Weekender Alicante North Issue 100

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ISSUE 100 - Friday 28th June 2019 

Your Weekend Starts Here! 

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SPANISH TV CREW 

INVESTIGATES 

BENIDORM 

accommodation to rob 

them are not true, as no 

case has been reported 

to Benidorm Police. 

A spokesperson for 

a British Traders group in the 

resort posted on their Facebook 

page, saying, “there are unstable 

people who throw drugs into 

the drinks of others everywhere, 

and this can happen in the 

United Kingdom, but in reality, 

this is not a problem here in 

Benidorm” 

FAKE NEWS 

by Andy Mansell 

A film crew from Spanish 

national TV visited Benidorm 

earlier this week, reporting 

on the fake and negative news 

stories that have appeared in the 

British tabloid press recently. 

Following on from a fake 

story last year, which appeared 

on the front page of the Daily 

Star, claiming a ‘Great White 

Shark’ had attacked a child 

in the sea off Levante Beach, 

when in fact it was a small 

bite from an unidentified fish, 

two more false articles have 

appeared recently. 

Stories in The Mirror and 

The Sun, claiming that a gang 

of criminals are roaming the 

bars of the resort, actively 

drugging British tourists’ 

drinks, with pills, so that they 

can later follow them to their 

Looking to Sell Your Property? 

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LEVANTE S.A. GRUPO Z 

A MURCIA court 

has acquitted the former 

administrators of three 

popular Spanish-based 

video streaming sites 

of copyright charges on 

the grounds that he only 

posted links to other 

websites, and therefore 

did not break copyright 

law 

Ṫhe sites were 

AN operation that 

was triggered by 

the interception of 

a package of drugs 

at Madrid airport in 

April has come to what 

looks like a successful 

conclusion after the 

arrest of two men in 

Alicante this week. 

by Simon Russell 

originally created by a 

Murcia University worker 

11 years ago and became 

popular amongst Spanish 

speakers internationally. 

Prosecutors claimed 

the websites “gave 

internet users access to 

material protected by 

intellectual property 


The parcel, containing 

2.5 kilos and 650 

grams of marijuana, 

were destined for the 

Netherlands and had 

been sent from the 

Alicante towns of 

Agost and Elche. 

rights”, providing links 

to other sites where 

online users could watch 

or download films and 

series for free. 

But the Murcia 

court said the sites only 

provided links, rather 

than uploading protected 

content, and that none of 

the defendants obtained 

direct money from the 

The operation 

was handed over to 

the Guardia Civil in 

Novelda who were able 

to identify the person 

who sent the packages. 

They monitored him 

and this week raided 

a rural house in San 

Vicente del Raspeig and 

downloads from external 

servers. 

One group of 

producers claimed that 

rights holders had lost 

over 500 million euros 

because of the sites, with 

prosecutors seeking a 

two-year jail term for 

the four defendants, 

as well as fines and 

compensation. 

Dutch destination for drugs 

found 178 marijuana 

plants, drugs worth 

about €55,000 and an 

air rifle. They arrested 

a 60 year old man who 

had been in charge of 

shipping the drugs and 

a 34 year old whose 

role was cultivating 

them.

Facebook: @TheWeekenderSpain 

FRIDAY 28TH JUNE 2019 

3 

BRIT´S PEDALO DEATH 

by Alex Trelinski 

A 31-year-old British 

tourist has died off the 

Catalunya coast after he 

fell off a rented pedalo 

and was swept out to sea. 

The unidentified man 

fell from the pedalo 

off Platja del Regueral 

beach in Cambrils, to the 

south-west of Tarragona, 

at around 5.40 pm on 

Sunday. 

A witness called 

emergency services and 

rescuers were able to pull 

the man from the water, 

Finance Feature 

provided by... 

but attempts to revive 

him using CPR were 

unsuccessful. 

The witness said 

the man was clearly 

struggling in the water 

before ambulance and 

police crews arrived. 

The beach had 

lifeguards operating 

during the incident and 

the displayed flags were 

green, suggesting the sea 

was safe. 

Platja del Regueral 

SPANISH TV CREW INVESTIGATES FAKE NEWS 

FROM FRONT PAGE 

The post added that the 

majority of incidents of 

theft involve people who 

have consumed too much 

alcohol until they are so 

intoxicated they fall prey to 

muggers and pickpockets. 

Additionally, anyone 

falling victim to crime can 

report in the office of the 

Foreign Tourist Assistance 

Service (SATE), where 

they have a translator who 

can assist them. 

Another recent news 

story circulating heavily 

in the British tabloids, in 


Mid June, had an alarmist 

message, claiming a 

supposed lack of security 

in Spain, with authorities 

increasing the number of 

troops to tourist sites to 

40,000 after the terrorist 

threat had reached “severe” 

risk. 

Shortly afterwards, the 

Ministry of the Interior 

denied that the threat 

would be greater this year, 

although it did confirm the 

actual number of troops 

between National Police 

and Civil Guard, saying it 

will be the same as every 

year, owing to ‘Operation 

Summer’. 

Even stories, such as 

last week’s closure of 

beaches in Benidorm for 

an hour, owing to seven 

people receiving stings 

from Portuguese Caravel 

jellyfish, was reported in 

an exaggerated fashion by 

the Daily Mail. 

Their inflammatory 

article claiming there was 

panic on the beaches, 

failed to mention that 

incidents of this type 

Property vs Investment Portfolios 

happen throughout the 

Mediterranean at this time 

of year, as the sea increases 

in temperature. 

Worried traders in the 

resort are concerned 

that this type of negative 

reporting is having a 

detrimental effect on the 

image of Benidorm and 

has contributed to the drop 

in British bookings this 

Summer. 

One said, “this kind of 

news is blatant lies and 

they should be sued by the 

Spanish for the losses in 

tourism.” 

Investing in property has been 

popular in past years, with many 

people buying property to rent out 

as an investment. The attractions of 

property are clear. The UK sector has 

historically delivered a compelling 

rental yield, combined with an 

attractive level of capital growth over 

the long term. 

However, the property is not right 

for everyone and here I highlight some 

of the main factors that should be 

considered. 

1) Age – Once you really start 

getting to the later years of life, your 

risks start to become greater. You no 

longer have the luxury of investing for 

the long-term. For example, if you’re 

80 years old, and invest in property 

during a property boom, in 2 years 

time the market may start to dip. The 

market may recover after 10 years and 

put you back into high profits. But 

you may no longer be around to reap 

the benefits. So essentially, the older 

you are, the shorter your opportunity 

becomes for a long-term investment. 

