RTN Newspaper - Costa Blanca South 23 - 29 March 2018 Issue 961

FREE! COSTA BLANCA SOUTH

Electric fire leads to evacuation AROUND 20 residents had to be evacuated from an apartment block in the Orihuela Costa after a fire broke out on Tuesday evening. Reports suggest that the blaze started in a fuse box, located in an old laundry shop that had been closed for some years, and began to spread quickly. Firefighters from Torrevieja Fire Station were sent to the scene and when greeted with thick, black smoke took the decision to get everybody out as a precaution. Nobody was injured in the incident and electric company Iberdrola were alerted to repair the power connection to the building that had been cut off by the fire.

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Issue 961

23rd - 29th March

by Darren Parmenter ONCE again, the municipality of San Fulgencio - that includes Urbanisation La Marina - has incurred the wrath of many of its residents. This time it’s a result of the sudden announcement that the local ambulance service has ceased because the contract terminated. Many of the locals only learned of the demise of the service via a Facebook posting on the official town hall page. Immediately, followers began to show their disgust and dissatisfaction at the absence of a vital local service, especially with Easter and the summer season around the corner that sees a major influx of tourists. However, it appears that there are no plans to replace the ser vice. A statement from the San Fulgencio Town Hall, translated from Spanish, said: “ We fully understand your concerns but we want to assure you that we are perfectly covered, just like the rest of the municipalities in the area. “Calling 112 will see an ambulance sent from the nearest centre, probably Guardamar or Rojales, that can take just as long as it would take from the urbanisation or the village and

Uproar at loss of local ambulance

INSIDE THIS WEEK ... HARD TO LEAVE PORT! P3

Photo credit: Ayuntamiento de San Fulgencio Facebook

U3A DONATES TO THE AFA

CONTRACT: San Fulgencio now needs to rely on neighbouring towns for emergency service. (File image) will be just as effective as any ambulance is to cover an emergency.” The statement has been ridiculed by one local resident who said, “ W hen you need an ambulance, time is of the essence. How can it be possible that one can arrive

from outside the area faster than one from within the municipality?” A number of people are also up in arms as over a number of years many thousands of euros have been raised to equip and support the running of the local ambulance service.

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Spring Forward, Fall Back READERS are reminded (excuse the use of an Americanism) to put their clocks forward by one hour at 2am this Sunday March 25. Also, due to the Easter celebrations, next week’s edition of RTN will be available on Thursday rather than Friday.

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Gang behind 50 crimes apprehended Photo credit: Guardia Civil

SIX members of a gang have been arrested by officers of the Guardia Civil in connection with almost 50 crimes in Elche, Crevillente and Aspe. The group, consisting of five men and a woman aged between 20 and 35 years old and all of Moroccan nationality, allegedly specialised in thefts from homes across a number of areas as well as stealing drugs from rival gangs. In total, they are associated with 44 crimes of robbery with force, two with violence and intimidation, two of drug trafficking and one of belonging to a criminal organisation. Four of the six have already been sent to prison pending further judicial procedures. Investigations into this case by the Guardia Civil began back in November 2017 aimed at disbanding a group of young people - many little more than 20-years-old and some with a history of such

GAMBLING: Group’s luck ran out after committing multiple robberies.

crimes - who were carrying out a series of robberies. They all became friends after visiting the same gambling establishments and decided the easiest way to get money to fund their habit was to steal and sell on the booty for cash.

They used the gaming venue as their meeting point from where they all left together in a car - stolen in a previous robbery - and moved into the rural areas to rob a number of houses. Much of the stolen equipment was found in a home in

Aspe where four vehicles were seized alongside televisions, mobile phones, 500 grams of hashish and €1,000 in cash. In another find at a warehouse 3,096 marihuana plants were confiscated which had a potential street value of €1 million.

‘Apps’ the way to improve security by Ray Chadwick SHOPKEEPERS across Almoradi will feel a little safer now they have a direct line through to the Local Police. More than 100 shops will have access to a mobile App that enables them to contact them in an emergency with just a single click. Almoradi’s mayor Maria Gomez, Police Councillor Jose Antonio Segura, and the president of the local shopkeepers association Susana Garcia, combined to present this new service with the hope that it can be extended to other groups or business sectors. The App offers the most immediate and direct security alerts, and the Local Police have already carried out a number of necessary tests to ensure that the system works. Councillor Segura said: “It is a tool that gives our shopkeepers greater security and peace of mind to trade. The alarm can also be raised in a very discreet way too and sent direct to the Local Police who will respond straight away.” In addition to the introduction of this new technology, it was also announced that more security cameras were being installed across the municipality. Around 60 cameras will be located in public spaces in areas that are deemed of special attention.

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Photo credit: Maria Xe Flickr

Women march to round-off week of events

NO WAY OUT: Boat owners may go down the legal channels to get out of Guardamar.

Hard to leave port! by Glenn Scott AROUND 20 boats are known to be trapped in the port of Guardamar del Segura... as the river isn’t deep enough for them to sail out.

The accumulation of sediment in the mouth of the River Segura prevents the larger boats from making their way down the creek and off into the awaiting Mediterranean. It’s understood that the af-

fected sailing vessels haven’t been able to move from their moorings for around 15 months because of the restricted draft. The ideal depth of the water at this point should be 3 metres, instead it’s

Down syndrome baby’s parents awarded compensation Photo credit: @TSJCV Twitter

AROUND 500 people answered the call of the Rojales Town Hall to take part in a major march that was the culmination of the International Women’s Day celebrations. The area was a sea of people during the fifth holding of the Solidarity March for Women, and thanks to generous donations were able to raise €1,682 for ASPANION, the association of parents of children suffering from cancer. Each person taking part paid €3 to register, which was supplemented with extra amounts from others not on the march along the way. Under the watchful eyes of the Local Police who ensured e v e r y o n e ’s s a f e t y, the walk covered five kilometres through the Rojales town centre. Councillor Inmaculada Chazarra said the event had been another step towards raising awareness and keeping up the fight against inequali t y, s o t h a t w o m e n can stop being victims of the continuing practices. Those taking part were offered lunch at the Malecon del Soto, at which local schoolgirl Pilar Chumulla from the IES La Encanta received a diploma for having designed the special poster promoting the march. There was also a raffle for a number of different prizes which had been donated by many local businesses, all accompanied by performances by the municipal dance and theatre schools.

OPPORTUNITY: Supreme Court decides hospital should have offered important test. A WOMAN whose baby was born with Down syndrome and subsequently died aged two, is about to receive a large compensation payment. The Superior Court of the Valencian Community (TSJCV) has ordered the Valencian Community government to pay the Torrevieja mother €200,000 as she wasn’t offered the chance to take an amniocentesis test during her pregnancy. The legal procedures were brought by the father of the child who was born in August 2013 at the Torrevieja Hospital and died in Septem-

ber 2015. The child’s parents claimed they hadn’t received correct healthcare attention by not being offered the test that could have detected the presence of Down syndrome in the unborn foetus. This would have given the mother the opportunity of terminating the pregnancy. They have also put in a further claim for €5.5 million as the young girl was subjected to an operation they weren’t aware of. They also allege that a catheter was wrongly inserted into a central vein during the procedure.

only 1.8 metres. Mayor of Guardamar del Segura, Jose Luiz Saez, justifies the delay in carrying out the already authorised dredging operation stating that no decision has been made by higher authorities as to where the resulting sludge can be dumped. A heavy storm back in December 2016 was the original cause of the build-up of sediment in the mouth of the river, and those boat owners affected are now considering taking the matters through the courts if nothing is done soon.

Even though they can’t use their boats, they are still expected to pay their €400 quarterly fees for a 12-metre vessel. Speaking to the Spanish media, one very disgruntled owner said: “The fees include the day-to-day running of the marina, the cleaning and the security, but the one guarantee of being able to get out to sea is not being fulfilled.” The last time the port was dredged was in 2009 at a cost of €450,000 and was paid in part thanks to the fees paid by the boats that are now trapped.

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Major operation prepares for migrant arrivals Photo credit: Ayuntamiento de Santa Pola

TO prepare for any future arrivals of boats of migrants along the coast, a full scale simulation exercise, involving all sectors of the emergency services took place in Santa Pola. Members of the National Police, Guardia Civil and the Cruz Roja (Red Cross) were involved in the major operation that carried out the procedures and protocols for a humanitarian rescue. The operation took place under the keen eyes of a number of migration specialists and representatives of migrants’ organisations from across Europe that form part of the ‘Solida’ project. The simulation began with the escorting into port of a ‘migrant boat’ by the Red Cross vessel that provided first aid, thermal clothing and life jackets to seven volunteer extras.

EXERCISE: Santa Pola emergency services working together in migrant simulation. On arrival, the Guardia Civil - with the help of a translator then take over the process by helping them out of their boat and taking them to a triage section to receive a full assessment of any medical care they may need. If the migrants are in a good state of health they are given a

green wristband; and a red one should they be deemed to need urgent hospital care, especially in the case of young children and pregnant women. From the triage centre, everyone is taken to a feeding area and photographs are taken by the National Police for future identification purposes.

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Electric bills to be slashed for vulnerable people by Glenn Scott

Photo credit: Policia Local Orihuela

ELECTRIC company IBERDROLA has received almost 19,000 applications to receive a discount on their services from across the Murcia region. The initiative is aimed at the most vulnerable people in society, that includes people who have suffered from gender violence, victims of terrorist acts and those who have a disability assessed as being greater than 33 per cent. Those who qualify and apply for the scheme will be eligible for reductions of between 25 per cent and 100 per cent of their electric bills. The official closing date to apply for consideration is April 10, although IBERDROLA promise that those who don’t get their applications in beforehand will not be refused. It was announced that of the 18,900 applications so far received, 83 per cent have been accepted into the scheme and therefore will receive the reduced bills from April 10. To date, 902 have been rejected for not meeting the criteria.

The future’s not bright for thieves

BAGGED UP: The 1,200 kilos of oranges saved from the thieves.

by Darren Parmenter

Photo Credit: PxHere

POWER HELP: Murcia region citizens to benefit from big reductions.

FIVE people have been arrested by Local Police based in Orihuela in connection with a number of robberies from local orchards. The three men, a woman and one child, living in the Murcia towns of Cabezo de Torres and El Palmar, have been detained for allegedly stealing 1,200 kilos of or-

anges from plantations in La Mjadas, part of the village of La Matanza. The alarm was raised when the Local Police received a call after four cars, unknown in the area and containing a number of people, were seen in the area by concerned neighbours. A total of 14 police officers were sent to the scene and controlled the outer perimeter of the farm to

stop the vehicles from escaping. The five people in the cars were making their way towards a total of 87 large bags of oranges, each containing 14 kilos, that were placed next to an opening they had made in the fence, and ready to load into the vehicles. They also found cutting tools, torches and a number of empty bags in the cars.

