Issuu

ISSUE NO. 1693

14 - 20 December 2017

COSTA BLANCA NORTH

YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION

‘No answer’ By Harrison Jones The family of Kirsty Maxwell have claimed that they have had “no answer” in their quest to find the clothes she was wearing when she died. Last month, Ms Maxwell’s family began their battle to find the clothes that she was wearing when she died in Benidorm in April this year. Her husband, Adam, along with parents Brian and Denise, have allegedly asked Spanish authorities repeatedly what happened to the clothes, but to no avail. Mrs Maxwell was reportedly wearing a pink t-shirt and denim skirt when she died.

CLOTHES: The outfit Kirsty was reportedly wearing on the night of her death. Turn to Page 7

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€3m boost for towns ALICANTE’s Provincial Council is hoping to allocate €3m from the Municipal Cooperation Fund in the region. Smaller towns are expected to benefit more from the grants, with public roads and drinking water reportedly being prioritised.

Road death A 60-YEAR-OLD man has died after his car left the CV-36 motorway in Aldaia, according to Spanish media. The incident is believed to have occurred on Tuesday.

Less crime ACCORDING to recent crime figures, house burglaries in Denia have dropped by 37 per cent over the last year, while thefts in general have decreased by 10 per cent.

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Feliz navidad!

Photo by Casa de S.M. el Rey/Twitter

Spanish royals spread festive cheer KING FELIPE VI and Queen Letizia of Spain have debuted their annual Christmas card with their daughters, Princess Leonor, aged 12, and Infanta Sofia, aged 10. The family took a more formal approach this year, with the family colour-coordinating in red outside the Royal Palace of Madrid. King Felipe wore a red patterned tie while his daughter Princess Leonor, who is first in line to the throne, wore a bright red dress reportedly from Carolina Herrera, one of her mother Letizia’s favourite designers. Meanwhile, Infanta Sofia was dressed in red and white tweed believed to be designed by children’s fashion house Pili Carrera. According to Spanish media sources, the photo was taken on the balcony overlooking the palace’s ‘Plaza de la Armeria’ on October 12, which is Spain’s National Day. Last year, the family sent out a more relaxed portrait and were

seen hugging in casual outdoor clothing in the garden at the Zarzuela Palace in Madrid. Spain’s royal family first released a Christmas card in 2014 to celebrate Felipe becoming the ruling Spanish monarch after his father, King Juan Carlos, abdicated the throne. They then became the first European royals to make their Christmas card public in 2015. Written in Spanish inside the card is a note that reads ‘Merry

Christmas and a Happy New Year 2018,’ along with each family member’s signatures. A message was also sent on behalf of former King Don Juan Carols and Queen Doña Sofia, his wife, which included a Christmas-themed painting by 15th century Italian Renaissance artist Bartolomeo Vivarini.

A RIGHT ROYAL XMAS: The King and his family.

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Man held over teen sex case A MAN has been arrested in Finestrat for allegedly renting a room to a 17-year-old girl who was allegedly working as a prostitute. The 44-year-old was apparently aware of the girl’s age and forced her to pay him commission on what she was earning so she could use the room. The alarm is believed to have been first raised by the girl’s mother, who told police she believed her daughter was prostituting herself in a rented apartment near Benidorm. The girl reportedly first told the owner that she was of legal age to rent the room, however when the man became aware of how young she was, he took advantage of the situation and forced her to pay him commission on her activities. On some occasions the girl allegedly would work up to 12 hours a day, and was left with only €10 after the landlord took the rest. The man was released by police but is due to appear before a Benidorm court on charges of corrupting a minor.

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Three injured Snow way

SPANISH FACTS OF LIFE...41

As the first snows begin to fall in Spain’s mountains, ski and snowboard enthusiasts are itching to visit one of the country’s more unlikely tourist attractions, writes Harrison Jones.

TWO pedestrians were injured when they were run over opposite the Torres de Serranos in the centre of Valencia. The driver of the car also suffered injuries and had to be cut out of the vehicle. Police are not treating the accident as suspicious.

€2.7m loss CALPE is encouraging its citizens to register on the Padron as it fears resident figures have dropped to under 20,000. If the National Institute of Statistics (INE) confirms this is the case, it will amount to an immediate municipal loss of €2.7 million from the government of Spain.

On the buses P R I M A RY S C H O O L S i n D e n i a will introduce fleets of ‘walking buses’ - each has an adult ‘driver ’ at the front and an adult ‘conductor ’ at the rear. Students walk to school in a group along a set route picking up additional ‘passengers’ at specific ‘bus stops’ along the way.

Briton killed A BRITON was killed in an accident on the CV-809 road between Villena and Caudete (Albacete). The 30-yearold, who lived in Villena, was fatally injured in a head-on collision and medics’ attempts to resuscitate him after he was cut free from his vehicle were unsuccessful.

Not so sure A 44-YEAR-OLD Sax insurance agent was arrested after nine clients complained to the Guardia Civil that she had sold them nonexistent insurance cover. Always insisting on cash, she gave them receipts but later pocketed the money without formalising the or-

DESERTIFICATION is coming to Spain. The south of the country sees temperatures regularly top 40 degrees and millions flock to beaches along its coasts. Yet the country is also home to around 35 ski resorts and roughly 1, 000 km worth of runs - some of it within hours of the beach. Complete with an attractive party scene and good terrain for beginners, many resorts are relatively cheap compared with the rest of Europe, making them highly attractive. Figures are scarce, but of the near 75 million tourists who visited Spain in 2016, a significant number are thought to have been skiers and boarders. Statista suggests snow sports vis-

A fine to-do A LOCAL POLICE officer in Castalla stands trial this week for

News Leapy 49

Couch Critic 55

Letters 61

Time out 65 - 68

Health & Beauty 69 - 73

Social 74 - 78

Services 84 - 87

‘STUNNING VIEWS’: Olympic skier Graham Bell.

NICE ICE: Tobogganing is also on offer in Sierra Nevada.

WHILE most of Spain’s skiing is in the Pyrenees, there is a little in the south of the country too. In fact, Sierra Nevada, about a 40-minute drive from Granada, is Europe’s most southerly ski resort - and a highly popular one at that. Thought to boast over 321 days of sunshine, it also claims the title of Europe’s sunniest ski resort. The classic local brag is that you can ski by morning and sunbathe, on the Costa Del Sol, in the afternoon. Around a million people, many of them Spanish, skied the

der with the insurance company.

PLUS THE REGULARS 1 - 42

itors - including natives – have numbered around five million in the last few seasons, since 2012. But visitors SKI OR BOARD: It’s not just sno tend to opt for a w on offer in Spain. select few resorts. The resorts of Benasque and La Dubbed ‘the world’s best ski reMolina are other tourist favourites, sort’ by the Daily Telegraph, while Formigal has the most terrain Baqueira-Belet is the most popular, in Spain. best rated and biggest. The Spanish season can - in theoFound in the heart of the Pyrery at least - run from late Novemnees, many believe it is favourite of ber to early May, though this dethe Spanish royal family, but pends heavily on snow conditions. though the monarchy are still The best snow tends to be found thought to have a chalet there, the between January and March. King no longer skis.

Europe’s sunny uplands

resort in 2014, according to Planet Ski. Remembering his appearance at the 1996 world championships, Graham Bell - a former Olympic skier and Ski Sunday presenter - told Euro Weekly News that the resort had a “great atmosphere and stunning views.” Though he is also quick to warn that the “snow can be a little hit or miss.” But if sun, skiing and partying are your thing, then you cannot go far wrong with Spain’s highest resort.

fining a driver for 21 mostly fictitious traffic offences. He allegedly altered charge sheets and dated others on days when he was not working in a deliberate attempt to make trouble for the driver.

181

Classifieds 88 - 90

Motoring 91 - 93

Sports 94 - 96

The total number of news and features which appeared in Issue 1692 of the Euro Weekly News Costa Blanca North edition, including 76 local stories.

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A good Claus

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POLL OF THE WEEK Do you send online Christmas cards? LAST WEEK’S POLL:

Thousands of Santas run for charity

Do you attend religious events over the Christmas period? Photo credit Twitter

Yes 28%

No 72%

EWN online this week

161,969 Page views Top 5 stories

Batten down the hatches.

alerts issued for the whole 48,458 Weather of Spain as storm Ana set to hit snap: Weather warnings issued as parts 6,987 Cold of Costa Blanca and Andalucia go below zero diverted and red alerts issued 6,673 Flights as storm Ana lashes Spain driver dies after crashing onto 6,662 Lorry Costa del Sol beach airline Ryanair facing pilots’ 4,518 Low-cost strike before Christmas views

SEA OF RED: Thousands of Santas took to the streets in Madrid. MORE than 7,000 people dressed up as Father Christmas to run through Madrid city centre in aid of a cancer charity. The athletes braved freezing temperatures and strong winds as Storm Ana rolled into Spain, but the festive atmosphere certainly seemed to warm their spirits up. Children also took part in the five kilometre gallop, donning green tunics and elf hats, while many of the adults wore long white beards to accompany their bright red hats and robes.

The event saw the merry throng dash along the Spanish capital’s famous Paseo de la Castellana, crossing landmarks including the Cibeles and Colon squares. It is the fifth successive year that the event which organisers claim is the largest Santathemed race in the world - has taken place. And a portion of each runner’s registration fee will be donated to the Intheos Foundation, a non-profitable organisation dedicated to fighting cancer.

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FOR COMMENTS FROM EWN ONLINE TURN TO LETTERS PAGE CORRECTIONS At the EWN, we pride ourselves that reports are accurate and fair. If we do slip up, we promise to set the record straight in a clear, nononsense manner. To ask for an inaccuracy to be corrected. Email: editorial@euroweeklynews.com

‘Unbelievable’ British newly-wed reunited with ring By Benjamin Park A BRITISH newly-wed has been reunited with her treasured engagement ring, three months after losing it while holidaying in Spain. Christie Campbell, 22, and her fiancée Calum had been holidaying in Costa Blanca close to Javea when her ring went missing on a packed beach back in May. Calum, 24, along with his cousin Stuart, reportedly spent hours looking for the piece of jewellery but the search was in vain. When they were unable to find it, Stuart left contact details with a local metal detecting en-

thusiast just in case he happened to stumble upon the treasured ring. The couple were left devastated and struggling to find a replacement after losing the ring, which Calum had designed specifically for Christie. But to their surprise, three months after the ring went missing; it was returned via air mail by Good Samaritan Mohammed Khan, 53, after he found it on the beach. Mr Kahn, who lives in Spain, reportedly found the ring four metres out into the sea, almost exactly where the ring had been originally lost. Mrs Campbell, 22, from Stewarton, Scotland, said: “Stuart just said ‘we’ve got some-

Crack down on false compensation claims SPANISH authorities have pledged to take action against the trend of tourists making false claims against travel providers. Politicians from Les Corts have unanimously urged the Spanish government to change the laws around clauses in holiday packages and insurance claims. They have also urged collaboration with the British government to make claims from abroad more difficult. The scourge of insurance

claims - mainly from British tourists - is causing a ‘serious problem’ to tourism in Spain, according to PSPV’s Tourism spokesman, Vincent Arques. Upon returning home, many tourists are asking for compensation from hotels and travel companies for food poisoning and falls. The trend has been increasing since summer 2016, according to Mr Arques, who says English law firms are encouraging travellers to submit claims.

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thing for you,’ and I thought it was something for the wedding. I had no idea what it was. “Calum opened up the box and was saying ‘oh my God, I can’t believe this.’ “I was absolutely ecstatic. At first I thought, ‘that can’t be the ring.’ But it fit. “It had actually been in the sea. It was amazing.” The couple were officially wed at the beginning of November and say they will be ‘forever grateful to Mohammed for his honesty and kindness.’

Photo credit Christie Campbell/Facebook & Costa Blanca Sights/Twitter

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ECSTATIC: The ring was found on a Javea beach, Christie and partner Calum (inset).

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Just model behaviour

EXPECTING: Alice Campello.

HE’S the ex-boyfriend of Australian songstress Kylie Minogue. But Spanish model Andres Velencoso, 39, shows no sign of settling down after being pictured with yet another new squeeze. The Catalan hunk posted photos of himself alongside Argentinian actress Luz Cipriota, 32, in Tossa de Mar on the Costa Brava. And it appears the pair have sealed their HEARTTHROB: love after jetting off on a Andres Velencoso. South American jaunt. The rumoured couple visited Buenos Aires, where Luz was born. It comes weeks after Andres expressed his happiness with 25year-old Italian model and presenter Ginevra Rossini, known in her homeland for being the ex-girlfriend of Luigi Berlusconi, son of former Prime Minister Silvio. But the heartthrob has clearly moved on once more, following earlier flings with Spanish model Steffy Argelich, 23, and tennis star Maria Sharapova, 30.

Alice in wonderland SHE has over a million followers on social website Instagram. And Chelsea footballer Alvaro Morata’s stunning wife Alice Campello now has another reason to celebrate after the couple announced they are expecting their first child. The Italian model, 22, tied the knot with the Spanish striker in June, just weeks before his €65 million Premier League transfer was announced.

It’s all about Cruz control

BOMBSHELL: Penelope Cruz as Donatella Versace.

SHE’S Spain’s favourite sweetheart. And now Penelope Cruz is due back on our screens in new series, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: An American Crime Story. The 43-year-old stunner plays Donatella Versace, sister of the murdered fashion designer who was killed in 2007. Due for release in January 2018, the show follows the lead up and aftermath of the icon’s death. Cruz, whose normally brunette locks have

been died platinum blonde for the role, stars alongside pop star Ricky Martin, who plays Antonio D’Amico, Gianni Versace’s long-term partner. And showing just how well the stars were getting along on set, Martin posted a photo of him and Cruz snuggled up in full costume. Martin, normally known more for his singing prowess, explained he accepted the role to make a stand against the homophobia believed to have been behind Versace’s death.

Celeb focus Moss be joking? SHE’S the enigKATE MOSS: matic model who No selfies. has managed to stay on top for almost 30 years. And now Kate Moss has explained she’s no fan of social media. The 44-year-old stunner, who spends her time between London, the US and Ibiza, said: “Everything now is so instant with digital photography and there’s no mystique. I’m just not into posting about personal stuff online.”

Taken by storm SHE recently signed up to the E4 show Celebs Go Dating. And single beauty Tallia Storm, 19, showed why she’s such a catch after slipping into a plunging neon pink swimsuit on the beach in Spain. The Scottish singer flaunted her petite frame as she frolicked in the shallows before taking a stroll along the sand.

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Foul play in forest AN unknown vandal has been cutting down tree branches in the Vall de Gallinera, blocking locals and hikers from passing along the road that leads to the Castell de Benissili ruins. These acts of vandalism which the town hall has called “rural terrorism” - have occurred several times over the past year. A dozen pine trees were cut down and laid across the same road in October 2016 to prevent people from passing through. The railing that the locals built with the remains of these trees was then also destroyed.

MYSTERY VANDAL: Vall de Gallinera. According to local media sources, both the local residents and authorities are convinced that these acts were intentional, with some claiming they know who is responsible but refusing to give a name.

The mayor of the town, Toni Pardo, revealed that police had been informed and urged residents of the area to come forward with any information that sheds light on who the culprits may be.

Kirsty case goes on from Front Page

Her husband Adam posted on Facebook on Monday: “Another week passes, still no answer regarding Kirsty’s clothes. “British consulate, my lawyer, Scottish/UK politicians, government bodies, family and friends all asking the same question with no answer.” W h e n t h e E u ro We e k l y News contacted the Spanish authorities, a spokesperson said: “The National Police has put forward all of the information collected to court. “If there is any information that has not been released, it is unlikely to become available until the court case is finished.” The news comes after MP for Livingston, Hannah Bardell, where Mrs Maxwell was a constituent, called on the UK government to support the case. Ms Bardell held a meeting with Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister,

Sir Alan Duncan, to discuss the issue and ensure that Mrs Maxwell’s family get both justice and the truth. After the meeting, she told British media: “I was pleased that Sir Alan Duncan said he could help in a

number of areas, including getting Kirsty’s clothes and obtaining the scientific report, both of which the family are anxious to get hold of and are vital to the investigation into Kirsty’s death

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Heart attack death arrest A MAN has been detained in Alicante City for abandoning a woman when she suffered from a heart attack that caused her death. According to a police spokesperson, the 58-yearold is under investigation for failing to provide assistance under critical circumstances. The womanâ€™s body was discovered inside a vehicle at a cemetery and while the forensic report revealed that the cause of death had been a heart attack, it was revealed that the woman had not been alone when s h e w e n t i n t o c a r d i a c a rrest. Police were able to track down her companion, who reportedly failed to contact the health services and immediately left the scene at the time of the incident. He was asked to report to the police station in Alicante City where he was arrested for abandoning the woman at her hour of need.

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OUR VIEW

Spain is failing migrant children THE discovery of a 12-year-old West African boy inside the dashboard of a car bound for Spain shows that migrants are prepared to use ever more daring methods of reaching Europe. But the find also illustrates the chilling reality that the number of unaccompanied children fleeing their homelands has risen at an alarming rate. A recent United Nations (UN) report suggests that the running total for Andalucia so far this year has increased by 240 per cent compared with 2016, leaving the regional authorities unable to cope. Those aged under 18 are officially protected by Spanish law and placed in so-called â€˜reception centres,â€™ but once they turn 19 they are released onto the street without food, shelter or documentation allowing them to legally find work. And it is then that they become prey to prostitution networks, fall victim to radicalism or are tempted by other shady influences, according to non-governmental organisation Voluntarios Por Otro Mundo. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Spain is party, obliges countries to prioritise the best interests of children, while international law states that questionable individuals must be treated as children until proven otherwise. But the Spanish government is ignoring its obligations, with many youngsters homeless or held in adult detention centres. It is time the country stopped failing them. Boarder control - page 22

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Photo credit Facebook

NEWS EXTRA

TRAM stops THE TRAM industrial action that began in September continues with stoppages tomorrow, Friday, and Saturday. All lines will have a skeleton service beginning at 9pm tomorrow and continuing until 3am on Saturday.

Home shop FIFTY establishments belonging to La Nucia’s shopowners’ association AECNU are offering €500 in prizes to encourage the local population to make their Christmas purchases in the town.

Crowded out NOVELDA’S traditional spice factories need their own industrial estate as lack of space for expansion has forced at least five firms to move factories and warehouses to other Vinalopo towns.

BLOWING A GALE: But the storm brought no precious rain.

All wind and no rain STORM ANA brought little of the expected rain and instead battered the province with high winds. Despite rain and snow in three-quarters of Spain, temperatures rose with a mild 20ºC registered in Pego while gales reached 100-kilometres per hour in inland l’Alcoia and the Marina Alta. Some parts of the coast saw five-metre w av es a lth o u g h in o th e rs the high winds brought by the storm were barely noticeable.

Four flights were cancelled between Alicante and Oran (Algeria), not because of the storm but because of the backlog caused by flights to the UK, Holland and Germany that were cancelled the previous day owing to bad weather at their destinations. Fire brigades were called out to deal with half-a-dozen incidents throughout the province caused by fallen tiles, awnings and trees as well as a motorway sign on the A-7 in Ibi.

This occur r ed at 9.30am when the wind snapped the bolts attaching the s i gn t o i t s gant r y and t he entire structure crashed to the road below. Traffic was at its heaviest but noone was injured or cars damaged although the Guardia Civil diverted traffic through the centre of Ibi for an hour so that firemen from the Ibi station could remove the wreckage unhindered.

Fire takes all A FAMILY in inland Sax lost their home in a fire that took more than five hours to extinguish. The husband and wife with three children aged nine, eight and three, were able to leave their house unharmed after the fire began at 5.30pm but lost all their belongings when the roof caved in. The Local Police also had to evacuate two families living on either side of the village house on the slopes below Sax castle. At one point flames threatened to spread to their adjoining roofs although in the end both houses were undamaged. Work was made more complicated owing to the narrowness of the street in the town’s old quarter as there was room for only one small fire engine and another vehicle was sent in to provide sufficient water. Friends and neighbours have now begun a social media campaign to help the couple and their children.

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Baby killed after hidden pregnancy THE Fiscal (Public Prosecutor) recommended a 20-year sentence for an 18-year-old Alcoy girl who killed her newborn son. The Alicante Province High Court heard that she hid the pregnancy from her family and gave birth in the bathroom when she was at home alone. She knew the procedures to follow when she went into labour, the Fiscal said, as she had consulted the internet and was studying to become a

nursing auxiliary. After giving birth, the Fiscal claimed, she took a serrated kitchen knife and stabbed the baby in the heart. She wrapped the body in a plastic bag together with the placenta, putting both in an empty sack of dry dog food before cleaning away all traces of blood and putting the stained towels in the washing machine. She then threw the baby’s body into a rubbish container

in the street below and on returning to the apartment, called her father and younger brother to say that she was not feeling well and was going to lie down. Later that evening, her sister saw blood on the girl’s legs and insisted that their father take them both to A and E. Here she finally admitted what had happened and police were sent to search the rubbish for the baby who was beyond help when they found him.

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Lingo lesson AFTER a member of public complained to the regional ombudsman that some sections of Valencia University’s website were only available in Valenciano, the rector undertook to ‘gradually’ translate all information into Spanish.

Calm down CASES requiring emergency treatment for tranquiliser abuse in the Valencian community’s health centres and hospitals tripled in the last year. The majority of patients were women with an average age of 40.

Dog DNA AN Alcoy petition protesting at plans to take dogs’ DNA in order to locate dog owners who allow their pets to foul public places was signed by 3,249 people in 10 days.

Less crime OVERALL the crime rate in the Valencian Community fell by 3 per cent between June and September although there was an increase in the number of homicides and drugs-related offences.

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Shoo-in THE average factory price for Spanish shoes, most of which are made in Alicante Province, rose from €16.36 in 2010 to €19.52 in 2017, according to the FICE manufacturers’ federation.

Time lapse A 36- YEAR- OLD man who stole items worth €10,000 from a Monovar j ewel l ers by di stracting the sales assistant was arrested a year l at er i n La Al berca ( M urci a) af t er he was i dent i f i ed i n CCTV footage.

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IT is now a year since Alicante businesswoman Maria del Carmen Martinez was shot dead in her car. Maria del Carmen, the 72year-old widow of former CAM bank president Vicente Sala, was murdered in an execution-style killing in the carwash at the family-owned Novocar. For police investigators little mystery surrounded the death. Ruling out a professional hitman they centred their investigations on Maria del Carmen’s immediate family. All but the dead woman’s sister opposed her decision to make over her ‘golden share’ to her son Vicente, about to be formalised at the time of her death. Although her son and three

daughters possessed equal shareholdings this would have given him the deciding vote in all transactions, including those involving the principal source of the family’s wealth, the plastics’ firm, Samur Internacional. Maria del Carmen’s son-inlaw Miguel Lopez, who ran Novocar and the Sol car hire firm, was arrested and remanded in February but released 39 days later after putting up €150,000 bail. He remains the only suspect although his lawyer Javier Sanchez-Vera, who also represented Messi in his tax-avoidance case, has pointed out that DNA traces found on Maria del Carmen’s left hand do not match Lopez’s. Nor does the DNA on bullet

Photo credit Googlemaps

Matriarch’s murder still unsolved

NOVACAR: Scene of the murder and (inset) the victim. casings found where Maria del Carmen was killed in the Novocar carwash. Meanwhile on the anniversary of the matriarch’s death, there were two funeral services. One was attended by Vicente Sala and his aunt, the other by his three sisters and their families, an eloquent indication of the rift within the family.

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THE cold snap that took temperatures down below freezing inland has ruined three-quarters of Villena’s turnips. Despite being root vegetables, two consecutive nights when temperatures dropped drastically between 11.30pm and 8am, ‘burnt’ the plants according to growers. They now face considerable economic losses that will be passed on to consumers as demand outstrips supply over the holiday season. Parsnips and swedes, now ready to be brought in, appear to be unaffected although the leafy tops of the swedes are showing signs of frost damage, growers said. Carrots should fare better, they added, as much of the crop has been saved by the thermal blankets increasingly used to protect them them.

Brussels coughs up ALICANTE Province’s Xylella Fastidiosa problems have now been referred to the European Commission. The national government’s Ministry of Agriculture, on behalf of the Valencian Community, has explained the need to take action and make available additional funds to help the Generalitat and growers combat the plague. Following Ministry talks the Commission agreed to allocate €10 million for investigation into combating Xylella Fastidiosa, the deadly bacterium known as ‘tree Ebola’ that has already decimated one million olive trees in Italy. “Xylella Fastidiosa is the EU’s most important and worrying vegetal disease, owing to its potential for infecting a wide variety of plants and crops,” said Agriculture minister Isabel Garcia Tejerina following a meeting with 10 fellow ministers in Paris,

Photo credit: Les Haines

Too cold for turnips

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More money for next year THE Consortium for the Economic Recovery and Activity of the Marina Alta (CREAMA) announced an initial budget of nearly €1 million for 2018, which will be used to run activities, programmes and workshops aimed at boosting employment.

Put out MORE than 20 firefighters worked to extinguish a fire in L’Alqueria de la Comtessa, Valencia last week - the fire started in an electric scooter shop and affected three warehouses, a builder’s merchant and a Chinese shop.

ALMOND TREES: At risk from deadly bacterium. including those from France and Germany. The plague reached Baleares in November 2016 and was confirmed in a Guudalest almond grove last June. Five hundred trees growing near infected almonds in Ali-

cante Province have been destroyed in accordance with EU directives but local growers and agricultural unions hope to find other ways of eradicating the plague that do not involve large-scale destruction of healthy trees.

Three regional agricultural unions - AVA-Asaja, Unio de Llauradors i Ramaders and UPA-PV - have also written to the Minister of Hacienda, Cristobal Montor, requesting tax breaks for growers affected by the bacteria.

Crash details revealed By Benjamin Park DETAILS of how a British father was killed in Spain have finally been revealed, more than two years after his death. According to reports, Robert Kerr of Humberston, Lincolnshire, was visiting his holiday home in Benidorm when he was involved in an accident while out riding his bicycle in March 2015. After his accident, Mr Kerr, a well-respected businessman and keen sportsman, was taken to the IMED hospital in Levante and spent 10 days in an induced coma, but sadly passed away on March 23, 2015 at the age of 63. At an inquest into Mr Kerr’s death, held at Cleethorpes Town Hall, Paul Kelly, Grimsby and North Lincolnshire district coroner, gave details of how the accident had occurred on the first day of Mr Kerr’s visit to Spain. Mr Kelly then reportedly went on to conclude that Mr Kerr’s death was a result of a road traffic accident, which led to multiple injuries. He told English media that the inquest had taken so long because of the “quality of information received from Spain,” alongside the time taken to translate statements. A celebration of Mr Kerr’s life was officially held in April 2015, with a procession of cyclists following the funeral cortège and many of those attending wore colourful clothing.

Photo credit Shutterstock/Facebook

Hands high A 25-YEAR-OLD Spanish man and his girlfriend were arrested for selling marihuana from an address in Gandia police seized 127 grams of dried marihuana buds, €380 cash and materials for distribution.

Moneybags A RECENT nationwide survey has revealed that three Marina Alta municipalities sit in the top 50 for highest priced contents insurance in Spain. Contents in an average home in Pedreguer are insured for €30,417, followed by Benissa at €30,328 and TeuladaMoraira at €29,991.

Early start

FATAL CRASH: The accident happened in Benidorm on the first day of Robert Kerr’s (inset) trip.

CALLOSA’S Culture department acquired new books for the children’s section of the municipal library. The new acquisitions belong to a series that features working parents, equality between the sexes and children’s social integration.

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BENIDORM’S Flash Hotel played host to a Christmas fair in aid of Giving4Giving. Fair-goers enjoyed browsing over 50 gift and well-being stalls and trying their luck on the raffle and tombola whilst the little ones loved visiting Santa’s grotto. The Christmas fair last Friday helped Giving4Giving raise €1,000 for Aspanion (Association of Parents of Children with Cancer). Aspanion aims to ensure the best quality of life for the children and adolescents with cancer and their families, from diagnosis onwards. It achieves this by working across five key programmes providing psychological and finan-

Photo by Giving4Giving

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IN THE FESTIVE SPIRIT: Stallholders or Santa’s little helpers? cial support, recreational support, education and social integration, advocacy awareness and general information. This Christmas, Giving4Giving has pledged €1,500 worth of toys for the Red Cross, €2,000 worth of vouchers for the EMAUS children, €500 for Caritas and a whopping €2,000 worth of medical equipment for Help International Benidorm. The charity hosts numerous fundraising events whilst also running three charity shops - one in La Nucia and two in Altea - along with a charity auction house in La Nucia. For more information or to get involved, get in touch with Gary on 603 137 697.

To find out more about what Abbeygate Insurance can do for you, call 951 277 455.

Better, connected THE council recently presented a project to create new stretches of cycle lanes to connect the entire Levante network. If all goes to plan, 12 kilometres of urban roads will be adapted to include lanes for cyclists. The council has requested funding from the European Regional Development Fund of the Valencian Region 2014-2020, launched by the Generalitat to promote projects linked to mobility and/or historical heritage. Urban roads likely to be adapted include: Avenida Europa, Avenida Derramador, Avenida Comunidad Valenciana, Avenida Bernat de Sarria, Avenida Atmella del Mar, Avenida Severo Ochoa, Avenida Pekin, Avenida Sierra Dorada and Avenida Hamburgo. The project also proposes converting Avenida Ciudad Real, Avenida Zamora, Avenida Ibiza, Avenida Lepanto, Avenida Roma and Avenida Londres into pedestrian and cyclist only streets.