2) Cost - The costs involved 

in buy-to-let can quickly stack up 

and erode the returns. Buying costs, 

including legal fees, agency fees and 

survey fees, all of which are usually 

paid upfront need to be considered 

and in Spain this can be somewhere 

around 15%! Then you will need to 

find tenants or advertise the property 

for holiday lets. Then you have the 

ongoing costs, which could include 

redecoration and repairs, gas and 

electrical appliance maintenance, 

buildings and contents insurance, legal 

insurance and the costs of complying 

with the various landlord regulations. 

3) Tax - You should also 

ensure you have a firm grasp of the 

tax implications of purchasing a 

buying property as this will cause a 

further limit on returns. In Spain the 

purchasing tax is 10%, so essentially 

you are 10% down from day one, 

but there are other ongoing taxes to 

consider. If you have a property you 

rent out in Spain and live in Spain 

yourself, you will have to declare 

the income on your Spanish tax 

return (declaration de la Renta de las 

personas fisicas) every year and then 

of course when you sell the property 

you will have to consider the possible 

capital gains tax. 

4) Lack of diversification - If 

you own your current home, investing 

in a second could leave you heavily 

exposed to the property market. If 

property prices falter, your wealth 

could be significantly affected. 

The property market is also highly 

illiquid, meaning a property can sit on 

the market for months, or even years, 

before a buyer is found. If you need to 

access your money quickly, you could 

be forced to accept a lower offer than 

you could achieve given more time 

and even then, this could take some 

time. 

We should also take into 

consideration the location of the 

property. Unlike the UK the rental 

yields in Spain can be as little as 2-3% 

gross and if you take into consideration 

the buying fees, often it can take over 

5 years just to break even! 

So what if buying a property is not 

a suitable investment for you? What 

are the alterative options? 

Number one, leaving money in 

your bank can be a bad idea if you 

want to achieve growth. UK inflation 

is currently at 2.5% so unless your 

bank are paying you 2.5% interest 

(which is very unlikely) you savings 

are depreciating daily. 

So what about investing? Many 

people get put off by that word. They 

think that it is only for the experienced 

or for big risk takers but it really isn’t. 

The key to investing is getting the right 

advice, making sure that all of your 

needs and objectives are considered 

and that everything is explained in a 

simple manner that you understand. 

At Chorus Financial, we do just 

that. If a client comes to me and 

purchasing a property is the right thing 

for them, I’ll advise them of that – 

By Tracy Storer 

Senior Partner 

Chorus Financial 

and if it isn’t? I’ll sit down and talk 

through the various options available, 

whether they just want to grow their 

money at the same rate of inflation 

or they are more aggressive investors 

looking for bigger growth, we make 

sure that it is right for them. 

If you are confused about what 

investments are right for you, give 

me a call on 693 107 044 or email 

t.storer@chorusfinancial.es 

Chorus Financial are a trading style of Tourbillon Limited, authorised and regulated by the Financial Services 

Commission (Gibraltar), licence Number FSC1118B & registered with the UK FCA, ref. 539348.


RYAN AIR FLIGHT TAKES OFF 

WITHOUT 

ANGRY Ryanair 

passengers were left 

stranded at Alicante- 

Elche airport last week 

after a flight took off 

without them due to a 

“door malfunction”. 

19 travellers watched 

as their Belfast service 

departed on time last 

Wednesday night, with 

no way to get on board. 

Karl Stanfield said 

his holiday with his 

girlfriend “turned sour” 

with a two day journey 

to get home to Belfast. 

He told Belfast Live: 

“As we handed in our 

boarding passes to 

be scanned one final 

time at the gate and 

19 PEOPLE 


proceeded to walk 

down the ramp towards 

the plane. We were 

cut short by automatic 

doors closing in our 

faces.” 

“We were informed 

that there was no other 

flight was going to 

Belfast, that would be 

able to take us until 

Friday.” 

The stranded 

passengers said their 

luggage was on the 

flight so they were left 

with no clean clothes 

or toiletries, and many 

had little or no spare 

cash, as well having to 

take extra time off 

work. 

They were put 

up in an Alicante 

hotel, and told about 

flight options, which 

saw some travelling to 

Corvera in Murcia the 

following day to catch 

a service to Dublin, and 

then going to Belfast, 

where they picked up 

their luggage. 

No reason for the 

automatic door failure 

was given, whilst a 

Ryanair spokesman 

merely said that “all 

passengers were 

provided with hotel 

accommodation and a 

Ryanair flight”. 

PUSHED EX-WIFE FROM THIRD FLOOR WINDOW 

A trial has started in 

Valencia’s Provincial 

Court of a man 

accused of pushing 

his ex-wife out of a 

third floor apartment 

window, a fall she was 

lucky to survive by 

landing on an asbestos 

roof. The accused 

forced his way into 

the house when the 

couple started arguing 

by Alex Trelisnki pushed her mother out had clearly threatened 

of the window. to kill her and that was 

and then the alleged The trial had a his intention when 

incident happened. dramatic start as pushing her. The 

This was done in front the victim suddenly accused also has a long 

of their four year old withdrew her record of violence 

child who became accusation, possibly and breaching 

hysterical according to after threats, leaving restraining orders. 

neighbours, assuming the prosecution Although the victim 

her mother had been without their key survived she sustained 

killed. The child also witness. However, her nasty injuries and 

later testified to police police statement at the psychological trauma. 

that her father had time told how her ex 

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FATAL 

ASSAULT 

A BRITISH man, 

49-year-old Leigh 

Gardiner, has appeared 

in a Costa del Sol court 

after being arrested on 

suspicion of killing an 

Irish national, after an 

assault with a broken 

beer bottle. 

Father-of-two John 

Pender, aged 53, died 

after the incident at the 

by Alex Trelisnki 

Pogs Old Irish Bar in 

Fuengirola last Friday 

morning. 

Mr.Pender, who was 

on holiday with his 

wife, was attacked in 

the toilets of the bar, 

after he asked another 

man to stop bothering 

his wife and a friend’s 

partner. 

The National Police 

said:- “The victim 

received cuts to his 

neck and other parts of 

his body with a broken 

beer bottle.” 

Gardiner, a chef, 

was remanded into 

custody after a Malaga 

court appearance on 

Saturday. 