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Photo credit: Guardia Civil

SPOTTED: Strange logo was clue to fake shirt shipments.

Fake football shirts seized by Darren Parmenter A 27-YEAR-OLD Irishman from Torrevieja has been arrested at Alicante-Elche airport in possession of fake football shirts. The counterfeit garments, estimated to be worth in the region of €80,000 were said to be of ‘exceptionally quality’ and thus were very difficult to detect. The fabric, the labels and the standard of machine work was exceptional but it was when one of the eagle-eyed officials spotted a slight difference in the shape of one of the club

logos that suspicions were raised. The arrest took place as a result of a joint operation between the Guardia Civil and the Spanish Tax Agency (Hacienda) and saw the confiscation of 1,612 fake football shirts belonging to a number of well-known English and Spanish clubs. They were discovered in five suspicious packages that arrived from China destined for an address in Torrevieja. It is understood that the arrested man had paid €3,000 for the fake shirts which were destined to be sold online.

23rd - 29th March

Taxi access demanded for new Corvera airport WITH the opening of the new Corvera Airport planned for later this year, the mayor of Cartagena wants to ensure that taxi drivers based in the city can be allowed to operate to and from there. This comes following a meeting between Mayor Ana Belen Castejon and representatives of the Association of Autonomous Taxi Workers. They have also asked for changes to the municipal by-laws in respect of operating licences, among other aspects of the local taxi service.

La Marina factory destroyed by fire A SPECTACULAR fire has destroyed a wooden pallet factory just outside the village of La Marina. Ten firefighters were dispatched from Elche to the scene of the blaze that could be seen for miles around when it broke out late at night. Speaking to the Spanish media, local people said that the factory was in a very poor state of repair and raised their ‘suspicions’ about the cause of the fire which has yet to be established. No injuries have been reported. Local roads between La Marina and La Hoya were closed off to traffic and to a large number of onlookers that came to witness the work of the fire brigade as they brought the blaze under control.

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Police run out of ‘drug money’ LOC AL POLICE in Elche have been left without a budget to enable them to submit drug tests for laboratory testing. The police may well have been trained in how to administer the

tests using the special kits - which cost €23 each - but with the price of each analysis costing in the region of €80 it’s now reached the point that there is no money left in the coffers to enable the tests

to continue. They can’t even afford to buy any extra testing kits. According to the Spanish media, the problem is that even though funds have been transferred to the municipality the issue is actu-

ally being able to get hands on the cash. The costs of the kits and the testing are usually offset by the €1,000 fine issued for each positive test result.

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23rd - 29th March Photo credit: Barry Weston U3A

GENEROSITY: AFA Torrevieja also made their own presentation of thanks and appreciation.

U3A donates to the AFA by Darren Parmenter TWO years of raising funds have resulted in a large sum of money being donated to the Alzheimer’s Association (AFA) in Torrevieja. Exactly €4,000.81 was handed over by the University for the T hird A ge (U3A) based in Torrevieja at a presentation ceremony last week at the AFA day centre. Director of the AFA Lidia Navarro told the RTN that the money raised - for which they are extremely grateful - will go on installing an automatic lift to adapt their mini-bus and thus allow more people to be able to visit the day centre whose mobility currently prevents them. Many members of the U3A committee attended the official presentation and were presented in turn with a plaque from the AFA to show their appreciation inscribed with the phrase “Together, we continue to

grow and together, remember and forget.” RTN also spoke with the U3A president Rosemar y Rickman and Treasurer Peter Breen who explained that the AFA were the beneficiaries of the latest donation as it was the wish of the outgoing U3A president after his two-year tenure. They explained that the €4,000 (and not forgetting the 81 cents) came from raffles held at their monthly meetings and the donations given by people who borrow books from the extensive library. “We have about 800 members,” said Peter, “who come not just from Torrevieja but all around the area such as Cabo Roig, La Marina and San Pedro. Ever yone of a ‘cer tain age ’ is more t h a n w e l c o m e to c o m e to o u r m o n t h l y meetings.” After the presentation, the U3A team were given a guided tour of the AFA facilit i e s to s e e s o m e o f t h e re m a r k a b l e a n d valuable work carried out at firsthand.

Police identify ‘well-known’ criminals on CCTV LOCAL POLICE based in Orihuela have only just made public that they arrested two men in the city centre last weekend. They were detained following an armed robbery in a shop where they allegedly threatened the manager with a knife. They also stole €600 from the till. Both Local and National Police

officers went through the shop’s CCTV cameras and were almost immediately able to identify a couple of criminals well-known to the authorities. Whilst the Local Police carried out the arrests, their National Police colleagues are investigating to see if the same two men were responsible for the theft of two vehicles in recent days.

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Pensioners demonstrate against ‘miserable’ rise Photo credit: @lfilellaTwitter

CITY centres across the Costa Blanca were full with pensioners at the weekend protesting at the ‘miserable’ rise in their annual increase. Thousands joined a number of marches on Saturday morning, giving some municipalities an extra policing headache as they were fully stretched to cover the St Patrick’s Day parades being held nearby. The pensioners weren’t alone in their protest against the 0.25 per cent increase they’ve been awarded for 2018 - and described by pensioners groups as ‘miserable’ - as they were joined by many active workers supporting their cause. Many of the pensioners have threatened to repeat the demonstration held in Benidorm in particular once a week on a Monday if their plight doesn’t improve. The marchers in Benidorm have the support on the opposition councillors from the municipality. They base their protest on the fact that the Spanish economy has grown around 3 per cent in the past year, and so consider it ‘a joke’ that they’ve been given just a few cents extra after a lifetime of working. Meanwhile, further down the coast in Torrevieja more than 1,000 pen-

SUPPORT: One of the many pensioners’ protests across Spain sioners took over the church square, and around 50 people gathered in front of the town hall in Orihuela. The Torrevieja protest was organised by the Platform for the Defence of Public Pensions of the Vega Baja, led by a gigantic banner proclaiming (translated) ‘Decent Pensions. Defend the public pension system.’ The organisers were overwhelmed

by the amount of support for the march that toured the city centre along some of the busiest streets before ending up in the Plaza de la Constitution in front of the town hall. Many more councillors belonging to other than the national ruling Partido Popular (PP) also turned out to support the pensioners, some coming from Los Montesinos and Benejuzar.

Local cities get their ‘chance’ on Spanish Monopoly board CITIES across the Alicante and Murcia provinces will feature on the next edition of the Spanish version of Monopoly due for release in time for Christmas this year. The public voting closed at the weekend and after more than 500,000 people took part, three Alicante cities and one from Murcia have made it onto the final board that will contain 20 locations across the country. The results came in time to coincide with World Monopoly Day on Monday. Elda topped the Alicante Province charts with 262,297 votes and finished fifth on the list. Elche received 132,139 votes (in 18th position) and Alicante, with 117,869 just scraped in at position 20. The organisers of the competition were keen to point out however that because they are in the bottom three of the popular vote, it may mean they won’t be among the most expensive properties on the board and similar to the UK’s Mayfair. The voting procedure lasted for over two months and each city carried out its own promotion on WhatsApp, Twitter and Facebook to make people aware of the competition and to get their locality recognised in this way. For the Murcia region, Cartagena was the only city making it into the top 20 with 224,272 votes and finishing in seventh place overall. Estepona in Malaga Province topped the list with 571,778 votes.

23rd - 29th March

Murcia hospitals report increase in flu victims Photo credit: KOMUnews Flickr

STRAIN: Medical authorities announce spike in flu victims.

DESPITE the constant promotion of the annual flu vaccination, the virus has affected a large number across the Murcia region. More than 40,000 people have reported suffering from flu; an increase of 25 per cent compared to the same period in 2016/17. The Minister for Health, Manuel Villegas, said the A&E departments in the local hospitals had been ‘saturated’ by the number of patients during the final weeks of December and the start of January. Those responsible for the vaccination programme have told Spanish media that they don’t remember such a high number of reported cases of influenza since 2009, when the ‘A

H1N1’ strain was reported. So far during this season, 27 deaths have been registered due to complications as a result of the contracting the flu virus... which this time has been a ‘B-type’ and arrived four weeks earlier than usual. During this flu season 230,000 doses of the flu vaccine were administered, with around 45 per cent of the over 65’s taking advantage of their annual jab. Overall, 22 per cent of the Murcia region received the vaccination. To cope with the extra demand for care, more than 300 extra medical professionals had to be taken on and an additional 164 additional beds made available.

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NATIONAL POLICE officers have arrested a man suspected of an assault carried out on a nurse in a Murcia hospital. According to police sources, the Spanish national - aged 68

- was recently detained following an incident that took place a few weeks ago. It appears that the man, a relative of one of the patients, was asked to leave

the room so the nurse could finish helping the patient. At this point, the man refused to go out which led to an argument between the two. As the nurse walked out of the room, the man followed her and allegedly slapped her across one of her shoulders. The man was only recently arrested by officers from the San Andres District Police Station. He was released after questioning but informed that he would shortly be required to appear before the courts to answer to the charges.

Photo credit: Guardia Civil

Visitor attacks nurse in Murcia hospital

HOME PORN HUB: Man arrested as part of 2013 investigation awaits his fate.

Trial of online ‘paedophile’ begins by Ray Chadwick THE trial of a man accused of possessing videos and photographs of young children is now underway in Elche. The man, from Almoradi, has been accused of downloading and sharing material and images of a sexual nature featuring children between the ages of four and 13 from his home in the Vega Baja. Charges relate to a period between 2011 and 2013 when the accused built up a stock of videos and photographs on an external hard drive, and was arrested

almost five years ago. In a case that has now only reached the trial stage after all that time, the prosecuting authorities are asking for a prison sentence of seven years. He was arrested in 2013 as part of a Guardia Civil investigation set up to dismantle a child pornography and paedophile network that was believed to be in operation throughout the Valencian Community. A total of five people were caught and charged, accused of accessing the images via a number of different passwords.

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HAVE YOUR SAY

“Holiday sickness scammers face £15,000 fine for fake claim.”

CARTAGENA City Council has announced more buses will serve the Santa Lucia Hospital. This is as a result of collaboration between the council and bus operator ALSA, as part of an announcement of new routes and an overall increase in the amount of public transport. The new fleet of buses has also been adapted to help passengers with mobility issues. Also, a pilot minibus service will be introduced in May to cover the western area of Cartagena that won’t incur any cost to the council at this stage. This new service will link travellers to the No 6 route for onward travel into the city centre.

