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6th - 12th July

SIX women have been rescued from a dingy that began to sink in Alicante. The maritime service of the Alicante Local Police was alerted to the plight of six foreign women, believed to be tourists, who were in difficulties in the port area. Two Local Police boats came and found the boat sinking, and quickly rescued the women from the craft. The boat, which had been hired by the group, was towed back into port to investigate the cause of the incident.

Photo credit: Strength for Nigel Facebook

Pleasure boat turns to hell

Issue 976

Nigel’s home by Darren Parmenter B R AV E N i g e l Wa t s o n i s b a c k home in Urbanisation La Marina after spending almost two weeks in Pamplona undergoing pioneering treatment. The 10-year-old arrived back l a t e o n Tu e s d a y e v e n i n g w i t h members of his family after recovering from five hours of surgery aimed at treating his rare brain stem tumour that was discovered a few months ago. The procedure involved having a dangerous virus injected that gets to work killing the cancer cells and hopefully reducing the tumour. This is a trial course of treatment that comes from Houston, Texas and has a good success record. Nigel has now been given a new oncologist based in Madrid

and will be seeing her in two months time to evaluate the operation and the prognosis. It is expected that further treatment will be needed and thus the fundraising events and generosity of the local people will also still be required over the coming weeks and months. In the weeks leading up to his stay in hospital, Nigel spent a wonderful time in Madrid where he met all his Real Madrid heroes... a day that had been secretly arranged for him as a big surprise and managed to put the biggest of smiles on his face. If you’d like to donate to the fundraising you can go to w w w. g o f u n d m e . c o m / n i g e l s brain-stem-glioma-treatment. HERO: Nigel with Real Madrid’s Christian Ronaldo.

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6th - 12th July

Remember our four legged friends by John Smith

saved from destruction. Not only will you be helping an animal, you can be sure that you will take possession of an animal which has been checked by a professional and spayed to ensure no future unexpected members of the family. It’s not just the problem of animals being dumped.In this exceptionally hot weather, don’t forget that they don’t wear shoes and can’t turn on the tap if they want a drink. If they have long hair then maybe now is the time to give them a trim and if you have to take them out in the car make sure that there is adequate ventilation and do not leave them

Credit: ss404045 Shutterstock

WHILST so many people think of the sun and holidays during the months of July and August, there is a real and hidden problem concerning the well-being of domestic animals. Cats and dogs don’t always get remembered during the holiday season and sadly many are simply put on the streets as it may be too expensive or too much of a chore to bother about finding accommodation for them. There are of course a number of very willing and dedicated volunteers who are prepared to look after these and other strays either as foster carers for individual animals or in rescue homes. Under normal circumstances this is fairly straightforward and most laudable but the summer brings a special problem. Many of the officials responsible for catching the animals go on holiday in August which means that the number of stray animals on the streets increases and some impatient vets simply put the animals to sleep in order to clear their practices before they close down. During this month in particular, rather than buying a pedigree cat or dog, it would be so much more caring to contact one of the rescue centres to adopt one of the strays that they have

ADEQUATE VENTILATION: Don’t leave your dog to suffer in the heat.

alone in a locked car for any length of time, as you might just as well put them in the oven. It is quite surprising how many people in Spain own a dog and treat them exceptionally well, yet overlook basic rules of sense, not necessarily because they are inherently bad, but because they just don’t think things through. Nowadays most owners carry a small plastic bag around with them in order to collect the inevitable mess that a dog will make but, whilst the streets are much cleaner than they used to be, the latest problem is that not everyone disposes of their black bags sensibly but often drops them over fences into peoples gardens! The sad fact however is that there is a necessity for rescue centres in most large towns, which rely heavily upon donations and fundraising events. With a few exceptions, many councils take the view that it is impractical to provide long term care for strays but will instead arrange for them to be destroyed after perhaps two weeks of being unclaimed. Enjoy your pet but ensure that it is treated as an important member of the family, not pampered, but equally looked after and allowed to live a comfortable life.

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6th - 12th July Photo credit: Ezarate Wikimedia

HEROIC: Bathers tried to revive drowning victim.

Local Torrevieja man drowns DESPITE the heroic attempts by bathers and paramedics to revive him, a 78-year-old man from Torrevieja died on Tu e s d a y m o r n i n g o n Playa Los Locos. The man was dragged from the sea by swimmers who found him floating unconscious and

Park rescue A 10-YEAR-OLD boy needed to be rescued after falling into a deep ditch in a park in Alicante. He was playing in the green area of Parque Lo Morant when, for unknown reasons, he fell into the pit around three metres below and suffered a severe blow to the head. He was trapped for some time before being rescued by a team of Alicante firefighters and then subsequently transferred to Alicante General Hospital.

some of them tried to save him while awaiting the arrival of the medical professionals. They tried, unsuccessfully, for around 45 minutes to bring the man back to life but to no avail. According to the Spanish media, it’s understood that the man

s u ff e r e d a h e a r t a t t a c k when swimming and drowned as a result. The dead man - a Spanish national - had been living with his wife i n To r r e v i e j a f o r 1 0 years, and according to sources was known to suffer from a heart condition.

Modern ONCE kiosk unveiled ORIHUELA is now the proud location of one of the most modern of the ONCE Lottery kiosks in the entire Alicante Province. The new design makes the point of sale more accessible for ticket sellers with reduced mobility, as well as made almost totally of glass to make the tickets visible. In addition, it’s now easier to communicate with the buyers of the coupons. One of the welcome additions for the blind sellers of the ONCE tickets is having more space for their faithful guide dogs that can now comfortably lie on the ground while their masters work.

Just visiting a ‘friend’! A M A N h a s b e e n a r r e s t e d i n A l i - dren and spent most of the followcante after leaving his son and an- ing day in police cells. He appeared other child in the street as he visit- before a magistrate the following morning and released on bail. ed a brothel. In court, the man said that he’d They were discovered by Local Police huddled together in front of a left the two boys in the street bebuilding that is well-known for offer- cause “the building was a bad influi n g t h e s e r v i c e s o f p r o s t i t u t e s a t ence and not a place where chil5am and, according to the Spanish d r e n s h o u l d b e . ” H o w e v e r, m e d i a , t h e y o u n g s t e r s - a g e d 1 2 according to the testimony of the woman in charge of and 13 - had been the brothel, the man there for around two originally appeared hours. They had been led to with the two boys with the plan of acbelieve that the man companying him. was going to visit a But they were all friend. refused entry and as When the father came out of the estaba result the boys lishment, he was arLatest news and more... w e r e l e f t o u t s i d e rested for the crime of while the man rewww.rtnnewspaper.com turned inside. abandonment of chil-

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6th - 12th July

Market traders hold up move THE long-awaited relocation of La Mata’s weekly market has been delayed. This follows the protests of more than 50 traders who have stepped in to prevent the p l a n s f o r We d n e s d a y ’s relaunch. They allege that there are still a number of regulations which need to be fully discussed as well as a number of issues they have surrounding security. If the situation isn’t resolved to their satisfaction, they are threatening to go the court. The market will be moved from its location in Calles Antonio Gil, La Lecha and Emperadores to its new home between Av e n i d a s D a n e s e s a n d

Photo credit: Ayuntamiento de Torrevieja

by Mark Rogers

A walk through history

DELAY: La Mata’s Tuesday market stays put... for the moment. Suecos and Avenida de Inglaterra. In addition it’s planned to extend along Avenida de Francia.

Those affected by the change claim that they had the right to make individual representations

t o t h e To r r e v i e j a C i t y Council before the final agreement to relocate was made. H o w e v e r, t h e y a l l e g e that they were never given any advance notice about the changes and thus denied the opportunity to raise their concerns. Another point of concern is that the report into any future emergency evacuation. They state that as the new location will occupy streets in a residential area, this

could restrict the ability of emergency service vehicles to both gain access and make a quick exit should the need arise. A similar situation existed in Torrevieja itself until the Friday market relocated to its present site near to the sport centre and the Aquapark. The decision to move the market was after a number of legal issues, as well as the dangerous state of the centre section above a river that was found to be sinking.

OVER the past few months, Orihuela City Council has been organising a number of walks all with a different theme - and each one taking in a different part of the municipality. This Saturday night is a nighttime walk through Orihuela City and a chance to visit the main cultural sites and learning about their history. The walks are in both Spanish and English and further details of this free event can be obtained by contacting the tourist information office in Orihuela on 965 304 645. Tomorrow’s walk starts at the tourist office at 10pm.

Three caught after ‘robbery week’ THREE people, all Lithuanian, and aged 25, 48 and 61 were arrested in Torrevieja for allegedly stealing from 16 shops in the space of one week. The thefts took place in Orihuela, Alicante, Elche and San Vicente del Raspeig. Following the detentions, the Guardia Civil was able to recover items from two of the robberies worth €2,816. The arrest of the 48-year-old while driving a vehicle used to commit one of the robberies led the investigators to the other two being caught a couple of days later.

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6th - 12th July

The bells, the bells... are silent in La Mata Photo credit: Google Maps

THE bells are no longer ringing out over La Mata. Torrevieja City Council has formally ordered that they stop ringing from the Parroquia Nuestra Señora del Rosario Church in the town square for breaking noise levels. The bells aren’t real... they ‘ring’ out from a set of loud-speakers installed in the tower which have caused a combination of annoyance and pleasure to local people for a number of years. The pastor of the church has now been instructed to install a sound limiter before the peeling can be heard again. Local Police officers were sent to the area some weeks ago to carry out a series of sound

WARNINGS: Torrevieja Council acts to stop the bells. Some of the commeasurement tests after plaints go back as far as a number of complaints 2005, particularly from a suggesting that decibel family from Madrid who levels were being breached. Once a sound have a holiday apartment limiter is installed, the close to the town square and, according to a report bells will be allowed to ring once more... but not in the Spanish media have had no action takuntil they’ve passed the limits as set down in law. en... until now.

Ten months of investigation pays off THE Guardia Civil has arrested two people living in Puente Tocinos in connection with a series of robberies across Albacete and Murcia. The detainees are 20 and 55 years old and are believed to have robbed 13 houses, many of them dating back to last summer; they are also accused of falsifying documents. During the course of the arrests, a number of the stolen items that include jewellery, music equipment, tools, computers and other electrical applicances were recovered. Ten of the robberies were carried out in the Albacete neighbourhoods of Tobarra, Ontur and Isso, with the other three in San Javier and Aljucer. The investigation - a collaboration between a number of teams that was given the name ‘Operation Encarama’ - took 10 months to reach the point of arresting the suspects. According to reports in the

Spanish media, the couple’s modus operandi was a very simple one. They targeted a number of properties, kept watch, and then broke in as soon as the owners left,

stealing a range of effects on each occasion. In an attempt to throw police off the scent, the couple always hired a different vehicle for each of their robberies.

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6th - 12th July

Rainbow flag unwelcome OVER the past few weeks, a number of municipalities have been holding their own Gay Pride events or showing support for the LGTBI community. However, one person has shown his true colours by protesting in the most public of ways. A video has emerged showing a very indignant resident of Callosa de Segura complaining that the town hall has decided to fly the rainbow flag

Photo credit: @Levante Twitter

by Glenn Scott

INDIGNANT: Local Callosa man rants in front of the town hall.

from the building. “There are no gays in Callosa!” he shouts. “The town hall cannot put up a

Keep fit equipment LOS ALCAZARES had been the first municipality across the Murcia region to launch a public exercise area adapted for the use of disabled people. Seen in many public parks across the Costas and particularly popular with the elderly population, this ‘park gymnasium’ includes a stationary bicycle, ski machine, adapted biceps and pectorals machines, among other exercise and keepfit apparatus... all of which can be enjoyed by those with reduced mobility.

We arrange

flag for gays, for God’s sake, because there are no gays in Callosa.” The elderly man went on to exclaim: “Whoever is queer, let them come out and admit they’re queer. If everybody was as annoyed as me about this flag being displayed here, it would soon be removed.” Despite the man’s noisy reaction, the flag continues to be flown with pride from the Callosa de Segura Town Hall.

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6th - 12th July

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FIVE STAR: The Hotel Amerigo will have some luxury competition nearby.

Extra luxury for Alicante City by Glenn Scott ALICANTE City centre will soon have its second luxury five-star hotel. The existing building, adjacent to the town hall and located on Calle Altamira, is now owned by NH Hotel in Mexico City and has already begun some internal demoli-

tion works in preparation for the 50 room establishment. The only other five-star hotel in Alicante is the Amerigo ... just a few metres away. The building has until now been home to residents, with a furniture shop in the basement that was one of the oldest shops in the city. It has its tragic history too

as, back in 1943, the building was one of the most affected by an explosion at the El Gato armoury that left 17 dead and 62 buildings demolished and rebuilt. According to a report in the Spanish media, work on the sanitation and drainage systems have already commenced and are in advance of the formal work permits to

complete the project. Alicante City has enjoyed a spectacular growth in its hotel trade in recent years and currently has 28 hotels open ... which doesn’t include official and regulated apartment buildings. The city offers around 6,500 rooms, with an average 70 per cent annual occupancy rate.