Edificio Benidorm 7, Moraira: Tel: 966 265 072.

Play on THE Petanque courts in the Parque de Foietes reopened to the public earlier this week following works to improve their accessibility. Benidorm Council commissioned the project at the request of Doble Amor and the Association of Disabled Persons of Benidorm (ASMIBE). Councillor of Sports, Arturo Cabrillo explained that all of the surroundings have been concreted. They were previously dirt, which made wheelchair access difficult. In addition, lighting has been improved.

F O R B E S T R AT E S I N M OTO R I N S U R A N C E CALL: 951 277 455

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Growers get their water at last T H E G e n e r a l i t a t ’s 2 0 1 8 Budget includes an allocation for diverting treated water currently dumped in the River Seco. The San Juan wastewater treatment plant

opened in 2011 and since then a daily 2.5 million litres of water have gone directly into the river. Local agricultural growers have repeatedly asked for this to be diverted to

the El Pantanet irrigation deposit in Muchamiel and the Generalitat has finally set aside €2 million for the project. The San Juan water is better than the supplies they obtain from the Orgegia plant, the growers claim, and will allow them to diversify crops. Extra water is also likely to attract more of the g r o w e r s f r o m t h e w a t e rparched Vega Baja who are now renting abandoned l’Alacanti agricultural land, they pointed out. Work on the San Juan-El Pantenet connection is due to start early next year and should be concluded by the beginning of 2020. Meanwhile, the water from the San Juan plant has entirely changed the previously dry stretch of the River Seco between the

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Put to good use JALON’S Moli de Giner is being converted into a municipal library and exhibition space - the project, expected to cost around €700,000, is hoped to be finished by spring 2019.

No boar

RIVER BANKS: Are lined with vegetation. treatment plant and Campello where it reaches the sea. The banks are lined with vegetation and the

of Spaniards are worried about corruption according to an official poll.

river itself is the habitat of frogs, fish and 47 species of bird but although an environmental flow will be guaranteed, C a m p e l l o To w n H a l l i n tends to insist that the present ecosystem is not threatened.

RESIDENTS in Pego have asked the council to do more to control the municipality’s wild boar problem - the animals roam freely through the streets, having caused more than 30 accidents this year.

No access DENIA Council has closed off the Al Khalif area frequented by fly-tippers - the area will be turned into a green zone in the early part of next year.

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Photo credit: Enrique Domingo

Knock, knock, who’s there?

HOLIDAY APARTMENTS: Checks will take place next year. VALENCIA’S Tourist Agency (AVT) has created a Special Inspection Plan to check up on holiday lets. Full details will be announced at the end of this year, ready for inspections to begin in 2018. These will establish the conditions that tourist accommodation, excluding hotels, will be expected to meet and also make known the municipalities where action will be concentrated, announced the Valencian Community’s Tourism chief, Francesc Colomer. The initiative hopes that by making these visits, the AVT will be able to check most of the

apartments and villas that have been registered as holiday accommodation over the last three years. Thanks to earlier campaigns aimed at winkling out unauthorised accommodation, approximately 30,000 properties have now been registered as holiday lets and will be inspected to verify that they meet the regional government’s standards, The regional government has introduced a fines system for unauthorised accommodation, particularly lets that are advertised on wellknown internet sites where would-be renters are not required to provide a registration number.

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NEWS Photo by La Nucia town hall

RECOGNITION: Podium for La Nucia’s mayor and councillors.

The best sports town ever LA NUCIA again received recognition from ACES Europe (European Capitals and Cities of Sport Federation) as a Town of Sport. Each year the Brusselsbased association chooses an outstanding European Capital, City, Community or Town of Sport, but this time La Nucia was named the Best European Town of Sport of All Time. La Nucia mayor Bernabe Cano, accompanied by Sergio Villalba and Miguel Angel Ivor-

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ra, councillors for Sports and Town Planning, received the award from ACES president Gian Francesco Lupatteli, in the European Parliament in Brussels. Thirty-five European towns with populations below 25,000 who previously won an ACES European town of Sport award were competing for the title. The jury emphasised the “great evolution and improvements” made to La Nucia’s sports installations as well as “en-

people will be made redundant following Spanish bank Santander’s takeover of Banco Popular, 400 less than originally proposed.

riching future projects” that include athletics circuits, a hotel for visiting sports people, a bicycle park and a BTT Centre for mountain bikes. There were also plaudits for La Nucia’s use of sport for the social integration of foreign residents, those with disabilities and young people at risk of social exclusion. Eighty-three per cent of La Nucia pupils practise some type of sport, compared with the national average of 65 per cent: “One euro spent on sports are €15 saved on health,” said ACES secretary general Hugo Alonso.

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Photo by Keith Williamson

NEWS EXTRA

No bunking or bullying CALPE Council received an award at the third Concurso de Buenas Practicas Municipales (Good Municipal Practices Competition) recently for its programme designed to combat bullying and truancy in local schools. MUSIC SOCIETIES: A Valencian Community institution.

Charged up ELECTRIC vehicle owners will be able to charge them for free, 24-hours a day in Jesus Pobre as two new 22kw charging points were unveiled in the centre of the town last week.

Next time THE bus services connecting the centre of Denia with the streets of the Montgo will come to a halt tomorrow (Friday) and will only operate in the summer.

Strike up the band THE Valencian community’s Federacion de Sociedades Musicales has complained of excessive fiscal and economic pressure. All of the region’s 547 societies - including 141 in Alicante Province - support at least one brass band and sometimes an orchestra. They are non-profitmaking but despite the services they provide they are treated like any other business, Federation president Pedro Rodriguez maintained. Amongst other things they must pay company tax and present an annual breakdown of the IVA (value-added tax). “We are non-profitmaking, we are of great

cultural value and should not be net contributors,” he argued. The Federation is asking for an intermediate status so that the societies can carry out their work more easily and guarantee their stability. Valencia University is currently investigating a different economic model and has also met the head of the region’s economy department “to study procedures that will guarantee our future,” Rodriguez said. Official subsidies arrive late and do not cover a quarter of the cost of teachers, he added: “We make up the deficit by going out and performing constantly.”

No renewal for library CAMPELLO Council voted to municipalise the town’s public library. The motion proposed by the Izquierda Unida (IU) party had the backing of all political parties apart from the Partido Popular and Ciudadanos. Running the library has been

outsourced to a private company and IU argued that as the contract is about to expire the town hall should reassume its management. “We can’t lose this opportunity to apply effective policies and reverse the disastrous policies of former local governments,” the IU spokesman said.

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NATIONAL Photo by Guardia Civil

TIGHT SQUEEZE: It is not known how long the boy had been in the car.

Boarder control Boy, 12, rescued from car dash SPANISH police have discovered a 12-year-old boy hidden inside a car dashboard. The child was suffering with numb limbs and breathing difficulties after being crammed into the tiny space, to cross the Moroccan border into Spain. Reportedly, he is from Guinea, West Africa though he has no official documentation - and has been given treatment in a

centre in Purisima. The 65-year-old driver, thought to be Moroccan, was arrested by the Guardia Civil after a heartbeat sensor detected the boy in Melilla, Morocco. Melilla is controlled by Spanish authorities. Police then began an intrusive search of the BMW X5, and ripped into the dashboard to find the child. People smuggling is a prominent issue in Spain,

with 5, 695 people being released from slavery between 2012 and 2016, according to the Interior Ministry. A Guardia Civil spokesperson said: “He was asked to open his boot but nothing was found. “When a heartbeat sensor was passed over the car, officers became suspicious. When officers detected the heartbeat, they took the expensive car to pieces.”

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Bad vibes Spain football legend attacked with sex toy FORMER Spain captain Carles Puyol got more than he bargained for as he posed for a video with Russian fans after the 2018 World Cup Draw. The World Cup and Champions League winner was in Russia to draw the positions of teams in Group G and H during the World Cup Draw on Friday, December 1. Following the draw, the 39-yearold was approached by two fans at his hotel for a seemingly harmless video. In the bizarre clip posted on YouTube, two women can be heard speaking in broken English asking Puyol “Can you help us? Can you say you love us?” before one explains “it is for our video. You have such beautiful hair. You are so pretty.” Things suddenly take a drastic turn however, as one of the women brandishes a large sex toy and proceeds to push it in Puyol’s face.

Credit: Screengrab/BalkanSportsNews/YouTube

BIZARRE: Former Barcelona captain Puyol was clearly taken aback by the girls’ offer.

One of the women can be heard telling him she wants to have sex with him using the “big toy,” to which Puyol protests, before the video ends with both women being escorted from the hotel by security guards. Nothing has come of the confrontation and police have not suspected terrorists have been been involved, according to rearrested in Spain this year. ports.

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NATIONAL

Controversy and clashes continue over Cataluña TENS of thousands of pro-Catalan protesters demonstrated in Brussels last week, in a massive show of support for Catalan independence. In another week of drama for the independence movement, scuffles between police and protesters broke out in the Catalan city of Lleida. Chants of ‘wake up Europe’ rang around the streets near the EU headquarters in the Belgian capital, as 45,000 protestors urged the EU to support the Catalan cause. Following an independence referendum which was declared illegal by Spain and marred by police violence - the EU have so far been supportive of the Spanish position. Last week the British Prime Minister, Theresa May, met her Spanish counterpart, Mariano Rajoy, and gave her support for the Spanish government’s position. Thursday’s rally also supported the deposed Catalan president, Carles Puigdemont, who spoke at the event, while some protesters carried flags for Flanders, another European area with a strong separatist movement.

Puigdemont, along with four former ministers, fled to Brussels in November, having been charged with sedition, rebellion and misuse of public funds by Spain after declaring independence. A European arrest warrant for the former Catalan leader has since been dropped by a Spanish judge. Meanwhile, demonstrators in Lleida protested against the forced removal of 44 works of art from a museum by Spanish authorities on Monday. In the early hours of Monday, the Mossos d’Esquadra - Catalan police - and Guardia Civil, began picking up art from the museum. Around 500 people accused the Aragonese authorities - who claim ownership of the works - of using the situation to ‘rob’ the works. Various anti and pro-independence parties are standing in the Catalan elections on December 21. Polls are finely balanced between the two camps, though Puigdemont’s party is expected to win most seats.

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THE 11 new locations joining the prestigious list of ‘Most Beautiful Villages in Spain’ have been announced. Villages applying for the network must have 15,000 inhabitants and certified natural or architectural heritage. But there is also a certain je ne sais quoi required to join the elite list. Here, we round up the new additions, which mean membership numbers now stand at 68. Sleepy Segura de la Sierra (Jaén) dates back to Arab times, when the town was called Saqura. The town boasts silent, picturesque streets with a number of historic monuments. The Andalucian village also has striking scenery from its hilly perch. The main attraction of quaint Mondoñedo (Lugo) is the Romanesque cathedral, which had a number of different influences on its attractive architecture. Caves on the outskirts of the Galician village are also worth a visit. A medieval aqueduct leading into rural Ledesma (Salamanca) gives a taste of the village’s vibe. A walled town believed to have its routes in Roman times, the stonework and nearby river make for striking scenery from afar. In 2011, Briones (La Rioja) reportedly had a population of just 873 people. A gothic monu-

Credit: Marques (shutterstock)

By Harrison Jones

Credit: Jose Ignacio Soto.

Even more ‘beautiful villages’ are announced GUADALUPE: A World Heritage Site.

‘WHITE TOWN’: Zahara de la Sierra’s nickname is not the most imaginative. ment and the town’s rich history might have been the main attraction, but for the vineyards surrounding it: wine is the only game in town here. Lerma (Burgos) has a number of important 17th century religious monuments. Quiet, cobbled streets and stunning surroundings make it one of Spain’s pleasant, traditional retreats. Perched atop a mountain, Zahara de la Sierra (Cádiz) looks over a beautiful lake and up at an impressive castle. Known as a ‘pueblo blanco’ be-

cause of its white housing, it also has the Garganta Verde canyon within striking distance nearby. Mountainside views and Moorish features makes Bubión (Granada) a scenic tourist attraction, complete with modest church and traditional markets. Spectacularly located on the Poqueira river gorge, beneath the Sierra Nevada, the village is thought to date back to Roman times. Almonaster La Real (Huelva) is dominated by archaic buildings and boasts one of Spain’s few rur-

al mosques and an impressive open-air bullring. Stonework and cobbled streets give quaint Mirambel (Teruel) a deeply traditional, relaxed feel. The town’s population was reportedly under 200 just 13 years ago, and is unlikely to have grown much since. In the right light, the red architecture of Guadalupe (Cáceres) could seem oddly reminiscent of Florence. But the town’s central square and monastery have plenty of charm in their own right. The latter was named a World Heritage Site in 1933. The Caldelaos people of Castro Caldelas (Orense) wake up to an impressive castle dominating the village skyline. With narrow streets and a collection of red roofed houses, it feels authentically Spanish.

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FEATURE

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If you paid Spanish inheritance or gift tax in the last four years, you may be able to get it back Carlos Baos We can help you.

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THE Jewish festival of Hannukah began on Tuesday. The festival commemorates the rededication of Jerusalemâ€™s Holy Temple during a Jewish revolt from 167 -160 BC. It is also known as the festival of lights, with one of the most recognisable symbols being the Hanukkah, a nine branch candlestick. Since Tuesday, people have been lighting one candle every night to mark each day of the event. Celebrations finish at nightfall next Wednesday. Jews in Spain have endured a turbulent history. The country used to have one of the largest and most prosperous Jewish communities. But in 1391, antiJewish riots across the country slaughtered thousands, while others were forced to renounce their faith. Then, in 1492, the Alhambra Decree led to a mass exodus of Jews from Spain, and the con-

Photo by Tomertu

Jews celebrating Hannukah in Spain

CANDLE LIGHT: The Hannukah, a symbol of the festival, holds nine candles. version of many others, decimating their numbers. There are currently thought to be around 50,000 Jews living in Spain, mostly in Madrid and Barcelona but also in cities including Malaga, Benidorm and Alicante, although in smaller numbers. Celebrations of the festival are small and generally private. In fact, 1998 is believed to have seen the first public

celebration of the festival in over 500 years. Traditions include eating foods fried in oil to remember the legend of a small flask of oil, keeping the Holy Templeâ€™s candles alight for eight days. Types of fried food vary across the world, though children from numerous countries are given chocolate money and a four-sided spinning top known as a dreidel.

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Unification party

Class conscious

MAYOR, Vicente Arques represented the local population when he joined Alfaz’s Romanian residents in celebrating Great Union Day at a fiesta held in an Albir hotel. This national holiday celebrates the 1918 signing of the pact that unified the provinces of Transylvania, Wallachia, Moldavia, Bessarabia and Bukovina.

TRAINING courses in Alfaz will provide training and a nationallyrecognised Certificate of Competence to assist the unemployed in finding work. Some places are still available for classes in Agriculture, Socio-Cultural Services and the Community, Administrative and General Services, Information Technology and Communications. More information at the Occupational Training Centre (CFO).

NEWS

Photo by Alfaz town hall

Generation game breaks down barriers

NO BARRIERS: Veles e Vents pupils with their elders.

MEAT: Always a favourite, alongside the wide range of different foods available.

Celebrate the holiday season at Sizzle THERE is still plenty of time to visit Sizzle, the innovative new hot stone restaurant in Albir before Christmas. Open from noon until 11pm every day there is a tremendous range of fantastic meat and fish to choose from, much of which you can cook for yourself on a hot stone, although there is also plenty which the chef will prepare in the kitchen. Meat is the favourite at Sizzle but there is a wide range of different food guaranteed

to suit most tastes. Quality of ingredient, high standards of service and comfortable surroundings are all very important and Sizzle is the venue to guarantee that best night out around. For Christmas and New Year, owners, Rene and Fiona have put together an innovative and tasty menu

which is available from 6.30pm on December 24, 25 and 26 as well as New Year ’s Eve and on those days they are not open earlier. Reservations for groups are necessary and there is an option of onion soup or baked camembert, followed by aged and hung

beef on a stone or salmon, served with side dishes and then Christmas pudding or chocolate mousse. This is an exciting alternative to the traditional turkey, so a visit to Sizzle at Oscar Espla 7 in Albir is recommended. Visit the Sizzle Facebook page to see the range of delicious food and special drinks that are on offer or make your reservation by calling 657 262 790 or email: siz zlerestaurante@gmail.com.

Canicross raked in the kilos PARTICIPANTS in Alfaz’s Fourth Canicross charity donated more than 600 kilos of food to the local food bank. The march by dogs and their owners was organised by the USAR-13 canine search and rescue group with the cooperation of Alfaz Town Hall. Miguel Angel Rodriguez from USAR-13 thanked all those who set off from the Carrascos Park and participated in the march up to the Albir lighthouse, together with the race for the dogs and their owners that followed.

THE Veles e Vents primary school has held its first Intergeneration Collaboration session. The initiative was agreed, by all taking part, to have been a great success and will be introduced to other local schools, the town hall said. Pupils and adults took part in a morning full of activities ranging from games to dances in an ‘extraordinary’ atmosphere, the organisers said. “The worst barriers aren’t physical but mental,” explained the Veles e Vents headmaster, Julian Lopez and Jose Luis Leon who coordinates the Healthy Living workshops at the Hogar del Pensionista. “For the elderly, the programme helps to increase self-esteem and remove feelings of loneliness. Interaction with the children benefits their social skills and improves their memories while learning from the pupils,” said Lopez and Leon. In turn, contact with older people introduces the young to a source of wisdom and experience, improving their own social skills and above all teaching them empathy and tolerance.

SOCIALLY ENRICHING: Alfaz mayor, Vicente Arques thanks local associations for their hard work.

Associations’ vital role ALFAZ mayor, Vicente Arques once again underlined the importance of the town’s 120 associations. He thanked them for their role in assisting integration throughout the year at the traditional Christmas gathering with representatives from Alfaz’s different groups. Arques said: “the associations and their members played a vital part in local life, channelling and liaising altruistically on cultural, social and

educational issues to the benefit of the municipality. “This is a town with great social richness,” the mayor declared, as he stressed the town hall’s commitment to continuing to collaborate with the groups as it has done in the past. “We want you to see us as an administration that works on your behalf, that goes hand-in-hand with you and supports you and your projects,” the mayor told them.

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NEWS

Gabinet d´Alcaldia i Comunicacio

A bloody good cause

SAVE A LIFE: Mayor Carlos Linares (centre). A BLOOD donation marathon will be held in Teulada Town Hall, giving locals the opportunity to save a life by giving 10 minutes of their time to give blood. The ‘Solinavidad 2075’ marathon will be held tomorrow (Friday) from 9.30am to 1.30pm and 4.30pm to 8.30pm. A toy collection organised by the Teulada Red Cross will also be held throughout the event and the Paichi Garden Centre will raffle off two Christmas plants among those who donate blood. The Teulada Moraira auditorium will also raffle off two tickets for the ‘Los Secretos’ concert that will take place next March.

Life is such a mystery THE World Mysteries Discussion Group discuss all types of subjects including the Egyptian Pyramids, crop circles, lost civilisations and the recently discovered Bosnian Pyramids They aim to promote investigation and research in order to share information and discuss interesting unexplained topics. A speaker will discuss various topics and this is followed by a question and answer sessions where all will be invited to discuss the subject of the talk and expand on the themes. The

group offers those who are interested, the opportunity to learn more about fascinating findings which includes details of ancient and long lost civilisations. The group meets every second and fourth Thursday of the month from 6pm at El Martillo Bar, located on the outskirts of Moraira next to the Pepe La Sal Supermarket on the TeuladaMoraira road. The next meeting will be held today (Thursday). For more information email: morairaworldmystery@gmail.c om.

14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa Blanca North

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DIY beer

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NEW maintenance work to the N-332 has allegedly not made the road safer for cyclists, despite recent tragic accidents. Political party ‘United Left of the Valencian Country’ (EUPV) demanded explanations from the local authorities after receiving complaints from cycling clubs in Marina Alta. They claimed that some of the hard shoulders are now even narrower than they were before, such as those in Pedreguer or Gata de Gorgos. EUPV representative, Ricardo Sixto described the authorities’ attitude as ‘incomprehensi-

ble’ for not putting more measures in place to prevent accidents - the likes of which cost the lives of four cyclists earlier this year - from happening again. Sixto has submitted a list of complaints to the central government, questioning why the authorities didn’t use the latest road works as an opportunity to help cyclists travel more safely. He also asked why they did not put more measures in place, such as police patrols or bike awareness campaigns, following the accidents. The councillor also urged the

government to put money aside in the 2018 budget in order to increase hard shoulders on the national roads, along which hundreds of cyclists travel. However, it seems that Iñigo de la Serna, the Minister of Public Works, has already thrown in the towel on the matter as he has refused to include the stretch in the national list of safe roads for cyclists. In recent months, three cyclists from Javea and another from Senija were killed on the stretch of road between Denia and Oliva, while several others were badly injured.

€1,000 to the Red Cross Refugee Appeal JAVEA’S Original Charity Shop and Library presented the Red Cross Refuge Appeal with a cheque for €1,000 recently. The donation was very gratefully received, with volunteer, Sandy Tsalikidis expressing her greatest thanks: “Please thank all your volunteers for the splendid work they do for everyone in the community. What would we do without you?” The Original Charity Shop

was founded in 1971 and has been going strong for 46 years. In 1992 the Original Charity Shop took over the English Library and for the last 25 years has been known as The Original Charity Shop and Library, with the library located in Javea Park. During the last 45 years the Shop (and later with the support of the Library) has raised more than €2 million for local charities.

The organisation is run by a team of more than 80 international volunteers from 11 different countries. The shop itself on Calle Nancy is close to the beach and offers much more space for shoppers. It is open Monday to Saturday from 10.00am to 1.00pm. Check out their website: www.charityshoplibrary.com for more information or email: info@charityshoplibrary.com.

(Re)-building bridges Javea Ayuntamiento

Veering off course

JAVEA’S first self-serve beer bar has opened in the port. Founded by entrepreneurs, Maria Angeles Caballero (22) and Maria Serrat (23), ‘A la Deriva Cerveceria’ allows patrons to pull their own pints from taps on the tables with their debit or credit card.

IT’S ALL IN THE DETAILS: Mayor Jose Chulvi with architect.

MAYOR JOSE CHULVI recently announced that the bridge over the river Gorgos on Avenida Mediterraneo (Puente de Triana) will finally be rebuilt. The bridge has been in a state of disrepair since October 2007 when major flooding caused damage to its concrete supports, leaving just the inner framework that supports its weight. The damages were assessed in 2014 when Javea Council paid for a technical study to be carried out. The study recommended demolishing the bridge and rebuilding it completely. Now, having overcome various bureaucracies, the council has put the project out to tender with a budget of €567,000, the rebuilding is expected to begin in spring 2018 to be complete by the summer. The new bridge will be wider and will also provide access for pedestrians. The project will take around three months to execute but traffic will only need to be diverted for four-five weeks since part of the project can be completed with the circulation of cars.

SM Cro

14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa Blanca North

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They made it!

Have you got WhatsApp?

IN January this year, Javea residents and swimmers, Colin Smithson and Jose Ramon Garcia set themselves a challenge to swim 200 kilometres from Valencia to Alicante. They took to the challenge in stages, beginning on the beach of Pinedo in Valencia and last Saturday, some 11 months later, the double-act completed the challenge swimming the 28th and final stage from the port of El Campello to the beach of San Juan. With generous donations from family and friends, Colin and Jose have raised funds for UK children’s charity, Cash For Kids and the Club Esportiu Aquarium in Alicante. For more information check out: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/silloth-rotary-club.

CREAMA video marketing CREAMA of Javea is running a training session on video marketing next Tuesday at the Soler Blasco Museum. Starting at 7.30pm, the session will be led by engineer and expert, Pepe Romera and is aimed at SME owners looking to learn more about one of the fastest-growing and most in-demand forms of marketing. I n t o d a y ’s f a s t - p a c e d world, video marketing is one of the few types of online material that provides the value, relevance and flexibility consumers need, all while catering to the

Photo credit Pixabay

Photo credit Red Cross

A WHATSAPP group has been created for residents on the Montgo to keep in touch and alert neighbours to suspicious activity. The group has more than 100 members and neighbours can even send photos of people seen hanging around who they believe could be a threat.

ILES ALL ROUND: Original Charity Shop volunteers with Red oss volunteers.

THROUGH A LENS: Video is projected to claim more than 80 per cent of all web traffic by 2019.

on-the-go lifestyle they want. Vi d e o i s p r o j e c t e d t o claim more than 80 per c e n t o f a l l w e b t r a ff i c b y 2019 and adding a video to marketing emails can boost click-through rates by 200300 per cent. Studies have also found that embedding videos in landing pages can increase conversion rates by 80 per cent and 90 per cent of customers report that product videos help them make important purchasing decisions. The training session is free to attend and no reservation is required.

14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa Blanca North

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Up for renewal

NEWS

JAVEA Council has renewed its collaboration agreements with parent’s associations at schools across the municipality. Earlier this week, both CEIP Port de Xabia and Colegio Maria Inmaculada received grants of €900 to aid extracurricular activities whilst IES Numero 1 received €1,030. The council took the opportunity to renew its collaboration agreements with two local sports clubs, granting El Club Nautico Javea €5,296 and La Sociedad de Colombicultores €1,870.

Local bowls club ‘comparable to Australian greens’ BENITACHELL BOWLS CLUB hosted the Northern Irish National Elite Bowling Squads recently as they tested their skills on the green ahead of next year’s Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. The men and women’s squads both made up of eight players - spent four days in the rinks closely monitored by officials who will now trim the teams down to five-a-side to represent Ireland in Australia next April. Two of the days were spent in training and the other two saw the visitors take on Benitachell Bowls Club players together with guests from El Cid and Javea Green. Benitachell Bowls Club captain, Trevor Evans told of how a member

ALTOGETHER NOW: The Northern Irish National Elite men’s and women’s squads together with Benitachell Bowls.

of the club first initiated the interest of the Irish: “One of our members who spends six months here and six months in Northern Ireland happened to know one of the National Elite Squad’s managers and suggested they came to see what the club had to offer.” Trevor continued: “The carpet here at the club is really fast and together with the weather, the playing conditions have been similar to what the squad will face in Australia.” Northern Irish National Elite Squad manager, Neil Booth agreed: “We would definitely come back; the green here is comparable to Australian greens and Benitachell Bowls Club offers excellent facilities and great hospitality.”

COMMUNITY

14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa Blanca North

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Give a dog a home DOBBY is approximately three years old and has been with the shelter before it even opened two years ago in April. He is a lovely gentle dog who gets on really well with all other dogs and children. He is good on the lead and loves a walk. A real gentleman with a wonderful CUTE PUP: Can you nature; he really is a shelter give Dobby a home sweetheart. If you would like to this Christmas? meet Dobby, take him for a walk and have a cuddle, please phone Akira Shelter on: 657 689 567 or email: akirashelter@gmail.com. MERRY FUN: The Careline Theatre cast with Herman the Horrible Henchman (Andy Crabb).

Party at the Panto SINCE 2006, Careline Theatre has donated over €57,000 to charity thanks to the loyal support of its audiences and the hard work and dedication of all its members. With Robin Hood - The Panto, directed by Marian Carter, Careline will be able to raise this total even further and generate a lot of laughs in the process. Opening night will be ‘Party at the Panto’ with a free glass of cava plus nibbles.

Donations from this production will be going to Help of Denia and Marina Alta, MABS, and Jalon Valley Help. Robin Hood - The Panto has all the traditional ingredients of the classic panto, with the babes in the wood as the twist in the tale. With Careline’s trademark professional touch it’s sure to be a hit with the whole family. Performance dates at the Careline The-

atre in Alcalali are Thursday January 18 to Sunday 21 at 8pm, with matinees on Saturday January 20 and Sunday 21 at 3pm. Tickets are €12, with children under 10 years €8. Pre-paid groups of 10 or more adults €11. To reserve your tickets contact the box office on the new number: 605 181 726 or email: carelineboxoffice@gmail.com.

Carols and cheer THE Palm Tree Bar and Tia Maria’s will be hosting a carol singing event in Consum Square (Urb. La Marina) for the Butterfly Children Charity, DEBRA at 6pm today (Thursday). This is the third year this event has been held and has become very popular. Once again, The Rascals will be singing Christmas songs and carols. The charity will provide home-made minces pies for everyone to purchase. The Butterfly Children Charity, DEBRA (Urb. La Marina) are now selling Christmas baubles for the Christmas tree of life which is situated between their charity shop and J’s Restaurant. Baubles can be obtained in many of the bars on Consum Square or the Charity shop. Your help gives us wings!

14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa Blanca North

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BREMAIN IN SPAIN ( h t t p : / / w w w. b r e m a i n i n spain.com), a group campaigning for the UK to remain in the EU and to protect the rights of British migrants living in Spain and the EU, comments on the news that Theresa May had made a ‘great breakthrough’ in the Brexit negotiations. The response from EU and UK-based citizens’ groups to the news of a likely move to phase two of negotiations has been swift and scathing. British in Europe, the coalition of 10 UK citizens’ groups - of which Bremain in Spain chair, Sue Wilson, is a steering committee member - reacted with a rapid statement expressing its shock and surprise at the developments. Chair of British in Europe, Jane Golding, said: “This deal is even worse than we expected. After 18 months of wrangling, the UK and EU have sold 4.5 million people down the river in a grubby bargain that will have a severe impact on ordinary peo-

Photo Credit: No10 flickr

By Bremain in Spain

BREAKTHROUGH: Theresa May in Brussels with Donald Tusk.

