Euro Weekly News - Costa Blanca North 4 - 10 Jan 2018 Issue 1696

4 - 10 January 2018

COSTA BLANCA NORTH

YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION Photo by AR Resorts & Hotels

ISSUE NO. 1696

SKYLINE: The new hotel will reportedly be Calpe’s tallest.

€35M dream! Towering hotel confirmed A giant €35 million hotel is to be built near La Fossa beach, Calpe, dominating the skyline as the area’s

tallest building. According to Spanish media reports, the twin-towered hotel will have over 600 rooms (including 14 suites), across 30 floors. It is likely to exceed the height of the Suitopia hotel, but will reportedly match it at the very least. AR Hotels & Resorts have announced the four-star project, which it says will provide 2,000 jobs for the local area, while building work continues for three years. Once complete, it is expected to create 1,000 fulltime jobs. The building will have 14 convention rooms as well as a garden and pool. The company are hoping to pick up custom throughout the year, regardless of the season, through business conventions. Calpe’s local authority incentivise the building of four and five star hotels in the area. The award-winning chain manages five hotels and 17 tourist apartment complexes, according to Spanish media. Calpe already has some 13 hotels - according to the popular website booking. com - which will compete with the new hotel. Its name is not yet known.

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NEWS EXTRA

No more dumping

2018 is here! Spain celebrates the New Year

PEGO Council announced that it will intensify its monitoring of the Monte Pego urbanisation. The announcement comes as an illegal dump has allegedly been established.

Rescued A 28-YEAR-OLD British climber was rescued by firefighters from Calpe’s Morro de Toix after falling from a height of four-five metres - she suffered multiple injuries.

Red-handed THREE young men, two Spaniards and one Ecuadorian, were caught red-handed robbing a bar in Ondara. The thieves all have criminal records and remain in custody awaiting trial.

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Credit: @ajuntamentdenia/Facebook

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TURNOUT: Large crowds in Denia. THE New Year began with a bang all across Spain as 2018 started in style. Towns all across the country put on a show, some had spectacular firework displays, while others went for fantastic costume parties and midnight fiestas. On the Costa Blanca, more than 2,000 people attended the New Year’s concert in Calpe, while crowds of people turned up to see in 2018 in Denia among many other events across the region.

NEWS

‘Connect’ Plurilingual legislation dropped us up plea THE regional government has abandoned plurilingual plans that would have favoured Valenciano in state schools. The legislation went through by decree a year ago with the backing of all parties in the regional parliament with the exception of the Partido Popular. It was fiercely opposed by many parents and parents’ associations in Alicante Province who had an ally in the provincial council, the Diputacion. Its president, Cesar Sanchez, maintained that Education chief Vicent Marza’s plans did not take into account Alicante Province’s ‘special characteristics’ and lodged an appeal against the decree. This was halted as a temporary measure by the Upper Court of Justice (TSJ) and schools were ordered to revert to the existing system. The TSJ highlighted the decree’s ‘imbalance,’ as children taught in Valenciano would have had more tuition in English while pupils taught principally in Spanish received less. Sanchez welcomed Marza’s decision to revoke the Plurilingual decree: “This is a victory for educational freedom,” he declared. The now-abandoned plans to favour Valenciano were an attack on the right of parents to choose how their children were taught, Sanchez maintained. He would also continue to safeguard Alicante Province’s ‘sociological reality’ against a monolingual regional government that was hostile to the Spanish language, Sanchez warned.

TIRED of waiting for a fibre optic internet connection, residents in Villajoyosa’s Old Town appealed to the regional Ombudsman. In response the Sindic de Greuges has rapped the town hall over the knuckles for not adopting ‘effective measures’ to install the faster system. This was the second time the Ombudsman had raised the question in the past 12 months but on this occasion, he asked the town hall to let him know within a month how it intended to remedy the situation. This was the second time the Ombudsman has contacted Villajoyosa Town Hall about ‘making every effort’ to ensure the Old Town had a fibre optic connection after receiving a complaint signed by 238 residents. The town hall assured the Ombudsman in October that it was considering ‘different possibilities’ bearing in mind that installing fibre optic would first require careful study, and considering the Old Town’s special Protection Plan.

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‘Lack of care’ claim AN ELDERLY woman resident at a nursing home in El Verger had to have her left leg urgently amputated because she had gangrene. Her family have denounced the nursing home for its ‘lack of medical attention and care’ and an investigation is probing whether the resident doctor is guilty of injury by negligence.

Strange smell STUDENTS from the CEIP Paternina school in Calpe were sent home when a strange smell led teachers to suspect some sort of leak. The smell was fo u n d t o b e c a u s ed b y th e works being carried out in the Manzanera by Aguas de Calpe and the fumes were not toxic.

Fire fright LAST week’s strong winds caused chaos in Denia as 2,000 metres of cane burned between IES Maria Ibars and Cami del Llavado after power cables caught the tops of the trees before an abandoned plot on Cami d e l s L l a d r e s w e n t u p in flames.

Baby killer A YOUNG Alcoy woman, now 20, who killed her new-born baby will go to prison for 15 years. Having managed to conceal her pregnancy from her family, she gave birth alone in the bathroom of her home, stabbing the child with the same knife that she used to cut the umbilical cord.

Labour saving THE Guardia Civil cleared up 35 burglaries in Alicante, Albacete, Murcia and Madrid after arresting two Spanish men aged 27 and 41 who were found robbing a San Vicente house. A search of their vehicle revealed stolen items later identified by their victims in all four regions.

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SPANISH FACTS OF LIFE...44 January 6 sees the arrival of the best-loved Christmas tradition in Spain, as the Three Kings bring presents for children and huge parades take place, Joe Gerrard reports.

SANTA VS THE KINGS DEBATE rages as to who is preferred in Spain, Santa Claus or the Three Kings. In a 2015 survey of Spanish children the kings came out on top, 67 per cent to Santa’s 27 per cent.

ANDALUCIAN KINGS? THE previous Pope, Benedict XVI, claimed in his book on the nativity the three kings were from the ancient kingdom of Tarsis (Tartessosa). Historians place this kingdom somewhere near Huelva, Cadiz and Sevilla, in modern day Andalucia.

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We three kings JANUARY in Britain sees families pack away their Christmas decorations and get back to business as usual. In Spain however Christmas festivities continue until January 6, when the country celebrates the annual Three King’s Day holiday, also known as Epiphany Day. The day (El Dia de los Reyes in Spanish) marks the moment in the nativity story when the three kings or wise men visited the baby Jesus to give gifts. The three kings in the modern-day festival, Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar, are now said to give out presents to Spanish children, similar to Santa Claus in Britain and elsewhere. Spanish children polish their shoes and leave them outside for the kings to put presents in on the night of January 5.

PAGAN ORIGINS THE origin of the celebration goes back further than Christianity. In pagan times celebrations were held on January 6 to welcome the longer days that followed the winter solstice on December 21.

These presents only go to well behaved children however, and Balthazar is tasked with giving coal or wood to those children on the naughty list. The night of January 5 also sees the annual parades (the Cabalgata de Reyes), beginning at dusk. The three kings appear here too, standing on floats and trailers that go through Spanish towns and cities throwing sweets to excited children. Some of these parades involve hundreds of actors and are broadcast live on Spanish TV. On January 6 the Spanish traditionally enjoy a round bread cake called Roscon. The cakes are baked with a figurine of the baby Jesus and a dry flava bean. The person who finds the figurine is crowned king or queen of that day’s festivities. The one who finds the bean has to prepare next year’s Roscons. January 6 is marked by a bank holiday in Spain and children don’t return to school until after the festival. CROWNING GLORY: The kings in a Cabalgata de Reyes parade.

Leapy 41

Couch Critic 45

Letters 57

Health & Beauty 61 - 65

Social 66 - 70

Property 71

Pets 74

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DURING parades Balthazar has traditionally been played by a white actor in ‘blackface’ make-up. Critics have branded this racist and Madrid’s council employed a black actor for the first time last year in response.

SEVEN of 50 finalists in the Educa Abanca 2017 prizes for Spain’s best te a c h ers are fro m the Va le nc ia n Community. Three teach in Valen-

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Class act

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Classifieds 79 - 81

Sports 86 - 88

cia City with one each from Paterna (Valencia), Onteniente, Castellon and Elche who are competing in the primary, secondary, baccalaureate, professional or university categories.

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The total number of news and features which appeared in Issue 1695 of the Euro Weekly News Costa Blanca North edition, including 62 local stories.

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Shell shock! Photo by Ibense #Enfarinats/A. Guillem/Danza Invisible/Twitter

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NO YOLK: Revellers hurl eggs at each other as Carles Puigdemont (bottom right) prepares to take his punishment. INHABITANTS of Ibi, Alicante have staged their annual mock battle to mark the biblical Massacre of the Innocents by King Herod. Known locally as Els Enfarinats - the floured ones revellers hurl smoke bombs, flour and eggs at each other in one of the world’s greatest food fights. Clad in military gear and wearing goggles to protect their eyes, some participants also brandish firecrackers as

the flour and egg artillery whizzes by. The fake coup d’état dates back around 200 years and sees Els Enfarinats take control of the village as they stage a revolution against the authorities. A new mayor is elected and a series of ridiculous new laws are announced, with citizens who break them fined and the money later donated to charity. Meanwhile, a second group called La Oposicio - the opposition - attempts to restore or-

der before both sides storm the streets armed with 12,000 eggs, 8,000 kilos of flour and 6,000 firecrackers. Taking place on Innocents’ Day (December 28), there was a political edge to this year’s event, as one plucky participant dressed as ex-Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont. He was set on by a gang of battle-hardened soldiers wielding fire extinguishers filled with flour before being locked in an imitation prison cell.

NEWS

POLL OF THE WEEK Should Spain follow Mexico’s example and legalise marihuana-based products? LAST WEEK’S POLL: Do you make New Year’s resolutions?

Yes 19%

No 81%

EWN online this week

103,766 Page views Top 5 stories

BUNNY LANE: Barry Lane Hickey.

Costa del Sol entertainer 7,279 Legendary Bunny Lane dies earthquakes shake Spain’s Costa 7,235 Two del Sol weather alerts as Spain set to 6,472 Severe be lashed by storm Bruno Bruno arrives in Spain bringing 4,594 Storm rain, snow and strong winds as Spain bans fish and chips 4,495 Outrage to support ‘more sustainable’ fishing views

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*For week 25 December 2017- 1 January 2018

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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

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NEWS EXTRA

On yer bike says mayor CALPE Council recently presented new bicycle parking on Avenida de Ifac as part of its Sustainable Energy Action Plan - Mayor Cesar Sanchez said more are planned around the town to encourage the use of bicycles over cars.

It’s urgent URGENT works have been allocated €50,000 to avoid the collapse of the Torre dels Pares, a protected 14th century building in Gandia - the council say the structure is at serious risk of collapsing.

Still waiting THE build of Benidorm’s cultural centre is still without a start date - despite the council promising to have it finished in 2018, the CJC has not yet given the green light for the project to go ahead.

Rail fail SKATERS in Denia were left open-mouthed after arriving at the municipal skate park with their boards to find a large piece of protective railing from the local tram line dumped between the obstacles.

ALCOY was present on the streets of Benalmadena, Marbello, Torremolinos, Almuñecar and Mojacar over Christmas. It was featured on advertising panels proclaiming Alcoi Ciutat de Nadal (Alcoy, Christmas city) through the mediation of Javier Llopis. Director of the Alcoy publication El nostre ciutad (Our city), Llopis contacted the company responsible for street publicity in the towns on his own initiative. As a result of Llopis’ involvement, the council has had to meet only the cost of printing the panels and nothing at all for digital advertising in the Andalucia municipalities. “Our Christmas has gone farther afield and will be even better-known, thanks to Javier Llopis,” said Tourism councillor Lorena Zamorano.

Inland city down south

CHRISTMAS CITY: Alcoy ads on Andalucia streets.

Something fishy going on Snatched from traffickers THE Guardia Civil impounded 235 kilos of fish and shellfish from municipal markets, supermarkets and fishmongers in Alicante Province. The Nature Protection Service (Seprona) inspected 18 different outlets and detected 12 infringements, revealed the Guardia Civil’s provincial headquarters in Alicante City. The inspections were carried out owing to the increased demand for fish, and especially shellfish, over the Christmas holidays, Guardia Civil sources said. The most common infractions were selling undersized

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fish and not indicating that a product contained sulphite, but there were also fines for selling shellfish without indicating that it had been frozen, omitting details of how it had been thawed. Selling products without specifying their origin were also sanctioned. In all, the Seprona officers impounded 150 kilos of different types of shellfish, which was handed over to the regional government’s Health department. Eighty-five kilos of smallfry too immature to be legally sold were sent to the department of Agriculture and Fisheries.

POLICE rescued 808 protected mammals, birds and reptiles from traffickers and poachers in Alicante Province last year. Working in conjunction with the regional government’s Environment department, the National Police intensified operations in Alicante Province in 2017, arresting 10 people as the result of 17 investigations that recovered 407 birds and reptiles as well as assorted mammals and even tropical snails. Not all were exotic in origin and many were protected native animals at risk of extinction. They confiscated 546 illegal traps that included the classic type as well as cage traps for capturing live animals and birds. These finds then led them to trace the illegal sale of these banned devices, particularly those obtained via the social media. Interpol now place environmental offences, motivated principally by the profits that can be made by criminal networks, as a crime category that has grown the most at international level, the National Police pointed out. All their operations were orientated towards protecting endangered species, preventing their sale and safeguarding Alicante Province’s wildlife. This also covered preventing the introduction of invasive species which would have a negative impact on the area’s ecological balance.

Friends reunited REAL MADRID star Isco took advantage of Spanish football’s winter break by visiting former teammate Alvaro Morata in London. The 25-year-old midfielder from Benalmadena on the Costa del Sol and his stunning girlfriend Sara Salamo, 25, shared a number of pictures on social media as they took in the sights. After checking out Camden Town the loved-up pair met with Alvaro, 25, and his newly-pregnant wife Alice Campello, 22, with the Chelsea striker captioning a photo of the quartet: ‘What a joy to be able to share a while with you two. We hope to do it again soon!’ Isco and Sara made their relationship official at the end of October following months of speculation. He has a young son from a previous relationship and was earlier this year linked with actress and model Carmen Muñoz before being pictured with a bikini-clad beauty at a Las Vegas hotel swimming pool.

Back on the beach

EYE POPPING: Jess Impiazzi.

Alvaro Mor ata/ I

SHE’S rumoured to be joining the next edition of Celebrity Big Brother. And former Ex On The Beach star Jess Impiazzi was spotted topping up her tan in Tenerife as she prepares for her next appearance on reality TV. The 28-year-old beauty flaunted her ample curves in a tiny black-and-white bikini as she frolicked in the shallows during her winter break.

nst ag ram

ALL SMILES: Isco (second right) Alvaro Morata and their partners.

Photo credit Jess Impiazzi/Instagram

FESTIVE FROLICS: Olivia and Alex.

A whole lotta love (island) THEY shot to fame after finishing second on reality dating show Love Island in 2016. But Olivia Buckland, 24, and Alex Bowen, 26, showed they are still going strong after jetting to Ibiza for a Christmas break. The ITV2 stars got engaged a year ago and sent temperatures soaring again after posting a series of sizzling swimwear shots on social media.

While Olivia slipped into a barely-there red bikini which highlighted her many tattoos, Alex donned an equally skimpy pair of maroon trunks as he showed off his rippling form. The couple admitted it was “hard work” to continue their relationship after leaving the popular show, but say their love has lasted as they made an effort to see each other daily despite their busy schedules.

Celeb focus What a gem ON OR OFF?: FORMER The OnGemma and ly Way Is Essex James. (TOWIE) stars James ‘Arg’ Argent, 30, and Gemma Collins, 36, have set tongues wagging again. It comes as the on-off couple teamed up for a rendition of Andy Williams’ You’re Just Too Good To Be True during a New Year’s party at TOWIE pal Elliot Wright’s restaurant Olivia’s in La Cala de Mijas on the Costa del Sol.

Lady in red SHE recently claimed she has no time for romance. But actress, model, and bikini designer Elizabeth Hurley, 52, was snapped dancing the night away with a mystery man on New Year’s Eve. And the ageless stunner donned a Spanish flamenco-style outfit, complete with acoustic guitar and black wig, for the occasion.

Gemma Collins/Instagram

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Photo credit Olivia Buckland/Instagram

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Photo by La Nucia town hall

NEWS

RETRAINING: Learning the tricks of the forestry trade.

Forestry brings mutual benefits LA NUCIA’S woodland clearing and fire prevention project began last month and will continue until June. The initiative organised by La Nucia Town Hall, will be funded with an €18,039 subsidy from the region’s official employment office, SERVEF and the national government’s Ministry of Employment under the EMCORP programme. The funding will cover six months’ wages for two workmen who were registered as unemployed and have been selected by SERVEF. The EMCORP programme engages the unemployed while teaching them a trade to help them find work in future. In La Nucia’s case, the two men will be trained in forestry, clearing wooded

areas on municipally-owned land, especially in zones adjoining residential areas, to eliminate the risk of forest fire. As fire is an ever-present hazard in the area, jobs are often available for workers with this type of experience, explained Citizens’ Participation councillor Pepe Cano. “Employment is one of the town hall’s priorities and we are demonstrating this by taking advantage of all lines of help and subsidies from public bodies,” Cano continued. “This forestry EMCORP has enabled us to find work for two people for six months, but as well as learning a trade they will be working for the common good of La Nucia,” he said.

T-shirt was a burning issue A MAN accused of burning 2.2 hectares of woodland in the Font Roja national park faces a two-year prison term. According to Fiscalia (the Public Prosecution department) he was walking with a friend along the Via Verde (Green Path) when he placed a t-shirt on a stone and set fire to it with a lighter. He took no safety measures although this happened in July 2014 when the accused was aware there was a considerable fire risk owing to climate con-

ditions at that time of the year, Fiscalia said. The flames soon spread to the surrounding woodland, burning 2.2 hectares of the national park and causing €2,009 of immediate damage, while extinguishing the fire required two firefighting aircraft and six fire engines. These cost almost €17,000 to deploy and the Generalitat, the Alicante Diputacion and Alcoy City Council are now claiming compensation via an Alicante criminal court.

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THE pilot of an ultralight aircraft was seriously injured in a collision with a helicopter at Muchamiel aerodrome on the Costa Blanca. When the accident occurred, the Generalitat helicopter was 10 metres above the ground and coming in to land after fighting a forest fire in Culla (Castellon). Its tail rotor clipped the ultralight for as yet unexplained reasons, which are currently under investigation. It was behind the helicopter when the collision occurred, witnesses on the ground said afterwards. “You could see the acci-

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Air disaster Plane and helicopter collide

ULTRALIGHT: Emergency services at scene of the crash which also involved a helicopter.

dent coming,” one said. The ultralight was not based at Muchamiel, aerodrome sources confirmed, and the pilot - thought to be British or American - was making a stopover there. Neither the helicopter pilot nor its eight other occupants were hurt in the collision, although the seriously injured ultralight pilot was unconscious when medical staff went to his aid, the Generalitat’s emergency services confirmed. He regained consciousness after paramedics carried out CPR before he was transferred by ambulance to Alicante General Hospital.

More opportunities for languages THE Valencian Community will open seven new Official Language Schools ready for the 2018-19 academic year. Four are to be located in Valencia, two in Castellon

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and one in San Vicente, providing another 4,000 places, of which 2,030 will be for English lessons and 530 for Valenciano for teachers. The two new schools in

The age of the world’s oldest restaurant found in Madrid - which has been serving traditional Spanish dishes since 1725.

Valencia City will include Dutch, Finnish and Polish, announced Education chief, Vicent Marza, while Alicante City’s existing school will now teach Basque and Japanese. The Elche school will also be offering Japanese. These additions bring the

total number of language schools to 24 and are part of the regional government’s plans to encourage the population to learn languages by providing more opportunities, Marza said. There are also plans to extend the offer with an online Official Language School.

NEWS

OUR VIEW

New Year, old problems THE New Year brings plenty of excitement and new challenges. Spanish families will be excited for the festival of the Three Kings - and all the festivities that Friday and Saturday brings with it. But the end of the Christmas period also heralds the lead up to carnival season - meaning the partying will only continue. But, perhaps most pressingly, the New Year brings with it the fall out from 2017. A full-blown drought appears increasingly likely - even if there is significant rainfall this month. That will have implications for farming, water usage, wildlife and the environment, as climate change continues to take its toll on southern Spain. Information is still scarce on the impact Brexit will have. British Prime Minister Theresa May has promised to look after the rights of expatriates, but the detail of any deal - if there is one - remains unclear. Meanwhile, the impact of the Catalan election and independence crisis is still difficult to predict - and the threat of Spain being separated remains real, if unlikely. The migration crisis, drug problems, corruption and crime will continue to be big news, as expatriates get set for the coming summer season, with tourists arriving en masse in the next few months.

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New year financial planning review Here we are at the start of another year, when we tend to reflect on the previous 12 months and look ahead to what the coming year may bring. It is a good time to reflect on your financial planning and ensure it is up-to-date and designed to protect your long-term wealth for you and your family. Brexit If you have not yet registered as tax resident in Spain, the clock is ticking. You need look at obtaining official permanent residence ahead of the UK’s withdrawal date, scheduled for March 2019. Take specialist advice on how to benefit from the local tax rules to ensure you are in the best position to enjoy life in Spain. If you are still at the planning stages of moving here, you may wish to accelerate your plans. Tax planning It is always a good idea to review

By Brett Hanson, Partner, Blevins Franks your tax planning from time to time to confirm it is up-to-date. Take advice to ensure you are taking advantage of the tax planning opportunities available in Spain. The right tax-efficient arrangements can keep most of your investments in one place and help you legitimately avoid paying too much tax. The new global automatic exchange of information regime, implemented through the

Common Reporting Standard, is well underway. Fifty jurisdictions made the first exchange by September 2017; another 50 jurisdictions will start sharing by September 2018. Cross-border tax planning is complex, especially if you earn income in one country and live in another. Are you sure you are paying tax in the right place? Specialist advice can give you peace of mind as well as potentially save you tax. Savings and investments Successful investing is about managing risk versus return and having a well-thought out strategy specifically based on your personal circumstances, needs, aims and risk tolerance. You should obtain a clear assessment of your appetite for risk, then match your profile to the optimum portfolio. Ensure you have adequate diversification, so you are not over-exposed to any given asset type, country, sector or

company. You should then review your portfolio around once a year, because as asset prices rise and fall it can become unbalanced, and your circumstances may have changed. Pensions There are more choices than ever for your UK pension funds, but care must be taken to ensure you make the right decision for your objectives and to protect your retirement savings. Weigh up all your options, as well as the tax implications in Spain, to establish the best course of action for you. Estate planning It is important to review your estate planning after moving to Spain, as both succession law and tax work very differently to the UK. How much succession and gift tax your heirs will pay depends on the degree of relationship to you, their pre-existing wealth, the local

rules in your region and whether the local or state rules will apply. There may be steps you can take to lower their tax liability. Spain imposes forced heirship, which may prevent you dividing your estate as you wish. You can however use the EU succession regulation ‘Brussels IV’ to opt for the succession law of your country of nationality to apply, but must state this in your will. Take advice first to confirm if this is the right course of action for your family. Reviewing your wealth management arrangement once a year should prove profitable and provide peace of mind. You should look at all the above areas together, as changes in one could affect the other, and establish holistic solutions that work for your personal situation. Keep up to date on the financial issues that may affect you on the Blevins Franks news page at www.blevinsfranks.com.

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Photo by CC-BY-SA-2.5

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FLU CASES: Patients saturating A & E at San Juan and other hospitals.

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A SUDDEN surge in flu cases is saturating A & E departments at Alicante Province hospitals and health centres. With primary care centres closing each afternoon over the Christmas holidays, appointments are being made for more than a week ahead and as only scaled-down staff are dealing with emergencies, pa-

Flu cases soar tients are going to their nearest hospital. Unlike other years when flu cases tend to spread from north Alicante to southern areas, the pattern has been reversed, according to Health department sources.

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The director of Virgen de Los Lirios de Alcoy, Jose Manuel Molto, confirmed that the Alcoy Public Health area was one of the most affected zones in the province. There was ‘high activity’ in both primary care centres and A & E although most cases were elderly people with existing health problems. “All patients who need it will be admitted to hospital. Beds are available in all the hospitals,” Health department sources emphasised. Faced with the sudden increase, both Observation and the Admissions Holding Unit are saturated at San Juan hospital, where A & E have received extra staff. Sources at the hospital lamented that the public does not make correct use of the services that are available. Health centres are open in the morning and for emergencies in the evening, they said, and patients should only go to hospital as a last resort. “Half of the cases that we see should not be coming to A & E,” they said.

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NEWS EXTRA

A tartan makeover DENIA’S Department of Sports will replace the tartan athletics track at the municipal sports centre this spring Marian Tamarit who heads up the department said it will also replace the AstroTurf on the Rodat field.

We workout DENIA residents want a workout park constructed on the Les Marines road the project was voted most popular by residents in the council’s citizen participatory initiative with 212 votes and will cost €20,000.

Up it goes WORKS will begin this month on building a luxury development on Denia’s Les Deveses beach - 68 homes will be built on the 14,000sqm plot, costing between €350,000 and half a million.

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Werner Wilmes

NEWS

POLOP CEMETERY: El Cid dropped by 10 centuries ago.

‘Best graveyard’ title race POLOP cemetery is competing to be named Spain’s best-documented historic graveyard. For the last three years undertakers’ trade magazine, Adios Cultural, has chosen Spain’s outstanding cemeteries in categories that include those with the best monuments or environmental initiatives. Seven other graveyards in Asturias, Andalucia, Santander, Valencia and Segovia are competing in the same category as Polop whose cemetery was part of a castle visited by El Cid in the 11th century. Later it was the scene of a Moorish massacre

during the Valencia region’s Guerra de las Germanias (War of the Guilds) in the 16th century. The cemetery is referred to in several books including those of the Alicante writer Gabriel Miro. A new and more accessible cemetery was built in 1945 on the outskirts of the town the old burial ground was abandoned. It was restored in recent years by the town hall and included in those parts of the town with links to Miro who was fascinated by the cemetery. The winners will be chosen in an online vote on the magazine’s www.revistaadios.es web page.

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NEWS

Everything has a price By Linda Hall MUCHAMIEL launched a campaign that brings home how much street furniture costs. The town hall’s Environment department has put price tags on signposts, information panels and picnic tables. They are large-size so that residents and visitors who use recreation areas, hiking routes and local beauty spots are in no doubt as to how much these have cost the town hall and the taxpayer. Although the price tags have been provided and installed by the town hall, the idea originated with Muchamiel residents. The suggestion was included in the Local Sustainability Action Plan, which won an award from the Ministry of the Environment in 2015. It was vital, the residents agreed, to adopt measures that would persuade the local population and tourists of the need to appreciate street furniture, especially in zones outside the town which are not always treated with respect. Making them aware of their financial cost was guaranteed to make people think twice, Muchamiel’s Environment department said: “If we want citizens to respect and protect our town’s facilities they must first of all know what they are worth.”

Muchamiel town hall

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STREET FURNITURE: Doesn’t come cheap.

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FRENCH indie pop band, Phoenix has been confirmed as the second major headliner of Benidorm’s Low Festival 2018, taking place July 27 29. The news comes a week after organisers announced English electronic music duo, The Chemical Brothers will be the festival’s main headliner. Awarded with a Grammy for best alternative music album for Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (2009), the quartet captained by Thomas Mars has released six studio albums, from United (2000) to the most recent Ti amo (2017).

Photo credit Wikimedia

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PHOENIX: Low Festival’s second major headliner. Low Festival organisers have promised the 10th edition of the event will be the ‘biggest and best yet,’ after last year’s festival gathered 83,000 people. For more information and tickets, check out the website: www.lowfestival.es.

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

Starting 2018 with a bang THE New Year started with a fright as a chip pan caught alight in Benidorm city centre. Firefighters were called to a house at the top of Calle Tomas Ortuno, in the Cuatro Caminos building, shortly before 5.00pm on New Year’s Day. The flames destroyed the kitchen, leaving it completely black. The smoke also affected the dining room. The fire was quickly extinguished with three fire engines and the Local and National Police and Red Cross were on hand. Four residents were evacuated from the house, all of them avoiding injury.

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

Message from the market AFTER campaigning and collecting plastic bottle caps for charity purposes throughout last year, the second batch has been deposited at La Nucia Health Centre for which they were very grateful. They would like to thank the trading community of the Benidorm Indoor Market and the help from the cleaner, Ivanica. They hope to continue this in 2018, so please keep dropping your plastic lids and old batteries to the collection point, the Wig shop in the market.

New post office in town CORREOS opened its new Benidorm office last week on Calle Marques de Comillas. The new office offers more space with six customer service points and welcomes concessionary companies selling stationery, books and toys, ‘Linea Verde’ packaging and telecommunications products as well as other accessories.

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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NEWS

Ministry funds for roof repairs CALLOSA Town Hall will purchase a 796-square metre plot of land adjoining the town washhouse. As reported in the Euro Weekly News in November, the 18th century structure’s roof collapsed in the early hours of the morning although the troughs themselves were undamaged. WASHOUSE REPAIRS: Town hall will buy adjoining land. Later inspections plans to the provincial council, the Diputarevealed that a wall supporting the roof was cion, for submission to the Ministry of Haaffected by damp, caused by torrential rain cienda and Public Administrations which alin January last year. locates funds for repairs to municipal With this acquisition, the town hall hopes infrastructure damaged by natural disasters. to protect the washhouse, which is cataOnce the €75,000 purchase agreement is logued as an Asset of Local Relevance, as signed the town hall hopes to enlarge the well as the adjoining zone, explained Calarea round the washhouse to include a recrelosa’s mayor Josep Saval. ation zone, Saval said. The town hall has presented its rebuilding

ANOTHER woman has been failed by the authorities and the system created to protect her from gender violence. Andrea Carballo, a 20-yearold from Villareal (Castellon), finally left her partner, Victor Llorens (29) after an abusive two-year relationship during which he ill-treated her physically and psychologically. She obtained a restraining or-

System fails another gender violence victim der against him on December 13, despite his earlier threats that if she reported him to the police and he went to jail, “I’ll kill you and your family afterwards.” Six weeks after she had plucked up the courage to leave

Llorens, Andrea was walking her dog at 7am when he attacked her and was seen dragging her by the hair into his car. He then drove at high speed into a petrol pump at a filling station, killing them both. Andrea’s family are asking how her ex-partner could prey on her so easily. When she finally broke up with Llorens her mother contacted the 016 helpline for gender violence victims who put Andrea in touch with the 24-Hour Women’s Centre in Castellon. Although her case was catalogued by the Centre as ‘high risk”‘ nobody alerted the courts. Andrea had no protection until December 13 when a judge issued the restraining order against Llorens. On December 15 a Local Police officer was assigned to protect Andrea although the police maintained their own ‘medium risk’ evaluation and days later Llorens was able to abduct her at knifepoint. She was the 56th woman to lose her life at an abusive partner’s hands in Spain last year.

