

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SPONTANEOUS artists have drawn emoticons on the Poniente beach walkway THE big yellow and red tiddlywink stones on Benidorm’s Poniente beach walkway, appear to be the target of the towns ‘would-be’ Banksies. Not happy enough sharing emoticons on their mobile phones and iPads, the impish illustrators feel the need to tell everyone that they are ‘Happy’ by blowing kisses at passers-by. Spontaneous artists have realised that the stones are the perfect shape to duplicate some of their favourite instant messaging emoticons, yellow for the happy ones, or red for mad, which incidentally reflects what some people are feeling. The majority of visitors to the town find the work of these Banksies amusing and creative. However, some residents have grumbled that the drawings should be removed. Jose Ramon Gonzalez de Zarate, councillor for the urban areas of Benidorm agrees with them, but despite trying to have them removed, admits that it is proving difficult to find the delete button, as conventional cleaning products seem ineffective.

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RESIDENTS: Have grumbled that the drawings should be removed.

Back on the small screen WITH more returns than Rocky, it’s not long now until the start of Benidorm series 8. The popular series will be back on the small screen from January 11, with most of the old favourites, and maybe a few new faces to get sunburned as well. However, the old stalwart series may have a new rival to contend with. A new programme about to hit the airwaves just before that may steal the limelight. Channel 5’s ‘Bargain Loving Brits in the Sun’ will be screened on January 5, and follow a few of Benidorm’s more prolific characters in a documentary type series over a six-week period.

Give Thermo Casa a call on: 965 741 748.

Contact Telitec today, 902 88 90 70 or 965 743 473

SERIES 8: Popular programme Benidorm will return on January 11.

Benidorm facelift Fire at Hotel Fenicia to go ahead BENIDORM’S Mayor Toni Perez has announced that the project to renovate and give Avenida Mediterraneo in the tow n a fa c e lift c ould s oon c ome to fruition. The 2016 council budget prediction being published this week has “ a lre a dy put a s ide mone y for the works,” he said.

Taxi fares will not change THE good news for travel in and around the area this year is that Benidorm Taxi fares will not be changing in 2016. The rates for basic travel will remain at €3.21 on entry and €0.88 per kilometre thereafter. Waiting time is charged at €18.42 per hour.

TWO floors of Hotel Fenicia on Calle Almendros in Benidorm were evacuated on New Year ’s Day because of a fire. Of the five victims, four were guests and one was a member of staff. All but one of them were taken to the local hospital for observation and further tests. The fire originated in a fryer in the kitchen at around 6.20pm, and flames spread through the ventilation ducts. Evacuated guests were taken to the nearby Hotel Cora Mar, whereas other guests were assembled in a reception room. The incident, which was attributed to fat accumulation, was handled by the emergency services who declared the area safe at 8pm.

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Developments in Sunday opening saga THE regional government, the Generalitat, has cut the red tape involved in Sunday opening. It will no longer be necessary for large stores covering an area of more than 300 square metres in much-visited tourist zones (ZGATs) to apply for permission every two years. As reported previously in the Euro Weekly News, big stores in Alicante City’s Avenida Maisonnave are, nonetheless, barred from opening on Sundays and national holidays apart from an annual 10 days. Elsewhere in the city - as in other Valencian Community municipalities - big stores and chains in ZGATs may open at will. This applies to

Alicante’s beach area during the summer and Easter week as well as the city centre throughout the year apart from Maisonnave. The Generalitat also announced that shops in municipalities whose ports are visited by at least 40,000 cruise passengers may also open on Sundays and national holidays when ships are in port. City Hall now intends to request permission to extend this to include the 2017-18 Volvo Ocean Race. As regards the Maisonnaive ban, the president of the Colectivo de Comerciantes por Alicante said it would be necessary to “wait and see” its effect on the city’s retailers and the hospitality trade.

New Year wishes fly high in Denia GREEN balloons were released by families

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Helping hand THE charity Caritas has provided two long-term unemployed Alcoy residents with work. They assist elderly customers in the municipal market on Friday and Saturday mornings and carry their shopping home.

Man found AN 85-YEAR-OLD man with Alzheimer’s who disappeared from his Novelda home was found 36 hours later. He was in good health although slightly affected by hypothermia.

BALLOON RELEASE: A wish for the coming year for each balloon. THE last Family Sunday of 2015 organised by Denia Town Hall was a workshop making holiday-themed cards and decorations. The families taking part in the event also helped to build a ‘wishes tree’ in the centre of the Plaza. Once this was completed, each person re-

leased a green balloon representing a wish for the coming year. Although this was the last Family Sunday of 2015, the town hall’s Youth Department would continue to organise activities for the young throughout 2016, the town hall announced.

Last chance FOSSIL fans have until mid-January to visit the Psittacosaurus on loan at Elche’s Palaeontology Museum (MUPE). The small dinosaur was found in Mongolia.

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NEWS EXTRA

Train ride THE Alicante TRAM was used by 783,672 passengers in November, averaging 26,122 a day. The mosttravelled line was Line 2 between the Luceros terminus and San Vicente with 316,517 users.

Circus ban THE Esquerra Unida party on Campello Council hopes to modify local bylaws banning circuses from the town. “Respecting nature entails respecting the beings we share this planet with,” the EU spokesman said.

Stolen copper THIEVES removed copper cabling totalling 41.9 kilometres from the Valencian Community’s railways during 2015, revealed Spain’s track operator Adif. Only Cataluña, with 147 kilometres stolen, lost more.

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An honour for former mayor of Benidorm

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A change of venue for bulls

IN recognition of services to the British community By Linda Hall BENIDORM’S former mayor Agustin Navarro has been made an honorary Member of the British Empire (MBE). The award comes in recognition of services to the British community between 2009 and 2015. During his six years in office, Navarro ensured that all town hall departments combined their efforts to improve the situation of Benidorm’s British residents and tourists, said British Ambassador in Madrid, Simon Manley. Navarro’s initiatives include the SATSE office set up to help foreign victims of crime in their own language and the drive to encourage British residents living on campsites to register on the town ‘padron’ (residents’ register). Help was also extended by the Social Welfare department to elderly British residents. The ex-mayor, now an Opposition councillor at Benidorm Town Hall and

Photo by Benidorm town hall

AGUSTIN NAVARRO: MBE for services while mayor of Benidorm. a member of the Alicante Provincial Council, announced the MBE news at a working breakfast with local journalists. He had to keep the secret even from those closest to him, Navarro

revealed, but he had now learnt from the Embassy that he was free to tell others and entitled to add the letters MBE after his name. He will receive the MBE medal in a ceremony in Spain.

BENISSA is going ahead with its bull-running referendum. It will not centre on the rights or wrongs of bullrunning as bulls will be a central feature of next April’s town fiestas. Benissa residents will instead be asked to accept or reject the Fiestas Committee’s proposal to move bullbaiting from Plaza Jaume I in the town centre to the Manuel Bru car park. The ballot is open to all residents aged over 16 who are registered on the town ‘padron’ (residents’ register). Votes can be deposited from January 18 to 22 at the Citizens’Attention Office (OAC) between 8.30am and 7.30pm.

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Lemons sweet and sour FETCHING a better price than previously

LEMONS: Alicante Province is a principal producer. By Linda Hall ALICANTE Province has lost 34 per cent of its lemon groves in the past 15 years. This works out to around 4,790 hectares or the equivalent of 4,800 football pitches. Alicante Province accounts for more than 99 per cent of the Valencia Community’s lemon plantations and production, said the Unio de Llauradors i Ramaders which represents local growers. So far the 2015-2016 harvest promises to be better than 2014’s for price and the quality of the fruit, a Unio spokesman said. “Like all citrus crops the setting fruit was affected by high temperatures and gales in May, together with the heat wave at the be-

ginning of the summer. Nevertheless, the lemons are a good size,” they added. They are also fetching a better price than in previous years. Despite optimistic predictions for the 2015-2016 campaign, prices do not compensate for the reductions of the past five years, the spokesman claimed: “The balance is clearly negative.” Alicante might have lost thousands of hectares of the land given over to lemon production since the beginning of the century, but currently the sector’s greatest risk is the tendency to plant more trees. “In fact, according to nurserymen and suppliers, we could return to overproduction of lemons owing to lack of control,” Unio warned.

Central Market decision expected early in year UPKEEP of Elche’s Central Market costs the city council around €63,500 a year. Only 14 stalls remain in the old covered market while approximately 50 traders have moved to a temporary installation near the river. They moved there last May after accepting an offer from the company contracted to build a new market on the Central Market site. Meanwhile, as it has in the past, Elche City Hall continues to pay the municipal mar-

ket’s monthly overheads of €5,000 for lighting, cleaning and water. The 14 stallholders - only 12 according to the PP Opposition party on Elche Council - are charged from €39.93 to €237.83 per stall every two months depending on their position, size and characteristics. Last September stallholders who had moved to the new site complained at their former colleagues’ “preferential treatment” as they must

now pay their own overheads. There is even uncertainty as to whether the new municipal market will ever be built. As well as pulling down the old market, this entails constructing an underground car park which could endanger archaeological remains including Moorish baths. The current three-party alliance that controls the local government is not in favour of the development and a decision is expected early this year.

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7 - 13 January 2016 / Costa Blanca North

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Benidorm hotel chain targets Manchester ONE of the most important tourist industry events of the year By Keith Baker THE Servigroup hotel chain will be present at the Destinations tourist fair in Manchester between January 21 and 24. The long-established trade fair was held in London for 23 years, but for the past five has taken place in Manchester. It is one of the most important tourist industry events of the year and will be covered by The Times, Sunday Times and Sunday Times Travel Magazines. Its 600 stands will be visited by 63,000 people and is a perfect platform for connecting with the general public, Servigroup said. The companyâ€™s stand will showcase the chainâ€™s 16 hotels on the Mediterranean coast with particular emphasis on Benidorm where nine of the

MAR MENOR: The hotel chain is also present in Murcia. hotels are located as well as the groupâ€™s administrative centre. There are also Servigroup hotels in Villajoyosa,

Orihuela Costa, Murcia, Almeria and Castellon. Anyone who makes a booking at the Destinations fair

will automatically qualify for a 10 per cent discount on the cost of their holiday, Servigroup announced.

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Subterranean water springs a surprise WORK on the new Foietes park in Benidorm has uncovered a natural spring. This was not the result of the torrential rain in November as it was discovered some time previously, experts disclosed. Analysis by the Hidraqua company also confirmed the water is not the result of a leak. It is subterranean water located beneath the Foietes gully which is usually dry except during exceptionally rainy periods. The Hidraqua technicians were unable to hazard a guess as to where the water originates or where - if at all - it reached the surface before it was uncov-

ered during work on the park. Neither has the site been sufficiently excavated to detect whether any man-made infrastructure is involved. To avoid potential maintenance problems the spring has not been sealed and instead flows into a specially-built deposit for reuse during construction of the park. The park, which will link the residential area with the Foietes health centres and sports ground, suffered multiple delays before work finally started last autumn although it was planned and budgeted-for in 2009.

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NEWS

Cycle friendly Alfas Surveys to help improve Benidorm

TOWN to promote initiatives to make cycling safer L’ALFAS DEL PI is looking at ways to become more cycle friendly. The council has voted unanimously in favour of

joining the ‘Red de Ciudades por la Bicicleta’ (Network of Towns for the Bicycle), which is an association of local au-

thorities. Created in 2009, it represents more than 150 Spanish towns and cities. The Network’s main objectives are promoting the use of bicycles as an alternative mode of transport to the car on short trips, and promoting the potential of the bike as a quiet, clean, affordable and sustainable vehicle. Spokesman Toni Such said: “This is an initiative to facilitate safer cycling and develop the movement of cyclists, particularly in urban areas.”

PEDESTRIANS and drivers working together to develop the PMUS Benidorm

CONDUCTING SURVEYS: On the streets of Benidorm. By Keith Baker THE study for the development of PMUS (Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan) continues in Benidorm. Two teams from the Department of Civil Engineering and Roads of the University of Alicante have conducted surveys in

La Higuera and Avenida Alfonso Puchades. They questioned 2,500 pedestrians and drivers in order to find out how residents and tourists move around the town. The results will help in the setting up of measures to improve mobility from a sustainable perspective, and

will be added to those coll e c t e d d u r i n g t h e s u m m e r. The last phase of the study will take place during Easter 2016. The aim of PMUS is to reduce emissions, promote the use of public transport and cycles, and improve the urban traffic flow.

Training courses for first aid and lifeguard tasks WITH the cooperation of the town of Altea, courses are to be held that could lead to work in the summer. The courses, in first aid and lifeguard tasks, are being organised by Ambumar SYA, and will be led by the Business Association of Rescue and Salvage of the Province of Alicante, SOS

Mediterranean School of Lifesaving, and swimming school Máximo Miralles. To register, or for more information, those interested can contact the following numbers: 605 251 575 and 680 992 028, or go to www.ambumarsya.com. The deadline for registration will be January 15, 2016.

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NEWS EXTRA

Learn Norwegian THE Social Centre of l’Albir is to provide a course for those wanting to learn to speak Norwegian. It runs from January 7 to March 10 (5.30pm to 7.30pm) and costs €110. Places are limited. Call 965 888 260.

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La Cala hotel opens again

Optimistic end to the year for improvements

MAYOR visited the refurbished premises for a tour

THE mayor of Benidorm Toni Perez, accompanied by Works councillor Jose Ramon Gonzalez de Zarate, Planning councillor, Lourdes Caselles and councillor for Social Welfare, Angel Llorca, together with personnel from the construction companies have visited the works being carried out in La Cala that will significantly increase the number of green areas and public spaces available for the enjoyment of the public. The improvements to the area include the creation of a Mediterranean garden, a biohealth gym area for seniors and a children’s playground. Underground power lines, piped gas installations and fibre optic cables have also been installed in the area.

Work done WORKS begun in September to install a network of water pipes in Teulada have now been completed, the council has announced.

Sewage works finally to begin in Villajoyosa

Tu a winner TU STREET WEAR in Teulada’s Avenida Doctor Calatayud de Moraira won this year’s window dressing competition in the town. In second place Hedra Flors I Detalls, third Restaurante Vespa’s and fourth La Optica de Teulada

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HOTEL OPEN: The redevelopment has improved safety measures. HOTEL manager Daniel Diaz welcomed the mayor of Finestrat, Juan Francisco Perez and Iris Blanch, manager of hotel chain Medsur Hoteles to the refurbished premises for a tour. During the meeting they also discussed measures to boost visitor numbers to the traditional old town of La Cala. Diaz took the opportunity to

congratulate the mayor for the redevelopment of the Avenida Marina Baixa which has improved safety and aesthetics with the renewal of asphalt and the introduction of LED technology. The mayor wished them a great season for the new year and pledged to continue working to improve tourism.

WORK to improve the sewerage for the Montiboli urbanisation in Villajoyosa started today (January 7), after a great deal of delay. The project is being undertaken by the company Pavasal, which was one of 22 companies tendering for the task. It presented a budget 10 per cent lower than the council’s projected €300,000. The work involves an area of 22,000 square metres and will address problems encountered during heavy rains.

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Pitch perfect PERE BARBER, councillor for Sport, has confirmed that the artificial turf of Altea’s municipal football pitch has been the subject of maintenance and repair. The work was carried out on December 28 and 29 at a cost of €3,000.

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New friends for the elephants in park TRANSFER carried out to create a new relationship bond

Art exhibits THE Casa de Cultura in L’Alfas del Pi was home to an exhibition entitled ‘Ser Humano’ (Being Human), by ArtAvant, an association of artists nationwide open to all interested in artistic creativity.

Well done AN ENGLISH course for the unemployed of Altea has been completed. More than 30 students received their diplomas from Pere Barber, the councillor for Youth, who congratulated them for taking part.

SWAMP DEER: Have moved into Terra Natura, the nature and animal park in Benidorm. By Keith Baker TERRA NATURA, the nature and animal park in Benidorm, has moved a couple of barasinghas, also known as swamp deer,

to the grassland inhabited by a herd of Asian elephants. This is the first time that these two species have coexisted in the same location at Terra Natura. Although a challenge

for the expert team of the park, the transfer was carried out with the aim of providing a higher content of grassland species in the area and creating a bond of relationship between different species.

NEWS

Athletes to descend on La Nucia SUNDAY January 10 is a big day for athletes in the area. The II Cross ‘Villa de La Nucia’ will take place at the Ciutat Esportiva Camilo Cano in the town, and access for spectators is free. The regional round of the Federacion de Atletismo de la Comunidad Valenciana (Athletics Federation of Valencia) and Campeonato Provincial Federado (Provincial Championships Federation) will involve runners from seven years of age up to 55 years. The race is organised by the Club de Atletismo de La Nucia (Athletic Club of La Nucia) and the Federacion de Atletismo de la Comunidad Valenciana (Athletics Federation of Valencia) in collaboration with La Nucia’s Department of Sports. Entry is open until Thursday January 7. For more information go to the website of the Federacion de Atletismo de la Comunidad Valenciana - www.facv.es

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Book programme Blood donation session a success off to a good start LA NUCIA residents thinking of others By Keith Baker

ALTEA’S Department of Education has started making grants under the XarxaLlibres (Network of Books) initiative. In total, 1,059 requests have

been approved, with a total value of €93,045. In the words of councillor Vicenta Perez, “this call has been a success thanks to the involvement of the government team and the employees of the town, without whom a project like this would have cost much more to get set up. “I take this opportunity to publicly thank all those who participated and thank parents’ associations and the municipality because both have helped out well.” Grants of up to €100 per child will be made.

DESPITE the business of the time of year, 47 people took the time to dona te blood on Christmas Eve at El Salon Social El Cirer in La Nucia. In fact, 52 people turne d up, but five w e re found to be ineligible. This was the sixth consecutive year that the Transfusion Centre of Valencia held an extra session in the run-up to Christmas in La Nucia. The session was dubbe d ‘poins e ttia ’ a nd used the tag line ‘Esta Navida d, re ga la vida ’ (This Christmas, give life). In A lic a nte , 300 dona tions are needed daily in order to meet demand. Blood c a nnot be ma nufa c ture d. The only w a y to ge t it is through voluntary, unpaid donations. To give blood, you need to be over 18 and under 65, and weigh more than 50 kilos. There is no need to fast

VOLUNTARY DONATIONS: Give blood, give life. be fore ha nd, a nd ha ving high cholesterol does not prevent you from donating. M e n c a n dona te blood four time s a ye a r a nd women three times. You do not ne e d to book in a d-

vance. Simply turn up at the next session. However there is an EU ruling followed in Spain which states that anyone who lived in the UK for six straight months between 1980 and 1996 cannot do-

nate blood. There will be another oppor t uni t y t o donat e i n La Nuci a, at t he Cent r o de Salud, on Monday, January 18. The session will run from 5pm to 8.30pm.

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NEWS EXTRA

Emergency landing AN easyJet plane bound for Alicante had to make an emergency landing at Gatwick Airport last week due to a medical emergency. The plane had left Southend Airport shortly before the incident.

Church work GANDIA Town Hall will request a €600,000 grant to restore the Colegiata church’s 18th century bell tower. Damage caused when the clapper fell from one of the bells hastened the need for prompt action.

Benissa fire IT took 15 hours to extinguish a forest fire that damaged an area of 200 square metres in Benissa, between Partida de La Solana and La Ermita de la Lleus.

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New design proposals for road revealed PLANS for upgrade of CV-743 between Teulada and Moraira By Keith Baker TEULADA’S Department of General Services, has revealed the draft design of the CV-743 ro ad b etw ee n Teu lada a nd Moraira. The plans can be viewed on t h e g r o u n d f l o o r o f Te u l a d a Town Hall and in the Espai la Senieta de Moraira. The estimated budget for the project is €478,000.

IMPROVEMENTS: The budget for the project is €478,000.

Students learn about the solar system A TRAVELLING planetarium has brought the solar system to life in the municipal library in Altea. T h e ac tiv ity w a s o rg a nis e d by Councillor Anna Alvado of the Department of Trade, in collaboration

with the Department of Culture. Although aimed primarily at schools in Altea, the general public also had an opportunity to take advantage of the project. The planetarium demonstrates the

night sky with stars, moon and planets. Visitors see the solar system develop and learn about constellations, the circumpolar constellations, the sun, and planets visible to the naked eye. Galaxies and comets are also explained.

NEWS

Hotel sector meets with council THE Mayor of Altea, Jaume Llinares, hosted a meeting recently with representatives of the hotel industry, companies specialising in the renting of apartments, and campsite operators. Also present was the Councillor for Tourism and Trade, Anna Alvado. The main purpose of the meeting was to involve the whole sector in the promotion of Altea as a tourist base, emphasising the cultural environment and heritage of the area as well as the development of activities such as hiking and painting. The attendees were also briefed on the attendance of representatives at the City Tourism Fair in Helsinki, as the Finnish market is a significant one in the area. Anna Alvado also reported that an informative guide about Altea had been published for the occasion, as well as other materials related to tourism.

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ACCORDING to the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET), the city of Alicante recorded the highest temperature in Valencia for New Year’s Day, with the thermometer showing 23 degrees.

Asphalt plan

Hiker injury A HIKER in Finestrat suffered a fractured ankle over the festive period. He was able to contact emergency services on his mobile phone.

Progress for Hotel Selomar

New Year scorcher

BENIDORM City Council has initiated a new asphalt plan, the third in the last six months. More than a dozen roads in the town will benefit, at a cost of €150,000.

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SPECIES: Several are at risk such as hake, blue whiting and monkfish.

Fish stock protection Plan to protect long-term viability of fishing industry in Marina Alta By Keith Baker STOCKS of several species of fish, such as hake, blue whiting, and monkfish, have depleted in recent times in Marina Alta. The outlook is bleak if nothing is done. Therefore boat owner Amadeu Ros, a member of the recently created Institut de

Recerca Oceanografica de Xabia (Oceanographic Research Institute of Javea), has proposed a biannual ban on fishing certain species to allow the recovery of stocks. Ros stressed that the fishing exclusion zone would be temporary, in spring and summer. He also stressed that the main

aim of the measure is to ensure the long term sustainability of stocks and the viability of fishing in the areas of Denia, Javea and Calpe. To emphasise the urgency of the matter, Ros pointed out that 2015 had been a bad year with a reduction in catches of 50 per cent compared to previous years.

BENIDORM Town Council has received the planning application for the construction of a four-star hotel on the site of the old Hotel Selomar, which closed eight years ago and caught fire in October last year. The planning department has announced that the required building permit will be soon be granted. It is thought that the company Malissandre is acting as intermediary between the town hall and the investor group wanting to buy the building, and that the target date for opening the new hotel is 2017. Plans are said to be very advanced, but nothing has yet been finalised. The Councillor of Planning, Lourdes Caselles said: “Right now they are working inside the building, according to the execution order issued after the fire, to establish security measures and avoid landslides.”

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Tourist Office is on the move ALTEA Town Council seeking new premises for the Tourist Office and the Municipal Warehouse By Keith Baker THE Department of Tourism plans to move the Tourist Office back to the seafront of Altea once again. It was moved to the ground floor of the town hall some time ago. This led to a sharp decline in the number of visits compared to the previous location in Sant Pere, which also projected a better image of Altea to its visitors. The new location should be sized between 50 and 100 square metres. Anyone who feels they have a suitable property to rent out should contact the Department of Tourism. The deadline for submitting proposals is Friday, January 15, 2016, at 2pm. The phone number is 965 844 114.

TOURIST OFFICE: Planning to move back to the sea front.

Local animal charity fights for stray cats CHARITY tries to persuade council to stop fining those who feed stray cats ANIMAL charity PACMA (Partido Animalista Contra el Maltrato Animal) has highlighted a problem in Javea whereby people feeding colonies of cats are allegedly being fined by the Local Police. A meeting was held last September between representatives of the charity, and Doris Courcelles, councillor for the Environment, but no progress was made, PACMA has complained. The charity proposed a ‘trapneuter-return’ programme in town, but this was not deemed acceptable by the council. Since then two other meetings have been requested by the charity, but none have been scheduled. PACMA claims that fines of up to €300 have been levied against people who feed the colonies, some of whom are over 80 years of age. In Javea, a municipal ordinance from 1990 exists which bans the feeding of stray animals. This predates Law 4/94 which protects

pet animals in the province of Valencia. It is the belief of the charity that this municipal ordinance is inappropriate for the 21st century. Ana Espinosa, coordinator of Animalist Party in the province of Valencia, said “Cats suffer awful life conditions. However, neighbours making a great effort, devoting their time and resources to try to dignify the lives of these animals and control their population, are overwhelmed and persecuted trying to resolve a situation that affects all the town, without any support from the City Council. “The City Council only offers a small part of its budget for the collection of dogs to the animal shelter APASA, but does not grant any aid to stray cats. We will make a complaint to Sindic de Greuges (Ombudsman) to introduce in the town a trap-neuter-return programme, with a sufficient financial budget to feed the cats and neuter them. It is intolerable that people doing a job that the City Council should do instead, are fined for it.”

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NEWS EXTRA

Health cases THE Emergency Health Service of the Department of Health has revealed they dealt with 64 cases relating to drugs or drink in Alicante Province on New Year’s Eve.