Dianne Sawyer Disgraceful. No wonder the Brits are thought so badly of in Europe. Make them pay everything back and apologise publically to the Hotel. Adrian C Smith The real story is hidden here: “We believe the fact that medical evidence is being produced by the husband of a partner of AMS, the firm of solicitors representing Ms Devine and Mr Melling, raises serious and obvious ethical and legal questions.”

Photo credit: Google Street View

Popular post on Facebook reaching 3,159 people with 76 reactions

Parking rate increases hardly noticeable

Hospital to get improved bus service

by Linda Whittaker DRIVERS using the underground car parks in Murcia have been told that the y won’t notice the forthcoming increase in charges. The new price structure ap prove d by Murci a C it y represents an increase of 1.7 per cent and cor responds to the 2017 annual Consumer Price Index (CPI). Because of the popularity of Murcia both as a residenti al area , work ing centre and attracting tourists, the car parks in the city tend to be very busy at all times of the day. Due to the lack of spaces on and along the roads, drivers are often forced to go to the often slightly more expensive alternative of the underground car parks.

MINIMAL: Drivers using La Vega in Murcia, among others, will see a small rise for parking. T he ne w rates will increase to €0.041 per minute for the first 300 minutes, up from €0.040. Between 301 minutes and 720 minutes the rate is reduced to €0.039. In reality, someone who park s their car for two

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• Costa del Rain fills water reserves • Part-time health centres in Costa Blanca for the summer season • ‘Pest from the East’ may return for Easter • Squatters force Costa Blanca resident to sleep in his van

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hours (120 minutes) will now pay €4.92 instead of €4.80. T he maximum 12 hour parking fee remains unchanged at €28.68. Across 25 different locations , there are 10,039 park ing spaces , of which 5,317 are taken up by residents. The remaining 4,722 are classified as ‘temporary’ spaces for commuters and tourist use. T he car park with the most capacity is found at La Vega with room for 1,372 vehicles. Murcia City Council is also working to ensure that all the park ing facilities have a cer tain number of spaces reserved for electric vehicles.

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23rd - 29th March

Time to adopt a dog or cat Photo credit: Ayuntamiento de Torrevieja

AGREEMENT: Carmen Morate (centre) announces latest animal welfare initiatives.

TORREVIEJA’S councillor with responsibility for animal welfare is behind a campaign requesting people to adopt a dog or cat, rather than buy one from a shop. Carmen Morate also said that if those new owners can have them neutered or spayed once they take possession, then it will help save lives in the future. Joining Councillor Morate at the announcement were Lourdes Martinez from the Torrevieja Animal Association and Jennifer Hernandez from the CES - the ‘Trap, Neuter, Return project - who are also part of this major campaign.

All the publicity material has been translated into English as many of the people who have and take on pets are UK citizens. The aim is to reduce the number of animals that eventually end up at the municipal pound. Morate explained that if people are looking for a particular breed of dog, it will be available from a pound somewhere. However, all dogs deserve to be given a chance in a new home even if it might not be the one people want. Part of the ‘agreement’ of taking an animal from the pound must be to sterilise them and save future over-population issues.

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Basic Spanish for everyday needs

by Jane Cronin

IN the firm belief that at least a half a dozen people have attempted to translate my little text last week, here is my version in English. I say ‘my version’ because translating is never quite as hard and fast as people think and there can often be alternative ways of expressing the same idea. ‘Hello. How are you? What have you done since last week? I have rested a little, at last! I went to the city of Almeria for two days, including New Year’s Eve. It is a small, quiet city but it has some (its) interesting things. It has an enormous castle called La Alcazaba which dominates the city. It also has a subterranean refuge from the civil war which is unique in Spain. As I like history a lot I found it very interesting (it was very interesting for me). My daughters have rested as well. One has been (went) with a group of friends to a village near Albacete. She says it is a very pretty area. My other daughter has visited her friends in Asturias. She has travelled from Alicante

Translation and closed questions to Gijon by train and has seen (saw) a lot of snow along the way. My cat has rested a lot as well. Now we are all at home again to start what the Spanish call ‘the uphill struggle of January’. Time for a change of subject and I did promise a look at ‘closed’ and ‘open’ questions, so here it comes. There are basically two different kinds of questions in a language, and in Spanish we have to deal with them in two different ways. A closed question is one that leads to a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. For example, if I asked you: “Are you English?” or “Do you like cheese?” you could make several comments in reply, but the most immediate and obvious response is simply ‘yes’ or ‘no’. This is in contrast with an ‘open’ question which requires us to give information, for example “Where are you from?” or

“What food do you like?” It is meaningless to answer these questions with a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’; to make sense we have to give some information as a response such as: ‘Ireland’ or ‘spaghetti bolognese’. In Spanish these two kinds of questions are formed very differently. The easiest type to construct is the closed or ‘yes/no’ question. To do this all we have to do is make a statement sound like a question by the change of tone in our voice. For example: “Tienes hijos” means “You have children”. To make this into a closed, question all we have to do is change our intonation, and when writing we place question marks on either side: “¿Tienes hijos?” “You have children?” or in correct English: “Do you have children?” The

initial answer to this is ‘yes’ or ‘no’, which we would say before we go on to give any more information. For those of us who are native English speakers, it is worth sparing a thought here for the difficulty foreigners have when learning such constructions in English as we add extra words, and we change our word order. First of all the word ‘do’ appears out of nowhere for no apparent reason “Do you have any children?” not to mention the word ‘any’ - why is that there? Even worse is that we can ask exactly the same question in a completely different way: “Have you got any children?” instead of “Do you have… ” What’s all that about? Basically when we start questions with Do, Can, Will, Would, Have, Does, Did, Has and so on in English, we are forming closed questions. In Spanish, when we see something that looks like an ordinary sentence with the upside down question mark in front and, without a ‘question word’ such as ‘Dónde’ or ‘cuándo’ we are looking at a closed question.

Older buildings at risk from Elche earthquake Photo credit: Ayuntamiento de Elche

SURVEY: Pre-1990 constructions will be identified in Elche.

by Ray Chadwick STUDENTS from the University of Alicante (UA) are about to undertake a major study on old buildings in Elche that may be at an increased risk of an earthquake. The seismic survey, in both senses of the word, will focus on 18,000 buildings in the city that were built before 1990, which accounts for almost 70 per cent of all constructions. Before that time, building regulations to prevent the effects of an earthquake weren’t in force. The UA plans to create a map of the most vulnerable zones of Elche. In total, there are 28,400 buildings in the city and with so many built in the past 30

years, after the mandatory new regulations, they will attempt to identify those at the greatest risk and put into place a series of initiatives that will raise awareness on how to react to an earthquake in these areas. Elche City Council and the UA have signed an agreement to undertake this important research project and have been given €19,000 of local taxpayer’s money. The study will also be carried out in the town of Adra in Almeria due to it having similar geological characteristics to those in Elche, with both zones at the highest risk from seismic activity in Spain The first regulations that laid the foundations for earthquake-resistant buildings were in 1994 and updated in 2002.

23rd - 29th March Photo credit: Manuel Martin Flickr

RECONSTRUCTION: All part of a long term plan for Cartagena’s historic building.

Roman amphitheatre to open its doors again by Darren Parmenter THE iconic Roman amphitheatre in Cartagena, believed to have been built between 5BC and 1BC, will once again be open to members of the public. A major programme of restoration is currently taking place and should the three-month schedule finish on time, it should be open in May. The double outer-ring of the building, and the ‘cages’ that kept the gladiators and the awaiting animals in times past, are part of the first phase of redevelopment. Councillor for Culture in Cartagena, David Martinez accompanied by fellow councillor for Heritage, Mari Carmen Berrocal, visited the site to publicise how well the work on the Ro-

man structure is progressing. Martinez explained that the reconstruction of the outside wall of the building is being financed in its entirety by Cartagena City Council at a cost of €200,000. Excavation works are also being carried out on the underground rooms for which a subsidy of €100,000 has been given by the Murcia regional government. The councillors confirmed that this grant will enable them to work on a major plan for further phases to the project to restore the Roman amphitheatre as a stunning piece of architecture. Once the evacuation work begins at the end of May, visitors will be able to check out the already completed renovations as well as seeing for themselves the ‘work in progress’ as part of an official tour.

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Advertising Feature HAVING opened their first store in Gran Alacant 12 years ago, the single, small Euronics branch has now increased to three stores in the area. The second branch was opened at La Marina Urbanisations and then 2017 saw the debut of the third store, this time in Ciudad Quesada, with the original staff of four increasing to a total of 14 knowledgeable and helpful people. These three Euronics stores are undoubtedly special as the owners take into account what the majority of their customers (who are mainly predominantly from northern Europe) expect and that is first class, helpful service. It is not the Euronics philosophy to sell a product and then forget about the customer, as the entire sales staff has been educated to take the time to discover customer needs and expectations before advising

Euronics Gran Alacant offers the best products at great prices

Quality electrical goods from a quality supplier. them what would appear to be the most suitable option to meet their exact requirements. Euronics Gran Alacant will deliver and install large appliances and then explain not on-

ly what each item does, but also how to operate it. All of the shops stock a wide range of products for the home, with everything at sensible prices, backed by great service

and a commitment by those on site to explain how the product works and to back this up with assistance if there is a problem. There is an electrical solution

for everyone, be it air conditioning, fridges, heating solutions, ovens, televisions or washing machines, alongside a plethora of smaller appliances, as well as electric barbecues for the summer. There are special offers in each store which can change on a regular basis and the company’s helpful website w w w. e l e c t r o d o m e s t i c o s granalacant.com which is available in English and Spanish as well as its Facebook page w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / e l e c trodomesticosgranalacant/ show a regularly changing list consisting of special offers of named branded goods designed to appeal to everyone.

Their mantra at Euronics Gran Alacant - we deliver, we install, we care. Contact details and opening times are; CC Gran Alacant Avd Finlandia, 23, blq 3, L2 Tel 966 695 365 granalacant@euronics.es. with opening times Monday to Friday 9.15am to 2pm and 4.30pm to 8.30pm and Saturday morning. Ciudad Quesada CC Consum, Avd Salamanca, 11, L8 Tel 966 731 211 quesada@euronics.es with opening times Monday to Friday 9.15am to 6pm and Saturday morning. Urb La Marina, Plz Sierra Castilla, L10 Tel 966 797 703 lamarina@euronics.es with opening times Monday to Friday 9.15am to 6pm and Saturday morning.