John Pender 

BRITISH TOURIST STRUCK 

A 22-year-old British 

tourist was hit by a car as he 

walked across a motorway 

in Mallorca in early hours 


of Sunday morning. 

The unnamed man 

was walking across the 

motorway connecting 

Palma de Mallorca airport 

with Palma on the island. 

The tourist was 

apparently in the middle 

of the carriageway, and 

was taken to hospital in a 

serious condition, with the 

Guardia Civil investigating 

the incident. 


Mosquito scare 

may be false alarm 

AFTER last weeks 

widely reported an incident 

involving the diagnosis of 

three Icelandic visitors to 

Alicante who appeared to 

have contracted a serious 

virus spread by tiger 

mosquitoes, Icelandic 

health authorities are now 

saying that the original 

diagnosis may have been 

incorrect. After reports 

of the chikungunya virus 

possibly being present in 

the area, the Valencian 

Ministry of Health started 

protocols involving 


5 

increased checks at health 

centres and hospitals as well 

as a stepped up awareness 

campaign for the public 

and GPs. The Icelandic 

laboratory that made the 

first diagnosis has said that 

a second test shows negative 

and are now awaiting the 

results of a third test. They 

believe the first tests may 

have been a “false positive”, 

something that occurs in a 

small amount of all medical 

testing procedures. 

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Ten year old 

HOT AND COLD FACTS 

mountain hero 

THE sharp hearing 

and persistence of a ten 

year old boy probably 

saved the life of a 64 

year old Dutchman 

who had fallen down a 

crevice in the Picos de 

Europa hills (Asturias). 

The lad and his family 

had all set off early last 

Sunday for a mountain 

walk when he said that 

he could hear someone 

crying out “Hello” and 

“Help me” while he had 

been away from the main 

group taking photos. He 

fetched his father who 

couldn’t hear them at 

first but then also heard 

Ruben Lopez heard the 

mans call for help 


something. However, 

they couldn’t pinpoint 

the location and when 

there was no response 

to their own shouts they 

wondered if it was a 

prank. 

After a pause, the 

yells came again and 

this time they were able 

to speak to the man who 

was wedged in a deep 

channel but not visible. 

The adult contacted the 

emergency services and 

a helicopter and fire crew 

arrived at the scene. It 

took a while to locate 

the stricken climber but 

they eventually found 

him and after a complex 

rescue operation 

involving four barrels 

of cables winched him 

to safety. He had injured 

his leg and required 

hospital treatment but 

was otherwise healthy. 

Later that day the 

boy, named as Ruben 

Lopez, visited the man 

he had helped save in 

hospital. The victim also 

explained that he was 

unable to hear people 

shouting at him as his 

hearing aid had fallen 

out when he fell. 

THE NUMBER of people 

dying in Spain from extreme 

temperatures linked to heart 

diseases has fallen dramatically 

over the last four decades. 

The survey has been produced 

by the Barcelona Institute for 

Global Health and looked 

at the Spanish population’s 

vulnerability to hot and cold 

temperatures. 

The study analysed 

temperatures and deaths related 

to cardiovascular diseases 

recorded in 48 Spanish provinces 

between 1980 and 2016. 

Cardiovascular diseases are the 

leading cause of death in Spain 


and there is clear evidence of an 

association between temperature 

and cardiovascular mortality. 

The findings show 

that temperature-related 

cardiovascular disease mortality 

was 38.2 per cent lower in the 

period between 2002 and 2016 

than for the period between 1980 

and 1994. 

Analysis of the figures 

in 15-year periods revealed 

that temperature-related 

cardiovascular mortality 

decreased at a rate of more than 

17 per cent per decade. 

Notable differences were 

observed between the sexes: 

heat-related mortality was much 

higher in women, while men 

were more vulnerable to cold 

temperatures. 

In older people, the risk 

of death attributable to high 

temperatures was significantly 

higher for both sexes, but in the 

case of cold, the increase was 

significant only for men. 

The research team say 

that many factors are at play, 

including better health services 

and housing, as well as 

substantial rises in incomes since 

the early eighties. 

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No Valenciano 

for Vox 


A new councillor for the 

Vox party was booed after 

she said the name of the town 

she will be serving in Spanish 

rather than Valenciano 

when she was sworn in to 

office. Gema Aleman was 

elected by the people of 

Sant Joan D’Alacant and 

at the ceremony she said “I 

swear, by my conscience and 

honour, to faithfully perform 

the functions of councillor of 

the excellent City of San Juan 

de Alicante” the less used and 

locally unpopular Spanish 

version. The right wing party 

are not keen on local dialects 

and this act was seen as a 

deliberate provocation on Ms 

Aleman’s first day in office. 

Vox congressman Ivan 

Espinosa de los Monteros 

tweeted his support for her 

from Madrid saying that 

“she was booed for using the 

Spanish name of a Spanish 

town in Spain. Cultural 

change is important and only 

Vox is willing to take up the 

battle”. General Franco, 

who many Vox supporters 

have professed to admiring, 

famously banned all 

languages from use in places 

such as schools and town halls 

except Castilian Spanish, 

effectively outlawing local 

dialects for 40 years. 

Wladimir Klitschko on his yacht 


7 

KNOCKED OUT 

FORMER world 

heavyweight boxing 

champion Wladimir 

Klitschko and his 

family were rescued on 

Sunday night after their 

motor yacht caught fire 

in Spanish waters. 

COUNTRYWIDE CALL 

PROSECUTORS want 

to open Spain´s first-ever 

national investigation into 

the sexual abuse of minors 

by the Catholic Church. 

In a report to the 

Ministry of Justice, 

the prosecutor’s office 

says that new ways to 

by Alex Trelinksi 

face “a criminal reality 

of undoubted gravity” 

should include learning 

lessons from the national 

commissions set up 

in Australia and the 

Netherlands, and the 

investigation led by 

bishops in Austria. 

The report says 965 

cases involving underage 

victims were prosecuted 

in 2017 and 1,091 in 

2018, but it warns that 

the picture is incomplete 

because abuses happen 

in “environments 

traditionally clad in certain 

opacity.” 

The prosecutor’s office 

also recommends that 

any abuses should be 

reported directly to the 

police, rather than going 

to church authorities. 


The 43-year-old 

Ukrainian revealed on 

social media that the 

incident happened off 

the coast of Mallorca 

and that nobody was 

hurt. 

The yacht, which was 

carrying nine people, 

reported a fire in its 

engine room and was 

drifting 15 kilometres 

south-west of Port 

Adriano. 