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App to the La Malladeta made easier rescue ALICANTE University researchers have developed a smartphone app for use in emergencies when mobile communications are down. The project’s leader, P ro f e sso r Jo se An g el Ber n a , e x p l a i n e d th at even though there is no signal, once the app is activ a t e d t h e p h o n e sends out a Wi-Fi signal w hic h b e c o m e s a d is tress beacon that can be pick e d u p o v e r a d is tance of several kilometres. T h e si g n a l c o n t a in s the user ’s GPS coordinate s t o g e t h e r with a short text message describing the emergency that can be picked up by resc u e c r e ws u si n g a

small receptor equipped with an antenna. T h e s y s te m h a s already been successfully tes te d b y th e G u ard ia Civil’s Special Mountain Rescue Groups and th e M aritime Re s c u e Service. “No existing system uses Wi-Fi to geolocate a smartphone,” said Profes s o r B ern a. “S o me devices allow you to detec t s ig n a ls fro m a smartphone which they pinpoint through triangulation but they cost aro u n d € 8 0 , 0 0 0 a n d have to be used with a helicopter.” Once the receptor devices are in production, these could cost as little as €600, Berna added.

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NEWS EXTRA

Sitting pretty

Photo by Manuel Pinto

NEWS

ALTEA LA VIEJA’S Cultural Centre, where events have doubled since 2015, is to have new seating. The old chairs will be passed on to the local Sociedad Recreativa Musical, said councillor Mari Lavios.

Single file

MALLADETA PATH: Now longer and easier to negotiate. IMPROVEMENTS have been made to the Malladeta Sanctuary path, which is now 170 metres longer. The path leads to what was once a place of worship for Iberians and the Romans as well as the 1920’s Villa Giacomina and the Frontera Desierto lookout with its spectacular views of the Alicante coastline. The town hall’s Historic Heritage Department has ensured that the surface on the new section is in keeping with the existing path while making it accessible for baby-buggies and wheelchairs. Vilamuseu and the department have have carried out a cleaning operation along the path with

maintenance for the “museumised” excavations at the Sanctuary directed by the municipal archaeologist Diego Ruiz. Each year the Historic Heritage department adds another ‘museumised’ phase to the Malladeta site but this year’s programme is particularly relevant because these can now be enjoyed by all members of the public, including those with mobility problems. Vilamuseu, the Casa Museo la Barbera dels Aragones, the Sant Josep tower and El Castell Cultura Park are also accessible to all, and even the wreck of the Bou Ferrer Roman galley can be visited at certain times, including those with mobility problems.

REPAIRS on the closed Valencia-bound side of the AP-7 tunnel in San Vicente have begun nine months after they started. Vehicles travelling in both directions have been using the Alicante-bound section.

Going postal THE cost of postage stamps went up on January 1 and it now costs 55 cents to send a standard letter weighing up to 20 grammes in Spain and €1.65 to the UK and Europe.

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Town shows its gratitude CALLOSA Town Council voted unanimously to name a street after Salvador Solbes Benimeli, known as ‘Dolçainer.’ In the 70’s, Callosa resident Solbes made over a plot of land with huge reserves of subterranean water to the municipality. Thanks to this donation Callosa was able to extract enough water to solve the problems often caused at that time by drought. Solbes ceded the use and management of these aquifers, the Sacos wells, to the Regantes de Callosa, guaranteeing that the valuable water he had given the town would never have to depend exclusively on one body. Instead, Solbes decided, it would always be necessary to reach consensus over an asset that has since been so important to the town’s prosperity.

Photo by Villajoyosa town hall

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NEWS

NEWS EXTRA

Frost bitten FROST in early December affected pumpkin production in the Foia de Castalla inland area where growers now expect their usual three million kilos to be reduced by 30 per cent.

Thirsty work EXTENSION: Verdu, Ramis and technicians inspect the hospital site.

Extensions a step nearer LAND destined for the Marina Baja hospital extension has been cleared, ready to be surveyed and have the boundaries fixed. The 24,000-square metre plot, which was compulsorily purchased by Villajoyosa Town Hall for more than €250,000 has been ceded to the regional government’s Health department for extensions providing 33 per cent more space. Services for A & E, outpatients and MRI scans will be improved and there will be twice as much parking space. Villajoyosa’s mayor Andreu Verdu and Town Planning councillor Jaime Ramis visited the site recently, accompanied by municipal technicians, to see how work was progressing at the site. “Little by little the much-needed hospital extension project is closer to becoming a reality and this is just as important for Marina Baja residents as it is for us here in La Vila,” the mayor said. “That is why we are providing all that is necessary in order to speed up procedures so that work can begin without delay,” he added.

THREE-QUARTERS of fines imposed in the Valencia region for infringing regulations regarding the sale, distribution and consumption of alcohol and tobacco were imposed for drinking in the street.

Soft landing THE multipurpose pitches in three Elda parks will be covered with artificial turf in response to requests from parents who said this will be safer for children who use them as play areas.

In demand L’ALACANTI firemen, who were called out 700 times last year, rescued 23 hikers and cyclists, extinguished 75 house fires, eliminated 70 swarms of bees and saved the lives of assorted birds, cats, dogs and foxes.

Expert help VILLAJOYOSA has been assigned one of the Generalitat’s 11 new Family Meeting Points where families in conflict can consult social workers, counsellors and specialists in social integration, equality and education issues.

School plans CAMPELLO Town Hall will join the regional government’s Plan Edificant to obtain help in replacing the Fabraquer school’s prefabs, adding a gym to Pla Barraques and building a new school in Muchavista.

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NEWS EXTRA

It’s a fine prospect ANYONE travelling on a TRAM without a ticket will be fined €100 instead of the present €50, although there will be a 50 per cent reduction if this is paid within 15 days.

Road movie ALMOST a year after part of the road between Benialfaqui and Almudaina in the inland El Comtat area was washed into a gully by winter storms, the provincial council has begun major repairs.

US prize THE Materials Research Society (MRS) awarded two former Alicante University students, Antoni Forner and Rodrigo Ortiz, for their video demonstrating advances in improving hydrogen fuel cell batteries for electric cars.

From lookout tower to music centre SAN JUAN Town Hall approved plans to convert ruined Torre Ansaldo into a music conservatoire and informal museum. The entire project will cost more than €1 million and the town hall has asked Brussels to provide €500,000 towards the project. Further funding will come from the Generalitat’s Local Cooperation fund and from Alicante’s provincial council, the Diputacion. The 16th century structure belonged to the network of fortifications surrounding Alicante City that were built to defend the area from Moorish raiders. To date the tower had no attention until it was strengthened in 2014 and its unauthentic pitched roof removed. It was decided in 2016 to save the tower and the adjoining buildings from further deterioration and the town hall hopes to begin consolidating the site this year. Once completed the Ansaldo complex will showcase San Juan’s position at the heart of the Huerta de Alicante with an

Photo by San Juan town hall

NEWS

TORRE ANSALDO: 16th century structure will be saved interpretive centre. It will also further traditional links to music, as the town is home to Sociedad Musical La Paz, which together with the Conservatorio Profesional teaches 600 pupils. The first phase will involve clearing

the site of rubble before consolidating the buildings, replacing their rafters and repairing the roof. Work is expected to take four months and most of the €239,000 cost will be met by the Diputacion.

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RIP: Ernest Moore.

Moore, Ernest Henry FOR 40 years, a resident of El Campello, and one of the oldest Englishmen at 108 years and 10 weeks, dearest Ernie passed peacefully on December 22 amongst his adoring family in the UK, after a late night enjoying a TV concert at the Albert Hall. He was the beloved husband of Vera until her passing in Spain 30 years ago, devoted father of David, father-in-law to Kelly, and grandfather to Jake and Sam. A legend to many, he introduced several generations to the Spain he loved, and he will be sorely missed.

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Innocents’ Day: Best of the rest ON the day of the Innocents - Spain’s take on April Fool’s Day - a few of you fell for our fishy online prank hook, line and sinker. Here are a selection of Spain’s best attempts at fooling the ‘innocents.’ The Guardia Civil were on good form on social media, telling followers they had fined a ghost pedestrian for not wearing a reflective jacket and mocking up a picture of a new police Ferrari Enzo supercar which ‘exceeds 350km per hour.’ The Community of Madrid announced in a press release that the eighth series of the popular HBO show Game of Thrones would be set in the capital’s Royal Mail House, where the regional presidency is based. They added that the dragons might ‘fly over or climb the clock tower of Puerta del Sol.’ No one appears to have fallen for it. Football fans will have chuckled at Sports World’s story that Cristiano Ronaldo is set to return the World Player of the Year Award after losing in El Clasico against Barcelona. Ronaldo is quoted as saying he must return the Ballon D’or to Lionel Messi, since “the whole planet witnessed

GOTCHA?: Our story last week. GAME OF GROANS: The Royal Post Office will not become a GOT set. once again” that the Argentine forward is the world’s best. Despite the chances of Ronaldo returning an individual award likely being around the square root of zero he recently put on a gala in his own name - another site was fooled into republishing the unlikely story. Staying with football, and La Liga outfit Eibar made the strange announcement on Twitter that their captain’s dog was the club’s third winter signing. The pooch supposedly

signed a three year deal, sparking the hashtag #WelcomeManolito. Meanwhile, a special television show dedicated to the day raised over €2 million for children suffering with cancer. According to Spanish media, the prank programme featured a fake meteorite falling next to one victim’s house, before a ‘government scientist’ arrived to say there might be alien life within. The Athletico Madrid president was met with a herd

Photo credit Guardia Civil/Shutterstock

FAIR COP: The Guardia Civil’s fake Ferrari. of sheep and a ‘permit’ allowing them to enter into his stadium, while a world champion figure skater was told he had discovered a Picasso behind another painting in an art gallery.

NATIONAL

Golden tickets hidden in cake By Harrison Jones OVER 1,000 lucky festive shoppers are set for a golden reward, after a supermarket group decided to hide gold worth thousands of euros in Spanish cakes. Three one ounce golden pieces - worth around €1,100 each - and 1,000 one gram pieces have been placed in Roscon de Reyes, the traditional Three Kings’ Day cake. The surprise treats can be found in Supercor, Supercor Express, Hipercor and El Corte Ingles supermarkets throughout Spain. The El Corte Ingles group worked in collaboration with the precious metal company Degussa to undertake the initiative. With 600,000 cakes reportedly being produced by the supermarket for Spain’s traditional January 6 festival, buyers have a roughly one in 600 chance of striking gold.

NATIONAL

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Peak death A SECOND climber in two weeks has died after suffering a fall on the Mulhacén peak of the Sierra Nevada in the province of Granada, Andalucia. In th e l a t e st a c c i d en t a climber died while scaling the north face of Mulhacén, at 3,47 9 m ( 11 , 4 1 4 f t ) th e highest mountain in mainland Spain The 112 Andalucia emergency c o n t r o l c e n t r e w a s alerted b y t h e c l i m b e r ’s companion. Mountain rescue teams and the Guardia Civil’s air unit r e c o v e r e d t h e d eceased’s body from a steep slope i n t h e a r e a o f th e Laguna de la Mosca in the munici p a l i t y o f Gü é ja r Sierra.

Fatal fall A MAN has died in a fall from a balcony while trying to enter the 10th-floor apartment of his ex-partner in Sabadell, Cataluña. The Mossos d’Esquadra police force is investigating the fall which appears to be accidental. It is understood that the 38year-old man had a restraining order on him preventing him approaching his ex-partner. Local reports suggest that when the woman denied entry to the man via the front door he got impatient and tried to access her flat from the roof.

Stabbing horror A WOMAN h a s b e e n stabbed to death by her husband in front of their three children. After killing his partner the alleged attacker attempted to kill himself. The 112 emergency control centre in Castilla-La Mancha said the crime took place i n Az u q u e c a d e Henares (Guadalajara). The three children, who were at home at the time of the murder of their mother, are b e i n g c o u n selle d by a specialist Red Cross team.

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Boy loses ears in dog attack A THREE-YEAR-OLD boy has lost both ears and suffered bites to his face and left thigh after being attacked by a dog in Madrid. The child is in a 'serious but stable' condition in Madrid’s La Paz hospital after suffering the attack by a bull terrier

on a farm in the town of El Molar, north of the capital. It is reported that the boy’s family was visiting a friend’s house and he had been playing with the dogs at the farm. Later they found him unconscious and wounded and rushed him to the

Emergency Medical Centre in the town. The child was stabilised at the centre and then transferred to the intensive care unit at the Hospital de La Paz where his condition is described as ‘serious but stable.’ The Guardia Civil is now investigat-

ing the incident. The bull terrier is not included in the list of potentially dangerous dogs in the Community of Madrid. In April a woman died in El Molar after suffering bites at her house where she was breeding pitbulls.

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NATIONAL

‘EASILY €1 BILLION’: The cost of the Catalan crisis to date according to Spain’s economy minister Luis de Guindos (inset).

Catalan crisis ‘cost €1 billion’ SPAIN’s economy minister believes the Catalan crisis has cost the country €1 billion already. Luis de Guindos told Spanish radio that a slowdown in the region’s growth - following the illegal independence referendum - has hit the country’s economy. “Cataluña used to have growth above that of Spain, it was one of the drivers of the Spanish economy,” Mr de Guindos said. He blamed the previous regional government for generating ‘enormous uncertainty, concern and a loss of confidence.’ Growth was reduced from 0.9 per cent to 0.4 per cent in the last quarter, he claimed. Last month’s election failed to provide a decisive result, with separatists retaining a slim major-

ity in parliament, but not taking over 50 per cent of the result. Pro-unity party Ciudadanos, led by Ines Arrimadas, won the most seats. According to reports, 3,100 companies have moved their headquarters out of the region as a result of the ongoing crisis. The Spanish government dissolved the regional parliament and called snap elections after an unauthorised independence referendum prompted the government to declare independence. Various politicians were arrested, and some including the former president Carles Puidgemont - fled. So far a government has not been formed. Deposed Catalan leader Puigdemont, whose party came second in the elections, is still in selfimposed exile in Belgium.

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FEATURE

Advertising feature

Foundation problems? Carlos Baos We can help you.

I BOUGHT a house four years ago from a developer in Javea; unfortunately, significant cracks have appeared in the house. It looks as if the problem is that the foundations are not properly dug bearing in mind the soil on which the house is built (clay). Who is liable? What can we do? Dear Reader Thank you for your enquiry.

As mentioned in previous articles for construction works, in respect of which planning permission was requested after May 2000 the Law of Construction Planning (LOE) applies. We understand that missing or incorrect inclusion in the project of the property of the soil material, problems and other circumstances etc are within the responsibility of the senior architect (arquitecto superior) as he, as author of the project, should assess the quality and type of soil and make decisions concerning proper construction. Therefore, the senior architect should have taken into account

the circumstances of the plot, but not only that, he should also have been able to foresee whether these would affect the future of the building and if so, he should have taken the necessary steps to design a solution that would avoid what unfortunately appears to have occurred. On numerous occasions, different courts have referred to this and the Supreme Court of Spain declared: “the prior examination of the soil, verifying it or at least checking its analysis and subsequent geological survey personally, is a fundamental obligation of the senior architect’s obligations that in any case are demanded by the dignity and competence inherent to their profession.” The fact that the senior architect is responsible does not mean that you cannot claim against the other persons involved in the construction process as per the LOE, such as the technical architect, contractor, insurance company, etc. All possibilities should be studied. We recommend the next step to be taken, is to call in an architect expert in building defects to ascertain whether the cracks are still moving as well as the reasons, causes, consequences and possible solutions of the problem. The expert report is key in the event of a future claim. We understand that you must get expert legal advice on building defects, as a legal strategy must be set up, in order to determine against who you can and should claim. It is essential to notify the potential respondent of the damages as soon as possible, as there are some deadlines to claim that must be fulfilled. As in previous articles, we recommend a visit to our office or to another lawyer expert in this field. It is sensible to involve the lawyer from the beginning. The information provided in this article is not intended to be legal advice, but merely conveys general information related to legal issues. Contact us and we will help you. The White & Baos Team • White & Baos Tel: +34 966 426 185 E-mail: info@white-baos.com. White & Baos 2017 All Rights Reserved.

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HIV test kits get the green light SPAIN has passed a Royal Decree that will allow HIV testing kits to be sold in pharmacies in Spain without a prescription. The kits are expected to be available over-the-counter by February 2018. It is hoped that allowing easier access to selfdiagnosis tests to the public will improve the accuracy of recording instances of the AIDS virus

and earlier diagnosis will lead to faster treatment.The health ministry says, “The late diagnosis of infection is one of the main obstacles to the response to this epidemic since it increases the associated morbidity and mortality and decreases the response to treatment”. The kits have already obtained the European CE certificate.

Traffic deaths up again THE number of people killed on Spain’s roads has increased for the second year in a row after more than 14 years of reducing numbers. Up until December 19 a total of 1,169 people have died on the roads in 2017 a figure that already exceeds the total for 2016, when there were 1,161 deaths. According to provisional data from the Direccion General de Trafico (DGT) 2017 becomes the second consecutive year that has seen increases in the number of fatalities on the roads after 14

years of declines in the number of deaths. Most deaths in 2017 occurred between June and Oc-

tober, while in the previous year the blackest months were March, June, July and August.

Port death POLICE in Mallorca are investigating the death of a British woman at the Club de Mar Marina, in the capital Palma. The body of 43-yearold Christina Marston, from Southampton, was found last Saturday after a four-hour search by police divers and a patrol boat. Her husband had reported her missing, fearing she may have fallen overboard. Police sources believe the death was accidental as CCTV cameras at the marina showed she was alone when she fell into the marina.

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Things to come ISMAEL and Samuel Dominguez, together with their grandfather Luis Lorente, won the town hall’s €350 award for producing the best Belen (Na-

tivity Scene). As part of their prize they will be in charge of creating the municipal Nativity Scene in Alfaz’s Plaza Mayor next Christmas.

NEWS

ALFAZ received a €24,272 grant from the Generalitat (regional government) to repair last year’s storm damage. Pounding waves washed away the sand from Albir’s beach, exposing large rocks, destroying ramps, walkways, the volleyball pitch and children’s play areas. The Third Age centre, Raco de l’Albir, later needed extensive repairs while in Eucalyptus Park trees felled by 100-kilometre gusts of wind caused substantial damage to the café there. In all, the town hall put the extent of storm damage in Albir and Alfaz at €100,000.

Photo credit: Alfaz town hall

Generalitat helps out

CLEAN-UP: Dealing with the storm’s aftermath. “We are grateful for the Generalitat subsidy as this will help to meet the cost of repairs,” said the town hall spokesman Toni Such.

“We are aware that many other municipalities suffered storm damage and any help we receive is very welcome.” The spokesman pointed out

that the town hall took immediate action to rehabilitate the beach and its infrastructure: “Our objective was to return to normal as soon as possible.” The Paseo de las Estrellas promenade was cleared once the storm abated and within hours debris brought in by the sea had been removed. Levelling the beach was another priority so that it was in perfect condition before the Easter tourists arrived, Such added, who once again thanked all the municipal staff involved in dealing with the aftermath of one of the worst storms in recent years.

Recognition for local businesswomen ALFAZ recently hosted the 2017 MEMBA awards ceremony at the Casa de Cultura. The event organised by the Marina Baja Association for the Advance of Enterprising Women (MEMBA) headed by Berenice Laporta, was public recognition of the professional achievements of the area’s businesswomen. Alfaz mayor Vicente Arques and his Benidorm counterpart Toni Perez presided the gala, which was attended by councillors, women’s associations and businesswomen from all over the Marina Baja. In this first edition of the MEMBA awards, €2,000 was shared between Lucia San Roman (Young Businesswoman), Sharon Nilsson (Entrepreneurial Excellence), Crina Gravila (Creativity and Innovation), Amparo Diaz Lopez (Career Path) and the recentlycreated association, Mujeres con Voz (Women with a voice) which won the award for Social Responsibility.

INCREASED DONATION: Marisa Cortes, Vicente Perez and Francisco Perez.

Warm welcome for over-60s THE Asociacion de Jubilados Raco de l’Albir renewed its annual agreement with Alfaz Town Hall. Councillor responsible for Groups Interaction, Marisa Cortes announced that this

year the town hall had raised its allocation for the Third Age association to €10,000. This would go towards easing the financial burden of repairing the association’s premises in Albir’s Avenida

Oscar Espla, Cortes explained. The group was founded five years ago and its 450 members, who come from 12 countries, take part in activities that range from sketching and painting to patchwork, petanca and gym. Fiestas, trips and outings are arranged throughout the year. Members pay a symbolic subscription of €15 a year and the association’s president Francisco Perez encouraged all over-60s to visit the Avenida Oscar Espla headquarters. “The association welcomes anyone who wants to join in with open arms,” he said.

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Out to tender NEWS

THE council has put out to tender the contract for the bar-cafeteria at the community social centre. Situated on the Plaza de la Constitucion, the bar-cafeteria is offered on a four-year lease for €12,000 up front and a further €250 per month, including the cost of electricity, waste and water.

Akira Dog Sanctuary Stateside stars take to the stage THIS is Andy and his happy face is a true reflection of his friendly personality. He’s a young Husky mix who is about a year old and gets along ANDY: Such a cute smile. very well with dominant females. Andy is chipped, vaccinated, ready and eager to find his forever home. Call 657 689 567 or email: akirashelter@gmail.com for more information or to arrange to meet up with Andy, take him for a walk and a chat. You can also find the shelter on Facebook by searching for Akira Benissa Dog Sanctuary.

THE Auditori Teulada Moraira will play host to American piano duo and twins Christina and Michelle Naughton on Thursday March 8. The Naughton twins trained at the Curtis Institute of Music and at the Juilliard School. They earned bachelor ’s degrees in solo piano performance in 2011 at Curtis, where they both received the Festorazzi Prize. They earned master ’s degrees from Juilliard in 2013. Pianist Joseph Kalichstein taught the sisters at Juilliard and remarked, “When they play together, they seem to have one mind and one body - it’s extraordinary - like one person with two hands playing.” The Naughton twins’ talent for playing the piano appeared early. Christina first soloed with an orchestra at age nine;

Michelle followed at 10. But it didn’t occur to them to perform together until the sisters were in high school and were invited to play as a duo at the dedication of a concert piano. “We said, ‘Sure, we’ll give it a try’,” Michelle told the American press. “We didn’t really expect anything. We worked on it, we performed, and something magical happened. We looked at each other and said, ‘I love this.’ And we never looked back.” Tickets cost €17 and are available online via www.instanticket.es/recin tos, from the box office - Wednesday - Saturday: 11.00am - 1.00pm and 6.00pm - 8.00pm. For more information, get in touch with Willy Hardee - 639 371 625 or email: willyhardee@gmail.com.

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RIP Juan

NEWS

DON JUAN BOVER passed away over Christmas at the age of 97. Born in Javea in 1920, he was well-known and loved in the community and was even approached to be mayor in the days of Franco. Juan is survived by his wife, Dona Ramona Fernandez de Palencia who is the president of the women’s fraternity of Jesus Nazareno.

THANK YOU: Pilar Zamora with staff from the Centro de Transfusiones. for even better results this year. Public thanks were also given to Mercedes Bisquert who recently passed away.

A Javea resident, Mercedes worked at the Centro de Transfusiones for many years and was loved by all of its patients.

Photo by Javea Ayuntamiento

IN ACTION: Jose Torres Cheli in the toga in 1954.

Museum receives another donation THE Soler Blasco Museum has received a special toga that was worn by one of Javea’s last ‘maceros’. The piece belonged to Jose Torres Cheli (also known as Pepe Segarra), an official who walked before the dignitary on ceremonial occasions, carrying a mace that represented the dignitary’s authority.

Known in Valencian culture as a ‘gramalla’, the toga is crafted from red damask material and was donated by Jose’s children just before Christmas. The museum is open Tuesday - Friday, 10.00am - 1.00pm and 5.00pm - 8.00pm and on Saturdays and Sundays, 10.00am 1.00pm.

Photo by Javea Ayuntamiento

JAVEA’S Department of Health, directed by Pilar Zamora, expresses its greatest thanks to all of 2017’s blood donors at the municipal Centro de Transfusiones. In total, 729 people gave blood last year, more than the estimated 680. The fifth ‘blood donation marathon’ in August was a resounding success. The event, arranged by la comision de fiestas del Loreto in honour of Dionis Henarejos saw a total of 132 people give blood. Zamora says she hopes

Photo by Javea Ayuntamiento

Donors’ delight

IN GOOD HEALTH: The turtle has been recovering at the L’Oceanografic in Valencia.

Home sweet home A MARINE turtle caught in trawler nets earlier last summer has been released back into the wild off the Javea coast. The animal was injured in August and taken in by vets from the L’Oceanographic Institute in Valencia, where it has

been recovering for the past five months. Several boats from Club Nautico de Javea took to the water on Tuesday and the turtle was released back into the wild just over a mile from the Granadella.

EU funds to preserve Javea’s history THE council will ask for European funds to restore the air raid shelter in the port, which dates back to 1938 and stretches about 20 metres into the hillside. The council wants to restore it and turn it into a museum, creating an audio-visual to illustrate the terror of the Civil War. The shelter is the only public vestige of the Civil War that still stands in Javea as the bunkers on the Muntanyar were demolished in their entirety in the 80’s. The council will request aid from the initiative launched by the Generalitat Valenciana last November, for the protection and/or recovery of Valencian cultural heritage backed by the ERDF Operational Programme 2014-2020 for the Valencian Community.

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Talk about timing RESIDENTS living off the Arenal were evicted on Christmas Day after a fire broke out in an Aesthetics Centre. Residents on Avenida de la Libertad were evicted at around 6.00pm. The fire - suspected to have been caused by a short circuit or by the Christmas lights - was extinguished quickly, allowing residents to return home before the night was over.

Alone no more Photo by Javea Ayuntamiento

JAVEA Social Services has launched a community project to fight against loneliness and social isolation of the elderly. The council has signed an agreement with Barcelona Social Services to copy the ‘Radars’ project. Radars is structured through the creation of a neighbourhood network made up of ‘radars’: neighbours, businesses, associations, clubs and resident communities. The radars will work to identify loneliness and social isolation of Javea’s elderly residents, so that they can seek community resources. Loneliness and social isolation are important health risks in the elderly, according to a study of WHO (World Health Organisation).

ALTOGETHER NOW: The Radars project will involve neighbours, businesses, associations, clubs and resident communities. Reduced social contact, being alone, isolation and feelings of loneliness are associated with a reduced quality of life. Councillor, Pepa Gisbert said, “we hope that people will act with humanity and solidarity and be sensitive to the issue,” and expressed her greatest

thanks to the Valencian government for its support. In the last two years it has more than doubled Javea’s social services budget. To get involved or obtain more information, call 965 794 142 (extension 3818) or email: radarseniors@xabia.es.

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FEATURE

Advertising feature

LINEA DIRECTA: Guarantees the use of OEM parts in their repairer network.

OEM parts exclusively used in national repair network OEM PARTS OEM parts are Original Equipment Manufactured parts as made by your car’s manufacturer. They are brand new, usually more expensive and sometimes take longer to order. But they are a no brainer. Body shops love them because they fit perfectly and install easy. LÍNEA DIRECTA ONLY USES OEM PARTS Línea Directa is the only insurance company that guarantees the use of OEM parts in their repairer network. Thanks to an exclusive purchasing and distribution agreement with the major manufacturers, when you repair your vehicle through its exclusive network of body shops and repairers, they guarantee the use of OEM parts. After vehicle repairs are complete, they send a list of the OEM parts used for you to keep in your log book. It’s one less thing to worry about. DO ALL INSURANCE COMPANIES USE OEM PARTS? At the time of publishing this article, no other insurance company in Spain guarantees the exclusive use of OEM parts in their repairer network. Some insurance companies rely on after market parts and used parts to keep the repair costs to a minimum, only paying for

OEM parts if no other parts are available. After-market parts are parts made by a company other than your vehicle’s manufacturer. They are new and the spec should be very close to the original specs. However, some minor fitting adjustments may be required by the body shop. Used parts come from the scrap yard. Cars involved in accidents, engine trouble or age, mean that scrapped cars will have some working parts, which can be resold. The used parts are usually OEM parts. NATIONAL NETWORK OF BODY SHOP REPAIRERS Using the Línea Directa network to repair your car means more than just OEM parts. The whole repair service is handled from start to finish. Your vehicle is collected at the agreed time and place. The repairs are carried out swiftly, efficiently and according to original manufacturer specs. You can request a replacement vehicle for the duration of the repair. They will keep you updated on progress and after completion; your vehicle will be delivered at the agreed time and place.