Sales down ACCORDING to the Independent Association of Dealers in Benidorm (Aico), trade figures between December 1 and January 6 will be 5 per cent down on the same period last year. However, the New Year period was relatively healthy.

Dutch dip MORE than 40 people from t h e N e t h e rl a n d s celebrated the New Year by going for a dip in the sea in Albir. Many wore fancy dress, including santa suits.

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InTempo building for sale

Diego Delso on Wikimedia commons

ONE of the most talked about landmarks in Benidorm is on the market By Keith Baker THE InTempo building, which is Europe’s tallest residential skyscraper, is up for sale at €90 million. For that you get a 189-metre-high twin-towered building with 47 floors and 269 apartments. Reports that the building was designed without lifts have always been denied by the developer, but the project has had its problems, including the collapse of a freight lift which lead to the injury of several workers, and criticism from the emergency services regarding emergency access to the site. It is thought that it won’t be too difficult to find a buyer for the building, even though it has yet to be completed. There are suggestions, however, that its value is nearer to €50 million.

INTEMPO BUILDING: Europe’s tallest residential skyscraper.

NEWS

Three women are injured in separate incidents THE Consorcio de Bomberos de Alicante (Fire Consortium of Alicante) was called out to three separate incidents on Saturday, January 2, in the space of a couple of hours. The first incident occurred at about 12.45pm on a mountain near La Cala Granadella, Javea, where a woman on a tour had broken an ankle. The same helicopter then received another call at 1.20pm, this time from Denia. It flew to El Montgo, where another woman had broken her hip, according to firefighters. Later, at 2.40pm, they received yet another call, this time from Benitatxell, where a woman had broken an ankle and needed to be rescued by the helicopter.

E W N 7 - 13 January 2016 / Costa Blanca North

Benissa hosts race event ATHLETES from several towns in the Marina Alta congregated in Benissa for the 14th Cursa Sant Silvestre Vila de Benissa. The event was divided into two parts. First was the race for children and young people, in which more than 100 youngsters took part. This was followed by the adult’s race in which 277 runners participated. The top male winners were Kiket Rosello (first), Daniel Saez (second) and Antonio Soler (third). The top female winners were Davinia Albinyana (first), Maria Isabel Ferrer (second) and Encarna Cardona (third). Kiket Rosello and Encarna Cardona are both from Benissa, making their victories particularly sweet. The trophies were presented by representatives of Club Atletisme Benissa, who organised the event, and Arturo Poquet, Councillor for Sports, who also participated in the race. The event passed without incident and in a festive atmosphere that everyone enjoyed. Each participant was presented with a commemorative t-shirt, a chocolate cake and a bottle of water.

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Be very careful with your boarding passes IF hackers get hold of it they can access your personal data By Steve Walsh T H E co mmo n o r g arde n boarding pass is a familiar s ig h t to mo s t o f u s , and once served its purpose is typically discarded without concern as soon as we land. But maybe we should take a little more care of that scrap of paper! We are all aware of the need to keep our digital data safe these days, and with the guile and cunning of an MI5 agent take all sorts of security measures with our mo b ile s , o n lin e b an k ing, pin numbers and email accounts. However, did you realise that there is a great deal of information on that innoc e n t little p iec e o f p a pe r y o u ju s t le ft o n th e p lane that hackers can use to access your personal data? For example, if a wouldbe hacker took a picture of the bar code on your boarding card, using a few of his software tools it’s possible for him to access your email address and telephone n u mb er. F ro m th ere th e y

BOARDING PASS: There is a great deal of information on that little piece of paper. might e ve n ge t a c c e s s to your bank account or maybe e ve n bre a k into your home… after all he knows you’re on holiday! The broadcaster USA To-

day has released a video in which they show how easy it is for a hacker to access your information using just his mobile phone. So, the next time you brag on Face-

book with a photo of your flight tickets to Barbados, don’t be sur pr i sed how much of your information act ual l y ends up i n t he wrong hands.

NEWS

Mayor visits the wastewater treatment plant CARLOS LINARES, the mayor of Teulada, has visited the new facilities at the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Moraira. He was accompanied by Manuel Aldeguer, Director General of Water of the Valencian Community and several members of the government team. The extension and improvement of the facilities have been financed entirely by the government at a cost of more than €6 million. The new facilities are designed to treat wastewater for an average flow of 3,600 cubic metres per day, and serve the equivalent of 24,000 inhabitants. The plant is now able to provide water suitable for the irrigation of urban parks and water gardens. To minimise the visual impact, half the new building is below ground level. The interior has also been remodelled and prepared for the installation of a new deodorisation system.

Promising Finestrat footballer is awarded the Golden Boot CRISTIAN VARELA, of Valencia CF, has been awarded the covetous ‘Golden Boot’ award. He was top scorer in the 20th Torneo Internacional de La Liga Promises (under 12s category) held in Miami. He scored three goals in the final against CF Barcelona leading his team to victory (3-4). Twelve-year-old Cristian has been playing football for his local club of Finestrat since he was five. His physique, speed, quality of play and character all contribute to his success on the pitch. In past seasons he was the league’s top scorer with over 100 goals to his name. His sporting career has aroused the interest of several clubs and this year Valera joined Valencia CF.

CRISTIAN VARELA: With Finestrat Mayor Juan Francisco Perez, Sports Councillor David Alarcon, President of CF Unio Esportiva Finestrat Curro Rodriguez and secretary of the club Eva Requena.

NEWS

7 - 13 January 2016 / Costa Blanca North

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Roman shoes to be handmade FOUR pairs will be made, two each for men and women

EXACT REPLICAS: They will be used for the first time in February for a 50km march. By Keith Baker THE Museo de Calzado de Elda (Footwear Museum of Elda) is to make four exact replicas of Roman shoes for the museum of Villajoyosa, Vilamuseo (www.vi lamuseo.es). There will be two pairs for men, and two for women. They will be used for the first time in February for the 50km march from Villa j o y o sa t o Alco y,

which is organised by the Asociacion Cultural Hisp an ia R o ma n a (R o ma n Hispania Association). T h is ro u te , k n o w n a s Cami del Peix, is a historically important route that connects the two towns, and was important for trade in the area for centuries. It is one of the oldest roads in Spain. The shoes will be made by hand by cobbler Hermelando Albert. One de-

s ign w ill be prie s tâ€™s shoes, closed and red in colour, in recognition of his ritual significance. The next a pair for a civic gentleman, and two pairs for women. All of the m w ill be fa ithful replicas of shoes found in R oma n s ite s in B rita in a nd a c ros s C e ntra l Europe. He will make two pairs of each design. One set for each museum.

EWN

Evacuation after fire in La Nucia car park SIXTY residents of a building on Calle Jupiter, La Nucia, were evacuated due to a fire in an underground car park. No one was injured.

Five emergency vehicles and 13 personnel attended the incident. Two cars and a motorcycle were damaged, but the cause of the fire is not known.

E W N 7 - 13 January 2016 / Costa Blanca North

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NEWS FROM OUR FIVE OTHER REGIONS

COSTA DEL SOL

Lunch for elderly residents THERE was dancing to live music into the early evening and the mayor gave a toast MORE than 500 elderly residents of Nijar took part in a lunch organised by the town hall at the Puerta de Europa restaurant. As well as lunch, there was a raffle of 50 prizes donated by local businesses and dancing to live music into the early evening. The mayor, Esperanza Perez, gave a toast and the councillor for Social Welfare, Victoria Calatrava wished everyone seasons greetings. RAFFLE: Prizes were donated by local businesses.

PUERTA DE EUROPA: More than 500 enjoyed the lunch.

COSTA BLANCA SOUTH

MALLORCA

AXARQUÍA

COSTA DE ALMERÍA

New police cars

Walker rescued

Hiker rescued

Lottery spending

THE Local Police of Cartagena have taken delivery of six new patrol cars. The new cars are more up-to-date and eco-friendly and have GPS, Bluetooth technology, intelligent control systems and an on-board computer.

EMERGENCY services rescued a woman, 67, who had fallen whilst out walking. It appears she slipped and suffered a fracture in one of her legs. She was taken by ambulance to hospital.

A 65-YEAR-OLD woman from Belgium was rescued whilst hiking in Chillar towards the Fuente del Esparto where she sprained her right ankle and was taken to a local health centre by officers from the Guardia Civil, Civil Protection of Nerja and Puesto Nerja.

RESIDENTS of Almeria are estimated to have spent around €13.13 per person on tickets for the annual ‘El Niño’ lottery, drawn on January 6. The average for Spain is €13.54 per person, according to the State Lottery and Betting Society. Total prize money is €630 million.

Youth orchestra

Teachers attacked

THE Youth Orchestra of Southern Spain gave an extraordinary performance at a New Year’s Eve Concert in Almuñecar which brought the audience to its feet with a tremendous, complicated finale.

IN just five years, the number of attacks against teachers in Almeria Province has doubled to 21, according to a report from the Teachers’ Ombudsman from the National Association of State Teachers. The victims often suffer from anxiety and depression following the attacks.

Abandoned crane A PROTEST group has complained to Catral Town Council that there has been an abandoned crane endangering residents and the environment in a half-built urbanisation in the Barrio de la Cruz.

New road THE Northern Coastal Road, which unites the districts of El Esparragal and La Ñora, has a new stretch of 772 metres open to traffic, between Guadalupe and La Ñora, which has cost €2.2 million.

Free grapes THE Bodega Restaurant Casa Cesilia in Novelda offered passengers on a number of different buses on the morning of December 31, free grapes so they could see in New Year in the traditional way.

Luceros protection THE Plaza de Luceros in Alicante was fenced off on December 29 in order to protect the gardening work being undertaken there in case the New Year’s Eve celebrations became a bit too raucous.

Driver loses control LOCAL POLICE are investigating an accident in the Avenidas of Palma when a driver, 23 years, lost control of his car and crashed into a van. The van driver, who was out of the van, was also hit.

Alcudia football THE mayor of Alcudia, Antoni Mir, presided over the inauguration of the new, improved football club facilities, the best of which was the replacement of the artificial pitch.

Cold crime solved POLICE in Can Picafort, searching for a thief, found him hiding in the refrigerator of one of the bars he had tried to rob. The thief, known to the police, was arrested for burglary.

Quad bike crash TWO women were injured, one seriously, when the quad bike they were riding hit another car. The accident occurred at a crossroads on the road which joins Montuiri with Randa. The driver of the other car was unhurt.

NEWS

Classrooms stay THE Popular Party representative in Motril Town Hall, Luisa Maria Garcia Chamorro, has complained the Junta de Andalucia has not included in its plan of educational infrastructures for 2016, plans to eliminate the prefabricated classrooms of the Colegio Publico Cardenal Belluga of Los Alamos in Motril.

Roldan Olives ROLDAN OLIVES which specialises in the production and marketing of olives has announced it will change the principal thrust of the family business which is nearly 50 years old to promote franchises, as the company which is the main supplier of Aloreña olives, is the first in Spain to obtain the Denomination of Protected Origin for its olives.

For more local news from our five other regions see www.euroweeklynews.com

Extras audition AROUND 5,800 people attended the auditions to become extras in the series Penny Dreadful when two of the third season episodes are to be filmed in Almeria. There were 200 children at auditions at the Tryp Indalo Hotel in the capital. Filming is due to start at the end of this month and last for a month.

Internet access THE Guadalinfo network to provide internet access at public buildings which is promoted by the Junta de Andalucia registered 99,157 users in Almeria Province in 2015 and organised 54,957 events to boost employment.

GP App success THE mobile phone App Salud Responde, which enables people to book appointments with their doctors and health centres, has proved to be a big hit with the public. The number of GP appointments made via the App increased 140 per cent in 2015.

Better signs INDUSTRIAL estates across Malaga will see an improvement in the quality of their signposting as the council has allocated €100,000 for servicing. Manpower, machinery and materials will be covered by the amount which has been dedicated to help enhance navigation across multiple industrial sites.

Estepona mayor A PRESS RELEASE from the PSOE office in Estepona has criticised Jose Maria Garcia Urbano, the mayor of Estepona for apparently commissioning a statue by Madrid sculptor Santiago de Santiago to place on the roundabout at the junction of Avenida Juan Carlos 1 and Calle Cristobal Ruiz Mendez at a cost of €48,279.

Golden Mile A DRAMATIC car accident caused four serious injuries as three cars were involved in a spiralling collision after a Mexican woman unexpectedly lost control of her vehicle. Three Italian tourists and an 83-year-old man were also involved in the crash which occurred on famous Marbella landmark, the Golden Mile.

Drug arrests THE National Police have arrested two men and a woman in Malaga, and confiscated 390 kilos of hashish, a car, a dinghy with its engine, drug transporting equipment and two GPS systems.

EWN top for all the news from Spain.

NEWS

7 - 13 January 2016 / Costa Blanca North

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Harley Bikers’ New Year gift to centre DOBLE Amor Centre benefits from the bikers’ generosity By Keith Baker FOLLOWING a very successful fundraising campaign in support of the Children of Emaus, members of the Co st a B l a n c a E sp a n a Harley Davidson motorcycle group decided to spread their generosity further afield wi t h a d o n a t i o n o f €2,000 from their own group f u n d s t o t h e Do b le Amor Centre in Benidorm. This centre works with handicapped young adults, helping them to integrate into so c i e t y t h r o u g h th e production of crafts in their works h o p s t h a t h e l p to make the project self-sufficient. The €2,000 will be used to improve the facilities and workshops at the centre as it meets the chal-

BIKER GROUP: Marisa Diaz receiving the Certificate of Thanks. lenges it will face in 2016. Marisa Diaz, the director of the biker group, received a Certificate of Thanks from

the director of the centre, Casimiro Vila Esteban in the pre s e nc e of a group which included councillor

for Social Welfare, Angela Llorc a a nd the ma yor of B e nidorm, D on A ntonio Perez.

EWN

Schools will benefit THE Department of Education and Social Welfare in Villajoyosa has agreed to help several schools by providing goods valued at more than €6,000. Secanet College will benefit from the purchase of musical equipment and two digital whiteboards, whilst the Maria Francisca Ruiz Miquel college (The Turret) will get the emergency evacuation equipment they have wanted for some time. Other schools will receive equipment to the value of €2,400.

E W N 7 - 13 January 2016 / Costa Blanca North

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GERMAN

EUROPEAN PRESS SCANDINAVIAN PRESS

Majestic mistake DENMARK: The Queen of Denmark, Margrethe, set the nation’s tongues wagging regarding her traditional New Year speech this year by firstly mispronouncing the word ‘hectic,’ then fumbling through her speech notes which appeared to be in the wrong order.

U-turn for refugees SWEDEN: After being at the forefront of nations offering sanctuary to Middle Eastern refugees, and taking in more asylum seekers than any other nation in Europe, Sweden is seeing a dramatic shift in immigration policy to stem the tide. “We’re willing to do more than anyone else,” said Swedish Minister Morgan Johansson. “But even we have our limits.”

PRESS

Higher flood defences HOMES and businesses need more help to become resilient SIR JAMES BEVAN chief executive of the Environment Agency said people and communities should be helped to become more resilient when homes and businesses are overwhelmed as he defended the EA’s handling of the crisis and following criticism of EA Chairman Sir Philip Dilley’s family holiday in Barbados.

Mr or Mrs TORY MP Maria Miller, chair of the Commons Women and Equalities committee, said, “Passports and driving licences should not state if the holder is male or female because it causes ‘problems’ for transgender people.”

University cheats A NEW Freedom of Information request has found that the University of Kent has had more cheating students

BRITISH PRESS

than any other university in the country. They top the list with nearly 2,000 reported incidents over a three year period.

IT would appear that Kanye West has his sights set on becoming an English Gent. Both he and her ladyship Kim Kardashian are reported by The Mirror to be planning a move to the UK where he intends to buy a large mansion.

US visitor US President Barack Obama will travel to Hanover in April for meetings with Chancellor Angela Merkel and trade delegations to promote US exports at the Messe annual technology show. He will meet German officials to work on a trans-Atlantic trade pact.

Dual position AS of the New Year, Germany took over the rotating Organisation for Security and Co-operation (OSCE) chairmanship. Because of its dual position as a member of the ‘Normandy format’ group, new hopes that this will help solve the Ukrainian crisis have been welcomed by Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko.

Freak wave

SWEDEN: Swedish Green Party politician Angel Villaverde from Sundsvall, has been taken into custody in Peru according to local media. The once campaigner for poor villagers who was branded a terrorist for doing so, was detained on arrival at Lima airport while on a Christmas visit to see his sick mother.

THOUSANDS of New Year party-goers were advised to avoid crowds when German police issued an alert of an imminent attack in Munich, hours after evacuating two key train stations over fears that Daesh were planning a New Year suicide bomb assault.

MEIN KAMPF, Adolf Hitler’s Nazi manifesto, will be available to buy in Germany this week for the first time in more than 70 years, after copyright restrictions ended on January 1, 2016. However, German authorities are making it clear they still won’t tolerate any new ‘Mein Kampf’ without annotations.

DENMARK: A Danish New Year miracle and triple record for proud mother Erika Eckhard, who gave birth to the last baby boy of 2015 at 23.59 on December 31, and two minutes later his twin sister at 00.01 January 1. Which also means she had twins born a year apart.

Politician arrested

Attack warning

Now on sale

Lord of the manor

Three records

NORWAY: A giant wave that hit an oil rig in the Norwegian North Sea on December 30, has claimed the life of one and injured at least two workers. The rig is now heading to shore while an evacuation takes place.

NEWS

Traffic pile-up

JAAP KROESE: Returned to Holland just before Christmas.

Keep your spirit up, and may 2016 offer you better prospects.”

JUST one hour into the New Year, a major traffic pileup took the life of a 79-yearold man and injured at least 66 others. The accident was reported by police to have occurred on the M33 near the city of Paderborn when heavy fog resulted in zero visibility.

Basic income

Cash grab

THE city of Utrecht in Holland is the latest place in Europe to introduce a monthly pay check from the government, whether people work or not. They will pay the monthly wage to a small group of people claiming benefits, in an attempt to cut out the ‘poverty trap’ with a view to extending it if it’s a success.

GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel has won praise as well as facing criticism for her decision in September to open Germany to a record wave of refugees as figures show a total of 1.09 million migrants entered the country.

Death of Dutch businessman BOUGHT company out from receivership in 1993 SWAN HUNTER owner Jaap Kroese, a Dutch businessman who bought the company out from receivership in 1993, and lived in Wallsend but had gone home to Holland just before Christmas, has died just days after his 76th birthday.

A letter to York DUTCH people across Holland have been showing support for flood victims in the UK. Vincent Loth, Nijmegen,

DUTCH PRESS wrote “Dear people of York, as a yearly visitor to your city, I organise school trips from Holland to beautiful York every October. I was shocked to see so many parts of York areas under water. Hope you are all well and can save your city from too much damage.

E W N 7 - 13 January 2016 / Costa Blanca North

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NEWS

RUSSIAN P RESS

Netflix coming to Russian TV NO further details available at the moment

NETFLIX: An online media streaming service.

THE American multinational online media streaming service Netflix will begin operations in Russia starting January 2016. Multinational Korean corporation LG confirmed that Netflix would enter the Russian market via its Smart TV technology, but offered no further details.

Space wait RUSSIA’S plan to embark on a moon exploration may have to wait because of the economic crisis. Roscosmos, the country’s federal space agency is now facing budget cuts from the government, jeopardising all major space programmes.

Record oil figures RUSSIA pumped a record 534 million tons of crude oil in 2015 even as it reeled from a fall in oil prices caused by a supply glut, energy ministry data showed this week. The country’s oil and gas production last year increased 1.4 per cent year-on-year. CRUDE OIL: A record 543 million tons.

Nuclear Dhaka BANGLADESH’S state-run Atomic Energy Commission signed a deal with Russia on January 1, to build two 1,200 megawatt nuclear power plants, an investment totalling $12.65 billion (€11.6bn). Russia will finance up to 90 per cent of the total cost.

Blogger bust A RUSSIAN court sentenced a blogger to five years in jail for what it said was his extremist activity on the Internet after he urged people to attend a protest against high transport fares and criticised Russian intervention in Ukraine.

Bomb scare ABOUT 500 people were evacuated from two railway stations in Moscow this week after police were tipped off about bombs being planted, but no bomb was found.

FINANCE

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€318 million is the amount Apple’s Italian subsidiary has agreed to pay to the Italian government following an investigation into tax fraud allegations.

STAT OF WEEK

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Record Boxing Day sales expected Nigeria NUMBER of people visiting the UK high street rose 11.7 per cent By John Smith THANKS to a long weekend in the UK with Boxing Day and its traditional sales falling on a Saturday, the retail analyst Springboard has forecast that this is likely to be a record year for sales both in shops

(€2,717,000) is the record amount of sales that Selfridges made between 9am and 10am on Boxing Day

“The government must take the big decisions on infrastructure, especially in aviation and energy, and get building roads, rail and more homes.” CBI director general Carolyn Fairbairn.

Photo Credit Epizentrum Wikimedia

Quote of the Week

£2 million

BANK HEADQUARTERS: Twin towers in Frankfurt.

Deutsche Bank to sell Chinese shares By John Smith AS part of announced plans to increase its financial strength, Deutsche Bank has agreed a deal to sell its 20 per cent stake in China’s Hua Xia Bank for an estimated $4 billion (€3.66 billion) to the State-owned Chinese insurer PICC Property and Casualty Company.

and more importantly online. The number of people visiting high street shops on Boxing Day increased by 11.7 per cent compared with last year according to the company, and visits to shopping centres and retail parks also increased although not so dramatically, perhaps many remem-

“As we execute on Deutsche Bank’s strategic agenda, now is the right time for us to sell this investment,” said chief executive John Cryan according to the BBC. Earlier this year the bank said that it intends to reduce its staffing by 15,000 as well as selling a number of its businesses.

BUSINESS EXTRA

Barcelona Metro sale ACS construction group is selling, subject to final approval, 80 per cent of its holdings in Servicios, Transportes y Equipamientos Publicos, which in turn holds 50 per cent of one of the lines in the Barcelona Metro system. It anticipates that the sale will not only release capital for reinvestment but will show a profit of around €70 million for the company.

Hyatt hacking HOTEL group Hyatt is warning past guests of a security breach in its customer payment system, as it had found malware on the payment processing computers for some hotels. The company said the problem had been fixed, but advised past customers to check bank statements for any unusual activity.

The cost of the UK floods IN the view of accountants PwC, the cost of heavy flooding across northern England is likely to exceed £1.5 billion (€2 billion), with small businesses and insurance firms hit hard, and this was before the onset across Ireland and Scotland of

Storm Frank, so the final cost is likely to be much greater. The overall cost to the economy could run to about 0.25 per cent of UK domestic product, and does not take into account the irreparable loss.

bering the six-hour queue to exit Bluewater in Kent on December 21. It was interesting to note that many shoppers didn’t go out on Boxing Day until the late morning as they were busy checking websites to see what bargains were available and where.

card ban THE Central Bank of Nigeria has issued an order to local commercial banks to tell customers to stop using their debit and credit cards whilst abroad after January 2016, according to the BBC. It is anticipated that this should be a temporary measure in order to protect the country’s foreign exchange reserves.