Neighbour’s 

daughter 

stabbed 

68 times 

THE trial has started in Alicante of a 

drug addict accused of murdering the 

daughter of a next door neighbour by 

stabbing her 68 times. The incident 

happened in an apartment block on 

Avenida Doctor Jiminez in March 2018 

when the victim went to her mother’s 

house to celebrate her birthday. After 

leaving the party the alleged killer was 

waiting for them, threw the victim to 

the ground and continually stabbed her. 

The father of the defendant is also on 

trail for threats made against the family 

of the victim at the time, saying “they 

had to pay”. The defendant has mental 

health and substance abuse problems but 

the prosecution say that these were not a 

factor in the murder. 

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Murdered for 

her pension 

TWO siblings, a brother 

and sister, have been 

arrested in the Teruel area 

after the body of their 

89 year old mother was 

discovered in a wardrobe in 

the family home. After an 

interrogation, her 48 year old 

son confessed to smothering 

her and hid the body so he 

could continue claiming his 

mother’s pension. He had 

recently been spreading the 

story that his mother had 

been moved to a residential 

home, something that raised 

suspicion with neighbours. 

Eventually, social services, 

who had been involved in the 


blind woman’s care, raised 

the alarm after the children 

were unable to provide an 

adequate explanation of 

their mother’s whereabouts. 

The Guardia Civil became 

involved and after speaking 

to the children eventually 

decided to search the house 

and found the body. It was 

very decomposed and may 

have been in the cupboard 

for around a year. The family 

lived in the tiny rural hamlet 

of Pozondon, which has a 

population of just under 50 

people. 

Don’t be a butthead! 

by Simon Russell food chain, affecting both 

flora and fauna of all sizes. 

Belen Vazquez, lateuaterra. 

com president, said that 

discarded cigarettes 

take about a decade to 

decompose. 

The campaign, 

ALMOST 15% of the 

rubbish left on Valencia’s 

beaches is cigarette butts, a 

situation that will only get 

worse as people hit the sands 

during the summer months. 

Crowdfunded environmental 

group lateuaterra.com has 

launched a campaign to 

educate smokers about the 

damage their waste does, not 

just to the sands but the seas 

as well where uncollected 

butts usually end up. These 

contain such toxic substances 

as nicotine, arsenic and 

lead which can kill marine 

microorganisms, In turn, this 

causes huge damage to the 

A 16TH century 

sculpture of Saint 

George in northern 

Spain whose amateur 

restoration left it looking 

like what many said was 

a cartoon character, has 

been brought back to its 

original state.. 

The wooden statue of 

#desentierralacolilla, asks 

beach-goers to upload 

photos of dog ends and 

the beach where they were 

found, something that acts 

as a shaming device to 

thoughtless smokers and 

that may make them think of 

the results of their actions. 

This is the second such 

campaign with the 2018 

effort being judged a major 

success by the group. As 


St George charging a 

horse in the San Miguel 

church in Estella, in 

the Navarra region, had 

turned a dark brown 

with age. 

But its restoration by 

a local craftsman left 

Spoiling the sands in Valencia. 

reported in the “Weekender” 

earlier this month, volunteer 

schoolchildren picked up 

the soldier with a pink 

face and a surprised 

look, with some Twitter 

users likening the 

restored statue to Tintin 

or Woody from “Toy 

Story”. 

Authorities fined the 

church and the craftsman 

six thousand euros each, 

4,000 cigarette butts on 

Javea’s main beach, the 

Arenal - in just one hour. 

BOTCH JOB REPAIR 

and after three months 

of work, St.George is 

almost back to normal 

at a cost of 30 thousand 

euros to the parish. 

There is some 

irreversible damage 

though, with some of 

the sculpture’s colours 

lost forever,


Ministry of Re-population 

THOSE concerned about 

the growing shortage of 

people living in the interior 

of Spain have asked that 

the government create a 

“Ministry of Re-population” 

to address the worsening 

issue. 50,000 people 

marched on Madrid in March 

saying that rural areas are 

being increasingly ignored 

and Spain is turning into a 

country where everyone lives 

either by the coast or inland 

big cities. 

Nearly every region, 

including Valencia, is 


experiencing the problem 

and have called for “territorial 

rebalancing”. This would 

be achieved firstly by the 

powers that be recognising 

there is a problem and then 

offering incentives for people 

to stay or even move to the 

more remote areas that used 

to feed much of the country. 

Supporters of the case say 

that over half of Spain’s 

8,000 municipalities are 

threatened with extinction 

due to depopulation issues. 


BRITISH tourists stabbed 

in Magaluf mass brawl 


FOUR BRITISH tourists 

were stabbed in a mass 

brawl on Mallorca last 

weekend after two street 

vendors were accused of 

stealing phones and a wallet. 

The fight, in the early 

hours of Saturday morning, 

is said to have caused alarm 

along the Punta Ballena 

party strip in Magaluf, with 

other people joining in and 

some of those involved left 

bleeding. 

Local media reported 

that when one of the British 

men spotted the theft, 

the street vendors fled, 

but that a knife was then 

brandished, prompting the 

Punta Ballena strip. 

“massive fight”. 

One victim had managed 

to catch his alleged attacker 

and hold him by the neck, 

and an ambulanceman 

helped to restrain him until 

police arrived. 

An investigation is underway 

into the brawl, 

which happened at 4.15 am 

and left a large amount of 

blood on the pavement. 

Earlier this month it 

was revealed that police 

were stepping up security 

in Magaluf because of the 

9 

high number of tourists 

being mugged by “mafia” 

groups. 

Eight people, many of 

them pretending to be street 

sellers, were arrested for 

robbery three weeks ago in 

the Calvia district. 

New natural pool making a splash 

THE new natural pool 

in the Marina de Valencia 

has proved such a success 

within the first few days 

of opening that plans are 

already being put in place 

to expand the facility. 

Located in the inner port 

La Base area the salt water 

pool is cordoned off from 

the main water, while there 

is also an astroturf decking 

area for sunbathing. The 

24 metres by 33 metre pool 

has marked off swimming 

lanes, general swimming 

and diving areas as well as 

toilets, changing rooms, 

showers, lifebuoys, a first 

aid service and lifeguards 

plus a food and drink truck. 

Despite all the facilities 

it is free and has a capacity 

of 400 bathers. However, 

this limit has regularly been 

reached and there are plans 

to double the size of the 

swimming and sunbathing 

area to meet demand. There 

are also plans for digital 

lockers and phone charging 

points. The quality of the 

water is pristine and in fact, 

is part of an area where 

endangered marine species 

live and the only marina in 

the Valencian province to 

win the Blue Flag beach 

award. 