We hope the information provided in this article is of interest. If you would like to contact Linea Directa please call 902 123 309 More information about Linea Directa online at www.lineadirecta.com

COMMUNITY INTERNATIONAL cabaret star and comedian drag queen, Bunny (Barry) Lane, who died last week after a short illness, will get a huge send-off from fellow professionals and fans alike now his funeral arrangements have been confirmed. Originally hailing from Harrow in London, he was famed for running Bunny’s Bar in Bonanza Square, Benalmadena, on Spain’s Costa del Sol, which attracted huge crowds in its heyday. Bunny attended The Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts In London in the late 1950’s where his love of acting and drama was shaped into the wonderful cabaret artist and actor he became. An Equity-listed professional, he took to the stage in London in the late 1960’s in a comedy double act called The Sequins. He then went on to perform a solo act. Back in his days on the London and Brighton cabaret scene he worked with the likes of Tony Page, John Wright, Phil Randell, Michael Topping, Roy Alvis, Phil Raymond, Terri

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Bunny Lane dies Funeral will celebrate life of cabaret star

HONOURED: Bunny Lane (left), and with Danny La Rue. Gardener, Kane & Able and Pip Morgan. Bunny worked the stages in London, New York, Miami, Australia as well as on Spain’s Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol. He also worked with acts and actors alike both in

straight plays and film, including with Joanna Lumley in 1973 in a film called ‘Games Lovers Play.’ He worked with Danny La Rue for many years and hosted and was a guest on his shows. Bunny teamed up with KT

Peters for a double-act and only stopped performing when he retired and sold Bunny’s Bar. He moved to Australia after the bar closed in 2008 but later returned to southern Spain. Retired cabaret artist and

close friend Iain Maxstead said, “Bunny Lane was a larger than life entertainer that entertained the entertainers. “He never offended anyone, just ensured everyone had such a wonderful experience in both the audience

and fellow acts alike. There was never a dull moment either on stage or backstage in the dressing rooms, the bar or the lounge. “Our hearts go out with pure pride to Phil and Bunny’s family in England, along with all his friends here in Spain.” Bunny (Barry Lane Hickey) leaves a partner of over 32 years, Phil Hickey, sister Patricia and brother-in-law Gerry. The funeral will be held today (Thursday) in Benalmadena. The cortege will leave Bunny’s Bar at 12.30pm and then move on to the church in Bonanza Square, where a service to celebrate his life will be held at 1pm.

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COMMUNITY

U3A singers ‘It’s such a relief’ support Jalon Woman found after EWN appeal Valley Help

A MISSING woman who had not been seen for a month was located 12 hours after a Euro Weekly News story asked for information about her whereabouts was published online. Caroline ‘Caz’ Williams, 66, was last seen on November 22 when she collapsed in Moraira before being taken to Denia Hospital. Friends were growing concerned about her welfare, since she has a number of serious medical conditions. But shortly after friends appealed for information via EWN’s website, Caz was found, “not well, but alive,” according to friend Garnett Knight. Miss Knight continued: “It’s such a relief… it seems that after Caz was admitted as an emergency to the hospital in Denia, they did not discharge her as we were told, but sent to another hospital in Valencia and then another one after that. “It’s remarkable that a friend of a friend had been contacted by the social worker at the last hospital who could not trace anyone connected with Caz, and she saw your EWN article on Facebook!” Speaking before Caz was found, Garnett’s wife John said: “Something serious has happened, but let’s hope it’s not extreme.

FOUND: Caz remains unwell, but friends are glad they can offer support. “Those people who know her are very concerned. We really have no knowledge of where she might have been.” Miss Knight added: “Caz has, unfortunately, been diagnosed with leukaemia in an advanced stage and will now need home care as they want to discharge her - so it’s lucky that

we are around at this time this year to offer some support. “We are just so very grateful for your online announcement - it worked so quickly! “Thank you so much for the vital help that your staff gave us. Definitely a Christmas gift that no-one was expecting.”

ONCE again, the U3A Vall del Pop Singers were pleased to be able to support Jalon Valley Help at their ‘Carols in the Square’ events, which were well attended and appreciated by the villagers - especially the children - in Alcalali, Jalon and Parcent. The Vall del Pop Singers also performed their Christmas carols and songs for the patients at the Benimelli Resident Hospital and the Fontilles Hospital, as well as making appearances at charity events in Beniarbeig and Jalon. U3A Vall del Pop What’s On Programme 2018 January 4: General Meeting. Speaker Tobias Laube on ‘Reflexology’ January 26: Trip to Benidorm Palace. Overnight stay at the Palm Beach hotel and show. Cost €72.

Dublin vigil for Amy Fitzpatrick Decade since 15-year-old vanished in Spain friends attended a vigil at Mansion House in Dublin at which the Lord Mayor was also present. A piper and the release of white doves also took place. Amy - who was then aged just 15 - had moved to Spain with her mum Audrey following the break-up of her parents’ marriage. She lived with her mother and mother’s partner Dave Mahon. Mahon is serving a seven-year prison sentence after he stabbed Amy’s brother Dean to death in Dublin in 2013. The trial jury dismissed Mahon’s claims that Dean deliberately took his own life by running onto a knife Mahon was holding. Every year since daughter Amy went missing, mother Audrey has made the lonely journey from Ireland to southern Spain as a mark of respect. But not this year. She reTourists arrived to Spain from January to cently reNovember last year, 2.3% more than during vealed to the whole of 2016. the Euro

AMY FITZPATRICK went missing from southern Spain a decade ago. She had been babysitting with her friend Ashley Rose in Riviera del Sol, near Mijas Costa on the Costa del Sol on New Year ’s Eve 2007. Amy left Ashley at 10pm for the 10minute walk home but didn’t arrive. But she never arrived home and has not been heard from or seen since that night. Amy was officially declared missing on January 3, 2008. Searches did not find any trace of Amy, nor has she been seen again since that fateful night. Ashley says that Amy had her mobile phone with her when she left, yet this was found at the apartment where she lived during police searches. To mark the 10th anniversary of her disappearance Amy’s father Christopher and her family and

77.8

million

TEN-YEAR MYSTERY: Amy Fitzpatrick. Weekly News that although she had booked her flight to Malaga so that she could once again try to jog memories and publicly remind everyone that the 15-year-old mysteriously vanished on the short walk

home, she decided that she couldn’t do it again this year. “We have made appeals, produced posters, spoken to people locally, prayed and have had support from the press but all to no avail. At the moment, I’m simply too tired to make it over this year although my thoughts are constantly with my daughter,” she continued. Amy’s dad Christopher recently told the Sunday World newspaper, “I am still devastated over the loss of my two children, Amy and Dean. Things will never be the same again. “I would like to ask people, who were there 10 years ago when Amy went missing and may have information they can now share, to contact the police. “People went back to the UK and different parts of the world afterwards, and they should come forward. “We just want to find Amy. We know where Dean is, but to bring Amy home would be great.”

February 1: General Meeting. Speaker Philip Ashley on ‘Music Speaks Louder than Words.’ March 1: AGM. March 19/20: Las Fallas de Valencia. Overnight stay at the beachfront Neptuno Hotel. April 5: General Meeting. Speaker Helen Siddal-Butchers on ‘Psychotherapist and Counsellor.’ May 3: General Meeting. Speaker Mike Rendell on ‘The Golden Age of Piracy.’ May 15/18: Trip to Girona Flower Festival. For further information on U3A Vall del Pop, check out website u3avalldelpop.com. The U3A is all about enjoyment and learning, and members hold their General Meeting on the first Thursday of each month at the Centre Polivalent in Murla.

PS Thanks YOU have many requests, l am sure, but you are so good to us and we do so much appreciate it. I read your papers avidly every week and cannot compliment you all enough for such splendid work. My best wishes to you all. Anita Humphreys, La Cala de Mijas Lions, Costa del Sol MERRY Christmas and Happy New Year to you and all the staff and huge thanks for the support you’ve given us - keep it up next year! Bill White, Indalo Players, Almeria I AM convinced that without the local English newspapers many British residents would be totally lost. At Cabopino we regularly see residents distributing copies around the site, with many handed on after being read. So, many thanks for the excellent service this past year and going forward. Have a great Christmas and a very Happy New Year. Rod Manuell, U3A, Costa del Sol

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EUROPEAN PRESS

DENMARK

NETHERLANDS

Princess lonely

Bizarre interview

THE Australian wife of Denmark’s heir to the throne has spoken about her loneliness upon moving to the country in 2004. Princess Mary met Prince Frederik in a Sydney bar.

THE US Ambassador has apologised after an embarrassing interview went viral. Confronted with previous remarks saying the Netherlands had “no-go zones” - Pete Hoekstra cried “fake news,” only to be shown the footage and then claim he had not said “fake news.”

Joint operation A DOPE Y m a n c a r r y i n g o v e r a thousand joints mistook a police car for a taxi, according to Copenhagen Police. He could face jail and a fine.

the Danish government, according to rep o rts . T h e public s e rvic e channel will be funded by television licences.

‘Danflix’

Tax cut

A NATIONAL streaming service to rival Netflix is being planned by

PRIME MINISTER Lars Lokke Rasmussen chose to talk about tax in his New Year’s Day speech. He

LONELY?: Princess Mary revealed she struggled to settle in Denmark.

hopes to implement plans to cut taxes for low and medium earners this year.

Wind power A VAST island surrounded by wind turbines could send electricity to the Netherlands and the UK. Plans by the Dutch power grid, to build the farm off the East Yorkshire coast, could save billions of euros.

GERMANY

SWEDEN

Cruise crash

Not Maddie

AT least 25 people were injured when a 100-metre long Swiss cruise ship hit a motorway bridge on the Rhine. Four were hospitalised, but most only suffered minor injuries in the incident, near Duisberg.

Prison break A DARING prison escape was cap-

tured on CCTV in Berlin. A manhunt is underway for the four men, who broke a concrete pillar and jumped a fence.

Fat alert A WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION expert has warned that increasing numbers of German children are overweight. The WHO

called for advertising restrictions on sweets, junk food and beer.

Paid to go home REFUGEES are being offered money by the German government to go back to their homeland, according to reports. The amount of €1,000 per person and €6,000 per family is available until February.

FRANCE

BELGIUM

Car burn

Telegrams STOP

FRANCE’S annual New Year ’s Eve torching of cars continued on Sunday, as the total number of burned vehicles hit 1,031, according to the government. Two police officers were also attacked in Paris.

BELGIANS sent their final telegrams last month as the service - which had been running in the country since 1846 - ended. Eight thousand telegrams went sent between January and November 2017.

World of oysters NEARLY a tonne of oysters has been stolen from an oyster farm near Ile De Re in western France, disappointing diners who were hoping to eat the luxury shellfish on New Year’s Eve.

No fly zone A HALF-CENTURY old anti-airport activist camp is thought to be under threat. President Macron is due to make a ‘final decision’ on the future of La Zad ‘ a utopian hippy community - imminently.

Apple bitten APPLE are reportedly facing a lawsuit in France adding to others around the world - after allegations emerged that the company were deliberately slowing down iPhones, supposedly to save battery life.

Baby box ANTWERP’S heart-wrenching ‘baby box’ has had a record year, according to reports. The facility provides a safe place for desperate mothers to anonymously leave babies for adoption or fostering.

Becoming Dutch AN area the size of 23 football pitches has become Dutch. The changed status of an uninhabited peninsula on the River Meuse eases legal issues with an investigation into a headless body’s discovery.

Private jets BELGIUM’S Finance Minister has requested data from Eurocontrol on private jets in tax havens, following the ‘Paradise Papers’ leak. The revelations suggested industrial scale tax avoidance across Europe.

A S WEDI SH wom an who sparked a media frenzy in Italy after being mistaken for missing Maddie McCann has reportedly returned home. Embla Jauhoharvi was discovered speaking English on the streets of Rome in 2016.

Stunning survival THE Swedish town of Gavle is celebrating after its 13-metre high Christmas goat survived for more than three weeks. The festive straw decoration has traditionally fallen victim to fire-wielding pranksters, since 1966.

Snack ban FEYENOORD have suspended a player for one match and two training sessions after he was caught eating a white bread roll and croquette at half time. Michiel Kraer was also fined.

Inequality DUTCH CEOs earn 171 times more than their average employees, according to an analys i s b y B l o o m b e rg . T h e s t u d y shames the country as fifth worst in the world for wage inequality.

Gender-neutral God THE Church of Sweden has t o l d i t s c l e rg y t o u s e g e n d e rneutral terms when referring to God. They are encouraged to sacrifice phrases like ‘The Lord’ and ‘He’ in favour of the simple ‘God.’

Wolf hunt CAMPAIGNERS’ attempts to st op a wol f hunt r epor t edl y failed earlier this week, when a cull of the animals was set to go ahead. The licensed hunt permits 22 killings. Around 350 wolves live in Sweden.

NORWAY

PM Trumps ERNA SOLBERG, the Norwegian Prime Minister, is set to be the first world leader to visit US President Donald Trump this year. Miss Solberg is visiting the White House on January 10.

Auto-dim A FIVE-MILE stretch of road will reportedly be home to auto-dimming street lights to s a v e e n e r g y. T h o u s a n d s o f kilowatt hours will be saved by the lights, which brighten from 20 per cent to 100 per cent when detecting movement.

Sex scandal THE Deputy Leader of Norway’s opposition party has temporarily stood down in the wake of sexual harassment allegations. Trond Giske, from the country’s Labour Party, apologised for ‘unsuitable’ behaviour but rejected several more severe allegations.

Gas high NORWAY’S pipeline gas exports to Europe hit a record high last year, according to gas company Gassco. This year’s total was a 7 per cent increase on 2016.

FINANCE ECB approves takeover of BMN

THE Spanish government has said that it will increase its military to approximately €18 billion by 2024 in order to meet a benchmark set by NATO in 2014. At a 2014 summit, members of each of the 28 countries that comprise NATO reportedly promised to move towards contributing 2 per cent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to defence spending within a decade. According to reports, the rise will lift the defence budget by 80 per cent by 2024, but that increase still

Photo by Chiradech Chotchuang

Robots might hurt humans area that is most likely to be affected is those which require little skill. It is posited therefore that lower-skilled jobs could well be phased out, meaning that only those with higher-skills would be able to find work and then obtain higher wages. With the high unemployment in Spain, the economy could become even more burdened by the increasing number of people unable to find work and claiming social security.

By John Smith equates to a figure that is below the 2 per cent of GDP benchmark set by NATO. Depending on GDP growth, this increase could see Spain’s spending equate to between 1.5 and 1.6 per cent, with the earliest that Spain could possibly reach the 2 per cent goal reportedly being 2028. Spain is currently one of the lowest spending NATO countries on defences, forecast to spend just

BUSINESS EXTRA

Another move ENDESA is one of the latest of 3,160 companies to have moved headquarters out of Barcelona. In this case its electrical distribution group formally registered its new office in Madrid, but has not confirmed the reason for the move.

Large fine A FINE of €500,000 has been levied on investment company Renta 4 Banco by the National Securities Market Commission. Whilst the Commission refers to a very serious infringement concerning lack of clear data, Renta has confirmed that it intends to appeal.

Cross over MARÍA GARAÑA, vice president of the business solutions division of Microsoft for EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) is moving to the UK. Not only is she crossing the channel, but is crossing from Microsoft to Google as general director of professional services.

Apple to reduce costs AS reported in the Finance pages in last week’s edition of EWN, Apple confirmed that it has been slowing down some older iPhone models. It has now announced that by way of apology it

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

We don’t want anyone to be left behind and that’s why we’re going to improve wages, starting with the lowest.” Mariano Rajoy on the decision to raise the national minimum wage by 4 per cent.

AUTOMATION: When man meets machine.

EWN

is the amount of additional profit that energy company Iberdrola will make in the USA thanks to a change in the accounting laws introduced by Donald Trump.

Spain’s military spend

AGREEMENT has been received from the European Central Bank (ECB) to allow Bankia to formally take over BMN. The Banco Mare Nostrum (BMN) which was set up just seven years ago received a massive cash injection from the Spanish government due to its instability and now the merger will make the new group the fourth largest bank in Spain. Once the merger goes through, the government expects to be able to recoup some of the funds invested in both banks.

A BRITISH thinktank The Institute for Public Policy Research has published a paper concerning the introduction of robots which if correct could have meaning for Spain. Whilst it sees the benefits of such automation within the workplace, it also believes that government needs to be aware of the possible changes in social mobility which could adversely affect the economy. Whilst much has been said about Artificial Intelligence, the

€1.2 billion

STAT OF WEEK

business & legal

Quote of the Week

Costa Blanca North

4 - 10 January 2018

will be reducing the cost of replacement batteries from $79 (€66) to $29 (€24) and plans to issue new software so customers can monitor battery health.

0.92 per cent in 2017. It is however a major supplier of military hardware around the world as it produces naval vessels as well as aircraft with the UK as one of its largest customers followed by other European countries and Saudi Arabia which is its major purchaser of ammunition and shells. Time will tell whether Brexit will have a serious negative affect on Spain’s arms industry which could then inhibit the planned NATO spend.

Credit rating group S&P rate India ACCORDING to credit rating organisation, Standard and Poor’s (S&P), the Indian banking sector is now on the same level as Spain in category 5 BBB-. These two countries share a slot with Ireland, Italy, Panama, Bermuda, Poland, Peru, Qatar, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates and the decision has been made due to the rate of bad loans that have been granted over the years. This rating is just positive and the countries in that category are ‘considered lowest investment-grade by market participants.’ The company considers that those classed as BBB- do have the potential to grow their economies and to be considered a safer investment option in the future.

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LONDON - FTSE 100

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR MONEY WITH US See our advert on opposite page

C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 2

PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) COMPANY Anglo American 1,548.50 -6.55 Associated British Foods 3,200.00 380.00 Admiral Group 2,032.00 30.00 Ashtead Group 1,899.00 -93.00 Antofagasta 982.50 -22.50 Aviva 500.75 -5.75 AstraZeneca 5,119.50 0.00 BAE Systems 567.50 -5.50 Barclays 203.13 -0.70 British American Tobacco 5,013.00 -21.04 Barratt Developments 648.75 -2.08 Berkeley Group Holdings (The)4,201.00 25.48 British Land Co 689.00 -2.50 BHP Billiton 1,522.25 -10.53 Bunzl 2,051.00 -21.00 BP 522.40 -2.82 Burberry Group 1,787.50 -4.50 BT Group 271.55 -3.15 Coca-Cola HBC 2,490.00 70.00 Carnival 5,046.00 154.00 Centrica 138.00 0.70 Compass Group 1,550.00 -50.00 Croda International 4,423.50 -0.50 CRH 2,728.50 71.50 DCC 7,242.50 -222.50 Diageo 2,722.75 -37.86 Direct Line Insurance Group 410.80 29.10 Experian 1,610.00 -26.00 easyJet 1,437.50 -26.50 Ferguson 5,410.00 80.00 Fresnillo 1,380.00 -49.00 G4S 290.00 23.00 GKN 310.00 -9.40 Glencore 389.43 -0.16 GlaxoSmithKline 1,320.25 0.00 Hargreaves Lansdown 1,777.50 -24.50 Halma 1,250.00 -10.00 Hammerson 556.00 9.00 HSBC Holdings 766.50 -1.81 International Consldtd Air Gr 637.00 -14.00 InterContinental Hotels Grp 3,885.00 -834.00 3i Group 951.00 37.50 Imperial Brands 3,168.00 0.00 Informa 721.75 1.71 Intertek Group 5,192.50 12.45 ITV 166.00 0.50 Just Eat 690.25 -90.75 Johnson Matthey 3,270.00 195.00 Kingfisher 336.00 -1.70 Land Securities Group 1,015.00 7.00

% CHG. NET VOL -0.42 21,595.93 13.48 22,428.13 1.50 5,626.53 -4.67 9,818.93 -2.24 9,784.63 -1.14 20,096.48 0.00 63,280.09 -0.96 18,112.05 -0.35 34,692.11 -0.42 113,660.42 -0.32 6,565.59 0.61 5,734.84 -0.36 6,862.07 -0.69 31,670.52 -1.01 6,913.44 -0.54 102,782.14 -0.25 7,605.21 -1.16 26,515.19 2.89 8,840.64 3.15 10,268.69 0.51 7,727.92 -3.13 24,965.43 -0.01 5,787.85 2.69 22,339.15 -2.98 6,654.39 -1.39 67,063.95 7.62 5,171.38 -1.59 14,891.32 -1.81 5,723.77 1.50 13,337.26 -3.43 10,242.82 8.61 4,041.90 -2.94 5,446.12 -0.04 55,484.53 0.00 64,948.48 -1.36 8,466.59 -0.79 4,768.30 1.65 4,308.68 -0.24 152,439.40 -2.15 13,271.35 -17.67 8,958.04 4.11 8,828.86 0.00 29,885.35 0.24 5,978.16 0.24 8,303.54 0.30 6,617.77 -11.62 5,167.43 6.34 5,982.12 -0.50 7,455.63 0.69 7,466.32

COMPANY

PRICE(P)

CHANGE(P)

Legal & General Group 271.25 -2.05 Lloyds Banking Group ORD 67.94 0.00 London Stock Exchange Grp 3,789.50 0.00 Micro Focus International 2,446.50 -76.50 Mediclinic International 662.75 13.25 Marks & Spencer Group 327.00 12.20 Mondi 1,975.50 44.50 Morrison (Wm) Supermarkets 216.00 -3.90 National Grid 874.80 -2.19 NMC Health 2,890.50 0.00 Next 4,626.50 101.50 Old Mutual Group 221.50 -10.20 Paddy Power Betfair 8,800.00 -25.00 Prudential 1,904.25 0.00 Persimmon 2,499.00 -239.00 Pearson 730.00 -6.00 Reckitt Benckiser Group 6,918.50 -30.72 Royal Bank of Scotland Grp 266.50 -11.50 Royal Dutch Shell 2,479.00 -7.97 Royal Dutch Shell 2,506.25 0.00 RELX 1,727.50 -11.50 Rio Tinto 3,941.00 -45.55 Rolls-Royce Group 858.00 11.00 Randgold Resources 7,210.00 -200.00 RSA Insurance Group 650.75 18.25 Rentokil Initial 319.00 1.00 Sainsbury (J) 240.00 -1.40 Schroders 3,519.00 0.00 Sage Group (The) 785.00 -13.00 Segro 588.00 0.00 Shire 3,895.25 -11.05 Smurfit Kappa Group 2,506.00 0.00 Sky 1,031.00 19.00 Standard Life Aberdeen 445.70 9.10 Smith (DS) 517.75 -3.42 Smiths Group 1,492.50 1.50 Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust444.50 -4.50 Smith & Nephew 1,300.00 12.00 SSE 1,303.00 -17.00 Standard Chartered 780.05 -5.43 St James's Place 1,225.50 -6.43 Severn Trent 2,111.00 -51.00 Tesco 209.28 0.02 TUI AG 1,565.00 25.00 Taylor Wimpey 209.70 3.30 Unilever 4,124.75 -7.93 United Utilities Group 815.50 -14.00 Vodafone Group 234.93 -0.05 Worldpay Group 459.20 33.20 WPP Group 1,357.50 16.50 Whitbread 3,923.50 -76.50

% CHG.

NET VOL

-0.75 0.00 0.00 -3.03 2.04 3.88 2.30 -1.77 -0.25 0.00 2.24 -4.40 -0.28 0.00 -8.73 -0.82 -0.44 -4.14 -0.32 0.00 -0.66 -1.16 1.30 -2.70 2.89 0.31 -0.58 0.00 -1.63 0.00 -0.28 0.00 1.88 2.08 -0.66 0.10 -1.00 0.93 -1.29 -0.70 -0.52 -2.36 0.01 1.62 1.60 -0.19 -1.69 -0.02 7.79 1.23 -1.91

16,147.20 48,628.35 12,995.69 10,765.02 4,744.16 5,139.06 9,288.64 5,162.93 29,370.23 5,803.59 6,633.33 11,093.68 7,439.60 48,678.79 8,453.37 5,886.50 47,961.43 33,039.86 113,135.52 93,131.53 18,453.48 52,145.06 15,580.64 6,829.72 6,392.62 5,756.36 5,298.11 7,955.99 8,542.29 5,827.00 35,291.79 5,864.30 17,241.74 12,838.92 5,467.65 5,908.25 6,272.23 11,231.14 13,186.72 25,506.95 6,433.54 5,086.81 17,070.43 8,987.02 6,776.07 50,807.47 5,601.71 62,497.41 8,456.00 17,156.79 7,267.37

0.88934

1.12423 Units per €

US dollar ...............................................................1.20361 Japan yen ............................................................135.573 Switzerland franc..............................................1.17070 Denmark kroner ..............................................7.44489 Norway kroner ..................................................9.81485 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 J ANUARY 2

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 235,370 99,3100 169,230 294,910 157,580 125,19 38,300 45,88 71,22 83,64 17,4500 254,76 189,5300 153,42 46,1600 106,9400 139,7200 172,1200 56,27 85,540 62,55 36,2200 91,880 135,64 127,57 220,46 52,93 114,02 98,7500 107,5100

CHANGE% -0,15% -0,39% -1,08% -0,49% -0,53% -0,31% -0,75% +0,35% -0,41% -0,45% +0,52% -0,68% -0,13% -0,40% -0,13% -0,79% -0,60% -0,57% -0,58% -0,21% -0,64% -0,41% -0,21% -0,01% -0,43% -1,04% -0,94% -0,29% -0,65% -0,24%

CHANGE VOLUME(M) -0,350 140.521,82 -0,3900 86.547,04 -1,850 872.628,18 -1,440 176.094,70 -0,840 94.159,42 -0,39 238.169,71 -0,290 192.302,08 0,16 196.033,30 -0,29 167.016,80 -0,38 355.582,18 0,0900 151.205,61 -1,74 96.314,63 -0,2500 222.374,37 -0,62 142.450,59 -0,0600 217.704,67 -0,8500 373.064,89 -0,8400 377.026,22 -0,9800 137.378,99 -0,33 153.699,10 -0,180 662.046,38 -0,40 82.043,18 -0,1500 216.612,10 -0,190 233.848,93 -0,02 37.148,74 -0,55 102.105,15 -2,31 214.725,97 -0,50 216.883,47 -0,33 207.324,56 -0,6500 293.646,06 -0,2600 162.605,57 M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 2

COMPANY

PRICE

CHANGE NET / %

Most Advanced Presbia PLC Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc. Merus N.V. QIWI plc Casa Systems, Inc. Insys Therapeutics, Inc. TiVo Corporation CRISPR Therapeutics AG Flex Pharma, Inc. ProQR Therapeutics N.V. LexinFintech Holdings Ltd.

$ 3.78 $ 18.10 $ 19.40 $ 17.33 $ 17.76 $ 9.62 $ 15.60 $ 23.48 $ 3.49 $ 3.225 $ 13.90

0.66 ▲ 21.15% 2.85 ▲ 18.69% 2.75 ▲ 16.52% 2.11 ▲ 13.86% 2.02 ▲ 12.83% 1 ▲ 11.60% 1.60 ▲ 11.43% 2.23 ▲ 10.49% 0.33 ▲ 10.44% 0.30 ▲ 10.26% 1.27 ▲ 10.06%

$ 3.68 $ 19.35 $ 2.16 $ 2.03 $ 5.38 $ 3.53 $ 9.70 $ 4.17 $ 2.68 $ 3.68 $ 16.43

0.62 ▼ 14.42% 2.90 ▼ 13.03% 0.24 ▼ 10.00% 0.20 ▼ 8.97% 0.52 ▼ 8.81% 0.34 ▼ 8.79% 0.93 ▼ 8.75% 0.37 ▼ 8.15% 0.22 ▼ 7.59% 0.29 ▼ 7.30% 1.24 ▼ 7.02%

Most Declined Forward Pharma A/S ADTRAN, Inc. Zion Oil & Gas Inc Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Papa Murphy's Holdings, Inc. Medallion Financial Corp. Synlogic, Inc. Future FinTech Group Inc. China Finance Online Co. Limited Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Mersana Therapeutics, Inc.

38

E W N 4 - 10 January 2018 / Costa Blanca North

www.euroweeklynews.com

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

GBP set to end the year weaker, EUR/USD up 16 cents Ask the expert Peter Loveday Contact me at euroweekly@currenciesdirect.com

THIS year was another dramatic year for the major currencies. Read our summary of the year’s biggest news, and find out what you should be looking out for in the year ahead. Latest currency news Over the last 12 months the GBP/EUR exchange rate has fallen from €1.17 to €1.13, EUR/GBP has risen from £0.85 to £0.88 and EUR/USD has advanced from $1.04 to $1.20. What’s been happening? Brexit continued to dog the pound in 2017. Slow progress in negotiations kept Sterling under pressure throughout the year, but it was political news that inspired the most significant GBP movements. Prime Minister, Theresa May’s decision to call a snap election back in April initially drove the pound to its best levels of the year, but an ill-judged campaign saw the Conservatives lose their majority and Sterling lose its strength. The pound’s been battling its way back over the last few months, despite concerns that the Bank of England (BoE) will leave interest rates on hold next

UNCERTAIN TIMES: An eventful year ahead. year after raising borrowing costs for the first time in over a decade in November. However, while the British government finally concluded the first stage of Brexit negotiations, concerns that the second stage could prove just as protracted prevented the pound from seeing much benefit. In terms of euro movement, the early half of the year was dominated by fears of a rise of populism, with the common currency unsettled by speculation that elections in the Netherlands and France could result in victory for Eurosceptic parties. These fears proved unfounded, and the euro

gained after Emmanuel Macron secured victory in France. However, a surprising result in September’s German elections left the common currency on less stable ground during the last quarter of the year. Although the Eurozone’s economic recovery continues apace, stagnant Eurozone inflation, and the expectation that the European Central Bank (ECB) will choose to leave monetary policy accommodative for the foreseeable future have conspired to limit the euro’s gains against the pound. EUR/USD has surged by around 16 cents this year, however, despite the Federal Reserve increasing interest rates three times.

What do you need to look out for? The currency market in 2017 has certainly been a volatile one and 2018 looks set to be equally eventful. The outlook for pound exchange rates is highly dependent on the second phase of Brexit negotiations. Progress would be Sterling supportive, while delayed or fractious trade discussions could send GBP lower. The BoE interest rate hike outlook will also be key to how GBP performs in the months ahead. Sterling will benefit if wage growth rises, inflation remains persistently high, and the odds of a rate hike in 2018 improve. Meanwhile, the euro could be boosted if the political situation in Germany stabilises and Eurozone data continues outperforming forecasts. However, as it would take a notable uptick in consumer price pressures to significantly alter the ECB’s stance on monetary policy, EUR exchange rates may be restrained by inaction from the central bank. At Currencies Direct we’re here to talk currency whenever you need us, so get in touch if you want to know more about the latest news or how it could impact your currency transfers. Since 1996 we’ve helped more than 210,000 customers with their currency transfers, just pop into your local Currencies Direct branch or give us a call to find out more.