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PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) COMPANY Anglo American 282.98 -16.47 Associated British Foods 3,277.50 -64.50 Admiral Group 1,620.50 -38.50 Aberdeen Asset Management 279.55 -9.85 Ashtead Group 1,089.50 -29.50 Antofagasta 453.70 -15.60 ARM Holdings 1,007.50 -31.50 Aviva 499.30 -16.70 AstraZeneca 4,527.50 -89.00 BAE Systems 489.60 -10.00 Babcock International Group 994.00 -22.00 Barclays 214.13 -4.77 British American Tobacco 3,693.00 -78.00 Barratt Developments 614.25 -11.75 BG Group 977.30 -7.70 Berkeley Group Holdings 3,622.00 -66.00 British Land Co 769.75 -16.25 BHP Billiton 738.85 -21.15 Bunzl 1,851.00 -34.00 BP 348.83 -5.17 Burberry Group 1,151.50 -43.50 BT Group 459.90 -11.80 Coca-Cola HBC 1,416.00 -32.00 Carnival 3,847.50 -18.50 Centrica 214.20 -3.90 Compass Group 1,153.50 -21.50 Capita Group (The) 1,184.50 -23.50 CRH 1,931.00 -40.00 Dixons Carphone 493.50 -6.50 DCC 5,572.50 -87.50 Diageo 1,824.75 -31.75 Direct Line Insurance Group 399.20 -8.30 Experian 1,170.50 -30.50 easyJet 1,726.00 -14.00 Fresnillo 703.50 -4.50 GKN 298.85 -9.55 Glencore 86.92 -3.56 GlaxoSmithKline 1,348.25 -24.75 Hikma Pharmaceuticals 2,268.50 -32.50 Hargreaves Lansdown 1,472.00 -34.00 Hammerson 588.50 -11.50 HSBC Holdings 522.10 -14.10 International Consolidated Air 601.50 -9.00 InterContinental Hotels Grp 2,580.00 -78.00 3i Group 471.55 -10.05 Imperial Tobacco Group 3,519.75 -66.75 Intu Properties 310.10 -7.20 Inmarsat 1,115.00 -22.00 Intertek Group 2,721.50 -55.50 ITV 270.95 -5.65

% CHG. NET VOL -5.50 4,308.54 -1.93 26,663.59 -2.32 4,669.48 -3.40 3,849.78 -2.64 5,677.72 -3.32 4,541.84 -3.03 14,779.82 -3.24 21,078.35 -1.93 58,475.02 -2.00 16,041.48 -2.17 5,168.02 -2.18 37,337.57 -2.07 70,950.86 -1.88 6,311.17 -0.78 34,339.73 -1.79 5,071.35 -2.07 8,129.74 -2.78 16,385.45 -1.80 6,366.46 -1.46 65,962.56 -3.64 5,449.21 -2.50 39,365.96 -2.21 5,407.60 -0.48 8,373.78 -1.79 10,988.74 -1.83 19,759.19 -1.95 8,168.37 -2.03 16,261.74 -1.30 5,757.31 -1.55 5,001.97 -1.71 47,272.45 -2.04 6,180.00 -2.54 12,088.46 -0.80 6,986.89 -0.64 5,231.94 -3.10 5,099.08 -3.93 13,579.75 -1.80 67,713.28 -1.41 4,689.59 -2.26 7,223.87 -1.92 4,803.91 -2.63 106,268.97 -1.47 12,429.74 -2.93 6,276.00 -2.09 4,724.22 -1.86 34,608.41 -2.27 4,318.66 -1.93 5,161.12 -2.00 4,527.81 -2.04 11,190.64

COMPANY PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) Johnson Matthey 2,599.00 -58.00 Kingfisher 322.65 -6.85 Land Securities Group 1,157.00 -20.00 Legal & General Group 260.60 -7.20 Lloyds Banking Group ORD 71.70 -1.37 London Stock Exchange Grp 2,675.50 -68.50 Merlin Entertainments 447.55 -7.95 Marks & Spencer Group 437.15 -15.25 Mondi 1,296.00 -38.00 National Grid 923.45 -14.05 Next 7,137.50 -152.50 Old Mutual 170.05 -8.85 Provident Financial 3,273.00 -94.00 Prudential 1,479.00 -52.00 Persimmon 1,980.00 -47.00 Pearson 718.50 -17.50 Reckitt Benckiser Group 6,138.50 -142.50 Royal Bank of Scotland Group 295.75 -6.25 Royal Dutch Shell 1,511.75 -14.25 Royal Dutch Shell 1,529.25 -13.75 RELX 1,174.50 -22.50 Rio Tinto 1,920.50 -59.00 Royal Mail 437.05 -6.95 Rolls-Royce Group 561.00 -14.00 Randgold Resources 4,203.00 60.00 RSA Insurance Group 414.05 -12.45 SABMiller 4,054.00 -15.50 Sainsbury (J) 253.00 -5.80 Schroders 2,912.50 -63.50 Sage Group (The) 590.25 -13.25 Shire 4,539.50 -158.50 Sky 1,091.00 -21.00 Standard Life 381.40 -8.30 Smiths Group 915.75 -23.75 Smith & Nephew 1,174.50 -33.50 Sports Direct International 568.00 -9.00 SSE 1,505.50 -22.50 Standard Chartered 545.60 -18.10 St James's Place 979.75 -28.25 Severn Trent 2,146.00 -31.00 Travis Perkins 1,939.50 -33.50 Tesco 145.93 -3.57 TUI AG 1,208.00 -3.00 Taylor Wimpey 198.80 -4.30 Unilever 2,848.00 -78.50 United Utilities Group 930.00 -5.50 Vodafone Group 217.60 -3.40 Wolseley 3,606.00 -85.00 Worldpay Group Ord 3p Wi 303.00 -4.30 WPP Group 1,533.50 -29.50 Whitbread 4,334.00 -67.00

% CHG. -2.18 -2.08 -1.70 -2.69 -1.87 -2.50 -1.75 -3.37 -2.85 -1.50 -2.09 -4.95 -2.79 -3.40 -2.32 -2.38 -2.27 -2.07 -0.93 -0.89 -1.88 -2.98 -1.57 -2.43 1.45 -2.92 -0.38 -2.24 -2.13 -2.20 -3.37 -1.89 -2.13 -2.53 -2.77 -1.56 -1.47 -3.21 -2.80 -1.42 -1.70 -2.39 -0.25 -2.12 -2.68 -0.59 -1.54 -2.30 -1.40 -1.89 -1.52

NET VOL 5,596.30 7,749.21 9,502.33 16,163.85 52,816.56 9,654.40 4,632.82 7,501.25 6,545.27 35,766.01 11,060.40 9,014.87 4,968.50 40,133.09 6,253.46 6,115.25 45,033.88 19,958.21 60,794.47 38,534.08 13,496.08 27,825.07 4,554.00 10,783.36 3,942.19 4,407.64 65,948.34 5,088.52 6,830.40 6,593.67 27,707.05 19,356.13 7,819.64 3,815.52 10,813.19 3,432.20 15,471.97 14,786.92 5,346.19 5,244.80 4,991.57 12,298.32 7,285.61 6,643.57 37,746.54 6,460.89 57,996.54 9,770.34 N/A 20,583.55 8,136.46

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US dollar ..................................................................1.09243 Japan yen.................................................................130.100 Switzerland franc ................................................1.08695 Denmark kroner...................................................7.46296 Norway kroner.....................................................9.64623 currenciesdirect.com/moraira • Tel: +34 966 265 072

DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 4

COMPANY MMM 3M AXP American Express AAPL Apple BA Boeing CAT Caterpillar CVX Chevron CSCO Cisco KO Coca-Cola DIS Disney DD E I du Pont de Nemours and Co XOM Exxon Mobil GE General Electric GS Goldman Sachs HD Home Depot IBM IBM INTC Intel JNJ Johnson & Johnson JPM JPMorgan Chase MCD McDonald's MRK Merck MSFT Microsoft NKE Nike PFE Pfizer PG Procter & Gamble TRV Travelers Companies Inc UTX United Technologies UNH UnitedHealth VZ Verizon V Visa WMT Wal-Mart

PRICE CHANGE %CHANGE VOLUME 150.64 -1.27 -0.84% 1.6M 69.55 -0.61 -0.87% 3.5M 105.26 -2.06 -1.92% 40.9M 144.59 -1.82 -1.24% 2.1M 67.96 -0.73 -1.06% 4.4M 89.96 -0.13 -0.14% 7.0M 27.16 -0.375 -1.36% 17.0M 42.96 -0.61 -1.40% 9.7M 105.08 -1.26 -1.18% 6.7M 66.60 -0.73 -1.08% 2.8M 77.95 -0.16 -0.20% 10.3M 31.15 +0.10 +0.32% 52.3M 180.23 -1.78 -0.98% 1.8M 132.25 -1.10 -0.82% 3.2M 137.62 -1.72 -1.23% 3.5M 34.45 -0.54 -1.54% 14.7M 102.72 -1.06 -1.02% 4.6M 66.03 -0.56 -0.84% 14.7M 118.14 -1.29 -1.08% 3.7M 52.82 -0.43 -0.81% 8.3M 55.48 -0.83 -1.47% 27.3M 62.50 -0.75 -1.19% 6.5M 32.28 -0.47 -1.44% 21.1M 79.41 -0.66 -0.82% 5.1M 112.86 -1.43 -1.25% 956.1K 96.07 -0.83 -0.86% 3.0M 117.64 -1.28 -1.08% 2.4M 46.22 -0.55 -1.18% 11.5M 77.55 -0.80 -1.02% 6.5M 61.30 -0.38 -0.62% 6.6M

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 4

COMPANY

PRICE

CHANGE NET / %

Most Advanced Aemetis, Inc SteadyMed Ltd. EV Energy Partners, L.P. Kura Oncology, Inc. Memorial Production Partners LP Global Sources Ltd. Health Insurance Innovations, Inc. Star Bulk Carriers Corp. Iconix Brand Group, Inc. ProQR Therapeutics N.V. ProNAi Therapeutics, Inc.

$ 2.90 $ 3.13 $ 2.81 $ 8.40 $ 2.64 $ 7.80 $ 6.70 $ 11.9999 $ 6.83 $ 8.68 $ 15.04

1 ▲ 52.63% 0.66 ▲ 26.72% 0.41 ▲ 17.08% 1.12 ▲ 15.38% 0.35 ▲ 15.28% 1.02 ▲ 15.04% 0.79 ▲ 13.37% 1.1499 ▲ 10.60% 0.65 ▲ 10.52% 0.75 ▲ 9.46% 1.29 ▲ 9.38%

$ 12.20 $ 3.99 $ 2.0501 $ 16.31 $ 14.66 $ 4.42 $ 3.87 $ 20.08 $ 6.37 $ 17.33 $ 16.41

2.29 ▼ 15.80% 0.45 ▼ 10.14% 0.2299 ▼ 10.08% 1.54 ▼ 8.63% 1.27 ▼ 7.97% 0.37 ▼ 7.72% 0.31 ▼ 7.42% 1.45 ▼ 6.73% 0.44 ▼ 6.46% 1.19 ▼ 6.43% 1.09 ▼ 6.23%

Most Declined Flamel Technologies S.A. General Finance Corporation Erickson Incorporated SodaStream International Ltd. MyoKardia, Inc. Century Aluminum Company Bio Blast Pharma Ltd. Immune Design Corp. American Superconductor Corporation NantKwest, Inc. PHI, Inc.

E W N 7 - 13 January 2016 / Costa Blanca North

www.euroweeklynews.com

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

Spanish retail showing an upturn SPAIN’S national statistics agency has announced that retail hiring in November grew 1.8 per cent over the last year, which is the fastest rate since Spain entered the deep recession in 2008. Spanish shops are now said to be hiring at pre-crisis levels in what is the Eurozone’s fourth largest economy. Perhaps going in some way to explaining the need for additional staff, retail sales increased by 3.3 per cent in November compared to last y e a r, wh i c h is th e 1 6 th consecutive month of growth, according to the agency. Whilst final figures are awaited follo wi n g l a st m i n u te T h re e Kings spending, many large retailers believe this will be the best Christmas and New Year period for business since the country’s recovery started. One of the reasons for higher household spending in Spain is belie v e d t o b e t h e fa llin g o il prices which have helped reduce

Photo Credit Arseniy Krasnevsky Shutterstock

By John Smith

SHOPPING: Large retailers believe this will be the best Christmas and New Year period for spending since the recovery started. costs, although the public at large did not recognise the economic growth of the country by voting

for the incumbent government. A lthough Spa in’s e c onomy gre w 0.8 pe r c e nt in the third

quarter of the year, the high unemployment level and effective freezing of wages doesn’t really

bode that well for future confidence, al t hough any posi t i ve news has to be welcome.

Minimum wage in Spain is to increase by 1 per cent DESPITE the fact that the offer of 1 per cent increase in the minimum wage by the interim government of Spain was opposed by the two main unions UGT and CCOO as being insufficient, it appears that this offer is final and will be imposed for 2016.

The UK minimum wage is more than double that of Spain This means that the monthly minimum wage will increase by just €6.60 from €648.60 to €655.20, which is hardly likely to spur growth in consumer spending, although there could in theory be a review should a different government come into power in the next few months.

INSUFFICIENT: Increase is unlikely to spur growth in spending. By comparison, minimum wages in the UK, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Ireland and France are all more than double that of Spain.

At the same time, it has been announced that the state pension will increase by just 0.25 per cent, although this will require the extra withdrawal of

€281 million from the national pension pot which as previously reported has been ‘raided’ by the government during its last full term.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

7 - 13 January 2016 / Costa Blanca North

BANKS will set their own fees By John Smith IF you think that bureaucracy at Spanish banks is bad, it is about to get worse as despite attempted intervention from the Bank of Spain, there will be not insignificant charges if you use your bank card to withdraw cash from a bank other than your own. Initially, there seemed to be the intention for each bank to charge the user two charges, one from the bank supplying the cash and the other from the bank that issued the card, which is what the Bank of Spain objected to as this is a double

Customers will be charged for withdrawing money from a bank other than their own charge for the same service. Now, even though they have been ‘advised’ by the minister for the economy to reduce their charges, the banks have got together and decided to impose charges anyway. Whilst irritating for the consumer, it isn’t impossible to live with, or is it? Rather than each bank charging the same amount,

they have all decided to go their own way and there are two tier systems introduced by almost every bank, whereby if they have an agreement with another bank, the charge will be lower than if they don’t have an agreement with the bank whose card is being used. Just to add to the confusion every bank has a different charge with the lowest being 50 cents charged by ING with a whopping €2 being charged by Caixabank, and all the other banks are charging something in between. You know it makes cents (for the banks)!

45 Photo Credit Rob Wilson Shutterstock

New Spanish ATM charges

EWN

ATM COST: Charges range from 50 cents to €2.

OPINION & COMMENT

www.euroweeklynews.com

7 - 13 January 2016 / Costa Blanca North

EWN

What will next year hold in store? IT will be my 77th on the planet, at one point I didn’t think I’d make it past 30! LEAPY LEE SAYS IT

OTHERS THINK IT

WELL, yet another year looms over us. I wonder what this one holds in store. It will actually be my 77th on this planet of ours. Not bad really, especially when you consider that at one point I didn’t think I’d get much further than 30! A record number of friends and colleagues have passed this year. I suppose that is one of the drawbacks of relative longevity. If you last long enough one day they will all be gone. Not sure I want to be around for that! Anyway here we go with the year of our Lord 2016. To be honest, if you were born in 1939 that very date sounds futuristic enough to boggle the mind. When, as a youngster, I lost myself in the adventures of Dan Dare in the Eagle comics, it never dawned that one day I would actu-

INCREDIBLE ENVIRONMENT: Distant planets, men walking on the moon.

ally live in the incredible environment depicted in those fantasy adventures. Instant visual communication. Spaceships to distant planets. Men walking on the

moon. Weapons of mass destruction! Odd is it not that humans can be so advanced in some respects and remain so primitive in others? We’re all still killing

each other. I reckon it’ll be about a thousand years more before we learn to live in peace with our fellow man. The abolition of all organised religions would be a step in the right direction. What mankind needs is a spiritual revolution. Something that is guided by the heart and the soul, instead of scribings in ancient manuscripts that are completely out of touch with the present day. Books that teach violence and disruption as a means of attaining the fast track to Shangri La and are so obscure in their content, they can be interpreted in any way our religious hierarchy deem fit. Dream on Leapy. So, all that remains is to thank you all for all your missives and interest. (Don’t worry, I can still take it!) Thanks also to the Euro Weekly News for still remaining one of the last bastions of free speech, and a very happy, peaceful and healthy New Year to you all. Keep the faith. Love Leapy. Leapylee2002@gmail.com

E W N 7 - 13 January 2016 / Costa Blanca North

LETTERS

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OPINION & COMMENT

YOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE - YOUR OPINION

Letters for Your Say should be emailed to yoursay@euroweeklynews.com or make your comments straight on our website: www.euroweeklynews.com

Fraud refund after card scam DEAR John, You very kindly wrote an article in the EWN about the problems that I had when my bank card was scammed in an ATM in Elviria in September (EWN 1577), and €3,000 was fraudulently removed from my account with my bank refusing to refund the money. Whilst this was bad enough, I also had a serious fall which resulted in me having a major operation and then I was confined to a wheelchair and a not very pleasant rehabilitation centre. Now I’m delighted to say that although not completely recovered I am able to walk and drive again and I have today (December 29) received a letter from my bank advising that I will receive a full refund of the money stolen within the next two weeks. I was lucky enough to find a very good lawyer, who was able to explain to my bank that unless the money was refunded that he would approach the Bank of Spain on my behalf, as they have recently indicated that they are prepared to become involved in unresolved cases such as mine. The combination of your publicity for my loss and my very clever lawyer means that I can look forward to a much happier 2016 than I had expected following the loss and my accident, so many thanks to EWN for your help. Vera, Elviria

Photographs for possible publication should be sent by email with a full caption to: photonews@euroweeklynews.com

First baby born on Xmas Day KAYLEEN from Gibraltar was over the moon with the article published in the EWN last week regarding the birth of her son William, who was the first Christmas baby born in Gibraltar, and simply wrote: Lovely, thank you :-)

DEAR Michel, I would like to thank you once again for your generous gesture of donating €250 through your Giving While Living campaign. Your contribution allowed us to obtain 210 dozen, that is 2,520, eggs to give to the Los Caputxins food bank for distribution!!!! A million thanks, a huge hug and a very Happy New Year! Jenny in Mallorca

and their two children, staying in Can Pastilla, close to Palma Airport. It will be their first visit Mallorca. Just a thought, but would it be possible to join you at one of your now, world famous Curry Appreciation Evenings? We arrive on March 26, and return on April 2. Should such an event, not be taking place when we are on the island, perhaps there might be a chance to share a half decent bottle of vino tinto. I could then explain to Gabriela (5) and Teddy (2) about arrows and things! Very best regards sir. Robert and Marie Barnes Campoverde, Costa Blanca.

Curry night

PC brigade

DEAR Leapy, Myself and my wife Marie, visit Mallorca each year. Towards the end of March in 2016 we will again be dropping onto the island, but this time with my daughter, her husband

HI Leapy I felt I just had to drop you a quick note having read your Enoch Powell article in the Euro Weekly News. Fantastic piece Leapy, well written and spot on! Any of the thousands of

Giving While Living

No respect LEAPY, why is it only sections of the British community that criticise their own and assert they are no better than the immigrants who come to abuse the UK’s generosity? It’s something I’ve never understood. There’s not another nationality in the world that does this. No wonder immigrants don’t respect our country when we can’t respect it either. Annie Via website

Puzzle errors

CHRISTMAS BABY: Kayleen and her son William.

fluffy Liberals and PC brigade who appear to have an ever increasing voice in England, as well of course as the BBC which is clearly run by them would be hard pressed to accuse you of anything resembling racism with that article – much as they will try. I’m a person who grew up in the 50s and 60s so remember this speech very well and goodness me how his words have come to fruition… I, like you, now live in Spain and have done since 2000, and so from the ‘outside’ so to speak see my beloved England sinking further and further as time goes by, I think it’s all too late now to get our Country and our Anglo Saxon identity back – stable door and all that! Too late for our generation, it’s our children and more so our grandchildren I fear for. Rant over, once again great piece, jolly well done. Wishing you and your family a Very Happy New Year! Best wishes John San Roque, Cadiz

Wonderful donation DEAR Michel, It’s people like you who allow us to do what we do. This is a wonderful donation, thank you very much. We were hoping to be able to do some events and outings for the children over the Christmas period as they all get stuck in the homes and get quite bored, so Star Wars here we come, the kids will love it! Brilliant! We also put in food and goodies so they don’t miss out. The Bags For Christmas Appeal has done very well again this year and we have given the homes new pjs, slippers, underwear and loads of presents, we also have quite a bit of gels, shampoo and toothbrushes etc for the homes. We wish you all a very happy Christmas and a wonderful 2016. With loads of love, Tony and Lucy Make A Smile

MAY I first wish you all a Happy New Year! This is the first time that I have EVER written to a newspaper (and I’m nearly 80 years old!), so bear with me if I ramble a bit! I have been enjoying your paper here for nearly 10 years now and particularly like the puzzles section, they say doing puzzles keeps the brain active and stops you vegetating!! But you really got me all of a twist last week with the nonagram (my favourite). Could you please tell us what dictionary you use to validify all the words you use?! The rules state quite clearly NO PLURALS, so how can you have CHESTNUTS as the nine letter word? Likewise the following words: Chests, tenths, chutes, tushes, hues, huts, hens and thens, and the word echt I cannot even find in either of my dictionaries! I don’t mind finding the odd word I’ve never heard of and can’t find, but I think you’ve overdone it with this one! I’m all for learning new words to add to my vocabulary, even at my advanced age but this is stretching it a bit too far and I felt I had to comment. This week’s puzzle has gone the other way, you gave a target of 16 and so far I have 24 valid words (all in the dictionary!) Thank you Janice Brooks, Alora Editor’s note: Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention, we will look into the matter for future editions.

WHEN YOU WRITE All letters, whether by email or post, should carry the writer’s postal address, NIE and contact number though only the name and town will be published. Letters may also be edited. Readers who have missed earlier correspondence can see all letters posted on:

www.euroweeklynews.com

The views expressed and opinions given in Letters are not necessarily those of the EWN publishers. They accept no responsibility for accuracy of information, errors, omissions or statements, and reject claims arising out of any action that a company or individual may take on the basis of information contained therein.

E W N 7 - 13 January 2016 / Costa Blanca North

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4:00am

Countdown King of Queens King of Queens King of Queens Everybody Loves Raymond Everybody Loves Raymond Frasier Frasier Frasier Undercover Boss USA Four in a Bed Channel 4 News Summary Four in a Bed Four in a Bed Four in a Bed Deal or No Deal Countdown A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun Come Dine with Me The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Location, Location, Location The Restoration Man Big Fat Quiz of Everything 24 Hours in A and E

8:50am Noddy in Toyland 9:00am Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 9:15am Peppa Pig 9:35am Paw Patrol 9:45am Bananas in Pajamas 10:00am Toot the Tiny Tugboat 10:15am The Wright Stuff 12:10pm Cowboy Builders 1:10pm 5 News Lunchtime 1:15pm Celebrity Big Brother 2:15pm Fail Army 2:45pm Neighbours 3:20pm NCIS 4:15pm Expecting Amish 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away! 7:55pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild 9:00pm Britain's Bloody Crown 10:00pm Celebrity Big Brother 11:00pm Celebrity Botched Up Bodies 12:00am Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side

Duck Dynasty Duck Dynasty Minder The Professionals Magnum, P.I. Alias Smith and Jones Duck Dynasty Duck Dynasty Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Minder The Professionals Magnum, P.I. Alias Smith and Jones Minder The Professionals Pawn Stars Pawn Stars The Classic Car Show Ransom Driven to Kill Ax Men Ax Men Series following the work of North American lumberjacks as they risk their lives to cut timber. The Store

7:00am Alexander 10:05am Rage 12:00pm Clash of the Titans 2:00pm The Equalizer 4:25pm The Last Samurai 7:10pm Rage 9:00pm Clash of the Titans 11:00pm The Equalizer 1:15am The Last Samurai 4:00am Point Break: Special 4:30am Tora! Tora! Tora!

7:00am 9:00am 10:40am 12:30pm 2:05pm 3:40pm 5:40pm 7:10pm 9:00pm 11:00pm 12:40am 2:30am

Patch Adams Elf Horrible Bosses 2 Lovesick Office Space The Longest Yard Ali G Indahouse Never Been Kissed Horrible Bosses 2 Office Space Superfast Welcome to the Jungle 4:15am Ant-Man: Behind the Scenes 4:45am The Pink Panther Strikes Again

7:00am 7:45am 8:35am 9:30am 10:00am 10:30am 11:00am 11:30am 12:00pm 1:00pm 2:00pm 2:30pm 3:00pm 3:30pm 4:00pm 4:30pm 5:00pm 5:30pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:05am

Made in Chelsea Charmed Charmed Hollyoaks The Goldbergs The Goldbergs Melissa and Joey Melissa and Joey Charmed Charmed How I Met Your Mother How I Met Your Mother The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Melissa and Joey Melissa and Joey How I Met Your Mother How I Met Your Mother The Goldbergs The Goldbergs The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Hollyoaks Hollyoaks Does Come Dine with Me The Big Bang Theory Brooklyn Nine-Nine Gogglebox The Big Bang Theory

7:30am The Marine 4: Moving Target 9:15am The Loft 11:15am Home 1:00pm Top Five 3:00pm I Origins 5:00pm Kingsman: The Secret Service 7:15pm Home 9:00pm Kingsman: The Secret Service 11:15pm Top Five 1:00am The Loft Five married guys use a penthouse loft to live secret lives, but things get badly out of hand. 2:50am The Marine 4: Moving Target Sergeant Jake Carter is assigned to protect a whistleblower trying to expose a corrupt army defence. 4:25am I Origins A biologist studying the evolution of the eye makes a potentially lifechanging discovery.