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WOLF PACK JUSTICE 

Take care in 

the water 

EVERY year as 



the weather heats up, 

there is an increase their condition have not 

in serious and fatal been released at this 

incidents across the stage. 

region involving people The second victim 

taking to the water. was a 45 year old 

Last Monday was a man who was seen 

fiesta day across the getting into trouble 

Valencian Community at the pool outside 

and, while the weather the Montitxelvos 

was perfect, it also 

ended with three people 

SPAIN´S Supreme Court 

has sentenced five men to 

15 years in prison for raping 

an 18-year-old woman at the 

Pamplona bull festival in 

2016, overturning an earlier 

ruling of the lesser charge of 

sexual abuse. 

Fearing the men, who 

called themselves “Wolf 

Pack”, might attempt to 

flee the country, authorities 

rushed to arrest four of them 

following the ruling, with the 

fifth turning himself in. 

The men cornered the 

victim down an alley and into 

the lobby of an apartment 

building, where they took 

turns raping her. Some filmed 

the episode on their phones. 

In December, two lower 

courts rejected charges of 

sexual assault, and amidst 

much uproar, convicted the 

men of the lighter charge that 

carried a nine-year prison 

term. 

The fresh sentence also 

orders the men to pay up to 

100,000 euros in restitution 

to the victim. 

Hundreds of bomberos ready 

AS the summer forest by Simon Russell 

fire campaign swings 

into action, the Valencian Talking about the risk of 

Provincial Fire Consortium fire this year Consortium 

have announced that they president Josep Bort said 

will have 660 firefighters that the heavy rains in 

on call over the peak April will be of benefit, 

months. There are also meaning the ground is 

27 specialist brigades, 56 not as bone dry as some 

fire prevention brigades years. However, we are 

and 500 units of land currently entering the 

and aerial vehicles. New kind of prolonged warm 

equipment includes two and dry period that sees 

heavy “forest bombs” and fires develop. There have 

five urban bombs specially already been over 1,200 

adapted 4x4 vehicles. vegetation fires registered 

There is also increased in the province so far this 

use of technology such as year (to the end of May), 

satellite communications most of them harmless 

that can reach what were scrub fires but even these 

previously “dead zones” can soon get out of control 

for tracking fires. in the summer months. 

Orange crime gang squeezed out 

MEMBERS of an organised 

criminal gang that stole almost 

300,000 kilos of oranges have 

been arrested this week in 

Sueca (Valencia). This is part 

of the Guardia Civil’s ongoing 

“Insitor” campaign during 

the citrus season which is an 

attempt to crack down on theft 

of the fruit, something that has 

included 350 inspections at 

sales points where the vendor 


has to provide proof of the 

origin of the produce. It is 

alleged that the gang falsified 

documentation to evade the 

operation while sellers and 

pickers may also be involved. 

Regarding the crime in Sueca, 

five people have been arrested 

and another 39 are under 

investigation say the authorities. 

being hospitalised 

after near drowning 

incidents. The youngest 

victim was just three 

and had been bathing 

in the community pool 

on an urbanisation by 

the Pobla de Farnals 

beach area. The toddler 

has been transferred 

to Hospital Clinico de 

Valencia; details of 

THE Guardia Civil 

have arrested five 

men in their forties 

and fifties accused 

of assaulting and 

harassing a woman 

on a naturist beach in 

the Valencian resort 

of Cullera. The 40 

year old victim was 

sunbathing naked 

when she noticed the 

gang of men spying on 

her and other bathers 

from the dunes. She 

felt uncomfortable and 

started to leave, but 

the men approached 

her and then started 

touching her as well as 

sexually insulting and 

sports centre. He 

was given CPR at 

the scene and taken 

to Gandia Hospital. 

Earlier that day a 76 

year old woman was 

seen motionless in the 

waters off Acequion 

beach in Torrevieja. 

She was taken to 

Torrevieja Hospital 

and her condition or 

prognosis is not known 

at this stage. 

Nudist beach 

gang assault 


provoking her. 

Fortunately, she 

managed to escape to 

her car and drove to the 

police station at Sueca 

to report the attack. 

The police went to 

the beach and after 

interviewing several 

people, some of who 

had photographed the 

group arrested the 

five men, who live 

locally and have a 

history of arrest. The 

female victim had to 

be treated for anxiety 

but was otherwise 

unharmed.

902 123 461 

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TheWeekender-260x340-CAR01.indd 1 27/2/19 10:28


Pigeon row leads 

to double shooting 

POLICE are trying to 

unravel the background to 

a shooting incident in the 

Valencian town of Alzira 

last Thursday that left 

two women wounded by 

gunshots. The pair were 

wounded on the streets of 

the town centre around midmorning 

and it appears that 

they were somehow caught 

in the crossfire of a row that 

had badly escalated between 

two local men. They had 

A police investigation 

following on from a 

complaint by a woman 

that someone had been 

stealing from her bank 

account led to the arrest 

of one of her best friends 

last week. The victim had 

noticed a number of bogus 

cash-point withdrawals 

from machines in Torrent 

(Valencia) and filed the 

complaint. The National 


apparently been arguing 

about racing pigeons, a 

major pastime in this part 

of the world, though not 

normally a shooting matter. 

After the shots were fired 

one woman was struck in 

the stomach and the other 

in the arm. Neither are 

said to be seriously injured 

although both required 

hospital treatment. 

Woman 

steal 2,700€ 

from friend 


Police checked CCTV 

footage from the ATM and 

showed it to the victim who 

identified her friend. It is 

believed that she noted the 

PIN code after watching 

a withdrawal and then 

removed the bank card on 

25 occasions without her 

friend’s knowledge, taking 

a total of 2,700€ 

KILLER SENTANCED AFTER 

A DECADE ON THE RUN 

A SERBIAN man who 

spent a decade on the run 

after killing a man outside 

an Orihuela Costa restaurant 

in 2007, has been sentenced 

to eight years in prison by an 

Elche court. 

The man used to be a 

gang member in his native 

country and was involved 

in a series of burglaries at 

industrial estates across 

Spain. 

A 25-year-old man of 

Indian nationality was 

stabbed to death outside 

the Chinese restaurant on 

Calle Nicolas de Bussi, 

Playa Flamenca, in October 

2007 in a row involving a 

waitress. 