Bremain in Spain reacts to Brexit talks ple’s ability to live their lives as we do now.” Sue Wilson said: “We did

not anticipate that the EU would recommend moving to phase two of the negotia-

tions at this stage, not when there are so many unresolved citizens’ rights issues. “We believe May’s insistence that we were within ‘touching distance’ of an agreement was inaccurate and misleading. However, rather than resolve these outstanding issues, both sides have clearly agreed to lower the bar as to what constitutes ‘sufficient progress’.”

Wilson continued: “Even if we had suspected that a deal was imminent regarding citizens’ rights, we were convinced that, regarding the Irish border issue, there was a long way to go. To discover if the EU is willing to allow the Irish border issue to be kicked into the long grass is a major disappointment. Those issues are far from resolved and will no doubt remain a major bone of contention.

COMMUNITY “As we are moving to phase two of the negotiations, citizens’ rights issues will be buried under discussions of trade and transition. If the outstanding issues could not be resolved when we were supposedly one of only three priorities, what chance is there when we are one of many more? She concluded: “The deal has not yet been endorsed by the EU27 but it seems unlikely that they will vote against it in Strasbourg next week, even if there are many dissenting voices, including that of Guy Verhofstadt. “Yet again, our security has been sacrificed for the sake of the security of May and her government. Her actions this week may have provided a stay of execution for her as leader but have done nothing to alleviate the suffering of 4.5 million EU citizens who would be most affected by Brexit. “Not only is the deal incomplete, it’s not even guaranteed or protected. Furthermore, the Tories are crowing as if they’ve pulled off a major success that we should be celebrating and accepting with gratitude. “I can assure you that British citizens in the EU are not celebrating or grateful but more fearful than ever of being thrown under the Brexit bus. We will continue to fight to protect ourselves in the best way possible, by fighting to remain in the EU.”

COMMUNITY

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Time to celebrate Sharni, who pitched the music just right to have everyone dancing right from the start and throughout the evening. The food consisted of three starters, the main course, dessert, coffee, chocolates and was accompanied by wine, served and presented by the Salon Canor team. Everyone had an enjoyable evening, which concluded with flowers being presented to the joint organisers, Anne and Sandra, with a special thank you bouquet from the Vall del Pop members to Anne. For further information o n U 3 A Va l l d e l P o p , check out their website: www.u3avalldelpop.com. WHAT’S ON: Time to make plans. The U3A is all about enjoyment and learning, and U3A Vall del Pop ‘What’s On’ programme for December and this is particularly evident January: i n t h e U 3 A Va l l d e l P o p , Tomorrow (Friday): Bring and share Christmas party at whose members hold their Jalon Penisionista. Music from Mike. (Cost €6) General Meeting on the December 23 to 27: Christmas 2017 (five days and four first Thursday of each nights) in Nerja, including trips to Malaga, Almuñecar and month at the Centre PoliFrigiliana. valent in Murla, and have a January 4: General Meeting. Speaker, Tobias Laube will also diverse range of groups for talk about Reflexology. the interest of the memJanuary 26: Trip to Benidorm Palace. Overnight stay at the bers. Palm Beach hotel and show. (Cost €72).

THIS year the Calpe and Vall del Pop U3A held a joint Christmas dinner/dance at the S a l o n C a n o r i n Tu e l a d a , w i t h o v e r 1 6 0 members attending the event. The entertainment was provided by

Do not miss!

14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa Blanca North

Spreading the joy THE church on the Costa Blanca has arranged an array of joy and celebration in the build up to Christmas. Everyone is sure of a warm welcome at any of the services, or at any time in the future. Here is a full list of carol services and Christmas services: Today (Thursday), 4pm: Calpe - Carol Service: A Christmas celebration, with carols and readings at the Merced church, the usual Calpe venue. This Saturday, 4.30pm: El Campello - Carol Service: Celebrating Christmas with readings and carols in the church at Coveta Fuma. Next Monday, 5pm: Albir Candle-lit Carol Service: If you require more information please contact local warden, Elaine Mitchell on: 966 864 962 or 636 164 467. December 24, 11.30pm: Javea - Midnight Mass. December 25: Christmas Day worship. The Eucharist will be celebrated in all our churches, at the usual Sunday service times: Albir - 9.45am.

Javea - 9.45am. Calpe - 10.30am. Denia - 11.45am. El Campello - 12.00pm. Gandia - 12.00pm. La Fustera - 12.00pm. Church of England parishes in Spain are entirely self-funding. So, fundraising is essential to maintain the church’s ministry here, including funerals and pastoral care to the sick and the bereaved. The activities of the seven local churches in support of causes such as Caritas, Red Cross, EMAUS, World Vision and the Gandia Hospice. The Costa Blanca Anglican Chaplaincy serves the community from Valencia to Alicante with services in eight different towns. For information on the activities of the church and the contact details and service times visit: www.costablanca-anglicanchap laincy.org. For services in the southern Costa Blanca (as far south as La Manga and Hondon de las Nieves) visit the site of the neighbouring chaplaincy: www.c-of-etorrevieja.com.

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Light up a child’s face this Christmas Make a Smile. HELP put a smile Benidorm: Maron a child’s face iano Martin Fowith the Make a tografia. Smile Christmas Javea: Cafe CorBag Appeal. tados, Villa Mia, Since 2008, the XIC Primary ‘Christmas Bag School, High Appeal’ for chilStreet Heaven, Cadren in care has sitas Iberica, Curbrought a Christrencies Direct and mas smile to Lancashire Bruja. many. They hope Jalon Valley: you will collect Corner Shop Obra. items to help Benissa: make this ChristHAPPY FACES: Your gifts could make a Church Kitchens. mas a wonderful real difference to a child’s Christmas. Altea and Albir: one for these vulAngel 25 tours nerable children. and Patchwork Studio. This year’s appeal is as necessary as ever to Other: EDI Rent-a-Car, Campello, SR Print give the children a gift, new PJs, personal hyOndara, Harris Furnishings, Pedreguer and giene products, school supplies and, of course, Mary Black Bull Bar, Castalla. some treats. So once again they ask you to fill The appeal will run up to January 5 for a bag with some goodies and drop it off at one the celebration of Los Reyes and anything of the following drop off points: left over will be used for birthday presents Calpe: The Bed Centre, Linda Townsend, throughout the year. The Studio Salon and Dia Y Nit. For more information call: 965 836 814 or Morairia: Tropicana, Druid’s Cave and email: info@makeasmile.es. David’s Fish and Chips, Telitec and Amigos De Credit: Make A Smile/Facebook

COMMUNITY PS Thanks THANKS again for all your support this year. Steve Marshall, Age Concern, Costa del Sol G R E AT p i e c e i n Euro Weekly News - wonderful - thank you. Chrissie Cremore, PAWS-PATA, Almeria I WOULD like to take this opportunity to thank you and y o u r s t a ff f o r a l l the help they have given to HELP Murcia Mar Menor during 2017, your help helps us to help others. Merry Christmas. Bill Saunders, Publicity Office for HELP Murcia Mar Menor

14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa Blanca North

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SWEDEN Photo by Kyle Cranmer/Twitter

NETHERLANDS

ETHEREAL: Skiers were in for a treat when they spotted this natural phenomenon.

Angelic sight

of light, caused when light refracts through clouds 20,000 feet above the ground.

SKIERS at the Vemdalen resort in western Sweden were awestruck to see a rare phenomenon which makes the sun appear surrounded by a halo

Support slips A NEW government poll revealed

national support for the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats party has slumped to its lowest level since its surge during the 2015 migration crisis of 2015.

Treasure trove A FARMER from Gotland was awarded more than 40,000 after he discovered hundreds of silver coins dating from the Viking era in his land after it had been dug up for road works.

Tax fail SOCIAL media network Facebook has been hit with a tax bill worth around €200,000 from Sweden after it was denied a round of tax deductions for not submitting the appropriate documents.

GERMANY

Off the tracks MORE than 40 people were injured,

Lucky escape POLICE were called to deactivate a hand grenade which was found in front of a house in Rotterdam after a man fired around 25 shots at the home with a firearm, and tried to throw the weapon inside.

Bike ban THE Netherlands could ban texting while cycling from 2019 onwards, as ministers are currently in talks on how the law could be implemented, with 75 per cent of Dutch people allegedly in favour of the move.

Traffic trouble DUTCH traffic accidents have increased by 8 per cent in the last year, according to research from VNV, the Dutch association of vehicle insurers, who claim 905,000 damage claims were registered last year.

Housing boom MORE than 27,000 new homes have been built in Amsterdam in t he past f our year s t o t r y and combat the housing shortage, with a further 60,000 scheduled to be built before 2020.

NORWAY

Close call MORE than 220 asylum seekers have avoided being deported from Germany after pilots refused to take off with them on board, allegedly making the decisions on a ‘case-by-case’ basis if they thought ‘flight safety could be affected.’

EUROPEAN PRESS

eight seriously, after a passenger train collided with a freight train near the town of Meerbusch.

Keep away A CHRISTMAS market in a forest in Velen, which has a population of only 75 people, has begged visitors to stop coming after thousands descended on the village, blocking its

streets in every direction.

Village venture A GERMAN village with only 20 residents, who are mostly retired, will be put up for auction with a starting price of €125,000, after a private investor bought it in 2000 for one Deutschmark (around 50 cents).

FRANCE

BELGIUM

End of an era

Modern living

RENOWNED French singer Johnny Hallyday - the ‘French Elvis’ who sold more than 110 million albums worldwide has died at the age of 74 from lung cancer.

AN architect in the Belgian town of Keerbergen has structured a building around a street lamp, saying its a “creative solution” to the problem as authorities still haven’t moved it after two years of requests.

Smoke alarm AROUND 200 workers working at a nuclear reactor site currently under construction in northern France were evacuated ‘as a precaution’ after smoke was detected on the premises, making the air difficult to breathe.

Crowded castle MORE than 7,400 people bought a French castle called La Mothe-Chandeniers during a crowd-funding appeal which raised more than €500,000 to save the 13th-century chateau from ruin.

Golden oldies PENSIONERS in France enjoy the longest retirement out of all Western European countries, according to a study by the OECD economic think tank, and also have one of the world’s lowest rates of poverty among the over-65s.

On the march AROUND 45,000 Catalans marched in the Brussels European Quarter demanding that the European Union both respects their wish for independence, and that the Catalan leaders still in jail be released.

Bias bother ONE in five people of North African or Turkish descent say they have been victims of discrimination while looking for a job in Belgium, according to an independent anti-discrimination institution.

No refuge THE European Commission in Brussels will allegedly sue Hungary, Poland and Czech Republic over their refusal to take asylum seekers into their countries.

Mountain high TO mark the hundredth anniversary of Finnish independence from Russia, Norway tried to give its neighbour a mountain as a present but it was rejected on the grounds that it would be too controversial legally.

Youth held A 14-YEAR-OLD Norwegian boy i n Gr enl and has been accused of raping a girl the same age, filming the encounter and posting the video online before being reported to police by the girl’s parents.

Tall plans NORWAY has plans to build the world’s tallest timber building in the town of Brumunddal, which will be more than 80 metres tall when complete and 30 metres higher than the current tallest timber building.

Ferry flooded PASSENGERS and crew were evacuated from a ferry in Hordaland after it began to take on water, with nearly 20 people on board in total, and fire services were also dispatched to pump water from the boat.

DENMARK

Let it snow THE chances of a white Christmas in Denmark this year are 50/50, according to a national weather forecaster, which only happens roughly every 13 years on average due to the country’s strict criteria.

Gang busted POLICE detained 15 people allegedly connected to organised crime gangs which were linked to several incidences of gun violence in Copenhagen, as well as theft, fraud and breaking and entering, following a major operation.

Speedy chase A 37-YEAR-OLD man was detained on suspicion of vehicle theft and driving under the influence following a dramatic car chase in Fredericia, during which the car lost a tyre but carried on after driving over a spike strip.

Wrong turn A TRAIN which was part of Letbane’s light railway in Aarhus, which is still being tested, collided with a car driven by a 19-year-old man who accidently turned left at a junction where the manoeuvre was forbidden.

14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa Blanca North

RUSSIAN PRESS

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BANNED: No glory for ice hockey team in 2018.

Flying high SALES of Meldonium soared after Russia’s entire Winter Olympic team was banned from the 2018 games in South Korea. The performance-enhancing drug was linked to several star athletes, enough for Russia’s thousands of health fanatics and weekend warriors to snap some up for themselves.

Electric roulette RUSSIAN roulette tournaments with a twist are gaining popularity in the Russian city of Perm. Instead of loading one bullet into a chamber, adapted revolvers fire electric jolts. Competitors play for money and are disqualified if they show any hints of pain.

Ticket rush THE second wave of tickets for the 2018 World Cup are now on sale. The latest batch will be sold until the end of January. They are for individual tickets for all matches except the opening and final. Tickets will be drawn by ballot if demand exceeds supply.

Art films A DOCUMENTARY film festival is underway across Russia. More than 130 films will be shown during the ArtDocFest which covers Moscow, St Petersburg and Yekaterinburg. Films come from over 30 countries, although most are inspired by Russia, and all have English subtitles.

Doctor Doh!

French connection

A DOCTOR with a PhD in chemistry from Moscow State University fell victim to scam artists pretending to be lab technicians. They told the woman, aged 75, she was terminally ill and only an experimental new medicine could save her. She handed over almost €75,000 of her life savings.

WEALTHY Russians with properties on the French Riviera are facing a tax crackdown. A Russian member of parliament was arrested on suspicion of tax evasion on luxury real estate. Oligarch Sulieman Kerimov is suspected of not paying almost €400 million in taxes.

Lenin legacy

MAUSOLEUM: Lenin’s resting place since 1924.

A POLL found that Russians are evenly split over whether to remove Lenin’s body from Red Square. The revolutionary icon’s body has been on display at his mausoleum for almost a century. Four in 10 Russians think it should stay, while an equal proportion want him to be buried.

FINANCE French group may move into Spain

THE European Commission has approved the takeover of Spanish car rental firm Goldcar by Europcar for an estimated €550 million. Having considered the overall number of European companies involved in the market, the Commission does not consider this acquisition likely to hurt competition. The French company considers that the incorporation of Goldcar into the group will help it to expand its business in the Mediterranean area in particular and strengthen its position in the leisure market.

Photo by Philip Capper flickr

Farmers fear loss of subsidies THERE is a significant fear that the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will start to wind down from 2020 causing major problems for Spanish farmers. The Federation of Agribusiness Cooperatives of Andalucia believes that recent comments from the European Union suggest that the CAP could be on its way out which will be of particular damage to the Spanish agricultural industry. The federation argues that the maintenance of the finan-

By John Smith can unfold to ‘open up shop’ and then close quickly and run if they see the police. One man Aziz Faye, a Senegalese immigrant has come up with an innovative idea as he now purchases large numbers of unbranded clothes and trainers from Asia and then has colleagues sew on the Top Manta (blanket top) logo of his range. His concept ensures that his sellers are offering legal merchandise on which tax is paid and he hopes that

In the UK we are a British bank and will consider the implications once the outcome of the process is known,” Ana Botin Executive Chairman of Santander Bank.

SPANISH FARMING: An Andalucian orange grove.

cial support will allow farmers to continue to invest for the future and to move forward with environmental improvements. They blame the fact that the UK is leaving the European Union for a possible break down of the CAP and with Russia banning the import of some Spanish products and the USA placing much higher tariffs on imports such as olive oil, the farming industry in Spain expects more rather than less support.

BUSINESS EXTRA

More power THE Spanish economy Minister Luis de Guindos has said that following Brexit he expects that Spain will have a much bigger role in the European Union. Currently even Portugal appears to hold more positions of power within the Union but he expects that to change.

Fibre cover GIANT telecoms company Orange is to spend €2 billion in order to expand its Spanish fibre optic service to 16 million homes by 2020. This is an increased user target of 15 per cent and an additional spend of €500 million over that originally planned.

Aid grant THE Provincial Council of Huesca has allocated €200,000 to 30 development projects around the world. The money will be spent during the next six months on projects in different developing countries around the world.

Hotel to be auctioned SANTANDER bank foreclosed on a €2.12 million debt owed by the beachfront Koral hotel in Morro de Gos (Castellon) forcing it into liquidation. Now the former four-star

A EURO WEEKLY NEWS 6 PAGE SPECIAL SECTION | WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM/3.0.15/FINANCE

New idea for street sales IT is virtually impossible to escape the approaches of Looky Looky men in almost any tourist area in Spain. Many people consider these young men who are mainly African in origin harmless and at least they aren’t scrounging off social services, but others see them as an example of illegal activity, as they sell shoddy counterfeit goods, don’t pay taxes and some of the profits made may go towards supporting terrorism. The Spanish call them manteros (blanket makers) after the blankets many keep their goods in which they

EWN

that Gibraltar registered GVC is rumoured to be ready to pay to take €4.4 billion isoverthetheamount Ladbrokes Coral betting shop empire which has outlets in Spain and the UK.

STAT OF WEEK

business & legal

Quote of the Week

Costa Blanca North

14 - 20 December 2017

tourist hotel which had slipped to become a two-star operation has been put up to auction by the courts with an estimated value of €7.08 million.

this project will take off in a big way, allowing more immigrants to become accepted members of society. It may be some time before street sellers give up their stock of inferior fake products, but at least this is a step in the right direction and may combat some of the prejudice against them. The next part of the plan will be to try to persuade councils to allow the sellers of the Top Manta branded material to legally offer their goods for sale in the streets although this could be quite difficult to achieve.

Amazon and Ebay lose EU case THE European Court of Justice (ECJ) has supported a case brought by Coty which owns Marc Jacobs and Calvin Klein to ban the sale of their products on Amazon and Ebay. Currently consumers may use the internet to try to obtain luxury goods at reduced prices by ordering from the websites of different companies in different countries. Although the decision affects just one brand, it is common practice for such decisions to be quoted as precedence.

E W N 14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa Blanca North

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LONDON - FTSE 100

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

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C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 11

PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) COMPANY Anglo American 1,368.00 4.00 Associated British Foods 2,879.00 -4.00 Admiral Group 1,874.00 25.00 Ashtead Group 1,994.00 -25.00 Antofagasta 895.25 1.75 Aviva 499.75 -10.25 AstraZeneca 4,804.75 20.75 BAE Systems 556.85 -0.15 Babcock International Group 666.25 4.75 Barclays 196.40 0.00 British American Tobacco 4,840.25 -98.75 Barratt Developments 630.00 2.63 Berkeley Group Holdings 4,129.00 16.00 British Land Co 656.00 1.00 BHP Billiton 1,351.50 10.00 Bunzl 2,085.00 0.00 BP 492.75 0.23 Burberry Group 1,761.00 25.00 BT Group 267.50 -0.50 Coca-Cola HBC 2,319.00 -1.00 Carnival 4,937.00 9.00 Centrica 144.80 0.70 Compass Group 1,489.00 -2.00 Croda International 4,224.50 -28.50 CRH 2,670.50 42.50 ConvaTec Group 214.40 4.20 DCC 6,957.50 7.50 Diageo 2,701.50 66.00 Direct Line Insurance Group 365.40 6.30 Experian 1,541.50 -31.50 easyJet 1,455.00 -1.00 Ferguson 5,290.00 -55.00 Fresnillo 1,279.00 -27.00 G4S 252.65 0.95 GKN 299.65 0.95 Glencore 345.50 -7.50 GlaxoSmithKline 1,287.50 0.00 Hargreaves Lansdown 1,607.50 7.50 Hammerson 524.00 -2.50 HSBC Holdings 747.20 14.00 International Consldtd Airs Grp 638.50 2.00 InterContinental Hotels Group 4,325.00 -121.00 3i Group 874.00 5.50 Imperial Brands 3,083.50 -0.36 Informa 735.00 1.00 Intertek Group 5,044.50 -5.50 ITV 163.70 0.00 Johnson Matthey 3,012.00 0.00 Kingfisher 329.45 -6.75 Land Securities Group 958.50 -0.20

% CHG. NET VOL 0.29 18,863.96 -0.14 22,578.55 1.35 5,296.23 -1.24 9,874.69 0.20 8,739.62 -2.01 20,052.36 0.43 59,564.43 -0.03 17,650.09 0.72 3,309.13 0.00 32,688.02 -2.00 113,729.23 0.42 6,155.55 0.39 5,208.07 0.15 6,452.03 0.75 28,058.87 0.00 6,957.11 0.05 96,558.78 1.44 7,328.17 -0.19 26,058.97 -0.04 8,514.70 0.18 10,225.69 0.49 8,108.72 -0.13 23,508.99 -0.67 5,584.19 1.62 21,642.28 2.00 4,093.03 0.11 6,190.54 2.50 65,694.28 1.75 4,910.13 -2.00 14,351.00 -0.07 5,755.55 -1.03 13,320.16 -2.07 9,424.87 0.38 3,899.16 0.32 5,054.54 -2.17 48,654.22 0.00 62,737.94 0.47 7,584.36 -0.47 4,029.59 1.91 145,101.36 0.31 12,769.46 -2.72 8,321.57 0.63 8,420.20 -0.01 29,365.56 0.14 6,081.16 -0.11 8,295.47 0.00 6,396.38 0.00 5,796.33 -2.01 7,230.06 -0.02 6,951.02

COMPANY

PRICE(P)

Legal & General Group 260.40 Lloyds Banking Group ORD 65.46 London Stock Exchange Grp 3,794.50 Micro Focus International 2,428.50 Mediclinic International 592.25 Merlin Entertainments 359.50 Marks & Spencer Group 312.60 Mondi 1,694.00 Morrison (Wm) Supermarkets 222.50 National Grid 860.25 NMC Health 2,897.50 Next 4,483.00 Old Mutual Group 201.25 Paddy Power Betfair 8,647.50 Prudential 1,835.00 Persimmon 2,631.50 Pearson 740.50 Reckitt Benckiser Group 6,716.00 Royal Bank of Scotland Grp 281.80 Royal Dutch Shell 2,381.25 Royal Dutch Shell 2,408.75 RELX 1,685.50 Rio Tinto 3,463.50 Rolls-Royce Group 851.00 Randgold Resources 6,940.00 RSA Insurance Group 608.50 Rentokil Initial 308.10 Sainsbury (J) 244.70 Schroders 3,436.50 Sage Group (The) 757.50 Segro 549.75 Shire 3,648.00 Smurfit Kappa Group 2,375.00 Sky 995.50 Standard Life Aberdeen 418.40 Smiths Group 1,494.00 Scottish Mortgage Invstmnt Trst 446.25 Smith & Nephew 1,345.00 SSE 1,324.00 Standard Chartered 759.70 St James's Place 1,157.00 Severn Trent 2,085.50 Tesco 218.88 TUI AG 1,374.00 Taylor Wimpey 203.60 Unilever 4,199.00 United Utilities Group 816.75 Vodafone Group 229.08 Worldpay Group 431.05 WPP Group 1,341.00 Whitbread 4,024.00

CHANGE(P) -3.40 -1.34 4.50 3.50 -2.75 0.40 -6.40 -1.73 0.60 -17.55 -4.50 0.00 2.55 77.50 0.00 -39.50 0.53 0.00 0.80 23.75 23.75 -26.50 -5.00 12.50 70.00 8.00 -4.70 -0.37 11.50 -10.50 -11.25 0.00 -13.80 2.50 -0.15 20.00 1.35 21.00 0.07 0.01 2.61 2.50 14.33 -21.00 0.70 17.50 -0.25 -0.32 6.35 0.00 30.00

% CHG.

NET VOL

-1.29 -2.01 0.12 0.14 -0.46 0.11 -2.01 -0.10 0.27 -2.00 -0.16 0.00 1.28 0.90 0.00 -1.48 0.07 0.00 0.28 1.01 1.00 -1.55 -0.14 1.49 1.02 1.33 -1.50 -0.15 0.34 -1.37 -2.01 0.00 -0.58 0.25 -0.04 1.36 0.30 1.59 0.01 0.00 0.23 0.12 7.01 -1.51 0.34 0.42 -0.03 -0.14 1.50 0.00 0.75

15,485.82 46,426.15 13,127.45 10,521.25 4,353.43 3,629.68 5,166.68 8,234.99 5,205.33 29,635.54 5,824.04 6,482.94 9,746.64 7,139.82 46,648.35 8,042.89 5,939.45 46,547.07 32,908.28 106,452.91 88,768.04 18,240.28 46,598.43 15,525.42 6,312.32 6,070.43 5,728.80 5,324.40 7,671.20 8,201.68 5,470.97 32,131.00 5,580.09 17,138.60 12,305.70 5,761.83 6,012.70 11,458.56 13,464.85 24,785.05 6,094.94 4,900.16 16,680.55 8,117.69 6,451.99 51,411.15 5,557.39 60,776.93 8,376.00 16,839.31 7,205.01

0.88181

1.13602 Units per €

US dollar ...............................................................1.17879 Japan yen ............................................................133.625 Switzerland franc..............................................1.16864 Denmark kroner ..............................................7.44220 Norway kroner .................................................9.85885 currenciesdirect.com/moraira • Tel: +34 966 265 072 THE ABOVE TABLE USES THE CURRENT INTERBANK EXCHANGE RATES, WHICH AREN’T REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RATE WE OFFER

DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 11

COMPANY 3M AMERICAN EXPRESS APPLE BOEING CO CATERPILLAR CHEVRON CISCO SYSTEMS COCA-COLA DOWDUPONT EXXON MOBIL GENERAL ELECTRIC GOLDMAN SACHS HOME DEPOT IBM INTEL CORP J.P.MORGAN CHASE JOHNSON & JOHNSON MC DONALD'S CORP MERCK AND CO. NEW MICROSOFT NIKE PFIZER PROCTER AND GAMBLE TRAVELERS CIES UNITED TECHNOLOGIE UNITEDHEALTH GROUP VERIZON COMMS VISA WAL-MART STORES WALT DISNEY CO

PRICE 238,130 98,5500 169,370 285,900 143,860 119,92 37,610 45,31 70,73 82,66 17,7100 250,35 183,4100 154,81 43,3500 105,9300 140,5900 173,1500 55,57 84,160 61,30 35,7400 90,370 133,75 122,81 223,91 51,09 112,60 96,5500 104,2300

CHANGE% -0,90% -0,03% +0,03% +1,39% +0,68% +0,24% +0,56% -1,03% -0,90% +0,13% +0,00% +0,72% +0,77% +0,81% +0,63% +1,25% +0,41% +0,14% +1,46% +2,02% +1,16% +0,68% +0,30% -0,34% +0,33% +1,71% +1,33% +1,08% -0,24% -0,98%

CHANGE VOLUME(M) -2,170 141.832,16 -0,0300 85.484,61 0,050 869.598,42 3,930 169.674,42 0,970 85.551,45 0,29 227.469,02 0,210 187.727,03 -0,47 191.989,93 -0,64 165.062,91 0,11 349.879,03 0,0000 153.645,06 1,79 94.345,63 1,4100 214.048,32 1,24 143.266,22 0,2700 203.654,66 1,3100 366.697,95 0,5800 376.462,05 0,2400 137.948,98 0,80 150.906,28 1,670 647.450,63 0,70 79.664,06 0,2400 212.797,25 0,270 228.656,03 -0,46 36.512,40 0,41 97.796,87 3,76 216.586,57 0,67 208.296,25 1,20 204.143,22 -0,2300 287.398,67 -1,0300 158.144,79 M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 11

COMPANY

PRICE

CHANGE NET / %

Most Advanced Sigma Designs, Inc. ForeScout Technologies, Inc. Radius Health, Inc. Famous Dave's of America, Inc. BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. SteadyMed Ltd. Aptevo Therapeutics Inc. Fanhua Inc. Alpine Immune Sciences, Inc. Cutera, Inc. Verastem, Inc.

$ 6.90 $ 27.65 $ 31.60 $ 5.2999 $ 5.21 $ 3.51 $ 4.23 $ 24.57 $ 11.32 $ 44.55 $ 4.33

1.30 ▲ 23.21% 4.68 ▲ 20.37% 4.19 ▲ 15.29% 0.6999 ▲ 15.22% 0.64 ▲ 14.00% 0.41 ▲ 13.23% 0.46 ▲ 12.20% 2.35 ▲ 10.58% 1.06 ▲ 10.33% 3.95 ▲ 9.73% 0.36 ▲ 9.07%

$ 19.20 $ 11.90 $ 61.91 $ 100.84 $ 11.98 $ 16.95 $ 13.51 $ 7.86 $ 20.50 $ 3.75 $ 27.16

8.74 ▼ 31.28% 2.75 ▼ 18.77% 10.90 ▼ 14.97% 11.91 ▼ 10.56% 1.32 ▼ 9.92% 1.85 ▼ 9.84% 1.42 ▼ 9.51% 0.78 ▼ 9.03% 1.90 ▼ 8.48% 0.345 ▼ 8.42% 2.01 ▼ 6.89%

Most Declined Erytech Pharma S.A. Veeco Instruments Inc. Johnson Outdoors Inc. National Beverage Corp. Xunlei Limited IES Holdings, Inc. American Outdoor Brands Corporation Marinus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Bel Fuse Inc. Fred's, Inc. Okta, Inc.