THURSDAY TV

7:00am 7:15am 7:30am 7:45am 8:00am 9:00am 9:30am 1:00pm 2:00pm 2:30pm 3:00pm 3:30pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 5:15pm 5:30pm 5:45pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:30pm 8:30pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 12:00am

Football Gold Football Gold Football Gold Football Gold WWE SmackDown! Cricket's Greatest Big Bash League Capital One Cup Highlights Premier League Legends Premier League Legends Premier League Legends Premier League Legends Capital One Cup Highlights Football Gold Football Gold Football Gold Football Gold Barclays Premier League World Capital One Cup Highlights Capital One Cup Highlights FL72 SPFL Round Up La Liga Show 2015 Barclays Premier League World

7:00am Cricket 8:30am Cricket 12:30pm Ashes Zone: Aussie Legends 1:00pm Cricket 2:00pm Cricket 3:00pm Big Bash League 6:30pm Cricket's Greatest 7:00pm Cricket 8:00pm Big Bash League 11:30pm Cricket 12:30am Cricket The final day of the second Test at Newlands in Cape Town between South Africa and England. 1:30am Cricket Reaction to and analysis from the fifth and final day of the second Test between South Africa and England. 2:30am Cricket 3:30am Cricket 4:30am Cricket 5:30am Cricket The final day of the third Test Australia host the West Indies

E W N 7 - 13 January 2016 / Costa Blanca North

7:00am Breakfast 10:15am Rip Off Britain 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Wanted Down Under 12:45pm Close Calls: On Camera 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News at One 2:30pm BBC London News 2:45pm Father Brown 3:30pm For What It's Worth 4:15pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm James Martin: Home Comforts 5:30pm Antiques Road Trip 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm Match of the Day Live 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm The Graham Norton Show 12:25am Would I Lie to You? 12:55am You Again 2:35am Darts

7:00am Good Morning Britain 9:30am Lorraine 10:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30am This Morning 1:30pm Loose Women 2:30pm ITV Lunchtime News 3:00pm Judge Rinder 4:00pm 1000 Heartbeats 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV Evening News 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm The Martin Lewis Money Show 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Mr Selfridge 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm Birds of a Feather 12:10am Dirty Rotten Scoundrels 2:10am Jackpot247 4:00am Murder, She Wrote 4:50am ITV Nightscreen

7:00am Rip Off Britain 7:45am Homes Under the Hammer 8:45am Close Calls: On Camera 9:15am MasterChef: The Professionals 10:15am Victoria Derbyshire 12:00pm BBC News 1:00pm The Daily Politics 2:00pm Darts 5:15pm Coast 6:15pm Flog It! 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm Celebrity Antiques Road Trip 9:00pm Mastermind 9:30pm What to Buy and Why 10:00pm Royal Wives at War 11:00pm QI 11:30pm Newsnight 12:05am Darts 12:55am Albatross 2:20am Hugh's War on Waste 3:20am Tomorrow's Food 4:20am This is BBC Two

7:00am 7:10am 8:00am 9:05am 9:35am 10:05am 10:35am 11:20am 12:20pm 1:10pm 1:45pm 2:15pm 2:30pm 4:35pm 5:40pm 6:50pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 12:05am 1:10am 1:45am 2:10am 2:45am 3:10am

The Hot Desk The Cube Dinner Date Emmerdale Emmerdale You've Been Framed! Catchphrase Dinner Date Royal Pains Emmerdale Emmerdale The Hot Desk The Lake House The Jeremy Kyle Show The Jeremy Kyle Show Take Me Out You've Been Framed and Famous! Two and a Half Men Two and a Half Men Shaun of the Dead Take Me Out Two and a Half Men Two and a Half Men Safeword Planet's Funniest Animals Teleshopping

8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 10:30pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 12:15am 12:40am 1:00am 1:25am 2:05am 2:35am 3:05am

8:00pm 8:30pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:00am 1:00am 2:30am 3:30am

Top Gear Don't Tell the Bride Live at the Apollo Live at the Apollo Russell Howard's Good News Russell Howard's Good News Extra American Dad! American Dad! Family Guy Family Guy Siblings Cuckoo Russell Howard's Good News

World News Today The Good Old Days Sounds of the 70s Great Guitar Riffs at the BBC Top of the Pops Top of the Pops Genesis: Together and Apart Top of the Pops Top of the Pops

7:00am Man About the House 7:25am Heartbeat 8:25am Where the Heart is 9:25am The Darling Buds of May 10:30am Judge Judy 11:00am Judge Judy 11:25am Judge Judy 11:50am The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes 1:00pm Murder, She Wrote 2:00pm Heartbeat 3:05pm Wild at Heart 4:05pm Where the Heart is 5:10pm Man About the House 5:40pm Rising Damp 6:15pm On the Buses 6:50pm Heartbeat 7:50pm Murder, She Wrote 8:55pm The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes 10:00pm Long Lost Family 11:00pm Law and Order: UK 12:00am Blue Murder 1:40am The Pianist 4:10am Judge Judy 5:10am The Darling Buds of May

www.euroweeklynews.com

7:00am 7:45am 8:10am 8:35am 9:00am 9:30am 10:00am 10:30am 11:00am 11:30am 12:30pm 1:00pm 1:05pm 1:40pm 2:10pm 2:40pm 3:10pm 4:10pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 10:00pm 12:35am 2:35am

4:00am 7:00am 7:25am 7:45am 8:45am 9:50am 10:50am 11:55am 12:25pm 12:55pm 1:25pm 1:50pm 2:55pm 3:55pm 4:55pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 12:10am 2:45am 3:35am 3:55am 4:00am

Countdown King of Queens King of Queens King of Queens Everybody Loves Raymond Everybody Loves Raymond Frasier Frasier Frasier Undercover Boss USA Four in a Bed Channel 4 News Summary Four in a Bed Four in a Bed Four in a Bed Four in a Bed Deal or No Deal Countdown A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun Come Dine with Me The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Amy Rude Tube Vampires Suck

8:35am Thomas and Friends 8:50am Noddy in Toyland 9:00am Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 9:15am Peppa Pig 9:35am Paw Patrol 9:45am Bananas in Pajamas 10:00am Toot the Tiny Tugboat 10:15am The Wright Stuff 12:10pm Cowboy Builders 1:10pm 5 News Lunchtime 1:15pm Celebrity Big Brother 2:15pm Fail Army 2:45pm Neighbours 3:15pm NCIS 4:15pm Jesse Stone: Benefit of the Doubt 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away! 8:00pm Pussies Galore: Love Me, Love My Cats 9:00pm Puppies Make You Laugh Out Loud 10:00pm Celebrity Big Brother 11:00pm Lip Sync Battle UK 11:30pm Celebrity Big Brother 12:05am Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side

The Store Duck Dynasty Duck Dynasty Minder The Professionals Magnum, P.I. Alias Smith and Jones Duck Dynasty Duck Dynasty Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Minder The Professionals Magnum, P.I. Alias Smith and Jones Minder The Professionals Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Counting Cars Counting Cars High Plains Drifter The Krays Minder Nitro Circus ITV4 Nightscreen The Store

7:00am 9:10am 11:25am 1:35pm 3:35pm 5:20pm 7:45pm 10:00pm 12:00am 1:45am 4:00am 5:40am

Jaws Die Hard Die Hard 2 The Maze Runner Babylon A.D. Die Hard Die Hard 2 The Maze Runner Babylon A.D. Jaws Death Wish Broken Lance

8:45am Romy and Michele's High School Reunion 10:25am The Jewel of the Nile 12:15pm Balls of Fury 1:50pm The 40 Year Old Virgin 3:50pm Think Like a Man Too 5:40pm Big Daddy 7:20pm Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny 9:00pm The 40 Year Old Virgin 11:00pm Think Like a Man Too 12:55am The Man

7:00am 7:45am 9:30am 10:00am 10:30am 11:00am 12:00pm 1:00pm 2:00pm 2:30pm 3:00pm 4:00pm 4:30pm 5:00pm 5:30pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 12:05am 12:35am 1:00am 2:00am

Made in Chelsea Charmed Hollyoaks The Goldbergs The Goldbergs Melissa and Joey Charmed Charmed How I Met Your Mother How I Met Your Mother The Big Bang Theory Melissa and Joey Melissa and Joey How I Met Your Mother How I Met Your Mother The Goldbergs The Big Bang Theory Hollyoaks Hollyoaks Does Come Dine with Me The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Beverly Hills Cop II The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Tattoo Fixers Gogglebox

7:00am Home 8:45am Exodus: Gods and Kings Special 9:00am Unfinished Business 10:45am Woman in Gold 12:45pm The Loft 2:45pm Get Hard 4:45pm Ant-Man: Behind the Scenes 5:15pm Home 7:00pm Woman in Gold 9:00pm Get Hard 10:45pm Unfinished Business 12:20am Girl House 2:05am The Loft Five married guys use a penthouse loft to live secret lives, but things get badly out of hand. 3:50am Girl House A group of gorgeous webcam performers living under the same roof are stalked by a psychotic killer. 5:35am Chappie Special

FRIDAY TV

7:00am 7:15am 7:30am 8:00am 9:00am 9:30am 1:00pm 1:30pm 2:00pm 4:00pm 4:30pm 5:00pm 5:15pm 5:30pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 6:45pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 12:00am 12:15am 12:30am 1:00am

Football Gold Football Gold Football Gold WWE Main Event Cricket's Greatest Big Bash League Cricket's Greatest La Liga Show 2015 The Premier League Years Premier League Legends La Liga Show 2015 Sporting Triumphs Sporting Triumphs Barclays Premier League World Game Changers Sporting Triumphs Sporting Triumphs The Fantasy Football Club Sporting Rivalries Sporting Rivalries Barclays Premier League Review Football Gold Football Gold Barclays Premier League Review The Fantasy Football Club

7:00am Cricket Classics 8:00am Cricket 9:00am Barclays Premier League World 9:30am The Premier League Years 11:30am Premier League Legends 12:00pm Barclays Premier League World 12:30pm Premier League Legends 1:00pm Premier League Legends 1:30pm Cricket Classics 2:30pm Cricket's Greatest 3:00pm Big Bash League 6:30pm Cricket's Greatest 7:00pm Adam Gilchrist Masterclass 7:30pm Adam Gilchrist Masterclass 8:00pm Big Bash League 11:30pm Cricket Classics 12:30am Cricket Classics 1:30am Cricket 2:30am Adam Gilchrist Masterclass 3:00am Adam Gilchrist Masterclass

OPINION & COMMENT

www.euroweeklynews.com

7 - 13 January 2016 / Costa Blanca North

EWN

...and the winner is Popular’s Madrid headquarters, announcing to his followers, opponents and the world that he had won the elections. This was technically true because the PP was the most-voted party but it was a hollow victory. Those votes did not bring an overall majority and even if the fledgling Ciudadanos party backs Rajoy’s January investiture bid for another four years as president or abstains from voting against it, their combined votes will be insufficient. Despite Rajoy’s election night euphoria he must know if he makes it through the Moncloa door again his problems will only be starting.

Cassandra Nash A weekly look - and not entirely impartial reaction to the Spanish political scene

...PABLO IGLESIAS who led Podemos party to third place and 69 seats in the national parliament. He will wield considerable power and definitely won’t be accused of being all style and no substance as that ponytail still needs a wash and trim.

Hollow victory IT would be tempting to say that the general election is over bar the shouting. Instead the shouting, which will have to be substituted by dialogue, is just beginning, along with the horse-trading. A triumphant Mariano Rajoy appeared on the balcony of the Partido

Ciudadanos BOGOF PABLO IGLESIAS: Led Podemos party to third place and 69 seats in the national parliament.

CIUDADANOS didn’t convince in the end although at one pre-election stage Albert Rivera’s party threat-

ened to overtake the PSOE and give the PP a run for its money. But too many voters feared a post-election deal with the PP and suspected that voting for Ciudadanos was an off-putting political bogof: buy one, get Rajoy free.

Telly addicts THE PSOE’s presidential candidate Pedro Sanchez didn’t pull it off. Winning only 90 seats he led the party to its worst-ever defeat, pushing left-leaning voters into the arms of Podemos. When Sanchez made off with the party leadership in 2014 he expected a two-way fight with the PP, not a four-way stretch including Podemos and Ciudadanos. He might have shone in the one-to-one debate with Rajoy but was eclipsed by Pablo Iglesias and Albert Rivera in their earlier cockfights. Politics entail more than televised debates, but try

E W N 7 - 13 January 2016 / Costa Blanca North

7:00am Breakfast 11:00am Saturday Kitchen 12:30pm James Martin: Home Comforts 1:00pm BBC News 1:10pm Football Focus 2:00pm Athletics 3:30pm Darts 5:30pm Final Score 6:20pm Now You See It 6:50pm BBC News 7:00pm BBC London News 7:10pm Celebrity Mastermind 7:40pm Pointless 8:30pm The Voice UK 10:05pm Casualty Hospital drama. Dixie steps up as the hero but is left feeling bittersweet. 10:55pm The National Lottery Live 11:05pm BBC News 11:25pm Match of the Day: FA Cup Highlights 1:00am The Peacemaker 2:55am Halloween: Resurrection 4:20am Weather for the Week Ahead

7:10am Race to Super Bowl 50 8:00am Jubal 9:40am The Importance of Being Earnest 11:10am Animal Park 12:10pm The Natural World 1:00pm James Martin: Home Comforts 1:45pm James Martin: Home Comforts 2:30pm Homes Under the Hammer 3:15pm Money for Nothing 4:00pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm For What It's Worth 5:30pm Darts 7:00pm Flog It! 7:30pm World's Sneakiest Animals 8:30pm Victorian Bakers 9:30pm Dad's Army 10:00pm Live at the Apollo 10:45pm Insert Name Here 11:15pm QI XL 12:00am Dragons' Den 1:00am Darts 1:50am Genghis Khan 3:55am Captain Apache 5:25am This is BBC Two

9:10am Nerds and Monsters 9:30am Thunderbirds are Go 10:05am The Tom and Jerry Show 10:25am ITV News 10:30am Murder, She Wrote 11:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 12:20pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 1:20pm ITV News and Weather 1:25pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 2:30pm Judge Rinder 3:30pm The Chase 4:30pm Doc Martin 5:30pm The Martin Lewis Money Show 6:00pm Ninja Warrior UK 7:00pm ITV News London 7:15pm ITV News and Weather 7:30pm You've Been Framed! 8:00pm Ninja Warrior UK 9:00pm Take Me Out 10:15pm The Jonathan Ross Show 11:20pm ITV News and Weather 11:35pm Sex and the City 2 2:15am Jackpot247

7:00am Emmerdale Omnibus 9:40am Coronation Street Omnibus 12:05pm Ninja Warrior UK 1:10pm Ninja Warrior UK 2:15pm You've Been Framed! 2:40pm The Lake House 4:45pm Nanny McPhee 6:45pm Jurassic Park 9:10pm Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands 10:15pm Take Me Out: The Gossip Mark Wright and Laura Jackson host the fun-packed companion series to dating show Take Me Out. 11:20pm The Fast and the Furious 1:25am FHM 2:25am Safeword 3:00am Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records 3:25am Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records

8:00pm 9:00pm 10:05pm 11:30pm 12:15am 12:40am 1:00am 1:20am 1:40am 2:05am 2:25am 2:45am 3:30am 4:00am

Don't Tell the Bride Top Gear Shrek The Third Russell Howard's Good News Extra Family Guy Family Guy Family Guy Family Guy Family Guy Family Guy American Dad! Russell Howard's Good News Extra Impractical Jokers Impractical Jokers

www.euroweeklynews.com

7:15am 7:40am 8:05am 8:30am 9:00am 9:30am 10:00am 11:00am 1:20pm 2:25pm 5:00pm 5:30pm 6:00pm 6:35pm 7:05pm 7:35pm

8:00pm Stories From the Dark Earth: Meet the Ancestors Revisited 9:00pm Castles: Britain's Fortified History 10:00pm The Young Montalbano 11:45pm Blondie: One Way or Another 12:55am Blondie @ Glastonbury

8:30pm

7:00am 7:50am 8:50am 9:50am

7:00am 7:10am 7:45am 8:30am

10:55am 12:45pm 1:55pm 3:00pm 5:00pm 7:00pm 9:00pm 11:00pm 12:55am 2:00am 2:55am 3:20am 3:30am

Where the Heart is Where the Heart is The Royal The Royal Return of the drama series set around a North Yorkshire hospital in the 1960s. Carry on Henry The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes A Touch of Frost Columbo Lewis Foyle's War Agatha Christie's Marple Marchlands The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Man About the House ITV3 Nightscreen Teleshopping Shopping from home.

10:00pm 12:50am 2:45am 4:50am 5:45am

9:35am 10:40am 11:05am 11:35am 12:05pm 12:35pm 1:05pm 4:10pm

7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 12:25am 3:05am 4:00am

King of Queens King of Queens King of Queens Ironman France Everybody Loves Raymond Everybody Loves Raymond The Morning Line Von Ryan's Express The World's Most Famous Train Channel 4 Racing Come Dine with Me Come Dine with Me Come Dine with Me Come Dine with Me Channel 4 News Location, Location, Location Britain's Wildest Weather 2015 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire The Day the Earth Stood Still Hollyoaks Omnibus Phil Spencer: Secret Agent Kirstie's Handmade Treasures

8:50am Blaze and the Monster Machines 9:15am Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 9:30am Wanda and the Alien 9:45am Toby's Travelling Circus 9:55am Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 10:30am The Saturday Show 12:30pm Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away! 1:25pm Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away! 2:25pm Columbo: How to Dial a Murder 6:00pm Cats Make You Laugh Out Loud 7:00pm 5 News Weekend 7:05pm World War II in Colour 8:05pm World War II Battlefield Recovery 9:00pm Chasing Monsters 10:00pm Celebrity Big Brother 11:00pm Jason Manford Live At The Manchester Apollo 12:15am Lip Sync Battle UK 12:45am Tattoo Disasters 1:10am Super Casino

7:00am How I Met Your Mother 7:20am How I Met Your Mother 7:45am Baby Daddy 8:05am Baby Daddy 8:35am Melissa and Joey 9:00am Melissa and Joey 9:30am The Goldbergs 10:00am The Goldbergs 10:30am How I Met Your Mother 10:55am How I Met Your Mother 11:25am Brooklyn Nine-Nine 12:20pm Hollyoaks Does Come Dine with Me 2:55pm Space Chimps 4:30pm The Big Bang Theory 5:00pm The Big Bang Theory 5:30pm The Big Bang Theory 6:00pm The Big Bang Theory 6:30pm The Big Bang Theory 7:00pm The Big Bang Theory 7:30pm The Big Bang Theory 8:00pm The Big Bang Theory 8:30pm The Big Bang Theory 9:00pm Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen 12:00am Gogglebox

Movies Now Ax Men Ax Men Alias Smith and Jones Alias Smith and Jones Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Cheyenne Autumn Rio Bravo Classic western set i n a small Texas border town under the grip of an evil cattle baron. Storage Wars Texas Storage Wars Texas Storage Wars Texas Storage Wars Texas Storage Wars Storage Wars Pale Rider Heartbreak Ridge Legacy! The 2015 Rugby World Cup Teleshopping

7:20am Gladiator 10:00am Behind Enemy Lines 12:00pm Kingsman: The Secret Service 2:15pm Bad Boys 4:15pm Gladiator 7:00pm Behind Enemy Lines 9:00pm Kingsman: The Secret Service 11:15pm Bad Boys 1:25am Aliens: Special Edition

7:00am Home 8:45am Exodus: Gods and Kings Special 9:00am Unfinished Business 10:45am The Loft 12:45pm Woman in Gold 2:45pm Get Hard 4:45pm The Man From U.N.C.L.E Sky Movies Special 5:15pm Home 7:00pm Woman in Gold 9:00pm Get Hard 10:45pm Unfinished Business A small-business owner and his two associates travel to Europe to close a big deal. 12:20am Girl House 2:05am The Loft 3:50am Girl House 5:35am Chappie Special The stars of Neill Blomkamp's latest sci-fi thriller talk about the making of the film.

11:00am Bad Neighbours 12:45pm Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles 2:25pm License to Drive 4:00pm South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut 5:25pm Father of the Bride 7:15pm Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story 9:00pm Bad Neighbours 10:45pm White Men Can't Jump 12:50am Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa .5

SATURDAY TV

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

7:00am 8:00am 8:30am 9:00am 12:30pm 1:00pm 1:30pm 2:00pm 2:30pm 3:00pm

6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 11:30pm 11:45pm 12:00am 12:30am 1:00am 2:00am 3:00am 4:00am

Football Gold Football Gold Football Gold Football Gold Premier League 100 Club Premier League 100 Club Game Changers Sporting Triumphs Sporting Triumphs The Fantasy Football Club Soccer A.M. The Mavericks European Rugby Sporting Triumphs Sporting Triumphs Sporting Triumphs Sporting Triumphs Sporting Triumphs European Rugby Sporting Triumphs NFL NFL Football Gold Football Gold A chance to relive some classic matches from the English top flight.

Cricket Classics Cricket's Greatest Cricket's Greatest Big Bash League Cricket's Greatest Cricket's Greatest Cricket's Greatest Cricket's Greatest Cricket's Greatest Big Bash League The T20 Big Bash League Melbourne derby as the Renegades face the Stars at the Etihad Stadium. Cricket's Greatest Cricket's Greatest Cricket's Greatest Big Bash League Cricket Classics IPL Greatest Catches Cricket's Greatest Cricket's Greatest Cricket Classics Cricket's Greatest Cricket Classics Adam Gilchrist Masterclass

E W N 7 - 13 January 2016 / Costa Blanca North

7:00am Breakfast 8:25am Match of the Day: FA Cup Highlights 10:00am The Andrew Marr Show 11:00am The Big Questions 12:00pm Sunday Politics 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News 2:15pm Songs of Praise 2:50pm For What It's Worth 3:35pm Great Barrier Reef with David Attenborough 4:35pm Match of the Day Live 7:05pm BBC News 7:20pm BBC London News 7:30pm Countryfile 8:30pm Still Open All Hours 9:00pm Antiques Roadshow 10:00pm War and Peace 11:00pm BBC News 11:20pm BBC London News 11:30pm Match of the Day: FA Cup Highlights 12:25am Signs 2:05am Masters Snooker Extra 4:05am Weather for the Week Ahead

7:30am City Beneath the Sea 9:00am Monty Don's Italian Gardens 10:00am Countryfile 11:00am Saturday Kitchen Best Bites 12:30pm James Martin: Home Comforts 1:15pm James Martin: Home Comforts 2:00pm Masters Snooker 6:00pm Ski Sunday 6:45pm Darts 9:00pm Dragons' Den 10:00pm My Mediterranean with Adrian Chiles 11:00pm Stephen Fry: A Life on Screen 12:00am Masters Snooker Highlights 12:50am Disconnect 2:40am Countryfile 3:35am Holby City Hospital drama. Arthur is pushed to the limit when he tries to win Morven's affections. 4:35am This is BBC Two

10:05am The Tom and Jerry Show 10:25am ITV News 10:30am Murder, She Wrote 11:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 12:30pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 1:35pm ITV News and Weather 1:50pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 2:50pm Ninja Warrior UK 3:55pm Thunderball 6:30pm ITV News London 6:45pm ITV News and Weather 7:00pm Unbelievable Moments Caught on Camera 8:00pm Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands 9:00pm Endeavour 11:00pm ITV News and Weather 11:15pm Joanna Lumley's Trans-Siberian Adventure 12:15am Rugby Highlights 1:15am Jackpot247

7:00am Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records 7:15am Emmerdale Omnibus 10:05am Coronation Street Omnibus 12:40pm Take Me Out 1:55pm Take Me Out: The Gossip 3:00pm Catchphrase 3:45pm Bean 5:30pm The Lost World: Jurassic Park 8:00pm Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang 10:00pm Casino Royale 12:55am FHM 1:50am Reality Bites 2:35am Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records 3:00am Planet's Funniest Animals Humorous video clips of pets and other animals in unusual situations. 3:25am Teleshopping Shopping from home.

8:00pm Pop's Greatest Dance Crazes 8:20pm The Voice UK 10:00pm Puss in Boots 11:20pm Russell Howard's Good News 12:05am Family Guy 12:50am American Dad! 1:35am Russell Howard's Good News 2:05am Siblings 2:35am I Know What You Weighed Last Summer 3:35am Once 5:00am This is BBC Three

8:00pm India's Frontier Railways 9:00pm Empire of the Tsars: Romanov Russia with Lucy Worsley 10:00pm Darcey Bussell's Looking for Audrey 11:00pm Goya Exposed with Jake Chapman 11:30pm Flamenco: Gypsy Soul 12:30am Storyville

7:00am 7:25am 7:50am 8:20am 8:55am 10:45am 11:45am 12:50pm 2:50pm 3:55pm 5:00pm 7:00pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:15am 2:25am 4:55am 5:45am

Rising Damp Rising Damp On the Buses On the Buses Carry on Henry Heartbeat Heartbeat Columbo The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Agatha Christie's Marple Midsomer Murders The Cruise Ship The Cruise Ship Bette Midler: One Night Only Wycliffe Private Benjamin The Pianist Heartbeat Heartbeat Nostalgic police drama series set in a Yorkshire village.