Visit us at our Spanish offices in Costa del Sol, Costa Almeria, North Costa Blanca and South Costa Blanca. Telephone: UK +44 (0) 207 847 9400 SPAIN +34 950 478 914 Email: euroweekly@currenciesdirect.com • www.currenciesdirect.com

A vital bid has been received for Niki IT would seem that the New Year may bring some positive news for Austrian and German travellers to Spain as IAG hopes to purchase Niki Airline for €20 million. Originally founded by former racing driver, Niki Lauda, the Austrian holiday airline suffered from its association with Air Berlin which was declared insolvent in August after main shareholder Etihad Airlines (of the United Arab Emirates) withdrew its support. Whilst Air Berlin cancelled its flights at that time, Niki continued, with support, in the hope and expectation that it would be rescued by Lufthansa, but when the European Commission expressed its concern over the possible takeover by the German company of both Air Berlin and Niki, the ‘plug was pulled’ and Niki ceased trading. With flights to seven Spanish destinations including Malaga and Palma de Mallorca, the Austrian airline was an important link for Austrian

Photo by Oliver Holzbauer Wikimedia

More flights to Spain

GOOD NEWS: Niki flight from Palma arriving at Frankfurt.

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and German holidaymakers and its closure alongside Air Berlin was not helpful to the Spanish tourist economy. Niki Lauda had himself indicated that he would be interested in taking back the airline, but the liquidators appear to prefer the concept of IAG (owner of Aer Lingus, BA, Iberia and Vueling) injecting funds into the failed airline and relaunching as an

arm of Vueling. In addition to the initial purchase price of €20 million, IAG has indicated that it will keep on some 740 staff and will spend a further €16.5 million on assimilating the airline into the group. The acquisition which still has to be approved by the EU will bring with it 15 aircraft and a number of important landing rights in Austria, Germany, Spain and Switzerland. Approval has already been given for easyJet to take over Air Berlin’s base at Tegel Airport in Berlin and it will operate internal German flights, but also regular flights from the German capital to Palma de Mallorca, having taken over a number of routes from the bankrupt airline. Although fairly vocal in its criticism of the support given by the German government to Lufthansa in its bid to obtain ownership of Air Berlin, Irish based airline, Ryanair has currently missed out on the opportunity to add to its fleet.

Future car production looking positive THE Spani sh aut om obi l e industry is forecast to produce three million vehicles i n 2018 accor di ng t o Spain’s Association of Car Manufacturers (ANFAC). This would bring production back to the same level as 10 years ago when the world financial crisis struck. In 2017 production was broadly the same as 2016 with an estimated 2.8 mill i on vehi cl es bei ng pr oduced, but the future forecast is positive because of t he need t o i ncr ease t he number of alternative energy vehicles for the internal market. With the value of the automobile industry representi ng near l y 10 per cent of Spain’s GDP, any significant movement in production and sales will be good for the economy.

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Photo Credit: Eqtec Iberia

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

EQTEC IBERIA: A gasification plant in Croatia.

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Irish company take-over Spain EWN online Join the conversation on our Facebook page

FOLLOWING a suspension in trading in its shares, Irish company EQTEC has returned to the UK AIM market following a €16 million take-over of a Spanish company. This was a somewhat complicated arrangement as the deal was technically a reverse take-over of a fellow subsidiary of its Spanish parent Ebioss energy. The all share arrangement saw it gain ownership of Eqtec Iberia which specialises in the design, construction, operation and maintenance of power plants. EQTEC which produces energy from waste products believes that

the Spanish company’s EGT gasification technology will help the Irish company to extend its involvement with energy projects in the UK. Coinciding with the acquisition, EQTEC issued a further 246.5 million shares at a heavily discounted price to raise £1.6 million (€1.8 million) of working capital and installed a new board of directors. The new Irish company with access to both the British and European market believes that it is now ideally placed to become a leading player in the creation of electricity by converting waste into synthetic gas.

Disney to expand its coverage through pay TV THE Disney Company has its eyes firmly fixed on expansion of its services within Spain and has entered into two deals with major telecoms suppliers. On December 22, it launched Movistar Disney, as part of the Movistar+ pay TV offer which is a 24-hour a day service broadcasting a whole range of different Disney-owned properties. In addition to cartoons and children’s programmes, it will also be supplying the latest and classic movies from both Walt Disney Studio and Pixar which includes the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and a whole selection of animated films such as Toy Story. Existing subscribers to Movistar+ will receive this new channel at no addition-

al cost. To add to its coverage in Spain, the company which had an estimated worldwide turnover of $55 billion (€46 billion) has also signed a new deal with Vodafone’s Videoclub which supplies video-ondemand through set-top boxes and Vodafone TV Online. Some of the Disney channels are already available to view with Vodafone TV Online contracts, but the video-on-demand option is a new pay service which not only gives access to the studio’s movie selections (including some Star Wars products) but also allows subscribers to see pay-TV channels, Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior seven days before other suppliers.

4 - 10 January 2018 / Costa Blanca North

EWN

39

FEATURE

4 -10 January 2018 / Costa Blanca North

www.euroweeklynews.com

41

British heritage is disappearing LEAPY LEE SAYS IT

OTHERS THINK IT THE Ghosts of Christmas Past. That, I’m afraid is all that London (and according to colleagues, most of our other great cities) had to offer this Yuletide. This was my first Christmas visit to the great Metropolis in over 30 years, which is about the time I began voicing my concerns over the future of our British heritage and democratic freedom. Well I’m afraid ‘Leapy’s Rants’ of yesteryear are now manifesting in harsh and terribly sad reality. I truly did feel like a stranger in the country of my birth. Whole areas, that in days of yore, glistened and danced with lights and decorations marking the most important event in the Christian calendar, now show no signs of special celebration or joyful occasion whatsoever. Indeed, in many places, whole rows of shops bore no Christmas decorations at all, not even stuck on bits of cotton wool graced the bare windows that prevailed on a number of high streets I visited. Where were the wonderful Salvation Army Bands that once regaled us with joyful carols and uplifting seasonal music on the street corners of our main shopping areas? When I rang the Sally Army offices to enquire

LONDON: Still festive in places including Regent Street as seen here. as to their conspicuous absence, I was informed that these appearances were local decisions and I needed to contact the area offices for more information, (no joy with that at the time of writing!). Not one carol singer presented themselves at the portals of our fairly suburban semi, or in any other street as far as I could make out.

Frankly I’m not angry anymore (I’m not allowed to be!), merely saddened by the manifestation of all my worst predictions. As I prophesised all those years ago, there is no need for violent confrontation, or indeed any stomach for it among the diverse cultures now rapidly becoming more and more glaringly apparent.

The outcome of the present cultural revolution is being decided by sheer weight of numbers alone. All too late you see, should have restricted the borders years ago. Ah well, hate to say I told you so but........! Anyway, before I close this subject, although Christmas tinsel was also missing from a considerable number of its larger stores, the centre of London still regaled all with the breathtaking overhead street decorations that are just about unsurpassed in any other city in the world. Shame it was all restricted to about a square mile. Ah well, make the most of it. To my reckoning, their days are probably numbered as well. And so, another 12 have snuck up on us. To all my readers, friends, dissenters and those who would like to see me in the stocks, I wish you a healthy, happy and peaceful New Year. Keep that mail coming in. Remember the pen is a mighty therapeutic sword (feels great to get it off yer chest dunnit?). Don’t forget my trio of books on Amazon. Delighted to report 560 sales to date. Must be doing something right. It’s all a game folks. Hang in there. 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.

42

E W N 4 - 10 January 2018 / Costa Blanca North

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

4:25am 6:05am 7:00am 9:30am 10:25am 11:30am 1:30pm 2:30pm 2:55pm 3:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 11:45pm 12:45am 1:10am 4:00am 4:25am

www.euroweeklynews.com

BBC News Breakfast Rip Off Britain Homes Under the Hammer Wanted Down Under Close Calls: On Camera Bargain Hunt BBC News at One BBC London News Doctors Father Brown I Escaped to the Country The Farmers' Country Showdown Antiques Road Trip Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News Celebrity Mastermind EastEnders DIY SOS The Big Build Death in Paradise BBC News at Ten

8:15am Antiques Road Trip 9:00am MasterChef: The Professionals 10:00am BBC Newsroom Live 12:00pm Westminster Abbey 1:00pm Coast 1:10pm Lucky Jim 2:45pm The Wonder of Animals 3:15pm Operation Wild 4:15pm Penguins - Spy in the Huddle 5:15pm Planet Earth II 6:15pm Flog It! 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm Kate Humble: Off the Beaten Track 8:30pm Christmas University Challenge 2017 9:00pm Hairy Bikers' Mediterranean Adventure 10:00pm A House Through Time 11:00pm Live at the Apollo 11:30pm Newsnight

4:15am This is BBC Four 8:00pm Beyond 100 Days The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective. series 1. 8:30pm Great Continental Railway Journeys 9:00pm Walt Disney 10:00pm Walt Disney 11:00pm The Secret Life of Sue Townsend (Aged 68 3/4) 12:00am Natural World Documentary. In what turns out to be an explosive year, witness Iceland through the eyes of the animals and people that have made this wild island home. 1:00am Great Barrier Reef 2:00am Walt Disney 3:00am Walt Disney

8:35am

ITV Nightscreen The Jeremy Kyle Show Good Morning Britain Lorraine The Jeremy Kyle Show This Morning Loose Women ITV News ITV News London Midsomer Murders Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV News Emmerdale Tonight Emmerdale Coronation Street Piers Morgan's Life Stories ITV News ITV News London Great Art Joanna Lumley's Postcards Jackpot247 Tonight ITV Nightscreen

7:55am 8:45am 9:20am 9:50am 10:25am

3:30am 7:00am

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

Dress to Impress Emmerdale Coronation Street Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Who's Doing the Dishes? Dress to Impress Emmerdale Coronation Street Coronation Street 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 Superstore 22 Jump Street FYI Daily 22 Jump Street Family Guy Family Guy American Dad!

7:25am 7:50am 8:15am 9:15am 10:20am 10:45am 11:15am 11:40am 1:40pm 2:40pm 3:40pm 4:15pm 4:50pm 6:55pm 7:55pm 9:00pm 11:00pm 1:00am 3:05am 3:30am

Teleshopping Classic Coronation Street Classic Coronation Street Judge Judy Heartbeat The Royal Judge Judy Judge Judy Judge Judy The Pure Hell of St. Trinian's The Royal Heartbeat Classic Coronation Street Classic Coronation Street Agatha Christie's Marple Heartbeat Murder, She Wrote Agatha Christie's Marple Foyle's War Inspector Morse ITV3 Nightscreen Teleshopping

THURSDAY TV

9:20am Rusty Rivets 9:35am Shimmer and Shine 9:55am Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 10:05am Mofy 10:15am Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 10:45am The Unbeatables 12:00pm Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 12:25pm Access 12:30pm GPs: Behind Closed Doors 1:30pm 5 News Lunchtime 1:35pm The Hotel Inspector 2:30pm The 19th Wife 4:20pm Deadly Stage Fright 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:35pm Barging Loving Celebs 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm Baby Ballroom 9:00pm Big Family Values: More Kids Than Cash 10:00pm Celebrity Big Brother 11:00pm Celebrity 100% Hotter!

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

10:00pm

Everybody Loves Raymond Everybody Loves Raymond Frasier Frasier Frasier Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA Sun, Sea and Selling Houses Channel 4 News Couples Come Dine with Me Posh Pawn Countdown The Secret Life of the Zoo A Place in the Sun Come Dine with Me The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Includes sport and weather. Food Unwrapped Diet Special Hunted

Charmed Charmed Animals United The Goldbergs The Goldbergs How I Met Your Mother 1:30pm How I Met Your Mother 2:00pm The Big Bang Theory 2:30pm The Big Bang Theory 3:00pm Melissa and Joey 3:30pm Melissa and Joey 4:00pm Baby Daddy 4:30pm Baby Daddy 5:00pm Brooklyn Nine-Nine 5:30pm Brooklyn Nine-Nine 6:00pm The Goldbergs 6:30pm The Goldbergs 7:00pm The Big Bang Theory 7:30pm The Big Bang Theory 8:00pm Hollyoaks 8:30pm The Goldbergs 9:00pm The Big Bang Theory 9:30pm The Big Bang Theory 10:00pm 2 Broke Girls 10:30pm 2 Broke Girls 11:00pm The Inbetweeners

6:00am SKY Sports News 7:00am Good Morning Sports Fans Bitesize 7:30am Good Morning Sports Fans Bitesize 8:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 9:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 10:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 11:00am Premier League Daily 12:00pm Info not available 12:30pm Sky Sports Daily 1:00pm SKY Sports News 2:00pm SKY Sports News 3:00pm SKY Sports News 4:00pm Info not available 4:30pm SKY Sports News 5:00pm SKY Sports News 6:00pm SKY Sports News 7:00pm SKY Sports News 8:00pm Info not available 8:30pm Football 11:30pm Harry Kane's 2017 12:00am Live PGA Tour Golf 4:00am SKY Sports News

4:00am 7:00am 7:45am 8:10am 8:30am 9:30am 10:35am 11:40am 12:45pm 1:50pm 2:50pm 3:55pm 5:00pm 6:05pm 7:05pm 7:35pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:05pm 11:10pm 12:15am 1:15am 1:20am 2:30am 3:25am 3:50am 4:00am

Teleshopping The Chase Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Ironside Quincy, M.E. Minder The Sweeney The Professionals Ironside Quincy, M.E. Minder The Sweeney The Professionals Storage Wars Texas Storage Wars Texas Pawn Stars Pawn Stars The Chase Dr. No FYI Daily Dr. No Sudden Death FYI Daily Sudden Death Minder Tommy Cooper. ITV4 Nightscreen Teleshopping

9:15am

4:55am Table 19 6:30am Pitch Perfect 3: Special 7:00am Olaf's Frozen Adventure Olaf the snowman (voiced by Josh Gad) is on the hunt for the perfect Christmas tradition in this brand new mini-sequel to Oscar-winning smash-hit Frozen. Animated short. 7:30am The Boss Baby 9:15am The Ottoman Lieutenant 11:15am Wolves at the Door 12:40pm Kong: Skull Island 2:45pm The Zookeeper's Wife 4:55pm The Boss Baby 6:40pm Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 9:00pm Kong: Skull Island 11:10pm Wolves at the Door 12:35am Table 19 2:15am Hunter's Prayer 4:00am Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2

1:00pm Football's Greatest 1:30pm Football's Greatest Teams 2:00pm La Liga Icons 3:00pm EFL Midweek Goals: Championship 3:30pm EFL Midweek Goals: Leagues 1 & 2 4:00pm Football's Greatest 4:30pm Football's Greatest Teams 5:00pm Scottish Cup Greatest Games 5:30pm La Liga Greatest Games 6:00pm Football Years 6:30pm Football Countdowns 7:00pm La Liga Icons 8:00pm La Liga World 8:30pm EFL Midweek Goals: Championship 9:00pm EFL Midweek Goals: Leagues 1 & 2 9:30pm EFL Greatest Games 9:45pm EFL Greatest Games 10:00pm EFL Midweek Goals: Championship 10:30pm EFL Midweek Goals: Leagues 1 & 2 11:00pm 20 Years of El Clasico 11:45pm Clasico - The Movie 12:00am La Liga Icons

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

9:00pm

12 Rounds 3: Lockdown 10:50am Warcraft 1:00pm John Wick: Chapter Two 3:05pm The A-TeamZ 5:05pm Rocky III 6:50pm Warcraft 9:00pm John Wick: Chapter Two 11:05pm The A-Team 1:10am The 13th Warrior

8:25am 10:05am 11:45am 1:30pm

Airheads Big Daddy Dad's Army The Top Ten Show 2017 1:50pm Fist Fight 3:30pm Music and Lyrics 5:20pm Hot Tub Time Machine 7:10pm Three Amigos! 9:00pm Fist FightZ 10:40pm Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story 12:20am Hot Tub Time Machine 2:10am Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo

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.

44

E W N 4 - 10 January 2018 / Costa Blanca North

7:00am Breakfast 10:15am Rip Off Britain 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Wanted Down Under 12:45pm Close Calls: On Camera 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News at One 2:30pm BBC London News 2:45pm Doctors 3:15pm Father Brown 4:00pm I Escaped to the Country 4:45pm The Farmers' Country Showdown 5:30pm Antiques Road Trip 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm Celebrity Mastermind 8:30pm Match of the Day Live 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm Graham Norton's Good Guest Guide 12:25am Enterprice 12:50am Shanghai Noon

7:00am Flog it! Trade Secrets 7:30am The Farmers' Country Showdown 8:15am Antiques Road Trip 9:00am MasterChef: The Professionals 10:00am BBC Newsroom Live 12:00pm Westminster in Review 1:00pm Coast 1:10pm The Triple Cross 3:15pm Dolphins: Spy in the Pod 4:15pm Dolphins: Spy in the Pod 5:15pm Planet Earth II 6:15pm Antiques Road Trip 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm Natural World 9:00pm Mastermind 9:30pm Christmas University Challenge 2017 10:00pm Rome Unpacked 11:00pm QI 11:30pm Newsnight 12:05am Deep Water 1:00am Deep Water

8:00pm World News Today The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective. 8:30pm Great Continental Railway Journeys 9:00pm Only Yesterday: The Carpenters Story 10:00pm Top of the Pops 11:00pm Top of the Pops 12:00am Radio 2 in Concert 1:00am TOTP 2 2:00am Top of the Pops 3:00am Top of the Pops 4:00am Only Yesterday: The Carpenters Story 5:00am This is BBC Four BBC Four is the BBC channel for people who want more.

6:05am

7:55am 8:45am 9:20am 9:50am 10:25am

7:00am Classic Coronation Street 7:25am Classic Coronation Street 7:55am Judge Judy 8:20am Heartbeat 9:20am The Royal 10:25am Judge Judy 10:55am Judge Judy 11:25am Judge Judy 11:50am Blue Murder at St. Trinian's 1:35pm The Royal 2:40pm Heartbeat 3:40pm Classic Coronation Street 4:15pm Classic Coronation Street 4:50pm Agatha Christie's Marple 6:55pm Heartbeat 7:55pm Murder, She Wrote 9:00pm Rosemary and Thyme 10:00pm Rosemary and Thyme 11:00pm Foyle's War 1:05am Inspector Morse 3:10am Love and Marriage

7:00am 9:30am 10:25am 11:30am 1:30pm 2:30pm 2:55pm 3:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm

11:00pm 11:30pm 11:40pm 12:40am 1:30am 4:00am 4:50am

The Jeremy Kyle Show Good Morning Britain Lorraine The Jeremy Kyle Show This Morning Loose Women ITV News ITV News London Midsomer Murders Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV News Emmerdale Coronation Street River Monsters Coronation Street The Big Soap Quiz: Coronation Street v Emmerdale ITV News ITV News London Guess the Star Take Me Out Jackpot247 Alphabetical ITV Nightscreen

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

Dress to Impress Emmerdale Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Who's Doing the Dishes? Dress to Impress Emmerdale Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show The Jeremy Kyle Show The Jeremy Kyle Show The Jeremy Kyle Show Take Me Out You've Been Framed! Two and a Half Men Superstore Bridesmaids FYI Daily Bridesmaids Family Guy Family Guy

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

7:00am 7:50am 8:10am 8:35am 9:35am 10:40am 11:45am 12:50pm 1:55pm 2:55pm 4:00pm 5:05pm 6:10pm 7:10pm 7:20pm 7:50pm 8:15pm 8:45pm 11:00pm 12:05am

3rd Rock from the Sun Everybody Loves Raymond Everybody Loves Raymond Frasier Frasier Frasier Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA Sun, Sea and Selling Houses Channel 4 News Couples Come Dine with Me Posh Pawn Countdown The Secret Life of the Zoo A Place in the Sun Come Dine with Me The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Jamie and Jimmy's Friday Night Feast The Beatles The Bourne Legacy Piranha 3DD

The Chase Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Ironside Quincy, M.E. Minder The Sweeney The Professionals Ironside Quincy, M.E. Minder The Sweeney The Professionals Sporting Funnies Storage Wars Texas Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Hornblower Goodfellas FYI Daily Latest news from the world of entertainment. 12:10am Goodfellas 1:55am The Sweeney 3:00am Fifth Gear The motor magazine show. 3:45am ITV4 Nightscreen 4:00am Teleshopping

8:55am 9:05am 9:20am 9:35am 9:55am 10:05am 10:15am 10:40am 12:15pm 12:45pm 1:40pm 1:45pm 2:35pm 4:20pm 6:00pm 6:35pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm

Floogals Digby Dragon Rusty Rivets Shimmer and Shine Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom Mofy Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Igor Animals Make You Laugh Out Loud GPs: Behind Closed Doors 5 News Lunchtime The Hotel Inspector Family Secrets Deadly Paradise 5 News at 5 Barging Loving Celebs 5 News Tonight Greatest Celebrity Wind-Ups Ever! Costa Del Celebrity Celebrity Big Brother Will and Grace Celebrity Big Brother

8:20am Days of Thunder 10:20am Independence Day 12:55pm Independence Day: Resurgence 2:55pm Robin Hood 5:20pm Rocky IV 6:55pm Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Special 7:25pm Independence Day 10:00pm Independence Day: Resurgence

7:45am 1941 9:50am Miss Congeniality 11:50am Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous 1:50pm Bad Neighbours 2 3:30pm Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates 5:15pm Splash 7:15pm 50 First Dates 9:00pm Bad Neighbours 2 10:40pm Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates 12:25am Paul

FRIDAY TV

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

Charmed Charmed Rugrats the Movie Rude(Ish) Tube The Goldbergs The Goldbergs How I Met Your Mother 1:30pm How I Met Your Mother 2:00pm The Big Bang Theory 2:30pm The Big Bang Theory 3:00pm Melissa and Joey 3:30pm Melissa and Joey 4:00pm Baby Daddy 4:30pm Baby Daddy 5:00pm Brooklyn Nine-Nine 5:30pm Brooklyn Nine-Nine 6:00pm The Goldbergs 6:30pm The Goldbergs 7:00pm The Big Bang Theory 7:30pm The Big Bang Theory 8:00pm Hollyoaks 8:30pm Hollyoaks 9:00pm The Crystal Maze 10:00pm Fast and Furious 6 12:35am The Big Bang Theory 1:00am The Big Bang Theory 1:30am Gogglebox 2:25am Rude Tube 3:25am Tattoo Fixers

7:00am Good Morning 7:30am Good Morning Sports Fans Bitesize 8:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 9:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 9:30am Cricket Day one of the first Test between South Africa and India at Newlands in Cape Town. 4:45pm Best of Sky Cricket 5:00pm SKY Sports News 6:00pm SKY Sports News 7:00pm SKY Sports News 8:00pm Info not available 8:30pm Sky Sports Tonight 9:00pm Sky Sports Tonight 10:00pm Sky Sports Tonight 11:00pm The Debate - Live 12:00am Cricket New Zealand take on Pakistan at the Basin Reserve in Wellington in the first ODI in their series.

6:30am Olaf's Frozen Adventure Olaf the snowman (voiced by Josh Gad) is on the hunt for the perfect Christmas tradition in this brand new mini-sequel to Oscar-winning smash-hit Frozen. Animated short. 7:00am The Ottoman Lieutenant 9:00am Rules Don't Apply 11:10am The Boss Baby 12:50pm Logan 3:10pm Kong: Skull Island 5:10pm The Zookeeper's Wife 7:20pm The Boss Baby 9:00pm Logan 11:20pm Kong: Skull Island 1:25am Wolves at the Door 2:45am Hunter's Prayer 4:30am President Under Siege

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 8:15pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 10:45pm 11:00pm

La Liga Icons La Liga Icons La Liga Show EFL Midweek Goals: Championship 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 La Liga Show EFL Midweek Goals: Championship La Liga Icons La Liga Icons Ronaldo Magical Messi 20 Years of El Clasico Clasico - The Movie La Liga Preview 2017/18

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.

4 - 10 January 2018 / Costa Blanca North

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TV Couch Critic CORONATION STREET (ITV1, weekdays) fans are reportedly shocked by recent events focusing on Alya. Apparently the producers suffered a backlash from vocal viewers when they introduced a pre-watershed storyline with offensive language and racial abuse, but before Christmas I asked for something chunky from soap writers and The Street has delivered. Recently, Alya was in the throes of closing a business deal with Aidan Connor, played brilliantly by Shayne Ward, and was joined by new clients Dale and Justin Parker at The Bistro. You need to suspend belief that Bistros anywhere actually look like the one used in The Street - what is with those lights and the freaky Father Christmas on the bar - but having got over that, Dale and Justin racially abused Alya and threw some disgusting language at her. This made uncomfortable viewing and I was genuinely shocked by what was said, but judging by the chatter on social media, the storyline got people talking. It will be interesting to see where the writers take this next.

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The Street is currently a ‘must see’ Photo by ITV

FEATURE

DO NOT MISS: Coronation Street. Fans of the show no doubt share my own bewilderment around why residents have deserted Roy’s Milky for Costa Coffee. That isn’t a con leche on the sand, but the high street brand. Where have Costa opened a branch in Weatherfield? New Year’s Eve television limped us into 2018 with a predictable offering of Graham Norton (BBC1), Jools Holland (BBC2) and the ITV News.

I worry about Graham, does he ever sleep? It seems to me that the only person who gets more air time than Mr N is Paul O’Grady and Paul has to share with miscellaneous pooches on ITV1, so it’s not all about him. The BBC had Ed Sheeran on both main channels, Top of the Pops on BBC1 and with Jools on BBC2, so clearly someone somewhere in Broadcasting House is a fan. I’m not and

was pleased to have a small party to head off to in my local Plaza. New Year’s Day was altogether a better TV offering. Two shows from BBC1 stood out for me. Firstly, Grandpa’s Great Escape starring Sir Tom Courtenay was an early evening delight. If I’m honest, I am not usually a big fan of anything David Walliams but I really enjoyed this. Jennifer Saunders was brilliantly cast as up to

no good Miss Dandy; not sure if this one has made it to Catch Up, but if you missed it, try and search it out. Mrs Brown’s Boys was a welcome burst of humour later on New Year’s Day. I loved Agnes being part of the neighbourhood watch scheme. Fans of the show will be pleased a new series of All Round to Mrs Brown’s is scheduled for later in 2018 - I don’t see the attraction myself but, for me the original format of the show shouldn’t have been messed around with. I am also really enjoying the latest BBC1 drama McMafia (next episode Jan 7 at 10.00pm). A little like Ed Sheeran, the star of this crime, honour and family masterpiece is everywhere but unlike Ed, James Norton is brilliant. This is an eight part burst of thrilling action which sees James playing an ethical banker (don’t Google that, will you) forced to enter a world he is trying to leave behind. If you liked James in Granchester and what wasn’t to like, you will enjoy this one too. Happy New Year everyone. Critique - AWL, Casares, Costa del Sol

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

THE Partido Popular has a problem on two fronts. One, as the governing party in Spain it has lost credibility in Cataluña where it nominally governs after suspending the region’s autonomous status. Following the regional elections it now has only four MPs in the regional parliament, on level pegging with the anti-system CUP party. The second problem that the PP must contend with is the Ciudadanos party, the most-voted in the Catalan elections. Ines Arrimadas, Cs leader in Cataluña, didn’t put a foot wrong

MOST VOTES: Ines Arrimadas. Cuidadanos Photo credit

there, compared with the clumsy footwork executed by the PP’s Xavier Garcia Albiol. But the problem posed by Cs is not confined to Cataluña. Rajoy and his closest advisers see the party snapping at the party’s vulnerable flanks nationwide and stealing votes in the same way that Podemos has poached PSOE supporters. And unfortunately for Rajoy, there is not even a whiff of corruption attached to Cs, unlike the PP which despite all its efforts cannot exorcise the

spectre of corruption that still haunts the party.

Agreeing to agree WHEN Francisco Franco died in 1975, wounds from the Civil War still afflicted and influenced Spaniards who had fought or lived through the 1936-1939 conflict, regardless of which side they or their families fought on. Lingering or inherited rancour did not prevent the apparently impossible from happening and despite hiccups the Atocha massacre of left-wing lawyers, the attempted military coup of February 1981 - the Spanish took the road to democracy. They reached their destination because Adolfo Suarez’s government obtained consensus from communists and the right wing alike. It was feasible because everyone at the time wanted consensus without believing this demonstrated weakness. The pro-independence parties and the national government headed by Mariano Rajoy hope for consensus in Cataluña, but neither will cede a centimetre for fear of appearing to

waver. And unfortunately for Spain and Cataluña they are the weaker for it.

Move along, please MADRID mayor Manuela Carmena had already earned the enmity of thousands of citizens with driving restrictions in the centre of the city. As Christmas approached, the former Supreme Court judge and a lawyer who by chance escaped the Atocha massacre in 1977, went one step too far. Calle Preciados and Calle Carmen were made one-way for pedestrians with others due to follow. Anyone who has ever tried to shop

Footnote TO put the lid on it, Barça beat Real Madrid on their home ground in the Bernabeu stadium 0-3 two days after the elections. And Rajoy a Madrid fan, too.

in Madrid over the holiday season would agree with the wisdom of this move. Apart from anything else it has prevented head-on collisions between people absorbed in their mobiles.