E W N 14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa Blanca North

www.euroweeklynews.com

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

Support for de Guindos DESPITE denials a week ago, it looks as if Spanish minister Luis de Guindos wants to become vice-president of the European Central Bank (ECB). The Economy and Industry minister had previously declared that a Spaniard should take up the position next May when current incumbent Vítor Constâncio of Portugal leaves the post but he had not indicated that he was actually looking for the job. Now, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has stated publicly that whilst his government has not put De Guindos’ name forward for the position, he would be an ideal candidate as he has raised the status of Spain as a successful financial player since he came to his position in 2012. The Prime Minister believes that the international profile of his Economy minister is high and that should he be put forward for the role, he should be a natural successor to Mr Constâncio especially as Spain is poorly represented in the higher echelons of European institutions with only one Commissioner, Miguel Arias Cañete who is European Commissioner for Climate and Energy. Whilst it is recognised that many European countries would like to hold the position, as one of the top four economies in the eurozone, Spain believes it is only right that it should be represented at a senior level within the ECB. The actual decision to appoint the next vice-president will be decided by a vote of all members of the European Commission and the successful candidate will be allowed to serve a single eight year term of office. Mr De Guinos has had some disappointment in the past when he ran for president of the Eurogroup (an informal meeting of EU finance ministers) which he was tipped to win but lost to the Dutch minister

La Moncloa flickr

Next ECB vice-president may be Spanish

Firm friends Mariano Rajoy and Luis de Guindos.

Jeroen Dijsselbloem when it appears that socialist members of the voting committee turned against him. Time will tell and it is possible that in order to save the minister from any embarrassment that Mr Rajoy is sounding out fellow heads of state before announcing his official nomination in order to ensure that there is a large enough majority who are happy to see Spain take on the vice-presidency.

Egyptian sales slump THE Egyptian Minister of Trade and Industry Tarek Qabil has announced that exports to Spain at €779.8 million were 75 per cent up on last year. Currently in Buenos Aires for the 11th World Trade Organisation (WTO) ministerial conference which has attracted representatives of 164 member countries, he met with his Spanish counterpart Maria Luisa Poncela. The export figures refer only to the period January to August 2017, although imports from Spain to Egypt for the same period were down from €929 million to €823.5 million significantly narrowing the trade gap as far as Egypt is concerned. According to the Spanish minister, Spain is currently looking at ways of expanding investments in the Egyptian industry.

AS ECONOMY RECOVERS AWAIT HIGH INTEREST RATES

ANALYSTS believe that financing for companies will shortly become more expensive and therefore loans should be obtained sooner rather than later. The reasoning behind this opinion is that bank regulations will continu e t o g e t t i g h t e r a n d th at there will be less liquidity in the market as the European Central Bank (ECB) reduces its purchasing support of EU members bonds. For the larger company it is suggested that they should issue their own lo n g t e r m b o n d s w h ere in vestors l e n d t h e m a n a g ree d amount of money over a set period of time while the companies pay annual i n t e r e st a n d r ed ee m th e bond at a date in the future. For smaller businesses who cannot afford this, now may be a good time to enter into a long-term loan with fixed interest rates which are still available from some banks at the present time. It is forecast that there will have to be an increase in both interest

Alextrade2404 Wikimedia

Try fixed rate loans now

An old Italian bond.

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rates and inflation across Europe during 2018 and as banks are being instructed to make sufficient provisions in order to safeguard their customers, they are likely to increase rates or general charges to support the cost of making the provisions. The other problem for the banks is that the targeted longer-term refinancing operations (TLTROs), an ECB operation that provides financing to credit institutions for

periods of up to four years will be coming to an end. They offer long-term funding at attractive conditions to banks in order to further ease private sector credit conditions and stimulate bank lending to the real economy, but they are effectively subsidising the lending that banks are underta king so agai n, i nt er est r at es charged to borrowers between 2018 and 2020 ar e l i kel y t o i ncrease. Whilst there is action that companies can take in order to try to reduce the likely effect of rate increases, the consumer is in a much worse situation. With governments leaving interest rates at very low percentages, banks and lenders still manage to turn a 0.5 per cent interest rate into a 20 per cent rate on credit cards and even cheaper overdrafts sudde nly at t r act new hi gher bank charges so that the amount of interest paid remains low but the overall cost increases dramatically.

Baby milk problems could hit A FRENCH manufacturer of baby milk which is sold in Spain has ordered a global recall of baby milk product due to fears of salmonella. Lactalis which took over Granada-based group Puleva in 2010 has admitted that so far 26 French users of the milk powder marketed under the names of Celi, Milumel and Picot have become sick during December. A spokesman for the company which is one of the world’s largest dairy producers has told press sources that up to 7,000 tonnes of powder produced in a single factory in northern France may have been contaminated, but Lactalis is unable to determine how much is currently still in stores around the world.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa Blanca North

www.euroweeklynews.com

A NUMBER OF LAWSUITS COULD HURT SPAIN

Another legacy of crash

DESERTED: A toll road.

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A GROUP of hedge fund managers who have purchased debt from the builders of nine bankrupt toll roads around Madrid are looking to claim €4.5 billion. The roads themselves were built by a number of Spanish companies who formed joint venture operations with toll road managers in order to earn what they expected to be lucrative income. Sadly for them however all of this took place prior to the financial crash and by the time that the roads were opened, the money collected was far less than originally forecast, leading many of the groups to declare bankruptcy. The roads themselves have been closed for years and many of the debts were sold at heavily discounted rates to various global investors who are now working together in order to make the Spanish government pay damages, thanks to particular clauses known as RPAs which existed in the contracts when the approval for the building was granted.

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Whilst the government acknowledges that it will be unable to reopen and franchise the closed roads without making a payment to those holding the debts, the amount which they believe is due and that which the hedge funds are claiming is significantly different. The government previously indicated that it expected to have to pay a manageable €2 billion, but those who are claiming compensation which includes corporate giants such as Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank are looking for a whopping €4.5 billion pay out.

Rather than each acting separately, all of the major claimants have joined forces and are being led by American company Houlihan Lokey to try to lever the best possible deal out of the Spanish government. According to their spokesman, the Spanish are acting like a South American government by delaying any agreement in order to hide the potential problem from the Spanish people, although the government rejects this, explaining that the delay was due to matters relating to the correct procedures when any bankruptcy occurs. Spain finds itself in a somewhat difficult position as it tries to negotiate a settlement with the combined might of some of the world’s biggest hedge fund organisations. On one hand it wants to pay as little as possible so that the amount does not hurt its economic recovery, but at the same time cannot afford to be too parsimonious as the government doesn’t want to be at the receiving end of a number of law suits.

EWN

Surprise closure of franchise WHAT was thought to be a successful frozen yogurt franchise llaollao in Singapore leased from the Spanish chain closed with just 24 hours’ notice. With 29 outlets the stores have been very successful and there has been no information about why the closure took place, although all stores reopened two days later branded Yole, another frozen yogurt company. Four years of success came to an end without explanation from D+1 Holding, the company that is the master franchisee of llaollao in Singapore which simply confirmed that it will no longer be continuing the franchise. It did not reveal the reason why. No explanation has been received from the Spanish company either although similar events have occurred in Singapore in the past with the original company taking back the franchise within six months.

Losing mental capacity whilst living abroad by Stone King Charlotte Macdonald Contact me at international@stoneking.co.uk

MANY UK expatriates living in Spain own properties in the UK and have pensions and investments in the UK. They rely on their UK assets to maintain their lifestyles (and those of their families) in Spain. If they can no longer manage their affairs in the UK due to a loss of mental capacity, it can cause many difficulties.

You can choose a person or people, who you trust, to act for you when you are no longer able. The best way to avoid the legal and practical difficulties that can occur with the loss of mental capacity is to plan for it in advance by drawing up a document called a ‘Lasting Power of Attorney’ (‘LPA’).

An LPA must be made while you have full mental capacity.

What is an LPA? An LPA is a legal document that enables you to appoint one or more attor-

neys to act for you when you are no longer able to act for yourself. Your attorney can be a professional,

such as a solicitor or a family member or friend. There are two types of LPA: ‘Health and Welfare’ or ‘Property and Financial Affairs’ An LPA must be made while you have full mental capacity. It is therefore important to make one while you are in good health. Why should you get an LPA? You can choose a person or people, who you trust, to act for you when you are no longer able. If you lose your mental capacity and do not have an LPA, then your family (or the authorities) will have no choice but to make an application to the Court of Protection to appoint a ‘deputy’ to look after your affairs, which can be time consuming and costly. Will my LPA be recognised in Spain? Unfortunately there is no international type of LPA which is guaranteed to work in both the UK and Spain. The advice we give to our clients at Stone King, is that if you have assets in both Spain and the UK, your only safe option is to appoint attorneys in both jurisdictions.

If you would like to discuss LPAs contact Charlotte Macdonald or Dan Harris at Stone King LLP by email international@stoneking.co.uk or by telephone on +44 (0)1225 337599.

FEATURE

14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa Blanca North

www.euroweeklynews.com

Back in Blighty nothing much has changed LEAPY LEE SAYS IT

OTHERS THINK IT TWO things have been glaringly consistent on my latest trip to the old country, the almost unbelievable volume of traffic and the cold! Talk about the appendages of brass primates; the streets are littered with them! As for the traffic - well, not being the most patient of drivers, after two days of automobile altercations, my companion has now banned me from taking the wheel altogether. We did however manage to squeeze in a three-day trip to Malta. Although it temporarily took care of the brass monkey syndrome, it certainly didn’t resolve the increased traffic dilemma. Malta’s tourist economy is, I’m delighted to say, positively booming, but unfortunately the road development programme hasn’t quite caught up with the amount of newly acquired vehicles the locals are treating themselves to. Ah well I’m sure they’ll sort it. Good luck to ‘em. This historically beleaguered island deserves all the success it can get. ‘Course back in Blighty nothing much has changed. I was particularly peeved about the report of the black female, who was ticked off for putting her muddy feet up on the seat of a train.

TRAFFIC NIGHTMARE: London, left, and Malta. When the gentleman opposite (an MP no less) objected, she launched into a mouthy tirade which, among other things, included calling him a ‘white idiot.’ The report went on to say that it was all resolved peacefully however and by the end of the journey they had ‘become friends.’ Mmm, interesting. If he had called her a black idiot they would have been having their differences resolved down the local nick!

I was also a party to the views of some of the ladies concerning the recent surge into the, oft trivial, sexual harassment complaints. Almost without exception they consider the bulk of accusations frivolous and often quite ridiculous. Indeed some have told me that in their younger days, if they didn’t receive some form of sexual connotation or wolf whistle on their travels they would often worry that there may be something

wrong with them. I did take note of the recent cartoon which showed a woman complaining to her boss that, as she was the only member of the female staff that hadn’t been subjected to some form of sexual harassment, she was going to sue for discrimination. Don’t laugh, nothing would surprise me anymore, Not sure the latest Brexit deal is quite as wonderful as they all seem to be making out. Hopefully it will at least finally shut up all the Remoaners and allow the more forward thinkers to get on with the task of making the UK a leading, independent and successful runner in the whole host of world markets now finally opening up to us. One dark spot, for the ol’ boy, straight from the horse’s mouth as it were. Apparently I had actually been seriously considered for a spate in the Celebrity Jungle series but had been passed over because of my past criminal record! Marvellous ennit? One, highly debatable slip, some 45 years ago, in an otherwise untarnished lifetime of lawful existence, and it still follows me around. Ah well, didn’t want to eat their rotten grubs anyway. Keep the faith Love Leapy columnists@euroweeklynews.com

leapylee2002@gmail.com

Leapy Lee’s opinions are his own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors. Advertising feature

Cleverly designed and unobtrusive NOW in their eighth year of trading, Neater Heater are still being asked the same questions. What makes Neater Heaters special? Why should you choose them over other electric heaters? The simple answer is; design and build quality. Many families throughout the Costa Blanca are already enjoying the soft warmth given off by these cleverly designed and unobtrusive Norwegian heaters. A good discreet central heating system has never been so affordable. As Richard and Tony explain: “The basic choices for heating your home are either a full central heating system with water-filled radiators and pipes, gas heaters, electric, or a combination. Obviously with central heating the main obstacle is the high installation cost. Also, there is quite a high ongoing maintenance cost. Gas estufas are effective, but quite unhealthy and give off a huge amount of vapour which causes

NEATER HEATER DISTRIBUTORS: COSTA BLANCA NORTH MORAIRA: S&W, The Tool Bar. CALPE: K & M’s Electro Domesticos ALTEA: Leo's Superstore. POLOP: Euronics

Tel. 965 745 805 Tel. 965 874 838 Tel. 965 844 848 Tel. 965 870 209

Heaters also available for purchase at our online shop with free home delivery. WWW.NEATERHEATER.ES or Tel. 634 312 171

NEATER HEATERS: Can be wall-mounted or freestanding. black mould. This brings us to electric. Until we started Neater Heater the options were awful. You either bought Jell-filled heaters that were as expensive as a central heating system to buy, or cheap - but mostly inefficient - heaters that would make your electric meter wheel spin like a helicopter. There was nothing affordable, economical, and effective available in Spain. We know, be-

lieve us - we looked.” But sometimes in life luck plays a strange hand. It was while Tony was looking for a heater for his son’s bedroom that, quite by chance, he saw a heater in a house he was doing some maintenance jobs in and it fit the bill perfectly. It was a neat and very efficient wall-mounted Norwegian convector heater. It could be used as an individual room

heater, or as part of a complete integrated system. The rest, as they say, is history and eight years down the road he, and Richard, are making ‘Neater Heaters’ available to us all. The heaters can be wall-mounted or if you are limited for wall space additional feet can be purchased to enable them to be freestanding. Last year they added to their range the Turkish-made Vigo heater and towel radiators. These heaters share the design technology and ethos of the current Neater Heaters, but it has two differences: The Vigo comes with a carrying handle, wall bracket, and feet included in the price; They also have a digital dis-

play which indicates the reduced wattage that the heater regulates once the room has reached the desired temperature, thus saving more money through reduced running costs. With their online shop or phone facilities for credit card payment, bank transfer and PayPal, purchasing these fantastic heaters couldn’t be easier. Alternately Neater Heater has a network of agents offering local sales and support from Moraira in the north, to Almeria / Costa Del Sol in the south. Here you can view or purchase our heaters.

E W N 14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa Blanca North

www.euroweeklynews.com

7:00am Breakfast 10:15am Island Medics 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 11:30am Grenfell Tower Memorial Service 1:00pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News at One 2:30pm BBC London News 2:45pm Doctors 3:15pm Armchair Detectives 4:00pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm The Hairy Bikers Home for Christmas 5:30pm Money for Nothing 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm The Apprentice: Why I Fired Them 10:00pm Love, Lies and Records 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:30pm BBC London News

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4:15pm

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Judge Judy Coronation Street Coronation Street Heartbeat The Royal Judge Judy Judge Judy Judge Judy A Touch of Frost The Royal Heartbeat Coronation Street Susan reads about a house fire in the Gazette which has left a young family homeless. Coronation Street Gail is furious with Audrey. Hilda agrees to go dancing. A Touch of Frost Heartbeat Murder, She Wrote Paul O'Grady: For The Love of Dogs Tommy Cooper Forever FilmHattie Lewis Judge Judy ITV3 Nightscreen Teleshopping

10:05pm 11:05pm

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Sporting Funnies The Chase The Chase The Darts Show Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Ironside Quincy, M.E. The Sweeney The Professionals Ironside Quincy, M.E. The Sweeney The Professionals Cash Cowboys Pawn Stars Pawn Stars River Monsters Wildlife documentary series. Octopussy FYI Daily A round-up of the latest entertainment news. Octopussy Species FYI Daily A round-up of the latest entertainment news.

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10:40am X-Men Origins: Wolverine 12:40pm Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 3:00pm Jason Bourne 5:10pm Drop Zone 7:00pm X-Men Origins: Wolverine 9:00pm Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 11:20pm Jason Bourne 1:30am Face/Off

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THURSDAY TV

12:30pm How I Met Your Mother 1:00pm New Girl 1:30pm New Girl 2:00pm The Big Bang Theory 2:30pm The Big Bang Theory 3:00pm Kevin Can Wait 3:30pm Kevin Can Wait 4:00pm How I Met Your Mother 4:30pm How I Met Your Mother 5:00pm New Girl 5:30pm New Girl 6:00pm Kevin Can Wait 6:30pm Kevin Can Wait 7:00pm The Big Bang Theory 7:30pm The Big Bang Theory 8:00pm Hollyoaks 8:30pm Melissa and Joey 9:00pm The Big Bang Theory 9:30pm The Big Bang Theory 10:00pm 2 Broke Girls 10:30pm The Big Bang Theory 11:00pm The InbetweenersThe Inbetweeners 11:35pm The Inbetweeners

7:00am Live European Tour Golf 11:00am Premier League Daily 12:00pm Sky Sports Daily 1:00pm SKY Sports News 2:00pm SKY Sports News 3:00pm SKY Sports News 4:00pm SKY Sports News 5:00pm Ram Slam T20 Challenge 7:30pm World Darts Preview 8:00pm Live World Championship Darts 12:00am SKY Sports News 1:00am EFL MattersEFL Matters 1:30am Live NFL: Denver @ Indianapolis Indianapolis Colts take on Denver Broncos at the Lucas Oil Stadium in the NFL. 5:45am Great Sporting Moments

7:00am 8:50am 10:40am 12:15pm 1:55pm

7:00am EFL Greatest Games 7:15am EFL Greatest Games 7:30am SPFL Greatest Games 7:45am SPFL Greatest Games 8:00am Football Years 8:30am Football Countdowns 9:00am Football's Greatest 9:30am Football's Greatest Teams 10:00am Scottish Cup Greatest Games 10:15am Scottish Cup Greatest Games 10:30am La Liga Greatest Games 10:45am La Liga Greatest Games 11:00am Football 2:00pm La Liga Icons 2:45pm La Liga Icons 3:00pm Eredivisie 4:00pm Football 7:00pm Eredivisie 8:00pm EFL Matters 8:30pm MLS Greatest Games 8:35pm Football 10:45pm La Liga Icons 11:00pm La Liga Show 11:30pm EFL Matters 12:00am Eredivisie 1:00am La Liga Show

3:50pm 5:30pm 7:20pm 9:00pm

10:50pm 12:25am 2:55am 4:50am

Scottish Mussel 9/11 Within Sharing Christmas Life Sci-fi horror about astronauts hunted down by a hostile alien life-form. Lemon Heartbeats Sharing Christmas Life Sci-fi horror about astronauts hunted down by a hostile alien life-form. Within The Tiger 9/11 Lemon

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

E W N 14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa Blanca North

7:00am Breakfast 10:15am Island Medics 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Street Auction 12:45pm Fake Britain 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News at One 2:30pm BBC London News 2:45pm Doctors 3:15pm Armchair Detectives 4:00pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm The Hairy Bikers Home for Christmas 5:30pm Money for Nothing 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm A Question of Sport 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Still Open All Hours 10:00pm Have I Got News for You 10:30pm Mrs. Brown's Boys 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm The Graham Norton Show 12:25am Would I Lie to You?

7:00am Flog it! Trade Secrets 7:30am Island Medics 8:15am The Hairy Bikers Home for Christmas 9:00am MasterChef: The Professionals 10:00am Victoria Derbyshire 12:00pm BBC Newsroom Live 1:00pm The Daily Politics 2:00pm Coast 3:00pm Terry and Mason's Great Food Trip 3:30pm Home Away From Home 4:15pm 32 Brinkburn Street 5:00pm The Fifteen Billion Pound Railway 6:05pm The Blue Planet 7:00pm Strictly - It Takes Two 8:00pm Celebrity Antiques Road Trip 9:00pm Mastermind 9:30pm Only Connect 10:00pm The Sweet Makers at Christmas 11:00pm QI 11:30pm Newsnight 12:05am Expedition Volcano 1:05am Panorama 1:35am Hotel for Refugees

8:00pm World News Today 8:30pm Christmas University Challenge 2016 9:00pm Danny Baker Rocks the Seventies (a Bit) 9:30pm Top of the Pops 10:30pm NewRoy Orbison: Love Hurts 11:30pm Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night 30 12:35am Rock 'N' Roll America 1:35am Top of the Pops 2:35am Roy Orbison: Love Hurts 3:35am Peaky Blinders Period crime drama set in Birmingham. 4:35am This is BBC FourThis is BBC Four BBC Four is the BBC channel for people who want more.

7:00am Good Morning Britain 9:30am Lorraine 10:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30am This Morning 1:30pm Loose Women 2:30pm ITV Lunchtime News 2:55pm ITV News London 3:00pm Judge Rinder 4:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV Evening News 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Judge Rinder's Crown Court 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! Coming Out 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:30pm ITV News London 11:45pm Through the Keyhole 12:45am Play to the Whistle Extra Time

7:20am 7:45am 8:35am 9:00am 9:30am 10:00am

7:00am 7:20am 7:45am 8:15am 9:20am 10:20am 10:45am 11:10am 11:35am 1:35pm 2:40pm 3:40pm

10:50am 11:50am 12:50pm 1:20pm 1:50pm 2:20pm 2:50pm 3:40pm 4:50pm 5:55pm 6:55pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:05pm 12:05am

Planet's Got Talent Dinner Date Emmerdale Emmerdale You've Been Framed! The Ellen DeGeneres Show Dinner Date Britain's Got Talent Planet's Got Talent Emmerdale Emmerdale You've Been Framed! The Ellen DeGeneres Show The Jeremy Kyle Show 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 The Hangover Part III FYI Daily The Hangover Part III Family Guy

4:15pm 4:50pm 6:55pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:05pm 1:15am 3:10am 5:00am 5:25am

Judge Judy Coronation Street Coronation Street Heartbeat The Royal Judge Judy Judge Judy Judge Judy A Touch of Frost The Royal Heartbeat Classic Coronation Street Classic Coronation Street A Touch of Frost Heartbeat Murder, She Wrote Tonight at the London Palladium Tommy Cooper Forever Tommy Cooper: Not Like That, Like This A Touch of Frost The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes On the Buses Judge Judy

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8:35am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:00am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:30am Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00am Frasier 10:35am Frasier 11:05am Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA 12:00pm Jamie's Festive Feast 1:00pm Channel 4 News 1:05pm Kirstie's Handmade Christmas 1:15pm Kirstie's Handmade Christmas 1:25pm Christmas Magic 3:10pm Countdown 4:00pm Lost and Found 5:00pm A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun 6:00pm Kirstie's Handmade Christmas 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Jamie and Jimmy's Friday Night Feast 10:00pm Gogglebox 11:00pm The Last Leg 12:05am First Dates

7:00am 7:15am 8:05am 9:00am 9:50am 10:20am 10:45am 11:50am 12:55pm 1:55pm 2:30pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:05pm 11:10pm 12:45am 1:45am 1:50am 2:50am

Hat-Trick Heroes The Chase The Chase Cash Cowboys Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Ironside Quincy, M.E. The Sweeney River Monsters ITV Racing: Live from Cheltenham The Sweeney The Professionals Cash Cowboys Pawn Stars Pawn Stars The Chase Celebrity Special A View to a Kill FYI Daily A View to a Kill Crank 2: High Voltage FYI Daily Crank 2: High Voltage The Sweeney

8:20am 8:30am 8:40am 8:50am 9:05am 9:20am 9:35am 9:55am 10:05am 10:15am 12:45pm 12:50pm 2:35pm 4:15pm 6:00pm 6:35pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

11:00pm

12:35am

Fireman Sam Peppa Pig Peppa Pig Floogals Digby Dragon Noddy: Toyland Detective Shimmer and Shine Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom Mofy The Wright Stuff 5 News Lunchtime Married by Christmas Once Upon a Holiday Mr Christmas 5 News at 5 The Yorkshire Vet at Christmas 5 News Tonight The Gadget Show Brunel Strictly Come Dancing: Before They Were Famous The Strictly Story: Fake Tan, Tangos and a Ten From Len Strictly Special: Lip Sync Battle

9:40am The 5th Wave 11:45am Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 12:15pm Jack Reacher 2:30pm The Patriot 5:25pm Anaconda 7:00pm The 5th Wave 9:00pm Jack Reacher 11:15pm Troy 2:00am Rocky III 3:45am Rocky IV 5:20am Rocky V

7:35am 9:35am 11:30am 1:25pm 3:20pm 5:30pm 7:30pm 9:00pm 11:10pm 1:10am

Runaway Bride Our Brand is Crisis Hail, Caesar! Keeping up with the Joneses Bridesmaids Calendar Girls Airplane II: The Sequel Bridesmaids Keeping up with the Joneses Borat

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

Rules of Engagement Rules of Engagement Black-Ish Black-Ish How I Met Your Mother How I Met Your Mother New Girl New Girl The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Kevin Can Wait Kevin Can Wait How I Met Your Mother How I Met Your Mother New Girl New Girl Kevin Can Wait Kevin Can Wait The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Hollyoaks Melissa and Joey The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Impossible The Big Bang Theory

7:00am Sharing Christmas 8:45am Heartbeats 10:35am Life Sci-fi horror about astronauts hunted down by a hostile alien life-form. 12:30pm Within 2:05pm Fist Fight 3:45pm 9/11 5:35pm Sharing Christmas 7:10pm Heartbeats 9:00pm Fist Fight 10:40pm Life Sci-fi horror about astronauts hunted down by a hostile alien life-form. 12:30am Within 2:15am Lemon 3:55am The Tiger

FRIDAY TV

6:00am SKY Sports News 7:00am Live European Tour Golf 11:00am Premier League Daily 12:00pm Sky Sports Daily 1:00pm SKY Sports News 2:00pm SKY Sports News 3:00pm SKY Sports News 4:00pm SKY Sports News 5:00pm SKY Sports News 6:00pm SKY Sports News 7:00pm SKY Sports News 8:00pm Football 10:30pm Live World Championship Darts Day two of the William Hill World Darts Championship at London's Alexandra Palace. 12:00am SKY Sports News 1:00am SKY Sports News 2:00am SKY Sports News 3:00am SKY Sports News 4:00am SKY Sports News 5:00am SKY Sports News

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

La Liga Show EFL Matters Eredivisie One2eleven One2eleven La Liga Icons La Liga Icons La Liga Show EFL Matters Football's Greatest Football's Greatest Teams Scottish Cup Greatest Games Scottish Cup Greatest Games La Liga Greatest Games La Liga Greatest Games La Liga Preview 2017/18 SPFL Matters EFL Matters Football SPFL Matters SPFL Greatest Games SPFL Greatest Games SPFL Greatest Games SPFL Matters

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FEATURE

14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa Blanca North

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TECH FOR THE TIMID LAST month I won half a million in an online lottery I hadn’t entered. Before that I could make a tidy commission simply by giving my bank details to a nice Nigerian minister to help him move his money. Well may you laugh, but it’s astonishing how many people plunge wallet-first into obvious scams, especially since e-mail made the conartist’s job so much easier and saved on the stamps. A Tennessee pensioner lost tens of thousands of dollars of his life savings not once, but three times to the same conmen, in a triumph of hopeless greed over basic hogsense. You might think it takes an IQ in single figures to fall for such swindles. Indeed a recent BBC documentary revealed that e-mail scammers with a perfectly good command of the English language deliberately ‘dumb down’ their appeals with terrible grammar and spelling, because that weeds-out the more literate (and apparently less gullible) among us up-front. But things have become so sophisticated in this age when hooking even a tiny fraction from an e-

Watch out for that damn scam spam Terence Kennedy decided not to collect his vast online winnings and is all the richer for it

SCAMS: Think before you click. mail blitz can unlock a fortune for the scammer. Your bank e-mails asking you nicely to update your details by clicking the link below. Except it isn’t a link to your real bank. Ka-

THURSDAY THOUGHTS By Jeff Sinton, San Pedro de Alcantara

Defining dates THINGS seem to change without explanation and in a conversation with a young person it transpired that they didn’t recognise the terms BCE and CE. Common Era and Before Common Era have in theory replaced BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini (Year of the Lord)) in official parlance although it appears that most people guess what they mean rather than actually understanding the letters. The concept of using the birth of Christ as the starting date for modern history was first thought of in 525 and was adopted in England in 731 by the Venerable Bede who actually then came up with the concept of referring to events with dates BC. By the early 15th century the whole of Europe had adopted this concept and was generally accepted around the world (even though Jewish and Muslim societies have their own calendars) until the early 21st century when it was considered appropriate to replace what could be considered unacceptable to non-Christians. Slowly but surely, different countries have accepted the Common Era definitions and these were introduced into the English and Welsh school curriculums, but some staunch Christian societies, especially in the USA are opposed to the concept. In simple terms, BCE is the same as BC and CE is the same as AD but just to confuse, some organisations such as the History TV Channel are said to use the original letters for most dates, but then the new ones when referring to Jewish or Muslim history. columnists@euroweeklynews.com Readers interested in submitting articles for this guest column should send articles of around 250 words on topics felt to be of interest to the cosmopolitan EWN readership to editorial@euroweeklynews.com.

ching and goodbye life savings. Or take our Nigerian minister and similar fraudsters offering truly improbable amounts of money, if only you will pay the transfer fee involved. Ka-ching.