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7:15am How I Met Your Mother 7:40am King of Queens 8:05am King of Queens 8:30am Everybody Loves Raymond 8:55am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:30am Frasier 10:00am Frasier 10:30am Sunday Brunch 1:30pm George Clarke's Amazing Spaces 2:30pm Location, Location, Location 3:35pm The Simpsons 4:05pm The Simpsons 4:30pm The Simpsons 5:00pm 17 Again 7:00pm Channel 4 News 7:20pm Ice Age: Continental Drift 9:00pm Walking the Himalayas 10:00pm Deutschland 83 11:00pm The 80s: Ten Years That Changed Britain 12:30am Footloose 2:25am Superscrimpers: Waste Not, Want Not

8:05am Roobarb and Custard Too 8:15am Make Way for Noddy 8:25am Paw Patrol 8:40am Little Princess 8:55am Pip Ahoy! 9:10am Blaze and the Monster Machines 9:40am Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 9:55am Wanda and the Alien 10:10am Jelly Jamm 10:20am Toby's Travelling Circus 10:30am LazyTown 10:55am Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 11:30am Fail Army 11:55am Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away! 1:50pm Over Her Dead Body 3:35pm The First Wives Club 5:35pm Herbie: Fully Loaded 7:35pm 5 News Weekend 7:40pm Star Trek: Generations 10:00pm Celebrity Big Brother 11:00pm The BAFTA Britannia Awards 2015 12:55am The River Wild 2:55am Super Casino

7:00am 7:15am 8:00am 8:55am 9:25am 9:50am 10:15am 10:45am 11:15am 11:40am 12:10pm

8:45am 11:00am 1:00pm 3:25pm

1:10pm 4:05pm

6:45pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 12:05am 2:45am 3:05am 4:00am

Hat-Trick Heroes Ax Men Ax Men Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Counting Cars Counting Cars The Classic Car Show Kojak: The Marcus Nelson Murders Captain Newman, M.D. Comedy-drama about an army psychiatrist serving in the final months of World War II. Tobruk Rugby Highlights The Keeper Assassins Nitro Circus The Professionals Teleshopping Shopping from home.

5:15pm 7:00pm 9:00pm 11:20pm 1:10am

Air Force One Clash of the Titans American Sniper 300: Rise of an Empire Into the Storm Clash of the Titans American Sniper 300: Rise of an Empire In the Line of Fire

7:35am The Top Ten Show 2016 7:55am The Waterboy 9:35am Who Framed Roger Rabbit? 11:15am Let's be Cops 1:10pm The Interview 3:10pm Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason 5:05pm Mrs. Doubtfire 7:15pm Tammy 9:00pm The Interview 11:00pm Let's be Cops 12:50am Sex Ed 2:30am Tammy 4:10am Cheap Thrills

7:00am 7:25am 8:05am 8:35am 9:00am 9:30am 10:00am 10:30am 11:00am 1:30pm 3:05pm 3:30pm 4:00pm 4:30pm 5:00pm 5:30pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:00am 12:35am 1:10am 1:45am 2:20am 3:10am

Rude(Ish) Tube Rules of Engagement Baby Daddy Baby Daddy Melissa and Joey Melissa and Joey The Goldbergs The Goldbergs Hollyoaks Omnibus Space Chimps 2: Zartog Strikes Back The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Iron Man Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Tattoo Fixers The Inbetweeners The Inbetweeners The IT Crowd The IT Crowd Gogglebox Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

7:00am Unfinished Business 8:45am Exodus: Gods and Kings Special 9:00am Home 10:45am Woman in Gold 12:45pm The Loft 2:45pm Ant-Man: Behind the Scenes 3:15pm Get Hard 5:15pm Home A loveable alien on the run from his own species makes friends with an adventurous young girl. 7:00pm Woman in Gold 9:00pm Unfinished Business A small-business owner and his two associates travel to Europe to close a big deal. 10:35pm Get Hard 12:20am Girl House 2:05am The Loft 3:50am Girl House 5:35am The Man From U.N.C.L.E Sky Movies Special

SUNDAY TV

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

7:00am 9:25am 1:00pm 1:30pm 1:45pm 3:55pm

6:00pm 6:10pm 8:15pm

8:25pm 10:30pm 11:00pm 12:00am 12:15am 12:30am 1:00am 1:30am 2:00am 2:15am 2:30am

Football Gold Football Gold Football Gold Football Gold Premier League Legends Premier League Legends The Mavericks The Sunday Supplement Goals on Sunday The Sunday Supplement Football Scottish Cup Football NFL NFL Football Gold Football Gold The Sunday Supplement Goals on Sunday Football Gold Football Gold Football Gold Football Gold A chance to relive some classic matches from the English top flight.

Big Bash League Big Bash League Cricket's Greatest Sporting Triumphs European Rugby Football A match from Spain's La Liga. Spanish Gold Football Football Gold Relive the 1999 League Cup final between Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley. Football To be Announced European Rugby Special La Liga La Liga Cricket's Greatest Cricket's Greatest Cricket's Greatest Cricket Classics IPL Greatest Catches Cricket's Greatest

E W N 7 - 13 January 2016 / Costa Blanca North

10:15am Rip Off Britain 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Wanted Down Under 12:45pm Close Calls: On Camera 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News at One 2:30pm BBC London News 2:45pm Father Brown 3:30pm For What It's Worth 4:15pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm James Martin: Home Comforts 5:30pm Antiques Road Trip 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm Inside Out 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Can You Stop My Multiple Sclerosis? 10:00pm Silent Witness 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:30pm BBC London News 11:45pm Tracey Ullman's Show 12:15am Have I Got Old News for You

7:15am Rip Off Britain 8:00am Wanted Down Under 8:45am Close Calls: On Camera 9:15am World's Sneakiest Animals 10:15am Victoria Derbyshire 12:00pm BBC News 1:00pm The Daily Politics 2:00pm Masters Snooker 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm Celebrity Antiques Road Trip 9:00pm University Challenge 9:30pm Only Connect 10:00pm Immortal Egypt with Joann Fletcher 11:00pm Insert Name Here 11:30pm Newsnight 12:15am Masters Snooker Highlights 1:05am My Mediterranean with Adrian Chiles 2:05am Stephen Fry: A Life on Screen 3:05am A Grand Night in: The Story of Aardman 4:05am This is BBC Two

7:00am Good Morning Britain 9:30am Lorraine 10:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30am This Morning 1:30pm Loose Women 2:30pm ITV Lunchtime News 3:00pm Judge Rinder 4:00pm 1000 Heartbeats 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 Griff's Great Britain 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Benidorm 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm Saved 12:40am The Chase 1:35am Jackpot247 4:00am The Jeremy Kyle Show 4:50am ITV Nightscreen Text-based information service.

7:00am 7:10am 8:00am 9:05am 9:35am 10:05am 10:35am 11:20am 12:20pm 1:10pm 1:45pm 2:15pm 2:45pm 4:45pm 5:50pm 6:50pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 12:10am 12:45am 1:10am 1:40am 2:20am

The Hot Desk The Cube Dinner Date Emmerdale Coronation Street Coronation Street Catchphrase Dinner Date Royal Pains Emmerdale Coronation Street Coronation Street Baby Mama The Jeremy Kyle Show The Jeremy Kyle Show Take Me Out You've Been Framed! You've Been Framed! Two and a Half Men Two and a Half Men 21 Jump Street The Keith Lemon Sketch Show Two and a Half Men Two and a Half Men Safeword The Keith Lemon Sketch Show

8:00pm Top Gear 9:00pm Don't Tell the Bride 10:00pm I Know What You Weighed Last Summer 11:00pm EastEnders 11:30pm Siblings 12:00am American Dad! 12:25am American Dad! 12:45am Family Guy 1:10am Family Guy 1:30am Siblings 2:00am I Know What You Weighed Last Summer 3:00am Don't Tell the Bride

8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm

World News Today Sorry! Horizon To Boldly Go Legends of the Deep: Giant Squid 11:45pm Blondie: One Way or Another 12:55am Darcey Bussell's Looking for Audrey

7:00am Movies Now 7:10am Man About the House 7:30am Heartbeat 8:35am Where the Heart is 9:40am The Darling Buds of May 10:45am Judge Judy 11:10am Judge Judy 11:40am Judge Judy 12:05pm The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes 1:10pm Murder, She Wrote 2:10pm Heartbeat 3:15pm Wild at Heart 4:20pm Where the Heart is 5:20pm Man About the House 5:55pm Rising Damp 6:25pm On the Buses 6:55pm Heartbeat 8:00pm Murder, She Wrote 9:00pm Agatha Christie's Marple 11:00pm Law and Order: UK 12:00am Case Sensitive 1:00am The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes 2:05am Where the Heart is 2:55am ITV3 Nightscreen

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7:00am Countdown 7:45am King of Queens 9:00am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:30am Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00am Frasier 11:30am Undercover Boss USA 12:30pm Four in a Bed 1:00pm Channel 4 News Summary 1:05pm Four in a Bed 3:10pm Deal or No Deal 4:10pm Countdown 5:00pm A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm How to Lose Weight Well 10:00pm The Undateables 11:00pm Crashing 11:35pm Tattoo Fixers 12:35am Bodyshockers 1:35am Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners 2:30am Grand Designs 3:25am The Restoration Man

8:35am Thomas and Friends 8:50am Noddy in Toyland 9:00am Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 9:15am Peppa Pig 9:35am Paw Patrol 9:45am Bananas in Pajamas 10:00am Toot the Tiny Tugboat 10:15am The Wright Stuff 12:10pm Cowboy Builders 1:10pm 5 News Lunchtime 1:15pm Celebrity Big Brother 2:15pm Home and Away 2:45pm Neighbours 3:15pm NCIS 4:15pm Left to Die 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm Police Interceptors 9:00pm Ice Road Truckers 10:00pm Celebrity Big Brother 11:00pm Gotham 12:00am Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side 1:00am Celebrity Big Brother: Heroes and Villains

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

7:00am Jaws 9:15am Godzilla 11:30am Exodus: Gods and Kings 2:15pm xXx 4:30pm Jaws 6:45pm Godzilla 9:00pm Exodus: Gods and Kings 11:35pm xXx 1:45am Aliens: Special Edition

11:50am 12:25pm 12:50pm 1:20pm 1:45pm 2:50pm 3:50pm 4:55pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 10:30pm 11:00pm 1:35am 2:30am 3:20am 3:45am 4:00am

Duck Dynasty Duck Dynasty Minder The Professionals Magnum, P.I. Alias Smith and Jones Duck Dynasty Duck Dynasty Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Minder The Professionals Magnum, P.I. Alias Smith and Jones Minder The Professionals Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Storage Wars Storage Wars Storage Wars Texas Storage Wars Texas Ransom Rugby Highlights Ax Men Tommy Cooper ITV4 Nightscreen Teleshopping

7:25am 8:50am 10:20am 11:50am 1:40pm 3:30pm 5:15pm 7:10pm 9:00pm 11:00pm 12:45am 2:15am 3:50am 5:25am

The Monster Squad Doctor Dolittle Doctor Dolittle 2 Nine Months Last Vegas The Wedding Ringer City Slickers Nine Months Last Vegas The Wedding Ringer Idiocracy The Art of the Steal A Dirty Shame Doctor Dolittle

7:00am 7:45am 8:35am 9:30am 10:00am 10:30am 11:00am 11:30am 12:00pm 1:00pm 2:00pm 3:00pm 3:30pm 4:00pm 4:30pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:00am 12:30am 1:00am

Made in Chelsea Charmed Charmed Hollyoaks The Goldbergs The Goldbergs Melissa and Joey Melissa and Joey Charmed Charmed How I Met Your Mother The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Melissa and Joey Melissa and Joey How I Met Your Mother The Goldbergs The Goldbergs The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Hollyoaks All Hail the Veil The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Rude Tube Scream Queens The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Brooklyn Nine-Nine

7:00am Unfinished Business 8:45am Exodus: Gods and Kings Special 9:00am Home 10:45am Woman in Gold 12:45pm The Loft 2:45pm The Man From U.N.C.L.E Sky Movies Special 3:15pm Get Hard 5:15pm Woman in Gold 7:15pm Home A loveable alien on the run from his own species makes friends with an adventurous young girl. 9:00pm Get Hard 10:45pm Unfinished Business A small-business owner and his two associates travel to Europe to close a big deal. 12:20am Girl House 2:05am The Loft 3:50am Girl House 5:35am Chappie Special

MONDAY TV

7:00am 7:15am 7:30am 7:45am 8:00am 9:00am 10:30am 11:30am 12:30pm 12:45pm 1:00pm 1:30pm 2:30pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 5:30pm 6:30pm 8:00pm 10:15pm 10:45pm 11:00pm 12:00am 12:30am

Football Gold Football Gold Football Gold Football Gold WWE Raw The Sunday Supplement Goals on Sunday European Rugby Special Football Gold Football Gold Football Gold European Rugby Special The Sunday Supplement Goals on Sunday Fantasy Football Club Highlights Soccer A.M. - The Best Bits To be Announced Football To be Announced Football Gold European Rugby Special Fantasy Football Club Highlights Soccer A.M. - The Best Bits

7:00am Ricky Ponting Masterclass 7:30am Ricky Ponting Masterclass 8:00am Big Bash Highlights 8:30am Big Bash Highlights 9:00am Glenn Mcgrath Masterclass 9:30am Big Bash League 1:00pm Glenn Mcgrath Masterclass 1:30pm Glenn Mcgrath Masterclass 2:00pm NFL Highlights 3:00pm NFL Highlights 4:00pm Ashes Best Days 5:00pm Adam Gilchrist Masterclass 5:30pm Adam Gilchrist Masterclass 6:00pm Adam Gilchrist Masterclass 6:30pm NFL Highlights 7:30pm NFL Highlights 8:30pm National Badminton League 11:00pm Cricket's Greatest 11:30pm Cricket's Greatest 12:00am NFL Highlights 1:00am NFL Highlights

E W N 7 - 13 January 2016 / Costa Blanca North

10:15am Rip Off Britain 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Wanted Down Under 12:45pm Close Calls: On Camera 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News at One 2:30pm BBC London News 2:45pm Father Brown 3:30pm For What It's Worth 4:15pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm James Martin: Home Comforts 5:30pm Antiques Road Trip 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm Holby City 10:00pm Silent Witness 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:30pm BBC London News 11:45pm Reggie Yates' Extreme UK 12:40am A Simple Plan

7:15am Rip Off Britain 8:00am Wanted Down Under 8:45am Close Calls: On Camera 9:15am Thief Trackers 9:45am Caught Red Handed 10:15am Victoria Derbyshire 12:00pm BBC News 1:00pm The Daily Politics 2:00pm Masters Snooker 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm Celebrity Antiques Road Trip 9:00pm Victorian Bakers 10:00pm Stargazing 2016 11:00pm Stargazing: Back to Earth 11:30pm Newsnight 12:15am Race to Super Bowl 50 1:05am Masters Snooker Highlights 1:55am The Naked Choir with Gareth Malone

7:00am Good Morning Britain 9:30am Lorraine 10:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30am This Morning 1:30pm Loose Women 2:30pm ITV Lunchtime News 3:00pm Judge Rinder 4:00pm 1000 Heartbeats 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV Evening News 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm The Kyle Files 9:00pm Trawlermen Tales 10:00pm Saved 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm Britain's Biggest Adventures with Bear Grylls 12:40am Double Decker Driving School

7:00am 7:10am 8:00am 9:05am 9:35am 10:05am 10:35am 11:20am 12:20pm 1:10pm 1:45pm 2:45pm 4:45pm 5:50pm 6:55pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 10:30pm 11:00pm 1:10am 1:35am

The Hot Desk The Cube Dinner Date Emmerdale Coronation Street Coronation Street Catchphrase Dinner Date Royal Pains Emmerdale Coronation Street The Perfect Man The Jeremy Kyle Show The Jeremy Kyle Show Take Me Out You've Been Framed! You've Been Framed! Two and a Half Men Mom Mom American Pie 2 Two and a Half Men Two and a Half Men

8:00pm Top Gear 9:00pm Don't Tell the Bride 10:00pm Don't Tell the Bride 11:00pm EastEnders 11:30pm Russell Howard's Good News Extra 12:15am Family Guy 1:00am American Dad! 1:25am Family Guy 1:45am Russell Howard's Good News Extra

8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:00am 1:00am 2:00am

World News Today Sorry! Natural World The Queen's Castle The Crusades Time Shift To Boldly Go Stories From the Dark Earth: Meet the Ancestors Revisited 3:00am Gods and Monsters: Homer's Odyssey

7:00am Man About the House 7:25am Heartbeat 8:25am Where the Heart is 9:30am The Darling Buds of May 10:40am Judge Judy 11:05am Judge Judy 12:00pm The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes 1:05pm Murder, She Wrote 2:10pm Heartbeat 3:15pm Wild at Heart 4:15pm Where the Heart is 5:20pm Man About the House 5:55pm Rising Damp 6:20pm On the Buses 6:55pm Heartbeat 8:00pm Murder, She Wrote 9:00pm Midsomer Murders 11:00pm Law and Order: UK 12:00am Case Sensitive 1:05am The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

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7:00am Countdown 7:45am King of Queens 9:00am Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00am Frasier 11:30am Undercover Boss USA 12:30pm Four in a Bed 1:00pm Channel 4 News Summary 1:05pm Four in a Bed 3:10pm Deal or No Deal 4:10pm Countdown 5:00pm A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Tricks of the Restaurant Trade 9:30pm Travel Man: 48 Hours in Paris 10:00pm Derren Brown 11:35pm Very British Problems 12:35am 24 Hours in A and E 1:30am How to Lose Weight Well

7:00am 7:25am 7:45am 8:45am 9:45am 10:45am 11:50am 12:25pm 12:50pm 1:20pm 1:50pm 2:50pm 3:50pm 4:55pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 12:55am 2:35am

Duck Dynasty Duck Dynasty Minder The Professionals Magnum, P.I. Alias Smith and Jones Duck Dynasty Duck Dynasty Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Minder The Professionals Magnum, P.I. Alias Smith and Jones Minder The Professionals Pawn Stars Pawn Stars The Chase Celebrity Special The Devil's Advocate The Hitcher Ax Men

9:15am 9:35am 9:45am 10:00am 10:15am 12:10pm 1:10pm 1:15pm 2:15pm 2:45pm 3:15pm 4:15pm

Peppa Pig Paw Patrol Bananas in Pajamas Toot the Tiny Tugboat The Wright Stuff Cowboy Builders 5 News Lunchtime Celebrity Big Brother Home and Away Neighbours NCIS Stranger in an Amish Town 5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight Puppies Make You Laugh Out Loud Bargain Loving Brits in the Sun Celebrity Big Brother Secret Life of the Family Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side

7:00am 7:45am 8:35am 9:30am 10:00am 10:30am 11:00am 11:30am 12:00pm 1:00pm 2:00pm

10:15am 12:00pm 2:20pm 4:15pm 7:15pm 9:00pm 11:15pm 1:00am 3:50am 4:10am

Dracula Untold Jupiter Ascending Rage The Patriot Dracula Untold Jupiter Ascending Rage Gladiator Point Break: Special The Guns of Navarone

7:00am 8:45am 9:00am 11:00am 12:45pm 2:45pm 4:45pm

10:35am 12:25pm 2:25pm 4:00pm 5:35pm

Horrible Bosses 2 Cop Out Hot Shots! Hot Shots! Part Deux The Devil Wears Prada Balls of Fury Cop Out Horrible Bosses 2 Romy and Michele's High School Reunion

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

7:25pm 9:00pm 11:00pm 12:55am

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

5:15pm 7:00pm 9:00pm 10:45pm 12:20am

2:05am

TUESDAY TV

Made in Chelsea Charmed Charmed Hollyoaks The Goldbergs The Goldbergs Melissa and Joey Melissa and Joey Charmed Charmed How I Met Your Mother The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Melissa and Joey Melissa and Joey How I Met Your Mother The Goldbergs The Goldbergs The Big Bang Theory Hollyoaks All Hail the Veil The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Tattoo Fixers Beverly Hills Cop II The Big Bang Theory

7:00am Football Gold 8:00am WWE SmackDown! 9:00am European Rugby Special 10:00am Fantasy Football Club Highlights 10:30am Soccer A.M. - The Best Bits 11:30am Premier League Legends 12:30pm Fantasy Football Club Highlights 1:00pm Football Gold 12:00pm Fantasy Football Club Highlights 2:30pm The Premier League Years 4:30pm Premier League Legends 5:00pm Soccer A.M. - The Best Bits 6:00pm The Premier League Years 8:00pm Sporting Triumphs 9:00pm Boxing 11:00pm Ford Football 3:30am La Liga World 2015 4:00am Fantasy Football Club Highlights

Home Chappie Special Woman in Gold Unfinished Business The Loft Get Hard Ant-Man: Behind the Scenes Home Woman in Gold Get Hard Unfinished Business Girl House A group of gorgeous webcam performers living under the same roof are stalked by a psychotic killer. The Loft Five married guys use a penthouse loft to live secret lives, but things get badly out of hand.

7:00am Cricket 12:30pm Ashes Zone: Aussie Legends 1:00pm Michael Vaughan: 2005 Remembered 1:30pm Cricket's Greatest 2:00pm Cricket Classics 3:00pm Soccer A.M. - The Best Bits 4:00pm Cricket 5:00pm Cricket Classics 6:00pm Cricket 7:00pm Cricket's Greatest 7:30pm Ashes Zone: Aussie Legends 8:00pm Michael Vaughan: 2005 Remembered 8:30pm Fantasy Football Club Highlights 9:00pm Soccer A.M. - The Best Bits 10:00pm La Liga World 2015 10:30pm Cricket 11:30pm Cricket's Greatest 12:00am Cricket

OPINION & COMMENT

www.euroweeklynews.com

7 - 13 January 2016 / Costa Blanca North

EWN

Whoosh! There goes another year and, hopefully, some of its irritations 2015 is over and I can’t recall a year so full of irritating phrases Nora Johnson

Breaking Views Nora is the author of popular psychological suspense and crime thrillers and a freelance journalist. To comment on any of the issues raised in her column, go to www.euroweeklynews.com/3.0.15/nora-johnson

LOOKING back over 2015, I can’t recall a year so full of irritating phrases. Phrases like ‘with all due respect’ (almost always coupled with an insult or unsolicited advice). ‘It is what it is’.(In other words, ‘I have nothing helpful to say, but don’t want to stop talking yet.’ Weakest. Advice. Ever.) And, ‘Just sayin’. (Thanks for clarifying the thing you just said is a thing you are saying.) Not to mention all those buzzwords like ‘crisis’ (refugee crisis, euro crisis, political crisis, NHS crisis, housing crisis), and buzzwords relating to the economic downturn like ‘austerity’ (code for ‘the government’s broke’). TV subtitles (especially the BBC’s), essential for foreign-language dramas (though sometimes inaccurate), can

NO-NONSENSE: Update after police tasered a terrorist after a stabbing in a London tube station. produce amusingly unintended results. On a recent Match of the Day, for example, the camera focused on the former chairman of Aston Villa. “Great to see Doug Ellis here in his Villa

scarf,” the commentator announced. The subtitles translated this as ‘. . . here with Hezbollah’. Another subtitle error during an interview with Labour’s Neil Coyle

about the death threats he’d received, the MP was quoted as saying that he was trying not to let abusers ‘get in the waif doing my job’. Let’s trust she’s at least paid the minimum wage.

The British capacity for understatement can sometimes sound weirdly irritating to non-Brits. But to us Brits, the use of the stiff-upper-lip is often strangely reassuring, adding calm and self-control in these stressful times. After police tasered a terrorist who stabbed a man at a tube station in December, London Underground issued this no-nonsense, no-frills update: “Delays on the Central line due to a customer incident at Leytonstone.” WC Fields once said he spent most of his money on booze and fast cars...the rest he squandered. He was talking about money, but surely time’s important too? So, why do so many Brits squander their time whingeing? OK, had enough of all my own whingeing, next scandal please! Nora Johnson’s thrillers ‘Landscape of Lies’, ‘Retribution’, ‘Soul Stealer’, ‘The De Clerambault Code’ (www.nora-johnson.com) available from Amazon (€0.89;£0.79). All profits to Cudeca charity.