Concern at lack of child medics BETWEEN July 15 and September 15, health centres across Alicante will be closed in the afternoons after 3pm. The consequence is that anyone needing attention after that time of the day will have to go to just three health care points ... but the problem is that none of these has the services of a paediatrician. This will force people, instead, to go to the emergency departments of the Alicante General Hospital and in neighbouring San Juan if they need specialist care. The health centre at Cabo Huertas is the only one in the entire city that keeps to its usual hours and numbers of medical professionals, including paediatricians, due to the increase in its population during the summer months. According to the Spanish media, the lack of paediatricians can lead to a collapse in the hospital A&E departments that are already overloaded with patients. A spokesperson for Marea Blanca - an organisation that fights for patients’ rights in the Spanish NHS - said: “The lack of paediatricians can lead to losing the opportunity of identifying diseases and increasing the chances of conditions worsening due to a lack of adequate follow-ups.”

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6th - 12th July

Local Police get on their bikes! THE dedicated tourism unit of Elche’s Local Police have begun deploying a number of officers along their beaches... many of them on bicycles. They will focus on preventing and controlling thefts, street sellers and the increase in the number of cyclists and skateboarders in the area with the aim of making the coast safer for all. The Local Police officers will be seen along the sand and adjoining pavements in Los Arenales, El Altet, El Pinet and La Marina. Councillor for Security Jose Perez said: “With this unit we intend to increase the security and vigilance on our coasts that at this time experience a considerable increase in population.” It has also been announced that in addition to the usual

Photo credit: Ana Suarez YouTube

by Darren Parmenter

PATROL: El Pinet (pictured) will benefit from increased security.

summer campaigns put into place, Elche’s Local Police have increased by 50 per cent the number of speed, drug and alcohol controls at the main en-

try and exit points to the beaches under their responsibility. They will also have at their disposal a towing truck that will be permanently located in Los

Arenales to speed up the removal of vehicles that are badly or illegally parked, or those that belong to drivers found to be over the drug or alcohol limits.

Disappointing levels of English THE University of Alicante (UA) is still well short of its goal for students to achieve the B2 level of English for 2019. Latest figures have shown that only 22 per cent finish their studies at the high / intermediate level, significantly less than the 75 per cent goal. Students are undecided at which level they should achieve, with the B2 being the level required to access the EU Erasmus Scholarship scheme... but for those students looking at a career in the public sect o r, e s p e c i a l l y i n the Va l e n c i a n C o m m u n i t y, i t ’s the higher B1 level that is needed.

Prison sought for elderly ‘abuser’ PROSECUTORS based in the Provincial Court of Alicante in Elche have asked for a five-year prison sentence in the case of a 77year-old man accused of

abusing a nine and a 12year-old girl. The events date back to June 2014 in a street in Elche when, according to reports in the Spanish me-

dia, the defendant allegedly began to strike up a conversation with the young girls. This led to the man offering them €50 in exchange for oral sex.

Controls nab under-age drinkers DURING the Hogueras (bonfires) festivities in Alicante at the end of June, the Local Police confiscated more than 400 litres of alcohol from under-age drinkers. In addition, five ‘beer tents’ were reported for not closing at the permitted time alongside two other establishments in the city centre for selling alcohol outside the official hours. This information, just released by the Alicante City Council, revealed a grand total of 1,800 litres of alcohol was seized as a result of a number of mobile patrols in operation for the first time at this year’s fiestas.

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6th - 12th July

Hashish found during random check ARRESTS in connection with alleged drug trafficking continue across the region, with the latest taking place in Crevillente. The Guardia Civil has detained a man after discovering 800 kilos of hashish in a van with an estimated streets value of â‚Ź1,687,200. The drug was hidden among piles of clothing and found as a result of a routine traffic control along the CV-904 After checking the contents in the back of the van, it appeared at first that there were only several bundles of second-hand clothes. However, closer inspection revealed a number of packages that aroused suspicions. When they opened one of them, they found a number of bars of hashish resin ... part of 160 packets that each contained five kilos of the drug, The arrested man is a 40-year-old Moroccan national who, after appearing in a court

Photo credit: Guardia Civil

by Glenn Scott

LUCKY FIND: 800 kilos discovered hidden among clothes. in Elche, was sent straight to prison. On the same day, a Brazilian woman was detained at Alicante-Elche Airport after discovering that she was carrying around three kilos of cocaine hidden in the double lining of a suitcase. She had just arrived on a flight from Madrid and, according to the Spanish media, it is one of the largest consignments of cocaine confiscated at the airport for some time.

Catching the mozzies begins THE municipality of San Javier has installed a number of traps aimed at catching the tiger mosquito. They have been located in Santiago de la Ribera, San Javier and La Manga and samples will be collected for analysis

every two weeks. Each point will have two traps that will catch the insect in a litre of water and three bunches of alfalfa. The plan is to gather as much information as possible about the tiger mosquito and develop a plan to aid wiping it out.

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6th - 12th July

Women ‘huggers’ arrested for 17 robberies TWO women have been arrested by the National Police in connection with a number of ‘hugging’ crimes. They are believed to be responsible for at least 17 robberies from elderly people during a ‘loving embrace’ in Benicassim and Villarreal, as well as a number of similar incidents in Cartagena. According to a report in the Spanish media, the suspected network regularly changes and moves the women around in an attempt to hinder the work of the police as they investigate the robberies. Their modus operandi is a well-known one, but people subject to them

are often oblivious to what is going on around them. The victims are approached by the women and are treated like longlost friends as they cuddle them and generally make a fuss of them. As they’re distracted, they remove watches and oth-

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er items of jewellery and leave the scene as quick as they arrive, via a car waiting nearby. None of the robberies are violent, although sometimes the victims, due to their age, have occ a s i o n a l l y s u ff e r e d i n juries as a result of falling over when trying to get away from the ‘huggers.’ The investigation was started after the police received several complaints from elderly people that had been robbed ... and all by similar means. The Guardia Civil have not ruled out further arrests connected with similar robberies in other parts of Spain.

Fine for drenched victim A WOMAN who hit a child after he allegedly threw water on her in Alicante has been ordered to pay a fine of €90. The incident took place in March 2017 when the child accidentally or deliberately pushed a water container from a balcony and drenched the woman below. The child went down to the

street below and during a scuffle with the women, which followed a verbal row, he ended up hitting a wall, suffering minor injuries to a shoulder blade and his left arm. In addition to the fine, the women also had to pay €175 compensation to her young victim.

Not the best bus trip A COUPLE and their young son had a disturbing journey on a bus from Alicante-Elche Airport to Torrevieja on Tuesday afternoon. Their nightmare began when the driver allegedly took an aggressive attitude with the father after a disagreement about the three-year-old boy paying the full €7 fare. Children up to two years old travel free. Despite the man insisting that his

son, who suffers from autism, was going to sit on his lap and not take up a seat the driver refused to be flexible. The nightmare journey continued when the driver, in trying to make up some time after leaving the airport a little late, allegedly drove at some speed during the entire journey, causing a number of the passengers to bounce up and down in the seats much to their alarm.

www.rtnnewspaper.com by Darren Parmenter OPERATION ‘Premura,’ carried out by the Guardia Civil in Murcia, has resulted in the arrest of two people - Spanish nationals aged 30 and 40 - believed to be running an indoor marihuana factory in the region. Investigations began last month when the Guardia Civil were made aware of the possible cultivation of the plant in a private house in the Murcia village of Santa Cruz. They were able to verify that there were two greenhouses installed inside two buildings and were subsequently able to identify those responsible after a period of undercover monitoring. It wasn’t difficult to uncover the plants as they

6th - 12th July

Another indoor drug Falling masonry injures woman factory found

UNDERCOVER: Packing away the marihuana plants discovered.

quickly identified the familiar and strong smell of the marihuana, as well as the sounds of the apparatus used to cultivate them. As is the trend with such organisations, the drug growers had illegally hooked up to the electricity supply. In addition to seizing 135 marihuana plants in different stages of growth, they confiscated several airconditioners, carbon filters to stop the smell spreading, high-power light bulbs, other electrical equipment and a large amount of fertilizer.

A 56-YEAR-OLD woman suffered a serious brain injury after a wall collapsed on to her as she sat on an outside terrace in Rojales. The incident happened around midnight on Sunday evening with a street full of people who were enjoying the final night of the annual Moors and Christians festivities. For reasons that are still being investigated, it was a balcony that collapsed on the second floor of a building in Calle Malecon, with rubble falling around seven metres. When the paramedics from the Urgent Medical Assistance Service (SAMU) arrived at the scene, they found the woman unconscious and covered in blood from a wound to her head. She was taken to the Torrevieja Hospital and, according to the Spanish media, her condition and prognosis was described as ‘very serious’ as she remained in intensive care. Emergency services were surprised that nobody else was injured as a result of the collapse, given the number of people in the area. Firefighters attending the scene have since cleaned up the rubble and are working to prevent any further collapses.

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6th - 12th July

TWO Bulgarian men have been arrested at Alicante-Elche Airport in connection with suspected drug trafficking.

Plastic ‘ban’ for Costa Blanca beach reach 4,227 people r eached 102 reactions

The couple - aged 33 and 44 - were detained after a routine control of passengers and vehicles arriving at the airport after the National Police noticed they were behaving suspiciously. Not only did the driver not have a valid licence to be able to drive in Spain, when the officers searched the vehicle further they found more than five kilograms of marihuana contained in 17 packages of 300 grams each.

Jane Wilson I read all Lauren’s blogs they are so well written and make you feel you are there. Fantastic work from a lovely young woman who is so kind to share her blogs with us, well done Lauren xxx

Santa Maria visits Alicante THE replica of Christopher Columbus’ flag ship - The Santa Maria - arrived in the port of Alicante on Wednesd a y. . . a n d w i l l r e m a i n moored there attracting visitors until this Sunday. The ship arrived in Alicante from Fuengirola after following a successful journey through the Canary Islands as part of a much larger tour this summer. It’s taking in a number of Spanish ports such as Cartagena, Valencia, Barcelona, Alicante, and Algeciras as well as stops in France that included Sete, GrandeM o t t e a n d P o r t Ve n dres. If the weather conditions are favourable in O c t o b e r, S a n t a M a r i a will cross the Atlantic Ocean to the east coast of the USA and visit Puerto Rico, Cartagena de Indias and Havana too. The replica of one of the most famous ships in history weighs 200

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tons, is 29 metres long and eight metres wide, and contains five decks and five large sails. The ship is moored at Levante 4 dock in Alicante and is open to the public until Sunday

from 10am to 9pm. Ti c k e t s a r e € 4 p e r adult and €2 for children (between five and 10-years-old), and there is a family ticket for €10 (two adults and three children).

RESEARCHERS based in the University of Murcia have described a recent archaeological find in Cartagena as “high quality.” During some recent controlled excavation work undertaken by a number of students from the university, several underground structures were uncovered close to the port and the Atalaya Castle in an area owned by the Ministry of Defence. The fieldwork was carried out during the early part of June and it’s believed that a complete Roman building dating from between the first and sixth centuries AD that overlooks the bay may have been discovered.