A friend (whose name has been hacked from your address book) emails from Thailand where she’s stranded without funds. Of course you’ll help? Ka-ching again. A sad little girl in Anywhereville needs money for a life-saving operation and you open your heart. And wallet. No such girl, naturally. The UK alone saw 1.7 million reported cases of cyber-fraud last year - never mind the rest that go unreported because victims are too embarrassed to admit their gullibility. Just one victim website, , gets 10,000 hits a day. Plus two dozen messages daily from people who are victims of sextortion; that’s when a person is blackmailed after being persuaded to carry out a sex act on webcam, which is then recorded. Many scams are not a particularly sophisticated form of fraud, and you might think you’re not going to fall for it. So just remember the old adage: if it looks too good to be true or not quite right, it probably is. And if you do decide to ‘take the chance’ of untold riches despite utter improbability, well, step this way because I have a bridge to sell you.

Hooked SCAMMING may be an old trick but it’s still an effective one. If you do get scammed, here are a few simple rules: Drop all contact with the scammer. Don’t try to track them down - remember, the scammer has your real details and possibly compromising information about you. It’s not worth the risk to continue talking to them, and especially not worth confronting them. If you sent cash, there’s no realistic way to get it back; beware the ‘recovery scam’ where the scammer then claims to be an agency able to get the money back, for a fee. Contact the police. Share as many details about the scam as you can to warn others. And a final golden rule to use in the first place: Google everything.

Will Brexit Britain ‘Cinders’ get to the ball or be stopped by her EU ‘stepsisters’ 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

INSPIRED by the #MeToo campaign against sexual harassment, a PR consultant wants the Sleeping Beauty story taken off the curriculum at her son’s school because the non-consensual kiss by the prince who wakes her up has an ‘inappropriate sexual message.’ For goodness sake! What’s the world coming to? For centuries, children have been familiar with this fairy story and haven’t become raving rapists. Soon young people will be so paranoid about kissing they’ll need written consent. Incredible! And what might be banned next? Goldilocks and the Three Bears as she nicks their porridge and abuses their home without their consent? The Tale of the

CONTROVERSIAL: Are fairy tales at risk of being written out of our literary heritage for good? Three Pigs, as the wolf blows down their houses, again without consent? Let alone Little Red Riding Hood, that encourages girls to walk alone through woods and talk to strange wolves... What about old women in pointy hats, living in forests, wanting to cook and eat small children after enticing them with candy? Call the police now, this must be stopped! And, yep, Sleeping Beauty should file charges for having been drugged with that Rohyp-

nol-tipped spindle. As for Cinderella, wearing glass shoes is highly dangerous they could smash. Also, it’s extremely misogynistic about ugly older sisters and defamatory of stepmothers. Incidentally, looked at in a different light, it could also be regarded as an allegory of the UK’s frustrated attempts to get to the ball and away from the constraints of Europe and its 27 stepsisters, er, member states. Brexit fairy tale or Brexit nightmare? Heck, this could mean the end

of the Panto tradition as we know it. All these could be banned: Aladdin, for trespassing in a cave and stealing jewels. Jack and the Beanstalk, the murder of an innocent giant. Babes in the Wood: oh, no way! And don’t get complacent, Famous Five: you’ll be next! In the present climate, when police have warned Christmas party goers to get consent before kissing under the mistletoe otherwise they may be guilty of rape, Prince Charming should wait another 100 years before trying anything on... Nora Johnson’s psychological crime thrillers ‘The Girl in the Red Dress,’ ‘No Way Back,’ ‘Landscape of Lies,’ ‘Retribution,’ ‘Soul Stealer,’ ‘The De Clerambault Code’ (www.norajohnson.net) available from Amazon in paperback/eBook (€0.99;£0.99) and iBookstore. All profits to Costa del Sol Cudeca cancer charity. columnists@euroweeklynews.com

E W N 14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa Blanca North

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SATURDAY TV

7:00am Breakfast 11:00am Saturday Kitchen Live 12:30pm Nigel Slater's 12 Tastes of Christmas 1:00pm Football Focus 2:00pm BBC News 2:15pm Sports Personality of the Year 2017 - The Contenders 3:15pm Bargain Hunt 4:15pm Escape to the Country 5:00pm Final Score 6:25pm BBC News 6:35pm BBC London News 6:40pm Pointless 7:30pm Strictly Come Dancing 10:00pm Michael Mcintyre's Big Show 11:00pm BBC News 11:20pm Match of the Day 12:45am The NFL Show 1:15am Surviving Christmas 2:40am Weather for the Week Ahead 2:45am BBC News

8:00am Nature's Weirdest Events 8:30am Naomi's Nightmares of Nature 9:00am Deadly 60 9:30am Show Me What You're Made of: UK 10:00am Saturday Mash-Up! 12:00pm Penguins on a Plane: Great Animal Moves 1:00pm Raymond Blanc: How to Cook Well 1:30pm Tom Kerridge's Best Ever Dishes 2:00pm Homes Under the Hammer 2:45pm Coast 3:20pm Garden Rescue 3:50pm Mastermind 4:20pm Possessed 6:05pm Roger Moore: My Word is My Bond 7:05pm Escape to Athena 9:00pm Attenborough's Life That Glows 10:00pm Feud: Bette and Joan 10:55pm Feud: Bette and Joan 11:45pm QI XL 12:30am Jeff Lynne's Elo Wembley or Bust

8:00pm All Aboard! The Sleigh Ride In a Slow TV Christmas special, a traditional reindeer sleigh is rigged with a fixed camera for a journey across the frozen wilderness of the Arctic. 10:00pm Witnesses 10:55pm Witnesses 11:55pm The Vietnam War 12:50am Rich Hall's You Can Go to Hell, I'm Going to Texas 2:20am Natural World 3:20am Flamenco: Gypsy Soul 4:15am This is BBC Four BBC Four is the BBC channel for people who want more.

7:05am Adventure Racing 7:30am Everybody Loves Raymond Ray worries when Ally's friend's mother flirts with him. 7:55am Everybody Loves Raymond 8:20am Everybody Loves Raymond 8:45am Frasier 9:15am Frasier 9:40am The Big Bang Theory 10:05am The Big Bang Theory 10:35am The Simpsons 11:35am The Simpsons 12:05pm Holiday in Handcuffs 1:50pm Come Dine with Me 3:55pm Come Dine with Me 4:30pm Grand Designs 5:30pm Best Laid Plans 6:35pm Channel 4 News 7:00pm Word of the 8:00pm Guy Martin v the Robot Car 9:00pm The World's Most Expensive Presents 10:00pm Pitch Perfect 12:10am The Inbetweeners Movie

8:45am Blaze and the Monster Machines 9:10am Paw Patrol 9:30am Nella the Princess Knight 9:45am Noddy: Toyland Detective 9:55am Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 10:15am Shimmer and Shine 10:30am Digby Dragon 10:45am The Gadget Show 11:45am Nativity 3: Dude, Where's My Donkey?! 1:55pm One Christmas Eve 3:40pm Love Always, Santa 5:25pm Mariah Carey's a Christmas Melody 6:25pm 5 News 6:30pm Mariah Carey's a Christmas Melody 7:05pm Sinkholes 8:00pm Sinkholes 9:00pm Sinkholes 9:55pm 5 News Weekend 10:00pm Football on 5 11:00pm Football on 5 11:30pm NCIS: New Orleans 12:20am NCIS: New Orleans

7:00am How I Met Your Mother 7:30am How I Met Your Mother 7:55am Baby Daddy 8:25am Baby Daddy 8:55am Baby Daddy 9:25am The Goldbergs 9:55am The Goldbergs 10:30am Made in Chelsea 11:35am Celebrity Couples Come Dine with Me 12:45pm A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures 2:30pm The Goldbergs 3:00pm The Goldbergs 3:30pm The Goldbergs 4:00pm The Goldbergs 4:30pm The Goldbergs 5:00pm The Big Bang Theory 9:30pm The Big Bang Theory 10:00pm The Hunger Games 12:50am Gogglebox 1:55am Gogglebox 3:00am The Inbetweeners 3:35am The Inbetweeners 4:05am The Inbetweeners 4:30am Rude Tube 5:00am Rude Tube

7:00am SKY Sports News 8:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 10:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 11:00am Soccer Saturday PreMatch 12:00pm Soccer Saturday PreMatch 12:30pm Live Premier League Leicester City host Crystal Palace at the King Power Stadium in the Premier League. 4:00pm Rugby Union An all-French clash from the European Rugby Champions Cup as Racing 92 meet Castres. 6:15pm Football 8:40pm Live World Championship Darts 12:00am Live NFL: Chicago @ Detroit 2:00am Live NFL: La Chargers @ Kansas

8:30am Scrambled! 8:35am The Tom and Jerry Show. Meanie Genie 8:50am Fangbone 9:10am The Powerpuff Girls 9:30am Thunderbirds are Go 10:00am Wishfart 10:25am ITV News 10:30am Saturday Morning with James Martin 12:20pm Gino's Italian Coastal Escape 12:50pm Countrywise 1:20pm Thunderbirds are Go 1:45pm ITV News 1:55pm Endeavour 3:55pm The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas 5:35pm The Chase 6:35pm Paul O'Grady: For The Love of Dogs 7:05pm ITV News London 7:15pm ITV News 7:30pm The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 10:45pm ITV News 11:00pm The Hangover 12:55am Tonight at the London Palladium

9:35am Coronation Street Omnibus 12:25pm Take Me Out Celebrity Special 1:30pm I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! Coming Out 2:35pm Mr. Bean 3:10pm Mr. Bean 3:45pm Mr Bean's Holiday 4:45pm FYI Daily 4:50pm Mr Bean's Holiday 5:35pm Yogi Bear 6:35pm FYI Daily 6:40pm Yogi Bear 7:10pm Liar Liar 8:10pm FYI Daily 8:15pm Liar Liar 8:55pm The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift 9:55pm FYI Daily 10:00pm The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift 11:00pm Celebrity Juice 12:00am Family Guy 12:30am Family Guy 12:55am Family Guy 1:30am American Dad! 1:55am American Dad! 2:25am The Cleveland Show

6:10am 6:30am 7:00am 7:25am

10:30am New ITV Racing: The Opening Show 11:30am British Touring Car Crashes and Smashes 11:40am Pawn Stars 12:10pm The Last Sunset 1:10pm FYI Daily 1:15pm The Last Sunset 2:30pm ITV Racing: Live from Cheltenham 5:00pm Storage Wars Texas 5:30pm Storage Wars Texas 6:00pm Paranoia 7:00pm FYI Daily 7:05pm Paranoia 8:15pm Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure 9:20pm FYI Daily 9:25pm Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure 10:00pm Navy Seals 11:05pm FYI Daily 11:10pm Navy Seals 12:20am Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning

8:50am The Day the Earth Stood Still 10:40am Charlie's Angels 12:25pm Jack Reacher: Never Go Back 2:25pm The Mask of Zorro 4:45pm The Day the Earth Stood Still 6:35pm True Lies 9:00pm Jack Reacher: Never Go Back 11:00pm Hitman

6:30am Justice League: Special 7:00am 9/11 8:50am Sharing Christmas 10:35am Lemon 12:15pm Smurfs: The Lost Village 2:00pm Fist Fight 3:40pm Life Sci-fi horror about astronauts hunted down by a hostile alien life-form. 5:35pm Heartbeats 7:25pm Smurfs: The Lost Village 9:00pm Fist Fight 10:40pm Life 12:30am Within 2:10am 9/11 4:00am The Tiger

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

8:25am 9:25am 10:45am

10:50am 1:40pm 3:40pm 6:00pm 7:05pm 7:10pm 8:10pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:10am 1:55am 3:00am

Judge Judy ITV3 Nightscreen On the Buses Murder, She Wrote Murder mystery series about sleuthing writer Jessica Fletcher. Murder, She Wrote Ben-Hur FYI Daily A round-up of the latest entertainment news. Ben-Hur Columbo Goes to the Guillotine The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes Mamma Mia! FYI Daily Mamma Mia! Agatha Christie's Marple Grantchester Grantchester Hattie Up Pompeii FYI Daily

8:00am 9:45am 11:35am 1:25pm 3:35pm 5:20pm 7:10pm 9:00pm 11:10pm 1:00am 2:40am

Failure to Launch Paul The Back-Up Plan Bridget Jones's Baby Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates Groundhog Day The Back-Up Plan Bridget Jones's Baby Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates Mrs. Brown's Boys D'Movie Bad Santa

4:00pm 4:15pm 6:15pm 8:40pm 10:45pm 11:15pm 11:30pm 11:45pm 12:00am

Eredivisie Football Years Football Countdowns Eredivisie EFL Greatest Games EFL Greatest Games SPFL Matters Soccer A.M. SPFL Matters Eredivisie La Liga Icons La Liga Icons La Liga Icons La Liga Icons Gillette Soccer Saturday Gillette Soccer Saturday Gillette Soccer Saturday Football Football EFL Goals: Championship EFL Greatest Games La Liga Icons La Liga Icons EFL Goals: Championship

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

FEATURE

14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa Blanca North

www.euroweeklynews.com

TV Couch Critic SHIRLEY BALLASS, the new head judge on Strictly Come Dancing, (BBC1, weekends) somehow just does not fit into the show. She may be an expert and has all the experience and professionalism to sit in 10-from Len Goodman’s chair, but she lacks charisma, which is the most important part of the job. True, she can shimmy as good as the rest of them, but she gets a lowly three from me I am afraid. The Yorkshire Vet run by former James Herriot trainee George Wright with veterinary partner Julian Norton and their team is worth a look on My5 on various nights. The North Yorkshire town of Thirsk is the setting of this real life All Creatures Great and Small continuation, but be prepared to witness scenes in the operating theatre as well as in the farmyards and barns. Undoubtedly some viewers will not find them overly appealing. I feel EastEnders, BBC1’s flagship soap opera brought in to counter ITV’s Coronation Street dominance years ago, deserves a mention this week. Having not seen an episode since

Strictly’s Shirley is out of step through real lack of charisma WASTE OF SPACE: Greg Wallace.

Martine McCutcheon was mowed down, at first I thought I had stumbled on to The Jeremy Kyle Show given the shouting and arguments, though this appears par for the course since Angie and Den’s famous Christmas ding dong of yesteryear. I feel Albert Square is covered in chewing gum and not gold as Dick Whittington thought. Still, the view-

WRONG FOOTING: Shirley Ballass.

ing figures don’t lie. My own tip for Worst TV Programme Ever goes to Len Goodman’s Partners in Rhyme (BBC1 Saturday). Resurrecting Z listers to help two contestants identify rhymes and mimes; what a total shambles and a real embarrassment as Len ain’t no Brucie, though Strictly definitely needs him. Dec’s ‘he’s a very small man’ put

down for Dennis Wise and himself on I’m a Celebrity Get me Out of Here (ITV nightly) is hilarious. Amir Khan has turned out to be a proper wuss with his girlie screams (though I am anxious he does not know my full identity!) But Toff (the posh one) is a star who smiles through everything and Stanley Johnson with an even posher DNA also comes

across as a jolly good egg. Ant and Dec have a plethora of awards under their belt, and watching the quick-witted pair, it is easy to see why. Narrated by the late and great Sir Laurence Olivier, a repeat of World at War (Yesterday) is a timely reminder of the horrors of the Second World War, with black and white film capturing live footage of carnage, coupled with eye witness accounts of what must have been a nightmare. It is good to remind ourselves occasionally just how lucky we are. Meanwhile, Master Chef the Professionals (BBC2) is a mixture of culinary expertise and near nervous breakdowns for some of the victims... sorry competitors. Mainly sous chefs battle it out to create the dish that can make their careers, with triumph and despair in equal measures when judges Marcus Waring and Monica Galetti taste the dishes. But why do some of the competitors submit dishes they have never cooked before, though the greater question for me is what does ex-greengrocer Greg Wallace add to the proceedings? Critique: PM, San Fulgencio, Costa Blanca.

E W N 14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa Blanca North

www.euroweeklynews.com

SUNDAY TV

7:00am Breakfast 8:35am Match of the Day 10:00am TThe Andrew Marr Show 11:00am Fern Britton Meets... 12:00pm Sunday Politics 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News 2:15pm Mary Berry's Country House Secrets 3:15pm Songs of Praise 3:50pm Toy Story 2 5:20pm Blue Planet II 6:20pm BBC News 6:35pm BBC London News 6:45pm Countryfile 7:45pm Sports Personality of the Year 2017 10:00pm The Apprentice 11:00pm The Apprentice: You're Hired 12:00am BBC News 12:20am BBC London News 12:30am Ronny Chieng: International Student 12:55am Weather for the Week Ahead 1:00am BBC News

7:05am Coast 8:05am Gardeners' World 8:35am Monty Don's Secret History of the British Garden 9:35am Countryfile 10:30am Saturday Kitchen Best Bites 12:00pm Nigel Slater's 12 Tastes of Christmas 12:30pm My Life on a Plate 1:15pm MOTD2 Extra 2:00pm Escape to the Country 2:30pm Equestrian 5:35pm Ski Sunday 6:20pm Nativity! 8:00pm Life in Polar Bear Town with Gordon Buchanan 9:00pm James May's Toy Stories 10:00pm The Alternativity 11:00pm Detectorists Christmas Special 11:30pm Match of the Day 2 12:30am Insert Name Here 1:00am Roger Moore: My Word is My Bond

8:00pm Only Connect 8:30pm Great Continental Railway Journeys 9:00pm Mrs Dickens' Family Christmas 10:00pm The Mystery of Edwin Drood 12:00am The Real Star of Bethlehem: A Sky at Night Christmas Special 1:00am The Genius of Marie Curie - The Woman Who Lit Up the World 2:00am Roger Bannister: Everest on the Track Documentary about athletics legend Roger Bannister. 3:00am Time Shift 4:00am The Art That Made Mexico: Paradise, Power and Prayers 5:00am This is BBC Four BBC Four is the BBC channel for people who want more.

7:10am 3rd Rock from the Sun 7:35am 3rd Rock from the Sun 8:05am Everybody Loves Raymond 8:30am Everybody Loves Raymond 8:55am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:25am Frasier 9:55am Frasier 10:30am Sunday Brunch 1:30pm Paul Hollywood 2:00pm Jamie's Ultimate Christmas 3:05pm The Simpsons 3:35pm The Simpsons 4:05pm Jingle All the Way 5:50pm Born Silly 6:20pm Channel 4 News 6:50pm Miracle on 34th Street 9:00pm Coastal Railways with Julie Walters 10:00pm Inside Bentley: A Great British Motor Car 11:00pm Die Hard 1:35am Mercury Rising 3:25am I Origins

9:30am Nella the Princess Knight 9:50am Noddy: Toyland Detective 10:00am Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 10:10am Shimmer and Shine 10:30am Digby Dragon 10:45am Peppa Pig 10:55am Peppa Pig 11:00am Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 11:35am Football on 5 12:30pm Football on 5 1:00pm Season's Greetings 2:50pm Twelve Trees of Christmas 4:35pm Our First Christmas 5:35pm 5 News 5:40pm Our First Christmas 6:20pm 5 News Weekend 6:25pm A Heavenly Christmas 8:10pm Legally Blonde 10:00pm Agatha Christie's Crooked House 11:50pm Sleepy Hollow 1:50am Criminals Caught on Camera 2:15am Super Casino

8:25am Couples Come Dine with Me 9:25am Hollyoaks Omnibus 12:00pm Made in Chelsea 1:00pm Catch That Kid 2:50pm Rude(Ish) Tube Shorts 3:00pm The Goldbergs 3:30pm The Goldbergs 4:00pm The Goldbergs 4:30pm The Big Bang Theory 8:30pm The Big Bang Theory 9:00pm The Three Musketeers 11:10pm Gogglebox 12:15am Gogglebox 1:20am The Inbetweeners The first episode from the second season of the awardwinning series. 1:55am The Inbetweeners 2:30am The Inbetweeners 3:00am Rude Tube 4:00am Gogglebox 4:55am Hollyoaks Omnibus

7:00am SKY Sports News 8:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 9:00am Cricket 1:00pm Football 2:30pm Live Nissan Super Sunday 5:15pm Live Nissan Super Sunday Bournemouth take on Liverpool at the Vitality Stadium in the Premier League. 8:00pm Live World Championship Darts Day four of the 2018 William Hill World Darts Championship from the Alexandra Palace. 12:00am Live NFL: Sunday Game A match from the NFL. 1:50am NFL Gameday Week 2:20am Live NFL: Sunday Game 5:30am PL Highlights Bournemouth take on Liverpool at the Vitality Stadium in the Premier League.

8:50am 9:10am 9:30am 10:00am 10:25am 10:30am

7:00am Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records 7:25am Emmerdale Omnibus 9:55am Coronation Street Omnibus 12:50pm Take Me Out 1:55pm Mr. Bean 2:30pm Mr. Bean 3:00pm Jack Frost 4:00pm FYI Daily 4:05pm Jack Frost 5:05pm Catchphrase 6:05pm Happy Feet 7:05pm FYI Daily 7:10pm Happy Feet 8:15pm Gravity 9:15pm FYI Daily 9:20pm Gravity 10:00pm The Holiday 11:00pm FYI Daily 11:05pm The Holiday 12:45am Family Guy 1:15am Family Guy 1:40am Family Guy 2:10am Family Guy 2:40am American Dad! 3:05am American Dad! 3:30am Teleshopping

9:20am Heartbeat 10:20am Heartbeat 11:25am Murder, She Wrote Mystery drama series featuring a sleuthing writer. 12:30pm Murder, She Wrote 1:30pm Murder, She Wrote 2:30pm Columbo Detective drama. 4:10pm Columbo 6:15pm Up Pompeii 7:20pm FYI Daily A round-up of the latest entertainment news. 7:25pm Up Pompeii 7:55pm Doc Martin The peace of Portwenn is disturbed when a hoard of twitchers descend on the village. 10:00pm Tommy Cooper Forever 11:00pm Tommy Cooper Forever 12:00am A Touch of Frost

8:10am 9:00am 9:35am 10:00am 10:25am 10:55am 11:25am 11:55am 12:25pm

9:40am 11:30am 1:35pm 3:40pm 6:25pm

6:30am Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 7:00am Heartbeats 8:50am 9/11 10:40am Fist Fight 12:25pm Smurfs: The Lost Village 2:10pm Don't Think Twice Turmoil strikes a New York improv troupe when one member leaves to star in an SNL-like TV show. 4:00pm Sharing Christmas 5:35pm Life Sci-fi horror about astronauts hunted down by a hostile alien life-form. 7:25pm Smurfs: The Lost Village 9:00pm Fist Fight 10:40pm Don't Think Twice 12:25am Life 2:15am Within 3:50am Lemon 5:25am FilmSharing Christmas

8:00am EFL Goals: League 1 and 2 8:30am Football Countdowns 9:00am Football's Greatest 9:30am EFL Goals: Championship 10:00am EFL Goals: League 1 and 2 10:30am Sunday Supplement 12:00pm EFL Goals: Championship 12:30pm EFL Goals: League 1 and 2 1:00pm Football 3:45pm La Liga Icons 4:00pm La Liga Greatest Games 4:10pm Football 6:15pm La Liga Greatest Games 6:25pm Football 8:30pm La Liga Greatest Games 8:40pm Football 10:45pm La Liga Icons 11:00pm EFL Goals: Championship 11:30pm EFL Goals: League 1 and 2 12:00am Magical Messi

10:55am 11:40am 12:10pm 12:40pm

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

Ben 10 Mr. Bean Tom and Jerry Wishfart ITV News Best Walks with a View with Julia Bradbury Countrywise Winter Wonderland The Martin Lewis Money Show Save Money: Good Food How to Spend it Well at Christmas with Phillip Schofield ITV News Step Up Midsomer Murders Tipping Point The Chase: Celebrity Special The Chase: The Bloopers ITV News London ITV News The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug ITV News

1:30pm 1:35pm 2:10pm 3:10pm 3:15pm 4:55pm 5:55pm 6:00pm 6:55pm

8:55pm 10:00pm 11:05pm 11:10pm 11:55pm 12:55am

The Darts Show Storage Wars Texas Storage Wars Texas Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure FYI Daily Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure Red River FYI Daily Red River Bend of the River FYI Daily Bend of the River NewBritish Superbike Championship Review 2017 River Monsters FilmSpecies 2 Fyi Daily 2017 FilmSpecies 2 Gangs of New York Fyi Daily 2017

9:00pm 10:50pm 12:40am 2:55am 5:00am

The Great Wall Rocky Rocky II Troy Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen The Great Wall The Terminator Last Action Hero Rocky Rocky II

7:45am My Best Friend's Wedding 9:35am Sisters 11:35am Ride Along 2 1:20pm The Nutty Professor 3:00pm Nutty Professor II: The Klumps 4:50pm Knocked Up 7:10pm Ride Along 2 9:00pm Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story 10:45pm The Nutty Professor 12:30am Nutty Professor II: The Klumps

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

E W N 14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa Blanca North

7:00am Breakfast 10:15am Let's Get a Good Thing Going 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Street Auction 12:45pm Fake Britain 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News at One 2:30pm BBC London News 2:45pm Father Brown 3:30pm Escape to the Country 4:30pm The Instant Gardener 5:15pm Money for Nothing 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm Panorama 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Mary Berry's Christmas Party 10:30pm Would I Lie to You? 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:30pm BBC London News 11:45pm Have I Got a Bit More News for You 12:30am Michael Mcintyre's Big Show

7:00am Flog it! Trade Secrets 7:30am Island Medics 8:15am The Hairy Bikers Home for Christmas 9:00am Mary Berry's Country House Secrets 10:00am Victoria Derbyshire 12:00pm BBC Newsroom Live 1:00pm The Daily Politics 2:00pm The Link 2:45pm Terry and Mason's Great Food Trip 3:15pm Home Away From Home 4:00pm Inside Claridge's 5:00pm Alaska: Earth's Frozen Kingdom 6:00pm The Blue Planet 7:00pm Celebrity Eggheads 7:30pm Celebrity Antiques Road Trip 8:30pm Inside the Christmas Factory 9:30pm University Challenge 10:00pm Employable Me 11:00pm The League of Gentlemen 11:30pm Newsnight 12:15am Blitz 1:15am Countryfile 2:10am Blue Planet II

8:00pm Beyond 100 Days 8:30pm Christmas University Challenge 2016 9:00pm Mexico: Earth's Festival of Life 10:00pm New The Art That Made Mexico: Paradise, Power and Prayers 11:00pm New Handmade in Mexico 11:30pm Britain's Lost Masterpieces 12:30am Kiri Te Kanawa at the BBC 1:30am Mexico: Earth's Festival of Life 2:30am The Art That Made Mexico: Paradise, Power and Prayers 3:30am Britain's Lost Masterpieces 4:30am This is BBC Four BBC Four is the BBC channel for people who want more.