E W N 7 - 13 January 2016 / Costa Blanca North

7:00am Breakfast 10:15am Rip Off Britain 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Wanted Down Under 12:45pm Close Calls: On Camera 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News at One 2:30pm BBC London News 2:45pm Father Brown 3:30pm For What It's Worth 4:15pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm James Martin: Home Comforts 5:30pm Antiques Road Trip 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 9:00pm Dickensian 9:30pm Would I Lie to You? 10:00pm Great Barrier Reef with David Attenborough 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:30pm BBC London News 11:45pm Match of the Day 1:15am Masters Snooker Extra

7:00am Rip Off Britain 7:45am Homes Under the Hammer 8:45am Close Calls: On Camera 9:15am Caught Red Handed 9:45am Terry and Mason's Great Food Trip 10:15am Victoria Derbyshire 12:00pm BBC News 12:30pm The Daily Politics 2:00pm Masters Snooker 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm Celebrity Antiques Road Trip 9:00pm Trust Me, I'm a Doctor 10:00pm Stargazing 2016 11:00pm Russell Howard's Good News 11:30pm Newsnight 12:15am Masters Snooker Highlights 1:05am Immortal Egypt with Joann Fletcher 2:05am Alex Polizzi: Hire Our Heroes 3:05am World's Weirdest Events

7:00am Good Morning Britain 9:30am Lorraine 10:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30am This Morning 1:30pm Loose Women 2:30pm ITV Lunchtime News 3:00pm Judge Rinder 4:00pm 1000 Heartbeats 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:25pm Party Political Broadcast by the Conservative Party 7:30pm ITV Evening News 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Midsomer Murders 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm The World According to Kenny Everett 12:40am The Kyle Files 1:10am Jackpot247 4:00am The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 4:40am ITV Nightscreen

7:00am 7:10am 8:00am 9:05am 9:35am 10:35am 11:20am 12:20pm 1:10pm 1:45pm 2:15pm 4:35pm 5:45pm 6:50pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 12:10am 12:45am 1:15am 1:40am 2:25am

The Hot Desk The Cube Dinner Date Emmerdale You've Been Framed and Famous! Catchphrase Dinner Date Royal Pains Emmerdale You've Been Framed! Sweet November The Jeremy Kyle Show The Jeremy Kyle Show Take Me Out You've Been Framed! You've Been Framed! Two and a Half Men Two and a Half Men Quantum of Solace The Keith Lemon Sketch Show Two and a Half Men Two and a Half Men Safeword The Almost Impossible Gameshow

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10:00pm Empire of the Tsars: Romanov Russia with Lucy Worsley 11:00pm The Queen's Castle 12:00am The Secret Horse: Quest for the True Appaloosa 1:00am The Crusades 2:00am How the Devil Got His Horns: A Diabolical Tale

7:00am Countdown 7:45am King of Queens 9:00am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:30am Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00am Frasier 10:30am Frasier 11:00am Frasier 11:30am Undercover Boss USA 12:30pm Four in a Bed 1:00pm Channel 4 News Summary 1:05pm Four in a Bed 1:40pm Four in a Bed 2:10pm Four in a Bed 2:40pm Four in a Bed 3:10pm Deal or No Deal 4:10pm Countdown 5:00pm A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Mary Portas: Secret Shopper 10:00pm 24 Hours in A and E 11:00pm Bodyshockers 12:05am The Undateables

8:35am Thomas and Friends 8:50am Noddy in Toyland 9:00am Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 9:15am Peppa Pig 9:35am Paw Patrol 9:45am Bananas in Pajamas 10:00am Toot the Tiny Tugboat 10:15am The Wright Stuff 12:10pm Cowboy Builders 1:10pm 5 News Lunchtime 1:15pm Celebrity Big Brother 2:15pm Home and Away 2:45pm Neighbours 3:15pm NCIS 4:15pm Too Late to Say Goodbye 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm Nightmare Tenants, Slum Landlords 9:00pm GPs: Behind Closed Doors 10:00pm Celebrity Big Brother 11:00pm I'm an Alcoholic: My Name is... 12:00am Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side

7:00am Man About the House 7:25am Heartbeat 8:25am Where the Heart is 9:30am The Darling Buds of May 10:35am Judge Judy 11:00am Judge Judy 11:30am Judge Judy 12:00pm The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes 1:05pm Murder, She Wrote 2:05pm Heartbeat 3:10pm Wild at Heart 4:10pm Where the Heart is 5:15pm Man About the House 5:50pm Rising Damp 6:20pm On the Buses 6:55pm Heartbeat 8:00pm Murder, She Wrote 9:00pm Paul O'Grady: For The Love of Dogs 9:30pm Paul O'Grady: For The Love of Dogs 10:00pm Inside Death Row with Trevor McDonald 11:00pm Law and Order: UK 12:00am Wycliffe

4:00am Teleshopping Shopping from home. 7:00am Movies Now 7:10am Duck Dynasty 7:30am Duck Dynasty 7:55am Minder 8:50am The Professionals 9:55am Magnum, P.I. 10:55am Alias Smith and Jones 12:00pm Duck Dynasty 12:30pm Duck Dynasty 12:55pm Pawn Stars 1:25pm Pawn Stars 1:50pm Minder 2:55pm The Professionals 3:55pm Magnum, P.I. 4:55pm Alias Smith and Jones 6:00pm Minder 7:00pm The Professionals 8:00pm Pawn Stars 8:30pm Pawn Stars 9:00pm Storage Wars Texas 9:30pm Storage Wars Texas 10:00pm Benidorm 11:00pm Heartbreak Ridge 1:45am 30 Days of Night 3:45am ITV4 Nightscreen

12:00pm Kingsman: The Secret Service 2:15pm Dawn of the Planet of the Apes 4:30pm Predator 6:30pm The Da Vinci Code 9:00pm Kingsman: The Secret Service 11:15pm Dawn of the Planet of the Apes 1:30am Predator 3:20am Predator 2

8:00pm Top Gear 9:00pm Don't Tell the Bride 10:00pm Stacey Dooley Investigates 11:00pm Live at the Apollo 12:00am Family Guy 12:25am Family Guy 12:45am American Dad! 1:10am Family Guy 1:30am I Know What You Weighed Last Summer 2:30am Siblings 3:00am Don't Tell the Bride 4:00am Live at the Apollo 4:30am Siblings

7:30am The Pink Panther 9:30am The Inbetweeners 2 11:10am Dumb and Dumber To 1:00pm You've Got Mail 3:05pm Shanghai Noon 5:00pm Shanghai Knights 7:00pm Click 9:00pm The Inbetweeners 2 10:45pm Dumb and Dumber To 12:40am South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut

7:00am 7:45am 8:35am 9:30am 10:00am 10:30am 11:00am 11:30am 12:00pm 1:00pm 2:00pm 2:30pm 3:00pm 3:30pm 4:00pm 4:30pm 5:00pm 5:30pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 11:05pm 12:00am

WEDNESDAY TV

Made in Chelsea Charmed Charmed Hollyoaks The Goldbergs The Goldbergs Melissa and Joey Melissa and Joey Charmed Charmed How I Met Your Mother How I Met Your Mother The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Melissa and Joey Melissa and Joey How I Met Your Mother How I Met Your Mother The Goldbergs The Goldbergs The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Hollyoaks All Hail the Veil Home Alone Supernatural The Big Bang Theory

7:00am Unfinished Business 8:45am Exodus: Gods and Kings Special 9:00am Woman in Gold 11:00am Home 12:45pm Ant-Man: Behind the Scenes 1:15pm The Loft 3:15pm Get Hard 5:15pm Woman in Gold 7:15pm Home A loveable alien on the run from his own species makes friends with an adventurous young girl. 9:00pm Unfinished Business A small-business owner and his two associates travel to Europe to close a big deal. 10:35pm Get Hard 12:20am Girl House 2:05am The Loft 3:50am Girl House

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

Football Gold Football Gold Football Gold Football Gold WWE Experience Cricket's Greatest Big Bash League Cricket's Greatest Cricket's Greatest Cricket's Greatest Cricket's Greatest Big Bash League Cricket's Greatest The Mavericks Big Bash League Ford Football Ford Football Ford Football Fantasy Football Club Highlights 4:00am Soccer A.M. - The Best Bits 5:00am Premier League Legends 5:30am Premier League 100 Club A celebration of some of the finest goalscorers in Barclays Premier

9:00am Ford Football 12:00pm Fantasy Football Club Highlights 12:30pm Soccer A.M. - The Best Bits 1:30pm Premier League Legends 2:00pm Premier League Legends 2:30pm Fantasy Football Club Highlights 3:00pm Soccer A.M. - The Best Bits 4:00pm Premier League 100 Club 5:30pm Fantasy Football Club Highlights 6:00pm Soccer A.M. - The Best Bits 7:00pm Cricket's Greatest 7:30pm Cricket Classics 7:45pm IPL Greatest Catches 8:00pm Corals Coronation Cup 13.01 (Romford) 10:30pm Ashes Zone: Aussie Legends 11:00pm Sky Sports Originals 12:00am Ashes Zone: Aussie Legends

TIME OUT

7 - 13 January 2016 / Costa Blanca North

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Famous quote

This week

MADDOCKS’ VIEW ON LIFE

‘

Personal happiness lies in knowing that life is not a checklist of acquisition or achievement. Your qualifications are not your life. J. K. Rowling

in history 49 BC - Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signalling the start of civil war 794 - Vikings attacked Lindisfarne Island in Northumberland 1129 - Formal approval of the Order of Templars at the Council of Troyes 1431 - Judges’ investigations for the trial of Joan of Arc begin in Rouen, France, the seat of the English occupation government 1559 - Elizabeth I crowned Queen of England in Westminster Abbey 1569 - First recorded lottery in England is drawn in St Paul’s Cathedral 1570 - Tsar Ivan the Terrible kills 1,0002,000 residents of Novgorod 1708 - Spanish armada headed by the San Jose and loaded with gold sunk after British squadron attacks off coast of Colombia (rediscovered 2015) 1790 - First US President George Washington delivers first state of the union address 1799 - British Prime Minister William Pitt introduces income tax to raise funds for the war against Napoleon 1806 - Admiral Viscount Horatio Nelson receives a state funeral and is interred in St Paul’s Cathedral 1836 - HMS Beagle/Charles Darwin reaches Sydney Australia 1903 - Harry Houdini performs at Rembrandt theatre, Amsterdam 1912 - World’s first flying boat’s maiden flight, the Glenn Curtiss in New York 1914 - Henry Ford introduces an assembly line for Model T 1920 - Inauguration of the League of Nations held in Paris 1940 - Britain’s first WW II rationing begins (bacon, butter & sugar) 1943 - Hitler declares ‘Total War’ 1945 - US soldiers led by Gen Douglas MacArthur invades Philippines 1954 - Elvis Presley pays $4 to a Memphis studio and records his first two songs 1957 - Anthony Eden resigns and Harold Macmillan becomes PM Britain 1960 - Building of Aswan dam in Egypt, begins

Women’s wit

‘

For the longest time, you just sound like a broken record, but you have to be consistent when teaching kids. Heidi Klum

World of English

‘

Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.

TELL THAT REF TO TAKE A TIP FROM FIFA THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A FREE KICK THESE DAYS!

Costa Blanca

weather

Kakuro

for next 7 days

TODAY

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.

TOMORROW

JAVEA

DENIA JAVEA

DENIA

CALPE CALPE ALTEA ALTEA BENIDORM BENIDORM

ALICANTE

TORREVIEJA

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION ORIHUELA

Alicante TODAY: Fri Sat Sun -

Benidorm

CLOUDY MAX 22C, MIN 11C MAX MIN

21 12 C 20 10 C 20 10 C

Mon - 21 11 Cl Tues - 21 11 C Wed - 19 9 C

SUNNY MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

20 13 S 19 12 Cl 19 12 Cl

MAX 19C, MIN 12C Mon - 19 12 Cl Tues - 19 12 Cl Wed - 20 11 S

Fri Sat Sun -

17 12 C 17 11 Sh 17 11 S S Sun,

16 10 Sh 17 11 C 17 13 C

MAX MIN

Mon - 17 9 C Tues - 16 9 Sh Wed - 14 8 Sh

Madrid

CLOUDY MAX 20C, MIN 14C MAX MIN

MAX MIN

Mon - 18 11 C Tues - 17 11 C Wed - 16 9 Sh Cl Clear,

TODAY:

Fog,

TODAY:

CLOUDY MAX 18C, MIN 13C MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

19 11 Cl 20 9 C 19 9 S

CLOUDY MAX 12C, MIN 10C

12 9 Sh 13 6 Sh 12 8 C C Cloudy,

TODAY:

MAX MIN

Mon - 12 6 Sh Tues - 12 4 Sh Wed - 12 4 Sh

MAX MIN

Mon - 19 11 C Tues - 19 8 C Wed - 18 7 Cl

Sh Showers,

CLOUDY MAX 23C, MIN 9C MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

23 11 Cl 22 8 C 22 9 C Sn Snow,

UK THUNDERBALL

IRISH LOTTO

Saturday January 2

EURO MILLIONS

LA PRIMITIVA

EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA

MAX MIN

Mon - 19 12 Sh Tues - 19 11 Cl Wed - 19 11 Cl

Murcia

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

20 13 Cl 18 11 Sh 18 12 C

Mallorca

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

UK NATIONAL LOTTERY

CLEAR MAX 21C, MIN 11C

TODAY:

MAX MIN

Mon - 20 12 Cl Tues - 19 11 Cl Wed - 18 10 Cl

SHOWERS MAX 17C, MIN 12C

TODAY:

MAX MIN

Barcelona TODAY:

21 12 C 19 10 C 19 11 C

Bilbao

Almeria TODAY:

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

Malaga

CLOUDY MAX 20C, MIN 12C

TODAY:

MAX MIN

Mon - 23 9 S Tues - 22 9 C Wed - 21 8 Cl Th Thunder

LOTTERY

ORIHUELA

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Saturday January 2

Friday January 1

17 29

Saturday January 2

Sunday January 3

37 23

BONUS BALL

THUNDERBALL

BONUS BALL

LUCKY STARS

REINTEGRO

E W N 7 - 13 January 2016 / Costa Blanca North

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Mistress America Directed by: Noah Baumbach Distributed by: Fox Searchlight Starring: Greta Gerwig, Lola Kirke, Matthew Shear, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Heather Lind and Michael Chernus

Funagram

Just Joking

Unscramble the name of a British boxer who won a world title in 2015: SEAL JAM EDGE Unscramble the name of a British track and road cyclist who won a European title in 2015: ALTAR TUTOR

Hexagram

The purpose of the Hexagram puzzle is to place the 19 six-letter words into the 19 cells. The letters at the edges of interlocking cells MUST BE THE SAME. The letters in the words must be written CLOCKWISE. The word in cell 10 (GARTER) and one letter in four other cells are given as

ADVENT ARTERY CORRAL EERILY ELICIT EMERGE ESCROW FILTER GARTER (10) GENIAL

In Mistress America, Tracy (Lola Kirke) is a lonely college freshman in New York, having neither the exciting university experience nor the glamorous metropolitan lifestyle she envisioned. But when she is taken in by her soon-to-be stepsister, Brooke (Greta Gerwig) - a resident of Times Square and adventurous gal about town - she is rescued from her disappointment and seduced by Brooke’s alluringly mad schemes.

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, January 9, Member of Royal Family Catherine (Kate) Middleton as she then was, married Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and second in line to the throne, in April 2011 after meeting him at University. She is also the mother of his two children, George and Charlotte.

Nick Clegg, January 7, Politician, 49 English politician was the former leader of the Liberal Democrats and Deputy Prime Minister until 2015. He was elected MP for Sheffield Hallam in 2005. Stephen Hawking, January 8, Scientist, 74 English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, author and Director of Research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology within the University of Cambridge who is known worldwide for his achievements despite the fact that he is paralysed and confined to a wheelchair. Rod Stewart, January 10, Singer, 71 Rock singer who has had over 60 hit singles, three marriages, eight children and won a Grammy award for Stardust... The Great American Songbook Volume III. Jamie Vardey, January 11, Footballer, 29 Having spent his entire early playing career in non-league football, he was signed for just £1 million by Leicester City in 2012. 2015 saw him score in a record 11 consecutive Premier League matches and make his international debut for England. Nuria Bermudez, January 12, Football Agent and Actress, 36 Nuria Bermudez is a Spanish FIFA-certified football agent who became famous for revealing her personal life in public and by appearing nude in magazines and on television. Orlando Bloom, January 13, Actor, 39 Came to fame playing Legolas in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films and Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean series although he has appeared in a number of other successful films.

QUARRY RELIEF REPEAL TALLOW TAPPET THRALL TIPTOE UMPIRE UPTAKE

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION 1 Relief 2 Beetle 3 Allele 4 Ingest 5 Billet 6 Attend 7 Russet 8 Slater 9 Strict 10 Resent 11 Chalet 12 Astute 13 Letter 14 Sulfur 15 Events 16 Creaky 17 Quaver 18 Strain 19 Careen

YOUR STARS AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) A feeling that you should totally commit yourself to something or someone this week should be avoided. You will come up against a brick wall if a situation is forced. Time is all that is required to see things change for the better.

CAPRICORN

(December 22 - January 20)

A loss of patience with a situation shows this week but is not to your advantage. Whatever you feel, be subtle in your approach. Try to see your position clearly and the result will be that you realise you have more control than you thought.

PISCES (February 20 - March 20) There may not be enough time to do everything you want, so why can't you just reorganise your life so there is? Not as easy as it sounds, Pisces, unless you learn the magic word: no. Know your limits and stick to them.

a mystery surrounds a close friend and your opinion may be sought. Hold fire until all the facts are known and you are sure a person has been honest with you because someone may try to keep you in the dark to get the right answer.

ARIES (March 21 - April 20) Extra pressures at work leave you feeling less than energetic. Check on your health and don't go overboard with the physical activities. Set out to become more active, socially, and maximise on relaxation. you?

CANCER (June 22 - July 23) The temptation to run round like a headless chicken is strong this week. There seem to be so many demands on your time that things become confusing. Be sure you are getting enough rest because this time of the year can be fraught for you.

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) Social activities are likely to change at the last minute. If energy levels are not as high as normal, use this week for planning. With holidays in mind, the summer seems far away but maybe a weekend trip will fill the gap. GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) Although health should be good, energy may be a little low. A bit of

LEO (July 24 - August 23) A situation could become complicated if you do not plan ahead. With a little thought and planning, matters can be kept simple which is always desirable. Be choosy about the company you keep because a bad character could taint by association.

TIME

EURO WEEKLY’S SPACE FOR YOU TO TAKE A BREA

10-Star Quiz

Son: “Dad, when will I be old enough so I don’t have to ask mum for her permission to go out?” Dad: “Son, even I haven’t grown old enough to go out without her permission!”

FUNAGRAM SOLUTION: JAMES DeGALE, LAURA TROTT

NEW ON DVD

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VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) A lost cause tries to demand your attention, but you must try to see the situation for what it is. Sentimentality should not come into business or be allowed to upset your home life. LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) Ruts are awful things to get into but even more difficult to get out of. Being cosy is one thing, but getting bogged down, mentally and physically, is another. All you need is to keep your optimism alive and use your imagination. SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) Are you suffering from winter blues? Although it is a common feeling at this time of the year, keep optimistic. There is so much to look forward to, in fact, that you are spoilt for choice. SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) Recent events have perhaps left a gap in your social life that is hard to fill. Patience is needed because it would be foolish to rush into something new if your heart is involved. Concentrating on work and other people will alleviate any loneliness. This may seem a short-term solution but it is all that is needed for now.

THAT WAS 2015 THAT WAS (Part 1) 1. Which footballer won the FIFA Ballon d’Or (European Footballer of the Year) for the second successive year in January? 2. India honoured which billionaire philanthropist and his wife Melinda in January with the Padma Bhushan award for their work on improving health in developing countries? 3. Actor Eddie Redmayne won the Academy Award for Best Actor in February for his portrayal of which famous English theoretical physicist in The Theory of Everything? 4. Which tennis player beat Andy Murray in the Australian Open Men’s Singles Final in February, becoming the first man to win five Australian Open championships in the open era? 5. The family of which famous soul singer won a $7.3 million lawsuit for copyright infringement against Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams, and T.I. holding that Thicke’s hit Blurred Lines resembled the singer’s 1977 hit Got to Give It Up? 6. The remains of which king of England, which were discovered in a car park in Leicester in 2012, were reburied in Leicester Cathedral in March? 7. Which former Beatle was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April? 8. Which cricketer became the highest wicket taking bowler for England in Test cricket in a drawn Test match against the West Indies in April? 9. Which non-European country was allowed to compete as a ‘guest entrant’ in the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest in May? Its entry, Tonight Again sung by Guy Sebastian, finished fifth with 196 points. 10. What is the name of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s second child who was born at St Mary’s Hospital on May 2? 1. CRISTIANO RONALDO, 2. BILL GATES, 3. Professor STEPHEN HAWKING, 4. NOVAK DJOKOVIC, 5. MARVIN GAYE, 6. RICHARD III, 7. RINGO STARR, 8. JAMES ANDERSON, 9. AUSTRALIA, 10. Princess CHARLOTTE (Charlotte Elizabeth Diana).

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

TARGET: Average: 4 Good: 6 Very good: 8 Excellent: 10

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION agar cage crag ergo gate gear goat goer gore grot ogre raga rage toga agate agora argot cager cargo ergot gator gotta grace grate great groat agorae target toerag cartage cottage garotte regatta cottager GREATCOAT

Royalty Chris Brown Release Date December 18, 2015. In June 2015, once the Tyga collaboration Fan of a Fan: The Album had run its course, Chris Brown released the first single from his seventh proper album. Woozy ballad ‘Liquor.’ The title and cover of its parent album, however, seemed to signal a potential shift farther away from the carousing and belligerence that have dominated his work since Exclusive.

AK, BE INFORMED AND ENJOY A CHALLENGE

Crossword

Enjoy filling in the following puzzles and check the answers in next week’s edition

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS

CRYPTIC

Quick

Cryptic

Across: 1 Magician, 5 Code, 8 Nero, 9 Stoppage, 10 Amended, 12 Allot, 13 Albert, 15 Verses, 17 Terms, 18 Estonia, 22 Swan song, 23 Down, 24 Amen, 25 Dear dear.

Across 1 Characters in Beau Geste emphasising respect (6) 4 Takes off to find places to land (6) 9 Arrange a beat Wane (5) 10 A king beset by a depravity, greed (7) 11 Volunteer force’s excessive enthusiasm for island state (8) 12 Foundation headquarters (4) 14 Broke off from defence, as Eddie suggested (6) 16 Virginia rents out the servants (6) 19 A bill for the magistrate (4) 20 Coals are free in the Pacific (5,3) 23 Might be nicer in the South-East to be honest (7) 24 Girl having exercises to modify (5) 25 Determine to find a bed (6) 26 Volkswagen car, one in drive, perhaps (6)

Down: 1 Montana, 2 Gorge, 3 Issue, 4 Neon, 6 Oracles, 7 Exert, 11 Doris, 12 Adept, 14 Barrage, 16 Spanner, 17 Tosca, 19 Sigma, 20 Noose, 21 Bold.

QUICK Across:

Down 1 Stretchy material that may come from Castile (7) 2 Clever turn-around for public transport (5) 3 More than half the team on another date were exhilarated (8) 5 Kate chopped wood (4) 6 Replicate a time it worked (7) 7 In restaurants we demand some veg (5)

Code Breaker

EWN

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OUT

7 - 13 January 2016 / Costa Blanca North

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8 Democrat is eager to be patron saint (5) 13 Shell out for a vehicle that will go fast (8) 15 Anti-anti-gas-explosion? (7) 17 On a lead, let off to frighten (7) 18 South African sheltering unknown dog (5) 19 Support front of building as is (5) 21 Begin to jump when surprised? (5) 22 Do business and distribute cards (4)

Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 17 represents M and 19 represents Q, so fill in M every time the figure 17 appears and Q every time the figure 19 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.

Across 1 Sudden pleasurable excitement (6) 4 Call off (6) 9 Have in common (5) 10 Circus performer (7) 11 Turn around quickly (4) 12 People who help to open up a new line of research, technology or art (8) 13 Have sovereign power (5) 15 State of quiet (5) 18 Watched attentively (8) 21 Young reporters (4) 24 Menaces (7) 25 Once more (5) 26 Refreshed as by sleeping or relaxing (6) 27 Pressure (6) Down 1 Jobs to do (5)

2 Become fully aware of something as a fact (7) 3 Falsehoods (4) 5 Put into a proper or systematic order (7) 6 Nautical unit of depth (5) 7 Most recent (6) 8 Motor vehicle licenced to transport fare paying passengers (4) 12 Writing implement (3) 14 Rubbish or waste (7) 15 Number of sheets of paper fastened in a block (3) 16 Bravery (7) 17 Licensed medical practitioner (6) 19 Arranges by type (5) 20 Posing no difficulty (4) 22 Causes to go somewhere (5) 23 Angler’s lure (4)

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

1 Affects, 5 Barns, 8 Gradual, 9 Lends, 10 Extra, 11 Missile, 12 Secret, 14 Begged, 17 Article, 19 Plump, 22 Peaks, 23 Earlier, 24 Obeys, 25 Shrinks. Down: 1 Argue, 2 Feast, 3 Courage, 4 Solemn, 5 Bills, 6 Running, 7 Suspend, 12 Shampoo, 13 Cottage, 15 Emperor, 16 Jewels, 18 Cases, 20 Union, 21 Parts.

ENGLISHSPANISH Across: 1 Blackmail, 7 Guapo, 8 Manga, 9 Tren, 10 Cups, 13 Spade, 14 Right, 16 Autopista. Down: 2 Ama de casa, 3 Knot, 4 Alma, 5 Languages, 6 Brass, 9 Taste, 11 Neat, 12 Drip, 15/1 Tea bag.