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‘Unknown’ women’s condition commemorated OR I H U E L A’S C o u n c i l l o r No e l i a G ra o h a s l e d a re lease of balloons from in f ro n t o f O r i h u e l a To w n Hall to commemorate the w o r l d d ay a g a i n s t e n dometriosis. Endometriosis is often a p a i n f u l d i s o rd e r t h at a f fe c t s o n e i n 1 0 w o m e n . . . a n d y e t h a rd l y a ny o n e i s aware of the existence of the condition. Tissue that

normally lines the inside of the uterus (the endometrium) grows outside instead, and affects the ovaries, the lining of the pelvis and the fallopian tubes. Grao said: “ We are setting up a continuous information campaign and awa re n e s s v i a a s e r i e s o f leaflets and posters across the health centres in the municipality.”

Help with university costs part of council grants UNIVERSITY students living in the municipality of Benejuzar may be able to qualify for a subsidy to help with tuition fees and transport costs. The €13,000 has been set aside to provide financial help and support to families who have difficulties with the costs of a university education for those between 17 and 30years-old.

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All aboard Cartagena’s shiny, clean tourist bus JUST in time for the San Jose fiestas last week and the forthcoming Holy Week, Cartagena’s tourist bus has been given a makeover.

It returned to the streets resplendent in red and white, with the design incorporating the Roman amphitheatre which is expected to be one of

the popular spots on the tour. The bus will follow the same route initiated last year and will operate from Tuesday to Sunday (inclusive).

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Advertising Feature NO sign-up fees, just leave your rental advertising and management in the hands of the professionals Renting out your home in Spain in order to cover mortgage costs or generate revenue is not always an easy task: doing it on your own is a time-consuming and often inefficient process, while handing over the work to a property management company can be counter-productive due to high commission rates and subscription fees and, unfortunately, the ineffectiveness of some of those who offer their services. But the headaches and hard work are taken out of managing holiday rentals by the service offered by the experienced team of professionals at Resort Choice, specialising in the Mar Menor area of the region of Murcia and operating over the whole of the Costa Calida area as well as the Costa Blanca and Costa Almeria. They will prepare a comprehensive listing with quality images which is then posted on all of the major holiday rental portals used

Resort Choice: more rental bookings for less work

by clients in the UK, Spain, France, Germany and the rest of the world. All of this is completely free of charge, and when bookings are received commission rates start from as low as just 10 per cent! The multilingual staff are on hand every day of the week to field queries, finalise bookings, manage payments, update listings and offer pre and post-stay support to guests, leaving owners to relax in the knowledge that their

properties are paying their way under the expert management of Resort Choice. Guest reviews are compiled free of charge to enhance future advertising, no long-term contractual obligations‌ increasing income from your rental property in Murcia or Alicante has never been easier or more affordable! Resort Choice maximise income from your holiday home in the Costa Calida with no sign-on fee charged The team of property manage-

ment professionals at Resort Choice are constantly on the lookout for more holiday homes where the owners are looking to maximise their rental income, and they offer a fantastic package of support which will help anyone in this situation with regard to properties in the Costa Calida and the rest of south-eastern Spain. Drawing on their many years of experience, the team at Resort Choice will help to compile complete listings with quality photos which are then adver-

tised on the leading holiday rental portals in Europe. They are then available seven days a week to field queries, take bookings, manage payments, update listings and availability and offer support to guests before, during and after their stays, freeing the owners of these time-consuming and stressful chores. And best of all for owners, there is absolutely no charge until bookings are confirmed, and even then commission rates start from as low as 10 per cent! Whether your property is a front line villa, a townhouse or an apartment, whether it’s located at the beach, on a golf resort, in a town or in the countryside, now is an ideal time to make sure you’re making the most of its rental potential.

How to start? Contact Resort Choice and get the ball rolling: the sooner the better, and start making more out of your home in the sun at the earliest possible opportunity! Website www.resortchoice.com, email info@resortchoice.com or call in Spain 968 545 204 and UK 02036 086 013.

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money APPROVAL has been given for the construction of 1,500 new homes close to the city of Alicante. It’s expected that 3,000 jobs will be created with the establishment of the project in sector APA 9 of Vistahermosa on the outskirts of the city. In addition to the homes, two schools are also part of the 710,731m2 plot, as well as a medical centre. Councillor Eva Montesinos has emphasised the importance of the project which ‘promotes the development of a vital part of our municipality and continues with our government’s priority of construction and the employment opportunities that brings.’

EU study exposes free trade fraudsters THE EU’s Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), based in Alicante, has produced a report revealing a connection between free trade zones and the export of counterfeit products. EUIPO carried out its research with assistance from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and concluded that free trade zones are boosting the value of illegal exports by 5.9 per cent. The worrying findings come on the back of a joint study by the EUIPO and OECD in 2016, which calculated that the value of counterfeit products account for 2.5 per cent of world trade, with an annual turnover of €338 million. Such illegal goods make up 5 per cent of all imports into the European Union, worth up to €85 million. There are more than 3,500 free trade zones worldwide, which generate €365 million in revenues and employ 66 million people.

Given their specialised infrastructure, lighter regulations and geographical location, these zones offer companies considerable perks. However, due to reduced customs controls and the lax regulations, they also draw those seeking to capitalise for their criminal ends. The report sources data from international customs seizures, to show that the bigger the role a free trade zone plays in a country’s economy, the greater the value of the counterfeit products that the country exports. The transit areas in Albania, Egypt, Morocco and Ukraine are believed to be particularly entrenched in a fake products network. Executive Director of EUIPO, Antonio Campinos, said: “This report takes the analysis of pirated products a step further and we hope that the findings will support governments and legislators in addressing the economic damage they cause.”

Photo Credit: Jose Angel Astor Rocha Shutterstock

Building project continues

HOLY WEEK: A previous parade.

Holy Week brings 7,000 jobs boost THROUGHOUT the province of Alicante, it’s anticipated that Holy Week - which begins this weekend - will allow the creation of 7,000 jobs. The highest growth is estimated to be in the city of Alicante itself with 12.6 per cent. Sectors that are due to benefit the most will be the hotel trade, transport, distribution and entertainment which traditionally see a spike in offering work contracts at this time of the year. These figures are the highest recorded for the Easter period since 2009 when the ravages of the economic crisis in Spain began.

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by Michael Walsh

All medical and scientific reports and photographs of Dr Kelly’s body were classified for 70 years by Lord Hutton after the death, for reasons unspecified. In 1984, Hilda Murrell, a British anti-nuclear campaigner was abducted and found murdered five miles from her Shropshire home. She had planned to present a paper on radioactive waste management at the Sizewell B Inquiry, the first public planning inquiry into a new British nuclear power plant. Her car, in which she was kidnapped, was discovered in a country lane five miles away and her body was found in a field nearby. A police investigation failed. It was proposed she was killed by British Intelligence as part of a cover operation against nuclear protesters. Andrew George a 16-year-old local labourer was charged with her killing and sentenced to life imprisonment. His nephew, Robert Green, decided New Zealand might be a safer place to live. He said “George couldn’t drive

Photo Credit: ChameleonsEye Shutterstock

keyboardcosmetics@gmail.com INSTEAD of the uproar over an attempted murder of a British spy, media might better refocus on Britain’s apparent record of state sponsored murder. Dr David Kelly was an expert in biological warfare and a UN weapons inspector in Iraq, who it is claimed committed suicide in July 2003. Kelly strongly disagreed with government spin that Iraq President Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. After being pilloried by a parliamentary court the scientist told friends that ‘many dark actors are playing games.’ Later that day he was found dead with a cut to his wrist. At the time of his death, he was writing a book. Dr Kelly intended to reveal his warning to then Prime Minister Tony Blair, that such weapons didn’t exist, weeks before the Iraq War. His computers were later seized by police. An official inquest was started but suspended. Experts believe Kelly may have been murdered and demanded a full inquest into his death.

Britain’s state sponsored assassins?

TONY BLAIR: With bodyguards. and didn’t match the description of the driver of her car. Since the trial I have found evidence that would’ve acquitted him, and others were involved.” Labour MP Tam Dalyell announced in December 20, 1984 that British Intelligence had been involved in the killing. Anti-nuclear activist Scottish

lawyer William MacRae, was found on April 6, 1985 in his car, dying from a gunshot wound received 10 hours prior. A Smith & Wesson .45 calibre revolver was found around 18 metres from where the vehicle had been left. It had been fired twice. Medical reports and post-mortem data relating to the case haven't

been released and there has been no fatal accident inquiry. A Scottish Sunday Express frontpage article alleged he’d uncovered evidence of a paedophile ring in Westminster during the 1980’s, and he may have been murdered to prevent him going public. Airey Neave, MP died on March 30, 1979 when a magnetic car bomb exploded under his car as he drove out of the Palace of Westminster car park. The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA), a republican paramilitary group, dubiously claimed responsibility. Insider journalist Kevin Cahill suggested INLA did not kill Neave. It was instead an inside job carried out by MI6 agents working with the CIA. He cited Neave’s attempts to prosecute senior figures in the intelligence establishment for corruption as motivation. Ulster Unionist MP Enoch Powell claimed in a 1984 interview with The Guardian the American deep state had killed Neave.