6:05am The Jeremy Kyle Show 7:00am Good Morning Britain 9:30am Lorraine 10:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30am This Morning 1:30pm Loose Women 2:30pm ITV Lunchtime News 2:55pm ITV News London 3:00pm Judge Rinder 4:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV Evening News 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Save Money: Good Food 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Birds of a Feather 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:30pm ITV News London 11:45pm Killer Women with Piers Morgan

9:00am Coronation Street 9:30am Coronation Street 10:00am The Ellen DeGeneres Show 10:50am Mr. Bean 11:20am Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records 11:35am You've Been Framed! 12:05pm Take Me Out 1:20pm Emmerdale 1:50pm Coronation Street 2:20pm Coronation Street 2:50pm The Ellen DeGeneres Show 3:40pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 4:50pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 5:55pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 7:00pm Take Me Out 8:30pm You've Been Framed! 9:00pm Two and a Half Men 9:30pm Two and a Half Men 10:00pm Family Guy 10:30pm Ghosted 11:00pm American Dad! 11:30pm American Dad! 12:00am Family Guy

7:25am 7:55am 9:00am 10:00am 10:25am 10:55am 11:20am 1:35pm 2:35pm 3:40pm 4:15pm 4:45pm 6:55pm 7:55pm 9:00pm 11:00pm 12:00am 1:00am 2:25am 3:45am

Coronation Street Heartbeat The Royal Judge Judy Judge Judy Judge Judy A Touch of Frost The Royal Heartbeat Coronation Street Coronation Street A Touch of Frost Heartbeat Murder, She Wrote Midsomer Murders Cilla The Guilty Appropriate Adult Appropriate Adult Agatha Christie's Marple 5:20am Judge Judy 5:45am Judge Judy

www.euroweeklynews.com

9:00am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:30am Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00am Frasier 10:35am Frasier 11:05am The Big Bang Theory 11:35am The Big Bang Theory 12:05pm Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA 1:00pm Channel 4 News 1:05pm Jamie's Comfort Food 1:20pm Carry on Cleo 3:10pm Countdown 4:00pm Lost and Found 5:00pm A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun 6:00pm Kirstie's Handmade Christmas 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Paul Hollywood 9:30pm Supershoppers 10:00pm Old People's Home for 4 Year Olds at Christmas 11:00pm First Dates 12:05am Sarah Millican Home Bird Live

7:00am Barcelona's European Glory 7:10am The Chase 8:00am The Chase 8:45am Cash Cowboys 9:40am Pawn Stars 10:05am Pawn Stars 10:35am Ironside 11:40am Quincy, M.E. 12:45pm The Sweeney 1:50pm The Professionals 2:50pm Ironside 3:55pm Quincy, M.E. 5:00pm The Sweeney 6:00pm The Professionals 7:05pm Storage Wars New York 7:35pm Storage Wars New York 8:00pm Pawn Stars 8:30pm Pawn Stars 9:00pm River Monsters 10:00pm First Blood 11:00pm FYI Daily 11:05pm First Blood 12:05am Universal Soldier: Regeneration 1:20am FYI Daily 1:25am Universal Soldier: Regeneration

8:05am 8:20am 8:30am 8:40am 8:50am 9:05am 9:20am 9:35am 9:50am 10:10am 10:15am 11:10am 12:05pm 1:10pm 2:55pm 4:35pm 6:25pm 8:00pm

9:00pm 10:00pm 12:05am

7:05am 8:40am 11:15am 1:25pm 3:00pm 4:45pm 6:25pm 9:00pm 10:55pm 1:05am 3:55am 5:40am

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

MONDAY TV

Paw Patrol Thomas and Friends Peppa Pig Peppa Pig Floogals Digby Dragon Noddy: Toyland Detective Shimmer and Shine Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom Mofy Puppies Make You Laugh Out Loud The Gadget Show The Gadget Show Jim Henson's Turkey Hollow Back to Christmas A Cinderella Christmas Christmas Bucket List World's Strongest Man 2017: Giants Live Brick by Brick: The Lego Story Abba: When All is Said and Done ABBA: Live in Concert

11:00am Rules of Engagement 11:30am Rules of Engagement 12:00pm How I Met Your Mother 12:30pm How I Met Your Mother 1:00pm New Girl 1:30pm New Girl 2:00pm The Big Bang Theory 2:30pm The Big Bang Theory 3:00pm Kevin Can Wait 3:30pm Kevin Can Wait 4:00pm How I Met Your Mother 4:30pm How I Met Your Mother 5:00pm New Girl 5:30pm New Girl 6:00pm Kevin Can Wait 6:30pm Kevin Can Wait 7:00pm The Big Bang Theory 7:30pm The Big Bang Theory 8:00pm Hollyoaks 8:30pm Brooklyn Nine-Nine 9:00pm The Big Bang Theory 9:30pm The Big Bang Theory 10:00pm Made in Chelsea 11:00pm Binky and Jp's Baby: Born in Chelsea 12:05am The Big Bang Theory

7:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 7:30am Good Morning Sports Fans 8:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 8:30am Good Morning Sports Fans 9:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 9:30am Good Morning Sports Fans 10:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 11:00am Premier League Daily 12:00pm Sky Sports Daily 1:00pm SKY Sports News 2:00pm SKY Sports News 3:00pm SKY Sports News 4:00pm SKY Sports News 5:00pm SKY Sports News 6:00pm SKY Sports News 7:00pm SKY Sports News 8:00pm Football 11:00pm Live World Championship Darts 12:00am SKY Sports News 1:00am SKY Sports News 2:00am My Icon 2:15am Live NFL: Dallas @ Oakland

Anaconda Superman Returns Jason Bourne Forsaken Rocky III Rocky IV Superman Returns Hanna Jason Bourne In Harm's Way Rocky III Rocky IV

7:00am 8:50am 10:40am 12:15pm

8:00am 8:30am 9:00am 9:30am

Our Brand is Crisis Ordinary World In Her Shoes Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping The First Wives Club Love Actually Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping Calendar Girls T2: Trainspotting Grimsby Ali G Indahouse T2: Trainspotting

1:50pm 3:50pm 5:30pm 7:20pm 9:00pm 10:35pm 12:35am 2:10am 3:40am 5:25am

Heartbeats Don't Think Twice Fist Fight Smurfs: The Lost Village How to be a Latin Lover Sharing Christmas Heartbeats Smurfs: The Lost Village Fist Fight How to be a Latin Lover Don't Think Twice Within 9/11 Sharing Christmas

10:00am 10:15am 10:30am 10:45am 1:30pm 3:35pm 5:40pm 6:00pm 6:15pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 8:55pm 11:00pm 11:15pm 11:30pm 12:00am

Football Years Football Countdowns Football's Greatest Football's Greatest Teams La Liga Highlights: Barcelona Scottish Cup Greatest Games La Liga Greatest Games Football Football Football La Liga Greatest Games La Liga Highlights: Barcelona La Liga Icons Football Countdowns Football Years Football Countdowns Soccer A.M. Ronaldo Football SPFL Round Up 2017/18 SPFL Greatest Games Soccer A.M. One2eleven

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

FEATURE

14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa Blanca North

www.euroweeklynews.com

LEGALLY SPEAKING Carrying a load 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.

LOADING THE BOOT: Heavy items must be secured. “COULD you please clarify for me the rules regarding what (if anything) you are allowed to carry on the rear seats of the car? I have heard so many conflicting stories. Thanks.” If you are driving a vehicle that is carrying a load in the car, you have to make sure that the load is restrained properly. Load restraint is not just about making sure that the load does not come off - it is also about making sure that the load does not shift in a way that makes the vehicle unsafe to handle or allows the load to crash into the driver’s cabin, which may cause injury or death. Please restrain the load properly, if you have a traffic accident, you could have serious injuries caused by the load you carry. The Spanish Traffic Law requires that any load carried on or in your vehicle must: 1. Not be placed in a way that makes your vehicle unstable or unsafe.

2. Be secured so it won’t move or fall from your vehicle while driving - including driving consisting of emergency braking or turning suddenly. 3. Not project from your vehicle in a way that is likely to injure a person, obstruct the path of other drivers or pedestrians, or damage another vehicle or anything else. 4. Be restrained using an appropriate load restraint method. Anything on the back seats must be secured with seat belt. What objects can you carry in your vehicle? Do you take any security measure when you carry them? It is advisable to not carry anything in the car, please use the boot. In case you need to carry load in the vehicle, use the seat belt to secure the load, and if you carry heavy things, use a car net, it is forbidden to carry a heavy load without a load restraint net.

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

Reinvest full price in EU home In your article in EWN of 30 November, about Capital Gains Tax relief on selling your principal residence, you omitted to mention that homeowners resident in Spain can also be exempt from CGT on selling their main residence in Spain if they purchase a new residence anywhere in the European Union, not only in Spain. It seems to be a little known change of tax legislation. Many estate agents and even tax consultants seem ignorant of it. W E (Costa Blanca) You are quite right, on both counts. If a homeowner residing in Spain sells his main residence here and uses all of the proceeds of the sale to purchase a new home in Spain or in another EU

David Searl You and the Law in Spain

country, he can be completely exempt from Spanish Capital Gains Tax. Imagine a German on the Costa Blan-

ca who wants to return home to Germany. He sells up in Spain and buys a new home in Germany. He will be free of CGT if he uses all the money for the purchase. If he reinvests only half the price, he will get half off his CGT.

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

It’s simple manipulation Mike Senker

In my opinion Views of a Grumpy Old Man I’M not big on social media. I do have a Facebook account just because it’s where my Orthostatic Tremor organisation posts a bit of news. I never post anything on Facebook. I also use Twitter where, I must admit, I do post a few comments. I only follow 100 people and I have a few followers myself. Something I’ve noticed recently is the amount of hate, lies and bullying that goes on there. Katie Hopkins and Donald Trump are two of the worst offenders but I’ve also noticed how it’s used to manipulate simple everyday entertainment shows. Mrs S and I enjoy Strictly Come Dancing and view it as a simple entertainment show. Nothing more and nothing less. Just an hour or so of ‘celebs’ trying to out dance each other. But all of a sudden on Twitter a columnist, from the scummiest of the red tops, has started a hate campaign against one of the celebrity participants - Alexandra Burke - absolutely slaughtering her anyway he can.

My question is why? This is not only on Twitter but in the paper too. Which, of course, is not one I’d read. We also enjoy ‘I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here’ and this same geezer - his name is Dan Wootton waited until one of the celebs - a young lad called Jack Maynard - was in the show for a couple of days and then exposed something he said three or four years ago and, of course, made sure Jack got booted out. Now, what the kid said wasn’t very nice and it was pretty offensive. My point is tell the producers of the show before he goes in. Don’t wait until he’s in and then make it a big thing on Twitter trying to show how you have exposed this scoop. But it’s what he does. On another note every time I buy something online or book something I do not need emails asking me to fill in a survey or asking if I’m happy with the service I received. Believe me you will know if I’m not. I don’t want to be on your mailing list receiving emails every day about what events are coming up. If they just sent me something every couple of months maybe I wouldn’t unsubscribe or delete them the instant I see who they are from. By the way, if you want to follow me on Twitter, I’m @silverfox1949xx or email columnists@euroweeklynews.com

mikesenker@gmail.com.

E W N 14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa Blanca North

www.euroweeklynews.com

10:15am Let's Get a Good Thing Going 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Street Auction 12:45pm Fake Britain 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News at One 2:30pm BBC London News 2:45pm Father Brown 3:40pm Escape to the Country 4:25pm The Instant Gardener 5:15pm Money for Nothing 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 U2 at the BBC 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:30pm BBC London News 11:45pm Drugsland 12:45am KKK: The Fight for White Supremacy 1:45am Weather for the Week Ahead

7:00am Flog it! Trade Secrets 7:30am Let's Get a Good Thing Going 8:15am Street Auction 9:00am Celebrity Antiques Road Trip 10:00am Victoria Derbyshire 12:00pm BBC Newsroom Live 1:00pm The Daily Politics 2:00pm The Link 2:45pm Equestrian 4:00pm Inside Claridge's 5:00pm Alaska: Earth's Frozen Kingdom 6:00pm The Blue Planet 7:00pm Russia with Simon Reeve 8:00pm The Repair Shop at Christmas 9:00pm MasterChef 10:00pm Rick Stein's Road to Mexico 11:00pm The League of Gentlemen 11:30pm Newsnight 12:15am NFL 1:05am Dara and Ed's Road to Mandalay

8:00pm Beyond 100 Days 8:30pm Christmas University Challenge 2016 9:00pm Armada: 12 Days to Save England 10:00pm New Invasion! With Sam Willis 11:00pm The Science of D-Day 11:30pm Flying Scotsman From the Footplate 12:30am The Trains That Time Forgot: Britain's Lost Railway Journeys 1:30am Everything and Nothing 2:30am Bought with Love: The Secret History of British Art Collections 3:35am The Man Who Collected the World: William Burrell 4:30am This is BBC FourThis is BBC Four BBC Four is the BBC channel for people who want more.

9:05am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:35am Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00am Frasier 10:35am Frasier 11:05am The Big Bang Theory 11:35am The Big Bang Theory 12:00pm Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA 1:00pm Channel 4 News 1:05pm Jamie's Cracking Christmas 1:20pm Carry on Cabby 3:10pm Countdown 4:00pm Lost and Found 5:00pm A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun 6:00pm Kirstie's Handmade Christmas 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Jamie's Italian Christmas 10:00pm Shamed 11:00pm Extraordinary Teens

7:00am Good Morning Britain 9:30am Lorraine 10:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30am This Morning 1:30pm Loose Women 2:30pm ITV Lunchtime News 2:55pm ITV News London 3:00pm Judge Rinder 4:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV Evening News 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm The Royal Variety Performance 2017 11:05pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm ITV News London 11:50pm Lethal Weapon 12:50am Lethal Weapon 1:35am Jackpot247 4:00am Loose Women 4:50am ITV NightscreenITV Nightscreen Text-based information service.

7:00am 7:45am 8:35am 9:00am 9:30am 10:00am

7:00am 7:20am 7:45am 8:10am 9:15am 10:15am 10:40am 11:05am 11:35am 1:40pm

7:00am 7:10am 8:00am 8:50am

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1:20pm 1:50pm 2:20pm 2:50pm 3:40pm 5:55pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:05pm

The Cube tBritain's Got Talent Emmerdale Coronation Street Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Mr. Bean Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records You've Been Framed! I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! Coming Out Emmerdale Coronation Street Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show The Jeremy Kyle Show The Jeremy Kyle Show Take Me Out Celebrity Special You've Been Framed! You've Been Framed! Two and a Half Men Two and a Half Men The Hangover Part II FYI Daily The Hangover Part II

2:40pm 3:40pm 4:15pm 4:45pm 6:55pm 7:55pm

9:00pm 11:00pm

12:00am

Judge Judy Coronation Street Coronation Street Heartbeat The Royal Judge Judy Judge Judy Judge Judy A Touch of Frost The RoyalThe Royal Nostalgic medical drama spin-off from long-running police series Heartbeat. Heartbeat Coronation Street Coronation Street A Touch of Frost Heartbeat Murder, She Wrote Murder mystery series about a sleuthing writer. Midsomer Murders Cilla Second of a threepart biopic of the Liverpudlian songbird who would later find fame and fortune. The Guilty

9:15am 9:40am 10:05am 10:35am 11:40am 12:50pm 1:50pm 2:50pm 3:55pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:05pm 7:35pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:05pm 11:10pm 12:10am 1:10am 1:15am

Football Rivalries The Chase The Chase Storage Wars New York Storage Wars New York Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Ironside Quincy, M.E. The Sweeney The Professionals Ironside Quincy, M.E. The Sweeney The Professionals Storage Wars Texas Storage Wars Texas Pawn Stars Pawn Stars The Chase Celebrity Special Rambo: First Blood Part II FYI Daily Rambo: First Blood Part II Navy Seals FYI Daily Navy Seals

TUESDAY TV

Peppa Pig Peppa Pig Floogals Digby Dragon Noddy: Toyland Detective Shimmer and Shine Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom Mofy Access Nutcracker Sweet Free Birds Five Children and It A Royal Family Holiday Hearts of Christmas A Prince for Christmas World's Strongest Man 2017: Giants Live Jo Brand's Cats and Kittens Britain's Favourite Biscuit Greatest Ever Christmas Movies

7:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 7:30am Good Morning Sports Fans 8:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 8:30am Good Morning Sports Fans 9:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 9:30am Good Morning Sports Fans 10:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 11:00am Premier League Daily 12:00pm Sky Sports Daily 1:00pm SKY Sports News 2:00pm SKY Sports News 3:00pm SKY Sports News 4:00pm SKY Sports News 5:00pm SKY Sports News 6:00pm SKY Sports News 7:00pm SKY Sports News 8:00pm Sky Sports Tonight 8:30pm Football 11:00pm Live World Championship Darts 12:00am Cricket

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen 11:15am 300 1:15pm Death Race 3:10pm Rocky V 5:00pm G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra 7:00pm The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen 9:00pm 300

7:00am Don't Think Twice 8:40am Sharing Christmas 10:20am How to be a Latin Lover 12:20pm Smurfs: The Lost Village 1:55pm Fist Fight 3:40pm Final Recall 5:25pm Don't Think Twice Turmoil strikes a New York improv troupe when one member leaves to star in a SNL-like TV show. 7:15pm Smurfs: The Lost Village 9:00pm Fist Fight 10:35pm Final Recall 12:10am How to be a Latin Lover 2:10am Within 3:45am Lemon 5:20am Sharing Christmas

1:00pm SPFL Round Up 2017/18 1:15pm SPFL Greatest Games 1:30pm Soccer A.M. 2:00pm Eredivisie 3:00pm SPFL Round Up 2017/18 3:15pm SPFL Greatest Games 3:30pm Soccer A.M. 4:00pm Football's Greatest 4:30pm Football's Greatest Teams 5:00pm Scottish Cup Greatest Games 5:15pm Scottish Cup Greatest Games 5:30pm La Liga Greatest Games 5:45pm La Liga Greatest Games 6:00pm Eredivisie 7:00pm SPFL Round Up 2017/18 7:15pm SPFL Greatest Games 7:30pm Soccer A.M. 8:00pm Football Years 8:30pm FootballFootball 11:00pm Revista de la Liga 11:30pm La Liga World 12:00am Eredivisie

8:30am 8:40am 8:50am 9:05am 9:20am 9:35am 9:50am 10:10am 10:15am 10:25am 11:45am 1:25pm 3:10pm 4:50pm 6:25pm 8:00pm

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

9:15am

8:00am The Top Ten Show 2017 8:20am Sisters 10:20am Bridesmaids 12:30pm Central Intelligence 2:30pm The Top Ten Show 2017 2:50pm You Don't Mess with the Zohan 4:50pm Bridesmaids 7:00pm Splash 9:00pm Central Intelligence 11:00pm You Don't Mess with the Zohan 1:00am National Lampoon's Animal House

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

OPINION & COMMENT

14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa Blanca North

www.euroweeklynews.com

EWN

YOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE - YOUR OPINION Letters should be emailed to yoursay@euroweeklynews.com or make your comments on our website: www.euroweeklynews.com

Views expressed and opinions given are not necessarily those of the EWN publishers. No responsibility is accepted for accuracy of information, errors, omissions or statements.

Seagulls are not the problem SIR, To Mr P Cornwall (EWN, November 11, 2017). You must be kidding. You present the seagulls as public enemy number one. You call them ‘flying rats’ and ‘horrible birds.’ Don’t you think you’ve seen Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’ too many times? If you are proposing to murder them then you are not kidding. Think a little: we can frighten them, move them away, stop violating the environment so that these animals could return to their natural habitats. Or are we going to cut the trees because some fruits fall on our heads? Dry the sea because it sometimes causes damage to the coasts? Destroy the sun because it causes skin burns? Shoot the EWN readers who like the seagulls? There are no ‘horrible birds.’ There are birds. We share the planet with them but we have not worried about respecting nature. These seagulls now return, in some way, the damage we have done to Mother Nature. Who is the real menace? The birds that no longer have places to find food

HAVE YOUR SAY

or we, who believe we have the right to exploit, usufruct and damage the world? Love, peace and reason. Jose Manuel Fernandez Santana, address withheld

Customer care all important AT this time of year when unwanted gifts are often received I am happy that in Spain nowadays there appears to be new marketing re-think whereby more local shops agree to exchange purchases. When I lived in the UK more than 40 years ago Marks and Spencer’s had an enviable reputation as a concern always willing to exchange purchases for customers as long as they were returned undamaged and with a receipt. But this policy at that time definitely did not extend to the majority of shops. Move forward to the end of 2017 and to Spain, and I have increasingly found in recent years more shops

Calling card SENSIBLE RETURNS POLICY: Shoppers in Benidorm. happy to exchange items, and at times surprisingly so. Last week my wife even returned a pair of shoes, and the shop happily exchanged them for a different colour and size... even though she had worn them one night (admittedly on carpeted floors... but she told the assistant they had been worn (even though the soles did not identify with the fact).

All letters by email or post should carry the writer’s address, NIE and contact number though only the name and town will be published.

And a neighbour happily recalled that she had received total satisfaction from Lidl recently when returning a garment that did not fit perfectly by merely producing the receipt and returning the item in its box within 30 days. Such businesses deserve praise, along with the likelihood of swelling sales thanks to all-important customer care. C Power, Huercal-Overa

Readers who have missed correspondence can see all letters - which can be edited before publication - posted on: www.euroweeklynews.com.

Lorry driver dies after crashing onto beach RIP driver, but people mention it’s an accident blackspot but what is wrong with the road? I drive up and down that road all the time and have done in all weathers but to me there’s nothing actually wrong with that part of the road. Adam Brown Road’s fine, they drive too fast and disregard the suggested speed reduction signs... Matt Silver No judgement intended and of course no one should die, but I think the lorries in particular go into the bend too fast and when they break it just jack knives and goes over onto the beach. I’ve lost count of the number of accidents there over the years, all unfortunately involving lorries. Let’s hope they come up with something. Anne-Marie Nyberg Savastano I think they made a mistake lowering the limit along the whole section between Fuengirola and Marbella. Before at least people not familiar with the road could sense some dangerous section approaching when the speed limit dropped. Now they’ve been numbed by the time they reach tricky spots. Speed limit is fine there, but you often see lorries ignoring it. Jurgen Imschoot How many more people will be injured or die before they remove the ridiculous tolls on the motorway? Peter Courtney

Comments from EWN online Brexit ‘really is a shambles’ Yes. We should walk away and see if the EU shoot themselves in the foot by imposing stupid tariffs on imports from the UK. I can’t see German and French industry letting that happen. They have just as much to lose as the UK does. Their ‘negotiating’ stance (aka bullying) is the reason we find ourselves in this mess to start with. Andy Funnell I think the government are trying to negotiate with an EU who do not want to negotiate. They really don’t want us to go and will try anything to delay negotiations in the hope that Brexit will go away. Who will fill the huge financial hole when the UK are gone? Looks increasingly more likely that we will leave with no settlement which will harm EU countries more than it will the UK. Roll on 2019. John Grieve In one word ... NO. Don’t think they have any idea what to do to be honest. They didn’t have a

plan at the start and they don’t have one now. It takes two parties at least to negotiate and in this case a lot more. Needed for everyone to get round a table at the very start rather than putting it off and upsetting all and sundry since. Moira Armitage

No white Christmas for drug dealers in southern Spain That’s good. Might actually be able to walk down a busy street at night without every Tom, Dick and Harry offering to sell drugs when I’m on holiday in Spain. Neil Hilton Butchers Great news!!!! Audrey Carr

Two Malaga hospitals named among the best in Spain Brilliant hospital, they totally deserve that award. After spending six days in there cannot fault them. Kind and professional I felt totally safe. Michelle Johnstone Best hospital abroad. Saved my husband’s life! Cathy Ransome

SPARE a thought before you abandon the idea of sending a printed Christmas card to your family or friends due to the recent changes at the Post Office and send an email greeting instead. Although having a printed card from a loved one on the mantlepiece at home is not quite as good as them being with you in person, it sure as hell beats printing out an email to stick to the walls. Edwin Cheeseman, Javea

Sorry state MOST people worth their salt might issue an apology or retraction when they have been found to commit to print a falsehood which perpetuates a misunderstanding. Not so Leapy Lee, who brushes aside his blunder as a ‘completely innocuous EU gaffe’ and considers correction to be ‘vitriolic spitting’ by ‘sad sacks’ and ‘jowl juggling vultures.’ He consoles himself though with his ‘thousands of wonderful like-minded readers,’ who he must assume to be also ill-informed. But as I said... most people worth their salt... Elaine, Torremolinos

Final word NO, No, No. Please don’t publish the answers to the puzzles in the same issue! What’s the point in attempting the cryptic crossword deciding you can’t solve a clue and just giving up and looking at the answer! There are plenty of inferior free papers that supply answers in the same issue, so let’s keep these puzzles a challenge. Stewart, Torrevieja

Lotto plea YOUR weekly newspaper is the best of the bunch, but I request an improvement to be considered for the thousands of lottery ticket buyers. There are two weekly La Primitiva draws but you only give results for one, and the Euro Millions tickets now carry numbers that are for a Spain-only million Euro prize. Can you include both in the Lottery section of Time Out please Name and address withheld Editor’s note: The lottery winning details have now been expanded.

E W N 14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa Blanca North

www.euroweeklynews.com

WEDNESDAY TV

7:00am Breakfast 10:15am Let's Get a Good Thing Going 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Street Auction 12:45pm Fake Britain 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News at One 2:30pm BBC London News 2:45pm Raiders of the Lost Ark 4:35pm Chicken Run 5:55pm Book of Dragons 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 9:00pm Judi Dench's Secret Woodland 10:00pm The Real Marigold on Tour 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:30pm BBC London News 11:45pm Male Rape: Breaking the Silence 12:25am Junior Doctors 12:55am Weather for the Week Ahead 1:00am BBC News

7:30am Flog it! Trade Secrets 8:00am Nigella's Christmas Table 9:00am David Suchet: In the Footsteps of St Peter 10:00am Victoria Derbyshire 12:00pm BBC Newsroom Live 12:30pm The Daily Politics 2:00pm The Link 2:45pm Terry and Mason's Great Food Trip 3:15pm Home Away From Home 4:00pm Inside Claridge's 5:05pm Alaska: Earth's Frozen Kingdom 6:05pm The Blue Planet 7:00pm Russia with Simon Reeve 8:00pm The Sweet Makers at Christmas 9:00pm MasterChef 10:00pm Peaky Blinders 11:00pm The League of Gentlemen 11:30pm Mock the Week 12:00am Alternativity: The Performance 12:30am Cunk on Christmas 1:00am Dara and Ed's Road to Mandalay 2:00am Employable Me

8:00pm Beyond 100 Days The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective. 8:30pm Christmas University Challenge 2016 It is the second of the semi-finals in the University Challenge quiz for grown-ups. 9:00pm The Two Ronnies' Old-Fashioned Christmas Mystery Festive fun with Ronnies Corbett and Barker from Christmas 1973. 10:00pm The Two Ronnies Christmas Show 11:00pm The Story Of... 12:00am TOTP2 2:30am Bought with Love: The Secret History of British Art Collections 3:30am The Trains That Time Forgot: Britain's Lost Railway Journeys 4:30am This is BBC Four

7:20am 3rd Rock from the Sun 8:10am 3rd Rock from the Sun 9:05am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:35am Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00am Frasier 10:35am Frasier 11:05am The Big Bang Theory 12:00pm Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA 1:00pm Channel 4 News 1:05pm Jamie's Cracking Christmas 1:25pm Carry on Nurse 3:10pm Countdown 4:00pm Lost and Found 5:00pm A Place in the Sun 6:00pm Kirstie's Handmade Christmas 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm The Secret Life of the Zoo at Christmas 10:00pm The Channel 11:00pm Gogglebox 12:05am Micky Flanagan: Back in the Game 1:40am Alan Carr Live: Spexy Beast

7:50am Thomas and Friends 8:00am The Secret Life of Puppies 8:05am Paw Patrol 8:20am Thomas and Friends 8:30am Peppa Pig 8:50am Floogals 9:05am Digby Dragon 9:20am Noddy: Toyland Detective 9:35am Shimmer and Shine 9:50am Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 10:10am Mofy 10:15am Snow Queen 11:35am Jack and the Beanstalk 1:25pm James and the Giant Peach 2:55pm My Angel 4:40pm Christmas Carol 6:20pm A Fairytale Christmas 8:00pm World's Strongest Man 2017 9:00pm GPs: Behind Closed Doors 10:00pm Harry Potter: 20 Years of Magic 12:00am Football on 5 1:20am Brick by Brick: The Lego Story 2:15am Super Casino 4:10am Top 20 Funniest

8:00am Charmed 8:55am Rude(Ish) Tube Shorts 9:10am The Dog Who Saved the Holidays 11:00am Rules of Engagement 11:30am Rules of Engagement 12:00pm How I Met Your Mother 12:30pm How I Met Your Mother 1:00pm New Girl 1:30pm New Girl 2:00pm The Big Bang Theory 2:30pm The Big Bang Theory 3:00pm Kevin Can Wait 3:30pm Kevin Can Wait 4:00pm How I Met Your Mother 4:30pm How I Met Your Mother 5:00pm New Girl 5:30pm New Girl 6:00pm Black-Ish 6:30pm Black-Ish 7:00pm The Big Bang Theory 8:00pm Hollyoaks 8:30pm The Goldbergs 9:00pm The Big Bang Theory 10:00pm Don't Tell the Bride 11:00pm 8 Out of 10 Cats 11:55pm The Big Bang Theory 12:25am The Big Bang Theory

7:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 7:30am Good Morning Sports Fans 8:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 8:30am Good Morning Sports Fans 9:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 9:30am Good Morning Sports Fans 10:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 11:00am Premier League Daily 12:00pm Sky Sports Daily 1:00pm SKY Sports News 2:00pm SKY Sports News 2:30pm Cricket 6:00pm SKY Sports News 7:00pm SKY Sports News 8:00pm Sky Sports Tonight 8:30pm Football 11:30pm Conor Benn: The Destroyer 12:00am SKY Sports News 1:00am SKY Sports News 2:00am SKY Sports News 3:00am SKY Sports News 4:00am SKY Sports News 5:00am SKY Sports News

7:00am Good Morning Britain 9:30am Lorraine 10:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30am This Morning 1:30pm Loose Women 2:30pm ITV Lunchtime News 2:55pm ITV News London 3:00pm Judge Rinder 4:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV Evening News 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Gino's Italian Coastal Escape 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm A Night for the Emergency Services 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:30pm ITV News London 11:45pm Birds of a Feather 12:45am Play to the Whistle 1:35am Jackpot247 4:00am May the Best House Win 4:50am ITV Nightscreen

7:00am 7:45am 8:35am 9:00am

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

7:00am 7:05am 7:55am 8:45am 9:10am 9:40am 10:10am 10:35am 11:40am 12:45pm 1:50pm 2:55pm 3:55pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm

7:05am 8:40am 10:40am 12:30pm 2:30pm 4:50pm 7:00pm

7:00am Don't Think Twice Turmoil strikes a New York improv troupe when one member leaves to star in a SNL-like TV show. 8:50am The Top Ten Show 2017 Which movies are doing the best business at home and across the pond? 9:05am Fist Fight 10:45am Sharing Christmas 12:20pm Smurfs: The Lost Village 1:55pm How to be a Latin Lover 3:55pm Don't Think Twice 5:30pm Final Recall 7:15pm Smurfs: The Lost Village 9:00pm Fist Fight 10:35pm Battle for Moscow 12:40am Final Recall 2:20am How to be a Latin Lover 4:20am Within

7:00am EFL Greatest Games 7:15am EFL Greatest Games 7:30am SPFL Greatest Games 7:45am SPFL Greatest Games 8:00am Carabao Cup Highlights 8:30am Football Countdowns 9:00am Revista de la Liga 9:30am La Liga World 10:00am Football 12:30pm One2eleven 12:45pm Revista de la Liga 1:15pm La Liga World 1:45pm Carabao Cup Highlights 2:15pm Revista de la Liga 2:45pm La Liga World 3:15pm Football 5:45pm The Story of Las Palmas 7:00pm The Dark Side of Football 8:00pm Carabao Cup Highlights 8:30pm Football 11:30pm The Dark Side of Football 12:30am One2eleven 12:45am One2eleven 1:00am Carabao Cup Highlights

10:00am 10:50am 11:20am 12:25pm 12:30pm 1:20pm 1:50pm 2:50pm 3:40pm 4:50pm 5:55pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:05pm 12:05am 12:35am 1:05am 1:35am

The Cube Britain's Got Talent Emmerdale All Star Family Fortunes The Ellen DeGeneres Show Mr. Bean Jack Frost FYI Daily Jack Frost Emmerdale You've Been Framed! The Ellen DeGeneres Show The Jeremy Kyle Show 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 The Hangover Part III FYI Daily The Hangover Part III Family Guy Family Guy Family Guy Family Guy

Judge Judy Coronation Street Coronation Street Heartbeat The Royal Judge Judy Judge Judy Judge Judy A Touch of Frost The Royal Heartbeat Coronation Street Coronation Street A Touch of Frost Heartbeat Murder, She Wrote Midsomer Murders Cilla The Guilty Agatha Christie's Marple 3:00am The Knock 3:55am The Knock 4:50am A Touch of Frost

10:00pm 11:00pm 11:05pm 12:05am 1:05am 1:10am 2:10am 3:10am 3:55am

Snooker v Darts The Chase The Chase Storage Wars Texas Storage Wars Texas Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Ironside Quincy, M.E. The Sweeney The Professionals Ironside Quincy, M.E. The Sweeney The Professionals Storage Wars Texas Storage Wars Texas Pawn Stars Pawn Stars The Chase Celebrity Special Rambo III FYI Daily Rambo III Crank 2: High Voltage FYI Daily Crank 2: High Voltage River Monsters Ax Men It's Not Rocket Science

Walking Tall Operation Chromite Mercury Plains Point Break The Legend of Zorro Batman X-Men Origins: Wolverine 9:00pm Point Break 11:00pm True Lies 1:25am Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

8:10am O Brother, Where Art Thou? 10:00am Hitch 12:05pm Runaway Bride 2:05pm Why Him? 4:05pm Mrs. Brown's Boys D'Movie 5:45pm Keanu 7:30pm Borat 9:00pm Why Him? 11:00pm T2: Trainspotting 1:00am Keanu 2:45am Mrs. Brown's Boys D'Movie 4:30am T2: Trainspotting

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14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa Blanca North

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

Which way to turn HOWEVER much the PP and PSOE fear Cs, they can’t coherently fail to back Arrimadas should she win enough votes and parliamentary seats on December 21. But the Cataluña en Comun-Podemos coalition between Ada Colau’s party and Pablo Iglesias’ party will be the deciders. Neither party knows which horse to back, although Colau only has to worry about Catalan voters who are anyway split 50-50 regarding separatism. At least she knows she will please half of them whichever way she swings. Iglesias has his party’s plummeting popularity to contend with and the power-hungry, popularity-seeking Podemos supremo knows that whether he supports a separatist or a constitutionalist party on December 22, somebody will be upset, either in Cataluña or in the rest of Spain.