The dead man´s brother 

was also stabbed in the 

incident, along with two 

other people. 

The Serb, who used 

multiple fake identities as he 

hid out across Europe, was 

eventually tracked down to 

the Macedonian capital of 

Skopje over two years ago, 

and extradited to Spain. 

A friend of his was also 

handed down a four-year jail 

sentence at the Provincial 

Scene of the crime. 


Court in Elche. 

A SERBIAN man who 

spent a decade on the run 

after killing a man outside 

an Orihuela Costa restaurant 

in 2007, has been sentenced 

to eight years in prison by an 

Elche court. 

The man used to be a 

gang member in his native 

country and was involved 

in a series of burglaries at 

industrial estates across 

Spain. 

A 25-year-old man of 

Indian nationality was 

stabbed to death outside 

the Chinese restaurant on 

Calle Nicolas de Bussi, 

Playa Flamenca, in October 

2007 in a row involving a 

waitress. 

The dead man´s brother 

was also stabbed in the 

incident, along with two 

other people. 

The Serb, who used 

multiple fake identities as he 

hid out across Europe, was 

eventually tracked down to 

the Macedonian capital of 

Skopje over two years ago, 

and extradited to Spain. 

A friend of his was also 

handed down a four-year jail 

sentence at the Provincial 

Court in Elche.



Local&WhatsOn 

Weekendergram - Pic of the Week 

Photo by #JackRichards- Aqualandia, Benidorm 

Don´t forget 

to tag your 

location! 

Ashes to ashes, 

junk to junk 

THE Marina Alta’s largest 

town, Denia, saw 22,000 

kilos of ashes and un-burnt 

wood collected on the 

beaches after last weekends 

San Juan bonfire festivities. 

There was also 6,200 kilos 

of other rubbish to pick up 

such as plastics, bottles and 

cardboard packaging. Both 

types of waste accumulated 

represented a 10% increase 

on last year with clear up 

work starting at 4.45am on 

Monday morning involving 

23 workers who completed 


13 

the task at 2.30pm. 

Much of the rubbish had 

to be removed by hand to 

protect the dunes under 

new regulations, meaning 

the operation took longer 

than previous years. Despite 

the heady combination of 

fire, alcohol, large crowds 

and high spirits, the local 

police said that there wasn’t 

one serious incident in the 

town, either criminal acts or 

injuries. 

Share your photos with us for a chance for them to be featured here! 

#Weekendergrams or email , Pics@Weekender.News 

Scenes on the night of San Juan.


Local&WhatsOn 

Albir beach clean up 


More than fifty volunteers 

gathered around sixty kilos 

of rubbish from the coastline 

of the Sierra Gelada National 

Park, in a clean-up operation 

earlier this week. The one 

day event was organised and 

promoted by the associations 

Chelonia and Xaloc, in 

collaboration with L’Alfàs del 

Pi town hall, Parc Natural de 

la Sierra Gelada, and forms 

part of Coca-Cola’s Mares 

Circurales initiative. Three 

types of cleaning activities 

were carried out, including 

a land based team, which 

covered the southern area of the 

beach of l’Albir and the stone 

coves of the natural park with 

access by foot. An underwater 

operation was conducted by 

members of the Scorpora 

Diving Club, whilst, Paddle 

Surfers, were incorporated 

to reach the coves only 

accessible by boat. Sixty kilos of 

plastics, glass, metal, wood, PET 

containers (made with polyethene 

terephthalate ) and general rubbish, 

was collected during the operation, 

which had backing from Cuidemos 

Around 60 kilos of rubbish was collected 

during the clean-up operation. 

El Albir, We love Albir and the Rotary 

Club, plus members from Group 

IV Scout of L’Alfàs del Pi, the Red 

Cross, Scorpora Diving Center and 

Nautical Activities Centre Tsunami. 

Town Councillor for Environment 

and Beaches, Luis Miguel Morant, 

thanked the volunteers, who gave up 

their time and highlighted the aim of 

the clean-up day, saying, “the valuable 

work of volunteers helps to raise 

awareness in society about the serious 

environmental problem created by 

waste and, especially, plastics,”


Alfas,Albir,Altea 


Local&WhatsOn 

15 

Police rescue elderly 

Altea couple 

Altea Local Police were alerted 

by a worried neighbour. 

An elderly Dutch couple 

spent days lying on the floor 

of their Altea apartment, 

before being rescued by Local 

police officers last week. 


The police were alerted by 

a neighbour, who had heard 

a knocking sound coming 

from the apartment. When 

they arrived at the scene, the 

officers, accompanied by 

representatives from DYA 

Altea, activated the sanitary 

and social 

emergency 

protocol. After 

entering the 

apartment, 

they discovered an 85 years 

old male and 80 years old 

female on the floor, with 

no mobility, suffering from 

severe dehydration. The 

couple also had wounds 

and were surrounded by 

faeces and urine, suggesting 

they could have been lying 

there for several days. 

Neighbours confirmed that 

the pair had not been seen 

for at least two days prior 

to the incident. They were 

immediately transferred to 

the Marina Baixa Hospital, 

where they received 

treatment for their condition. 

A spokesperson for Altea 

Department of Health, later 

confirmed that the couple 

had received a visit from one 

of their team, who reported 

that they were stable, in 

improved health and eager 

to return to their home. With 

the help of a Dutch translator 

and the Benefica Association 

Corazon Express charity, the 

couple were able to complete 

forms and contact family and 

friends. 

Albir on the box 

DIRECTOR Fernando by Simon Russell 

Gonzalez Molina and his 

team have been visiting Gelada Natural Park were 

l’Albir on the lookout for among the places they 

locations for a new TV visited, trying to replicate a 

drama “Paraiso” which has 1990s village in the Levant 

been described as a mix Eastern Mediterranean 

of youth drama, science region. Producer Carlos 

fiction and mystery. The Apolinario said that he 

lighthouse and Serra personally knew the area 

well as he had been coming 

here on holiday for years, 

and what he had seen on the 

day confirmed its suitability 

for the upcoming drama. 

The initial run is scheduled 

to be eight hour long 

episodes to be broadcast 

next year. Director Gonzalez 

Molina has made several 

major Spanish films as well 

as doing extensive TV work 

behind the camera.