• Shoppers’ dream as Sundays get the green light across Costa del Sol • National Police crack down on fake World Cup kit sellers • Rubbish arsonist has ‘bin’ caught in Costa Blanca • Hospital gets €1.4 million bed bonanza • The bells, the bells… are silent in La Mata

News & Views from the North & South Costa Blanca & Costa de Sol

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FLAGSHIP: Open to visitors until Sunday

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by Barry Duke

LAST week I was banned from Facebook for 24 hours for violating its ‘community standards’ by posting a picture of a topless model on a page I manage for the atheist journal, the Freethinker, which I have been editing for more than 20 years. I thought long and hard before posting the photo of Belgian model Marisa Papen posing naked on a balcony overlooking the Western Wall in Jerusalem. I even checked Facebook’s rules concerning nudity, and this is what it says: “We understand that nudity can be shared for a variety of reasons, including as a form of protest, to raise awareness about a cause, or for educational or medical reasons. Where such intent is clear, we make allowances for the content.” Well, as it happens Papen WAS registering a protest: she said she was all for breaking down walls ‘built to keep all our wandering souls on this planet somehow under control.’ She added, “freedom is becoming a very luxurious thing.” I then decided that the photo, linked to the story of Papen’s protest, could not possibly be in

Snowflake generation

Credit: Barry Duke

AFTER-SCHOOL TUITION: A teenage Brian Bovell with his teacher David Smith, who died in 2015. breach of Facebook’s rules, and I in the butt, or as my husband Marduly posted it. How wrong I was. cus says ‘total tw*ts.’ “Ah, don’t get too upset,” said a If ‘Generation Snowflake’ had friend, “some snowflake probably rebeen around in the 1970, the ported you. You’re constantly walkThames Television sit-com Love ing on eggshells when you post on Thy Neighbour, made for ITV, would social media these days.” never have seen the light of day. He was, of course, using Ironically, it was on this show that I ‘snowflake’ as the newly-coined pefirst heard the word ‘snowflake.’ It jorative term for young adults who was used in the series by a black stand proud on a platform of excharacter, Bill Reynolds (played by treme political correctness and are Rudolph Walker) to describe his offended by the most trivial of isracist white neighbour Eddie Booth sues. They can be an absolute pain (Jack Smethurst). He also called

BRIAN: A recent image from YouTube. Booth ‘honky,’ ‘paleface’ and ‘big white chief.’ Booth would retaliate by calling Reynolds a ‘nig-nog’ and ‘Sambo.’ The first episodes I saw of Love Thy Neighbour made me uncomfortable because, having escaped apartheid South Africa, I saw a reflection in the Booth character of the many white racists I’d grown up with in that country. On the other hand, the fact that Reynolds was shown to gain the upper hand in every episode delighted me no end, for no black man in South Africa was ever allowed to backchat a ‘superior’ white man. At about the same time, I became friendly with David Smith, who taught at a comprehensive in Tottenham, and he often gave after-school tuition to many of his black pupils. As he lived in the bedsit next to

mine, I got to know a number of these youngsters well. They loved the show, not least because in those days there were so few black actors on the small screen. One of the children, a lad called Brian Bovell, who was around 15 at the time, cockily said to me: “Watch that screen Barry, one day I’m gonna be on the tellie.” And he made it, big time. From the beginning of 1980, he began appearing regularly on TV. In 1982 he won the London Critics’ Circle Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actor of 1981 for his role in a play called Where There is Darkness. He then landed parts in movies such as Love Actually and Secrets and Lies. Some of his most famous roles have been DC Rob Thatcher in The Bill, Jez Littlewood in Gimme, Gimme, Gimme, and Detective Andy Sharp in My Dad’s the Prime Minister. More recently he landed the part of Bishop John Thornber in ITV’s Coronation Street. Brian, now 58, does not have a presence on Facebook, and I have to say I cannot blame him. I’m beginning to think Facebook is more hassle than it is worth, now that today’s snowflakes appear to be calling all the shots.

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6th - 12th July

Humanists enjoy the sun usual fried chicken and bread provided by the Treasurer. Before the meal started, games of Petanca and Giant Jenga started, pitting couple against couple. After intense competition, Di-

ane and Liam won the final of the Petanca, while Jon and Joan n a r r o w l y b e a t o ff l a s t year’s finalists Tom and Jan. Along with the games, which gathered a large audience of p a s s e r s - b y, a s t u d e n t band and Spanish hen/stag party stopped to chat. The feasting began with salads, sausage rolls, potato salad, chicken, and proceeded to a montón of puddings. For more information about joining visit http://humanists.bol nuevo.com/.

Breaking news and more...

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Murcia’s popular fruit industry by Darren Parmenter MORE than half the apricots consumed in Spain come from the Murcia region, and around 80 per cent of this year ’s harvest has already been picked. This season has also seen a greater demand for home-produced apricots following a shortage of the fruit from other traditional markets in Italy and France due to production problems. Apricot production increased by more than 8 per cent compared to l a s t y e a r, a n d i s t h e fruit with the highest growth for the current season. In total, the region of Murcia has produced more than 417,000 tons of stone fruit. As for the other fruit crops produced in Mur-

Photo credit: Fir0002 Wikimedia

BETTER late than never as 35 members and friends of the Humanists of Murcia met on the beach in Bolnuevo to celebrate the Summer Solstice recently. Everyone brought food to accompany the

INCREASE: Apricots grow by 8 per cent. cia, the plum has suffered a significant reduction this season although they have been a very good quality. Demand for peaches has also been high, and they have also seen reduced harvest levels. Finally, cherries have seen a slight rise

compared to 2017. The fruit industry in the region of Murcia is an important source of employment and generates between 14,000 and 15,000 jobs annually in picking, collecting and working in the distribution warehouses.

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Beach facilities shared for 2018 ELCHE City Council, responsible for the beach at Los Arenales, has awarded this summer’s contracts to two businesses to run the different areas. In previous years, Parres Centre Club was in charge of everything, but from now on they will only be responsible for the water activities. Ariel Arias Biasin will take responsibility for the beach bar and the sunbeds. The two contracts are worth a total of €122,000 to the town hall coffers... up from €50,000 last year.

6th - 12th July

People trafficking network dismantled by Ray Chadwick NATIONAL POLICE officers have been able to dismantle a criminal gang allegedly operating in both Alicante and Murcia, who are behind a number of people trafficking cases. They specifically recruited young people from Venezuela and Columbia who were later forced into working in the sex trade, mainly operating in Los Montesinos, Torrevieja and Elche. The investigation has seen 17 people arrested - all

Venezuelan, Colombian and Spanish - aged between 18 and 75, and as a result has been able to free nine women from their control. The detective operation began back in February after officials from the foreigner’s department in Cartagena discovered a woman who was suspected of being a victim of sexual exploitation. As the investigation gathered pace, it was found that the victims were convinced of a better life in Spain with the promise of work and the ability to earn

ACCORDING to reports in the Spanish media, Torrevieja’s Museum of the Sea and Salt is infested with cockroaches. The claim has been made by Councillor Paqui Parra who said that “We are paying €3,600 a month in rent for a semi-basement museum that is full of cockroaches. This is seriously affecting the image of the exhibition that

a far higher amount that they could achieve in Colombia or Venezuela. However, once they were under the control of the gang, they would be told the truth... but the fact they were now in debt to them, they would now have to work to repay them by working in the brothels set up by the group. National Police have a confidential hotline where members of the public can report their suspicions related to sexual exploitation or human trafficking, which is 900 105 090.

is dedicated to two of our most traditional trades, as well as raising issues of public health.” The councillor has asked the mayor of Torrevieja, Jose Manuel Dolon, to speed up the process of opening the Semana Santa building that will ‘add some dignity’ to this exhibition and give it a better image for tourists.

Cockroach ‘infestation’

Search for car driver GUARDIA CIVIL officers are carrying out a thorough check of CCTV images to identify an alleged hit-and-run driver. The incident happened on the A-30 close to the exit at Virgen de la Arrixaca on the road to Cartagena when a young man on a motorbike was hit by a car as it overtook. The rider was left by the side of the road injured with what transpired to be a fractured ankle, and the car sped away from the scene. Pieces of the car were found at the scene, but are not enough to be able to identify the model involved.

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6th - 12th July

Dry over there - wet over here DURING the same week that figures from the UK showed that parts of the country had its driest June since records began, the Alicante Province had its largest rainfall in the month for 10 years. June was a very humid month and the average temperature in the province was 23º. Rainfall levels reached 48.91 litres per square metre,

which is almost double the norm that was recorded during the period from 1981 to 2010. Weather stations in Novelda and Villena recorded the highest rainfall after storms left around 60 litres per m2, a 170 per cent increase when compared to normal June levels. Crevillente had 37.4 litres, Alicante 28, Torrevieja 26 and AlicanteElche Airport with 24.

However, despite the storms during May and June, the nine months of the current ‘weather year’ since October 1 in the Valencian Community have seen an average drop of 30 per cent precipitation, with some regions of the coast getting less than half. Some of the driest areas were in Santa Pola and Rojales that only had 14.2 lm2 and 17.8 lm2 respectively.

Photo credit: Pinterest

By Mark Rogers

June unemployment falls LEVELS of unemployment fell by 3,800 across the Alicante Province for the month of June. Once again, it’s the levels of increased tourism to the area that enables businesses to create new jobs and have accounted for 71 per cent of the fall in the numbers of people looking for work. Despite unemployment numbers staying at 144,735, Alicante has been able to record the largest drop in unemployment of the three

Valencian Community provinces. Throughout the month of June a total of 65,839 new contracts of employment were registered, although only 6,153 of those were permanent. Self-employment registrations also grew by 6,826 during last month, over 1,000 lower than the corresponding period in 2017, taking the total number to 129,949 out of 525,438 people in work in the Alicante Province.

STORMS: June rainfall the highest for a decade.

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6th - 12th July Photo credit: Carlos Quesada Wikimedia

RENOVATION: Avenida Maisonnave is one of those to benefit from repairs.

City centre road improvements by Darren Parmenter ALICANTE City Council has revealed two specific projects that will repair damage to more than 200 streets. This includes cracked and broken pavements, replace missing slabs, repair bollards and walls and address areas of uneven soil in gardens due to growing roots. The first of two programmes of work

was agreed at the last council meeting and has a budget of €79,981. Meanwhile, the second phase - which will see the remaining 100 or so roads renovated - is still awaiting approval. The entire municipality will see a noticeable change with works being carried out on the Paseo de la Explanada de España, Calvo Sotelo, Maisonnave, Plaza América, access to the Plaza de Toros, Avenida

Conde Lumiares, Avenida de Niza, Avenida Albufera, Avenida Benidorm and Avenida la Condomina, among others. Many of the roads listed will see the complete demolition of the existing pavements, and the entire area will also undergo a full cleaning operation. In addition, fences will be repaired or replaced and road signage affected by the work will also be repainted.

Seven-year population high INCREASED levels of immigration are behind one of the biggest increases in Alicante’s population in seven years. This has been put down to the welcome recovery in the hospitality and construction sectors that traditionally attract workers from Asia, Africa or South America. Figures just released by the Spanish National Institute of Statistics (INE) show that on January 1, 2018 a total of 1,845,544 people lived in the Alicante Province which is 3,000 more than the year before. The overall population in the province is still to recover from the exodus of foreign workers in 2013 and 2014 when the economic crisis worsened in the country. The data also reveals that 33,062 foreigners arrived in Alicante during 2017 compared to the 29,654 that packed up the bags and went to live elsewhere. Commenting on the figures, Raul Ruiz, from the University of Alicante (UA) said: “Our province is very sensitive to changes to the economic cycle due to the specialisation in hotels, tourism and construction. When things are bad, the working population is quickly lost whereas success is also reflected immediately.” There are 400,863 non-Spanish living in the Alicante Province, of which Europeans account for 182,355.

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6th - 12th July

Robots come to Crevillente!

Escape from overturned lorry THREE men aged 24, 25 and 61 have been injured after the lorry they were travelling in overturned. The incident happened on the AP-7 motorway close to San Miguel de Salinas in the early hours of Friday morning, and at this stage it’s not known what caused the accident which didn’t involve any other vehicle. Two ambulances were mobilised to the scene where the 24-year-old was found to have multiple injuries; his two companions only had minor cuts and bruises. All three were taken to the Torrevieja Hospital.

TO commemorate the 120th anniversary of the company Aguas de Alicante, 20 hotels in the city have launched an initiative to encourage their customers to drink more water in their establishments. As from yesterday (Thursday) and with the support of the Provincial Association of Hotels of Alicante (APHA), the hotels taking part in the promotion will have on display glass water dispensers bearing the logo of Aguas de Alicante. The containers, installed in the reception, have an eight-litre capacity and have been distributed free of charge by the company. The measure, in addition to providing the hoteliers with a new service for their guests, aims to actively encourage people to alter their habits with regard to plastic-bottled wa-

Photo credit: Pexels

TWENTY young people from the municipality of Crevillente have taken part in a workshop aimed at designing and building robots. The course, organised by the Department of Culture and lasting a week, was attended by people between 10 and 12 years old and they were immersed in the world of robotics. The children were shown the diversity and range of ways in which this form of technology is contained in so much of our day-to-day lives. In addition, they learned about the computer programmes used to design the machines and were encouraged to come up with some exciting projects of their own.

Leading visitors to drink

HABITS: Scheme to encourage us to drink less plastic-bottled water. ter. It’s been estimated that if everyone drinks 1.5 litres of water a day from plastic containers - taking into account that each bottle contains 40.3 grams of plastic - they would generate 14.7 kilos of waste per year.

The establishments taking part throughout the summer are Hotel Spa Porta Maris & Suites del M a r, H o t e l M e l i a A l i cante, Hotel AC Alicante, Hotels NH Rambla and Alicante, Hotels La City Estacion and Mercado,

Hotel Mio Cid, Ibis Budjet and Alicante Hotels, Alicante Hills Apartments, Tito San Nicolas and Tito San Agustín, La M i l a g r o s a H o s t e l , Vi l l a de San Juan Hotel, Maya Hotel, Estudiotel Alicante and Hotel Leuka.