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

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Read on if you possess a graspable extremity Photo Credit: YouTube

by Barry Duke

YOU need to be of a certain age - practically a fossil, dare I say it - to remember comedian, musician and radio star Jimmy Edwards. His most outstanding feature was one of the most prodigious moustaches on the planet. His facial equivalent of Japanese knotweed went way past his ears and would have engulfed his friend’s faces if they remained motionless for long enough. His name came up during a recent conversation I had with a UK holidaymaker, who reckoned, given a year or so, I could be sporting a moustache every bit as luxuriant as Jimmy’s. “Possibly,” I replied, “but I’d much rather have one like Salvador Dali’s. And, as you can see, I’m almost halfway there already.” The next question was “what do you use to get your ‘tache to such perfect points?” I replied that there are so many products on the market that one is spoiled for choice. It’s difficult to keep up with the number of waxes, oils, balms and gels being produced to satisfy an escalating demand. This was confirmed by Alun Withey, a British academic and a self-styled beard historian who recently said that beard care toiletries are among the fastest selling products

BEARDS OF A FEATHER: Barry Duke with a Benidorm Pride reveller. in the UK and the US. And the trend, I have noticed, is fast gaining ground in Spain. Withey reckons this is part of a historical cycle, but the current incarnation is different from its predecessors. “In the 18th century they disappeared and around 1850 they were back with a vengeance,” Withey said. Victorian-era beards lasted five decades, and the current beard wave has been the longest for at least 30 years, he added. Many of the products on offer don’t come cheap. For example, there’s a fella who trades on eBay who is currently selling one ounce of Layrite Super Hold for £99.99, plus £8.00 postage. I think he might be having a laugh because I use this gunk, and, via other

eBayers, have never paid more than £16.00 (postage included) - and that’s for four-ounce tubs. But does one really need expensive waxes and gels to sculpt the perfect handlebar moustache? Certainly not. Members of the Handlebar Club, launched in London by Jimmy Edwards in April 1947 - two months after my birth - offer a variety of suggestions. One tells of a man who used - titter ye not! peanut butter! Another writes “I am a Canadian handlebar moustache sporter. Have not found moustache wax, but have been using toilet bowl seal wax. This wax has no odour, spreads colourless, and does not cause potty mouth. Best part about toilet bowl wax is the price, less than a Canadian looney [dollar]

JIMMY EDWARDS: Founder of the Handlebar Club.

and you get about half a pound.” Someone from Pennsylvania suggested bog standard soap, but a Brit responded: “The trouble with it, in England at least, is that it is completely useless if you have to go out in the rain. One of our members used just soap when he ran out of wax but when the rain came down it foamed up and made him look as though he was rabid!” When I discovered the existence of the Handlebar Club - cheekily created by the gay war hero Jimmy Edwards for men “with graspable extremities” - I immediately vowed to sign up as a member because the club is a charity that raises money mainly for ex-servicemen. Maybe I could even start a nest in Benidorm. (Yes, the club’s branches really are called nests.) Currently there are three: in the East Midlands, Sweden and Norway. These nests conduct their own activities whilst keeping a close contact with the main body in London. But then I discovered that ‘beards’, ‘chin strips’ and ‘soul patches’ are strictly prohibited. As I have spent years nurturing my pointy white goatee, I guess will have to make do and simply become a Friend of the Handlebar Club for an annual subscription of £10.00 (roughly the price of three jars or peanut butter or eight pounds of toilet bowl wax).

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10:50am Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 11:25am Football on 5 Goal Rush. 11:50am Make You Laugh Out Loud 12:20pm Police Interceptors 1:20pm The Illusionist 3:25pm The Man in the Iron Mask 5:45pm A Knight's Tale 8:05pm Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away! 9:00pm Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away! 9:55pm 5 News 10:00pm The Bodyguard 12:35am Whitney Houston: A Tragic Love 2:20am Whitney Houston: Her Greatest Hits 3:10am Super Casino 4:10am Greatest Ever

6:30am Moana: Special 7:00am The Great Wall: Special 7:30am Jasper Jones 9:15am Transformers: The Last Knight 11:50am Despicable Me 3 1:25pm Going in Style 3:05pm The Beguiled 4:45pm Transformers: The Last Knight 7:25pm Despicable Me 3 Dismissed from the Anti-Villain League after botching a mission, Gru sets off to meet his long-lost twin brother. 9:00pm Going in Style 10:45pm The Beguiled 12:30am Eat Locals 2:15am It Comes at Night 4:00am Inconceivable

10:00am EFL Goals: League One and League Two 10:30am Sunday Supplement 12:00pm One2eleven 12:15pm One2eleven 12:30pm SPFL Greatest Games 12:45pm SPFL Greatest Games 1:00pm Football Countdowns 1:30pm EFL Goals: League One and League Two 2:00pm Football 4:30pm Football 7:00pm Football's Greatest 7:30pm Football's Greatest 8:00pm Football's Greatest 8:30pm Football's Greatest 9:00pm Football's Greatest 9:30pm Football's Greatest 10:00pm Football's Greatest 10:30pm Football's Greatest 11:00pm EFL Goals: League One and League Two

4:15pm 5:15pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:40pm 12:15am

SATURDAY 11:00am Saturday Kitchen Live 12:30pm Classic Mary Berry 1:00pm Football Focus 1:30pm BBC News 1:40pm Weather 1:45pm Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists 3:05pm Gymnastics 4:50pm The Boat Race 7:15pm Doodlebugs 7:30pm BBC News 7:40pm Regional News 7:43pm Weather 7:45pm Pointless 8:40pm Who Dares Wins 9:20pm Casualty 10:10pm Troy: Fall of a City 11:10pm BBC News 11:25pm Weather 11:30pm Guardians of the Galaxy 1:23am Weather for the Week Ahead

3:30pm 4:00pm 4:30pm 5:00pm 6:15pm 6:50pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm

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

EFL Greatest Games SPFL Greatest Games SPFL Greatest Games Football Years Football Countdowns Football's Greatest Football's Greatest Teams Scottish Cup Greatest Games Scottish Cup Greatest Games Football Years Soccer A.M. Football Countdowns Gillette Soccer Saturday Football EFL Greatest Games MLS Greatest Games Football MLS Greatest Games Football Magical Messi One2eleven

SUNDAY 12:00pm Sunday Politics 1:15pm BBC News 1:25pm Weather for the Week Ahead 1:30pm MasterChef 2:30pm MasterChef 3:30pm MasterChef 4:00pm Money for Nothing 5:00pm Escape to the Country 5:30pm Songs of Praise 6:05pm Sport Relief 2018 The Best Bits. 7:05pm BBC News 7:20pm Regional News 7:25pm Weather 7:30pm Countryfile 8:30pm Hold the Sunset 9:00pm MasterChef 9:30pm RAF at 100 with Ewan and Colin Mcgregor

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

MONDAY 10:15am Holding Back the Years 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm The Sheriffs are Coming 12:45pm Claimed and Shamed 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News 2:30pm Regional News 2:45pm Doctors 3:15pm A Place to Call Home 4:05pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm Money for Nothing 5:30pm Flog It! 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm MasterChef 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Classic Mary Berry 10:00pm The Queen 11:00pm BBC News

8:15am The Sheriffs are Coming 9:00am Hugh's Wild West 10:00am Victoria Derbyshire 12:00pm BBC Newsroom Live 12:30pm The Week in Parliament 1:00pm The Daily Politics 2:00pm Coast 2:10pm Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House 3:40pm Monty Halls' Great Irish Escape 4:40pm Blitz Cities 5:10pm Britain's Ultimate Pilots: Inside the RAF 6:15pm Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm The Repair Shop 8:00pm Top Gear 9:00pm Only Connect 9:30pm University Challenge 10:00pm Hospital 11:00pm QI 11:30pm Newsnight

7:00am Good Morning Britain 9:30am Lorraine 10:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30am This Morning 1:30pm Loose Women 2:30pm ITV Lunchtime News 3:00pm Judge Rinder 4:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Local News and Weather 7:30pm ITV Evening News 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm The Kyle Files 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Marcella 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:50pm 100 Years Younger in 21 Days 12:50am 100 Year Old Driving School

9:00am How I Met Your Mother 10:00am New Girl 11:00am 2 Broke Girls 12:00pm Brooklyn Nine-Nine 1:00pm The Goldbergs 1:30pm The Goldbergs 2:00pm The Big Bang Theory 2:30pm The Big Bang Theory 3:00pm How I Met Your Mother 4:00pm New Girl 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 Extreme Cake Makers 9:00pm The Big Bang Theory 9:30pm Young Sheldon 10:00pm Made in Chelsea 11:00pm Five Star Hotel 12:05am The Big Bang Theory

7:00am Milkshake! 10:15am The Wright Stuff 12:15pm Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away! 1:10pm 5 News 1:15pm The Gadget Show 2:10pm Access 2:15pm Home and Away 2:45pm Neighbours 3:15pm NCIS 4:15pm Kidnapped: Desperate Hours 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News 8:00pm Aviva Premiership Rugby Highlights 9:00pm Paralysed: Britain's Worst Winter 10:00pm Paddington Station 24/7 11:00pm Armed and Deadly: Police UK 12:05am The X Files 1:05am The X Files

6:00am

7:30am 8:15am 9:00am

7:00am Good Morning Britain 9:30am Lorraine 10:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30am This Morning 1:30pm Loose Women 2:30pm ITV Lunchtime News 3:00pm Judge Rinder 4:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Local News and Weather 7:30pm ITV Evening News 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm International Football: England v Italy Live 11:15pm ITV News 12:05am International Football Highlights: England v Italy

12:00pm 1:00pm 1:30pm 2:00pm 2:30pm 3:00pm

10:15am The Wright Stuff 12:15pm Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away! 1:10pm 5 News 1:15pm GPs: Behind Closed Doors 2:10pm Access 2:15pm Home and Away 2:45pm Neighbours 3:15pm NCIS 4:15pm Marriage of Lies 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News 8:00pm Elizabeth: Our Queen 9:00pm Secrets of the National Trust with Alan Titchmarsh 10:00pm Britain's Wild Rivers 11:00pm Mr. & Mrs. Smith 1:15am A Walk Among the Tombstones 3:05am Super Casino

6:15am Top Ten Show, the 2018 6:30am The Great Wall: Special 7:00am Monster Family: Special 7:30am Gadget Gang in Outer Space 9:00am Going in Style 10:40am Despicable Me 3 12:20pm Whiskey Galore 2:10pm The Beguiled 3:55pm Gadget Gang in Outer Space 5:30pm Despicable Me 3 7:10pm Whiskey Galore 9:00pm Going in Style 10:45pm The Beguiled 12:30am Eat Locals 2:20am The Land 4:20am My Feral Heart

6:30am 7:00am 8:40am 10:30am 12:10pm 1:55pm 3:45pm 5:35pm 7:15pm 9:00pm 10:45pm

12:30am 2:30am 4:20am

Monster Family: Special Black Panther: Special My Feral Heart Jasper Jones Gadget Gang in Outer Space Despicable Me 3 Going in Style The Beguiled Gadget Gang in Outer Space Despicable Me 3 Going in Style The Beguiled The arrival of a wounded Civil War soldier brings jealousy and betrayal to a Southern girls' school. Starry remake. The Land Eat Locals Jasper Jones

10:00am Scottish Cup Greatest Games 10:30am La Liga Greatest Games 11:00am La Liga Files 12:30pm La Liga Files 2:00pm Magical Messi 3:00pm The Best La Liga Goals 2016/17 4:00pm 20 Years of El Clasico 4:45pm Ronaldo 5:15pm La Liga Greatest Games 5:45pm La Liga Greatest Games 6:00pm Football Years 6:30pm Football Countdowns 7:00pm EFL Rivalries 7:30pm EFL Rivalries 8:00pm Soccer A.M. 8:30pm La Liga Greatest Games 8:40pm Football 10:45pm La Liga Icons 11:00pm MLS Round Up Show