CODE BREAKER

Across 1 Fregaderos (5) 4 Hasta (5) 7 Tinte (producto) (3) 8 Escaleras de mano (7) 9 Waitresses (9) 13 Sandalias (7) 15 Goose (domestic) (3) 16 Track (path) (5) 17 Empates (en partidos) (5)

Down 1 Silk (4) 2 Daughter-in-law (5) 3 Atrocity (9) 4 Desnudo (9) 5 Dedo del pie (3) 6 Último (final) (4) 10 Now (at this time, immediately) (5) 11 Pregunta (4) 12 Abanicos (para darse aire) (4) 14 Monja (3)

E W N 7 - 13 January 2016 / Costa Blanca North

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The Girl on the Train

Paula Hawkins

RACHEL takes the same commuter train every morning. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cosy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. “Jess and Jason,” she calls them. Their life - as she sees it - is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost. And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel offers what she knows to the police, and becomes inextricably entwined in what happens next, as well as in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good? books@euroweeklynews.com

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EURO WEEKLY’S SPACE FOR YOU TO TAKE A BREAK, BE INFORMED AND ENJOY A CHALLENGE

Winter break destinations in Europe

BECAUSE winter comes in many different forms throughout Europe, holidaying in January can take on many guises. From the polar north with serious snow and sunless weeks, to enduring sunshine in the mild Mediterranean, or cosy cafe culture and festive spirit in the middle, it’s a stimulating time to visit grand cities or charming villages: with fewer queues you can fit more into your programme, and low off-season prices make travel wallet-friendly. Here we take a look at the top 10 winter break destinations in Europe. 1 Andalucía, Spain Offering the best of both worlds in the same place, in first place is Andalucia. Parts of Andalucia are further south than the African coast so expect mild or even warm temperatures in winter. Accommodation is cheap, and crowds are smaller at standout attractions like Granada’s Alhambra or Sevilla’s cathedral. Plus tapas and nightlife in the cities are as enticing as ever. Or on the other hand, head to the Sierra Nevada near Granada if you want snow, sun and winter sports action. 2 Abisko, Sweden Almost as far north as you can get in Europe on a train, Abisko in Lapland is for lovers of serious winter. The sun doesn’t rise for several weeks in December and January, but that darkness makes it one of the world’s best places to view the majestic aurora borealis. Other attractions include cross-country skiing along national park trails and husky mushing. 3 Athens, Greece It’s a right royal pain in the Acropolis trying to Photoshop 500 people out of your would-beprizewinning Parthenon photo, but in winter it’s not an issue. All summer stresses like crowding, tourist pricing, intense heat, queues and air pollution tend to disappear. It’s the best time to explore the country’s ancient heritage and get to experience local culture. The volcanic island of Santorini is a particular treat. 4 Copenhagen, Denmark For fairytale European winter, it’s hard to beat the home of Hans Christian Andersen. Forget the over-hyped Little Mermaid and head to the city’s cosy bars and cafes to watch snow flurrying outside. In the heart of town, the 19th-century Tivoli amusement park is a

Sudoku

App of the Week BBC News on your mobile The new BBC news application is designed to work on a range of mobile devices and screen sizes, whether your phone is a touchscreen one or whether you use a keypad or trackball. When you browse the mobile site, what you see will be tailored to the device you have in your hand, for example the way you move around the news sections and the number of images you see.

Play on Words N O BADO M SIERRA NEVADA: For snow, sun and winter sports action. romantic, kitsch delight in winter. It’s also home to the world’s best restaurant, Noma, but be sure to save up and book in advance; It’s busy and expensive. 5 Budapest, Hungary Couples skating hand-in-hand, breath cloudy in the frosty air - there’s nowhere better for it than the Hungarian capital’s picturesque central park Varosligeti Mujegpalya, with its enormous outdoor rink. Feeling chilly afterwards? Budapest is famous for its ornate thermal baths. 6 Market touring, Germany and Austria December and January sees these romantic historic markets pop up all over Germany and other Central European nations. Expect cute stalls selling everything from gingerbread to sleigh bells and plenty of good cheer, all toasted with a glass of warming glühwein. Famous markets in Cologne, Vienna and Munich draw the tourist crowds, but seeking out ones in smaller towns is always rewarding. 7 Bruges, Belgium The beautiful little Belgian city is one of those rare places that is just as enticing in the bleak midwinter as in summer. The picturesque snow is an excellent excuse for holing up somewhere, as if you need reasons to stay indoors: interesting interiors, welcoming taverns full of good cheer and much Belgian beer, antiques and junk shops to poke around,

gorgeous old guesthouses on the canals, candlelit bars and restaurants make Bruges a real gem. 8 Jasná, Slovakia Slovakia offers high-quality skiing at affordable prices. Accommodation and food are reasonable too, and there’s a friendliness that’s missing from some of the snootier Alpine slopes. Jasná is the best Slovakian resort, with long descents flanked by snowladen spruce trees, set in the ruggedly lovely Tatras Mountains. 9 Venice, Italy Hauntingly beautiful and rather weird, Venice’s Carnevale in February is a European highlight. Elaborate costumes and spooky masks bring the canal city’s colourful history to life. Costumed dances are pricey affairs, but you can have a ball enjoying the free events with a mask bought on the street, but be prepared for epic crowding. 10 Kuusamo, Finland If it’s the real winter you want, Finland’s thermometers have more numbers under the line than above. Few practices can match the excitement of careering through a bright white Narnia-like landscape powered by a team of super-keen huskies. Dog-sled safaris, reindeer, elk snow grouse and log cabins will form the most part of your break in the Arctic wilderness. Oh, and Vodka!

..AVI..

Boggled How many English words can you find in the Boggled grid, according to the following rules? The letters must be adjoining in a ‘chain’. They can be adjacent horizontally, vertically or diagonally. Words must contain at least four letters and may include singular and plural or other derived forms. No letter may be used more than once within a single word, unless it appears twice. No vulgarities or proper nouns are permitted.

TARGET: Average: 28 Good: 36 Very good: 52 Excellent: 64

SCORING: • 4 letters: 1 point • 5 letters: 2 points • 6 letters: 3 points • 7 letters: 4 points • 8 or more letters: 11 points

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION seen seep sect seat seas neat been beep beet beets beta beat beaten beast bees beef beefs pets peat peats peas phase feet fete feta feat feats feast eaten east ease easel easy wees wets wats waste haste hasten cease teen teens teas tease tense tees best bleat bleats bleep else eels steep step stew steel sate sateen sleet sleep pest peel peels plea pleat pleats pleas please least lease lest lees elect elects yeast yeah yelp

Word Ladder WORN

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

Fill the grid so that every row, every column and every 3X3 box contains the digits 1-9. There’s no maths involved. You solve the puzzle with reasoning and logic.

TIME OUT

SHIP BACK

Move from the start word (WORN) to the end word (SHIP) in the same number of steps as there are rungs on the Word Ladder. You must only change one letter at a time.

WORN CORN COIN CHIN SHIN (or CHIP) SHIP

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HEALTH BEAUTY

Costa Blanca North

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Have a half-price New Year health check at Medcare MANY people die unnecessarily because a life-threatening disease is detected far too late THOUSANDS of people died unnecessarily in 2015 because they didn’t go for s imp l e r o u t i n e h e a lth s c re e n in g te s ts . Thousands more will die in 2016. Make sure you and your loved ones are not among them by starting the year with some essential routine health screening tests. That is the message from Medcare, the British GP practice on the Costa Blanca. Medcare’s Dr Hussain said: “Tragically, too many people continue to die unnecessarily because a disease is detected far too late for want of a few simple tests. Many British expats on the Costa Blanca seem to be particularly vulnerable because language barriers or not knowing what health screening is available means they are even less likely to attend a screening.”

Routine health checks and early diagnosis can stop some of the biggest killers from claiming lives including heart disease, prostate cancer, cervical cancer and breast cancer. Medcare is therefore urging everyone to see their GP to find out what screening is available. Anyone who is not registered under the Spanish system or prefers to see a private British GP can go to Medcare for health screening, and take advantage of the halfprice offer throughout January. The Medcare health check includes screening for cervical, breast, bowel and prostate cancer. Comprehensive blood tests will be performed and patients will be screened for many conditions, including diabetes, liver and kidney disease, anaemia, infection, bowel cancer, high

Even if you feel well you don’t know what is going on inside your body so health screening is essential for everyone cholesterol, high blood pressure and thyroid problems. Patients will also receive a nutrition and lifestyle review, ECG, BMI check, skin cancer and mole check, dental examination, chiropodist foot check and osteopath body alignment check. “Even if you feel well, you don’t know what is going on inside your body so health screening is essential for every-

one,” stresses Dr Hussain. “Over the years our health checks have saved many lives as patients have discovered they have the early stages of diseases. It is not easy finding out you have a life-threatening illness, but not finding out will almost certainly be a lot worse.” Getting a health check could be the most important thing you do in 2016. Book your half-price Medcare Health Check for January by calling 966 860 258 or emailing doctors@medcarespain.com You could save more than just money. Medcare Benijofar and Alfaz del Pi Call 966 860 258 Email: doctors@medcarespain.com Visit www.medcarespain.com

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A very happy healthy New Year 2016 FitFoxy

Ask The Doctor

Brought to you by Helicopteros Sanitarios.

Depression signs

Looking Good, Staying Trim

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I hope the beginning of this year has put the majority of you onto a positive track to maintaining the best possible health status you can obtain whoever you are and whatever age you may be. If your goal this year is to lose the excess weight that has crept on over Christmas, within a month following a clean diet with no alcohol or junk food, you are likely to lose the few excess pounds and be back on track. However it isn’t so easy if you have allowed the excess weight to spiral over 28lbs or more. This was not just a Christmas binge. YOU NEED A PLAN When I say PLAN, I mean a proper structure with a diarised account of what you need to achieve and when you intend to achieve it by. This will mean organisation on your part with regard to: • What exercise you are planning to do • When you are going to fit it in to your day

HEALTH & BEAUTY

: PLAN: You can only achieve the weight loss you want if you have a structure. • Preparation of the foods that you will need to stock your cupboard with • Preparation of your meals for work if applicable • Organising your own food around family meals Without a plan, you cannot even hope to achieve your goals, believe me I have trained a lot of people and some come to me with the most motivated ideas of how many sessions they are going to do, how they are going to clear their cupboards of any foods that are going to sabotage their new regime, and how their food treats and bottles of wine would only be con-

densed to a Friday or Saturday night. Some of them hold on to that motivation for a matter of weeks before they slide back into the old pattern of eating and drinking and I won’t lie to you, I can train the backside off someone and help them to get fit and strong. I can help them fix their back problems, weak core etc but if they cannot get their heads around the organisation of their food when they are away from me, their weight loss is always going to be minimal. REMEMBER… It is not just about your body, you can only do it by altering your mindset.

SPECIALIST: Doctor Luis Perez Belmonte. This week we have asked the doctor a few questions about depression, something that appears often at this time of year but many people try to hide. I seem to cry about everything at the moment and feel like it’s all too much. Could I be suffering from depression? These symptoms could indeed suggest a depression. A lack of energy and sadness are the main signs of this illness, which can seriously affect patients’ day-to-day life. My doctor has prescribed some pills for my depression but I’m scared of becoming addicted to them. Also, I don’t understand how pills can help with something that seems to be more emotional than physical. Are tablets really any help? Treatments for depression can generate addiction to some degree if not correctly administered yet they are usually extremely beneficial for the patient. They often help as, although symptoms seem more linked to emotions than anything physical, they are generally caused

by alterations of levels of certain substances within the brain. How long will I have to take the medication for? Sometimes treatment may be forever but in other cases, if the depression is caused by an external element, once the problem is solved the depression is cured therefore medication can be discontinued. However this must always be done gradually rather than just stopping. Will my depression pass or will I be sad or on pills all my life? Treating depression involves more than just taking pills, and all patients should be referred by their Specialist in Internal Medicine to a Psychiatrist or Psychologist for possible therapy which can often be of great help. Sometimes this is sufficient help to allow patients to stop taking their medication. So is there a way to cure my depression without having to take pills? In many cases sessions with a professional therapist is enough to allow patients to avoid medication or reduce the amount of time they need to take it.

The Coast’s Home GP service - wherever you are - at home - in the office - in the car - on the golf course your GP will get to see you any time, anywhere. A priceless service at an affordable price.

E W N 7- 13 January 2016 / Costa Blanca North

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HEALTH & BEAUTY

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Natural healthcare THE aim of a chiropractor is to deliver a healthy, functional life as you would like to live it, without relying on any drugs or surgery ONE of the longest running practices on the east coast of Spain, Centro Quiropractica Nilsson, was established in Alfaz del Pi 25 years ago by Johan Nilsson, who still runs the practice today, together with his wife Sharon. Johan was inspired to become a chiropractor by his aunt, who would have died aged 12 because of a neurological disease had it not been for the chiropractic care she received. She went on to live to the age of 70. There are over 150 different chiropractic techniques, and 10 are practised here, (they should not be confused with physiotherapy or osteopathy). Most exciting of these is the McTimoney technique (see mctimoneychiropra ctic.org) which uses ‘gentle touch’, and is unique to Spain. It is particularly effective for pregnant women, babies, children, people with osteoporosis, post-operative cases and the like. With these techniques there is none of the popping normally associated with chiropractic treatments, which often leads to treatment being declined. Sharon started her career working with Chi-

CHIROPRACTORS: Johan and Sharon run the practice together. nese medicine, but became more interested in the exciting developments in chiropractic treatments and went back to the UK 10 years ago to train there.

Johan and Sharon are collaborating with a researcher in New Zealand. Heidi Haavik, who is a doctor of chiropractic and a doctor of neurophysiology, has spent over 10 years researching

how chiropractic works, and the effects on the brain and the nervous system. The practice has many videos from Heidi which they make available to the public through their website and Facebook page, as well as through their practice. The brain-body connection Chiropractic affects the brain, and therefore not just the body but the whole system. Sharon is keen to emphasise that it is not just muscles that benefit from the treatments, but organs as well. Here they deal with all sorts of problems, including the stomach, heart, lung, cancer, in addition to neuromuscular issues. Johan stresses that they don’t heal the diseases, but help the whole body to function better and improve general health. With asthma sufferers, for example, it is possible to improve their posture and lung capacity through chiropractic adjustments, so that they can breathe better and rely on medication less. For more information visit www.CentroQuiro practicoNilsson.com or call 965 889 303.

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Famous drummer steps in to help FORMER Wings drummer steps in to help traditional open air carol singing in Javea THE little drummer boy did not come to Javea this Christmas, but a drummer with a very big reputation did. Geoff Britton - former drummer to Paul McCartney and Wings - came to the rescue of Javea International Baptist Church (JIBC) when members found themselves without a drummer for their annual Open Air Carol Singing celebration in the port. The JIBC Worship Group, which organises the annual carol singing, said “This Christmas we were delighted not only Geoff but also Peter Sparks, who plays guitar, and a holiday visitor, Jenny Newham, who plays keyboard, joined the Worship Group which helped to make this year’s carol singing at the port very special.” Geoff said “Carol singing is such a wonderful tradition, it was great to be able to jump in

LITTLE DRUMMER BOY: Glen was joined by his sister Emmie who acted as Mary. and help such lovely people.” Glen Wreyford, who this year was our own little drummer boy and his sister Emmie, who acted as Mary with baby Jesus, both attend JIBC regular-

ly. They were assisted by children chosen from the crowd to act as the three kings giving gifts to baby Jesus. The young ones helped to bring to everyone the true meaning of Christ-

mas as a season of thanksgiving, love and peace to all. The JIBC Sunday Service is at 10.30am at the Church Centre in the Pueblo. All are welcome. Telephone: 965 795 847.

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A tranquil experience awaits on the beach DECOR is tasteful and inviting with an air of calm as you enter By Keith Baker SOPITA HILLS took over a cafe-bar on Altea’s beach front in October 2013, and immediately transformed it into a Thai restaurant that has become popular with locals and tourists alike. The decor is tasteful and inviting, and an air of calm greets you as you enter. All the staff share Sopita’s quiet demeanour, which augments the peaceful atmosphere. If you choose to sit outside, however, you are able to enjoy the amazing view of the Mediterranean as you watch the world amble by. So inside or out, a peaceful experience awaits you. Siam Beach serves traditional authentic Thai food,

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Greetings from Jalon Valley Help JVH would like to wish everybody a healthy, wealthy and happy New Year. And we have a suggestion for a New Year’s Resolution for any of you who have a little time to spare and would like to spend it helping us to make a difference to those who turn to us. Why don’t you ring our helpline on 659 624 643 and find out how you could help by: raising money; visiting the housebound; doing a bit of shopping; driving people to clinics or hospitals (expenses paid); translating for patients at

doctor’s appointments; helping in the Charity Shops; doing some admin work… and many other things that need doing so that we can provide the assistance that so many people ask of us. And it is not all work - we have a lot of fun, too! If you want to know a bit more before contacting us, please visit our website www.jalonvalleyhelp.com - or call into one of our shops in Jalon or Alcalali (Mon to Sat, 10am to 1pm) for a chat. Believe me, you will be welcomed with open arms!

U3A cruise party SIAM BEACH: Sopita serves traditional authentic Thai food. with green and red curries being the most popular choice amongst the clientele. As you might expect in Altea, clients hail from all around the world, with English, Norwe-

gian and Dutch making up the majority of diners. The restaurant industry is a competitive one, and Sopita has done her homework. Her prices are pitched lower than

other Thai establishments in the area, ensuring that, in addition to a good quality meal in tranquil surroundings, you can expect good value for money too. Tel: 965 844 048.

A PARTY of local U3A members sampled the sunshine further afield on a cruise to the Canary Islands. The group, made up of U3A members from Javea, Moraira and Denia and led by Javea travel team co-ordinators Jan Davies and Joni Hills, boarded the NCL Epic Cruise ship in Barcelona and visited Tangiers, Gran Canaria, Teneriffe and Madeira. They then stopped off at Malaga for Granada and the Alhambra Palace before returning to Barcelona and the journey home to Javea. Most passengers enjoyed the interesting island excursions on offer.

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Police collect for charity TWO retired police officers Pepe Torres and Jose Antonio Sevillano - were put to work again recently in order to collect food and cleaning products for the Bureau of Denia. The ex-officers dusted off their old-style uniforms and

directed traffic for three hours at a busy crossing in the town. In all they collected more than 50 kilos of food and cleaning products, which will be distributed amongst social organisations via the bureau to help the disadvantaged.

Charity Police at work.

7 - 13 January 2016 / Costa Blanca North

EWN

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Residents party in Benidorm FOOD, toys and clothing were distributed to needy families By Keith Baker HUNDREDS of residents took part in La II Jornada Solidaria Ni単os del Barrio de Foietes (the second Solidarity Day for neighbourhood children). They gathered at Polideportivo Guillermo Amor sports centre to take part in the event, which was organised by the department of Social Welfare in conjunction with locals, including neighbourhood associations Foietes Cologne Madrid, Virgin Almudena and Mont Benidorm. The mayor of Benidorm, Toni Perez, the councillor of Citizen Participation, Maria Jesus Pinto and several other town councillors attended the festival, which lasted more than three hours. More than 2,000 kilos of non-perishable food that had

SPORTS CENTRE: The lively party included live music. been collected was distributed to the neediest families, as well as toys and clothing. Worthy of special mention are local business Jose Carrillo e Hijos, which donated a pallet of 1,000 kilos of food, and the business association AICO, which funded the provision of chocolate

and banners. The lively party included live music with the Dakota Beach group, games and inflatables for children. The event was a resounding success, with the children from the most disadvantaged families being given top priority.

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7 - 13 January 2016 / Costa Blanca North

Another great year is celebrated by the Charity Shop of Calpe PRESIDENT was thrilled by the support the shop receives from the town

CHARITY SHOP: Workers celebrate. JUST before Christmas, volunteers from the Charity Shop of Calpe celebrated yet another amazing year at the shop with a lunch at the restaurant ¿Por qué no? in Calpe. President of the shop, John Bridge, announced they had donated nearly €24,000 to local charities during 2015. He

said he was thrilled by the support the shop receives from the town, and was delighted to be able to give so much to local charities. “Our volunteers are so committed to the shop and I’d like to thank all of them for giving their time so willingly. I am looking forward to another great year in 2016.

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HOMES

GARDENS

Time to set your resolutions Photo by Laurel F wikipedia

2016 is upon us and now is the perfect time to think of your gardening goals for this year Dick Handscombe

Gardening Corner By Spain’s best known expatriate gardening author living in Spain for 25 years.

WITH the festive season over and a day’s rest after the Three Kings celebrations, it is perhaps opportune to set some New Year gardening resolutions before you are overtaken by the winter cut back, which may need more days of winter exercise than normal. The extra work caused by the exceptional autumn growth of many perennial plants as a result of the almost perfect growing conditions of bright sunshine, light showers and heavy overnight dews. So what are your priorities for the year ahead? May I take the liberty of offering a few suggestions. 1. Finally make the garden an ecological haven and persuade your Spanish and expat neighbours to do likewise. There are plenty of ecological insecticides, fungicides and fertilisers available in thoughtful garden centres and agricultural cooperatives, and also by email. If stuck have a look at the website of Trabe, it has an

KEEPING HENS: Means you will enjoy the freshest eggs possible. English version. When I was at school I was taught that the air we breathe in non-polluted places included 20.5 per cent of vital oxygen. I read recently that with the heavy pollution of the Mediterranean coastal belt this is now down to 19 per cent, although it was 25 per cent in the time of the dinosaurs and the appearance of new plant species. 2. Aim to eat more of your Mediterranean diet from the garden and recognise that an essential ingredient in that diet

was the absorption of around 350 grams of oxygen from herb smelling air. A full description of a traditional healthy holistic Mediterranean diet is provided in chapter 3.3 of my book ‘Living well from our garden Mediterranean Style – Spiritually, mentally, physically, gastronomically and economically’. 3. With forecasts of continuing reductions in annual rainfalls in the Mediterranean regions of Spain and further increases in costs per metre,

aim to reduce the watering needs of your garden by 20 per cent or more. The book ‘How to use less water in your garden – A practical guide to waterwise Mediterranean style gardening worldwide’ considers the water needs of some 30 types of gardens, presents some 300 practical ideas for reducing water needs and in appendices presents useful plant lists of the more drought resistant plants for our gardens. 4. Complete the winter cut back asap to enjoy the dry sun-

ny winter days and give pruned plants the maximum time to build up strength for spring growth. 5. Keep a couple of hens to eat kitchen and garden waste and lay two or three eggs a day of top quality. Friends who regularly buy even ecological eggs say the quality of the yolks do not equal those of the eggs they occasionally have from my hens. Hens can also make good friendly pets. We started to have a couple of hens when lo-

cal producers of eco eggs decided that EU regulations had become prohibitive, and we had an interesting experience on an AVE train from Cordoba to Valencia, in president class because the tourist carriages were fully booked. Once the ticket checker had left the carriage a well-dressed, 80-year-old lady sitting opposite us laid out small bowls of water and grain on her fold down table and then took out a fully grown hen from a basket to have its breakfast. She explained to us that she lived with her chicken pet in a seventh floor apartment in the centre of Barcelona. The hen had a metre square run on the balcony with a hen-door into the kitchen where it had a further one metre run and an egg laying box. This was next to the cooker so a fresh egg for breakfast could not be fresher. 6. With that I am off for my own omelette for breakfast filled with just harvested healthy shiitake mushrooms grown in the empty garage alongside Oyster mushrooms. These take less effort than any other vegetable. Try it yourself. © Dick Handscombe www.gardenspain.com January 2016

HOMES & GARDENS

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Smart homes MUCH more than a simple gimmick By Matthew Elliott IT began with smart phones, then we had tablets and the smart tv, smart watches, smart whiteboards in the classroom, and now we have smart homes. For those who have luckily managed to avoid the ongoing fanfare of technological advances (and probably save a bit of money in the long run), smart technologies are an advanced form of interactive computing which you can personally adapt to your needs. With smart homes, howev-

HOME LIFE: Radically altered by technology.

er, it becomes much more than a simple gimmick like a fitness tracker on your phone, the technology can radically alter your home life and is completely under your control if you can withstand the publicity. A smart home is a networked home, with multiple devices linked wirelessly to an outside hub, which can monitor household rhythms to optimise or personalise the inside environment. Examples would be a thermometer which learns about your energy usage and takes measures to ensure you never

spend more than necessary, or a smart meter which switches on washing machines when the cost per unit is at its lowest. Outside devices can monitor weather reports and adapt watering systems appropriately, or check acidity levels and email you when the pH needs upping. Smart fridges can alter temperatures depending on the contents and let you know when a particular item is running out, while smart beds can monitor your sleeping patterns and wake you up at precisely the right moment to en-

Solar power saves money IF you’re lucky enough to have a home here in the Spanish sun then you may have already considered installing solar panels in a bid to save money on bills, become more environmentally friendly, or a little bit of both. Solar power had something of a renaissance back in the early 1990s when, along with Sonic the Hedgehog, it was seen as something of a revolution and the way of the future. There were serious problems though, which held solar back and discouraged people from taking the leap. For starters, solar panels require quite a large investment at around £5,000 £10,000 (€6,770 - €13,550) for installation costs. Today, however, there is a variety of flexible financing plans and government incentives that could see your panels become profitable in just a few years. With energy savings of around 50 per cent, panels can also add significant value to your property. Technology has also come a long way from the old image of a home cast in brutalist panels that only work on sunny days.

Nowadays technology developments have led to a new generation of solar collectors which take up a minimal amount of space, look stylish, and are incredibly efficient, working even on cloudy days and employing conservation

systems for energy over the evening. If you’re considering solar power, make sure you look up all relevant information, from possible subsidies to restrictions on your property so you get the best value for money.

hance your morning energy. The so-called ‘Internet of things’ is already upon us, with 13 per cent of UK homes already having one or more of these devices, expected to rise to 69 per cent by 2019. There are of course privacy matters inherent in this new era. The smart course of action would be to avoid becoming entirely reliant on such technology, or give away too much control to outside agencies. In the not so far away future, however, this may be more easily said than done.