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6th - 12th July

Beach contract delay explained Photo credit: Ayuntamiento de Orihuela

ORIHUELA’S Councillor Luisa Bone has announced the latest progress on the procedure to award the new contract to run the beach bars in Orihuela. “We are waiting for the Central Court of Contractual Resources to resolve appeals that were presented. The town hall technicians have done their work so that the moment the resolution arrives the adjudication can be finished, if this is allowed,” she said. These appeals, which have all been submitted by the same people, are the cause of the delay and so thus have to wait for the courts to adjudicate. Councillor Bone continued: “The last company is up to date with paying its fees to the town hall and the government Coast Department for 2017. For the first four months of 2018 we are waiting for a report from the auditor so that it can be paid.” She also said there is no way that the old contract could have been extended because the court has said there is evidence of a possible crime when it was adjudicated by the last council. “I know it’s annoying not having working summer services but as head of the Beaches Department I think it was the right decision to not compromise the service given the doubts about the legality of its adjudication,” she added.

RIGHT DECISION: Luisa Bone acknowledges the frustrations.

Credit: This is Torrevieja/Facebook

by Glenn Scott

FAILURE FINE: Torrevieja Hospital has been held accountable in the case.

Hospital pays stroke victim’s family THE Ministry of Health in Alicante has been sentenced to pay €93,000 in compensation to the family of a woman who died of a stroke which was not detected by doctors at the Torrevieja Hospital. A judgement made on June 15 by the Valencian Superior Court of Justice has been made public by the Patient Advocate Association. The ruling, which can be appealed before the Supreme Court, upheld a claim for liability against the Generalitat for an aberration in the operation of their health services. After having fallen from fainting, the woman entered

an emergency room of the Torrevieja Hospital on January 1, 2014, but the stroke was not diagnosed and she died eight days later. With a history of arterial hypertension, the 65 yearold patient presented symptoms of nausea, vomiting and intense headache and physical weakness. However, except for one routine check-up, doctors did not order any further tests and the woman was discharged with a diagnosis of dizziness and a prescription for medication. The Generalitat is to pay €75,000 to the widower, and €6,000 to each of her three children.

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6th - 12th July

legal

Your questions answered

When a couple is in the process of separation or divorce what will happen to their children? Where will my children reside? Who decides?

The judge may ask the opinion of qualified specialists to establish their opinion on which arrangements would be more beneficial to the children. The specialist team consists of a psychologist and a social worker; they will interview parents and children, observe the interaction of children with both parents and perform diagnostic tests on the parents. This report is essential and often decisive for the type in custody disputes.

The judge will also consider the following points: -The good or bad relationship of the spouses. -The age and the number of children. -The preferences of minors. -The availability of parents. -The proximity of homes. -Compliance of the parents with their duties in relation to their children.

Q Are foreign parents discriminated against in the Courts? A There is no discrimination with issues of nationality, ideology or culture. Judges always act in the best interests of the children. If they have grown up with their parents, the main object is to keep them within the family unit.

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

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6th - 12th July

money Millions to benefit from tax cuts BUDGET: Bank of Spain predicts a saving of €500 per year for many.

around 800,000 of them saving an average of just under €450 a year, whilst 16 per cent of the over-65’s will benefit, or a total of around 600,000, who will be €600 a year better off. For those who do not fall

Photo credit: Luis Garcia Wikimedia

THANKS to a series of new tax deductions announced in the recently approved budget, the Bank of Spain has calculated that residents with a gross income between €12,000 and €18,000 per year will save around €500 a year. Anyone whose gross pay is less than €12,000 doesn’t pay any income tax in Spain, although if it’s paid through monthly stoppages by the employers, they will receive a rebate when filing the annual declaration. Taxpayers that exceed the €18,000 level will also see their payments reduced if they fall into certain categories such as having large families, disabled and carers. The Bank of Spain estimates that around 3.1 million people will benefit from the new policy which will cost the Treasury €1.5 billion ... less than the €2.2 billion originally budgeted. Around 21 per cent of taxpayers in Spain under the age of 35 will pay less -

Pension pay out blunders uncovered

into any of the categories mentioned, the Bank of Spain still has some reassuring news, however: nobody will see their income tax rise as a result of the reforms in the budget. However, it’s not all good

news. The self-employed, who make up around a third of the workforce in the country, have seen their monthly Social Security contributions increase ... albeit a small rise from the set fee of €275.01 to €278.87.

A SERIES of pension payment errors by the HMRC (Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs) that date back over 40 years have been uncovered. This could result in some pensioners experiencing a cut in the yearly income, with others gaining. The errors were found during cleanup of data that began back in 2014, and has to date been the largest involving retirement payments in the UK’s history. According to a report featured in sections of the UK press, some pensioners are predicted to lose up to 50 per cent of their annual payments. However, those assessed as not having been paid the correct amounts will receive the back pay and a future rise in their pensions. It’s been calculated that the missed payments to pensioners could range from as little as £50 per year to around £10,000 over the course of a lifetime, and affect both public and private sector schemes. A UK government spokesman said: “The reconciliation exercise has been underway for some time. Most queries submitted as part of the exercise do not have an impact on the amount of an individual’s state pension. “However where queries do result in changes, we are notified by HMRC, and where the pension is in payment, review the award and notify the individual of the change. Where overpayments of State Pension do occur due to incorrect GMP figures, individuals will not be expected to repay any overpayments.”

Advertising Feature

Resort Choice: more rental bookings for less work in your holiday home in Spain 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 by clients in the UK, Spain, France, Germany and the rest of the world. All of this is completely free of charge, and

RENTAL MANAGEMENT: Drawing on their many years of experience.

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 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 Rentals maximise income

from your holiday home in the Costa Calida no sign-on fee charged. The team of property management professionals at Resort Choice are constantly on the lookout for more holiday homes where the owners are looking to maximise their rental income, and 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 advertised 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 timeconsuming 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.

Website www.resortchoice.com, email info@resortchoice.com or call in Spain 968 545 204 and UK 02036 086 013

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6th - 12th July

Beware the poison pasties Credit: Vladimir Kazimirov Shutterstock

by Colin Bird The opinions published in Colin’s weekly column are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or newspaper sponsors. MY stomach was beginning to tune up loudly as I boarded the bus for the airport terminal. I was still mentally berating myself for missing a sumptuous breakfast that would have set me up for my journey, more so because I had paid in advance for the privilege. From the hotel it is a relatively short journey to Stansted’s terminal, from where the free shuttle to the Car Rental Village runs every 10 minutes; then it would be the open road for me and the drive to Berkshire, the first stop on my UK tour. With the M11, M25 and M4 between me and my destination, ‘open road’ is perhaps a misnomer, but nevertheless, I should be there by mid-afternoon. By the time I alighted the bus, my digestive system was beginning Tchaikovsky’s 1812, so seeing a mobile cafe adjacent to the coach park, I made

by Darren Parmenter

my way over to what turned out to be a Pasty Shack. I was still in plenty of time to collect my car from the rental people and, with my intestinal orchestra now in full swing, it was a choice between my emaciated corpse being found somewhere along the motorway hard shoulder or taking a few minutes out

to restore my waning strength. I have never seen such a variety of pie fillings. They ranged from traditional lamb to turkey and pickle, and even curried mussel, but I played safe by ordering a steak and onion jobbie and plonked myself down at one of the plastic tables provided. A young Eastern European looking

In a Spanish ‘urb’ garden Credit: RTN

STANDING outside Grace Newton’s home in Urbanisation La Marina, you have no idea at all what’s behind the white wall... but as you enter the jaw drops at the beauty that’s contained in such a small space. Grace was happy to show the RTN around her pride and joy that she has created, and puts the success of her garden down to regularly communicating with her plants, shrubs and flowers. “They are living things,” Grace explains, “and all living things respond to being spoken too.” Her theory cannot be challenged as you take a 360º look around her garden. “Yes, everything is in a pot or growing in specially built table-top frames that I had made-to-measure,” said Grace, who said the majority of what she grows is fruit and vegetables. These include runner beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and potatoes, and when it comes to fruit Grace is very proud of her Cape gooseberries. To successfully grow and keep such a wide variety of plants, it needs an equally diverse selection of insects, and since Grace has increased the shrubs in her garden, they have arrived in their droves and have helped to pollinate. Grace Newton was born in Chippenham, Wiltshire and spent much of her career working at the Bristol

TRADITIONAL FOOD: These Cornish pasties look good enough to eat.

couple had sat at a nearby table where they were eyeing their chosen pasties with looks of bewilderment. “These were the traditional food of the tin miners in Cornwall in days gone by,” I informed the pair (I had heard them talking to the counter assistant and knew they spoke English). “And this thick piece of pastry around the outside,” I illustrated, “is how they held the pasty as they ate this bit,” and I demonstrated some more by taking a bite. They nodded dubiously. “You see, the miners would have poisonous arsenic on their hands from the tin, and so this bit they threw away.” “Pasty iss poison?,” asked the young man, horrified. “No no, you see . . . ” and I tried to explain again. But still they could not take in this historic gem and continued to stare at the pasties suspiciously as they sipped their coffees. I put the finishing touches to my own welcome meal and just to further emphasise the point about the crimped pastry edge, I threw a remnant to a crow that had landed nearby looking for scraps. My last sight of the couple, as I rumbled away with my luggage, was of them looking to the heavens open-mouthed. I am convinced they expected the crow to come crashing down, stone dead from arsenic poisoning.

AN AMAZING SPACE: Grace’s delightful garden. Royal Infirmary in administration. She obviously has gardening in her blood as her father was a gardener and Grace herself carried on that tradition by having an enormous garden herself in Nottingham which

she left behind when she came to live in Spain. There is no doubt Grace is very knowledgeable about her garden and she admits she regularly receives gardening magazines from

the UK to widen her expertise. “I love my garden, and my reason for sharing my passion is to encourage people that may only have small spaces to work with that they can also create their own little par-

adise,” said Grace. “With a southfacing property, a pool and a garden, what else do I need?” If you have any questions about her garden, she’s more than happy, e-mail gracenewton44@gmail.com

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6th - 12th July

Advertising Feature

Buying or selling, contact HomeEspaña HOMEESPAÑA was founded in 2002, with the aim of providing a new kind of service for clients buying and selling property in Spain. They put customer satisfaction at the heart of what they do, and 15 years later, have thousands of happy clients, six Spanish estate agency branches, plus a Spanish financial services arm, all serving buyers and sellers across the Costa Blanca, Murcia and Valencia. The agent’s dedicated, expert staff are with their clients every step of the way, whether they are buying or selling a property. They aim to make their experience as easy and as straightforward as possible, giving an honest, friendly and reliable service at all times.

HomeEspaña have unrivalled knowledge of the property market here in Spain, plus the largest selection of homes for sale, from great value apartments near the sea to rustic fincas with real Spanish character. Whether it’s a townhouse in Torrevieja for €85,000, or a luxury villa with pool in Javea for €350,000, they have something to suit almost all tastes and budgets! Once a client has purchased or sold through them, they also provide a comprehensive aftersales service for life - so they can always come back to them for help when they need it. The group also partners with the most reputable names in the world of property. They are regularly quoted in the press in

SERVICE: Putting customer satisfaction at the heart of what they do. the UK and Spain, and you’ll find them on the most popular international property websites such as Kyero, Rightmove, ThinkSpain and Zoopla. They

also attend live exhibitions including A Place in the Sun in the UK and Second Home International in Belgium. Whatever your requirements, if

you’re looking to buy or sell a property in the Costa Blanca, Murcia or Valencia, then do get in touch and talk to them about how they can help you.

La Zenia office Avda. de la Playa No. 1 A-3 La Zenia, 03189 Alicante, Spain. (0034) 966 761 545 • sales@homeespana.co.uk Photo credit: Bill Hulse HAH

SUCCESS: A great day at the Rocking in Roda.

Help At Home update by Bill Hulse HELP AT HOME would like to thank Ruben and his team at Roda’s Bar for all their help in making our recent Rocking in Roda such a success. We would also like to thank all the entertainers for a great show, and in particular everyone who bought tickets and supported us, helping us to raise a magnificent €1,975.37 (after expenses) for our charity. Thanks and appreciation also go to Sue and Gary Greenaway and all the staff at Time Out for working so hard to make our Ladies Day such a success... and not forgetting everyone who came and supported HAH and made it such a fabulous afternoon. A record amount of €410.65 for a

race day event was raised. Help At Home Mar Menor is a local charity supporting English-speaking people around the area in time of temporary need. Perhaps following an accident or illness, coping on your own can be difficult and we may be able to provide some help in and around the home. We also loan out mobility aids to locals and visitors alike for a maximum period of six months. We make no charge for any help we provide and rely on the generosity of sponsors and supporters, and our own fundraising efforts. PLEASE NOTE, we have had to change our care line number which is 634 302 211. To find out more about us, visit Facebook HAH (Help At Home) Mar Menor or the website: www.helpathome.es.