TUESDAY 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm The Sheriffs are Coming 12:45pm Claimed and Shamed 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News 2:30pm Regional News 2:45pm Doctors 3:15pm A Place to Call Home 4:00pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm Money for Nothing 5:30pm Flog It! 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm Holby City 10:00pm Come Home

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

Money for Nothing Bargain Hunt Celebrity Antiques Road Trip Victoria Derbyshire BBC Newsroom Live The Daily Politics The Super League Show Gunga Din Blitz Cities Britain's Ultimate Pilots: Inside the RAF Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is Eggheads The Repair Shop Mountain Great Indian Railway Journeys Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby Mum

Brooklyn Nine-Nine The Goldbergs The Goldbergs The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory How I Met Your Mother 3:30pm How I Met Your Mother 4:00pm New Girl 4:30pm New Girl 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 Extreme Cake Makers 9:00pm The Big Bang Theory 9:30pm The Big Bang Theory 10:00pm Tattoo Fixers 11:00pm Five Star Hotel

1:00pm MLS Round Up Show 1:30pm Soccer A.M. - The Best Bits 2:00pm La Liga Icons 2:30pm La Liga Icons: Zidane 2:45pm La Liga Icons 3:00pm MLS Round Up Show 3:30pm Soccer A.M. - The Best Bits 4:00pm Football's Greatest 4:30pm Football's Greatest Teams 5:00pm 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 Soccer A.M. - The Best Bits 7:30pm MLS Round Up Show 8:00pm Ronaldo

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

23rd - 29th March

33

WEDNESDAY 4:05pm 4:45pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 9:01pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 11:40pm

Escape to the Country Money for Nothing Flog It! Pointless BBC News Regional News The One Show BBC News and Regional News DIY SOS the Big Build MasterChef BBC News Regional News Weather

3:40pm

Monty Halls' Great Irish Escape 4:40pm Blitz Cities 5:15pm Britain's Ultimate Pilots: Inside the RAF 6:15pm Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm The Repair Shop 8:00pm Mountain 9:00pm The Secret Helpers 10:00pm The Assassination of Gianni Versace 10:55pm Live at the Apollo 11:30pm Newsnight

Dickinson's Real Deal 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Local News and Weather 7:30pm ITV Evening News 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Britain's Brightest Family 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm The Real Full Monty 11:30pm ITV News 12:20am easyJet: Inside the Cockpit 1:15am Britain's Busiest Airport - Heathrow

3:30pm

How I Met Your Mother 4:00pm New Girl 4:30pm New Girl 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 Extreme Cake Makers 9:00pm The Goldbergs 9:30pm The Big Bang Theory 10:00pm Don't Tell the Bride 11:00pm Five Star Hotel

4:15pm

My Daughter Must Live 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News 8:00pm King Tut's Treasure Secrets 9:00pm GPs: Behind Closed Doors 10:00pm Minute by Minute 11:00pm Social Housing, Social Cleansing 12:05am Under Siege 2:05am Super Casino 4:10am Secrets of the National Trust with Alan Titchmarsh

6:00am

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

5:30pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm

6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm

7:00am 8:40am 10:30am 12:10pm 1:55pm 3:45pm

4:00pm

6:30am 7:00am 8:40am 10:25am 11:55am 1:40pm 3:15pm 5:00pm 6:30pm 8:15pm 10:00pm 11:40pm 1:40am

Monster Family: Special Moana: Special Gadget Gang in Outer Space Whiskey Galore My Feral Heart The Beguiled Despicable Me 3 Going in Style Gadget Gang in Outer Space Whiskey Galore Despicable Me 3 Going in Style An The Beguiled

5:00pm

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 La Liga World 7:30pm MLS Round Up Show 8:00pm EFL Rivalries 8:30pm EFL Rivalries 9:00pm Championship Season Review 11:00pm Championship Season Review

The Beguiled Whisky Galore! Despicable Me 3 Going in Style Chokeslam Gadget Gang in Outer Space Whisky Galore! Despicable Me 3 Going in Style Chokeslam The Beguiled Pawno Monster Family: Special An

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 EFL Rivalries 8:30pm Football 11:00pm The Debate - Live 12:00am La Liga Show 12:30am La Liga Icons 12:45am La Liga Icons

THURSDAY 4:45pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm News 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 10:30pm 11:00pm 11:30pm

Money for Nothing Flog It! Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London

The One Show EastEnders MasterChef Not Going Out Still Game BBC News at Ten BBC London News 11:45pm Unsolved

4:40pm 5:10pm 6:10pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 12:15am 1:15am

Blitz Cities Britain's Ultimate Pilots: Inside the RAF Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is Eggheads The Repair Shop Mountain Big Cats Civilisations Match of the Day Newsnight Top Gear MasterChef

The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Tonight Emmerdale Coronation Street The Real Full Monty ITV News at Ten and Weather 12:00am ITV News London 12:15am Kingpin 2:15am Jackpot247 4:00am Tonight 4:25am ITV Nightscreen

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

Brooklyn Nine-Nine The Goldbergs The Goldbergs The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Hollyoaks Extreme Cake Makers The Big Bang Theory Young Sheldon Brooklyn Nine-Nine Derry Girls Five Star Hotel The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory First Dates

5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight The Yorkshire Vet Casebook 9:00pm Goodbye BargainLoving Brits in the Sun 10:00pm Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away! 11:00pm Do the Right Thing with Eamonn and Ruth 12:05am Undercover Benefits Cheat

5:25pm 7:15pm 9:00pm 10:45pm 12:45am 2:35am 4:20am 4:50am

this week weather FRI

SAT

SUN

MON

TUE

WED

THU

March 23 March 24 March 25 March 26 March 27 March 28 March 29

15º/6ºC 14º/10ºC 16º/4ºC 17º/3ºC 17º/4ºC 16º/3ºC 19º/8ºC Cloudy and a little rain

Some rain

Clouds and sun

Partly sunny

Cloudy and a little rain

Brilliant sunshine

Partly sunny

34

23rd - 29th March

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

Play on Words

Answers: Around The World In Eighty Days. Buckle down.

Mars intensifies all actions after the midweek squaring on the Sun. You can see clearly now because you are highly psychic inner energies are activated, and it is clear that, right now, you have some work to do. Seize this moment in time and nudge yourself into touch, since nobody else could do things the way that you will now.

Word Wheel The goal of a word wheel puzzle is to create as many words possible with the letters in the word wheel. You can only use each letter once and every word must have the letter in the centre of the wheel. Can you find the 9 letter word?

In hindsight you would never have got involved but since you are implicated the only way to deal with current matters is to walk away, with your head held high. Venus, your trusty leader, brushes by Jupiter and conjuncts with Dwarf Planet Kora. Clearly you have been hurt by all this but the test is that, regardless, you carry on. You are stubbornly clinging onto a belief that all will be well because it has to be, but actions this week see you having to go against the grain; and you won’t like that! Putting up with second best is just a compromise too far from what you deserve right now. Be unafraid to say what you have to, because what comes now is vital. Someone has hurt you by abusing your trust and guidance. This is not one of those times when you can crawl into your shell, however good that feels, but neither do you want or need revenge. Mars intensifies your needs in a showdown with Ceres, who calls time on the past and bids that you pick yourself up, and dust yourself down! Pride comes before a fall, so ensure that in a current plan that you have a built in escape route to activate, should you need it! The Sun squares up to Saturn, who may very well slow things down all around you, so that you can speed up and face what you have to at a going pace. Take the route that offers you the very best forward challenge. Working towards an imminent conjunction with Mercury and the Sun, this week you get that feeling that something just isn’t right. As plans are scuppered and appointments cancelled it seems as if you are being very sorely tested. Allow that fate takes control, as you are about to meet someone who could become very special to you! The spurt of energy you currently experience is there to guide you and motivate you into pastures new. You appear to be on stepping stones, but determined to get to the other side any which way. Saturn in square with the Sun plays devil’s advocate with you, and this may be the impetus that you need to see things from another angle. Mars activates with Ceres and brings you back to a whiff of a nostalgic look of the past. Motivation is all you need right now, and this week someone needs your help, and gets it too. Never forget that you have significant skills and an informed way of seeing things, but this is not a time to hide your inventive light under a bushel. Calling out to you, loud and clear, is an ebullient Jupiter in action with Venus. Love comes and this time cannot just be shrugged away! You have to face facts and activate your innermost emotions, since you avoid looking within at matters of love; despite having such an open and caring heart, and a loving old soul to share. Just say yes! This is an offer that surely you cannot turn down, and it will bring you much happiness and joy to boot. Venus squares on Pluto, and it brings surprise and new beginnings, and not before time either! The future can now look very different, and meaningful change will allow you to make the appropriate plans. It is the quality of the work that you do that makes you stand out, and this week ring the changes and push the boat out. Everything is about to come together, and the injustices and traumas you have suffered, a thing of the past. You are waiting for news and your opposing sign of Leo sees Saturn entering to bring resolve and solution. Look to your opposing sign of Virgo this week, since balance comes from the qualities that the opposing sign lacks. Your creativity is your badge of honour, and you should be wearing yours, since your skills are needed desperately this week; and you need to be appreciated to set things in motion the way they should be.

Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 2 represents C and 8 represents F, so fill in C every time the figure 2 appears and F every time the figure 8 appears. Now, using your knowledge of the English language, work out which letters should go in the missing squares. As you discover the letters, fill in other squares with the same number in the main grid and the control grid.

Kenny’s Postbag Kenny, my Auntie Rose used to read the teacups. We used to laugh at the time, but she was always working. Does anybody do this type of reading these days? Bill H. Yes, Bill. The very talented Medium Helen Grady works wonders with the tea leaves. I am sending you her contact numbers! I used to read the coffee cups, mainly because I had so many Lebanese clients when I lived in London. Any invitation to dinner was so that they could end up with strong Turkish style coffee and a reading from me!

Kenny Corris Don't forget to email or message me with your Postbag Questions!. Check out my new website: www.kennycorris.net

For Birthday Celebrants Unperturbed by recent actions, you have already started this Astrological year with a strong determination. Accurate timing and deft actions will be the portent for new hopes wishes and desires; as this is the wish of the Cosmos right now.

The 9 letter word is:

Kakuro Fill all the empty squares using the numbers 1 to 9, so that the sum of each horizontal block equals the ‘clue’ on its left, and the sum of each vertical block equals the clue on its top. No number may be used in the same block more than once.