Local&WhatsOnBenidorm 

Benidorm 

viewpoint closed 

The Project is expected 

to take up to 4 months 

Visitors to Benidorm expecting to 

enjoy the stunning views from one of its 

most popular attractions this Summer 

will be disappointed to find it closed 

to the public. The Mirador del Castello 

viewpoint, which sits on a strategic 

old town headland overlooking both 

of the two famous Benidorm beaches 

draws thousands of tourists and day 

trippers throughout the year. However, 

the highest and most scenic point of 

the Mirador, where visitors can relax 

and take in the vistas of the iconic 

Benidorm skyline, was cordoned off 

last week, to allow an archaeological 

excavation begin. Two preliminary 

digs, taken in 1993 and 2014, gave 

experts hope that remains of the castle 

that gave the viewpoint its name, 

may still exist. Benidorm’s castlefortress, 

which formerly occupied 

the Plaza del Castell and believed 

to date back to the 14th century, was 

destroyed in 1812 during Spain’s 

War of Independence against France. 

The 1.2 million euro archaeological 

project, more than a third of which 

is funded by the European Regional 

Development Fund, was given the 


go ahead by the Valencian Regional 

Government in January, with the 

proviso that the work is completed by 

November of this year. As bulldozers 

moved in earlier this week, worried 

business owners expressed their 

concerns over the closure of one of 

the resorts top attractions during the 

crucial summer period. Recent major 

improvements to the Avenida del 

Mediterraneo, began during the winter 

months, were scheduled to finish by 

Easter, but appear to be some way 

short of completion, leaving the area 

resembling a building site, just as 

the Summer influx of holidaymakers 

arrive. Many of them took to social 

media to vent their anger at the 

apparent disregard for local businesses 

and the visitor experience of a resort 

already experiencing a worrying 

downturn in British Bookings. 

“Unbelievable, one of the nicest places 

in Benidorm with stunning views and 

it’s been demolished, awful!” wrote 

one. “Whoever decided to do this at 

the start of the busy tourist time makes 

us mad. The restaurants around will 

suffer badly with the noise and dust that 

is made.” Another posted a message 

saying, “Absolutely unbelievable at 

this time of the year,I love the Spanish 

but find it hard to get my head around 

what gets into their minds sometimes, 

especially those responsible for 

promoting this wonderful Town.” 

The project is expected to take four 

months, leaving the organisers of 

the Benidorm Gay Pride festival, 

which takes place in early September, 

searching for alternative venues for 

two of its major outdoor parties. The 

week long event, which is now in its 

ninth year and attracts thousands of 

visitors to the resort, had scheduled 

it’s popular Opening Party and White 

Party for the venue. “We are already in 

the process of securing other locations 

in Benidorm for the parties,” said 

co organiser Geoff Gartland, “ and 

we hope that people won’t be too 

disappointed.” Benidorm councillor 

Ana Pellicer, stressed that once the go 

ahead was given, a completion date of 

six months was issued, to ensure the 

half a million euro grant was received.

18 FRIDAY 28TH JUNE 2019 

Local&WhatsOnCalpe 

Touring the 

Queens Baths 


CALPE Town Hall has organised free 

guided tours of the famous Banys de la 

Reina (Queens Baths) every Tuesday 

during July and August, with the first trip 

taking place on 2 July. The name of the 

site is something of a poetic licence as the 

aquatic area was actually an ancient Roman 

fish farm; it remains one of the towns best 

known attractions as well as an important 

archaeological site. The baths form part 

of a larger coastal enclave dating back 

around 2,000 years which includes the 

iconic Moli del Morello. The tour starts at 

9.30 am and is limited to between 25 and 

30 people. The meeting point is the Moli 

del Morello and the tour will take about 

an hour. Contact the Casa de la Cultura for 

more information (Tel. 965 839 123). 

THE PSPV de Calp 

have accused their rivals 

in the Partido Popular of 

“ostentatious” spending 

during the recent local 

election campaign. 

They have submitted 

an official complaint to 

the regional Electoral 

Board claiming that 

the PP exceeded the 

Car crazy Costas 


expenditure ceiling. 

The left wing PSPV 

specified several 

specific incidents 

including the closing 

campaign party which 

featured a Beatles tribute 

act and meal for 200 

guests. A week earlier 

they allege they paid 

for food for 600 people 

at a political meeting 

in the Auditorium and 

a similar amount at a 

meeting in the Casanova 

university campus. 

T-shirts, special 

stationery, social 

network advertising, 

banners and leaflets in 

several languages were 

also highlighted in the 

complaint. They have 

asked the electoral 

board to request 

invoices for all the items 

and activities they have 

listed, presumably to 

calculate the total spend 

and whether it exceeded 

the electoral limits. 

Faking it 


AS well as the destruction 

of his car, a young man is 

facing further problems after 

confessing that it wasn’t stolen 

as he originally claimed but that 

he was driving it at the time, 

leading to him being charged 

with falsifying a crime. The 

incident started earlier this 

month in the early hours of 

a weekend morning when a 

clearly written off vehicle was 

found abandoned on a street in 

Calpe’s Pla Roig Urbanisation. 

A wall was also badly 

damaged and presumably, the 

driver had hit this and fled 

the scene. Meanwhile, the 

Superheroes in English 


CALPE’S Casa de la 

Cultura is the venue for 

the showing of “Dark 

Phoenix” the latest movie 

in the hugely popular 

X-Men series. Dark 

Phoenix is actually Jean 

Grey, who transformed 

after being hit by a cosmic 

force during a space 

rescue mission, something 

she struggles to control, 

threatening the entire 

owner, a 21 year old Moroccan 

man reported the theft of his 

car, which turned out to be 

the one involved in the smash. 

However, upon questioning 

from the Guardia Civil the 

story soon fell apart and the 

youth admitted he had been 

driving the car when it had 

crashed. 

He had made up the theft 

story for insurance reasons and 

to avoid civil repercussions as 

well as the anger of his family. 

He has been released on charge 

awaiting a trial date. 

X-Men family. Described 

as the most emotional film 

in the 20 year series and 

a culmination of what has 

gone before, it is a recent 

release in Spain. The 

presentation in Calpe is 

in VOSE, so will feature 

the original English audio 

soundtrack with Spanish 

subtitles. The screening has 

been organised by the Town 

Hall in collaboration with 

the Culture Department 

and entrance is €5.