Play the game FIFA recently warned the government not to meddle in the election process of a new president for Spain’s Football Federation (RFEF). This is temporarily headed by Juan Luis Larrea after former president Angel Maria Villar, now bailed, had to step down following corruption charges. Failure to comply could bar Spain’s national side from all international competitions including the next World Cup in Russia FIFA warned. As though Spain didn’t have enough to cope with over Cataluña, it’s facing a crisis with far-reaching effects on the nation’s happiness and well-being. Tinker with laws if you have to Sr Rajoy. But leave the footie alone. columnists@euroweeklynews.com

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2:40am BBC News 7:00am Breakfast 11:00am Saturday Kitchen Live 12:30pm Mary Berry Everyday 1:00pm BBC News 1:15pm Football Focus 1:45pm Match of the Day 4:00pm Money for Nothing 5:00pm Final Score 6:10pm Celebrity Mastermind 6:40pm BBC News 6:50pm BBC London News 7:00pm And They're Off... for Sport Relief 7:40pm Pointless 8:25pm Wedding Day Winners 9:30pm Casualty 10:20pm BBC News 10:35pm Hard Sun) 11:30pm Match of the Day: FA Cup Highlights 1:05am The NFL Show 1:35am The Resident 3:00am Weather for the Week Ahead 3:05am BBC News

8:00am 8:05am

8:30am 8:35am 8:55am 9:10am 9:30am 10:05am 10:25am 10:30am 12:30pm 1:30pm 1:40pm 3:40pm 5:35pm 5:45pm 5:55pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:35pm 10:50pm 1:30am

Share a Story Ultimate SpiderMan v the Sinister Six Scrambled! The Tom and Jerry Show Fangbone The Powerpuff Girls Be Cool, ScoobyDoo Wishfart ITV News Saturday Morning with James Martin The Hungry Sailors ITV News Endeavour The Greatest TV Moments of All Time ITV News London ITV News The Chase Celebrity Catchphrase Take Me Out The Voice UK ITV News Spectre Jackpot247

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9:00am The Dengineers 9:30am Deadly Top 10 10:00am World's Sneakiest Animals 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Pets: Wild at Heart 1:00pm Hairy Bikers' Mediterranean Adventure 2:00pm Back to the Land with Kate Humble 3:00pm Rome Unpacked 4:00pm The Letter 5:30pm Natural World 6:15pm Trust Me, I'm a Doctor 6:45pm Tom Kerridge's Lose Weight for Good 7:15pm Hugh's Wild West 8:15pm A House Through Time 9:15pm Dad's Army 9:45pm Grand Tours of Scotland's Lochs 10:15pm Feud: Bette and Joan 11:00pm Feud: Bette and Joan 12:00am Live at the Apollo 12:45am QI XL

5:00am 8:00pm

This is BBC Four Shipwrecks: Britain's Sunken History 9:00pm Alaska: Earth's Frozen Kingdom Three-part series following pioneering Alaskans 10:00pm Spiral French crime drama serial 11:00pm Spiral 12:05am The Vietnam War Ten years in the making, this immersive series tells the epic story of the Vietnam War 1:00am The Bee Gees at the BBC... And Beyond 2:00am Disco at the BBC Classic Bee Gees studio performances from the BBC and beyond including all the big hits 3:00am Alaska: Earth's Frozen Kingdom 4:00am Shipwrecks: Britain's Sunken History 5:00am This is BBC Four

5:50am

7:00am

5:45am

7:00am Barcelona's European Glory 7:10am The Protectors 7:35am The Professionals 8:30am The Professionals 9:30am The Professionals 10:30am The Opening Show 11:30am Barcelona's European Glory 11:40am Pawn Stars 12:10pm Pawn Stars 12:35pm Pawn Stars 1:05pm Pawn Stars 1:30pm Pawn Stars 2:00pm Pawn Stars 2:30pm Horse Racing Live 5:05pm Khartoum 6:10pm FYI Daily 6:15pm Khartoum 7:45pm Dr. No 8:50pm FYI Daily 8:55pm Dr. No 10:00pm The Enforcer 11:00pm FYI Daily 11:05pm The Enforcer 12:05am Platoon 1:10am FYI Daily 1:15am Platoon 2:25am Car Crash Global

10:00am 1:00pm

2:00pm 2:30pm 3:30pm 4:05pm 5:05pm 5:10pm 5:55pm 6:55pm 7:00pm 7:40pm 8:40pm 8:45pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:05pm 12:10am 12:35am 1:10am 1:35am 2:05am

Emmerdale Omnibus Coronation Street Omnibus The Big Soap Quiz: Coronation Street v Emmerdale Who Shot Simon Cowell? You've Been Framed! You've Been Framed! Legally Blonde FYI Daily Legally Blonde Hotel Transylvania FYI Daily Hotel Transylvania The Mummy FYI Daily The Mummy The Hangover FYI Daily The Hangover Family Guy Family Guy American Dad! American Dad! Paranoia

Richard Wilson on the Road 6:10am Judge Judy 6:35am ITV3 Nightscreen 7:00am Judge Judy 7:20am Murder, She Wrote 8:20am Murder, She Wrote 9:25am Death on the Nile 12:05pm Foyle's War 2:10pm Columbo: Suitable for Framing 3:55pm Midsomer Murders 5:55pm Midsomer Murders 7:55pm Midsomer Murders 10:00pm Midsomer Murders 12:00am The Suspicions of Mr Whicher 2:00am On the Buses 2:30am On the Buses 3:00am ITV3 Nightscreen 3:30am Teleshopping

6:45am 7:05am 8:00am 8:25am 8:50am 9:20am 9:55am 10:25am 10:50am 11:20am 11:50am 12:15pm 12:45pm 1:45pm 6:30pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 12:40am 2:25am 3:15am

Location, Location, Location Kirstie's Vintage Gems Triathlon Everybody Loves Raymond Everybody Loves Raymond Frasier Frasier Frasier The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Simpsons The Simpsons Sun, Sea and Selling Houses Darts A Place in the Sun Channel 4 News Spying on the Royals Princess Diana's The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 The Transporter Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA Hollyoaks Omnibus

9:35am Noddy: Toyland Detective 9:50am Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 10:05am Shimmer and Shine 10:25am Digby Dragon 10:35am Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 11:10am Dogs Make You Laugh Out Loud 11:40am Christmas Cruising with Jane McDonald 12:40pm West Side Story 3:30pm The Hundred-Foot Journey 4:30pm 5 News 4:35pm The Hundred-Foot Journey 5:55pm 5 News Weekend 6:00pm Playful Pups Make You Laugh Out Loud 7:00pm The Wonderful World of Puppies 8:00pm Greatest Celebrity Wind-Ups Ever! 9:00pm Blind Date 10:00pm Celebrity Big Brother 11:00pm Worst Celebrity Pop Songs Ever 12:45am Lip Sync Battle UK

6:00am 7:35am 9:50am 12:10pm 2:10pm 4:25pm 6:40pm 9:00pm 11:15pm 1:10am

Rocky IV Last Action Hero The Mask of Zorro Tarzan Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Conan the Barbarian The Mask of Zorro Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Tarzan 300

5:30am Police Academy 7: Mission to Moscow 7:00am Get a Job 8:30am Dumb and Dumber 10:25am Did You Hear About the Morgans? 12:15pm 48 Hrs 2:00pm Mean Girls 3:45pm The Boss 5:30pm Zoolander 7:10pm Zoolander 2 9:00pm The Boss 10:45pm 48 Hrs 12:30am Another 48 Hrs

5:40am 7:00am 7:25am 7:50am 8:20am 8:50am 9:20am 11:25am 12:30pm 1:30pm 2:35pm 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

Charmed Rude(Ish) Tube How I Met Your Mother How I Met Your Mother Melissa and Joey Melissa and Joey Big Miracle Couples Come Dine with Me Couples Come Dine with Me Don't Tell the Bride The Goldbergs The Goldbergs The Goldbergs The Goldbergs The Goldbergs The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Red Gogglebox

6:30am The Greatest Sky Movies takes a special look at the show-stopping PT Barnum biopic starring Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron and Michelle Williams. 7:00am The Ottoman Lieutenant 9:00am The Boss Baby 10:45am Olaf's Frozen Adventure 11:15am The Book of Henry 1:05pm Logan 3:25pm Kong: Skull Island 5:25pm The Boss Baby 7:10pm The Book of Henry Heartstring-tugging drama starring Naomi Watts 9:00pm Logan 11:20pm Kong: Skull Island 1:25am Table 19 3:00am The Zookeeper's Wife 5:10am Wolves at the Door

SATURDAY TV

7:00am SKY Sports News 8:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 9:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 9:30am Cricket 4:00pm Rugby Union 6:30pm Rugby Union Leinster meet Ulster in the Guinness Pro14. 8:45pm My Icon In the next episode of this special series, Wakefield Trinity prop Keegan Hirst discusses the individuals that have inspired him during his life and career. 9:00pm Sky Sports Tonight 10:00pm Live NFL: Wild Card Round Game A wild card play-off match from the NFL as teams look to book a spot in the divisional round. 2:00am Live NFL: Wild Card Round Game

6:00am Football's Greatest 6:30am Football's Greatest Teams 7:00am Football's Greatest 7:30am La Liga Icons 7:45am La Liga Icons 8:00am La Liga Files 8:45am La Liga Files 9:30am Ronaldo 10:00am Football Countdowns 10:30am Football Years 11:00am Soccer A.M. 12:30pm La Liga Icons 12:45pm La Liga Greatest Games 12:55pm Football 3:00pm Gillette Soccer Saturday 6:15pm La Liga Greatest Games 6:25pm Football 8:30pm La Liga Greatest Games 8:40pm Football 10:45pm Magical Messi 11:45pm La Liga Greatest Games 12:00am La Liga Icons 12:15am La Liga Icons

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.

48

E W N 4 - 10 January 2018 / Costa Blanca North

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

Breakfast Match of the Day: FA Cup Highlights The Andrew Marr Show The Big Questions Homes Under the Hammer Bargain Hunt BBC News Wallace and Gromit: A Grand Day Out Match of the Day Live Escape to the Country Songs of Praise Antiques Roadshow BBC News BBC London News Countryfile Still Open All Hours Attenborough and the Sea Dragon McMafia BBC News BBC London News Match of the Day: FA Cup Highlights The Women's Football Show

8:05am Ultimate Spider-Man v the Sinister Six 8:30am Scrambled! 8:35am The Tom and Jerry Show 8:55am Ben 10 9:10am Mr. Bean: The Animated Series 9:30am Spy School 10:05am Wishfart 10:25am ITV News The latest ITV News. 10:30am River Monsters 10:55am The Voice UK 12:30pm Tipping Point 1:30pm ITV News 1:40pm A Right Royal Quiz 2:40pm The Big Soap Quiz: Coronation Street v Emmerdale 3:45pm Celebrity Catchphrase 4:45pm ITV News London 5:00pm ITV News 5:10pm Happy Feet Two 7:00pm Dancing on Ice 9:00pm Vera 11:00pm ITV News 11:10pm Captain Phillips 1:35am Great Art

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

12:25am 2:00am 2:55am

Coast The Instant Gardener Gardeners' World Greatest Gardens Countryfile Saturday Kitchen Best Bites Raymond Blanc: How to Cook Well Food and Drink The A to Z of TV Cooking Natural World Money for Nothing Talking Pictures Ladies in Lavender Flog It! Ski Sunday The Real T rex with Chris Packham Robot Wars Special Dragons' Den Michael Palin: A Life on Screen And Now for Something Completely Different Strictly Ballroom Countryfile Holby City

7:50am Emmerdale Omnibus 10:40am Coronation Street Omnibus 1:35pm Take Me Out 2:40pm The Voice UK 4:20pm The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor 5:50pm FYI Daily 5:55pm The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor 6:25pm The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 7:25pm FYI Daily 7:30pm The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 10:00pm Ibiza Weekender 11:00pm Family Guy 11:30pm Family Guy 12:00am Family Guy 12:30am American Dad! 1:00am American Dad! 1:30am Delivery Man 2:35am FYI Daily 2:40am Delivery Man 3:30am Teleshopping

8:00pm Only Connect 8:30pm Britain on Film 9:00pm Dan Snow on Lloyd George: My GreatGreat-Grandfather 10:00pm Engineering Giants 11:00pm The Bridge: Fifty Years across the Forth 12:00am Stations of the Cross 1:45am Dan Snow on Lloyd George: My GreatGreat-Grandfather 2:45am Engineering Giants 3:45am The Bridge: Fifty Years across the Forth 4:45am This is BBC Four BBC Four is the BBC channel for people who want more.

www.euroweeklynews.com

6:50am 7:15am 7:40am 8:05am 8:30am 8:55am 9:25am 10:00am 10:30am 1:30pm 6:30pm 7:45pm 8:00pm 9:00pm

10:00pm 11:00pm 1:10am 2:55am 3:50am 4:45am 5:15am

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

9:00pm

10:00pm 11:00pm 1:00am 2:50am 3:45am

Murder, She Wrote Murder, She Wrote Heartbeat Heartbeat Columbo: Suitable for Framing Foyle's War Foyle's War Foyle's War Endeavour DC Endeavour Morse investigates the disappearance of a missing Oxford schoolgirl. Les Dawson: An Audience with That Never Was Special marking the twentieth anniversary of the death of Les Dawson. Tonight at the London Palladium Agatha Christie's Marple Midsomer Murders Executed Road to Avonlea

7:00am 7:20am 8:10am 9:00am 9:30am 10:00am 10:30am 11:00am 11:30am 11:55am 12:25pm 12:55pm 1:20pm 1:50pm 2:15pm 2:45pm 3:50pm 3:55pm 5:10pm 6:10pm 6:15pm 7:50pm 10:00pm 11:05pm 11:10pm 12:30am 1:30am 1:35am

Four in a Bed King of Queens King of Queens King of Queens Everybody Loves Raymond Everybody Loves Raymond Frasier Frasier Sunday Brunch Darts The Great Festive Bake Off Channel 4 News The World's Wildest Weather The Biggest Little Railway in the World SAS: Who Dares Wins The Sweeney Moonrise Kingdom Grand Designs Location, Location, Location KOTV Boxing Weekly Coast v Country

9:05am Paw Patrol 9:25am Nella the Princess Knight 9:40am Noddy: Toyland Detective 9:55am Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 10:10am Shimmer and Shine 10:25am Digby Dragon 10:40am Peppa Pig 10:45am Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 11:20am Pets Make You Laugh Out Loud 11:40am Groundhog Day 1:40pm Practical Magic 3:40pm Will and Grace 4:10pm Blind Date 5:15pm The Love Punch 7:00pm The Two Ronnies 9:00pm Aviva Premiership Rugby Highlights 9:55pm 5 News Weekend 10:00pm Celebrity Big Brother 11:00pm Hot Pursuit 12:00am 5 News 12:05am Hot Pursuit 12:50am One Night with My Ex

Hollyoaks Omnibus Melissa and Joey Melissa and Joey Melissa and Joey Melissa and Joey Melissa and Joey The Goldbergs The Goldbergs The Goldbergs The Borrowers Rude(Ish) Tube Shorts 3:00pm The Big Bang Theory 3:30pm The Big Bang Theory 4:00pm The Big Bang Theory 4:30pm The Big Bang Theory 5:00pm The Big Bang Theory 5:30pm The Big Bang Theory 6:00pm The Big Bang Theory 6:30pm The Big Bang Theory 7:00pm The Big Bang Theory 7:30pm The Big Bang Theory 8:00pm Titanic 11:50pm American Pie: Reunion 2:05am Gogglebox 3:10am First Dates 4:15am Rude Tube 4:40am Hollyoaks Omnibus

World Cup Rivalries: England v Argentina Minder The Sweeney Storage Wars Texas Storage Wars Texas Storage Wars Texas Storage Wars Texas Storage Wars Texas Storage Wars Texas Storage Wars Texas Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars The Sea Wolves FYI Daily The Sea Wolves Khartoum FYI Daily Khartoum Hornblower Ransom FYI Daily Ransom RoboCop 3 FYI Daily RoboCop 3

7:10am The Legend of Zorro 9:25am Xxx: Return of Xander Cage 11:15am The Dark Knight 1:50pm Independence Day 4:25pm Power Rangers 6:05pm Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie 7:45pm The Legend of Zorro 10:00pm The Dark Knight 12:35am Xxx: Return of Xander Cage

7:00am Top Ten Show, the 2018 Which movies are doing the best business at home and across the pond? Clips from the UK and US Top Ten show you the best of what's on offer on the big screen. 7:15am The Boss Baby 8:55am Kong: Skull Island 11:00am Logan 1:20pm Blind 3:15pm The Boss Baby 5:00pm The Book of Henry 6:50pm Kong: Skull Island 9:00pm Logan 11:20pm Blind 1:15am The Zookeeper's Wife 3:25am Wolves at the Door 4:45am Table 19

7:45am 8:15am 10:05am 11:40am 1:35pm 3:35pm 5:15pm 7:10pm 9:00pm 11:00pm 12:40am

Special Three Amigos! Liar Liar Calendar Girls How to be a Latin Lover The Nutty Professor Nutty Professor II: The Klumps Big Meet the Parents The Nutty Professor Nutty Professor II: The Klumps

7:00am 9:00am 9:30am 10:00am 10:30am 11:00am 11:30am 12:00pm 12:30pm 1:00pm 2:40pm

SUNDAY TV

6:00am 7:00am 8:00am 9:00am 9:30am

4:15pm

6:15pm 6:30pm 10:00pm 2:00am 3:00am 4:00am 5:00am

SKY Sports News SKY Sports News Total Goals Total Goals Cricket Day three of the first Test between South Africa and India at Newlands in Cape Town. Football Barcelona host Levante at the Nou Camp in La Liga. My Icon Live NFL: Wild Card Round Game Live NFL: Wild Card Round Game SKY Sports News SKY Sports News SKY Sports News SKY Sports News

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 Sunday Supplement 12:00pm Football 2:00pm La Liga Greatest Games 2:15pm La Liga Icons 2:45pm La Liga Icons 3:00pm EFL Rivalries 3:30pm EFL Rivalries 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 Highlights: Barcelona 11:00pm EFL Rivalries 11:30pm EFL Rivalries 12:00am La Liga Highlights: Barcelona

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E W N 4 - 10 January 2018 / Costa Blanca North

11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Wanted Down Under 12:45pm Close Calls: On Camera 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News at One 2:30pm BBC London News 2:45pm Doctors 3:15pm Father Brown 4:00pm I Escaped to the Country 4:45pm The Farmers' Country Showdown 5:30pm Antiques Road Trip 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm An Inside Out Special 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Panorama 10:00pm Silent Witness 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:30pm BBC London News 11:45pm Have I Got Old News for You 12:15am Miriam's Big American Adventure

7:00am 9:30am 10:25am 11:30am 1:30pm 2:30pm 2:55pm 3:00pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm

9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 11:40pm 12:40am 1:35am

Good Morning Britain Lorraine The Jeremy Kyle Show This Morning Loose Women ITV News ITV News London Judge Rinder Dickinson's Real Deal Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV News Emmerdale Coronation Street Best Walks with a View with Julia Bradbury Coronation Street Next of Kin ITV News ITV News London Piers Morgan's Life Stories Killer Women with Piers Morgan Jackpot247

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

Flog it! Trade Secrets The Farmers' Country Showdown Antiques Road Trip Antiques Roadshow Victoria Derbyshire BBC Newsroom Live The Daily Politics Coast Brazil with Michael Palin Himalaya with Michael Palin The Great British Winter Planet Earth II Flog It! Eggheads Great British Railway Journeys Match of the Day Kate Humble: Off the Beaten Track Only Connect University Challenge Surgeons Insert Name Here Newsnight Robot Wars Special Natural World

9:20am Coronation Street 9:50am Coronation Street 10:25am The Ellen DeGeneres Show 11:10am Who's Doing the Dishes? 12:10pm Dress to Impress 1:10pm Emmerdale 1:45pm Coronation Street 2:15pm Coronation Street 2:45pm The Ellen DeGeneres Show 3:35pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 4:40pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 5:45pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 6:50pm Take Me Out 8:00pm You've Been Framed! 8:30pm You've Been Framed! 9:00pm Two and a Half Men 9:30pm Superstore 10:00pm Family Guy 10:30pm Family Guy 11:00pm American Dad! 11:30pm American Dad! 12:00am Family Guy

8:00pm Beyond 100 Days 8:30pm Great Continental Railway Journeys 9:00pm Highlands Scotland's Wild Heart 10:00pm My Astonishing Self 11:00pm Workers or Shirkers? Ian Hislop's Victorian Benefits 12:00am The Victorians 1:00am Top of the Pops: 1981 1:40am Top of the Pops: 1981 2:20am Highlands Scotland's Wild Heart Ewan McGregor narrates a series about the wildlife of the Scottish Highlands. 3:20am My Astonishing Self 4:20am This is BBC Four BBC Four is the BBC channel for people who want more.

7:00am 7:25am 7:55am 8:55am 10:00am 10:25am 10:55am 11:20am 12:25pm 1:35pm 2:40pm 3:40pm 4:15pm 5:20pm 5:55pm 6:25pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 11:00pm 1:15am 3:10am 3:30am

Classic Coronation Street Classic Coronation Street Heartbeat The Royal Judge Judy Judge Judy Judge Judy Love Your Garden The Darling Buds of May The Royal Heartbeat Classic Coronation Street Classic Coronation Street On the Buses Rising Damp George and Mildred Heartbeat Murder, She Wrote Lewis Foyle's War Inspector Morse ITV3 Nightscreen Teleshopping

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6:10am 6:35am 7:20am

10:00pm 11:00pm 12:05am 12:40am

Four in a Bed Countdown 3rd Rock from the Sun 3rd Rock from the Sun Everybody Loves Raymond Everybody Loves Raymond Everybody Loves Raymond Frasier Frasier Frasier Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA Sun, Sea and Selling Houses Channel 4 News Darts Come Dine with Me The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News How to Lose Weight Well The Undateables First Dates Hotel Derry Girls Hunted

7:00am 7:50am 8:10am 8:35am 9:35am 10:40am 11:40am 12:45pm 1:50pm 2:55pm 3:55pm 5:00pm 6:05pm 7:05pm 7:35pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:05pm 12:05am 12:10am 1:15am 2:15am 2:20am 3:30am 3:55am 4:00am

The Chase Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Ironside Quincy, M.E. Minder The Sweeney The Professionals Ironside Quincy, M.E. Minder The Sweeney The Professionals Storage Wars Texas Storage Wars Texas Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Parking Wars River Monsters Wanted FYI Daily Wanted The Book of Eli FYI Daily The Book of Eli The Protectors ITV4 Nightscreen Teleshopping

7:40am 8:05am 8:30am 9:00am 9:30am 10:00am 10:35am 11:05am 12:00pm 1:00pm 1:05pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm

8:35am 8:45am 8:50am 9:05am 9:20am 9:35am 9:55am 10:05am 10:15am 12:15pm 1:10pm 1:15pm 2:15pm 2:45pm 3:15pm 4:15pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:05am

Peppa Pig Peppa Pig Floogals Digby Dragon Rusty Rivets Shimmer and Shine Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom Mofy The Wright Stuff GPs: Behind Closed Doors 5 News Lunchtime The Hotel Inspector Home and Away Neighbours NCIS Killer Mom 5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight Car Crash TV Police Interceptors Celebrity Big Brother Not So Sweet Sixteen Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side

10:25am Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice 1:00pm Doctor Strange 3:00pm Superman 2 5:10pm Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows 7:10pm X-Men Origins: Wolverine 9:00pm Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice 11:35pm Doctor Strange

7:20am 8:50am 10:40am 12:25pm 2:35pm 4:35pm 6:45pm 9:00pm 11:00pm 1:10am 3:20am 4:55am

The Benchwarmers Love of My Life Non-Transferable Bridget Jones's Baby Shallow Hal Bridesmaids Love Actually Shallow Hal Bridget Jones's Baby Bridesmaids Brüno Borat

7:00am 7:30am 8:00am 9:00am 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 11:35pm 12:40am 1:10am

Hollyoaks Hollyoaks Couples Come Dine with Me Charmed Melissa and Joey Melissa and Joey Baby Daddy Baby Daddy Brooklyn Nine-Nine Brooklyn Nine-Nine The Goldbergs The Goldbergs The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Melissa and Joey Melissa and Joey Baby Daddy Baby Daddy Brooklyn Nine-Nine Brooklyn Nine-Nine The Goldbergs The Goldbergs The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Hollyoaks Coach Trip Life of Pi Gogglebox The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory

7:00am The Ottoman Lieutenant 9:00am Rules Don't Apply 11:10am Lowriders 1:00pm Logan 3:20pm The Book of Henry 5:15pm The Boss Baby 7:00pm Blind 9:00pm Logan 11:20pm Lowriders 1:05am Kong: Skull Island 3:10am Wolves at the Door 4:30am President Under Siege The Belgian prime minister is kidnapped and told that he must assassinate the US president if he ever wants to see his family again. Foreign language with subtitles.

MONDAY TV

7:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 7:30am Good Morning Sports Fans 8:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 9:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 9:30am Cricket Day four of the first Test between South Africa and India at Newlands in Cape Town. 4:45pm Best of Sky Cricket A look at some of the best moments from the world of cricket. 5:00pm SKY Sports News 6:00pm SKY Sports News 7:00pm SKY Sports News 8:00pm To be Announced 8:30pm La Liga Greatest Games 8:40pm La Liga Greatest Games 8:55pm Football A match from Spain's La Liga. 11:00pm Cricket

11:00am 1:05pm 3:10pm 5:15pm 5:30pm 5:45pm 6:00pm 6:15pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:45pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 8:40pm 8:55pm 11:00pm 11:15pm 11:30pm 12:00am 12:15am

Football Football Football Scottish Cup Greatest Games La Liga Greatest Games La Liga Greatest Games La Liga Highlights: Real Madrid La Liga Highlights: Barcelona Football Countdowns 20 Years of El Clasico La Liga Icons Soccer A.M. La Liga Greatest Games La Liga Greatest Games Football La Liga Highlights: Real Madrid La Liga Highlights: Barcelona Soccer A.M. La Liga Icons La Liga Icons

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FEATURE

4 - 10 January 2018 / Costa Blanca North

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Advertising feature

It’s time to celebrate with Siesta Group WELL we think so at Siesta Group as we go into 2018 following our most successful year to date ready for another busy season. As a company we have been trading now for over 15 years and we have become the local No 1 choice for both quality garden furniture and accessories and also for customer service as we take pride in all areas of the operation. The company started with a small shop in Ciudad Quesada and has continued to grow from strength to strength and we now have four superstores along the Costa Blanca in Los Montesinos, Cabo Roig, San Javier and Gata De Gorgos, together with a very successful website www.siestagroup.com where you can peruse our products in the comfort of your own home. What makes us stand out above

the crowd is that we are actively involved in designing our garden furniture directly with the factories so we know we have an exclusive range and can also be competitive on price and be one step ahead of the market. Our products are carefully handpicked by our buying team to ensure we offer unique value for money items which will enhance your garden and patio areas. The distribution team has increased considerably in size to cope with demand and we offer free delivery together with assembly of all items, either on site or beforehand where practical, saving you time and stress. We do realise without you, our customers, none of the success would have been possible and we would therefore, like to take this op-

portunity to thank all of our clients and invite you to help us celebrate our continued growth by offering you the chance to purchase our full range at discounted prices. You can enjoy discounts of 50 per cent and a guaranteed 15 per cent off everything in store so why not treat yourself ready for the spring and be confident in the knowledge that you are buying from a reputable company who always puts the customer first. Our stores can be found at Avda Del Mar, Los Montesinos and on the N332 at Cabo Roig, San Javier and Gata De Gorgos. The majority of our products can also be viewed at www.siestagroup.com or telephone 966 726 891 with any questions. Our dedicated team looks forward to meeting old and new clients.

GARDEN FURNITURE: All our products are carefully handpicked.