23rd - 29th March

35

More Puzzles Cryptic

Across 1 Father’s wise migration (7) 5 He sings a number at start of opera, right? (5) 8 Muskogee seafood recipe contains some birds (5) 9 Carelessly ran past ancient Greek (7) 10 Vehicle parked in juggernaut outside (4) 11 Demote soldiers in front of emissary (8) 13 Sweltering or surrounded by fresh dirt (6) 15 Static photographs of alcohol producers (6) 18 Gripped exotic-bred boas (8) 19 The story begins ‘You are relatively new’ (4) 22 Stir leg around, but you can’t eat it (7) 23 Group showing concern about diamonds (5) 24 ‘Arduous journeys take real energy’ King said, initially (5) 25 Set of steps for 50 snakes (7)

English - Spanish

Futoshiki

Down 1 Show part of a book to a worker (7) 2 Laid out, exhausted (5) 3 Lincoln seen by daughter possibly sleeping (4) 4 Christian celebration confused Teresa (6) 5 Endeavour to cover a waistcoat, it’s a sham (8) 6 Score goal in game (7) 7 Choice of kitchen appliance (5) 12 Same grit, different moves (8) 14 Priest turns to the Orient for a break (7) 16 Dicky sent son some poems (7) 17 Cancel Royal Engineer’s ding-dong (6) 18 Dame Margot Fonteyn demonstrates slang (5) 20 Join the French, become confused! (5) 21 Drug discovered by a police department (4)

Fill in the squares so that each digit from 1 to 6 occurs exactly once in each row and column. Greater-than and less-than signs indicate the relationship of the two adjacent squares. There is only one solution, and you can find it without guessing.

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

Across 1 Jarabe (líquido) (5) 4 To cough (5) 7 Handball (game) (9) 8 Cocodrilo (9) 12 Con regularidad (9)

14 Behind (at the back) (5) 15 Estudio (5)

5 Pequeño (5) 6 Rivers (4) 9 To water (plants) (5) Down 10 Crane (machine) (4) 1 Nadar (4) 2 Costilla (3) 11 Rezar (4) 3 Films (movies) (9) 13 Usted (3) 4 Forks (cutlery) (9)

Quick

Across 1 Residential districts located on the outskirts of a city (7) 5 Arousing or provoking laughter (5) 8 Standing or situated alone (7) 9 Once more (5) 10 Not in accordance with the fact, reality or actuality (5) 11 Put or add together (7) 12 Annoy persistently (6) 14 Chuckles (6) 17 Farm vehicle (7) 19 Commence (5) 22 Additional (5) 23 Envious (7) 24 Revolves (5) 25 Convent (7) Down 1 Not moving or operating freely (5) 2 Aromatic spice (5) 3 Alleviate (7) 4 Exact (6) 5 Maintain (5) 6 Indicating pain, discomfort or displeasure (7) 7 Own up (7) 12 Person who requires medical care (7) 13 Disperse (7) 15 Restrain oneself from doing or enjoying something (7) 16 Native of ancient Troy (6) 18 Snares (5) 20 At a higher position than (5) 21 Savoury, appetising (5)

Sudoku

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

36

23rd - 29th March

by Colin Bird

I CANNOT help admiring athletes who through sacrifice and self-denial propel themselves to the top of their chosen sport. I’m not talking about professional footballers of course, who do little to justify their astronomical salaries; sulk like petulant children when an opponent as much as flicks a bogey at them, and often have little between their ears other than muscle and bone. No I’m talking about the genuine athletes who use the natural abilities they have been blessed with and hone them to perfection in order to become the best in their field. I also envy them greatly, because not having been born with any semblance of athletic prowess (my nickname at school was ‘galloping hairpin’) I never experienced the excitement of competing in any sporting event, and no matter what any of my football or rugby orientated ex-school chums think now; individuals like me were often sidelined and even picked on by certain teachers because of our failings.

Fly the Olympic flag Photo Credit: Captain Roger Fenton flickr

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

ALTERNATIVE SPORT: If only ‘Fly’ was an Olympic event.

I exaggerate slightly, because having been press-ganged into the interhouse cross country race one year, I came sixth. But that was the zenith of my sporting achievements, apart from wielding the winning conker in the 1957 playground championships.

In one instance, our rugby master, a We l s h b u l l y w h o w o u l d h a v e b e e n more suited working as a border guard in North Korea, gave me a hefty kick in my nether regions because I wasn’t positioned correctly in the scrum.

It hurt and these days he would have found himself in serious trouble and at the very least, looking for another job. But it was just another incident in the life of the galloping hairpin. However there was one schoolboy game that, for reasons I still cannot fathom, I found I was very good at. It was called ‘Fly’. ‘Fly’ was a sort of leapfrog with A levels. The ‘stool’, as the kid who had been nominated as bender was called, positioned himself accordingly and the combatants took turns to make the leap, and where each landed, the stool would reposition further away making the next jump more difficult. The winner was the lad who made the final successful jump without crashing into the stool, and marking a new position that made it impossible or undesirable for the other competitors to attempt. Built like a pencil and not caring about a bit of blood, the winner was usually me, and bearing in mind that the game was played either on a playground’s asphalt surface or the street, there were many bruises and scrapes. My only regret was that ‘Fly’ never became an Olympic event.

RTN Life

Chicago comes to San Fulgencio STUDIO32 are preparing to thrill audiences with their latest musical theatre venture. Their summer show is the Broadway spectacular Chicago, the stage version of the film starring Richard Gere, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renee Zelwegger. Based on real life events the show revolves around a group of merry murderesses, most notably Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart. Both women have been convicted of killing their husbands and are on death row, but help is at hand in the form of a famous publicity-seeking lawyer - Billy Flynn. The show features some impressive dance routines and wonderful songs, including All That Jazz and Billy’s big number Razzle Dazzle. The role of Billy Flynn is being played by experienced actor Bill Nicholson who has been with STUDIO32 for some time, and has played many lead roles over the years both here and in the UK. Many people will remember him for his excellent portrayal of Tevye in the company’s production of Fiddler on the Roof two years ago, as well as Mack Sennett in Mack and Mabel.

BILL NICHOLSON: Will play Billy Flynn. As with the film version the stage show does contain content of an adult nature, and the company advises that it is not recommended for children under the age of 12. Show dates are Wednesday May 30 to Saturday June 2 at the Cardenal Belluga Theatre in San Fulgencio and all performances start at 7.30pm with doors open 7pm. Reserved seating tickets are now on sale, priced at €10 and can be obtained by calling 744 484 933, by emailing tick ets@studiothirtytwo.org, or from the following outlets, Cards & More, La Marina on 966 790 954 and The Card Place, Benijofar 966 713 266.

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23rd - 29th March

health

Textitis is a growing concern ‘TEXTITIS’ is a growing concern amongst a generation of phone and iPad users. Doctors say swollen and aching fingers are being caused by texting and excessive use of electronic devices and is leading to cases of arthritis in younger people. Arthritis, inflammation and joint stiffness usually affects only older people. While there are several causes for osteoarthritis, the degenerative form of the condition is often caused by general wear and tear. Rheumatology experts say gaming and texting can cause two problems in hands. There is the immediate problem of the overuse of tendons from the thumb to the forearm. Then there is the overuse of the carpo-metacarpal joint at the base of the thumb which can lead to a clicking or cracking sensation due to ligament strain and can lead to osteoarthritis in later years.

Sweeter cure

CONSTANT TEXTING: Can cause swollen, aching fingers.

Several other ailments are already being linked to new technology such as texter’s neck (pain in the neck caused by looking THERE are a range of natural oils that might be worth trying if you are looking to avoid chemical products. • Marula comes from the tree of the same name and is said to be good for dry skin as it is high in fatty acids. • Tea tree is better known and many find it helps with soothing skin inflammations such as acne. • Chamomile oil when used on skin can cut down on redness and irritation and is even said to reduce chances of infections. • Coconut is good for conditions like eczema which are characterised by rough skin. • Rosehip oil is high in vitamin A. This retinoid product is said to help re-

down at the screen for too long) and selfie elbow (caused by continually stretching your arm out to take a photo).

CRANBERRIES could form the basis of new antibiotics. Scientists say they have discovered that the flavonol compound in their juice could help block bacterial infections, and during tests were found to greatly reduce the ability of E. coli bacteria to trigger an infection. The team from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (USA) said that with the emergence of new super bugs that are resistant to current antibiotics, it is hoped this finding could form the basis for new antibiotic drugs.

The advantages of pure natural oils place old skin cells and reduce the effects of scarring and stretch marks. • Rosemary oil is supposed to thicken your hair, as is castor oil. • Most larders have olive oil which is supposed to harden brittle nails. Apply last thing at night to allow them to soak. • Another oil in many kitchens is sesame seed which

many say is good for teeth and gums, just slosh round like a mouthwash.

PURE ALTERNATIVES: That can help avoid the use of chemical products.

23rd - 29th March

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health

Not as much needed S H O RT a n d s t r e n u o u s b u r s t s o r l o n g e r m o r e moderate exercise? Experts vary in their advice on how you should exercise to reap the most benefits in order to lose weight, but a new study has compared the effects of varying amounts of vigorous and moderate exercise.

The results found the ‘lowest effective dose,’ the smallest amount of exercise to make a difference to health, was the equivalent of 105 minutes a week, which is below NHS guidelines in the UK of 150 minutes of moderate activity per week. The scientists said a previous Harvard University study suggested people should undergo 75 minutes of vigorous exercise a week, but another 15-year study found it made no difference. Their study showed short bouts of sweat-inducing activity amounting to just 35 minutes a week were found to reduce the risk of dying from heart disease. They said that whilst exercise was important and key to better health, people maybe did not need to do as much as they think to see benefits.

BE ACTIVE: An important aspect of staying healthy.

A better night’s sleep THERE is nothing worse than lying in bed, feeling exhausted, but unable to sleep, tossing and turning for hours. Removing electronic devices from the bedroom and avoiding caffeine late at night are all popular recommendations to assist in a peaceful night’s sleep, but there are other things you can do: Get a routine: Try and manage your day so that you get into the routine of finishing everything within 16 hours so you can have the all-important eight hours sleep. The body clock thrives on regular habits so try to keep to the same bedtime. Limit stress: It can be easier said than done but try leaving your work or any big issues outside of the bedroom. Deal with the day’s problems in the daytime so you can forget them before you go to sleep.