Ines and the bride’s bouquet CRITICAL COALITION: Ada Colau and Pablo Iglesias.

www.euroweeklynews.com

CIUDADANOS (Cs) were the eternal bridesmaids and never the bride. Attractive and worth a second glance but never

the centre of atttention - until now. At the time of writing Cs would be the most-voted party ahead of the ERC secessionists if the December 21 regional elections were held today. What was founded in Cataluña as a regional civic association opposed to independence is now a national, constitutionalist party. In March 2016 it came within a hair’s breadth of helping the PSOE socialists and Pedro Sanchez to form a government, a nice little plan scuppered by Pablo Iglesias and the Podemos party. Come December 22, if Cs progress we shall see if the constitutionalist parties will put their money where their mouths are by backing a Cs government. Could be time for the bridesmaid to

catch the bride’s bouquet.

The president over the water CARLES PUIGDEMONT, erstwhile president of the Catalan region, stayed out of jail by decamping to Brussels shortly after declaring the Republic on October 27. If he wanted to remain in the public eye and Catalan hearts he would have done better to stay and accompany the Jordis, Oriol Junqueras and his former government in prison. Instead of cutting a romantic exiled figure, a sort of Catalan Bonny Prince Carles, Puigdemont is unromantic and an irritant inside and outside Cataluña.

Spare a thought THE six ex-consellers released from remand insisted as they exited prison, “We are thinking of Oriol, their remaining colleague Joaquim Forn and the Jordis.” No doubt. But above all they are thinking of themselves, home for Christmas, turkey, turron and cava.

FEATURE

He recently described the December 21 elections as the second round of the October 1 referendum-that-wasn’t or at the very least a plebiscite, neither of which is far from the truth. But Puigdemont and his latest party, Junts per Catalunya, can probably expect a result like Artur Mas’s in the 2015 regional elections. In other words, plebiscite, schlebiscite. Or, possibly, plebischite.

The very idea of it GABRIEL RUFIAN, MP for the ERC party in the national parliament in Madrid, claimed recently that the imprisoned Jordis, Oriol Junqueras and nowreleased government members reminded him of Galileo. Like the separatist politicians, he was punished for his ideas and obliged to declare that the earth was flat, Rufian maintained. In fact Galileo got into hot water because he insisted that the earth revolved round the sun, not the other way round. Rufian got his history wrong and he’s equally wrong about the Jordis, Junqueras and the Consellers. They were remanded for breaking the law and breaching the Constitution, not for their ideas. columnists@euroweeklynews.com

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MADDOCKS’ VIEW ON LIFE

YOUR STARS FOR NEXT 7 DAYS AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) When it comes to throwing wobblers, please don't. It is so important this week to stay cool and unruffled. Change nothing that you can avoid changing. Even having discussions about change can set your nerves jangling.

PISCES (February 20 - March 20)

‘ FORGET ROCKET TESTS AND SMOKING VOLCANOES, LET US GO THIS WAY AND ENJOY THE BEAUTIFUL FESTIVE LIGHTS OF MALAGA... ’

Trivia from around the world • THE world’s shortest international bridge is ‘El Marco’ in Badajoz, Extremadura, which links Spain to Portugal and is just 3.2 metres long. • There are more doner kebab eateries in Berlin which has 4,000 - than Istanbul according to tourism website Visit Berlin.

EL MARCO: Links Spain to Portugal. of the Earth every week. • Scotland makes an estimated €34 million in tourism a year due to the Loch Ness Monster myth, according to experts.

• The escalators in London’s underground travel two times the circumference

LOTTERY

IRISH LOTTO

Saturday December 09

DID YOU KNOW? The highest point in Belgium (694 metres) is lower than the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai (828 metres).

Tuesday December 05

Friday December 08

4 30

‘

Antiphrasis - uses a word with an opposite meaning - the Chihuahua was named Goliath.

Thursday December 07

Saturday December 09

LUCKY STARS

EL MILLON: TPH75102

3 11

JOKER: 6 681 262

REINTEGRO

JOKER: 2 933 861

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) Although you have the feeling that younger members of the family are not interested in your point of view, this is far off the mark. They, in their inexperience, may not know how best to approach you in this regard. Getting out family photos or starting a family tree with them can be both entertaining and fascinating.

The prospect of travel sets you thinking. Have you been spending too much time considering others? Should you take steps now to get time alone then these plans cannot be changed. This will save any discussions as to how or when.

CANCER (June 22 - July 23)

REINTEGRO

The importance of making the right choices is clear to you. Where to begin seems to be a sticking point. Starting by taking away the things you really do not want is essential. Be practical and logical. This is not a time for sentiment or muddled thinking. Although you will need patience in abundance as the week progresses, take one thing at a time.

Going over old ground is counter-productive. There is nothing to be gained from repeating methods that did not work in the past. If it is not possible to find a fresh approach then seek the opinions of others. You do not need experience of a situation to be able to come up with a useful idea. Staying in the same old rut has not served you in the past and will not do so now.

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) Getting together with others to entertain is sure to be successful after the 26th. Before that there may be some irritations, particularly with people who refuse to be positive and make decisions. Those moving house or going on a journey need a lot of patience, and forward planning is essential.

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) This is an important week for both your physical health and your mental well-being. Because of things beyond your control, you may have let your diet or exercise slip. Having sorted out any problems that side-tracked you, there is a need to be particularly strong.

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) This is a week to let yourself be heard. Be it writing letters, sending emails, making phone calls or making conversation, you must express yourself. Being honest and outspoken need not mean upsetting people. Think of the way that a child gets its point over.

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) Having problems with that new computer? Fallen foul of the new mobile phone? That wouldn't be surprising this week. As you are prone to mistakes and misunderstandings, try not to tackle anything vital. Be sure to get plenty of sleep and fresh air.

Sunday December 10

ARIES (March 21 - April 20)

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21)

EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA

World of English

BONUS BALL

Walt Disney, Cartoonist

LA PRIMITIVA

EURO MILLIONS

BONUS BALL

‘

All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”

• Russia has at least 13,000 uninhabited villages due to a fall in birth rates since the 1980s.

Saturday December 09

‘

Happiness is a choice. You can choose to be happy. There’s going to be stress in life, but it’s your choice whether you let it affect you or not.” Valerie Bertinelli, Actress

Famous quote

• San Marino, founded in 301 AD, is the world’s oldest republic.

UK NATIONAL LOTTERY

Women’s wit

This month, there is much to be celebrated. So much has happened in the latter part of the year. Certainly, congratulations are in order. When you have made such an effort and are rewarded for it, the satisfaction level is high. Be aware, though, that someone close also needs to feel that there is progress.

LEO (July 24 - August 23)

REINTEGRO

With the best will in the world it is only possible to spend money once. We are all guilty of trying to get over this truth, but it never works. Have patience when looking to improve your possessions. There are more pressing needs and these, in the long run, prove more satisfying.

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) You are in for a bit of a bumpy ride this week. Some things will go well but other outcomes can be quirky. People change their minds, technology doesn't work, phone calls don't come. Be assured, however, that if you keep your sense of the absurd it could all be quite amusing.

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Quick

Across 1 Supervisor set off to part of hospital (7) 5 Subject to constant cold (5) 8 Come to Korea, Chinese part (5) 9 American state or a Nazi atrocity? (7) 10 English paella is cooked with beer (4,3) 11 Trouble returns in pirates’ pub (5) 12 Give up work and go to bed (6) 14 Painful bid (6) 17 Virginia rented a personal assistant (5) 19 Bit of a stir on in garment pressing (7) 21 Plague cures go wrong (7) 22 Evade hotel boundary (5) 23 Treats dossiers, no sir (5) 24 Having funds that are liquid (7)

7 Idle talk about milliner (7) 12 Verse I’d composed is updated (7) 13 Rotters breaking glass vessels in the lab (7) 15 Contents of woodwind lessons diminish (7)

Code Breaker

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION FACING PAGE

16 Hoarders appearing in film is erstwhile (6) 18 Cats are kept in bullion safe (5) 20 Hotel customer speculated out loud (5) 22 Little Henry was perfectly healthy until the engineer left (3)

Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 12 represents P and 22 represents Z, so fill in P every time the figure 12 appears and Z every time the figure 22 appears. Now, using your knowledge of the English language, work out which letters should go in the missing squares. As you discover the letters, fill in other squares with the same number in the main grid and the control grid.

CROSSWORD PAGE

Cryptic

Down 1 Undress for Saturday outing (5) 2 Eastern apostle and French decoration (7) 3 Cinders has changed (3) 4 Doctor copies curtains (6) 5 Roman official melody about a bone (7) 6 Phosphorus is put on many bits of land (5)

TIME

SPONSORED BY

Across 1 Potato (4) 4 Feel physical pain (4) 6 See 15 7 Fail to hit (4) 8 Knocks softly (4) 9 Prosecute at law (3) 10 Have a desire for (4) 11 Move about aimlessly (4) 12 SI unit of electrical resistance (3) 13 South American country (4)

14 Slightly open (4) 15/6 Begin a trip (3,3) 16 Surrender (4) 17 Conceal (4) Down 2 Special benefit (9) 3 Cheap lodging accommodation (9) 4 Consequences of an event (9) 5 Random (9)

English - Spanish

Across 1 Gusto (sentido) (5) 4 Tornillo (en punta) (5) 10 Entrar (5) 11 Milagro (7) 12 Options (8) 13 Tazas (4) 15 El más seco (6) 17 Museo (6) 19 Tripulación (aeronáutica y náutica) (4) 20 Skating (8)

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

23 To chat (7) 24 Acontecimiento (5) 25 To hate (5) 26 To be (5) Down 2 Desván (5) 3 Tortuga (8) 5 Expensive (4) 6 Plug (electrical) (7) 7 Cuckoo clock (5,2,4) 8 Ámbar (5)

9 Thought (11) 14 Negocios (8) 16 Islandia (7) 18 Llevar (5) 21 Sand (5) 22 Dawn (4)

OUT

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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 (CANOPY) and one letter in four other cells are given as clues.

ABRUPT ADVENT ASSENT BESTOW BEYOND BLOUSE CANOPY (10) DAINTY DITHER GATHER HECTIC LETTER SPLASH SPREAD STOCKY SUNDRY THEORY TICKET TOILET

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION 1 Scythe 2 Serene 3 Teeing 4 Yearly 5 Garish 6 Petite 7 Sleigh 8 Truant 9 Snappy 10 Grudge 11 Grater 12 Inhere 13 Raised 14 Praise 15 Emerge 16 Retire 17 Elapse 18 Freest 19 Methyl

Nonagram

EWN

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.

Kakuro

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

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.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

TARGET: • Average: 23 • Good: 32

• Very good: 45 • Excellent: 59

TARGET:

SCORING:

• Average: 13 • Good: 18 • Very good: 25 • Excellent: 33

4 letters: 1 point 7 letters: 5 points 5 letters: 2 points 8 or more letters: 6 letters: 3 points 11 points LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION obese odes bode bodes bens bend bene benes bees been endue endues send sendup sendups seen seed dens dense dune dunes duns dues need nude nudes noes eons fund fusion fusions puns pups pion pions pips undo ones ions dude dudes done donee donees dons does dips spud spun spues squid quip quipu quipus quips quid dido

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION alit gait ghat gilt halt hilt lath lilt malt math milt path phat pita pith plat tail tall tamp till lathi light might plait alight plight lamplit LAMPLIGHT

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS

QUICK Across:

1 Recover, 7 Orchestra, 8 Cost, 9 Unit, 11 Primitive, 12 Replies.

CODE BREAKER

Down:

2 Excessive, 3 Obey, 4 Extensive, 5 Concept, 6 Partner, 10 Bill.

CRYPTIC

ENGLISH-SPANISH

Across:

1 Rosette, 5 Bails, 8 Lupin, 9 Agitate, 10 Ethos, 11 Align, 12 Force, 14 Pepsi, 19 Debut, 21 Ledge, 23 Interns, 24 Adieu, 25 Tense, 26 Senegal.

1 Pulsera, 5 Start, 8 Lobster, 9 Niece, 10 Spoon, 11 Iceland, 12 Anchoa, 14 Greedy, 17 Pasillo, 19 Sheep, 22 Ready, 23 Earlier, 24 Roads, 25 Showers.

Down:

1 Relish, 2 Supremo, 3 Tench, 4 Elapse, 5 Brigade, 6 Iraqi, 7 Steins, 13 Coterie, 15 Seeking, 16 Adrift, 17 Blasts, 18 Ritual, 20 Baton, 22 Drain.

1 Pills, 2 Libro, 3 Estanco, 4 Afraid, 5 Since, 6 Average, 7 Tuesday, 12 Aspirar, 13 Cascada, 15 Rosario, 16 Voters, 18 Leyes, 20 Exile, 21 Peras.

App of the week Rush In this rollercoaster ride game, players must rush through the ‘void’ while dodging endless obstacles. The game requires competitors to think quickly and tap to switch lanes in order to reach incredible speeds.

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BOOKS

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weather

Costa Blanca

TOMORROW

TODAY

TIME OUT

DENIA

JAVEA

CALPE

CALPE ALTEA

ALTEA

BENIDORM

ALICANTE

TORREVIEJA

Malaga

Almeria

Bilbao

TODAY: MAX 19, MIN 10-S

TODAY: MAX 17, MIN 10-S

TODAY: MAX 15, MIN 8-SH

Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed -

18 17 16 16 17 17

7-C 5-C 7-S 6-S 6 - Cl 7-S

19 16 16 16 16 16

Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed -

8 - Cl 7-S 8-S 8-S 8-S 9-S

Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed -

Madrid 9 10 11 12 13 13

6 - Sh 6 - Sh 4 - Sh 6 - Sh 6 - Cl 7-C

TODAY: MAX 11, MIN 7-C

Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed -

11 10 9 10 11 10

Benidorm

Mallorca

Barcelona

TODAY: MAX 20, MIN 10-S

TODAY: MAX 17, MIN 10-S

TODAY: MAX 16, MIN 9-C

20 17 16 16 17 17

S: Sun

8-C 6-S 6-S 7 - Cl 7-S 7-S

20 17 16 16 17 16

Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed Cl: Clear

8-C 7-S 7-S 8 - Cl 9-S 9-S

Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed -

17 14 14 15 15 15

C: Cloudy

7- Sh 5 - Sh 5-C 6-C 6-C 6-C

Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed -

16 13 12 13 13 13

DENIA JAVEA CALPE ALTEA BENIDORM

Alicante TODAY: MAX 20, MIN 11-S

Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed -

SATURDAY

0-C -3- Cl -2 - Cl -2 - C -2 - S -1 - S

4 - Sh 3-S 3-S 4-C 4-C 4-C

Sh: Showers

ALICANTE ORIHUELA TORREVIEJA

Sn: Snow

Th: Thunder

books@euroweeklynews.com

Sudoku LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

• Miranda Hart, TV Zara Larsson, Singer, actress, December 14, 45 December 16, 20 Hart became best-known for The Swede won her country’s starring in her own show, singing competition, Talang, at the age of 11 in 2008 and Miranda, before going on to star alongside Mellissa has gone on to have hit songs Pope Francis. McCarthy and Jason Lush Life and Never Forget Statham in 2015 hit film Spy. You. • Jesse Lingard, Footballer, December • Pope Francis, Religious Leader, December 17, 81 15, 25 Now a regular in the Manchester United The 266th Pope of the Catholic Church first-team, Lingard has been with the club was first ordained as a priest in 1969 and since 2011 and got his first England took over as Pope from Benedict XVI in March 2013. international call-up in November 2015.

• Brad Pitt, Actor, December 18, 54 Hollywood star Pitt has played lead roles in a number of films including Moneyball, Fight Club, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Inglorious Basterds, as well as featuring as Rust Ryan in the Ocean’s trilogy. • Richard Hammond, Presenter, December 19, 48 The Broadcast Journalist is best-known for presenting Top Gear alongside Jeremy Clarkson and James May before moving to present Amazon’s The Grand Tour with the same pair.

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.

Sierra Nevada SNOW REPORT THE recent storms have helped cover Sierra Nevada in snow, with most of the main slopes now being open. Clear skies expected for today (Thursday) but light snow and rain is forecast for tomorrow. Temperatures will struggle to stay above freezing with highs of 1 degree but clear skies for the weekend and the start of next week are forecast.

Word Ladder PLAN

SHIP BACK

Move from the start word (PLAN) 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.

PLAN PLAY SLAY SLAP SLIP SHIP

BIRTHDAYS

Euro Weekly News strives for accuracy, but cannot be held responsible for any errors in published forecasts

Solution PLAN CLAN CLAP CLIP CHIP SHIP or

WHEN a young actress is killed in a violent attack at a cinema screening, Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her team can’t decipher why the brutal murder has occurred. It is only when bestselling crime writer Blaine DeLano arrives at the precinct that the truth is suddenly revealed, someone is recreating the murder scenes from her latest series, book by book. With six more novels left in the series, Eve now knows how the killer will perform their next murder, but just why are these murders happening? Fiction soon turns into a bloody reality but luckily for Eve, her husband, Roarke, is a fan of DeLano’s series and is more than happy to work alongside his wife no matter how sinister things become.

ORIHUELA

This week in history

There’s always a reason for murder

1799 - George Washington dies American revolutionary leader and first president of the United States, George Washington dies of acute laryngitis at the age of 67. 1843 - Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is published Charles Dickens’ classic tale ‘A Christmas Carol’ is published for the first time. The tale was released after classics such as Oliver Twist in 1838 and Nicholas Nickelby in 1839. 1903 - First airplane flies Brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright make the first successful flight in history of a self-propelled aircraft near Kitty Hawk in North Carolina. 1911 - First explorer reaches South Pole Norwegian explorer, Roland Amundsen, beats British rival, Robert Falcon Scott, to become the first explorer to reach the South Pole. 1963 - Berlin Wall opens for first time More than two years after the Berlin Wall was constructed by East Germany, nearly 4,000 West Berlin residents are allowed to cross into East Berlin to visit relatives for the first time. 1979 - Stuntman Stan Barrett breaks sound barrier Stan Barrett, a Hollywood stuntman becomes the first man to travel faster than the speed of sound on land as he blasts across a Californian dry lakebed in a rocket and missile-powered car. 1984 . Britain agrees to return Hong Kong to China British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Chinese Premier Zhao Ziyang sign an agreement committing Britain to return Hong Kong to China in 1997. Hong Kong was leased to Great Britain by China for 99 years in 1898.

DVD

Return of an old friend

AFTER the Kingsman headquarters are destroyed by a psychotic drug lord, Poppy, the world is held hostage as she is determined to achieve world domination. The remaining members of Kingsman stumble upon new allies when they discover a secret spy organisation similar to their own in The United States known as Statesman. In an adventure that tests both sets of agents’ strength and wits to the limit, the two elite secret organisations must band together to defeat a ruthless common enemy, in order to save the world.

HEALTH BEAUTY

Costa Blanca North

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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

Advertising feature

Arms, buttocks and vertical leg lift at the forefront of post bariatric surgery ARMS, buttocks and vertical legs lift, another success from Royal Aesthetic Clinic in Albir, Alicante. Dr Martin Espinosa and his team performed on Thursday October 26 an arm lift, buttocks and vertical legs lift at the same operative act, under local anesthesia and sedation. The surgical team performed a post-bariatric multiple surgery to a Dutch patient with a large weight loss. She had flaccidity in her legs, buttocks and arms. Both GermanĂas Clinic in Valencia and The Royal Aesthetic Clinic in Alicante, have become a world reference in multiple, complex and post-bariatric surgeries. Many of our patients are foreigners and they travel specifically to our clinics to perform several surgeries in the same operative act receiving discharge in less than 24 hours. In the same month, Dr Martin performed an Endosleeve or Apollo. Obesity surgery or bariatric surgery are interventions to lose

ROYAL AESTHETIC: Dr Espinosa (centre) and his team are experts in the field of post-bariatric multiple surgery. weight. These techniques are alternatives to the POSE method, much less invasive and with long-term results. It is performed by endoscopy without any incisions or scars and under sedation. Its function is to reduce the gastric surface

with permanent sutures. It is equivalent to the gastric tube or gastric sleeve, but by endoscopy. The patient, an American national and resident of Greece, contacted the Clinic that has become a world reference of these techniques. (Apollo or Endosleeve). After surgery, the pa-

tient was discharged in less than 24 hours. The result has been satisfactory and very improved, losing between seven and 8kg in two weeks, eating well and physical exercise. They have helped him reach his goals. See their advert below.

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No tantrums this Christmas Having grandchildren to stay this Christmas? Christmas meal. The experts explain children aged around four are starting to develop a sense of independence and will often have strong opinions about which foods they like and dislike. They say, “rather than viewing children as non-compliant, we can recognise this show of independence at mealtimes as completely appropriate for their age,” instead focusing energy on making sure children eat more of the healthy foods they do like rather than insisting on more bites of something they don’t.

Ask The Doctor

Kathryn and Jess explain research shows the most effective way of encouraging children to eat foods they might dislike - such as vegetables - is to expose them to the food every day, offer non-food rewards (like stickers) for trying something new, and eating the same foods alongside them. Finally, they also suggest asking a child for their input before going food shopping or preparing a meal, giving them a small amount of control over their preferences without changing your whole meal to suit them.

Brought to you by

Dealing with a frozen shoulder

Credit: Unsplash

IF you are having young children at your home over the festive period, there’s a good chance there will be something on the menu they won’t like. Whether it’s vegetables, soups or seafood, children can often be picky eaters. But rather than creating a whole new menu for your younger guests, why not follow expert advice and encourage children to eat the same foods as you? Nutrition professors Kathryn Walton and Jess Haines have spoken to one publication sharing their tops tips for a harmonious

HEALTH & BEAUTY

SPECIALIST: Doctor Luis Perez Belmonte.

GOOD GRUB: Encouraging children to eat the same food as you may help them eat healthier.

What is frozen shoulder? Frozen shoulder is a condition in which the muscles and ligaments of the shoulder hurt and lose movement due to inflammation. What can cause it? The capsule of the shoulder joint has ligaments attaching the shoulder bones to each other. When inflammation of the capsule occurs, these bones are unable to move freely in the joint. Most of the time, there is no cause for inflammation. Risk factors include: diabetes, thyroid disorders, menopause, previous shoulder injury, previous shoulder surgery, cervical disc disease, etc. What is the best course of treatment to follow? Treatment should be started with anti-inflammatories and painkillers, along with applying heat to the affected area. If this is not enough, injections can be done to reduce the symptoms. Physical therapy often improves stiffness and

pain. In certain cases, surgery is necessary. How long does recovery take? The recovery can last several months, often requiring treatment with pills, injections and rehabilitation for a long time. What are some general tips for muscle injuries? When any type of injury occurs in which joints such as the shoulder are affected due to the injury of the surrounding muscles and tendons, it is necessary to visit a specialist in the human musculoskeletal system as well as consulting with a physiotherapist. Adequate and timely treatment can often prevent complications such as full limb stiffness, which limits mobility, as well as avoiding more aggressive treatments. Physical therapy is one of the most important elements in this disease since the strengthening of the shoulder joint helps a prompt and successful recovery.

If you have any questions for Dr Perez Belmonte, please send them to: jefemedico@helicopterossanitarios.com

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Food fads for 2018

HEALTH & BEAUTY

FEEL-GOOD FUNGI: Chaga mushroom can be used to make therapeutic tea.

Mintel, said, “traditionally known as a medicinal mushroom, chaga mushrooms are touted as being rich sources of betaglucans, antioxidants and certain B vitamins.” Meanwhile, “green bananas are simply unripened yellow bananas, however, from a nutritional perspective, they are very different. Green banana flour is gluten-free and rich in resistant starch, as a result it is emerging as a fibre-rich, clean label, grain-free flour.” Emma went on, “hemp seeds have been ignored for a long time, but the ingredient is said to contain a complete set of amino acids and a similar total protein content to soybean, it also contains micronutrients such as vitamin E and omega acids. “Lastly, spirulina - a blue algae - is shown to lower cholesterol and blood pressure, detox heavy metals, and aid weight loss.” So why not stay ahead of the curve and add some new ingredients to your cooking in 2018?

EXPERTS have announced the hot new ingredients to grace our shelves next year. According to Mintel there are four key ingredients that are expected to excel in 2018: chaga mushroom, green banana flour, hemp and blue algae. And the company says 21 per cent of Spanish consumers enjoy experimenting with ingredients. It seems consumer interest in ingredients with natural functionality is high and as a result, the chaga mushroom is receiving renewed interest. As many as 73 per cent of German consumers agree that the health promoting benefits of natural foods such as fruit and vegetables are preferable to the added benefits of functional foods. Meanwhile, 48 per cent of Spanish consumers have used a functional food or drink product containing antioxidants. Speaking about these fashionable new ingredients, Emma Schofield, Global Food Science Analyst at

Feeling hoarse? IF you are prone to a sore throat you will be more than aware winter can make symptoms worse than normal. No one likes losing their voice or being in pain, especially over Christmas. Thankfully, one publication has spoken to an ear, nose and throat expert to get the best tips on treating the complaint. Alasdair Mace, a consultant at Charing Cross and St Mary’s Hospitals in London, explained, “95 per cent of sore throats are viral, and don’t respond to antibiotics, but the good news is that they will usually get better within a few days, or a week,” adding, “you can often tell by looking at the back of your throat using a torch and a mirror. If it’s very red and swollen, it’s most likely a virus.” Mr Mace said, “any sign of yellow gunk or white spots indicates a bacterial infection. Those white spots are colonies of bacteria, just like the ones that are grown in petri dish in laboratories.”

SORE SPOT: There are many precautions you can take to keep your throat healthy. The expert adds, “in both cases, it is important to stay hydrated as mucus and saliva help protect the throat,” explaining, “a humidifier will help counteract the drying effect of central heating, or simply drape a damp towel over a radiator, it will have the same effect.” Mr Mace concludes the best ways to treat the ailment at

home are eating vitamin C rich foods like oranges, gargling with salt water to loosen mucus and drinking tea to sooth your throat. Mr Mace recommends avoiding alcoholic drinks like hot toddies as these will dehydrate you, as well as smoking or speaking too much. Finally, he says it is important to avoid aspirin as this can lower your immune response.