EWN

E W N 7 - 13 January 2016 / Costa Blanca North

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OPINION & COMMENT

A reflection on 2015, where did those 12 months go?

OUR VIEW

AND I give you five of my New Year’s resolutions for 2016 Colin Bird A weekly look Each week, Colin brings his slightly off-thewall view of the world to the pages of EWN in his own irreverent style.

DEAR Diary It’s New Years Day. I reflect on 2015 with the usual end of year question. Where did those 12 months go? I assess my depleted wine rack and the empty spaces once filled with Rioja and Chenin Blanc. There were other wines too, but I cannot spell their names. I make a mental note to restock at the earliest. That’s resolution number one. The Princess and I have belatedly pulled the turkey wishbone. We attempted this on Boxing Day but it was greasy and we were so ‘merry’ it

RESOLUTION ONE: To restock the wine rack at the earliest. failed to snap, so we put it in the oven to dry. Uncharacteristically I won, entitling me to make the wish for continued good health, but an hour later one of the wardrobe doors fell off its track onto my foot. It has a full

length mirror and is very heavy. It hurt. Resolution two: Leave the wishbone inside the turkey. It doesn’t work. At a Christmas party, a lady whose name I cannot remember made a comment about her

unattractive grandson who was causing mayhem. ‘Don’t they grow up fast,’ she said. It’s a silly comment so I replied, ‘Not fast enough in his case.’ This attracted black looks from our hostess so I topped up my glass and

had another sausage roll. Resolution three: Stop making remarks about other peoples’ obnoxious grandchildren. They only see them as angels. My wife loves board games, so we played Mexican Train and she thrashed me again. You either have the ability to think several moves ahead or you don’t. I don’t. I am too busy thinking of my empty glass or the leftover pork pie yelling: ‘Come and get me, and bring the Branston.’ Resolution four: Never play board games with my wife again, unless I perfect the art of cheating. Watched some comedian on TV: ‘Live at the Apollo.’ ‘Live’ as opposed to what? A cardboard cut-out? Which brought me to resolution five: To reduce significantly my output of sarcasm. It will be tough. Happy New Year.

Falling cost of oil hurts Saudi Photo Credit I Anekoho Shutterstock

REVENUES and expenditure have gone against forecast John Smith Random thoughts... AT one time, Saudi Arabia was considered immune to financial difficulty, even with its population of 30 million and a birth rate exceeding deaths by 10 to one due to its massive oil reserves and the high cost of crude oil. Now, however, with the enormous drop in oil prices, it faces something of a dilemma as in order to keep revenues up, it has announced it will increase production, but this in turn means the price of oil is likely to continue dropping which will have a knock-on effect on international oil companies that purchase its product. Following the death of King Abdullah in January 2015, his successor, King Salman has revealed the first budget of his reign which is not good news for the people or economy of the kingdom. There is an overall budget deficit of $98 billion (€90 billion), the largest they have seen, with revenues 15 per

REVENUE: Saudi Arabia faces a huge dilemma after the drop in oil prices.

FLOODS: A disastrous time.

Calamitous weather WHAT a disastrous time it has been for the people of northern England and parts of Scotland, with rain that seems to keep falling and everyone apparently unable to do anything to stop the flooding. It is bad enough to be flooded once, but it almost seems as if Mother Nature is waiting for the floods to subside before opening the clouds once again. The knock-on effect is going to be dreadful for so many people as some companies won’t be able to afford to take a break whilst their premises dry out, and unless they are very well-insured will simply have to close down leaving their staff without work at a time when they have enough to worry about. Then there are those who either couldn’t obtain insurance because of their locations and because of previous flooding, whilst there are others who simply couldn’t afford to pay the high rates which insurance companies were charging, and so have lost everything. You can’t lay all of the blame on the insurance companies as at the end of the day, they do exist to make money and when they receive such an enormous hit like this, future premiums are bound to be increased in an effort to claw back some of their massive losses. Insurance is a gamble for both sides and this year, the insurance companies will find themselves on the losing end. Whilst Mr Cameron is busy making soothing noises, time will tell whether he can, or will do anything to help those who have lost so much.

cent down on forecast and expenditure up by13 per cent also against forecast. In order to help resolve the situation and to increase income, the Saudi ministry of finance announced it would cut fuel subsidies and increase petrol prices by at least 50 per cent, which would see the price per litre which is currently 21 euro cents increase to at least 32 euro cents bringing it in line with Iran. In addition, in what is probably a natural extension, diesel, electricity and water prices will also increase. As the largest member of the OPEC oil producing states, it appears to be increasing output in an effort to put the shale producing companies in the USA out of business, but so far the result has seen an overall drop in oil revenues by 23 per cent in 2015 compared to 2014. Spending on military and security projects has increased during 2015 as have salaries to civil servants and the armed forces. Now we If the economy continues to suffer want to and the increase in oil production does hear your views. not have the desired effect, then it is perfectly possible the Saudi govYOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE ernment may have to devalue the - YOUR OPINION Riyal, which is currently pegged www.euroweeklynews.com against the US Dollar.

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Behaviour is inherited DOGS are born with certain compulsions to behave in a specific way

David THE Dogman Listen to David on TRE every Saturday 10am to 11am Costa del Sol (Gibraltar/Sotogrande) 98.7fm (San Roque to Calahonda) 91.9fm (Calahonda to Motril) 88.9, Costa Calida 92.7fm Costa Blanca (Torrevieja to Elche) 105.1fm (Elche to Calpe) 88.2fm, (Calpe to Gandia & Ibiza) 104.6fm, (Denia to Valencia) 95.3fm Mallorca 103.9fm

SO much depends on how your dog gets on in life. I thought it appropriate to write about ‘inherited behaviour ’ because all dogs will certainly have inherited behaviour. The behaviour of dogs, like all animals, gets inherited via genetic predisposition and genetic memory. Genetic predisposition towards certain types of be-

haviour or attitudes in life are inherited at birth, much like the preprogrammed default factory settings you may find on a computer or TV when you buy it new. What they govern are things like a dog’s prevailing temperament, personality and the type of behaviour that comes instinctively to him when faced with different situations or events. As an example, everything from how readily he will pursue prey to how confident, fearful or aggressive he will become in more testing situations, and even how strongly he will emotionally attach to people making later separation issues more likely. Genetic memory is a rather different phenomenon. If an animal repeats a

specific behaviour enough times, a ‘memory’ of this behaviour eventually gets stored in its genes and cells, which is then passed down from one generation to the next. This is how birds know when to migrate or how to build nests without any other bird showing them. Or how sheepdogs know how to stalk and round up sheep without any other dog showing them. It is purely down to the effects of inherited genetic predisposition and memory. The same phenomenon is behind all different and also far more genetically magnified working instincts found in different breeds of dog. In other words they are born with certain inherited compulsion to behave in a specific way.

SHEEPDOGS: Know how to round up sheep without another dog showing them.

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V I S I T O U R W E B S I T E W W W . E U R O W E E K LY N E W S . C O M

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Not all bargains are good value MY job in 2016 is to select the best ones to fit my customers’ requirements John Graham The property expert

WHAT a great way to start 2016, the magnificent ‘Reyes Magos’ or Three kings processions have been on the Costas and Balearics, leaving behind children and adults with happy smiling faces enjoying their Reyes gifts. The January sales are now on in all the big shops throughout Spain, with the Spanish and expats rubbing shoulders in a buying frenzy, seeking out the best bargains before someone else does. The changing rooms all over Spain are full of people, some are squeezing into a size that’s obviously too small but there’s 50 per cent off a famous brand and they are con-

tions and locations with vinced they can match the strict planning permission. pair of bright green I have already noticed a trousers with something, substantial increase in acand anyway one of their tivity from property inNewYear’s Resolutions is vestors from Europe and to lose weight, so no around the world, all problem, everyone asking me the same loves a bargain! question and all To a certain more or less extent the propwaiving a blank erty market on cheque book, if the Costas and I can find them Balearics could the right barexperience gain. something of a Towards the buying frenzy end of 2015 in 2016 from the private property insector showed vestors and priPROPERTY: Prices are still at January sales levels. signs of an increase vate individual in demand for properties at prices and fourth quarters of 2015. buyers. equivalent to 50 per cent off 2007 Property prices are still at January In general property prices botprices, and this will continue sales levels but prices will continue tomed out and in some locations throughout 2016. to rise, in particular in prime locaprices started to increase in the third

New build properties becoming available in 2016 are competitively priced, and there is a high demand for these modern properties at prices that compete well with resale properties. To meet this demand developers and investors will need to work together in 2016. But not all bargains are good value, my job in 2016 is to select the best property bargains in the best locations so that they fit my customers’ requirements and stop them from buying the equivalent of bright green trousers that don’t fit. If you are looking to buy or sell a property in 2016 contact me we have properties & buyers. John Graham. Fellow of The Architecture & Surveyors Institute. Property Advisor. Gk.ipad@me.com

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New buy-to-let tax drives up UK house prices THE 3 per cent charge will be in effect as of April 2016 By Matthew Elliott AN upcoming stamp duty surcharge is expected to see house prices rise across the UK, as buy-to-let investors seek to capitalise on lower rates before the 3 per cent charge comes into play in April 2016. After the Chancellor â€™s autumn statement which announced the stamp duty charge, house prices rose sharply in November and first-time buyers are anticipated to face great difficulty in competing with the wealthier investors, only finding respite once the new tax comes into effect. Naturally, buy-to-let investors are mounting a legal challenge against the reforms which would see them pay more money, but accountants are also concerned that the greatest impact will be felt by smaller investors with one or

two additional properties. Tenants are expected to be hit with higher rents while

wealthy landlords and large companies will remain untouched.

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REPORT: Says more than eight million homes in Spain are not insured.

Incognito insurance THERE is a worryingly high level of uncertainty By Matthew Elliott MORE than eight million homes in Spain are not insured according to a report by insurance company Linea Directa, which also indicates a worryingly high level of uncertainty and lack of awareness among those who are insured. Around 13 million are ignorant of the conditions of their

cover, while 10 million are unfamiliar with the exact amount they are insured for. Three million couldnâ€™t identify the company they are insured with. A key problem is the difference between the value homes are insured to against the actual value of the home, which is on average 32 per cent higher. Insurance against damage to

neighbouring homes is another factor for concern with many millions theoretically liable to pay out of their own pocket for large portions of the damage accrued. Andalucia has one of the highest rates of registered home accidents, with claims reaching 40.4 per cent compared to the national average of 33.2 per cent.

PROPERTY

Pioneering virtual tours of property A LONDON-BASED startup has announced a partnership with CBRE, one of the worldâ€™s largest property services companies, which will see 360-degree digital tours of UK offices made available to interested viewers. Virtual Walkthrough will bring the pioneering technology, already used for some luxury homes, to the office market in a further omen of the advent of virtual reality in the property market. CBRE has tripled its technology spending in recent years in expectation of a huge digital ripple spreading through the industry, with knock-on effects for viewings and valuations. The technology integrates 360-degree photography with three-dimensional imaging beamed through virtual reality headsets, al-

OPINION & COMMENT

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LEGALLY SPEAKING

Spain change laws

7 - 13 January 2016 / Costa Blanca North

NEW LAWS: Will help create a standardised road network across the continent. WHILST renewing many of the older traffic laws in order to adapt to the modern world, Spain is also undergoing changes to legislation to meet the requirements of the European Union and help create a standardised road network across the continent. These changes are constantly being developed and adapted and, although many of them are aimed at creating safer roads, some of them are questionable, although they are to become mandatory in the New Year along with others. One of the changes that is causing most concern is that of pillion passengers on mopeds. From January, moped riders who qualify for the AM licence for mopeds are permitted to carry passengers, so long as the vehicle is adapted thereof. This new rule is regardless of the age of the rider. Prior to

this change, in Spain children under 18 were not permitted to carry passengers. So-called ‘Mega-Trucks’ up to 60 tonnes in weight and 25.25 metres in length are now permitted on the roads of Spain. This authorises trucks with more than six axles to travel through the road network, although special authority must be obtained so the impact on road safety can be assessed. The idea is reducing transportation costs and subsequently, passing savings onto consumers. Other law changes concerning matters related to sufferers of sleep apnea, the BTP category being removed from licences, and the government liabilities for medical costs in RTA’s involving fatalities, can be found on the N332 website in the new eBook The New Rules of the Road.

For more news and articles visit www.n332.es or search N332 on Facebook.

Who should do the work? I LIVE in a community of 27 units. In the shower I noticed the water was filthy, leaving a nasty residue in the bath. Our water comes from a central tank pumped to the houses. I went to the Administrator, who informed me the water system had undergone mainte-

You raise two questions here. Firstly, it is indeed quite ‘normal’ that some residue from work on a water tank or pipes leaves a residue that turns the water brown for a short period of time. The residents should

nance, and the residue from the pipes would have disappeared after running the water. It turns out a relative of his secretary has been awarded all the maintenance work. He has a cleaning company. I ask if this work should be done by a specialist company. V.F. (Costa Blanca)

David Searl You and the Law in Spain

have been warned to run the water until it cleared before using or drinking it.

Secondly, there is really no need for a specialist company to clean a water tank. In answer to your unspoken question about employing relatives, as long as they do a good job at a reasonable price, let it be.

Send your questions for David Searl through lawyers Ubeda-Retana & Associates in Fuengirola at Ask@lawtaxspain.com, or call 952 667 090.

Service, or the lack of it, still winds me up!!

NEW legislation will meet the requirements of the EU AS part of a new series, we answer some common driving questions, kindly provided by members of the Guardia Civil based in Torrevieja, Costa Blanca, who set up the N332 website and Facebook page to help break down barriers.

EWN

Mike Senker

In my opinion Views of a Grumpy Old Man LET’S start by saying I have been with the same mobile phone supplier for 12 years and their service, or lack of, still manages to wind me up. Every time I have a query with them I just wish I could swap to another provider, but it seems they are all as bad as each other. One of my biggest problems is their operators, and this isn’t only with phone companies, it happens with nearly all companies that offer an English speaking operator. They may speak English but they do not understand English - at least not mine. I decided to upgrade my phones so I went to my local service provider’s store which is all ramped up with their logos and products. This was last year by the way. I chose the two phones and agreed the price for the upgrade with the store manager. He told me they would be in stock within 14 days which was fine as I was going away. This was January and I returned the first week of February. I go in, ask if the phones

are there and am shown that indeed they are. As I go to conclude the transaction I notice that one phone is €50 and the other is €100 dearer. “What’s this all about?” I ask. “Price went up 1st of Feb,” I’m told. “But I ordered them in January and they have been here since then.” I’m told again that they have to charge me the new price. So I phone the company from the store and they agree I can have the phones at the old price. “Cheers! Give me the paperwork.” “Ah but you can’t have these phones.” “What? They are there on the counter!” “You have to order them direct as this store is not company owned and can’t do that offer but they will deliver them within 48 hours.” I get a phone call to confirm the order. They read out my address and it’s slightly changed because the town hall has changed the street name. “Ah sorry, it takes 15 days for us to change an address on our system.” “Ok don’t worry, use the old address.” “No can’t send it there now as you have changed it.” By now I am about to explode. But there is nothing I can do. So I wait the two weeks and finally get a note through the door saying they have tried to deliver the phones but no one was in and now we have to go to the depot to collect them!!!!!!!

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On the McLaren P1: “And as you hurdle around in a puddle of your own faeces, grinning like an infant, the car is working on ways to go even faster.”

Some might say...

Husqvarna riders take on their first Dakar Rally

THE off-road competition is one of the most gruelling in the motorsports calendar By Steve Walsh THE Dakar Rally 2016 marks a special milestone for the newly formed Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team, who will contest what is effectively the most important and gruelling off-road competition in the motorsports calendar. The 2016 edition of the Dakar Rally began with the prologue in Buenos Aires on January 2, and will be running until January 16. Riders will set off west through Argentina and follow the spine of the Andes moun-

DAKAR RALLY: Over the 13 stages riders will travel in excess of 9,000 km. tains north into Bolivia. They will then travel directly south,

criss-crossing the mountains until they reach San Juan in Ar-

gentina, where they will turn east to finish in Rosario.

Over the 13 stages they will travel in excess of 9,000 km and will be confronted with very difficult conditions that will test their navigation skills, bikes and bodies to their limits. Pablo Quintanilla said: “I am very happy with the Husqvarna factory bike because it’s reliable, very fast and very tough for this sport. This time we are not riding in Chile so there is no open desert, but the difficult navigation in Fiambala, Belen and San Juan, plus the altitude and rainfall in Bolivia will make it difficult for everybody.”

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9 Series BMW: rumour or reality? MANY rumours have reported on the possibility that BMW might launch an innovative four-door coupe under the name Series 9, with Rolls

Royce in its sights. However, BMW’s plans regarding the launch of this model are ‘something for the future.’ According to information disclosed by the network, the German company is preparing the BMW Series 9. Very little is known about this model, although rumours suggest it will be a large-bodied four-door coupe built on the platform of the Series 7 but with abundant cosmetic changes and equipped with highly innovative technology. Named the 9 Series, the coupe will ride on a modified

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BMW: May launch a new and innovative coupe. version of the platform that’s being developed to underpin the next Rolls-Royce Phantom. It will be as large as it sounds, but its weight will be kept in check thanks to the use of carbon fibre-reinforced plastic and ultra-high-tensile steel. The rumours of a range-topping BMW coupe have been circulating for years without ever materialising. Company officials haven’t commented on the report, so only time will tell whether it’s finally coming true. The next Phantom is due out in 2016, meaning the 9 could arrive as early as 2017.

MOTORING

False hopes raised as Schumacher fortune dwindles THE German driver Michael Schumacher, who has spent nearly two years in a vegetative state after an accident in the French Alps on 29 December 2013, is showing slight signs of recovery, but nothing like the claims made in a German magazine stating: “Michael is very thin. But he can walk again with a little help from his therapist.” The magazine quoted a ‘confidant’ of the racing driver as saying: “He manages to walk a few steps. He can even raise his arm.” The publication went on to describe the improvement in Schumacher’s condition as a ‘Christmas miracle.’ However, Michael Schumacher’s manager Sabine Kehm, has denied a magazine report which claimed

the severely injured Formula 1 star is walking again. The Telegraph reports that she said: “Unfortunately, we are forced by a recent press report to clarify that the assertion that Michael could move again is not true. Such speculation is irresponsible and it gives false hopes to many people involved.” During this time his wife Corinna has spent a fortune to try and save her husband. As reported by ABC.es, she is rumoured to have spent €14 million so far, around €140,000 a week, to try and bring Michael out of his present state. They also state Corinna has had to dispose of several items to aid the rehabilitation of the 46-year-old driver, including their private jet and chalet in the Alps.

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SPORT

England beat South Africa by 241 runs in the first test EXCELLENT win in Durban over the world’s number one team From back page

Year on top of their League tables. • Just after Christmas, Lionel Messi scored his 425th goal on his 500th appearance for Barcelona in a 4-0 win over Real Betis. • Ten-man Real Madrid drew 2-2 with Gary Neville’s Valencia and then learned that their appeal for being ‘kicked out’ of the Copa del Rey had been rejected by the Spanish FA. • Twelve players were yellow-carded in the recent Levante-Malaga game – a record for La Liga. • Recently, Don Howe, ex-

WBA, Arsenal and England right-back, who also managed both his clubs and coached his country… Former Newcastle and Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Pavel Srnicek… El Salvador ’s most-capped player Alfredo Pacheo (shot dead by bandits)… and former Wigan star Steve Gohouri (drowned in River Rhine) all lost their lives. • On Tuesday, Stoke met Liverpool in the first leg of the LC semi-final; Everton played Manchester City last night in the other ‘semi’. • Over the next four days there

are 32 third round FA Cup ties including holders Arsenal-Sunderland, Birmingham-Bournemouth, ChelseaScunthorp, Doncaster-Stoke, Eastleigh-Bolton, EvertonDagenham & Redbridge, Exeter-Liverpool (live on BBC TV tomorrow night), Manchester United-Sheffield United, Spurs-Leicester (rerun of 1961 final), West Ham-Wolves and WycombeAston Villa. There’ll be some upsets no doubt! • And the transfer window is now open with players moving here, there and everywhere!

CRICKET • England beat the world’s number one nation South Africa by 241 runs in the first test in Durban. Moheen Ali, with seven wickets, was voted ‘Man of the Match’. In the second Test which has just ended in Cape Town, England, backed

MEADOWLARK LEMON: Former Harlem Globetrotters star has passed away aged 83.

NICE ONE DENIS... Question put to former footballer Denis Law last week: Would the 1960s Manchester United side beat the current one? Answer: Yes, 1-0. Why so close? asked the interviewer. ‘Well we’re all in our seventies now’ replied Law.

by a ‘barmy army’ of 12,000 fans, smashed 629-6 declared in their first innings. Ben Stokes (258) and J o n n y

Bairstow (150 n.o.) put on 377 for the 6th wicket and Stokes’ double hundred was the fastest-ever by an Englishman (163 balls) and the secondfastest in Test history. • Martin Guptill smashed an amazing 93 runs off 30 balls (50 in just 17) for New Zealand in their 10-wicket ODI victory over Sri Lanka in Christchurch. • Sadly, Sussex cricketer Matt Hobden has died, aged just 22. ROUND-UP • Jockey Michelle Payne (30), on board Prince of Penzance, has become the first female to ride the winner in the 155-year-old Melbourne Cup. BOXER: Carl Frampton has been awarded the MBE in the Queen’s New Year’s honours list.

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• Saracens (after an impressive 26-6 win over Leicester), Bristol and Scarlets top the Aviva Premiership, the IPA and Pro12 League Rugby Union tables. • Former Harlem Globetrotter basketball star Meadowlark Lemon has died, aged 83. • Racehorse Lancelot du Lac has broken the 5 furlong track record at Chelmsford. • Gary Anderson beat Adrian Lewis 7-5 to win the 2016 World Darts Championship. Anderson is the only man Ever to claim a nine-dart finish and record a maximum 147 break in snooker… and get a hole in one in golf!

MOHEEN ALI: Was voted ‘Man of the match’. CONGRATULATIONS • Several sporting personalities received awards in the Queen’s New Year ’s Honour’s list. It’s now Sir Anthony (‘AP’) McCoy. Ex-footballers Denis Law and Francis Lee, and former racing driver John Surtess received CBEs. MBEs went to England women’s footballer

Steph Houghton, boxer Carl Frampton, rugby player Mark Queto, England netball captain Tracey Neville, sister of footballers Gary and Phil and BBC reporter Jackie Oatley. While cyclist Chris Froome and former tennis star and current Question of Sport presenter Sue Barker are now OBEs.

Benitachell Bowls Club TWENTY SIX bowlers had a not too early start for their traditional fun bowls event on the first day of the New Year. Many were in fancy dress including the organiser ‘Naval Captain’ Peter Griffiths resplendent in his high rank uniform. There were many peals of laughter as they bowled the other way on the green, with each other’s woods and their wrong hand. After six ends all retreated into the club house for cava, provided by our sponsor Almar Services, Buck’s fizz and lots of tempting nibbles prepared by Pauline Griffiths, dressed as a wee Scottish lassie, with Wendy Ranger lending a hand at the table. Back on the green for another six ends, then off to BeniAsia for their first Chinese meal of the year. Winners of the bowling were Helen Baxter, and runner-up Janet Neale for the ladies, with new member Eric Riddall, winning for the men with Trevor Neale the runnerup. Names withheld for the

lowest scores and wrong biases! Of the multitude of inventive fancy dress, the winners were John North and Linda Riddall, with John Lapthorn and Rosina

Dunham close seconds. For a full update and further information about forthcoming games and results, please visit them online at www.benitachellbow lsclub.com.

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SPORT

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LIONEL MESSI: Scored his 425th goal on his 500th appearance for Barcelona in the win over Real Betis. Costa Blanca’s best guide to local sport

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Supermen: Cech, Anderson, Bairstow and Stokes Tony Matthews International Sports A former player and now the world’s most prolific author of football books with almost 150 published since 1975, Tony is also the sports correspondent for Spectrum Radio and lives on La Pilica in the Sierra Cabrera Mountains overlooking Turre. Costa de Almeria

FOOTBALL • After a hectic Christmas/New Year period, Arsenal (two wins out of three) are two points clear in the PL from Leicester who had two 0-0 draws and missed a penalty in the match against Bournemouth. • Arsenal’s ‘keeper Petr Cech has broken David James’ record of clean-sheets in the Premiership – 171 in 353 games against James’ 169 in 572 outings. • Manchester United, with a terrific Rooney goal, ended their winless run with a 2-1 victory over Swansea. • Courtesy of two superb goals by Toure and Aguero, Manchester City hit back to

win 2-1 at Watford. • Sunderland beat bottom club Aston Villa (only 8 points out of 57) 3-1 in an early relegation battle. • WBA completed their first double over Stoke since 1977. • Middlesbrough (winners over Brighton and Derby), Burton Albion and Plymouth are top of the Championship and Leagues 1 and 2, while Celtic, Rangers, Dunfermline and Elgin City head their respective divisions in Scotland. • Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, PSG, Ajax and Bayern Munich all started the New STEPH HOUGHTON: England women’s footballer has been awarded an MBE.

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