FRIDAY 7:00am Breakfast 10:15am Right on the Money 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Rip Off Britain 12:45pm Caught Red Handed 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News at One 2:30pm BBC London News 2:45pm Wimbledon 2018 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:15pm BBC London News 7:30pm Match of the Day Live 10:15pm EastEnders 10:45pm Our Friend Victoria 11:15pm BBC News at Ten 11:40pm BBC London News 11:50pm Room 101 12:30am Live at the Apollo 1:00am Match of the Day 2:40am Weather for the Week Ahead 2:45am BBC News

4:15am 7:00am 7:30am 8:15am 9:00am 10:00am 12:00pm

This is BBC Two Flog it! Trade Secrets Right on the Money Coast Gardeners' World Victoria Derbyshire The Daily Politics Jo Coburn presents the latest political news, interviews and debate. Wimbledon 2018 Today at Wimbledon RHS Hampton Court Flower Show 2018 Newsnight Romper Stomper Romper Stomper The Trouble with Women with Anne Robinson The Richard Dimbleby Lecture This is BBC Two

9:30am Lorraine 10:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30am This Morning 1:30pm Loose Women 2:30pm ITV Lunchtime News 2:55pm ITV News London 3:00pm Judge Rinder's Crime Stories 3:30pm FIFA World Cup 2018: Quarter-Finals 6:15pm Catchphrase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV Evening News 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm James Martin's American Adventure 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Lethal Weapon 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:45pm FIFA World Cup 2018: Highlights 12:45am Mad Max 3: Beyond Thunderdome

9:00am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:30am Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00am Frasier 10:30am Frasier 11:00am Formula 1 12:35pm F1 Meets... Daniel Ricciardo 1:00pm Channel 4 News 1:05pm Couples Come Dine with Me 1:55pm Find it, Fix it, Flog it 2:55pm Formula 1 5:00pm The Â£100k Drop 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 6:30pm The Posh Frock Shop 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm George Clarke's Amazing Spaces 10:00pm The Crystal Maze 11:00pm The Last Leg 12:05am The Big Narstie Show

9:40am Digby Dragon 9:55am Nella the Princess Knight 10:05am Mofy 10:15am The Wright Stuff 12:15pm On Benefits: Life on the Dole 1:10pm 5 News Lunchtime 1:15pm GPs: Behind Closed Doors 2:15pm Home and Away 2:45pm Neighbours 3:15pm Cagney and Lacey 4:15pm Jesse Stone: Thin Ice 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm Cruising with Jane McDonald 9:00pm Cruising with Jane McDonald 10:00pm Jane Mcdonald and Friends 11:00pm Jane Mcdonald: My Life Story

6:30am

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Special 7:00am Barracuda 8:50am Alien Invasion: S.U.M.1 10:30am The Snowman 12:35pm Geostorm 2:35pm Flatliners 4:30pm Call Me by Your Name Sublime coming-ofage love story charting the summer romance between a precocious teen and a visiting grad student. 6:50pm The Snowman 9:00pm Geostorm 11:00pm Flatliners 1:00am The Midnight Man 2:40am Alien Invasion: S.U.M.1 4:30am Barracuda

5:00pm

3:35am This is BBC Two 7:40am Marrying Mum and Dad 8:10am Officially Amazing Goes Bunkers 8:40am The Dengineers 9:10am Naomi's Nightmares of Nature 9:40am Deadly Dinosaurs with Steve Backshall 10:10am David Attenbrough's Natural Curiosities 10:30am Second Chance Summer: Tuscany 11:30am Athletics 12:30pm Wimbledon 2018 9:30pm Today at Wimbledon 10:30pm Rhs: Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 11:00pm Joanna and Jennifer: Absolutely Champers 12:00am Absolutely Fabulous 12:30am Behind the Candelabra 2:20am Populaire

8:30am The Haunted Hathaways 8:55am Drop Dead Weird 9:25am ITV News 9:30am Zoe Ball on Saturday 10:25am James Martin's American Adventure 10:55am Who's Doing the Dishes? 11:55am The Best of the Voice Worldwide 12:55pm ITV Lunchtime News 1:00pm ITV Racing: Live from Sandown 3:30pm FIFA World Cup 2018: Quarter-Finals 6:15pm Catchphrase 7:00pm ITV Evening News 7:15pm Regional News and Weather 7:30pm FIFA World Cup 2018: Quarter-Finals 10:15pm Bear's Mission with Rob Brydon 11:00pm ITV News

8:35am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:00am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:30am Frasier 10:00am Frasier 10:30am The Big Bang Theory 11:00am The Big Bang Theory 11:25am The Big Bang Theory 11:55am Formula 1 1:25pm F1: Grand Prix 1:55pm Formula 1 4:50pm Location, Location, Location 5:50pm A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun 6:35pm Escape to the Chateau: DIY 7:30pm Channel 4 News 8:00pm Great Canal Journeys 9:00pm The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel 11:25pm The World's End

11:35am Make You Laugh Out Loud 11:55am Police Interceptors 12:50pm Police Interceptors 1:50pm Nightmare Tenants, Slum Landlords 2:45pm Bad Tenants, Rogue Landlords 3:45pm Bargain Loving Brits in the Sun 4:50pm Bargain Loving Brits in the Sun 5:45pm Rich House, Poor House 6:45pm 5 News 6:50pm Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away! 7:45pm Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away! 8:40pm Britain's Greatest Magician: Paul Daniels 10:00pm TV's 50 Greatest Magic Tricks 12:50am Cricket on 5

4:30am Barracuda 6:30am The Hurricane Heist: The Eye of the Storm 7:00am Flatliners 8:55am Alien Invasion: S.U.M.1 10:45am The Snowman 12:50pm Geostorm 2:50pm The Wilde Wedding Retired film star Eve Wilde is preparing to marry her fourth husband, but it won't be a smooth ride. 4:40pm Alien Invasion: S.U.M.1 6:30pm Anon: Special 7:00pm Flatliners 9:00pm Geostorm 11:00pm The Wilde Wedding 12:40am The Snowman 2:45am Call Me by Your Name 5:00am B&B

10:00am EFL Greatest Games 11:00am EFL Greatest Games 12:00pm Play-Off Final Highlights 1:00pm EFL Greatest Games 2:00pm EFL Greatest Games 3:00pm Play-Off Final Highlights 4:00pm EFL Greatest Games 5:00pm EFL Greatest Games 5:15pm EFL Greatest Games 5:30pm EFL Greatest Games 5:45pm EFL Greatest Games 6:00pm Play-Off Final Highlights 7:00pm EFL Rivalries 7:30pm EFL Rivalries 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 12:35am MLS Greatest Games 12:50am MLS Greatest Games

12:30pm The Hairy Bikers' Best of British 1:15pm Rick Stein's German Bite 2:15pm Homes Under the Hammer 3:15pm Garden Rescue 4:00pm Mountain Lions: Big Cats in High Places 5:00pm Operation Grand Canyon with Dan Snow 6:00pm Flog It! 6:50pm Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing 7:20pm Strokes of Genius: Federer v Nadal 9:00pm Russia with Simon Reeve 10:00pm The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan

7:50am 7:55am 8:05am 8:30am

8:00am Everybody Loves Raymond 8:25am Everybody Loves Raymond 8:55am Frasier 9:25am Frasier 9:55am Bake Off: The Professionals 11:00am Sunday Brunch 2:00pm Formula 1 British Grand Prix Live Build Up 2:40pm Formula 1 5:30pm Formula 1 6:35pm Bang on Budget 7:30pm Channel 4 News 8:00pm The Great British Germ Hunt 9:00pm Bake Off: The Professionals 10:00pm The Handmaid's Tale 11:10pm World's Tiniest Masterpieces

10:05am Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 10:20am Shimmer and Shine 10:35am Digby Dragon 10:55am Peppa Pig 11:05am Peppa Pig 11:10am Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 11:45am Pets Make You Laugh Out Loud 12:05pm Police Interceptors 1:00pm Police Interceptors 2:00pm The Secret Life of Puppies 2:55pm The Secret Life of Puppies 3:55pm Dirty Dancing 6:00pm Maid in Manhattan 8:00pm Cricket on 5 9:00pm Chuckle Time with the Chuckle Brothers 9:55pm 5 News Weekend 10:00pm We're the Millers

6:30am Anon: Special 7:00am Alien Invasion: S.U.M.1 8:40am The Snowman 10:45am The Wilde Wedding 12:30pm Monster Family: Special 1:00pm Geostorm 3:00pm Professor Marston and the Wonder Women 5:00pm The Snowman 7:15pm The Wilde Wedding Retired film star Eve Wilde is preparing to marry her fourth husband, but it won't be a smooth ride. 9:00pm Geostorm 11:00pm Professor Marston and the Wonder Women

12:00pm Old Firm Derby Highlights 1:00pm SPFL Greatest Games 2:00pm SPFL Greatest Games 3:00pm Old Firm Derby Highlights 3:30pm Old Firm Derby Highlights 4:00pm SPFL Greatest Games 4:45pm SPFL Greatest Games 5:00pm SPFL Greatest Games 5:45pm SPFL Greatest Games 6:00pm Old Firm Derby Highlights 6:30pm Old Firm Derby Highlights 7:00pm Best Championship Goals 2017/18 7:30pm EFL Rivalries 8:00pm Football's Greatest 9:00pm Major League Soccer 11:05pm Best Championship Goals 2017/18

12:30pm 9:30pm 10:30pm 11:30pm 12:05am 12:55am 1:50am 2:50am 3:35am

Phenoms Colombia 5:30pm SPFL Round Up 5:45pm SPFL Round Up 6:00pm Greatest Moments in Football 7:00pm Football's Greatest Head to Head 7:30pm Phenoms Colombia 8:00pm EFL Goals: Championship 8:30pm EFL Goals: Leagues 1&2 9:00pm SPFL Round Up 9:15pm SPFL Round Up 9:30pm SPFL Greatest Games 9:45pm SPFL Greatest Games 10:00pm Greatest Moments in Football 11:00pm Phenoms - France 12:00am Phenoms - Belgium and Netherlands

SATURDAY 2:45am BBC News 7:00am Breakfast 11:00am Saturday Kitchen Live 12:30pm Simply Nigella 1:00pm BBC News 1:10pm Weather 1:15pm Wimbledon 2018 3:30pm Match of the Day Live 6:15pm Wimbledon 2018 7:10pm BBC News 7:20pm Regional News 7:25pm Weather 7:30pm Match of the Day Live 10:15pm Mrs. Brown's Boys 10:45pm BBC News 11:00pm Weather 11:05pm Avengers: Age of Ultron 1:15am Match of the Day 2:55am Weather for the Week Ahead 3:00am BBC News

SUNDAY 12:00pm 1:15pm 2:00pm 2:15pm 3:00pm 4:00pm 4:30pm 5:15pm 5:50pm 6:50pm 7:35pm 7:50pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

Sunday Politics Bargain Hunt BBC News Barry Davies: The Man, the Voice, the Legend Just Call Me Martina Escape to the Country Money for Nothing Songs of Praise Attenborough and the Giant Elephant Pointless BBC News BBC London News Countryfile Antiques Roadshow Poldark

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

Mission Employable The Oddbods Show Ninjago The Haunted Hathaways Drop Dead Weird ITV News Zoe Ball on Sunday Problem Child The Best of the Voice Worldwide Midsomer Murders ITV Lunchtime News Catchphrase Tenable Tipping Point Despicable Me 2 ITV Evening News ITV News London The Chase: Celebrity Special Vera ITV News

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

MONDAY 1:30am BBC News 7:00am Breakfast 10:15am Right on the Money 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Rip Off Britain 12:45pm Caught Red Handed 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News at One 2:30pm BBC London News 2:45pm Wimbledon 2018 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm Puppy Love 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Panorama 10:00pm Who Do You Think You Are? 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:30pm BBC London News 11:42pm BBC Weather 11:45pm Have I Got Old News for You

7:00am Flog it! Trade Secrets 7:30am Right on the Money Dominic Littlewood and Denise Lewis present more simple, practical ways to make money go further. 8:15am Bargain Hunt 9:00am Antiques Roadshow 10:00am Victoria Derbyshire 12:00pm The Daily Politics Jo Coburn presents the latest political news, interviews and debate. 12:30pm Wimbledon 2018 9:30pm Today at Wimbledon 10:30pm Versailles 11:30pm Newsnight 12:15am North Korea: Murder in the Family 1:15am Panorama 1:45am Countryfile 2:40am Back to the Land with Kate Humble

10:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30am This Morning 1:30pm Loose Women 2:30pm ITV Lunchtime News 2:55pm ITV News London 3:00pm Judge Rinder 4:00pm Tenable 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV Evening News 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Best Walks with a View with Julia Bradbury 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Long Lost Family: What Happened Next 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:30pm ITV News London 11:45pm Tommy Cooper Forever

9:30am Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00am Frasier 10:35am Frasier 11:05am Car S.O.S 12:05pm Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA 1:00pm Channel 4 News 1:05pm Come Dine with Me 2:05pm Find it, Fix it, Flog it 3:10pm Countdown 4:00pm A Place in the Sun 5:00pm The £100k Drop 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 6:30pm The Posh Frock Shop 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Jamie's Quick and Easy Food 9:30pm Food Unwrapped 10:00pm 24 Hours in Police Custody 11:00pm Inside the American Embassy 12:00am Britain's Benefit Tenants

9:20am Floogals 9:40am Digby Dragon 9:55am Nella the Princess Knight 10:05am Mofy 10:15am The Wright Stuff 12:15pm On Benefits: Life on the Dole 1:10pm 5 News Lunchtime 1:15pm GPs: Behind Closed Doors 2:15pm Home and Away 2:45pm Neighbours 3:15pm Cagney and Lacey 4:15pm Til Death Do Us Part 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm Sinkholes 9:00pm Police Interceptors 10:00pm 50 Years of the Jumbo Jet 11:00pm Traffic Cops 12:05am Fights, Camera, Action

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

Barracuda Anon: Special Alien Invasion: S.U.M.1 Monster Family: Special The Wilde Wedding Top Ten Show, the 2018 Geostorm Alien Invasion: S.U.M.1 Wetlands Professor Marston and the Wonder Women The Wilde Wedding Geostorm Wetlands Professor Marston and the Wonder Women Barracuda The Midnight Man

12:30pm SPFL Greatest Games 1:00pm Greatest Moments in Football 2:00pm EFL Goals: Championship 2:30pm EFL Goals: Leagues 1&2 3:00pm Championship Season Review 4:00pm Football's Greatest 4:30pm Football's Greatest Teams 5:00pm Football's Greatest Head to Head 5:30pm SPFL Round Up 5:45pm SPFL Round Up 6:00pm Football Years 6:30pm Football Countdowns 7:00pm EFL Greatest Games 7:30pm EFL Greatest Games 8:00pm EFL Goals: Championship 8:30pm EFL Goals: Leagues 1&2 9:00pm Football 11:05pm MLS Round Up Show

This is BBC Two Flog it! Trade Secrets Right on the Money Dominic Littlewood and Denise Lewis present more simple, practical ways to make money go further. The Super League Show How the NHS Changed Our World Mad About Elvis Right on the Money Homes Under the Hammer BBC Newsroom Live The Daily Politics Wimbledon 2018 Today at Wimbledon Horizon QI

9:30am Lorraine 10:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30am This Morning 1:30pm Loose Women 2:30pm ITV Lunchtime News 2:55pm ITV News London 3:00pm Judge Rinder 4:00pm Tenable 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:15pm ITV Evening News 7:30pm FIFA World Cup 2018 10:15pm David Walliams Presents...Revenge of Alright on the Night 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:35pm ITV News London 11:50pm Rocky V 1:45am Jackpot247

9:00am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:30am Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00am Frasier 10:35am Frasier 11:05am Car S.O.S 12:05pm Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA 1:00pm Channel 4 News 1:05pm Come Dine with Me 2:05pm Find it, Fix it, Flog it 3:10pm Countdown 4:00pm A Place in the Sun 5:00pm The £100k Drop 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 6:30pm The Posh Frock Shop 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Ackley Bridge 10:00pm 999: What's Your Emergency? 11:00pm Gogglebox

10:05am Mofy 10:15am The Wright Stuff 12:15pm On Benefits: Life on the Dole 1:10pm 5 News Lunchtime 1:15pm GPs: Behind Closed Doors 2:15pm Home and Away 2:45pm Neighbours 3:15pm Cagney and Lacey 4:20pm The Vanished Family: Aurora Teagarden Mystery 4 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm Inside Westminster Abbey 9:00pm The Dog Rescuers: Best in Show 10:00pm The Hotel Inspector 11:00pm 70 Stone and Almost Dead

6:30am The Hurricane Heist: The Eye of the Storm 7:00am The Wilde Wedding 8:50am Alien Invasion: S.U.M.1 10:30am Professor Marston and the Wonder Women 12:25pm Wetlands 2:20pm Geostorm 4:20pm FML 6:10pm The Wilde Wedding 8:00pm Professor Marston and the Wonder Women 10:00pm Geostorm 12:00am FML 1:55am Wetlands 3:50am The Midnight Man 5:40am Top Ten Show, the 2018

4:00pm Football's Greatest 4:30pm Football's Greatest Teams 5:00pm Football's Greatest Head to Head 5:30pm SPFL Round Up 6:00pm Football Years 6:30pm Football Countdowns 7:00pm MLS Round Up Show 7:30pm EFL Greatest Games 8:00pm EFL Goals: Championship 8:30pm EFL Goals: Leagues 1&2 9:00pm SPFL Round Up 9:15pm SPFL Round Up 9:30pm SPFL Greatest Games 9:45pm SPFL Greatest Games 10:00pm MLS Round Up Show 10:30pm Football's Greatest 11:00pm Phenoms - England 12:30am MLS Round Up Show

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

TUESDAY 10:30am The Centenary of the Royal Air Force 2:20pm BBC News at One 2:50pm BBC London News 3:00pm Wimbledon 2018 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm Fake Britain 9:00pm Holby City 10:00pm Our Girl 11:00pm BBC News at Ten The latest national and international news, with reports from BBC correspondents worldwide. 11:30pm BBC London News

3:40am 7:15am 7:45am

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

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.

www.rtnnewspaper.com

6th - 12th July

WEDNESDAY 2:45pm 7:00pm 7:15pm 7:30pm 10:15pm 10:45pm 11:15pm 11:45pm 11:57pm 12:00am 12:50am 2:35am

Wimbledon 2018 BBC News at Six BBC London News Match of the Day Live EastEnders Room 101 BBC News at Ten BBC London News BBC Weather The Voices in My Head Match of the Day Weather for the Week Ahead

9:00pm Today at Wimbledon 10:05pm Picnic at Hanging Rock 11:00pm Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing 11:30pm Newsnight 12:15am The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan 1:15am Ambulance 2:15am Celebrities on the NHS Frontline 3:15am This is BBC Two

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

Judge Rinder Tenable Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Paul O'Grady's Animal Orphans ITV News at Ten and Weather ITV News London FIFA World Cup 2018 Highlights Play to the Whistle Jackpot247

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

Find it, Fix it, Flog it Countdown A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun The £100k Drop Come Dine with Me The Posh Frock Shop The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Location, Location, Location 24 Hours in a and e Stath Lets Flats Lookalikes 24 Hours in Police Custody

3:15pm 4:15pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm

Cagney and Lacey To be Announced 5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight The Secret Life of Puppies 9:00pm The Highland Midwife 10:00pm Secrets of the National Trust with Alan Titchmarsh 11:00pm Britain's Cocaine Epidemic 12:05am Cocaine: Teen Dealers

7:00am

Alien Invasion: S.U.M.1 Barracuda Professor Marston and the Wonder Women The Wilde Wedding Geostorm FML Professor Marston and the Wonder Women The Wilde Wedding Geostorm More Wetlands Top Ten Show, the 2018

5:00pm

Come Dine with Me Find it, Fix it, Flog it Countdown A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun The £100k Drop Come Dine with Me The Posh Frock Shop The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Supershoppers Holidays From Hell Celebrity Sextortion News Crack Naked Attraction

1:10pm 1:15pm

9:00am The Wilde Wedding 10:50am Geostorm 12:55pm Top Ten Show, the 2018 1:15pm Fashionista 3:15pm Professor Marston and the Wonder Women 5:20pm The Wilde Wedding 7:10pm FML 9:00pm Geostorm 11:00pm Fashionista 1:00am The Midnight Man 2:45am Wetlands 4:35am Alien Invasion: S.U.M.1

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

8:40am 10:30am 12:25pm 2:15pm 4:15pm 6:10pm 8:10pm 10:00pm 12:00am 2:00am 3:55am

Football's Greatest Head to Head 5:30pm SPFL Round Up 5:45pm SPFL Round Up 6:00pm Football Years 6:30pm Football Countdowns 7:00pm EFL Greatest Games 8:00pm EFL Goals: Championship 8:30pm EFL Goals: Leagues 1&2 9:00pm SPFL Round Up 9:30pm SPFL Greatest Games 10:00pm Greatest Moments in Football

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

Wimbledon 2018 BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show EastEnders Eat Well for Less Keeping Faith BBC News at Ten BBC London News Question Time This Week Weather for the Week Ahead BBC News

10:00am 12:00pm 12:30pm 1:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 12:15am 1:15am 2:15am 3:25am

Victoria Derbyshire BBC Newsroom Live The Daily Politics Wimbledon 2018 Today at Wimbledon Gardeners' World Mock the Week Newsnight Frankie Goes to Russia Grammar Schools: Who Will Get In? Imagine... This is BBC Two

6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 11:45pm 12:15am

The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Trump and Britain: Love or Loathing? Tonight Emmerdale Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs Police Tapes ITV News at Ten and Weather ITV News London The Late Debate Lethal Weapon

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

5 News Lunchtime GPs: Behind Closed Doors 2:15pm Home and Away 2:45pm Neighbours 3:15pm Cagney and Lacey 4:20pm Deadly Inn 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm Police Interceptors 9:00pm Bad Tenants, Rogue Landlords 10:00pm Clash of the Titans 12:25am Traffic Cops

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

Football Countdowns EFL Greatest Games EFL Greatest Games EFL Goals: Championship EFL Goals: Leagues 1&2 SPFL Round Up SPFL Round Up SPFL Greatest Games SPFL Greatest Games Greatest Moments in Football Phenoms - France

this week weather FRI

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July 12

37º/16ºC 38º/17ºC 41º/18ºC 42º/19ºC 44º/26ºC 43º/25ºC 43º/22ºC Brilliant sunshine

Brilliant sunshine

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.

www.rtnnewspaper.com

6th - 12th July

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

Puzzles Page

BEAT 1 2 3 4

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

Aries. It’s payback time at last. The Cosmos appears to be rewarding you this week for taking action over something that was veering out of control. Thanks to your good guidance and foresight things are very different now. Mercury squares up to Jupiter midweek as you enter a positively inspiring and creative period.

Libra. You are poised and ready, but that which you secretly have been dreading to have to do is no longer an issue anymore. Be wise in answering a seemingly innocent request because there is more in it than meets the eye. Mercury’s square on Jupiter reveals a way of nipping things in the bud. Forewarned is forearmed.

Taurus. Venus takes on Uranus, planet of innovation and technology. You will see what a little love really can do in the current scheme of things; establishing new and inspiring energies that you will undoubtedly profit from. The future takes on a rosy glow, and this will boost forward planning to put you ahead where you truly belong.

Scorpio. Your significant resolving powers are sought after this week, and you will roll your sleeves up to facilitate. You need something to focus your energies on, and this is an area where you excel. Mercury is empowered by Mars right now and you are good to go. Believe in yourself, above all, and things will start to get more interesting.

Gemini. Carefully weigh up the pros and the cons right now before you take any further action. Mercury has been in opposition to Mars, elevating the impact of a recent action that has been clouding your mind of late. Now it seems as if you have things sewn up; but like a sleeping cat, have one eye open and be ready to pounce!

Sagitarius. Expect changes to routines, delays and cancellations this week. Pluto is chiefly to blame, egged on by both an opposition with the Sun, and actions with Mars and Mercury. Just something connects you with fate as things are so much out of control the unexpected takes over and then, in spite of it, magic can happen!

Cancer. Somebody needs your broad shoulders to cry on, but they are frightened to approach you. Knowing, as you do, the crux of the matter, you could do a lot to bring comfort and respite. With Ceres in front line with sage Saturn, and the Sun in opposition to Pluto, the time is right for some appropriate reconciliation and recompense.

Capricorn. Pastures new are not only beckoning, they are becoming more than just a dream. Whilst you are safe where you are, the chance to move on is not running away, and things do look much greener on the other side. Neptune helps you to juggle a balance with the aid of quick acting Mercury. Change is nearer than you think.

Leo. Time to show just what you are truly capable of! The time has come to take centre stage, and you are more than ready to take control. The effect of the Sun in trine with Neptune at the beginning of the week puts you in pole position. Time to show everyone who doubted you that you have what it takes to pull this one off!

Aquarius. Take a good look at finances right now and be prepared to take appropriate action. Income is reduced at a time when expenditure increases, and it is clear that someone isn’t paying their way, which doesn’t help. Neptune’s action with Mercury has a reverse affect and a financial corner needs to be well and truly turned.