Healthy lifestyle: Exercise and a healthy work-life balance is key to a restful night’s sleep but try and avoid exercise too close to bedtime as it can be stimulating. Don’t eat late: The Spanish are famous for late-night meals and eating late is preferable during the long hot summer months, but be careful what you eat. Big heavy meals do not aid the sleep pattern and can cause indigestion too close to bedtime. Bedroom: Reserve the bedroom for sleeping and marital affairs and avoid watching TV or using electronic devices. This will help programme the brain into knowing the bed is for sleep. Keep the room cool and dark for comfort and a better night’s sleep.

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23rd - 29th March

home & garden

Eggplants THE vegetable garden can be an interesting adventure, as well as productive, by diversifying the assortment of vegetables that you grow. There are more and more varieties of vegetables becoming available and greater variations of the types we all know. Eggplant or, as it can also be known in English, aubergine, is an attractive exotic vegetable originating from the northern regions of India. It is now adopted and grown in warmer climates around the world. In Spain it is called berenjena. It is well accepted in the Spanish and other cooking styles as it can be prepared in a variety of appetising ways due to its distinct but mild flavour, allowing garnishing to adapt it to your favourite tastes. Normally shaped somewhat like an egg with a smooth, purplish skin and whitish centre, there have evolved many different forms and colour varieties including golf ball sized shapes, elongated, oblong, speckled, yellow, white, green, lavender shades and almost black. There is enough variety to make any garden harvest basket fill with colour and form and for the cook to have plenty of opportunities to dress up the meal. The hearty purplish blue star shaped flower of an eggplant is an interesting feature of the plant. Eggplants thrive in the

Mediterranean climate in well composted soil in summer, but will also overwinter to produce the next year ’s crop in protected warmer winter zones. To get different varieties it may take some searching on the internet for seeds but it is worth the effort if you have the time. If growing from seed, plant them in a seedling tray in a warm place two months before the planting time in late spring. Once the soil has warmed up rather than just a few sunny days, space them around 5060cm apart in the garden, with a stake to support the not so sturdy plant, as IF you want an attractive ornamental tree that also provides fruit, you may consider growing a loquat tree. Loquats are a handsome tree with well-structured branching, easily maintained with minimal pruning. The large thick leathery feather shaped glossy leaves are attractive all year round. They flower in autumn under the right conditions and the fruit forms over winter. There are several different varieties to grow for the fresh loquat fruit that ripens in spring. Spring is a time when few other fresh fruits are available off the tree. Different varieties ripen a little earlier and later allowing the harvest season to be extended. They are hardy when established, needing minimal watering in summer and

when the fruits fully form the weight is disproportional to the strength of the plant in many cases. They can be slow starters and they need the long summer with plenty of sun to fully mature. Mulch around the plants to keep soil temperature lower near the roots in summer using compost and/or straw, seaweed or other suitable mulches. Harvesting the ripe fruit is an art form. Use a cutting tool to remove the ripe fruit from the plant, as the plant can be damaged by pulling them off. They can be more bitter when underripe or overripe so check they

AUBERGINES: A versatile and tasty fruiting plant.

are firm and fully formed without soft spots to get them at their best. It takes practice to identify them at the right stage of ripeness. Ideally the seeds in the fruit

should be formed and visible but not enlarged, but you can only tell this after harvesting. Once cut the fruit needs to be used quickly as they discolour rapidly.

The fruits can keep for several days but if you have a garden it is best if you can harvest them and use them straight away to retain their freshness.

Loquat, an attractive tree with fruit

provide a heavenly scent throughout the garden in autumn.

They are not usually a large tree, tending to be three to five metres high at

TASTY SPRING TREAT: A fruiting loquat tree.

maturity with an equal spread, but they can grow to 10 metres in good soil

conditions. They grow well in natural soils with some compost added and mixed into the surface soil at planting time. In colder climates the tree is grown as an ornamental species. It will not flower without hot summers and the fruit fails if the frost bites them but the tree is hardy. In the warmer Mediterranean climate they will flower and produce delicious fruit. The small white flowers are heavily perfumed. They flower prolifically in autumn, displayed in bunches in a grape-like fashion. This gave rise to their botanical name Eriobotrya which refers in Greek to the woolly grape cluster appearance on the flower panicles forming in groups. Trees are readily available in Spain and are known as nisperos. They are a well accepted exotic fruit popular in the Mediterranean region.

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MR. FIXIT. For all your electrical, plumbing, general & appliance & boiler repairs. No call out charge. 698 320 434. (260205)

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REMOVALS/STORAGE

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23rd - 29th March

REMOVALS & STORAGE

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23rd - 29th March PETS

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Cryptic

Codebreaker ana and ane ant ate ava ave dag dan eat eta gad gae

gan gat nae nag tad tae tag tan tav tea vag van vat

aged anga anta ante dane dang data date dean deva egad etna gaed

Quick

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Kakuro

Word Ladder HOME TOME TORE PORE PORK PARK or

Sudoku

English-Spanish

Futoshiki

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23rd - 29th March

motoring

Flying car concept unveiled CREDIT: AeroMobil

A SLOVAKIAN company has announced a concept flying car capable of taking off directly from the road. The AeroMobil 5.0 VTOL, developed by the company of the same name, is a four-door vehicle that is able to take off and land vertically, like a helicopter. The firm said it would be equipped for all weather conditions and have a range of 700 kilometres for a single journey. The vertical take off and landing feature (VTOL) means drivers of the car would be able to switch smoothly beLIFT-OFF: AeroMobil’s 5.0 VTOL concept is capable of taking off and tween flight and driving mode, AeroMolanding directly from the road. bil added. CEO and co-founder of “Our strategy solves the limitations of alternative VTOL AeroMobil, Juraj Vaculik, said the 5.0 model, along with the concepts which are tied to dedicated landing pods rather 4.0 short take off and landing version, would offer urban than using the existing road infrastructure,” he said. and inner city travel. The 5.0 VTOL concept is powered by two electric-driven rotary blades to ensure safe vertical take off, according to AeroMobil. A rear mounted propeller provides the horizontal thrust for when the car is airborne. The company added the car would be capable of seating four passengers with each having access to a personalised in-flight experience. Douglas MacAndrew, AeroMobil’s Chief Technical Officer (CTO), said the company planned to deliver the vehicles for a wide range of needs, including flying taxi operators. “We see flying cars as versatile vehicles that both fly and drive, which is what we will be able to offer with the concept,” he said.

BMW M5 is a sight for sore eyes THE new BMW M5 is the result of 30 years of evolution to become the most powerful and technologically advanced model yet. Previously existing sedately as a company car, this pumped up 5 Series has performance levels to frighten any Aston Martin. The 4.4 litre twin-turbo V8 reaches a full 592 bhp and clocks 0-62 mph in 3.4 seconds and a limited 155 mph top speed. This sixth generation M5 is priced at €103,000 for base models, but a varied extras list can take the final cost to €115,000. The M5 is good-looking, practical, comfortable, has four-wheel drive and is full to the brim with tech gadgets. Head-up display, 10-inch touchscreen and gesture control all come as standard, along with safety systems like park assistance and lane departure. An xDrive system produces a primeval roar from the quad exhaust pipes, and the eight-speed auto gearbox is slick and smooth. The M5 is ultimately a very impressive saloon and has been awarded a five-star rating by Euro NCAP.

23rd - 29th March

45

motoring SATISFIED: SEAT President Luca de Meo (centre) said the company can be “happy with the 2017 results.”

SPANISH car giants SEAT have announced plans to launch a brand new car every six months until 2020. SEAT president, Luca de Meo, made the announcement at the company’s annual results presentation in Madrid while also telling media how the company had had it’s best year on record in 2017. The first two vehicles to be released as part of the plan will be this year’s SEAT Tarraco and the CUPRA Ateca, both set to go on sale before the end of 2018, while next year the new generation SEAT Leon will be available in dealerships with two variants, the five-door model and the ST family sized version. In 2020 we will see SEAT’s first fully electric vehicle, built on the Volkswagen Group’s MEB platform and featuring a range of 500 kilometres and, for the first

Big plans! SEAT aiming to release a new car ‘ every six months’ time, the addition of a CUV (Crossover Utility Vehicle) in the SEAT model line-up. De Meo said: “We can be happy with the 2017 results, but we shouldn’t be satisfied. “Together, we’ve closed a period of consolidation and now it’s time to look to the future with the ambition to grow.” After achieving its best results in history

in 2016, SEAT’S profit after tax in 2017 reportedly grew to €281 million, which is 21.3 per cent more than the previous year’s €232 million. In addition, SEAT’s turnover reached a record figure of €9.552 billion last year, an 11.1 per cent increase on the previous year. This amount was driven by the com-

pany’s sales momentum, posting the highest volume since 2001 with 468,400 vehicle deliveries, making SEAT one of the fastest growing brands in Europe. SEAT Vice-President for Finance, IT and Organisation, Holger Kintscher, said: “In 2017 we improved all our main financial indicators. SEAT continues to invest in its future and this is generating excellent results. “We completed the largest investment in 25 years, and thanks to this effort in renewing and extending our product range, we have established all-time records for net sales, profit after tax before extraordinary effects and operating cash flow. “SEAT’s strategy is working and we have reached our goal of profitability. We are a sustainable company and are ready to face future challenges and finance our growth plans.”

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23rd - 29th March

motoring THE Porsche 911 GT3 has been around since 1999, continuing Stuttgart’s habit of unleashing high performance iterations of its iconic sports cars. Back after a three-year hiatus, the new model offers considerably more power and perks than its predecessor. Blasting from 0-60 in only 3.2 seconds and with a top speed of 194 mph, the stylish GT3 has a running-gear setup that features recalibrated rear axle steering designed for maximum dynamics and precision. Aerodynamics have influenced the design of the wide, weight-optimised body with its classic rigid rear wing. The racing styling continues into the interior with full bucket seats made of carbon to provide lateral support in response to high-level driving dynamics. Lightweight door panels with storage nets, opening loops, reduced sound absorption and the new lightweight rear lid further emphasise the consistency of the materials used. A four-litre, six cylinder naturally aspirated engine pushes this sports car to new limits, delivering 20hp more than the engine in the previous model. Featuring technology straight from the motorsport industry, the chassis offers an exceptionally smooth driving experience, while ball joints on all arms provide even greater precision than elastokinematic bearings. The 20-inch lightweight wheels on the

New and improved Porsche 911 GT3 to storm the market front axle enhance agility and steering and 21-inch wheels with 325/30 tyres at the rear axle improve traction. The Clubsport package is available at no extra cost and includes a roll-over bar, manual fire extinguisher and a battery disconnect switch. This new 911 GT3 RS is available to order now and will be launched from mid-April 2018.

GREEN MACHINE: The Porsche 911 GT3 series is back with a bang.