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E W N 4 - 10 January 2018 / Costa Blanca North

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7:00am Breakfast 10:15am Rip Off Britain 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Wanted Down Under 12:45pm Close Calls: On Camera 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News at One 2:30pm BBC London News 2:45pm Doctors 3:15pm Father Brown 4:00pm I Escaped to the Country 4:45pm The Farmers' Country Showdown 5:30pm Antiques Road Trip 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm Holby City 10:00pm Silent Witness 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:30pm BBC London News 11:45pm Canvey: The Promised Island

7:30am The Farmers' Country Showdown 8:15am Antiques Road Trip 9:00am Celebrity Antiques Road Trip 10:00am Victoria Derbyshire 12:00pm BBC Newsroom Live 1:00pm The Daily Politics 2:00pm Coast 2:15pm Brazil with Michael Palin 3:15pm Himalaya with Michael Palin 4:15pm The Great British Winter 5:15pm Planet Earth II 6:15pm Flog It! 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm Rick Stein's Road to Mexico 9:00pm Inside the Factory 10:00pm House of Saud: A Family at War 11:00pm Inside No 9 11:30pm Newsnight 12:15am NFL 1:05am Surgeons

8:00pm Beyond 100 Days 8:30pm Great Continental Railway Journeys 9:00pm Andrew Marr's The Making of Modern Britain 10:00pm England's Forgotten Queen: The Life and Death of Lady Jane Grey 11:00pm Fit to Rule: How Royal Illness Changed History 12:00am Catching History's Criminals: The Forensics Story 1:00am Top of the Pops: 1981 1:40am Top of the Pops: 1981 2:20am England's Forgotten Queen: The Life and Death of Lady Jane Grey 3:20am Andrew Marr's The Making of Modern Britain

7:45am 3rd Rock from the Sun 8:10am Everybody Loves Raymond 8:35am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:00am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:35am Frasier 10:05am Frasier 10:35am Frasier 11:05am Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA 12:00pm Sun, Sea and Selling Houses 1:00pm Channel 4 News 1:05pm Darts 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm The Secret Life of the Zoo 10:00pm 24 Hours in A and E 11:00pm Working Class White Men 12:00am Naked Attraction 1:05am How to Lose Weight Well

9:35am Shimmer and Shine 9:55am Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 10:05am Mofy 10:15am The Wright Stuff 12:15pm GPs: Behind Closed Doors 1:10pm 5 News Lunchtime 1:15pm The Hotel Inspector 2:15pm Home and Away 2:45pm Neighbours 3:15pm NCIS 4:15pm Eyewitness 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm Secrets of the National Trust with Alan Titchmarsh 9:00pm Greatest Diets: Fact or Fiction? 10:00pm Celebrity Big Brother 11:35pm One Night with My Ex 12:35am Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side

10:00am 10:30am 11:00am 11:30am 12:00pm 12:30pm 1:00pm 1:30 pm 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 11:00pm 11:55pm 12:25am

7:00am

7:55am 8:45am 9:20am 9:50am 10:25am

7:00am Classic Coronation Street 7:25am Classic Coronation Street 7:50am Heartbeat 8:55am The Royal 10:00am Judge Judy 10:25am Judge Judy 10:55am Judge Judy 11:20am The Darling Buds of May 12:30pm The Darling Buds of May 1:35pm The Royal 2:40pm Heartbeat 3:40pm Classic Coronation Street 4:15pm Classic Coronation Street 5:20pm On the Buses 5:55pm Rising Damp 6:25pm George and Mildred 6:55pm Heartbeat 8:00pm Murder, She Wrote 9:00pm Midsomer Murders 11:00pm Foyle's War 1:15am Inspector Morse 3:10am ITV3 Nightscreen 3:30am Teleshopping

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

10:45am Conan the Barbarian 1:00pm Spider-Man 2 3:15pm Avengers Confidential: Black Widow and Punisher 4:40pm Superman III 6:45pm Conan the Barbarian 9:00pm Spider-Man 2 11:15pm Wanted

7:00am The Ottoman Lieutenant A strong-willed American nurse travels to Turkey on the cusp of WWI, soon falling for a dashing Ottoman army lieutenant. 9:00am Blind Alec Baldwin stars as a blind novelist who begins a passionate affair with the neglected wife of a corrupt businessman. 10:50am Tumbledown 12:40pm Logan 3:00pm The Book of Henry 4:50pm Kong: Skull Island 7:00pm Tumbledown 9:00pm Logan 11:20pm Kong: Skull Island 1:20am Lowriders 3:05am The Zookeeper's Wife 5:15am Wolves at the Door

9:30am 10:25am 11:30am 1:30pm 2:30pm 2:55pm 3:00pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:30pm 12:00am 12:15am 1:15am 2:05am 4:00am 4:45am

Good Morning Britain Lorraine The Jeremy Kyle Show This Morning Loose Women ITV News ITV News London Judge Rinder Dickinson's Real Deal Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV News Emmerdale Save Money: Good Food The Martin Lewis Money Show Live School for Stammerers ITV News ITV News London Girlfriends Tonight at the London Palladium Jackpot247 Loose Women ITV Nightscreen

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

Dress to Impress Emmerdale Coronation Street Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Who's Doing the Dishes? Dress to Impress Emmerdale Coronation Street Coronation Street 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 Superstore Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows FYI Daily Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows Family Guy

The Chase Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Ironside Quincy, M.E. Minder The Sweeney The Professionals Ironside Quincy, M.E. Minder The Sweeney The Professionals The Car Chasers Pawn Stars Pawn Stars The Chase Britain's Busiest Airport - Heathrow 11:00pm Inside Man 12:05am FYI Daily 12:10am Inside Man 1:40am Dawn of the Dead 2:40am FYI Daily 2:45am Dawn of the Dead 3:40am Football Rivalries 3:50am ITV4 Nightscreen 4:00am Teleshopping

6:30am Special 7:00am Me, Myself and Irene 9:05am All Roads Lead to Rome 10:45am Planes, Trains and Automobiles 12:25pm The Love Guru 2:05pm You Don't Mess with the Zohan 4:05pm This is Spinal Tap 5:35pm Mean Girls 7:20pm Happy Gilmore 9:00pm You Don't Mess with the Zohan 11:00pm This is Spinal Tap 12:30am Don Verdean

Melissa and Joey Melissa and Joey Baby Daddy Baby Daddy Brooklyn Nine-Nine Brooklyn Nine-Nine The Goldbergs The Goldbergs The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Melissa and Joey Melissa and Joey Baby Daddy Baby Daddy Brooklyn Nine-Nine Brooklyn Nine-Nine The Goldbergs The Goldbergs The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Hollyoaks Coach Trip The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Tattoo Fixers 8 Out of 10 Cats The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory

TUESDAY TV

11:00pm Cricket New Zealand take on Pakistan at the Saxton Oval in Nelson in the second ODI in their series. This is the second ODI in a series of five between the sides. 7:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 7:30am Good Morning Sports Fans 8:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 9:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 9:30am Cricket 4:45pm Best of Sky Cricket 5:00pm SKY Sports News 6:00pm SKY Sports News 7:00pm SKY Sports News 8:00pm Info not available 8:30pm Live Carabao Cup 11:00pm The Debate - Live 12:00am SKY Sports News 1:00am SKY Sports News

12:00pm One2eleven 12:15pm One2eleven 12:30pm SPFL Greatest Games 12:45pm SPFL Greatest Games 1:00pm Football's Greatest 1:30pm Soccer A.M. 2:00pm La Liga Icons 2:45pm La Liga Icons 3:00pm Football Years 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 Football Years 6:30pm Football Countdowns 7:00pm Football's Greatest 7:30pm Soccer A.M. 8:00pm La Liga Icons 8:15pm La Liga Icons 8:30pm Live Carabao Cup 11:00pm The Debate - Live 12:00am Revista de la Liga 12:30am La Liga World

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

4 - 10 January 2018 / Costa Blanca North

www.euroweeklynews.com

TECH FOR THE TIMID NOVELIST Lee Child recently confessed his difficulty when writing a new book: he can’t figure out Word’s automatic page numbering. Can you? Decades after the nostalgic clacking of typewriters gave way to the magic of the word-processor, at best, we sit in the driver’s seat and can just about steer the thing. It’s surprising how few of us can manage to even switch on the wipers, as it were. With most people using less than 10 per cent of what these programs can do, say the experts, Lee Child’s dilemma sounds familiar. (He gets around it, incidentally, by simply writing his next book over the previous one). Microsoft certainly didn’t help back in the day when it managed to infuriate pretty much everyone with Clippy the dancing paperclip to ‘help’ us find our way around Word. If that’s not when the Oxford Dictionary admitted ‘computer rage’ as a real term, it should have been. I graduated years ago from PCWrite with the screeds of keystroke cheat-sheets needed to work it, to the

A word in your eye Since starting to word-process Terence Kennedy no longer has terrible handwriting; now he just calls it his ‘own font.’

WORD PROCESSING anno 1982: €7,500 in today’s money.

THURSDAY THOUGHTS By Graham Braben, Albox

A messy ending! WELL, that’s it, two reports I saw recently prove beyond doubt that life as we know it is spiralling to a crashing, messy end! First of all, just at the beginning of November, someone was caught cheating at Scrabble! Really! That’s tantamount to pinching someone else’s Squeezy bottle so you can make your Blue Peter replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, without putting in the hard yards before you start. When I read that there was this - alleged - cheating in a tournament by a well respected Scrabblist, I just had to pinch myself, what could possibly motivate the person in question do this? I’m sure that, in Scrabble circles, whatever the tournament was is very important, but to the rest of the world, it probably matters as much as the results of the forthcoming games in the Birkenhead Sunday League Division 3 fixtures. Then there is the strange case of McGruff the Crime Dog. You may not know McGruff but it was actually an actor dressed as a private eye dog to be part of a campaign in America to increase personal safety and crime awareness. One of the actors who played McGruff was stopped in his car by the police for a minor offence - driving whilst under the influence of Lassie perhaps? To cut a long story short, they found drugs in his car then, when they went to search his house they found more drugs and, amongst other things, a grenade launcher! The positive side though is that now this man gets to raise crime awareness in prison as he got a 16 year sentence. Thankfully it wasn’t all bad news for him, he was put on a free course of worming medication! 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.

much-lamented WordStar and then the doyen of them all, WordPerfect. Which wasn’t, but it tried. ‘Also-rans’ apart, today we’re down to just two main alternative word-processors of note against Microsoft’s steamroller. WordPerfect staggers on, still cherished particularly by lawyers who love its ability to sort all their ‘whereas and inasmuch as the party of the first part’ convolutions into very pretty sub-sub-sub-paragraphs. Then there’s the excellent though slightly-dated and astonishingly free complete office suite, LibreOffice. Did I mention that it’s

free? It’s free. Amazing. As a self-confessed computer nerd I can happily fossick among the esoteric delights of obscure software manuals, or get my smart TV to play files from my tablet which got them from my computer which got them from my router which got them from dark web programs which fell off the back of the internet. But I still have to admit defeat with even the simplest things in Word occasionally: Where the hell is my euros symbol? Why must my shopping lists automatically have bullet points? Why do I keep having to scroll all the way past Albanian, Burmese, Corsican and Dzonghka (what?) to specify English for each and every document I create? Thank heavens my native language isn’t Wolof or Yoruba. How do I start page numbering after the title pages? How do I place photos on the page where I want them, not where Word decides they should be? And most exasperatingly of all: exactly where has Word automatically decided to save my precious document this time? I want it back, dammit!

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Should you ‘RTFM’? YOU don’t have to buy a Dummies book just to put words on a screen, despite how patronisinglyamusing they can sometimes be. There are plenty of free tutorials online not just for Word in its various three-yearly iterations, but for the whole Office shebang, including excellent guides at https://www.gcflearnfree.org/sub jects/office/ or http://www.freetraining-tutorial.com/microsoftword-online.html. There’s a popular smartphone app called Tutorials for Word Free, or you can download a free starter guide to use offline: https://www.computer-pdf.com/of fice/word/472-tutorial-introduc tion-to-word-2016.html. A Google search will reveal these and fleets of other free and paid options. Whatever you do though, don’t ever admit that you need a manual to anyone below 40, for whom the well-known acronym RTFM is a despicable admission of defeat. RTFM? Read The (er, Flaming…) Manual.

Playing the name game: what your name says about you... 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

WHAT will fashionable babies be called in 2018? Will slebs carry on giving kids daft names (Apple, Moon Unit etc) or follow the example of George and Amal Clooney with more traditional ones (Ella and Alexander)? Whilst I’m all in favour of the Clooneys’ choice of names, let’s hope their kids don’t grow like their parents telling the rest of us what we should be doing, whilst they themselves live a life of wealth and privilege far away from the effects of the policies they espouse. You know how it usually goes: lots of trips to Africa, visiting broken-down schools and orphanages. Great photo opportunities all round!

TRADITIONAL CHOICE: George and Amal Clooney. When I was a girl, we were given girls’ names rather than the names of fruits, continents or the place where we were conceived. The world has changed and will doubtless change again before long. Things have certainly changed in France where a baby was named ‘Jihad’ (‘holy war’). The chief prosecutor in France (which suffered Europe’s worst Islamist terror attacks in recent years) had to rule on the case after the couple’s name for their

son was referred by authorities in Toulouse. As for the UK, I’ve always had a weakness for great name combinations. Sue, for instance, who married a Mr Flay and Annette, a Mr Curtain (think about it!). I know someone who went to a school with a girl called Justine Bardon. So far, so good. Her mother remarried, taking the husband’s name: Case. She was known by all as Justine Case. One morning, the headmistress announced to the whole

school at assembly that Justine had won a prize. She declared, “And first prize goes to Justine ... Bardon-Case”. She was never forgiven for making the kids miss the opportunity they’d all been waiting for... Finally, there used to be a well-known printing firm in Belfast NI called ‘Reid and Wright’ and in Sligo a firm of solicitors called ‘Argue and Phibbs.’ Not to be outdone, there was also a policeman in the Bedfordshire force of the 1980’s called Robin Banks... 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.nora-john son.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

54

E W N 4 - 10 January 2018 / Costa Blanca North

7:00am Breakfast 10:15am Rip Off Britain 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Wanted Down Under 12:45pm Close Calls: On Camera 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News at One 2:30pm BBC London News 2:45pm Doctors 3:15pm Father Brown 4:00pm I Escaped to the Country 4:45pm The Farmers' Country Showdown 5:30pm Antiques Road Trip 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 9:00pm The Truth About Looking Good 10:00pm Miriam's Big American Adventure 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:30pm BBC London News 11:45pm A Question of Sport 12:15am And They're Off... for Sport Relief 1:00am Weather for the Week Ahead 1:05am BBC News

7:00am 9:30am 10:25am 11:30am 1:30pm 2:30pm 2:55pm 3:00pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:25pm

7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 11:40pm 12:40am 1:35am 4:00am

Good Morning Britain Lorraine The Jeremy Kyle This Morning Loose Women ITV Lunchtime News ITV News London Judge Rinder Dickinson's Real Deal Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London Party Political Broadcast by the Conservative Party ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Britain's Brightest Family Coronation Street Girlfriends ITV News at Ten and Weather ITV News London Britain's Busiest Airport - Heathrow Holiday Horrors: Caught on Camera Jackpot247 Tenable

8:15am 9:00am 10:00am 12:00pm 12:30pm 2:00pm 2:15pm 3:15pm 4:15pm 5:15pm

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

7:55am 8:45am 9:20am 10:25am 11:10am 12:10pm 1:10pm 1:40pm

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

Antiques Road Trip Fern Britton Meets... Victoria Derbyshire BBC Newsroom Live The Daily Politics Coast Brazil with Michael Palin Himalaya with Michael Palin The Great British Winter Great Barrier Reef with David Attenborough Flog It! Eggheads Great British Railway Journeys Rick Stein's Road to Mexico Tom Kerridge's Lose Weight for Good Trust Me, I'm a Doctor Fighting for Air Mock the Week Newsnight Inside the Factory DIY SOS The Big Build The Real T Rex with Chris Packham

4:20am This is BBC Four 8:00pm Beyond 100 Days 8:30pm Great Continental Railway Journeys 9:00pm Handmade: By Royal Appointment 9:30pm A Stitch in Time 10:00pm England's Forgotten Queen: The Life and Death of Lady Jane Grey 11:00pm Fit to Rule: How Royal Illness Changed History 12:00am The Wonderful World of Blood with Michael Mosley 1:00am Top of the Pops: 1981 1:40am Top of the Pops: 1981 2:20am England's Forgotten Queen: The Life and Death of Lady Jane Grey 3:20am Workers or Shirkers? Ian Hislop's Victorian Benefits 4:20am This is BBC Four

Dress to Impress Emmerdale The Cube The Ellen DeGeneres Show Who's Doing the Dishes? Dress to Impress Emmerdale The Big Soap Quiz: Coronation Street v Emmerdale 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 Superstore 22 Jump Street FYI Daily 22 Jump Street Family Guy Family Guy American Dad!

7:00am 7:25am 7:50am 8:55am 10:00am 10:25am 10:55am 11:15am 12:30pm 1:35pm 2:40pm 3:40pm 4:15pm 5:20pm 5:55pm 6:25pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 11:00pm 1:15am 3:10am 3:30am

Classic Coronation Street Classic Coronation Street Heartbeat The Royal Judge Judy Judge Judy Judge Judy The Darling Buds of May The Darling Buds of May The Royal Heartbeat Classic Coronation Street Classic Coronation Street On the Buses Rising Damp George and Mildred Heartbeat Murder, She Wrote Endeavour Foyle's War Inspector Morse ITV Nightscreen Teleshopping

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

2:10am 4:15am 5:10am

4:00am

7:00am 7:50am 8:10am 8:30am 9:35am 10:35am 11:40am 12:45pm 1:50pm 2:50pm 3:55pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:05pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 8:55pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:05pm 12:00am 1:05am 1:10am 1:55am 3:00am 3:50am 4:00am

Everybody Loves Raymond Everybody Loves Raymond Everybody Loves Raymond Frasier Frasier Frasier Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA Sun, Sea and Selling Houses Channel 4 News Darts Come Dine with Me The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Kirstie and Phil's Love it or List it Kiri 999: What's Your Emergency? 24 Hours in A and E Pokerstars Championship Cash Challenge The Social Network Grand Designs Location, Location, Location

Teleshopping Shopping from home. The Chase Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Ironside Quincy, M.E. Minder The Sweeney The Professionals Ironside Quincy, M.E. Minder The Sweeney The Professionals The Car Chasers Pawn Stars Pawn Stars River Monsters The Enforcer FYI Daily The Enforcer Hard Target FYI Daily Hard Target The Americans The Sweeney ITV4 Nightscreen Teleshopping

8:45am 8:50am 9:05am 9:20am 9:35am 9:55am 10:05am 10:15am 12:15pm 1:10pm 1:15pm 2:15pm 2:45pm 3:15pm 4:15pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:05pm

11:50pm 1:10am

Peppa Pig Floogals Digby Dragon Rusty Rivets Shimmer and Shine Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom Mofy The Wright Stuff GPs: Behind Closed Doors 5 News Lunchtime The Hotel Inspector Home and Away Neighbours NCIS The Wrong Babysitter 5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight Starting Up, Starting Over GPs: Behind Closed Doors Celebrity Big Brother Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side Football on 5 World's Deadliest

7:40am Robin Hood 10:05am Captain America: Civil War 12:35pm The Matrix 2:55pm 300 4:55pm Superman IV: The Quest for Peace 6:30pm Captain America: Civil War 9:00pm The Matrix 11:25pm Watchmen 12:15am 300

5:50am 7:45am 8:15am 10:35am 12:20pm 2:05pm 3:50pm 5:25pm 7:15pm 9:00pm 10:45pm 12:20am 2:10am

Dragnet Special The Blues Brothers Drillbit Taylor Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story Little Man Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping All About Steve High Anxiety Little Man Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping Zoolander 2 The Sweetest Thing

8:00am 8:30am 9:00am 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 11:00pm 12:10am 12:35am 1:05am 2:10am

WEDNESDAY TV

Coach Trip Streetmate Charmed Melissa and Joey Melissa and Joey Baby Daddy Baby Daddy Brooklyn Nine-Nine Brooklyn Nine-Nine The Goldbergs The Goldbergs The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Melissa and Joey Melissa and Joey Baby Daddy Baby Daddy Brooklyn Nine-Nine Brooklyn Nine-Nine The Goldbergs The Goldbergs The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Hollyoaks Coach Trip The Goldbergs The Goldbergs Don't Tell the Bride Body Fixers The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Gogglebox The Goldbergs

5:15am Wolves at the Door It's the summer of 1969 and four friends find their festivities ruined as intruders stalk their Hollywood house. 6:30am The Greatest Showman: Special 7:00am Tumbledown 8:50am Kong: Skull Island 10:55am Logan 1:15pm The Book of Henry 3:05pm Blind Alec Baldwin stars as a blind novelist who begins a passionate affair with the neglected wife of a corrupt businessman. 5:00pm Tumbledown 6:50pm Kong: Skull Island 9:00pm Logan 11:20pm Raw 1:05am Rules Don't Apply 3:20am Lowriders 5:05am Wolves at the Door

6:00am SKY Sports News 7:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 7:30am Good Morning Sports Fans 8:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 8:30am Good Morning Sports Fans 10:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 11:00am Premier League Daily 12:00pm Info not available 12:30pm Sky Sports Daily 1:00pm SKY Sports News 2:00pm SKY Sports News 3:00pm SKY Sports News 4:00pm To be Announced 4:30pm SKY Sports News 5:00pm SKY Sports News 6:00pm SKY Sports News 7:00pm SKY Sports News 8:00pm Info not available 8:30pm Live Carabao Cup 11:00pm The Debate - Live 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

9:00am Carabao Cup Highlights 9:30am Football's Greatest Teams 10:00am Revista de la Liga 10:30am La Liga World 11:00am Carabao Cup 1:30pm Revista de la Liga 2:00pm La Liga World 2:30pm La Liga Icons 2:45pm La Liga Icons 3:00pm Revista de la Liga 3:30pm La Liga World 4:00pm Carabao Cup Highlights 4:30pm Football's Greatest Teams 5:00pm Scottish Cup Greatest Games 5:30pm La Liga Greatest Games 6:00pm Football Years 6:30pm Carabao Cup Highlights 7:00pm Revista de la Liga 7:30pm La Liga World 8:00pm Carabao Cup Highlights 8:30pm Live Carabao Cup 11:00pm The Debate - Live 12:00am Revista de la Liga 12:30am La Liga World

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.

56

4 - 10 January 2018 / Costa Blanca North

Five courses or nothing! Mike Senker

In my opinion Views of a Grumpy Old Man WELL that’s that lot over for another year. Christmas and New Year’s Eve done. I went to the UK for Christmas. Was it uneventful? What do you think? The BA flight out was absolutely fine. They put a big label on my wheelchair saying, ‘return to aircraft door on arrival.’ Did they? Of course not and it finished up going to the baggage reclaim. I had a bit of a moan but there’s no point. It’s nothing to do with BA - it’s the ground staff and they do as they wish. We then went to the 4-star quaint pub/hotel I had booked. Well, the only four stars I saw were through the hole in the roof! I walked in the room and knew instantly we had a problem. The girl that was checking us in didn’t know anything about the rooms as I’d asked for a room with disabled access. She was just the barmaid and was helping out as the manageress wasn’t there. So in steps my daughter, who has become very protective of her ‘rents in recent years, and demands to see the manageress. When the boss finally appears Dr S explains the room is totally unsuitable for a disabled person and, on top

of that, the room is really shabby. The boss, who was nice and polite, agreed and said, ‘I suggest you find somewhere else to stay!’ So there we were - Christmas Eve and there’s no room at the inn! Sound like a familiar story? There was nothing else to do but go last-minute shopping for food, pressies and now a hotel room. As luck would have it, the extraordinarily expensive, beautiful hotel just down the road we had originally discounted due to the horrendous price, had had a cancellation. So our budget trip turned into an expensive but luxurious outing and a good time was had by all. One thing I did find strange was that on Christmas Eve the only food choice at this fabulous hotel was either a £75 per head fivecourse dinner or nothing! No room service literally nothing - which I thought was a bit out of order. Anyway I’m not one to complain, as you know, plus it was the season of goodwill or maybe it was Mrs S dragging me out of reception that stopped me screaming the place down. How can anyone think a fivecourse dinner or nothing is acceptable? So here we are in 2018. My New Year resolution suggested by Mrs S is to moan less. Yeah right ‘o let’s see how we go with that one! columnists@euroweeklynews.com

Email: mikesenker@gmail.com.

www.euroweeklynews.com

FEATURE

LEGALLY SPEAKING Time to check your lights again 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.

ESSENTIAL: Working lights. ALTHOUGH we are getting closer to the time when the evenings start to get lighter, the lights on our vehicles have possibly been in use more than ever, and so it’s a good time to check that all of the lights on our vehicles are fully working. Until quite recently, all vehicles had to carry a spare set of bulbs, this is no longer the case. The Spanish government recognised that changing a bulb is no longer a simple task, and in many cases can only be done by qualified mechanics, and so carrying a spare set was pointless, if the ability to change the bulbs had been removed. However, it is still important to check all of the lights on a regular basis, even those not used too often, such as fog lights. It is better to have an assistant to help you do this so that one of you can be in the car operating the switches, the other on the outside monitoring the results.

Remember, check every light, headlights (including full beam), indicators and hazard lights (front and back), rear lights and brake lights, reversing and fog lights, and the lights that illuminate the number plate at the rear. If your vehicle is a modern one you might also have Daytime Running Lights installed. Although these lights are often more reliable than traditional lights, on account of them being LEDs, they should also be checked on a regular basis. If you don’t have anybody to help you can still carry out the checks by using reflective surfaces such as shop windows or other parked vehicles. Make sure you do this in an isolated location though as you don’t want to confuse other motorists. If any of the lights have failed make sure you get them replaced immediately as it is an offence to drive with defective lights.

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

Can their plan work? My partner and I reside in Mallorca. We are both residents. I started a Death Benefit Policy with her as beneficiary some years ago. My teenage daughters live in South Africa with their mother. They will move to Europe and study at universities when they finish school. They both have Netherlands passports as I have. My partner has a German passport. The insurance policy will pay out a substantial amount on my death. What is your opinion of the following plan? My partner could purchase two apartments in the names of my daughters to avoid inheritance tax on them when she herself dies. She would establish an usufruct enabling her to rent out the flats until she dies. After that my daughters will be in full possession of them. Can we do this? H L (Baleares) Yes, you can do it. It might be a good idea for you and your partner to register in Mallorca as a ‘pareja de hecho,’ which is a

David Searl You and the Law in Spain

common-law couple and gives you many husband and wife benefits, such as lower inheritance tax. You need a good lawyer to see you through this.

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

OPINION & COMMENT

4 - 10 January 2018 / Costa Blanca North

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EWN

57

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.

Big thanks to Good Samaritans SIR, I would like to say a big THANK YOU to a very kindly couple who came to our help at Velez-Malaga Supermarket on Saturday December 23. My wife and I were on our way to Mijas Costa for Christmas when we decided to stop at this supermarket for some shopping. My wife managed to turn over her mobile scooter and was badly injured. This very nice couple came to our rescue and were a big help, and with their help and the help of the security forces there we managed to get her to hospital. Unfortunately with all that was going on we did not get the names of this couple, so I am hoping that they read your wonderful paper as we very much appreciated their help. Mr and Mrs Frost, location undisclosed

Gender issue LEAPY LEE’S latest comment brings me to write to a newspaper for the first time in my life. He says of Joshua Sutcliffe that he is

HAVE YOUR SAY

Hunters not a wildlife threat YOUR recent feature clearly heads with ‘The two sides of the Spanish hunting story.’ I have hunted in many countries in the course of my career as a field exploration geologist, often being required to feed many workers, necessitating the taking of several large antelope a week while in Central and East Africa. Modern day ethical hunting is a field sport meriting praise. Those participating become truly conversant with ecology and all of nature. They know that in order to have game to hunt, the most important aspect is that natural habitat must be preserved and all wildlife respected. That way there is sustainable use of land and habitat so that there will

SUSTAINABLE AND ETHICAL?: Hunting is a controversial subject. be game to hunt in future years. Greens and animal rightists are vociferous against hunting, yet they contribute little in terms of actual payment towards habitat preservation. The more habitat lost to agriculture and housing development the less wildlife there will be. Only when game becomes a contributor

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.

to economics is its existence guaranteed. In Africa, indeed in most countries nowadays where there are wildlife reservations, most game reserves receive more funding from highly controlled ‘unpopular’ hunting, often as controlled culling, than from other visitors and tourists’ fees. Hector Kleinot, Estepona

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

Toll road charges go up in Andalucia I avoid them now and will definitely avoid in the future. Counter productive. If they lowered the toll then more people would use them. Stella Scott Can’t ever recall paying a toll and have no intention of ever doing so. I will stop driving this November on my 80th, so can’t see that that is going to be difficult. Ted Milsom What idiots are responsible for making these stupid decisions? Andy Funnell

Comments from EWN online ing??? My god! Three-year-old toddler playing with a friend’s dogs??? You just don’t allow it!! It’s common sense! Hope the poor child is ok. Julie Jones Peel

Boy, aged three, sav- Road traffic deaths up in Spain aged in dog attack So sorry for the boy, bless him but it is the parents that are to blame when it comes to being in a situation with dogs and even more so with other people’s . It is NOT the dogs that are at fault and society keeps discriminating between what is a good breed and bad breed dog! There i s n o s u c h t h i n g , j u s t b a d o w n e r s t h a t t a ke these animals on with zero knowledge on animals. People have so much to answer for. Deb Morgan What where the parents and dog owners think-

Too many pedestrians wander across the roads wherever they fancy, no zebra, no traffic lights. They also expect drivers to stop, and give them a dirty look if they don’t. So many step on to zebra crossings without looking first, and assume cars will stop. People seem to go about in a trance these days and it makes driving quite worrisome. Jenny Dodd So so many drive too close, and seem to lack the ability of complete over all awareness, coupled with the lack of forward planning and use

of indicators. David Starkey Let me tell you why, Every day I’m out in my van I see, bus drivers, van drivers, HGV drivers, coach drivers, Kids on motos, even people sitting up my a**e doing 120 on the mot o r wa y, a l l o n t h e i r m o b i l e p h o n e s a n d t h e police do nothing about it. Start banning these people instead of giving them stupid fines. Matt Coy

Legendary Costa del Sol entertainer dies Shocked to hear this... was honoured to have him perform one of his last shows before he retired.He was a pleasure to work with.. a true genuine gentleman. RIP BUNNY X Andrea Gallacher So sad, was only talking to him the other week and wished him a Happy Christmas!! Many a good night I had in his bar over the years!! May he Rest In Peace x Berni Hickey What a shame. He was a Genuine Legend. R. I. P. Tomas Kirken

an unfortunate and caring teacher who faces suspension because he said “well done girls” to a group which included a transgender boy. In fact, he persistently and deliberately misgendered the child and the parents only became involved as a result of his persecution. Leapy then goes on to say: “Chromosomes identify a person’s gender at birth OK? Problem solved.” Well, problem not solved for the millions of transgendered people in the world for whom life is made so miserable that 42 per cent of them commit suicide! Transgender people have always existed. This is not a new thing. Excellent treatments are now available, but transitioning is still a long, hard road. All the rest of us need to do is be kind and understanding and accept diversity. Problem solved! Angela, Mijas Costa, Malaga Dear Angela, I HAVE nothing whatsoever against transgender or any other sexual preference of our fellow human beings. You have totally missed the point of my article. I was simply pointing out the absurdity and confusion which resulted in this unfortunate teacher in danger of losing his job for addressing a group of girls as ‘girls.’ What was he supposed to say? “Well done girls and er.....?” That attitude to my mind reeks of discrimination. Those who are indecisive should be given every sympathy and encouragement to follow whatever course their hearts and minds tell them, but for sheer convenience and uncomplicated order those born with male genitalia should to my mind be referred to as boys and those with the female equivalent girls. Hope this clears up any misunderstanding and thanking you for your interest. I leave you with the kindest of regards. Lee (Leapy) Graham

What a waste THERE is supposed to be a national water shortage, especially in Murcia and Almeria provinces. This morning, in Mojacar, I saw guys from Ferrovial (paid by our rates) watering the cycle track and the cactuses on the beach!!!! Roger Page, Mojacar

Sunny smiles HAVING spent part of New Year’s Day in glorious sunshine on the beach I can only say that while climate change is of course a terrible thing, sometimes I don’t mind it at all! Margaret Freeman, Alhaurin de la Torre

58

E W N 4 - 10 January 2018 / Costa Blanca North

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FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SPONSOR GO TO WWW.LINEADIRECTA.COM

Quick

Across 1 It’s dead easy when commander-in-chief gets to hospital (5) 3 Use Band-Aids without a split (7) 7 Retsina cocktail is not so nice (7) 9 Flies the deer back north in (5) 10 Order some sudden action (5) 11 He's after lampblack to feel better (6) 13 Notice cut in playground equipment (6) 15 English flower festival (6) 18 Prisoners of a cleric and leading light (6) 20 Once a sort of river craft (5) 22 As a refugee you are forbidden to enter the city area (5) 23 Liberal in vicious scrap (7) 24 The varied uses of a classical hero (7) 25 Inspect German car factory's centre (5)

8 A quiet street to cut off (5) 12 Minimal French cheese celebration? (8) 14 Musical direction by an Italian poet (7) 16 Tango danced in Friendly Islands (5)

Code Breaker

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION FACING PAGE

17 Against poetry on the radio (6) 19 Mabel arranged a leisurely walk (5) 20 A girl from the Channel Islands taking everything back (5) 21 Only fair (4)

Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 1 represents S and 25 represents C, so fill in S every time the figure 1 appears and C every time the figure 25 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 Reduce cones, end problem (8) 2 Lift one in many (5) 3 Engineers in some French ship providing force (6) 4 Leo, perhaps, or a foreign lady (7) 5 Part of Ottawa’s harbour is flooded (5) 6 Be in a hurry to use a punctuation mark (4)

TIME

SPONSORED BY

Across 1 Brings in from abroad (7) 7 Having full belief (9) 8 Relating to the mouth (4) 9 Can do (4) 11 Light silvery-grey metal (9) 12 Communication (7)

Down 2 Being on a very small scale (9) 3 Leave out (4) 4 Quivering (9) 5 Entertainer who performs spectacular gymnastic feats (7) 6 Small, narrow rivers (7) 10 Triumphs (4)

English - Spanish

Across 1 Raw (uncooked) (5) 4 Spoon (7) 8 Biscuit (7) 9 Nidos (5) 10 Gust of wind (5) 11 Dummy (for baby) (7) 12 Día libre (3,3) 14 Ruidos (6) 17 Path (7) 19 To put (5) 21 Hedgehog (5)

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

22 Oraciones (7) 23 Uña de pie (7) 24 Temprano (5) Down 1 Puro (5) 2 Desafortunado (7) 3 Sheep (5) 4 Puddle (6) 5 Kangaroo (7) 6 Nave (de iglesia) (5) 7 Respuestas (a

preguntas, en examen, test) (7) 12 Postre (7) 13 Mop (for floor) (7) 15 To smile (7) 16 Evangelio (6) 18 Playing card (5) 19 Paz (tranquilidad, no guerra) (5) 20 Oxidado (5)

LOTTERY UK NATIONAL LOTTERY

33

37

42

47

55

58

IRISH LOTTO Saturday December 30

‘ YOU TWO DELIVER THE GIFTS - I’M OFF TO SEE HARRY AND MEGHAN! ’

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.