Virgo. The midweek entry of Venus into Virgo sees the Goddess of Love well and truly ensconced; supporting the action of a subsequent brief trine with Uranus. Love comes through to you on many different levels this week. The love you channel in your life comes right back to you threefold and something romantic stirs within!

Pisces. Venus in Virgo and Neptune in cahoots with an ebullient Mercury. Everything is in place to ensure you get the opportunities you deserve. You have to reach out and send your message appropriately and succinctly if it is to be heard by those who truly need you right now. Start as you mean to continue and abundance is yours.

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Cryptic

Down 1 Chooses heavy tools (5) 2 Tape Dad modified (7) 3 Bird swimming in Rhone (5) 4 Entertainment that's a nice change with mother (6) 5 Steal the show from the back of the theatre (7) 6 A hospital room success symbol (5) 7 Having red nose, turned back (7) 12 There's no hope of being praised, anyhow (7) 13 Water lost, lake restored over time (7) 15 Iced liquid? Could be great eclair (7) 16 Ask Einstein to include Hanks (6) 18 Starting tax returns every night, daft craze (5) 19 Mistakes made on the cricket field (5) 20 Spread out and point before drama (5)

SALE Weekly Stars

Across 1 Juicy fruit, penny apiece (5) 4 Our entering the animal enclosure requires nerve (7) 8 Charlton Heston and George Raft’s imaginary nonsense started the embarrassment (7) 9 Draws back the turf (5) 10 Material needed by witness at inquest (5) 11 Nasty communist returned to wander about (7) 12 Lied terribly about direct debit cheat (6) 14 Insubstantial silver found in lake (6) 17 Reverse, but not on the road (7) 19 Loses one's temper when shown photographs (5) 21 Declare Namibia is hosting sports venue (5) 22 First I nail it by mistake (7) 23 Red brings Smee back and reclaims ownership (7) 24 Second vehicle learner abandoned, it’s regretful (5)

Code Breaker

Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 10 represents W and 18 represents P, so fill in W every time the figure 10 appears and P every time the figure 18 appears. Now, using your knowledge of the English language, work out which letters should go in the missing squares. As you discover the letters, fill in other squares with the same number in the main grid and the control grid.

Play on Words

Answers Too far to walk. Scrambled eggs.

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6th - 12th July Across 1/11 Solidified carbon dioxide (3,3) 3 Formal agreement (4) 5 Measure of land equivalent to 4,840 square yards (4) 6 Exchange (4) 8 Pompous or pretentious talk or writing (4) 11 See 1 12 Move fast (4) 15 Settee (4) 16 Pull, as against a resistance (4) 17 Voracious freshwater fish (4) 18 Take in solid food (3)

Quick

Down 1 Expensive (4) 2 Spun thread (4) 3 Annoy persistently (6) 4 Extreme end of something (3) 7 Totals (4) 9 Lowest female voice (4) 10 Speech of violent denunciation (6) 13 Strong restless desire (4) 14 Indirect suggestion (4) 15 Drink by taking small mouthfuls (3) Across 1 Hablar (5) 4 Seals (animal) (5) 10 Entrar (5) 11 Playa (7) 12 Younger (person, animal, wine, country) (3,5) 13 Húmedo (clima) (4) 15 Noventa (6) 17 Color (6) 19 Salvia (4) 20 Chemist's (shop) (8) 23 Recibir (7) 24 Nidos (5) 25 To cough (5) 26 Wall (interior) (5)

Down 2 Ducks (birds) (5) 3 Aeropuertos (8) 5 Buttonhole (4) 6 Godson (7) 7 Stepbrother (11) 8 Cenizas (5) 9 To wake up (11) 14 Storm (8) 16 Business (7) 18 Walk (stroll) (5) 21 Swan (5) 22 Sabio (acción, decisión) (4)

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

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.

Sudoku

Funagram Unscramble the name of a famous American author of popular novels: HOLD IRON BARBS Unscramble the name of a famous a UK stadium (two words): ALL-BRAN MEAL ANSWERS: - HAROLD ROBBINS - BRAMALL LANE

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

Kenny’s Postbag Kenny, who was your favourite client? Jann V. This really means who was my most famous client. I get asked this a lot, but it is the first time this came up in the Postbag. My clients all deserve the anonymity they must expect from me whether they are famous or not. However, just before she died, I read for Joyce Grenfell. She was such a strong believer and was surrounded by Spirit; a very inspiring lady and a great actress of her time.

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

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6th - 12th July

Bicycling in Cartagena

by Migel Jayasinghe

CYCLE TOURS: The pretty town of Cartagena. FOLLOWING a news item in the local press that Cartagena Town Hall was providing tourists with the use of bicycles to explore the city, two of my neighbours and I decided to travel to Cartagena one sunny day in October. My excuse ... my wife, no cyclist, had flown to London to be with our grandchild and wouldn’t be back for another week. Our collective experience of past brief visits to this port city, known as Carthage in Roman times, was not entirely satisfactory. Doreen and George had once driven down AP7 the 60 or so kilometres to Cartagena, but complained that the place had almost totally shut down by the time they reached it. They also found trudging around town, after parking their car, extremely tiresome. A previous trip with my wife also proved unproductive as the coach was delayed at several pickup points by tardy passengers and others who didn’t turn up at all. This time, we decided to travel to Cartagena by train. I was indeed a step ahead of Doreen and George as I had obtained a Tarjeta Dorada (a card issued by RENFE to pen-

sioners, enabling them to buy concessionary tickets to travel by train anywhere in Spain). While Doreen and George paid almost €10 each to travel to and from Cartagena, I paid only €6.50. We packed our sandwiches and water bottles in our rucksacks and drove down to Albaterra-Catral train station, leaving our homes around

8.00am. We took the next available train to Murcia and transferred to the Cartagena train from there. In spite of an unexpected delay between trains, we alighted at Cartagena’s imposing train station at 10.30am on an invitingly-bright, late October morning. We trudged along the Avenida de America and saw the brand new

yellow bicycles parked in a line in front of the Tourist Office. We had to show our passports to an assistant who put our details in to a computer and issued us with a card inscribed with the logo BICITY Cartagena, along with a Servicio Municipal de Prestamo de Bicycletas. We were then issued with a three-page document in English headed ‘Rules and

Regulations to use the Bicity Service.’ We were required to read it before each being issued with a key, with a tag giving the number of the bicycle we were entitled to ride for up to three hours before parking it at the closest Tourist Information Point. We could retrieve the bikes after a rest period of half-an-hour for another spell of riding of three hours. The service, to our amazement, was entirely free of charge. No rental, no deposit, nothing to pay whatsoever. We spent the next three hours happily pedalling away visiting the Roman amphitheatre, the Peral submarine, the castle on the hill, and many other sights. We then took a break to eat our sandwiches and, more than a good half hour later, picked up three differently numbered bikes from the nearest Tourist Information Point. Doreen had the misfortune to fall off the bike at one point, but was grateful to the local workmen who rushed to get her back on her feet. Having handed over the bikes at the original starting point, and after a satisfying tapas and ‘cafe-conleche’ each, we returned home by train, just as it was beginning to get dark. End of a happy cycling day in Cartagena!

Advertising Feature THERE is a brand new restaurant and bar in Montebello which offers a great selection from breakfast to a delicious evening meal, with a superb menu de la noche at €15.95 for three courses plus a FREE salad and FREE ½ bottle of wine. Open Monday to Sunday from 10am to 11.30pm (food served until 5pm on Sunday), this comfortable bistro and bar contains a huge amount of driving memorabilia. The bistro boasts superb chefs who offer a selection of international food and the well-stocked bar is open to visitors, even if they are not dining. As the weather improves, so the open terrace comes into play with a children’s entertainment area, high chairs, baby changing table and a wide selection of children’s ice creams ... and a fine addition to the number of eateries in the area. There is a great loyalty card scheme which earns you one point for every euro spent and entitles members to enter an exclusive monthly raffle, access to special offers and much more. Take advantage of the book-and-ride option, so no need for a ‘designated driver’ as the bistro will offer you access to its complimentary minibus which will collect you and take you home again.

Silverstones for a choice of great food in Montebello OPEN TERRACE: Children’s entertainment and ice creams.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are all on offer, a wide selection of food including vegan and vegetarian options. In addition, the bar offers a large selection of beers, spirits, cocktails, wines and champagnes.

Wednesday night is Curry Night and on Sunday night enjoy the FREE quiz night hosted by Mexican Bruno, with a meal €20 meal voucher and bottle of cava for first prize. Sunday may see the kitchen closing

early but there is plenty of time to enjoy a superb roast with a choice of four meats, a fish dish and a vegetarian option. You can then sit back, relax and enjoy a drink as the sun thinks about setting. It’s not just about food but about pleasant staff, cleanliness and a relaxing atmosphere. Silverstones in-house pianist plays on the baby grand piano during Sunday lunch, live music is played on both Friday and Saturday night in the air conditioned bar/restaurant.

SILVERSTONES BAR AND BISTRO: Avenida Romero, Montebello (Close to Ciudad Quesada just off Junction 745 / AP7) Tel: 965 720 140 • Website: www.silverstonesbarbistro.com Facebook: Silverstones Bar & Bistro

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6th - 12th July

Living under a dictatorship

by Michael Walsh

Credit: Josep Castell flickr

keyboardcosmetics@gmail.com WHEN, in 2013, I predicted the collapse of the EUSSR (European Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) there were chortles but they are not laughing now. Germany lurches from crisis to crisis under a rickety coalition regime. As an aside, post-war Germany is hindered by an illegal constitution imposed by the Allies in 1945. Germany’s armed forces surrendered but the twice-elected constitutional NSDAP government (1933-1945) never capitulated. Malignant dictatorships have a short shelf-life. Despite benefiting from massive Western investment and their being rescued in the Second World War by the US and UK, the Soviet Union survived just 77 years. Marino Rajoy’s minority Spanish administration recently collapsed after losing a vote of confidence. The future of President Emmanuel Macron of France is uncertain. Elected on a deeply flawed process, two-thirds of

PEARL OF THE BALTIC: The elderly are suffering in Riga.

French electors disapprove of their posturing ‘Little Napoleon.’ In Britain, Prime Minister May had no choice but to enlist the support of a handful of bigoted Northern Ireland legislators to dodge the election bullet. Europe’s strong, popular and successful nations are those in the anti-EU Visegrad Bloc; Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia, Austria stands at the door. Elsewhere in the EU, there isn’t a single successful popular government. Benjamin Franklin summed up the dilemma of alliance government, “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.” Latvia is the third most impoverished nation in the shambolic EUSSR. In Riga, a lovely well-ordered city under the latter day Soviets, one constantly trips over street beggars. In the city dubbed the Pearl of the Baltic, the elderly huddle in the snow begging for alms. In Lithuania, I nearly wept as I watched a dispirited man, way long past pension age, brushing the streets. Germany, plundered and divided by the Allies after the Second

World War, was finally reunited in 1990 with large bits missing and then divided up between the conquerors. Many who lived in the Soviet-occupied zone say life was better under Moscow’s jackboot than it is under Merkel and the EU’s two unelected presidents and 27 commissioners. Such is the people’s revulsion of their decrepit and corrupt EU regimes that there is a massive electoral surge in favour of antiglobalist, anti-immigrant, populist parties. Hungary, Austria, Italy, Czech and Slovak Republics, others too, are in favour of the lifting of anti-Russian sanctions. The Brussels regime has, this week, again nodded through an extension of the anti-Russian sanctions that cost us €3.2 billion a month and thousands of lost jobs. The sanctions serve only to strengthen the Russian economy. Lord Kerr, who helped enormously to draft EU Article 50, which sets out the terms of membership, concedes, “Article 50 was designed to be used by a dictatorial regime.” So, tell me again Tommy Atkins, for what did you and your generation fight? “I fought for fake news, sir.”

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

www.rtnnewspaper.com

6th - 12th July

health

And sleep... STILL waking up feeling tired and groggy despite going to bed early? Well it could be that you woke up during your sleep cycle. Scientists say an average adult has sleep in 90-minute cycles meaning there are five or six a night and if you wake up during this cycle it can leave you feeling tired and lethargic, so to try and optimise your sleep it is important to work out the best time to nod off and a ‘sleep calculator’ predicts just that. Blind retailer Web Blinds created the ‘sleep calculator’ based on it taking an average of 14 minutes to fall asleep, which aims to help people know when the best time to go to sleep is for when they have to get up, ensuring they wake up refreshed. For example, if you need to wake up at 7am, the sleep calculator believes that you should try and sleep at the beginning of a sleep cycle at either 9.46pm, 11.16pm, 12.46am or 2.16am.

SLEEP CYCLE: Ensures you wake up refreshed.