HEALTH & BEAUTY

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14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa Blanca North

Load up the medicine cabinet A PHARMACIST has revealed the six over-the-counter medicines you need to survive winter. Rita Ghelani of Netdoctor has explained the best remedies for common complaints including indigestion and diarrhoea, hangovers, and heartburn. The expert recommends keeping anti-diarrhoea medicine in your cabinet in case food poisoning or an upset stomach strikes over the festive period. Rita also suggests stocking rehydration tablets to restore your body’s hydration, salt and sugar levels after your illness. If you suffer from indigestion after a heavy Christmas meal, she recommends antacid tablets. If these do not cure your heartburn though, Rita says you should ask your pharmacist for a specific medication to reduce the production of acid in your stomach. She adds aspirin or paracetamol will help reduce any pain associated with the conditions. For common colds and the flu, the pharmacist says you should use non-prescription medicines combining a painkiller and decongestant as these will help relive high temperatures and a runny nose. Rita also recommends using steam inhalation and a HAPPY PILLS: Make sure your medicine cabinet is stocked up this winter.

The wide awake club

IT’S a lonely place to be. However, new research from Mintel reveals that bleary-eyed Brits are not alone, as today half (50 per cent) of all Brits say they typically struggle to sleep. Failing to hit the seven-hour mark, the minimum sleep time recommended for adults, the average Brit says they sleep for just six hours and 51 minutes per day. Overall, some four in 10 (39 per cent) adults are failing to achieve seven hours of sleep per night, with one in 20 (5 per cent) getting by on four hours or less. Under a quarter (23 per cent) of Brits enjoy eight hours sleep and just 9 per cent indulge in nine hours or more. Meanwhile, it seems the average daily hours of sleep consumers get reduces with age, falling from seven hours and 23 minutes among 16-24-year-olds to six hours and 34 minutes among the 45-54 age group. While 81 per cent of adults agree that getting enough sleep is as important as fol-

lowing a healthy lifestyle, a desperate 47 per cent of adults say they ‘would try anything’ to improve their sleep quality, while only 46 per cent say they feel well rested when they wake up. Noise is the number one source of sleep interruption, as 59 per cent of Brits say that too much noise makes it hard for them to fall asleep. A further 57 per cent feel too much light causes difficulty with sleeping. Meanwhile, technology is also an issue as 34 per cent of Brits admit that using technology before they go to bed means they often have trouble falling asleep. So if you’re struggling to get enough sleep, it might be worth ditching the tablet or phone before bed, lowering your lighting and investing in some ear plugs.

Tossing and turning night after night?

DEEP SLUMBER: Are you getting enough sleep?

eucalyptus-based oil to decongest your airways. Simply add a few drops of your preferred oil to a bowl of hot water, place a towel over your head and lean over the bowl. For hangovers - a staple of the Christmas party season - she suggests taking soluble vitamin tablets including vitamin B to increase energy

levels, paracetamol to reduce pain and milk thistle, which may help restore liver function. Finally, Rita recommends keeping a first aid kit in your medicine cabinet in case of burns or cuts over the festive period as well as stocking up on any prescription medication before pharmacies close over Christmas.

E W N Costa Blanca North

Update on food, drink, entertainments, what’s on and weekly happenings Photo credit: Villajoyosa town hall

TOUCHABLE: 3D printer copies bring exhibits closer.

Seeing (and touching) is believing VILAMUSEU in Villajoyosa now has exhibits that can be handled thanks to 3D printing. Replicas have been made of some of the museum’s most relevant pieces so that they can be appreciated by all visitors to the museum, including the visually impaired. All the reproduced exhibits have a finish created by the museum’s restoration laboratory to make them feel very similar to the original, explained the museum’s director

Antonio Espinosa. This finish also reproduces the colours with as much contrast as possible, enabling them to be seen by those with some degree of vision loss. As 3D printing permits reproductions in any size, small exhibits can be made larger, so that visitors may examine them in detail. This was the case with Vilamuseu’s autumn-winter star exhibit, the small Phoenician Devil’s Mask that has been made 12

SCENE

OCIAL

No piping down for Carlos CARLOS NUÑEZ, a Galician gaitero (bagpiper) performed recently in Alicante City. He was accompanied by the young Basque accordionist Itsaso Elizagoyen and Kiana June Weber, an American who plays the Celtic fiddle. “I play an instrument from the place where I was born,” the piper told a Spanish interviewer before the concert. He took audiences on a journey in time, exploring sounds from 2,000 years ago, together with mediaeval, Celtic and modern music, he explained. Described in the US as “the Jimi Hendrix of the bagpipes” Nuñez has also appeared with Bob Dylan, AC/DC, The Who, Lou Reed and Montserrat Caballe. Celtic music has always been present, adapting itself to changing fashions, the musician continued, comparing himself to a rock musician who plays the music of his time with his Fender Stratocaster. “My bagpipes can reach 103 decibels and at my last concert in Switzerland, where I was the opening act for AC/DC, the maximum volume was set at 100,” Nuñez said.

times larger in its 3D version. Better still, the museum explained, pieces that can only be displayed in showcases may now be seen in close-up without harming the original. Eight 3D pieces will be incorporated this month, including two Egyptian-style amulets excavated with the Devil’s Mask, two Iberian drinking cups and a lead ingot from the Bou Ferrer, the Roman galley that sank off Villajoyosa between 64 and 68AD. de Vig o

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Ph oto cre dit : Ja vie rS ala s/T uri sm o

CARLOS NUÑEZ: ‘Jimi Hendrix of the bagpipes.’

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Photo credit: Generalitat Valenciana

SOCIAL SCENE

TURRON TOUR: Regional president Ximo Puig at Jijona’s Christmas Fair.

That’s a rum idea VISITING Jijona’s Christmas Fair, Generalitat president Ximo Puig described the town as “homeland of turron.” Puig toured the 100 stalls, accompanied by the Speaker of the regional parliament, Les Corts, Enric Morera and Jijona’s mayor Isabel Lopez. This is the ninth year that the Fair has been held in Jijona’s Old Quarter but although the DO-protected soft turron is, as Puig said “at the heart of Christmas,” manufacturers want to turn the local product into more than a seasonal sweetmeat.

BACCHUS CELLAR

With this in mind, Turum, a turronflavoured gin, was available at the Fair, so far its only outlet. Created by Santi Gomez from Jijona, who won this year ’s World Cocktail Championship, this gives a sweeter taste to the gin and can be mixed with tonic water and honey or an emulsion of water, sugar, cinnamon and lemon peel. “This gin is the only one of its kind in the world and quite a few people are interested in marketing it,” said Santi’s sister, Laura Gomez.

Sparkling success

by Lorenzo Barbareschi CONTINUING in the festive mood, Prosecco is an Italian white wine named after a village near Trieste and produced in the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions. First mention of the name is attributed to the British explorer Fynes Moryson, when he visited Italy in 1593. The most popular Prosecco is spumante (sparkling), but there is also frizzante (semi-sparkling), and the rarely exported tranquillo (still). Depending on sweetness, Proseccos are labelled Brut, Extra Dry or Dry. Prosecco is made from Glera grapes, but up to 15 per cent of other grapes may be included, including Verdiso, Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir. The bulk of

PROSECCO: An aperitif. Prosecco DOC is grown on low-lying plains, while the higher quality Conegliano Valdobbiadene Superiore DOCG is produced exclusively in a small area on hillside vineyards. Growing in popularity over the last 40 years, Prosecco exports have been increasing by double-digit percentages since 1998. Approximately 150 million bottles are produced annually, with the UK the biggest importer consuming 25 per cent of all production.

Unlike Champagne, Prosecco is produced using the Charmat-Martinotti method, in which the secondary fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks instead of in the bottle Served chilled it should be drunk preferably within three years of its vintage, with only exceptional quality bottles aged longer. Meant to taste fresh and light, its aromatic and crisp flavour brings apple, pear, peach and apricot to mind. Prosecco is usually drunk as an aperitif, but Brut can be paired with Parma, mild cheeses, sushi, seafood and dim sum, while the extra dry goes well with Panettone, sponge cakes, macaroons, mousses and parfaits. It can also be used in cocktails including Bellini plus Spritz, and substitute Champagne in the Mimosa. Cin cin and happy tasting!

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Photo credit Royal Russian Ballet

SOCIAL SCENE

ONE BY ONE: The beautiful Odette surrounded by the other swans.

Tickets still available TICKETS are still available to see the Royal Russian Ballet perform Swan Lake at Benidorm Palace this Sunday. A romantic setting, magnificent choreography and an unforgettable fairy-tale story of doomed love combine to make Swan Lake the ultimate classical ballet, acclaimed by audiences worldwide. At a secluded lake near the royal palace, Prince Siegfried discovers Odette, a beautiful girl transformed into a swan by the evil sorcerer Von Rothbart. The spell can only be broken

when a man pledges his eternal love and Siegfried, instantly enraptured vows to release Odette from her captivity. However, at the prince’s birthday ball, Von Rothbart tricks Siegfried into swearing his love for the sorcerer’s daughter Odile, disguised as the mirror-image of Odette. Too late, the prince sees a vision of his real beloved; though he rushes to find Odette by the lakeside, he knows that only the lovers’ death can lift the curse and unite them for all time. The virtuous double role of

Odette/Odile, Tchaikovsky’s powerful score and one of the greatest pas de deux in the whole ballet repertoire all unite to make Swan Lake an unmissable experience. With over 40 dancers on stage, this sumptuous production by the Royal Russian Ballet captures all the beauty and drama of the ultimate romantic ballet, a timeless classic that appeals to any generation. Tickets are priced from €25 and are available via the Benidorm Palace Box Office on 965 851 660.

Something new each year

ways unique,” he added. The Nativity Scene can be visited in the municipal li-

All around

Christmas in Valencia

FOUR pictures giving a panoramic view of Altea’s Church Square are now on show at the town hall. They were painted by art students from Altea’s Miguel Hernandez University Campus during the Schools in Valenciano Meeting held to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Town Charter last May.

THE City of Arts and Sciences is not only an architectural and cultural icon for the city of Valencia, but also aims to become a focal point for social events, with a programme of Christmas activities for all the family. Visitors can browse the large Christmas market, indulge their appetite at the various food stalls, enjoy musical performances hosted by Pep ‘El Boti-

Photo credit: Altea town hall

THE traditional Nativity Scene at the Casa de Cultura in Altea will be bigger than in previous years. As it is each Christmas, the Belen has been created by the Asociacion Belenistes Marina Baixa and as usual it has been set up in the main room of the municipal library. “The Belen is installed in Altea’s most-visited building which is also easy to locate and access,” said Culture councillor Diego Zaragozi. “Although we say this every year, it’s undeniable that the Asociacion de Belenistas do something new each time and the Belen is al-

NATIVITY SCENE: On display at Altea’s municipal library. brary from Monday to Friday between 10am-2pm and 5pm8pm.

farra’ Gimeno, and much more. Children’s activities include songs, games, puppet shows and piñatas, as well as the sending of letters to Father Christmas and the Three Kings. All this and more will be waiting for you at Paseo de Arbotantes on L’Umbracle, opening tomorrow until Sunday January 8 each day from 11.30am 9.30pm.

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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

Selling like hot cakes A NEW report on the state of Spain’s residential real estate sector has underlined some interesting findings. The Euroval Real Estate Situation Report takes into account full data from the first half of 2017. Among the highlights are a substantial increase in the number of sales. They shot up by 20 per cent in the 2016-17 period, compared to 10 per cent from 2014-15. The community with the largest number of sales was Andalucia, which accounted for 18 per cent of all transactions in Spain. But adjusted for population, Madrid saw the highest number,

HOUSE prices in Spain have risen by 2 per cent on last year, according to the Association of Spanish Notaries’ figures for the last 12 months since September. The same statistics show impressive growth in residential property sales, which are up 9 per cent. Though new build sales fell

with 81 sales per 1,000 inhabitants, compared to 72 in Valencia and just two per 1,000 in the Balearics. From January to June this year just one in 10 homes sold was a new build. That trend is expected to change by 2020 but second- hand homes dominate today’s market. Total real estate activity is 30 per cent lower today than it was in 2007 when the market peaked before the crisis. But many experts doubt whether reaching such highs again would be desirable, nevermind attainable, and consider today’s situation to be more sustainable.

HOT CAKES: Spanish real estate is thriving.

Encouragement for the housing market by 2 per cent, apartment sales went up by 8 per cent, while detached home sales saw an annual increase of 12 per cent, according to the analysis. The six most watched house price indices in Spain

are all indicating that the market has recovered. The Assocation of Spanish Registrars showed the strongest growth, of 7 per cent in the third quarter, while Notaires projected the lowest growth - of 2 per

cent in September. However, according to a report from property portal Idealista, some house prices are still lagging far below their peaks before the economic downturn nearly a decade ago.

Malaga prices are 26 per cent below their peak, while in Barcelona prices are down 8 per cent and in Madrid down 20 per cent. In provincial capitals such as Lleida, Zaragoza and Castellón, prices are still

over 50 per cent down. Meanwhile, new homes are continuing to be built, with the total expected to reach 75,000 this year, a 15 per cent increase on 2016, according to consultants DBK Informa.

14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa Blanca North

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HOMES & GARDENS GRAEME TYRRELL WINTER pruning time is here. Pruning is an essential part of any healthy garden. It is necessary to remove damaged and dried out branches, restrict plants to fit into the garden design space, promote flowers and fruits of better quality, and to shape the plant to look better. Now is the time to prune most deciduous trees that require improvement. The first key to good pruning is understanding the basics of plant growth to cut in the right place at the right angle at the right time to improve recovery of the plant from the wound. The second is ensuring the right tools for the job are sharp and effective to give a clean cut. Thirdly, as a rule of thumb, only prune a third of the plantâ€™s height and width in a year to allow it to recover before removing any more. If you need to prune more than a third of a plant in a year your plant is probably in the wrong place. There are different types of pruning methods and tools to

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Winter pruning to cut a branch first well away from the join to the trunk to remove the weight and make the final precise cut with only the stub to be removed. In a garden with a variety of plants and trees, pruning can be a year round activity. Autumn is the time to restrict pruning to damaged and dead branches for mature trees as it is a time of fungal growth and insect activity that can infect trees. Most deciduous trees are pruned in winter when the plants are dormant in order to

establish a good framework of branches while visible and encourage stronger growth in the remaining branches to produce better flowering and, for fruiting trees, premium quality fruit. Spring pruning is normally undertaken for winter and spring flowering plants to remove flower stems and reshape the plant to encourage the next flowering season. Summer pruning is mostly removal of die back branches and overgrowth that may be taking over the allotted space to the detriment of other plants, paths or proximity to buildings and utilities, this includes hedges and topiary features. Take care when pruning.

ESSENTIAL GARDENING: Safe pruning with a sharp tool. suit the way you tackle the maintenance of your plants. Trees need specialist care when mature to ensure their longevity, shape and purpose with correct pruning cuts. Densely branched shrubs and hedges need skill but generally have smaller, thinner branches that allows shearing off multiple branches with

minimal damage to the plant if pruning is done regularly. Sparsely branched shrubs, such as roses, need more care and skill in pruning to encourage a good framework and promotion of flowers. The main point to pruning cuts is to make the cut just above a bud or branch with minimal waste wood after the

joint. This is to prevent die back which promotes insect and fungal entry. Avoid damaging the remaining bud or lateral branch including the branch collar, which is the swelling on the branch around the joint, by allowing a small space of clearance above the joint. On large limbs it is easiest

PERMACULTURE EDUCATION SUSTAINABLE DESIGN Telephone: 666 33 33 35 info@permamed.org http://permamed.org/

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ONCE you have chosen your method of training, you then have to decide if you want to attend group classes or if you want to train your dog in private. I recommend group classes to enable your pet to socialise with other people and dogs. Group training usually consists of a group of dogs, all roughly the same age, all learning the same basic commands at the same time. Make sure the class you choose is appropriate for your puppy’s skill level, as well as his age. A good group class will have no more than 10 dogs in it; an instructor

FURRY FRIENDS: Group training classes are a great way to help your dog socialise. familiar with all breeds of dogs; teaching more than just the basic commands and knowledge of behav-

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Early holiday bookings secure great deals, for pet care also! WHILE it’s not always possible to take your pets with you on holiday you can make sure they are kept comfortable, safe and secure, their daily routines intact. How? Join our HouseSitMatch network and we can help. Doubtless you’ll want to secure the best possible holiday deals for flights and hotels early and before the big rush in January. But don’t forget to get organised now with pet care for your pet’s holiday at home. We at HouseSitMatch.com are already helping home and pet owners meet experienced house-sitters and petsitters for summer and winter holidays in 2018. We can help. Most experienced pet-

PET CARE: Get organised if you are going on holiday. sitters like to be organised too with plans firming up a few months in advance. So why not register with us today as a Homeowner. Annual membership starts at only £35 per year and for that we can help you find suitable background checked sitters to come and care for

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your puppy. If there are children in your home, having them attend the classes is also important.

If there are no classes in your area, or none that you find suitable, private training is another option. It is individualised to suit your needs. Private training is also good for dogs that have behavioural issues such as aggression towards strangers or other dogs. However your trainer will want you to attend a training club which has dog socialisation. Whether you are looking for private training or group classes, ensure the trainer teaches you how to teach your dog. Another sign of a good trainer is that he/she has the ability to acknowledge that some situations are beyond his/her knowledge, and tells you as such. Inappropriate training techniques can lead to bigger problems. Unfortunately there are a number of people who call themselves trainers who really are fakes. Do not be impressed by trainers that tell you they are members of this or that, it all means nothing. Safest bet is to go to a school that has been established and known for years.

How smart is your pet? DOGS are much more intelligent than cats, according to a new study in the scientific journal ‘Frontiers in Neuroanatomy.’ Dogs apparently have 530 million cortical neurons, the brain cells which are linked to intelligence, while cats only have 250 million. One of the scientists who conducted the study, Dr Suzana Herculano-Houzel, developed the method used to accurately determine the number of neurons in different brains and used it to discern how smart some animals actually are. She revealed the research suggests that dogs are able to process more complicated thought procedures and live a more varied, flexible life than cats. The study also looked at a wide range of animals such as lions, hyenas, mongooses and bears. It was assumed that meateating mammals would have more cortical neurons compared to plant-eating mammals with the same sized brain, as hunting requires more intelli-

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Jaguar I-Pace set for 2018 THE brand new Jaguar I-Pace, Jaguar’s first electric car, is set to make its debut at next year’s Geneva Motor Show. Jaguar’s newest SUV will star at the Swiss show next year, which begins on Thursday, March 8, and is expected to go straight on sale in the UK. The British car giants claim that the I-Pace Concept’s high tech Lithium Ion battery will offer approximately 310 miles on a single charge. It will also be able to go from 0-60mph in under 4.0 seconds, with 700Nm of instant torque available and when the battery runs out of juice, it can reportedly achieve 80 per cent charge in just 90 minutes. The five seater has two electric motors that produce 400ps of power to deliver high performance ‘All Wheel Drive,’ capable of driving in any conditions. Inside the car, a floating

centre console combines with a panoramic roof to create a spacious, practical interior with enough legroom to comfortably seat five adults. Aiming to steal the thunder of the Tesla Model X, Jaguar have created a dynamic electric SUV with both heritage and dynamism, more than equipped to rival the Model X. First customer cars are expected by the summer of 2018.

NUMBER ONE: The I-Pace will be Jaguar’s first electric car.

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MOTORING

ROAD TEST by Nick Fletcher

Fiat 124 Spider FIAT’S 124 Spider is a charismatic two-seater convertible sports car, with quick performance and agile handling, but is a relatively rare sight compared with its big-selling main competitor, the legendary Mazda MX-5. Yet people may be surprised to learn that beneath its smart Italian suit, the Fiat Spider is built on an MX-5 platform! Fiat has cleverly redesigned all the bodywork to give the Spider its own distinctive 1960’s retrostyle look and personality, tweaked the suspension and steering and added its own 140 hp 1.4 litre turbo-petrol engine. Prices start at €23,992 (£21,050) though my test model was the flagship Lusso Plus version, priced at €28,556 (£25,050). It is very well equipped, including alloy wheels, heated leather seats,

upgraded BOSE sound system, auto lights and wipers, auto climate control, infotainment touchscreen, Bluetooth, sat-nav, connectivity, push-button start, LED headlights and rear-view camera. The cabin, like most small sports cars, has room for two adults but minimal stowage space, not even any door-pockets. There is a useful lockable box behind the front seats and a 140-litre boot, just big enough for two squashy bags. The fabric hood is manually operated (it can be done with one hand) and there are two rollover hoops for additional safety.

Top speed is 215 kph (134 mph), the 0-100 kph time a quick 7.5 seconds. Yet despite such zesty performance, fuel economy is very good at 15.6 kpl (44.1 mpg). The responsive acceleration, precise steering, slick gearshifts and well-set suspension deliver a terrific driving experience, zippy, grippy and agile - just what you want from a sports car. The car feels part of you as you push it into corners, composed and assured, and the ride quality is still comfortable despite the stiffer suspension. The Fiat 124 Spider is a headturning car you can live with as daily transport if you always travel light, though I suspect many buyers will probably have the Spider as a second car or as a weekend funster, and in those roles it is absolutely perfect.

Model tested was UK-specification and equipment levels and prices may vary in other markets.

14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa Blanca North

MANCHESTER CITY and England defender Kyle Walker faces his former club Spurs in the Premier League at the weekend, booting: The club are in my heart. “Spurs gave me my Premier League opportunity and believed in me. The club is in my heart after being there eight years,” said Walker. “I thought about what I wanted to do with my career and I wanted something new,” said Walker, who moved to The Etihad in a £45 million deal. Walker, who began his career at Sheffield United a decade ago, during a time when he was shipped out on loan to Northampton, left Spurs to join City in the sum-

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Spur a thought for Kyle UKSPORTSCENE with Andrew Atkinson mer. “Going to City was the right step, working with manager Pep Guardiola. It’s a good move for me and, hopefully, England too,” said Walker. Walker, capped 32 times, hoping to be named in England’s 23-man 2018 World Cup squad, said: “The main objective at the end of the sea-

son is to be at a World Cup.” Spurs have dipped in the Premier League and gaffer Mauricio Pochettino says it is possible players have too much confidence after beating Real Madrid in the Champions League in November. “It was a massive statement beating Real Madrid, but it is important we don’t get carried away,” said Spurs midfielder

Dele Alli. Fernando Llorente, who joined Spurs in August, has struggled to score in the Premier League, having netted 433 career goals at Basconia, Bilbao Athletic, Athletic Bilbao, Juventus, Sevilla and Swansea. Spanish international striker Llorente, 32, in Spain’s 2010 World Cup winners squad, sustained a broken arm ahead of pre-season. “It’s so difficult to arrive in a club without pre-season and perform the way that you want. But I am happy with his contribution. “He is disappointed when he plays and doesn’t score, but I am sure he is going to help the team,” said Pochettino. Spurs will be without suspended Davinson Sanchez, red-carded against Watford, missing Premier League games against Stoke, Brighton and Manchester City.

Monkey business away from Gnome H’ANGUS the Monkey is a legendary tale that Brian Clough carried on his back at Hartlepool United during 1965-67 while in charge of the The Monkey Hangers. Clough, who died of stomach cancer in 2004, aged 69, and assistant Peter Taylor were sacked by the chairman in 1966. A boardroom coup saw them reinstated. The Hartlepool monkeyhanging legend emerged during the Napoleonic Wars, after a French ship was shipwrecked, at a time of fear of a French invasion of Britain French infiltrators - and spies. Amongst the wreckage lay one survivor - the ship’s pet

GNOME: Offensive weapon.

SPORT

monkey - dressed to amuse in a military-style uniform. A Preston North End fan was arrested in the mid-90’s during a game at Hartlepool for being in possession of an offensive weapon - a GNOME! The fan and the gnome were on the terraces, when an eagle-eyed policeman copped it, and duly arrested them. Both received a caution.

SPORT

14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa Blanca North

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CHAMPIONS: The Gold Category winners.

Big turnout for last visit FOR the society’s last visit of 2017, almost 50 players and guests turned up on a cold and overcast morning. Maybe it was for these reasons that the scoring was low, it could not have been the course as it was playing short and fast especially the greens with more break than appeared. Results: NTP’s Hole 4 S Hill, hole 6 C Kirkby, hole 10 NADA, hole 15 J Hettrick, hole 17 M O’Regan. The €40 contained in the two’s pot was shared between S Hill, M Kennedy, M O’Regan, G Cromm and D Sullivan.

This week’s best guest was German H Schwenker with 32 pts. On L/H Bronze cat: 3rd A Skinner 28 pts. 2nd G Chapman 29 pts. 1st J Hillier 32 pts. Silver cat: 3rd A Rickers 32 pts. L/H 2nd J Daroszewski 35 pts. 1st L Jernberg 37 pts. Gold cat: 3rd J Dean 30 pts. L/H, 2nd C Oatley 35 pts. 1st G Cromm 36 pts. Next week, the society celebrates Christmas at La Marquesa with a four ball Texas scramble, followed by lunch in the clubhouse restaurant. Follow all of TMGS’s activities by logging onto ww.tmgs.org or at www.facebook.com/TMGSGOLF.

Draw keeps Javea Green Winter League top of the table RAINED off from the Wednesday, the much anticipated match between neighbouring clubs Javea and BBC was postponed until the Friday afternoon. Played in almost unbearably cold conditions, the match was nip and tuck apart from one rink skipped by Nick Cole who struggled from the onset. Derek Eldon’s team had a comfortable win of 27-16, Alan Phillips’s team won 2416 and Chris Evans’ team were two up on the board going into the last end when the opposing skip played a good wood to win the end by two shots, thus making it a draw. Amazingly the shot difference at the end of the game was 96-96 which denied Javea the extra two points and the game ended 6-6. Javea are still sitting at the top of the league table but have a really tough match against third in the table San Luis on Wednesday. Excellent win by the Berleen 13-11

moved them up to third place in the table with a match in hand. Javea’s Northern league Onyx team lost 6-4 to BBC

Jaguars but still maintain their third place league spot with a game in hand. Elsewhere, Opals lost 8-2 to Calpe and Quartz lost 8-2 to Finca Guila.

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SPAIN narrowly missed out on the World Rugby Sevens Challenge Trophy as they lost 26-7 to Australia at the Cape Town Sevens. The result leaves Spain in 10th place in the Men’s World Series standings.

TO READ MORE

Costa Blanca’s best guide to local sport

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Spain star Morata feeling the cold Chelsea Blues SPAIN and Chelsea star Álvaro Morata will take a stroll home at the weekend after the Blues Premier League fixture against Southampton at Stamford Bridge. “If we win the game, I take a beer while walking home,” said Chelsea’s record €65 million signing Morata. “I put a hat on - it’s colder there - and walk home,” said Madrid-born Morata, who penned a five year deal in a move from Real Madrid in July. “The sun does come out just for half an hour - and then goes away,” quipped Morata,

Spain Europe Global World of SPORT with Andrew Atkinson

25, set to be named in Spain’s 2018 World Cup squad by Julen Lopetegui. Morata, capped 50 times for Spain at youth level, a member of the squad that won the 2013 European Under-21 Championship, made his senior debut in 2014. Morata began his career at Real Madrid, winning the 2014 Champions League, prior to joining Juventus in a €20 million transfer in 2014, where he won the domestic double of Serie A and Coppa Italia. A €30 million return to Real in 2016 saw Morata win another La Liga and Champions League, before departing for Chelsea: “I'm very happy at Chelsea,” said Morata, settled with his wife Alice.

Global Sport SQUASH: The 2017 Men’s and Women’s Squash World Championships in Manchester feature the world’s best players compete for the sport’s most prestigious titles. “I’m thrilled the World Championship is back to Manchester, it will be a great spectacle for the sport,” said England Men’s No 1 Nick Matthew. England Women’s No 1 Laura Massaro said: “It’s huge to have this prestigious event in the UK - a real showcase the best in the world.” The quarter-final action onwards takes place at Manchester Central Convention Complex during December 14-17.

No soggy bottom

ALVARO MORATA: Winter chill.

for beefed-up Anderson JAMES ANDERSON would never have dreamed his garage door ‘wicket’ in his home town of Burnley over two decades ago would lead to stardom. “I used to bowl against the garage door, pretending I was bowling for England,” said England ace Anderson, who took 5-43 in the second test of

the Ashes series in Australia. Anderson, 35, who grew up in the old mill town, trod the road to stardom at Burnley Cricket Club, aged 17, prior to being noticed by Lancashire CCC. Lancashire, long dubbed as the ‘flat cap and clogs’ part of the UK - famed for tripe and onions - parched peas and crusty pies. “I prefer Beef Wellington the pastry has to be just right -

no soggy bottom,” quipped Anderson. “The Lord’s tea break is more about protein shakes and fruit and nuts, than scones and cucumber sandwiches,” said Anderson, who took his first five-wicket haul in Australia in his 15th Test. “I was happy to get the five wickets,” said Anderson, part of the England set up since 2002. “I have felt in good rhythm all year and feel like I am bowling as well as I have. My body is in good shape,” said Anderson. “People tell me I am about to finish and retire - I want to show I still have wickets in me - hopefully that can continue for the rest of this trip,” said Anderson. “I am loving playing cricket and as long as I am bowling well and doing myself justice on the field I am going to keep playing,” said Anderson.