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 H) and there must be AT LEAST ONE NINE LETTER WORD. Plurals, vulgarities or proper nouns are not allowed.

2

8

14

18

39

44

BONUS BALL

16

Tuesday December 26

BONUS BALL

17

30

2

TARGET: • Average: 17 • Good: 23

• Very good: 34 • Excellent: 44

10

44

43

Friday December 15

BONUS BALL

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

4

file filo fire fled flew floe flow foil fold folk ford fore fork fowl frow kerf lief life rife wife wolf field filed filer fiord fired flier fried kefir lifer rifle florid flowed flower foiled folder forked fowled fowler refold rifled wolfed lifework FIELDWORK

8

22

12

EL MILLON: VLD65841 LA PRIMITIVA

Sudoku

Thursday December 28

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.

3

5

21

26

28

34

BONUS BALL

42 2

JOKER: 347 442 Saturday December 30

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

8

9

11

21

42

44

BONUS BALL

22 8

JOKER: 2 084 066

Sunday December 31

12 31

26 52

BONUS BALL

2

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS

ENGLISH-SPANISH

CRYPTIC

Across:

Across:

1 Saleros, 5 Menos, 8 Torre, 9 Anciano, 10 Iron, 11 Cojinete, 13 Grillo, 15 Waiter, 18 Cucumber, 19 Plug, 22 Alumnos, 23 Nogal, 24 Ovens, 25 Suegras.

Down: 1 Sitting, 2 Largo, 3 Reed, 4 Season, 5 Mochilas, 6 Nearest, 7 Smoke, 12 Alemanes, 14 Include, 16 Regalos, 17 Feasts, 18 Clavo, 20 Lugar, 21 Knee.

1 Ladders, 5 Slice, 8 Abode, 9 Actress, 10 Acetate, 11 Scale, 12 Easier, 14 Septic, 18 Loads, 20 Repaper, 22 Contact, 23 Evade, 24 Merit, 25 Restore.

Down: 1 Leakage, 2 Drone, 3 Elevate, 4 Scales, 5 Sates, 6 Inexact, 7 Ensue, 13 Spanner, 15 Express, 16 Cortege, 17 Crater, 18 Locum, 19 Scant, 21 Plato.

QUICK Across: 1 Hopes, 4 Son, 6 Let, 7 Piano, 8 Apt, 9 Year, 11 Yell, 14 Ant, 15 Robin, 17 Era, 18 Ear, 19 Bonus.

Down: 1 Happy, 2 Pea, 3 Slow, 4 Stare, 5 Net, 10 After, 12 Lends, 13 Grab, 14 Ate, 16 Ban.

CODE BREAKER

One thing is certain, when you come through this week's restless planetary antics, you won't be totally the same Piscean who walked in. Whether you're figuring out numbers, analysing your dreams, or getting into a playfully social mood, there'll be much to enjoy and put to the test.

ARIES (March 21 - April 20) Education, media, creative and social connections are given star merit. The solar eclipse in your own sign bursts with vitality and success, more so for an array of bold moves, replacements and makeovers covering your personal affairs.

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) Stand by for a week of whoosh and whirl. More importantly, try to avoid getting tongue-tied or dogmatic on Tuesday and Friday. Promising potentials appear, especially if you spruce up your competitive streak.

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21)

EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA 10

Eager Mars meets affluent Jupiter and enriches your financial forecast. It might show a foretaste of money to come, or on-stream benefits. If you intend to make alterations to your personal and home interests, you'll undoubtedly cope with both offbeat and upbeat activities.

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AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19)

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Throughout this fortunate week, whatever else you decide, refuse to discard your hopes and wishes. As a Gemini, you like to have two strings to your bow of life, which gives you an alternative option, especially if the going gets tough.

CANCER (June 22 - July 23) A vivid star pattern portends a frantic personal and social diary. Ensure that any tight planning is carefully handled, especially if you hope to fit in everything you would like to say. Don't allow Monday or Wednesday's tensions to spoil opportunities for settling something important.

LEO (July 24 - August 23) Pave the way for any ambitious schemes you may have, rather than actually starting them. With your

ruler the Sun eclipsing your kindred fire sign, determined Aries, you are now more likely to get the support and affection you need from the powers that be or someone who thinks the world of you.

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) Even if the opposite to what you want happens, it could prove useful. One clue to this week's planetary crossword puzzle is ‘What word could also mean success?’ Check it out, and make it work for you. Never forget that important ideas and developments can stem from seemingly trivial discussions.

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) The solar eclipse in your opposite sign of Aries intensifies your willpower. Before you say 'go', find out where you stand. It might pay you to leave things be for a little longer to see if anything begins to change. Some of the consequences of your actions will become obvious as your charming ruler Venus begins to have an effect.

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) The planets mobilise your streak of Scorpio daring, but don't stretch your limits. Your most effective weapon against personal and workrelated pitfalls is your ability to be objective. Your desire to make specific situations and conversations work needs to be combined with your faith that they will work. Even if a different approach is required, try it and see.

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) The main gist of the solar eclipse in fiery Aries and the link between plucky Mars and your ruler friendly Jupiter will stir surprises. Whether you create the right atmosphere all round depends on how you interpret other people's views. Stick to crisp, simple but sensitively tuned answers, then no one can accuse you of not trying.

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) Hard-working, enterprising and selfsacrificing are just some of the words that describe your zodiac sign. It will be these qualities that count. Friday will boost your powers of persuasion, but you won't have too much to complain about if you follow this lucky trend into next week's encouraging tide.

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Well Man and Well Woman health checks - Special New Year offer price THE last thing that you want to do is to miss out on quality healthcare when you are ill in Spain. At Medcare, the team of doctors, nurses and clinicians are committed to providing a total healthcare service for the whole family in English and which is based on UK Department of Health guidelines, so you don’t have to forgo a quality British-led service. It is an oft used expression, but at Medcare we believe that prevention is better than any cure, and that regular health checks can detect the early signs of cancers, diabetes and heart disease. With this in mind, Medcare’s service includes Well Man and Well Woman health checks. Why have a Medcare Well Man / Well Woman Health Check? If you are a man you have a one in 14 lifetime risk of developing prostate cancer, the most common cancer in men in the UK. Cancer is rare in men under 50, but if diagnosed early, treatment can be successful; therefore it is important to have routine checks. Being male means you are also more

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susceptible to heart disease and high blood pressure. If you are a woman, it is important to be regularly screened for early detection of cervical cancer, particularly if you are aged between 25 and 65. A Well Woman check includes having a smear test along with a breast examination, advice on lifestyle, contraception, HRT and weight management Regardless of your gender, you may be one of the one million people from the UK who have diabetes and are unaware. Did you know that on average it is nine years before someone is diagnosed with diabetes? With Medcare’s Health Check you benefit from a full review of your medical history and a lifestyle questionnaire as well as extensive blood tests and checks. You will also benefit from a full medical examination with a clinician resulting in an action plan and practical advice for medication, lifestyle and nutrition. In both men and women a simple blood test can detect liver and kidney disease, anaemia, infection, high cholesterol and dia-

betes to name a few. The latter two, especially when in combination with high blood pressure, are major risk factors for heart attacks and stroke. An ECG can tell us a lot about the heart, including potentially dangerous abnormal rhythms. It can even detect heart problems. Medcare is the leading choice for medical, dental and cosmetic treatments on the Costa Blanca and can assist with all aspects of your health care in Spain, including hospital referrals to give you total peace of mind. Usually Medcare’s extensive Health Check for men or women costs €310. However, our New Year offer for January will be at the amazing low price of just €210! That’s a whopping 33 per cent discount! Book now to make an appointment for January on 966 860 258 or email doc tors@medcarespain.com. You can visit the website at www.medcarespain.com.

HEALTH CHECK: You will benefit from a full examination.

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Insuring your health every day of the year LIVING in Spain we like to live a healthy and active lifestyle, but are you medically insured? Altea Medical Centre is British-owned and provides the very best in service and care for both holidaymakers and expats. The doctors and nurses are all fully trained in the UK and bring the latest in medical technology combined with modern clinical excellence. They provide a full range of services including onsite procedures, prescriptions, referrals and home visits as well as arranging specialist consultations and now they offer even more. Altea Medical Centre works with many Spanish insurance companies and works in association with HCB Benidorm, but should you not have any medical insurance Altea Medical Centre now provides you with a full range of cover. There are six plans to choose from and the team are on hand to go through individual requirements. Do you have a family member living on their own, disabled or elderly? Are you worried in case they have a problem and no-one is around to help? Altea Medical Centre has the answer.

PEACE OF MIND: A full range of services including home visits are available.

OILY FISH: Good for the brain.

Their new GPS Personal Alarm and Tracking Service is the perfect solution. The tracking fob is worn around the neck and a GPS alarm is sent to the Altea Medical Alert monitoring station which is manned 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. By pressing the button you will instantly receive a call back to check on your condition and if necessary a nurse or doctor will be dispatched to your home or location. Unlike other alarms this one comes with a SIM card where you can speak directly to a medical professional as it works in a similar way to a phone. This gives peace of mind for you and your family no matter how far away. To f i n d o u t m o r e a b o u t t h e i n s u r a n c e plans or the GPS Personal Alarm and Tracking Service call Altea Medical Centre now. For more of the services that Altea Medical Centre provides go online to www.al teamedicalcentre.com. Altea Medical Centre is located at Mirador de la Galera 1, 03590 Altea or call 965 845 711 to book an appointment. For emergency care telephone 634 355 505 where a doctor or nurse is available to help 24 hours a day.

Brain food IT has often been said oily fish is good for us. But scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have found eating fish just once a week can have a dramatic effect on IQ and sleep quality of children. In a study of more than 500 children aged nine to 11 in China, the study showed children who ate oily fish weekly scored an average of 4.8 IQ points higher than children who rarely ate the food. Children who ‘sometimes’ did still scored 3.3 points higher than those who ‘never’ did. Professor Adrian Raine, the study’s lead author, explained fish was also shown to have a positive impact on

sleep and behaviour, saying, “lack of sleep is associated with antisocial behaviour and poor cognition is associated with antisocial behaviour. We have found that omega-3 supplements reduce antisocial behaviour, so it’s not too surprising that fish is behind this.” He added, “doing that could be a lot easier than nudging children about going to bed,” concluding, “'if the fish improves sleep, great. If it also improves cognitive performance - like we’ve seen here - even better. It’s a double hit.” Scientists encourage parents to introduce children to eating oily fish from around 10 months old.

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HEALTH & BEAUTY

Burn fat with a winter workout FOR those of us not blessed with the metabolism of Kate Moss, the effort to lose the pounds accrued over Christmas can seem like a Herculean task. But if you are embarking on a fitness regime this January, there may be a way to boost the effectiveness of your workout without breaking any more sweat. According to one personal trainer, working out in the

cold really does help you burn more fat by taking advantage of your body’s natural shivers. Max Zeumer from the 13th Street New York Health and Racquet Club has told one publication his tips for burning off calories using the winter ’s naturally cooler temperatures without having to put any extra effort in. He explained: “Your body will work really hard to stay warm and burn a ton of calories to do it, but that really only starts when you’re shivering.” The trainer said the good news is the workout does not have to

be too strenuous, explaining: “If you want to burn a couple of extra calories, just walk outside. It sounds funny, but it will add up.” There are added health benefits too, “indoors, you’re not exposed to sunlight, which means you’re not getting enough vitamin D. When you’re not getting enough vitamin D, your simple carb cravings are increased,” explains Zeumer. He concludes, “outside, you get vitamin D, which you really need since you have a deficit in the winter. It will reduce those sweet cravings, plus improve your serotonin, which both makes you happier and will boost your immunity.” OUTDOOR EXERCISE: Recommended in winter.

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The Royal Aesthetic Clinic could help you with cosmetic procedures THE Royal Aesthetic Clinic in Albir (Alfaz del Pi) Alicante provides a wide range of plastic surgery procedures and cosmetic and aesthetic medicine. It is also the first clinic to have an advanced Obesity Unit, a leading reference in obesity treatments with the most advanced techniques and medical protocols for losing weight. With more than two decades of experience, the Royal Aesthetic Clinic operates with a fully equipped surgical facility and experienced staff members, providing a complete quality service to all their patients, taking care of them since the moment they come in to their clinic until they reach their goals. Plastic surgery can change a patient’s life, as it is not just about creating a new appearance, but making them feel better about their bodies, from functional problems, accidental physical damage, obesity health, and of course, maintaining their youthful appearance, restoring it, or just improving it to feel better with themselves. With this said, the Royal Aesthetic Clinic provides facial surgeries such as facelifts, rhinoplasty, eyelid surgery, otoplasty, etc and body surgeries such as liposuctions, tummy tucks, breast surgery, buttock surgery, etc. They also provide effective treatments without surgery, such as skin fillers, medical peeling, varicose veins, buttock lift thread, dermabrasion, chin surgery, Dracula treatment (platelet rich plasma (PRP) therapy), or even one of the greatest revolutions in aesthetic medicine; the facelift without surgery, of which the Royal Aesthetic Clinic have been pioneers in implementing the procedure in Spain.

Also, the Royal Aesthetic Clinic wants to provide a special offer in eyelid surgery from €1,600 as during 2017 they have performed more than 100 eyelid surgeries on their patients and for this they want to thank them all for their trust, and want 2018 to be even better. With the upper eyelid surgery, they manage to eliminate part of the skin that hangs over the eye lashes, and with the lower eyelid surgery, they manage to eliminate the bags under the ruts of the pouches, rejuvenating the look, and allowing both men and women to have a clearer, rested and younger look. This surgery is performed under local anesthesia with no need to remain in hospital. This allows the patient to return home and to a normal life the same day and in approximately just one-week stitches are removed. The aftercare is very effective following the doctor’s indications, this being one of the main reasons that the patients choose Royal Aesthetic clinic for this treatment. So, if you feel you have a tired look or have an excess of skin in the upper or lower eyelid, the Royal Aesthetic Clinic staff member will be waiting for you in a totally FREE consultation, to help you enhance your look, making you feel comfortable during all of the procedure until you reach your goals. The Royal Aesthetic Clinic Joaquín Rodrigo 3 El Albir, Alfaz del Pi Alicante 03581 E-mail: info@royalaesthetic.com Telephone: 966 864 934 https://www.royalaesthetic.com/

THE TEAM: Provide a wide range of cosmetic and aesthetic medicine.

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Update on food, drink, entertainments, what’s on and weekly happenings

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MANY visitors to Spain wander into restaurants which offer Flamenco shows without often understanding the tradition or history behind this very special and not necessarily typical Spanish obsession. This is very much an art form of southern Spain which is attributed to the arrival of the Romany gypsy population which made its way to Spain from India in the 15th century and there is no doubt that many of the most famous Flamenco performers came and continue to come from the gypsy world. It has to be remembered however that Spain in the middle ages in particular had a huge cross culture with Jewish settlers and Moors who also added their traditions to the Flamenco style which was not really recog-

nised until the 18th century. Originally it was dance only, an expression of the feeling of the performers and their compatriots but it expanded to include voices and instruments with hand claps and shouts of encouragement from the audience. Nowadays, the Flamenco style is more popular than ever, not just in Spain but on an international basis and it is said that there are more Flamenco academies in Japan than in Spain whilst in America there are even heavy metal bands who incorporate Flamenco into their musical style. These Peña which are most numerous in Almeria and along the Costa del Sol into Cadiz Province as well as Sevilla serve simple food and drink, but are not drinking clubs rather, temples to the

Canto Jondo (deep song) style which can be very moving yet to some ears is rather cacophonous. This singing is accompanied by guitar and cajon (the wooden box drum on which the drummer sits). Dance is another intricate part of Flamenco with both men and women performing to a very high standard. On occasion you can witness duels between the musicians and the dancers to see who can be the fastest and yet most accurate performer. So as you enjoy Flamenco in a specialist restaurant, remember that there is a whole world of culture where every movement of a dancer has a meaning and that the very fact of being of gypsy extraction saw many disappear during the Civil War.

A Flamenco performance.

Credit: @DemarcoFlamencoOficial/Facebook

Flamenco and the real thing

CONCERT: The popular Spanish singer will play at the Benidorm Palace on Sunday, July 8.

Demarco Flamenco to play Benidorm Palace POPULAR Spanish artist Demarco Flamenco will play a one-time concert in July at the Benidorm Palace. Flamenco shot to fame after featuring on El Maki’s album El Cuentacuentos, collaborating with the star on both That Little Face and Trinidad before releasing his debut album What do you not know about me. He has also worked with the likes of Maria Artes Lamorena and is currently work-

ing on a new album. The singer also has a large social media presence, with over 127,000 likes on Facebook and his song with The Island of Love has had over 54 million views on YouTube. The concert will take place on Sunday, July 8 and begin at 9.30pm. Tickets range from €25 through to €49 and can be purchased online via the Benidorm Palace website at www.benidormpalace.com.

A bit of magic in a world of muggles Photo Caption: Imaji flickr

ALTHOUGH adapted as a stage play which has been highly succesful in London prior to moving to Broadway, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has become a musical. The UCAM Symphony Orchestra consisting of 40 musicians will be appearing with 20 actors at the Auditori Teulada Moraira this coming Sunday at 7pm. Directed by Salvador Pérez Sánchez the show will be supported by magic and video projections to guarantee a great show suitable for audiences of all types. Tickets costing €18 may be obtained via www.instanticket.es or direct from the box office situated in Calle Orba, 2, 03725 Teulada or by calling 965 740 445.

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Red prawns are a delicious treat

RED PRAWN: A tasty treat. PROFESSIONAL Chefs are getting ready to sign up to take part in the seventh International Creative Cookery Contest of the Denia Red Prawn. The actual competition will take place at the Municipal Market on Tuesday February 27 and there is a great deal of

kudos surrounding the competition, which sees a number of exceptional chefs producing their signature prawn dishes. There will be eight finalists selected from those who apply to enter and the criteria for judging will be a combination of imagination, taste, presenta-

tion and commitment to creation of a delicious dish. Not only will the finalists be able to boast about the success of their creations, but there will be three cash prizes, €1,000 for third place, €1,500 for the runner up and €2,500 for the winning chef.

A happy wine WHILE Lambrusco is not among LAMBRUSCO: An alternative to Spanish wine. Italy’s best wines it is one of the Grasparossa di Castelvetro: From the leaders in export sales and can be smallest producing region, typically dry, found in wine shops and supermarkets full bodied, tannic with a deep purplishthroughout Spain. red colour. Lambrusco is the name of an Italian red Mantovano: The only Lambrusco from grape and the wine from Emilia Romagna Lombardy, either dry or semi-dry. and Lombardy has a history Reggiano: The most exported dating to Etruscan’s times. and made from up to four types of Most Lambrusco is made Lambrusco grapes: Maestri, from more than one variety Marani, Montericco, and and often blended to a maxiSalamino with up to 15 per cent mum 15 per cent with other Ancellotta. grapes, including Ancellotta, by Lorenzo Salamino di Santa Croce: ConMarzemino, Malbo Gentile Barbareschi sists of at least 90 per cent of and Cabernet Sauvignon. Salamino grapes; frizzante, light in colour Mostly frizzante (slightly sparkling), and body and semi-sweet or dry. Lambrusco can be secco (dry), amabile Di Sorbara: Regarded as the highest (semi-sweet) and dolce (sweet). quality; fragrant, with high acidity and It is typically made using the Charmat berry flavours with deep ruby colour. process with a second fermentation conGenerally inexpensive with little comducted in a pressurised tank. While the plexity and easy to drink, unfortunately the grape is not particularly sweet, most comquality of exported Lambrusco rarely mercial Lambrusco is sweetened with the equals that found in its native region. addition of grape must. Salute and happy tasting. Lambrusco denominations are:

BACCHUS CELLAR

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Photo Credit: Strauss Festival Orchestra

SOCIAL SCENE

TRADITIONAL MUSIC: A scene from one of the performances.

The sights and sounds of Johann Strauss TELEVISION stations around the world welcomed the New Year with classical music concerts and now, the Strauss Festival Orchestra will be in Benidorm on Sunday January 14. The programme, inspired by the traditional musical event that takes place every year in Vienna, includes the most famous composition by the king of the waltz. Boasting a number of exceptional musicians, singers and dancers, the programme seamlessly amalgamates the greatest music of Johann Strauss with a performance that has been honed to the highest quality. The programme will include some of his

Rosalía, the new voice of Flamenco Photo Credit: Diario de Madrid

ALTHOUGH still a young woman, Rosalía has been performing for more than a decade and is one of the most respected new voices in Flamenco. Mixing traditional sounds with a contemporary feel her latest album Los Angeles recorded with guitarist Raül Refree has received great critical acclaim for the raw and emotional feel of her voice. She will be appearing with guitarist Refree on Friday January 19 at the Sala Sinfonica in the Auditorio Conservatorio Inter de Musica in Torrevieja at 9pm with tickets costing €17.60 and €20.70 including booking fees via ticketmaster. For three years running, Rosalía has been performing at Primavera Sound in Barcelona, in 2015 accompanying fellow female singer Rocío Márquez, then in 2016 in a complete change of style she appeared with Spanish rapper C Tangana and last year, she previewed her first

most famous works, with marches, polkas and waltzes including the Emperor Waltz, Flower Festival, Champagne Polka, the Blue Danube and the rousing cling piece that is the Radetzky March. Everything about the evening is designed to please both the ear and the eye with a chorus of dancers wearing specially designed costumes, a full orchestra and quality sopranos all working together to ensure that the audience enjoys an exceptional evening. Entry to the concert at the Benidorm Palace costs €25, €30 and €35 depending upon the seats chosen and tickets may be booked via the venue Box Office by calling 965 851 660.

NEW VOICE: Rosalía in concert. album Los Angeles supported by Raül Refree. If you want to explore the latest trends in Flamenco then

book tickets for the concert although if you want a taste of her music first visit www.rosaliabarcelona.com.

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SOARING: Home prices in Andalucia continue to rise.

HOUSE prices shot up by 2 per cent in the final quarter of 2017. The average cost per square metre now stands at €1,228. Also in the final quarter, 117,068 sales were made, bringing the total for 2017 to 491,005 sales, slightly less than the most optimistic projections last January of a half million sales. A report from the Gesvalt housing consultancy describes the October to December results as indicating that 2017 was a year of consolidation for Spain’s property market. “The market is growing more slowly but more in line with the wider economy,” said general director, Sandra Daza. “This is a sign that

Prices enjoy quality quarter prices are starting to reflect anticipated growth, that construction will become more economically viable, and both home prices and rents will continue to rise.” Gesvalt also noted that there have been wide variations in Spain’s different regions when it comes to prices. The company says that

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tourism is the main indicator of how high prices will rise, or how low they will fall. While the national average was a 2 per cent increase in the final quarter, in Madrid, Galicia, Murcia and Andalucia the increase surpassed 5 per cent. In places like Cantabria and La Rioja, prices fell.

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The easy way to grow your own fresh and tasty potatoes even in a small space GRAEME TYRRELL IF you have even had the privilege of eating home grown potatoes from an organic garden you will probably always be disappointed with commercially grown potatoes. The difference in taste is dramatic as the additional micronutrients give a flavour and vigour to the potatoes that is hard to find from most potatoes in the market place. The problem with growing your own potatoes though is the hard work to harvest them from the soil and the damage that can occur when digging with ordinary home garden tools.

There is an easy way however to make the growing and harvesting much more enjoyable and productive without the hard work. Some potatoes can even be grown in containers on your balcony or terrace with good results from following a few simple steps. If you have a vegetable garden this procedure has been well proven to work in northern Europe with less weeding and the ability to selectively harvest the best potatoes and let the rest continue to grow and mature. The procedure is quite simple and just requires straw and a nutrient rich compost with plenty of manure included to provide ample nitrogen and other essential growth elements.

SEED POTATOES: Ready to plant. In the garden you need to have a way of containing the potato bed. You can dig a trench in the soil, just get some hay bales to act as a wall to surround the area you

want to grow the potatoes in or use blocks, bricks or wood planks to make raised bed on the soil surface to the size you want. Add the straw and compost

in layers or mixed together to fill the trench, raised bed or container about 15cm deep. Place seed potatoes at about 30cm apart in all directions in the garden for the largest potatoes, but they can be 20cm apart in containers for smaller but a more plentiful harvest. Next, cover the seed potatoes with layers of straw and compost another 15cm deep. The straw/compost mixture will settle and the growing potatoes will need to be covered, so more mixture will need to be added. It is important to keep covering the emerging potato plants around the base of the plant to ensure that the expanding potatoes growing from the roots are not ex-

posed to the light as they will turn green and will not be suitable for eating. This method requires regular watering but as the mixture holds the water so well it requires less watering than soil based culture. Weeds are much less of a problem and are much easier to remove from the mixture. Harvest is easy as you can just lift the straw to check the progress of the potatoes and remove the potatoes that you consider ready and leave the rest to keep growing until needed. Just make sure you press back the mixture to exclude the light from the roots and remaining potatoes. It’s a great way to enjoy delicious potatoes without the hard work.

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BLUE VELVET SOFAS: A 2017 craze.

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Christmas auction deemed a success DECOR DENIA’S Christmas sale conducted on Thursday Dec 21 saw lower than usual attendance but anticipated over the festive period. This sale was configured with the usual varied lots of decorative artefacts, furniture, porcelain and a selection of Asian furniture. Despite the lower than usual attendance on sale day the auction was deemed a success as over 75 per cent of the lots found a new home. The owners of the business Lydia, Philip and Mark would like to extend their gratitude for the continued support of its clients and wishes them a festive Christmas and a Happy New Year. The business will be closed from Sat Dec 23 -Mon Jan 22. Thereafter, the business will be open daily Monday- Saturday 10am - 2pm and continues to seek entries of good quality antiques and decorative arts to be incorporated in its next sale planned for February 22.

4 -10 January 2018 / Costa Blanca North

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Furniture fashions A WEBSITE has revealed t h e U K ’s t o p f u r n i t u r e trends of 2017. And as trends tend to come to Spain a few months later, it’s a safe bet to say some of these pieces will be featuring heavily in shops in the year ahead. So if you want to stay on-trend in your interior design why not take a look at the list below? According to website Homewings, one of last y e a r ’s m a j o r c r a z e s w a s velvet sofas, particularly in midnight blue. These comfy pieces are hardwearing and hide stains better than other colours so this look could be around for a while. The velvet trend also extends to pouffes and ottomans. Perhaps a cheaper and simpler way to include this trend into your existing space, this fashion works particularly well if you choose a piece in a

complementary colour to your existing furniture to make it really stand out. Benefiting from the trend for mixed-material furniture - and particularly the use of copper - marbletopped tables were the w e b s i t e ’s b i g g e s t s e l l e r last year. This simple look manages to combine luxury with the rising industrial chic look gaining popularity. Dark wood - which has been unpopular for years in the UK - is making a comeback, particularly in

the form of furniture inspired by the 1950s, 1960s or 1970s. So if you have any hand-me-down or inherited pieces from the 20th century now would be a great time to display them. F i n a l l y, t h e w i n t e r months in Spain are the perfect time to warm up an interior with a rug and geometric patterns are currently making a splash. Berber types in neutral colours are currently in fashion and are easy to fit into most existing spaces.

PERMACULTURE EDUCATION SUSTAINABLE DESIGN DECOR DENIA: Looking for antiques, art or jewellery.

Telephone: 666 33 33 35 info@permamed.org http://permamed.org/

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Your dog and new baby POOCH PALS: Only introduce your dog to your baby when he is calm.