The great outdoors is great for your health EVER wondered why the great outdoors is c a l l e d ‘ g r e a t ? ’ We l l i t seems that living closer to open spaces and the countryside could reduce your chance of an early death by up to 16 per cent. Scientists say after reviewing hundreds of previous studies, they have concluded that living closer to fields and trees not only helps prevent an early death, but also reduces your risk of being obese or depressed. The study was funded by Friends of the Earth Europe (FoE) and also

showed that the great outdoors had benefits for pregnant women, being considered a ‘natural healer’ with women giving birth to children of healthier sizes. If you are struggling to sleep, camping could also help. Scientists found that sleeping under canvas for a few nights, away from the hustle and bustle of city life, helped to reset the internal body clock, with the body reacting to the natural cycle of light and dark rather than being influenced by artificial lighting from computers and televisions.

Repair the damage with conditioner EVERY time we use a blow dryer or tongs, pull our hair into a tight ponytail or even brush it we’re putting extra stress on it and causing unwanted damage. To make things worse, damaged hair gets dry and rough which leads us on a vicious circle as we use the tools again to try and tame it. While the experts tell us to always use a heat protector and apply a mask every week, if we’re honest about it there are most probably times that isn’t going to happen. Yet with a religious daily conditioning routine, the worst can be kept in check at least temporarily. While some women stay away from conditioners, claiming they weigh hair down or make it fall flat, it is actually quite the opposite. By skipping conditioner, they expose their hair to damage which will wear away the cuticle layer, making every strand seem thinner. With the right type of conditioner, your hair will not only be smooth, silky and detangled but it will look healthier.

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6th - 12th July

health by Inmaculada Rodríguez a clinical psychologist info@psicologainmarodriguez.com

HELLO Inmaculada, I was wondering if you could give some advice regarding shared custody and how to overcome a divorce. We have lately found an increase in the number of divorces and separations, which shows that there are changes at the social and cultural level. There are different opinions on this matter. Some people see it in a positive way as couples are able to separate when the relationship does not work out instead of making each other unhappy. Some others see it as if people do not take relationships seriously and break up before the first disagreement. Either way, the third party in this equation are children, who are sometimes affected by a poorly managed divorce. There are some suggestions

A question about shared custody that I offer to parents who go through a divorce process. • Before making a decision that involves your child, try to think first of his/her benefit and not to teach your ex-partner a lesson. • Not to talk badly about your ex-partner in front of your child. Children need to grow up with a healthy image of their parents. • Children need to maintain their routine as much as possible regarding school, family and friends. If your child has a good relationship with his or her maternal or paternal grandparents try to keep it. • Be honest and open with your child regarding divorce and the changes

that are coming. Children often feel anxious when they do not know what is going to happen

in the near future. • Try to communicate with your ex-partner regarding your

child’s issues and not use children as intermediaries. If you are a parent going through a divorce and find it difficult to take on board these suggestions, I would strongly recommend you seeking professional help. There is the belief which says we must be able to deal with problems ourselves and be strong. On the other hand, I believe that as human beings sometimes we need to ask for help in order to overcome difficult times. This help is aimed at having a healthy divorce process through individual therapy for the parents, family therapy or support for your child. In any case, professional help has a preventative effect from future psychological problems. It is also important to get support from family members and friends in order to overcome this difficult period. Be positive as it is possible to recover and gain a better life after divorce.

DIVORCE: If couples split they need to think of the children.

pets

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6th - 12th July

• sponsored by

Could you dog-sit for Mocha? MOCHA needs a dogsitter, can you help? The Newfie Labrador is an unusual breed mix, Mocha is a classic example of this mix. She has a friendly nature, easy going and gentle with people. Mocha lives one mile from the village of Cookham in Berkshire and needs a dogsitter from July19-25. Can you help? Dog-sitters give peace of mind. Amanda, Mocha’s owner, says it took her a few weeks of living in their new house before she decided to go away and she wanted a reliable house-sitter to come in and look after Mocha in her own home. While Mocha is very gentle and easy going, it can still be disruptive to keep moving the dog from one place to another

MOCHA: Friendly nature and gentle with people.

w i t h d i ff e r e n t f e e d i n g times in new environments. Amanda wanted her to maintain her routine during the day and for someone caring to be with her at night in her new home. So a housesitter was the best choice for her. What our members say about us on Trustpilot. A very well-run house and pet-sit… A very well-run house and pet-sit website, which you can join for a modest annual membership fee. Whereby we found a reliable couple to look after dog and home for a week while they en-

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home and pet owner. Our membership offers you a secure network to help you find suitable sitters. We don’t reveal your contact details, or your address. You post an advert ahead of your travel dates, we publish the advert then house-sitters apply. You can view their profiles and chat with them before you accept your choice of applicant. If you join as a Premium member we can also help you at each stage of the process to get you started and to manage your account. How do you join? Please register online via our website www.Housesitmatch.com. • Choose a membership plan • Standard (DIY option) = £49 pa • Premium (with support at each step) = £79 pa

Fluff, fleas and fertility AT this time of year, cats will be shedding hair like there’s no tomorrow, and this process repeats itself in autumn as well as spring. There are ways to reduce the amount of hair that accumulates in your home, by brushing your cat’s coat on a daily basis. When the days get longer, female cats’ hormones are stimulated and they come into heat, getting pregnant as young as five to six months of age. Male cats become fertile around the same time. It’s a good idea to get your cat spayed or neutered. It

helps to keep numbers down, reduces transmission of disease, and keeps them closer to home, rather than fighting in the streets. The warmer weather encourages fleas, so it’s wise to protect your cat, even before the weather changes. The garden and outside areas can be dangerous to your cat, so make sure that fertilisers, pesticides and chemicals are put away. If an area has been sprayed with toxic material, then it’s best to keep the cat away until it has lost its potency. Plants

could also be a danger, including lilies, tulips, lily of the valley and azaleas. Like humans, pets can also suffer with allergies, so look out for excessive scratching, hair loss and skin rashes. Vaccinations are also very important for your cat.

If, in any doubt, always consult your vet, especially if they are displaying unusual behaviour. SUMMER MONTHS: Keep your cat safe in the garden.

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6th - 12th July

ARCHITECTS

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

INSURANCE

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POOL MAINTENANCE Repairs, Spares and Leak Testing. Call 965 725 565 / 676 945 360 www.pooltech spain.com(259394)

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SITUATIONS VACANT

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6th - 12th July

MISCELLANEOUS

REMOVALS & STORAGE

SPANISH COURSES

Puzzle answers Puzzle answers Puzzle answers Puzzle answers Puzzle answers

Word Ladder SURF TURF TURN TORN TOWN DOWN

Quick

Codebreaker

Kakuro

Sudoku

English-Spanish

Cryptic

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6th - 12th July

sport

Photo credit: CD Torrevieja

SUPPORTERS of CD To r r e v i e j a w i l l b e d e lighted at two pieces of news announced by the club this week. They have reached a deal to sign up new player Alvaro Mas Huertas, 26, who will join for the upcoming season. Alvaro plays centre midfield, and is renowned for his leadership abilities, ball control, excellent team work and his experience. The 26-year-old player from Alicante, comes t o C D To r r e v i e j a f r o m UD Ilicitana, where he enjoyed a great season as one of the team’s key players. Mas has previously played for Quintanar del Rey, Orihuela CF and FC Jove Español, all Third Division clubs. He went on to make his debut for Second Division Hercules CF in the 20132014 season. It was also announced that the popular German Andres Acuña Julio, also 26, is all set to play another s e a s o n w i t h C D To r r e vieja, after both parties agreed to renew his contract. German is a right-back and stands out for his speed, ener-

Photo credit: La Manga Club

Double boost for CD Torrevieja ALL WINNERS: The class of 2018 proudly gather with their prizes.

Juniors shine on big golfing stage in La Manga SPAIN’S latest generation of golfing stars turned out in full force at the 2018 Spanish Junior Golf Championship held at the La Manga Club. This prestigious event, that has seen past winners which have included Jose Maria Olazabal, Sergio Garcia and Carlota Ciganda, saw more than 380 boys and girls from all over Spain and beyond for the three days of competition on three 18-hole courses. Competition was as fierce as ever at this year’s event - which first took place in 1947 - with Álvaro Portillo and Álvaro Revuelta providing one of the main highlights as they fought out a memorable head-to-head battle in the oldest boys’

WELCOME: A new arrival, Alvaro (above), and a new favourite, German (top). getic bursts across the Columbian player on for pitch and his personalianother year. ty in the game. Previous to joining CD German joined the To r r e v i e j a , h e g a i n e d club towards the end of experience playing for last season and his teams such as the Boca good performances on Juniors (Colombia), the field were noted by L o t e r í a d e Ta c h i r a the coaches, convincing ( Ve n e z u e l a ) a n d U D them to keep the Ciempozuelos (Spain).

A sporting chance THIS month’s Scrabble challenge was related to the ongoing World Cup, with Christine choosing football as the main theme. Despite so many people following the tournament, all the players tried in vain to “hit through with a winning word” but very few football connected words were laid down. From those that were, ‘lines’, ‘zones’ and ‘sing’ were closest, and it was Terry that came out as the cup winner...in this case a bottle! Once again, it was Karen that scored the highest for the afternoon with a total of 472. Congratulations! The next round of Scrabble takes place on July 24 (not July 31 as it coincides with local fiestas) and as usual starts at 3.30pm prompt. The host, Maria, will be on hand to serve snacks and drinks from 3pm. Four players will also have the opportunity to play on the double board...a real challenge! For more details about joining the Scrabble club, please contact Christine on 694 437 698. The conundrum for this month is – GROSPINT. If you can rearrange and find a seven-letter word, then the Scrabble club is for you.

category played. The pair, who finished 10 strokes clear of their nearest challenger, could still not be separated after 54 holes before twohandicapper Portillo sealed victory with a birdie in the sudden-death play-off. Iran’s Minoo Mousavi claimed a comprehensive five-shot victory in the girls’ equivalent event from Paula de Francisco while Alvaro Gomez de Linares and Anna Cañado proved too strong for their rivals in the boys’ and girls’ 11-12 age group. And in the youngest age category, Ignacio Laulhe and Martina Navarro earmarked themselves as future names to follow after romping to victory by six and seven shots respectively.

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6th - 12th July

motoring Half of drivers fail to prepare for trips

Toyota launches new Century limousine Photo credit: @jahumphries1 Twitter

A STUDY undertaken by the Motor Ombudsman reveals that nearly half of drivers, who have taken their car on holiday, don’t personally check their vehicle before setting off Female motorists are less inclined than their male counterparts to look over their car at all before going on their holiday, and are twice as likely as men to resort to the opinion of a professional help, or calling up a friend, to give their vehicle the once-over. T h e Yo u G o v s u r v e y o f m o r e t h a n 1 , 6 0 0 British motorists also found that only 20 per cent of those who took part are well-versed in using any equipment they have in their vehicles in the event of a breakdown ... but close to half aren’t aware where the nearest garage is at their destination should something go wrong. The over-55’s are the most conscientious group when it comes to making sure that their car is up to scratch for the journey ahead, with 86 per cent of them having their car checked or taking a look at it themselves. Geographically, it’s those living in Wales (89 per cent) that make sure all the boxes are ticked to prevent any unwanted stops along the way.

FOR the first time in 21 years, Toyota has undertaken a full redesign of the Century, its exclusive, hand-crafted limousine. Modern styling cues are combined with a traditional, dignified look that references Century’s heritage, while the cabin is equipped for VIP rear seat passengers to be chauffeur-driven in complete comfort. The new model is equipped with a 5.0-litre V8 hybrid electric powertrain and adopts advanced safety technologies, including Toyota Safety Sense. The first Century debuted in 1967, created to mark the 100th birthday of Sakichi Toyoda, founder of the Toyota Group. For more than 50 years, it has been Japan’s most popular chauffeur-driven luxury car, favoured by the country’s leading industry executives. The new third generation model sustains its tradition of master craftsmanship and monozukuri - all-encompassing manufacturing. Its new hybrid electric powertrain addresses the

CRAFTSMANSHIP: Toyota expects to sell 50 per month. demand for improved envifor 50 units a month. ronmental performance, Century’s new 5.0-litre while the interior and exteV8 hybrid electric system rior designs blend new eledelivers the kind of smooth, ments with the car’s herconfident ride that a chaufitage look. feur car demands, together Century is built at Toywith excellent environmenota’s Higashi-Fuji plant. tal performance. Under offiSales targets in Japan are cial Japanese test criteria,

it achieves 38.4mpg. The car is equipped with electronically controlled air suspension and Adaptive Variable Suspension. Body rigidity has been improved with the use of structural adhesives, while new tyres and suspension components all contribute to ride comfort and reduced road vibration.