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

GRADUALLY introduce changes in your dog’s routine as soon as you know baby is on the way - if he does not connect them with the baby’s arrival he has less reason to be jealous. - Your dog should not be the centre of attention at all times, and should not sit on your lap (if at all) only when invited by you. - Get him used to being away from you sometimes in another room, or indoor kennel (‘crate’), and ban him from the nursery. - Take a refresher course at a training school, and think about practice walks with the pram - it can be trickier than it sounds!

- Check with your vet about canine hygiene and worming. When your baby is born your dog may be left for hours while you are in hospital, or upset by the excitement if

you are at home. Arrange for someone he knows to look after/walk him. It is an old wive’s tale (letting your dog drink breast milk or play with dirty nappies) this will not help your dog

Make it a mini one! THERE’S a new farmyard pet trend ready to descend on households in 2018. Chickens and micro-pigs are old news; get ready to welcome micro cows. While miniature cows are

yet to be found in most pet shops, there are now specialised breeders in the US giving people the chance to have their own tiny farmyard in the back garden. Although the average cow

can grow to be more than six feet tall, micro cows grow to be the same size of the average pet dog and weigh less than a quarter of the average bull. They are also cheaper to keep than most cows as they don’t require expensive handling equipment. Lovable Little Ones, a cattle breeder in Colorado, US, claims micro cows are “exceptional pets that demonstrate a great deal of affection, are very social, and are easy to take care of.” They are also apparently an inexpensive way to teach children about responsible farming and how to take care of animals. According to Dustin Pillard, who raises and sells mini cows in Iowa, US, micro cows have “personalities like a dog.” Pillard explains: “They run around like a dog, they like people and are calm and sociable. They also love attention. It is hard not to fall in love with a little mini calf that barely comes up to your knees.”

and baby to become friends, but sending home a blanket that the baby has slept on may help your dog to get used to her scent. When you come home let someone

IS it true you can cut out the cost of pet care when you go on holiday? Yes it is! You can join a membership network like HouseSitMatch.com to find suitable pet-sitters and housesitters securely online. Many pet owners are completely shocked at the end of a holiday to find that their pet care costs have almost doubled the cost of their trip. Are the petsitters and housesitters checked? Yes! HouseSitMatch is a safe alternative that enables you to meet sitters with police and background checks in place, so you can go on holiday with peace of mind. Aren’t there any costs? Yes there is a small membership fee each year which starts as low as £35 per year. By joining a house-sitting membership network for a moderate annual fee you can

else hold your baby while you greet your dog; introduce them later when he is calm. Do not try to keep your dog and baby completely apart, you won’t be able to keep it up! Teach them both to interact calmly and gently, no licking by the dog or grabbing by the child. Never ever leave dogs alone with babies or young children; shut your dog out of the room or pop the baby in a secure play-pen. This applies every time you use the bathroom, answer the door/phone or get a meal. It is not a matter of ‘trust.’ Toddlers can accidentally injure or alarm dogs (eg by falling on them) and startled dogs may react impulsively, lashing out or biting. The most tolerant dog needs peace and quiet sometimes; allow him a place (eg his bed) he can escape to without being followed. Allow the child to go there at other times to prevent it becoming an exclusive area which he feels entitled to defend. When your baby starts to crawl and walk teach your dog to step back out of her way in doorways and on stairs.

Free pet-sitters … cut the cost of pet care?

PET CARE: Find a suitable pet-sitter free online. secure access to suitable free pet-sitters all year round. Who are these petsitters and why will they want to housesit for free? Most of the pet-sitters and house-sitters who join HouseSitMatch are looking to spend time in a new location and to exchange their experience as pet-sitters for free accommodation while they discover a new location.

Client testimonial - Susan, Pet owner I have absolutely no reservations about using HouseSitMatch in looking after my pets and home. Lamia is always available and extremely flexibile in ensuring the well-being of the animals and security of all. I would use HouseSitMatch always knowing I can leave home without any worries.

Do you need a house or pet-sitter? Get in touch. House-sitting can be a win-win for both parties, free house and pet-sitting and the experienced and checked sitters get free accommodation! Register as either house-sitter or homeowner now with a 20 per cent off introductory offer using coupon code PERFECT20. To find a house or pet-sitter go to www.HouseSitMatch.com call Lamia on 00 44 (0) 777 214 2742 or email admin@housesitmatch.com

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BUILDING SERVICES MINI DIGGER, Dumper, Bobcat with operator for hire. Pedregeur based. Keith 639 620 448

BUSINESS OPP. BUSINESS for sale. Unusual niche. Specialist wigs. Very rewarding. Big potential for extra clientele. Low rent of premises. Full training given. Benidorm. orialynn@yahoo.co.uk 690 378 844

BUY & SELL I BUY RECORDS 50’s to the 90’s. Best prices for good records. Tel: 622 750 117 / 962 851 809 (246787)

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REPAIRS TO WASHERS, DISHWASHERS, FRIDGES FREEZERS, COOKERS, AIR CONDITIONING. CALL SHOP 965 874 838 (9.30AM-2PM) FROM BENIDORM TO DENIA. K & M ELECTRODOMESTICOS WASHING MACHINE BROKEN? CALL BLUESKY REPAIRS FOR ALL YOUR DOMESTIC APPLIANCE REPAIRS. 626 430 671/ 966 875 283 (246799)

Costa Blanca North

4 - 10 January 2018

HEALTH & BEAUTY CHIROPODIST/PODIATRIST, Philip Mann, clinics in Benissa, Moraira, Javea, Calpe and Albir. 686 912 307 (250345)

HOME & INSULATION

CHARITIES EL CAMPELLO CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY, non-denominational Church. Everybody welcome. We meet every Sunday at 11.00 a.m. at Calle San Bartolome 35, Bajo, No.6 (next to Mercadona). For more information: www.elcampellochristian community.org email: campellocc@gmail.com or Tel. Sue Bishop on 965 699 991 or 693 048 200. (233602)

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

MB ELECTRICS. Approved electrician. Any electrical repair. Iberdrola paperwork. Electric bill optimisation for free. Affordable prices. Miquel 655 282 175 www.mb electrics.es (250484) JAVEA ELECTRICIAN. REWIRES, UPGRADES, EXTRA SOCKETS, LIGHTS, AIR CONDITIONING 667 591 961

FOR SALE ASSORTMENT of 4 fans. 60 euros. 2bike, bike rack universal tow bar fitting. 225 euros. Orange mountain bike 24 gears. 75 euros. Beach sunlounger on wheels. 20 euros. Tel no 603 162 882. (254253)

HAIRDRESSSERS

INSULATE YOUR HOME and save on your energy bills. Keep your home warm in winter, cooler in the summer Approx 90% of properties built in the last 40 years have cavity walls that are ideal to insulate. We also do floors & ceilings. To arrange a survey and no obligation quote call 626 997748 www.ecoconfort.es (260091)

INSURANCE YOU HAVE tried the REST now try the BEST! Cut your insurance costs and call SOS INSURANCE now for ALL your insurances. WE can even offer inheritance insurance for up to 80 years of age and FULL discounts are given. Call Tracey on 966787123/686116297 or visit www.sosinsurancein spain.com or email tracey@ sosinsuranceinspain.com (258747)

LOCKSMITH LOCKSMITH/ELECTRICIAN/CA RPENTER for emergency safe opening. Altea area, call Michael Rice: 686 513 510 or Calpe area Sean Gannon: 667 507 630 (248131)

METALWORK

MOBILE MECHANIC MOBILE MECHANIC, region Denia - Javea. Call Autobastian. Tel 608 860 725 / email autobastian@gmail.com (254273)

MOTOR HOMES

MOBILE Welding. Gates, Railings, Grills made and repaired. Electric Gates made, Motors replaced. Call Barry 666 771 075 (246798) www.euroweeklynews.com

INSURANCE

BENEFICAL INSURANCE SERVICES. Car, Home, Business, Travel, Life, Funeral, all insurances available. Policies in English. BEST rates, covers & service. Immediate quotes. Tel 961 129 215 / 622 275 561, (whatsapp) info@benefi cialinsuranceinspain.com or visit www.beneficialinsuran ceinspain.com for online quote. (259022)

COMPUTERS

INTERNET GARDENING

BOATS

HEDGES & DESIGN. Professional Landscaper trims perfectly – Hedges/Columns/ Balls. Also designs and builds your garden. Andy 634 809 379 / 600 030 193. (252161)

GET YOUR business noticed online! Make sure that expats in Spain can find your product, service, restaurant, bar or shop. Contact Spain’s newest and brightest online directory TODAY. Call 951 386 161 or email mark.w@euroweek lynews.com for more details.

HANDYMAN ITEMS WANTED WANTED – Washers, fridges, freezers, dishwashers, ovens. Cash Waiting. Tel: 965 874 838 Benidorm to Denia (258704)

966 719 951

quesada@ibexinsure.com

PURELY MAINTENANCE For all your maintenance needs - big or small, contact Carl on 965 878 866 or 669 218 928 email purelymaintenance@hotmail. com (233351)

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WE ARE currently the market leader in our country in the sale of direct car, motorbike, home and company fleet insurance. Since we started out in 1995, our philosophy has always been to offer an excellent service with the best prices in the market. For the most competitive quotes in English call Linea Directa on 902 123 309. (200726)

PETS TRANSPORT

PETS

PET TRAVEL UK Family pet transporters Spain/UK. Travel with your pets for free. All air conditioned vehicles (no vans) www.pettraveluk.co.uk. Removals also arranged in other vehicles. Tel UK 0800 612 4922 or Spain 960 130 537. (247185)

PLUMBING www.100percentplumbing.co m Call for a free quotation 965 835 939 (87006)

POOL CLEANER

NEED YOUR PETS TAKEN CARE OF? Not kennels, just a friendly home. Large fenced area. 699 790 080 Altea (241910)

REPAIR or replace pumps, filters, sand changes, leaks & re-piping, Calpe to Moraira, Tel 671 202 985 www. morairapoolcleaning.com (246884)

PROPERTY FOR SALE For daily news visit www.euroweeklynews.com

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IN NEED of easy money? Get paid for talking about lottery bets. Contact +34 634 234 477 (259027)

MAN with a van. Furniture removals local areas. Tel: 627 703 521 Ian. (246882)

RIGHT PLUMBER - plumbing & drainage for a honest, affordable, professional service call 656 303 236 (254473)

MARCELO GESTIONES JAVEA. We can import your Cars, RD Vans and Pickups with or without import taxes. Call: 609 600 993/965 795 846. We provide a professional and fast service in approx 5 days. (246811)

FREE accommodation in Spain in return for handyman work. Email oasisparks@yahoo. co.uk. Telephone: 696 090 776 (248420)

REMOVALS & STORAGE

BENIDORM and surrounding areas. Two man removal. 678 067 163 (246867)

HILLIER’S PAINTERS & Decorators. Covering the Costa Blanca & inland, 35yrs established. www.hillier paintersanddecorators.com Tel: 644 355 137 Facebook HillierPaintersCostaBlanca (246780)

BUGBUSTERS BENIDORM: Fully Legal Costa Blanca Pest Control Company. EST 1994. For all pest problems, commercial and domestic. Call Lois Clark 619 054 939/96 686 5204. bugbusterslois@hotmail. com. ROESB 05552 CV (246866)

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WE WILL MOVE IT Full roof rack for long loads Full & part loads We will take pets Based in Javea & Denia Spain UK Spain Weekly 0034 634 360 846 0044 7783 222 251 wewillmoveit@hotmail.co.uk

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BARGAIN OF THE MONTH. APPARTMENT IN ORCHETA. 85sqm. View of the lake and sea. 2 bedrooms with bathroom, living room, kitchen and garage. Air-con and heating with terrace. 65,000€. Tel: 679 986 608 (257514)

PROPERTY TO LET HOLIDAY LET LUXURY 1 BEDROOM APARTMENT NEAR LEEDS CITY CENTRE. 695 772 642 (232394)

SPANISH MOVES Small removals and deliveries. Spain/UK Budget prices. Last minute jobs undertaken. www.spanishmoves.net. Pet transport also arranged in our air conditioned pet/ people carriers. Telephone UK 0800 612 4922 or Spain 960 130 537. (247185) LOW COST TRANSPORT and REMOVALS FREE QUOTATION ON +34 679 888 791 or www.100percentremoval.com UK-SPAIN-UK 18 years Experience. New Clean Vehicles running weekly. ONLINE QUOTES. Insured with RSA. 1cbm to ANY size move. Worried who to use? We’ll look after you. www.bmceuropean. com +44 8456 443 784 or 951 242 430. (257152)

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SITUATIONS VACANT

EXPERIENCED COUPLE wanted to run bar/cafeteria near Gandia. Must speak English with knowledge of Spanish. Accommodation, basic pay and commission. Please email oasisparks@yahoo.co.uk (248462) FIELD SALES positions available. Must have own transport, English and Spanish preferred, but not essential, must have local knowledge of the area and be smart and presentable. Applications by email with full CV should be sent to recruitment@euroweek lynews.com TELESALES positions available for our Benissa office. English and Spanish preferred, but not essential, must have local knowledge of the area and be smart and presentable. Applications by email with full CV should be sent to recruitment@euroweek lynews.com. (256645) HGV Class 1 Drivers Required. Earnings up to £1000.00 per week. Tramping in the UK. Various shift patterns/ depots. Work for a couple of weeks, months or ongoing. Guaranteed tramping for the duration you are here. You choose your location. We supply the work. Trusted, reliable, professional. Enquire today: 0044 1487 842 165 Text/ WhatsApp - 0044 7846 624 312 info@cambscontractors. co.uk www.cambscontrac tors.co.uk Find us on Facebook (252187) WORK FROM HOME! WE ARE LOOKING FOR LADIES AGED 20 TO 65 TO TAKE CALLS FROM AN ADULTHOTLINE IN ENGLISH, SPANISH OR SWEDISH. PLEASE EMAIL YOUR INFO: work@kkhotline.com (260098)

PROPERTY

WANTED VILLA HOSTS & CLEANERS to provide preparation & cleaning for owners and holiday rentals clients in the Orba & Jalon area. Part-time roles, need to be English speaking with other languages an advantage. Interviews during January. Ken Scott – Costa Blanca Villa Rentals Limited. For more info e-mail ken.scott536@gmail.com

SOFT FURNISHINGS LOOSE COVERS, CURTAINS ETC. Made to Measure. Choose from a wide range of beautiful fabrics in your own home. Tel: 965 771 397 or 686 453 827 (240952)

STRUCTURAL SURVEYS MARK PADDON BSc Hons. Building surveying. MCIOB, CAAT. From 245 EUROS + IVA. Insured and legally registered in Spain. Tel: 653 733 066 / 962 807 247 www.costablan casurveyors.com (247217)

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CLASSIFIEDS WANTED

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WIG SPECIALISTS WIGS-R-US. Indoor Market Rincon de Loix, Benidorm. Monday - Saturday 10 - 3. Hundreds of wigs in stock, private appointments after 3pm and home visits. 690 378 844 (257051) www.euroweeklynews.com

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4 - 10 January 2018 / Costa Blanca North

XXX RELAXATION Readers of a sensitive disposition may find some of the advertisements in this section offensive.

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VARIOUS GUYS - Generic Viagra 100mg - Cialis Weekenders - and other associated products. Please contact Keith on 687 357 529 (246802) VIAGRA/Kamagra/Cialis/Weigh t loss pills the best prices in Spain! BUY ONE GET ONE FREE on certain items. Order securely & discreetly online: www.costapills.net Postal Nationwide delivery sales@ costapills.net (257177)

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FOR BEST RATES IN MOTOR INSURANCE CALL: 952 89 33 80

Clarkson Quote of the Week By Matthew Elliott VOLKSWAGEN is attempting to undo the damage done by the diesel scandal and return to its hippie routes. The German giant has revealed plans for 30 new electric models to be released by 2025, including a green-friendly remake of its legendary microbus. Named the Buzz, the electric hippie wagon is slated for release in 2022 and appeared for a test run in the fitting location of Venice Beach, California. Other electric concept cars unveiled include a hatchback and crossover SUV, which should both be in production by 2020. Most of the buzz will be about the Buzz, which is suitably colourful in a two-tone yellow and has spin around front seats that can face backwards. Back in the realm of reality, Volkswagen is enjoying rave reviews for its new T-Roc SUV. It has now debuted in the UK and

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On the Crysler PT Cruiser. “The front looks like a face, a friendly face from the land that gave us friendly fire.” Some might say...

Hippie bus is back Plus T-Roc acclaim

GAME CHANGERS: VK’S T-Roc and electric Buzz (inset) part of image makeover. across Europe, with the 114hp 1.0 litre TSI model with frontwheel drive and a manual gearbox expected to be the top seller. Though with a slightly less

powerful engine than other SUVs in a packed market, the T-Roc is advertised as perfect for nipping around town and is 225kg lighter than previous models. It is simi-

lar to Audi’s Q2 and smaller than Volkswagen’s own Tiguan. It is mechanically basic but practical and modern, with no elaborate 4Motion all-wheel dri-

ve but an eight-inch infotainment system, two-climate control system, and optional LED headlights. It is comfortable, agile and comes with a three-year, 60,000 mile warranty. There are no electric or hybrid options, aiming at the petrol market. UK prices begin at around £20,000 (€22,500).

Built in Britain BREXIT and diesel concerns have seen British drivers lose their appetite for British-built cars. Domestic demand for cars built in the UK crashed by almost 30 per cent at the tail end of 2017. Exports rose but couldn’t make up for the drop in domestic sales. Now 85 per cent of all cars built in Britain are sold abroad. Overall in 2017 domestic demand dropped by 9 per cent, leading to an overall decline of 2 per cent. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), cites Brexit uncertainty and diesel tax confusion as reasons for the demand drop. Chief executive Mike Hawes said the figures show the importance of negotiations with the EU over Britain’s future car trade with the bloc.

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ROAD TEST by Nick Fletcher

Subaru Outback SE Premium THERE are plenty of four-wheel-drive models to tackle tough terrain and there are many SUV models which are great on the tarmac but less so off-road. There are also many people who would like a combination of the two, and the Mitsubishi Outback is an outstanding example of a vehicle able to take on this dual role. It is a formidable off-roader which is also at home on city streets, an ideal blend for those who meld urban and rural lifestyles. The Outback is quite refined to drive, very well equipped, looks stylish and classy and prices start at €37,197 (£32,995).There is a sporty 2.5 litre petrol model for those seeking sharper performance but for most, the well-proven 148 hp 2.0 litre diesel will be the choice, and this was the version I tested. In SE Premium Lineartronic trim, with CVT auto transmission and all wheel drive, it costs €39,452 (£34,995) and is exceptionally well equipped. Standard kit includes alloy wheels, roof rails, auto LED lights and wipers, powered tailgate,

leather upholstery, powered and heated front seats, slide/tilt sunroof, privacy glass, seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system, Bluetooth, sat-nav, connectivity, adaptive cruise control, dual-zone climate control, reversing camera, hill start and hill descent assist, keyless entry and push-button start. It also has plenty of safety features including multi-airbags, blind-spot warning, lane-change assist and rear cross-traffic assist. Top speed is 191 kph (119 mph) and the 0-100 kph time of 9.9 seconds is nippy for a vehicle of this size and weight. It is quite frugal too - fuel economy is 16.4 kpl (46.3 mpg).

The engine pulls smoothly and quietly and the CVT box changes with minimal fuss. The gears can be manually shifted with paddles if required. With nicelyweighted steering and a well balanced suspension set-up, everything combines to give a refined drive on smooth surfaces. The Outback also feels quite nimble in town, quite easy to handle and park. On the open road, it corners well with reassuring grip. The exterior of the Outback makes a strong visual statement, and while the cabin is laid out for functionality rather than style, it still looks smart. There is plenty of room for five occupants, and the boot space of 559 litres (expanding to 1,848 litres) is substantial. The Outback comes over as a robust yet refined contender, underpinned by Subaru’s excellent reputation for dependability.

THE OUTBACK: Makes a strong visual statement.

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

Chiron clearance! Prized Bugatti to go up for auction ONE of the first Bugatti Chirons to be delivered last year is set to go up for auction next month. RM Sotheby’s will put the super car under the hammer on February 9 in Paris with a huge figure expected for the unique Bugatti. The limited edition supercar has an eight litre quad-turbocharged W-16 engine, with 1,480 horsepower capable of doing 0-60 mph in less than 2.5 seconds. Its top speed is limited to 261 mph reportedly due to the fact that no current tyre can handle the exceptional force produced by the Chiron past that point. However, Bugatti are reportedly currently working on special tyres for the Chiron that could possibly raise the top speed past that point and to 285 mph. The specific model up for sale, one of the first 20 delivered to customers, has been

hardly used, driven less than 630 miles, and comes with a number of special features including carbon-fibre steering wheel and maritime blue brake callipers. Deliveries for the car only began in March last year, with only 70 currently dispatched, and the car is expected to fetch be-

tween €3.2-3.6 million ($3.84.3 million) when it goes under the hammer next month.

STUNNING: The Bugatti Chiron set to go up for sale in February.

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SPORT

Toffees’ Big Sam chews over Giroud’s wife’s orders LIVERPOOL host Everton in the FA Cup third round on Friday at Anfield with The Toffees backed with almost 8,000 fans for the tie. Everton’s ticket allocation of 7,946 tickets is the biggest travelling support they have taken across Stanley Park since the all-seater stadium was introduced in 1994. Everton gaffer Sam Allardyce, looking to sign a new striker in the January transfer window, said: “Up front is an area we need to improve in January, a quality front man.” Everton’s interest in Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud has been given the cold shoulder by Allardyce - and Giroud’s wife: “As far as I know he doesn’t want to move north of Wat-

UKSPORTSCENE with Andrew Atkinson ford - well his wife doesn’t,” said Big Sam. “It’s very important to the wives - believe you me - normally they are the bosses,” said Allardyce. FA Cup third round: Friday: Manchester United v Derby, Liverpool v Everton. Saturday: Ipswich v Sheffield United, Watford v Bristol City, Birmingham v Burton, Aston Villa v Peterborough.

‘HE HAS EVERYTHING’: David Silva.

Bournemouth v Wigan, Coventry v Stoke, Newport v Leeds, Bolton v Huddersfield, Yeovil v Bradford, Brentford v Notts County, QPR v MK Dons, Exeter v West Brom. Doncaster v Rochdale, Middlesbrough v Sunderland, Fleetwood v Leicester, Blackburn v Hull, Cardiff v Mansfield, Manchester City v Burnley. Wolves v Swansea, Stevenage v Reading, Newcastle v Luton, Millwall v Barnsley, Fulham v Southampton, Wycombe v Preston, Norwich v Chelsea, Carlisle v Sheffield Wednesday. Sunday: Nottingham Forest v Arsenal, Tottenham v AFC Wimbledon, Shrewsbury v West Ham. Monday: Brighton v Crystal Palace.

David Silva/Twitter

Pep’s Silva lining DAVID SILVA has been heralded as one of the main keys that have unlocked Manchester City’s door to win the Premier League.

SPORTSCENESPAIN with Andrew Atkinson

Kane’s Real deal REAL MADRID and Manchester City are in a race to sign England a Spurs star, striker Harry Kane - described by Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino as the world’s best. “Harry is world class - the number one striker in the world - who’s better than him?” said Pochettino. Kane, with a touted value of £170m, netted his eighth hat-trick of 2017 in Spurs’ 5-2 win against Southampton on Boxing Day. Kane bagged 39 Premier League goals in 2017, breaking Alan Shearer’s record for goals scored in a year: “A massive achievement for Harry, and well deserved,” said Pochettino. Pochettino, desperate to keep Kane, said: “Harry is a talented player - that’s the secret we are so ambitious and looking forward. “Hopefully the next year will bring us a lot of victories - we want to win every game - who knows what can happen?” City gaffer Pep Guardiola also has Real Sociedad’s defender Inigo Martinez on his radar.

Dutch courage BARCELONA are linked with Manchester United defender Daley Blind who could be allowed to begin negotiating a pre-contract agreement with foreign clubs from January. Barca, keeping tabs on the Dutch star’s contract talks, are set to swoop for Blind - for free if United don’t trigger an extension on his contract. Blind, a £14m signing by ex-United boss Louis van Gaal in 2014, sees his current contract expire next summer. United are set to trigger extension contract clauses with Ander Herrera, Luke Shaw and Ashley Young. Real Madrid are targeting Inter Milan forward Mauro Icardi along with Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez.

Gareth to bale out REAL star Gareth Bale is set to snub a move to Manchester United - to remain at the Bernabeau in the January transfer window - moving to Old Trafford in the summer. United have reportedly agreed a deal with Wales international winger Bale, 28, valued by

STRIKER SOUGHT: By Sam Allardyce in the January transfer window. “He has absolutely everything,” said City boss Pep Guardiola as the Blues enter 2018 topping the table. Valencia youth Silva was at Valencia CF for six years, winning one Copa del Rey in 2008, prior to joining City in 2010. Silva, set to feature in City’s FA Cup third round tie against Burnley on Saturday, in his eighth season at City, has won the FA Cup, two Football League Cups and two Premier League titles. “I’m so happy for him,” said Guardiola, who awarded Silva

the captain’s armband at City in the absence of Vincent Kompany this term. “He is a real leader - he never hides - and always wants the ball to make something,” praised Guardiola, in the wake of Silva attracting interest from AC Milan and Las Palmas. Silva, who won his first international call up aged 20, capped 118 times, a member of Spain’s 2014 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2016, is set to be named in national coach Julen Lopetegui’s 2018 World Cup squad.

Real at £79m, with United planning a £53m bid, to lure the ex-Spurs ace away from the Bernabeu. Manchester United’s Angel Gomes is a target for Borussia Dortmund. Stoke’s Switzerland international Xherdan Shaqiri, 26, is eyed by West Ham. United host Derby County on Friday in the FA Cup third round. Shanghai SIPG star striker Hulk, 31, linked with Chelsea and Manchester City, hasn’t ruled out a move to the Premier League. “I received contact from the Premier League which I admire very much, the best league in the world,” said Hulk.

Luiz Real chance DAVID LUIZ’S uncertain future at Chelsea after a rift with Blues boss Antonio Conte - has alerted Real Madrid. Brazilian centre-back Luiz’s spell at Stamford Bridge could be set to end with Zinedine Zidane set to bolster his defence in the January transfer window. Luiz, wanting a regular slot on Conte’s teamsheet, is in his second spell at Chelsea after rejoining the Blues in a £34m move from Paris Saint-Germain in 2016. Chelsea travel to Carrow Road on Saturday to

Born in Arguineguín, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Silva departed Valencia CF to City in 2010, the club having been thwarted to sign Silva and Valencia teammate David Villa in 2008, in a £135m deal. Silva, who celebrates his 32nd birthday this month, has been among the goals in City’s table-topping campaign: “He has absolutely everything,” said Guardiola. “I think he is a star. At 31 years old he is enjoying to learn more - to score goals - that is so important,” said Guardiola.

play Championship club Norwich City in the FA Cup third round.

Valverde’s targets ARSENAL duo, Barca target Mesut Özil and Real Madrid and Manchester City target Alexis Sanchez, are both out of contract in June. Özil and Sanchez become free agents in the summer and are eligible to negotiate with clubs in January. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, whose Gunners meet Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup third round on Sunday, signed Özil and Sanchez at a combined cost of £74m. Liverpool and Brazilian star Philippe Coutinho remains Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde’s transfer target. Barca are also eyeing Özil to play alongside midfielder Andres Iniesta. Barca trio ArdaTuran, Aleix Vidal and Denis Suarez have uncertain futures. Schalke midfielder Leon Goretzka, 22, is interesting Bayern, Real Madrid, Barca and Arsenal. Schalke midfielder Max Meyer, refusing to sign a new deal, is eyed by Liverpool. Barcelona star and Argentine midfielder Javier Mascherano has been linked with a move to Liverpool

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WITHDRAWN: Nadal will play no part in the Brisbane International.

Rafael Nadal pulls out of Brisbane ATP World Number One Rafael Nadal has announced that he will not partake in the 2018 Brisbane International, but remains confident of being fit for the Australian Open which begins on January 15. The 31-year-old claims that he is still not ready after a ‘long season’ this year having already pulled out of his planned season opener at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi, which begins today. However, the Mallorcaborn star, who also pulled out of the final ATP finals in November with a knee injury, is continuing with his preparations in a bid to be fit for the Australian Open. The Spaniard tweeted: “I am sorry to announce I won’t be coming to Brisbane this year. “My intention was to play but I am still not ready after last year’s long season and the late start of my preparation. “I had a great time there and it was a great start to the month I spent in Australia.

“I will be seeing my Aussie fans when I land on the 4th in Melbourne and start there my preparation for the Australian Open,” he added. Nadal has suffered a number of high-profile injuries

over the course of his career but enjoyed a stellar comeback season this year, winning both the French and US Opens, as well as finishing the year as ATP World Number One.

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BARCELONA has never lost a La Liga game that defender Thomas Vermaelen has started. The former Arsenal centre-back has featured just 16 times since moving to the club in 2014 but has won 13 times and drawn the other three.

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Going for gold Spanish ‘boarder aiming for PyeongChang SPANISH snowboarder Regino Hernandez has admitted his focus is now fully on compet-

ing at this year’s Winter Olympic games after retaining his Snowboard Cross World Cup title last month. Regino Hernandez, along with partner Lucas Eguibar, retained their titles at the International Ski Federation (FIS) Snowboard Cross World Cup in Montafon, Austria, last month. They beat Italian pair Omar

Visintin and Emanuel Perathoner in a nail-biting finale to secure the victory and after the event, Hernandez told the Euro Weekly News: “To win a race is always something incredible, but to retain the title is amazing. “I had a really good start section. Lucas (my partner) is really patient and waited to pass the rivals then I managed

to get into first.” Now that the title is back in Spain, Hernandez admits that his focus is solely on obtaining Olympic glory at the games in Korea that begin next month. “Of course this season the Olympics are the most important event,” he continued. “We will be working continuously to be in the best shape for February.

OLYMPIC DREAM: Hernandez in Sochi 2014 (inset). “I want to be the top rider and I’ll always give 100 per cent to achieve that.” The Winter Olympics in

PyeongChang, Korea officially begin on February 9, with Hernandez expected to be one of Spain’s medal hopes.