Cala Moraig set for summer 

WITH it’s Blue Flag 

proudly flying one of the 

Marina Alta’s best loved 

beaches, Cala del Moraig, 

is now fully ready for the 

summer. The Blue Flag 

was first awarded to the 

Benitatxell cove in 2013, 

reflecting both the quality 

of the waters and the 

services available. These 

include a four person 

rescue team consisting of 

a nurse (one of the first 

beaches to offer this), two 

lifeguards and a trained 

mariner. The team have a jet 

ski, fast response vehicle 

Computer boost for good cause 

THE Javea Rotary 

Club made their 

donation of two new 

laptops to the town’s 

Autism Association 

last Thursday. These 

are to assist with 

special programmes 

for treatment and 

rehabilitation carried out 

by trained professionals 

from the Association. 


and rescue boat while they 

are also equipped with a 

defibrillator. All operations 


Rotary Club president 

Jesus de la Rocha handed 

the devices to Olga 

Sales, his counterpart in 

the Autism Association 

accompanied by Ana 

Vasbinder, Director of 

Relations at the Hospital- 

Clinica Benidorm who 

oversaw the acquisition. 

are coordinated with the 

Local Police and Civil 

Protection brigade, making 

it one of the safest places 

for bathers along the coast. 


JaveaLocal&WhatsOn 

Double the help 

JAVEA’S Original Charity Shop and 

Library made a double donation to good 

causes last week, both for €1,000. The town’s 

Autism Association had appealed for the cash 

to supply a summer school teacher for autistic 

local children. Further afield Spread some 

Sunshine will use the donation to finance a 

small dwelling for a mother and her child in 

Bulls run into protests 

Sick building 

THE office 

occupied by union 

delegates at the 

Hospital de Denia 

has been closed to 

staff due to “sick 

building” syndrome, 

something many are 

finding ironic in a 

hospital. People using 

the first floor room 

have complained of 

symptoms including 

headaches, sore although 

eyes, coughs, sore 

throats and pressures 

on the chest. They 

Celebrating 

women in art 

THE “Dones + Art” 

exhibition that has been 

on a tour of the area comes 

to Javea tonight (Friday 

28 June). It features 

work from eight female 

artists from the Marina 

Alta, all with different 

AS in many recent years, 

protests are planned against the 

Denia “Bous a la Mar” fiesta, 

this year for 7th and 10th of July. 

The first is at 6pm convening by 

the Town Hall and is protesting 

“against the cruelty practised 

every year of bulls being 

thrown into the sea just for the 

amusement of a few”. The 10th 

July gathering is scheduled for 

midday, again at the Town Hall, 

and focuses on the stress the 

creatures suffer and is organised 

by Maltrato Animal for the 

say that the room is 

humid and without 

ventilation and not 

even a proper office 

but a re-purposed 

store-room. Hospital 

concessionaires 

Marina Salud have 

closed the room 

while they investigate 

the matter and the 

seven staff affected 

are to be relocated, 

currently, 

they are sharing 

public spaces such as 

the library. 


Sri Lanka who have been left without shelter 

and basic amenities. Ramon and Helen from 

the respective charities both expressed their 

thanks when receiving the cheques. For more 

information go to www.charityshoplibrary.com 

or e-mail info@charityshoplibrary.com 


visual interpretations. 

It has previously been 

shown in Parcent, 

Pedreguer, Ondara and 

will be inaugurated in 

Javea at the Soler Blasco 


19 

Marina Alta. This group say 

they aim to educate children 

to the cruelties inflicted in the 

hope that future generations 

will have due respect for their 

fellow creatures. Last year there 

were also two demonstrations 

- although one of these was in 

favour of the spectacle. There 

is no word if supporters of the 

Bous de la Mar are planning 

similar counter-protests this 

year. 

Good food for 

a good cause 

THE P.E.P.A. lunch for July is to be held 

at Bar-Restaurant El Pelut in Oliva, Calle 

Sagrada Familia No9 on Tuesday 9 July 

at 1.30pm. Prices per person are €12 for a 

Menu del Dia including drinks and coffee. 

Please telephone Brenda Whyte on 96 

283 3104 or e-mail brendawhyte@gmail. 

com by 5 July. P.E.P.A. is an animal rescue 

charity now entering its fourteenth year and 

just a reminder that foster homes are always 

needed for homeless animals. For more 

information go to www.pepaspain.com 

Ethnological Museum 

from 8pm tonight. The 

exhibition is on show 

until 28 July and entry is 

free for all. Check with 

the town hall or museum 

for opening times after 

tonight.


Business & Money 

BACKSTOP BLUSTERINGS 

Measures to avoid a hard border with 

Ireland could be ready within three years, 

according to an independent commission 

chaired by senior Conservatives. 

The group’s recommendations, 

published this week, are aimed at using 

existing legal frameworks and technology 

to find alternatives to the controversial 

Irish backstop measure in Theresa May’s 

Brexit deal. 

But critics said the proposals would be 

costly and would come too late for a deal 

to be reached by the current October 31st 

Brexit date. 

The Alternative Arrangements 

Commission was set up by the Prosperity 

UK think tank. 

The commission was chaired by Tory 

former ministers Nicky Morgan and Greg 


Trump tariffs threaten Spanish wine 

THE USA, as the world’s 

largest consumer of wine, is 

also the country that imports 

more of it than anywhere 

else despite being the fourth 

largest producer. President 

Donald Trump has described 

this situation as “unfair” and 

is threatening trade tariffs 

on the biggest exporter to 

the US, France. However, 

under EU trading rules, these 

Hands. 

Treasury Select Committee 

chairwoman Mrs Morgan said: “The 

commission has met its three conditions: 

to uphold the vital Belfast-Good 

Friday Agreement; to harness existing 

technologies and customs best practice, 

not any futuristic high-tech unicorns; and 

to be compatible with any of the possible 

Brexit outcomes, including the existing 

Withdrawal Agreement.” 

“A successful agreement and rollout 

of alternative arrangements would 

supersede the need for the backstop.” 

But Owen Smith, former shadow 

Northern Ireland secretary and a 

supporter of the People’s Vote campaign 


would also affect Spain and 

Italy, the other main wine 

exporters. 

America is Spain’s third 

biggest market (behind 

the UK and Germany) and 

Spanish wine producers are 

watching on nervously to 

see if Mr Trump carries out 

his threat. In Aragon, for 

example, a quarter of all 

their wine produced ends 

up on a table in the US and 

tariffs would inevitably hit 

their sales. Last year Trump 

introduced a trade tariff on 

black olives, most of which 

come from Spain and end 

up topping pizzas. This saw 

exports to the US plummet, 

exactly Mr Trump’s aim 

to protect his domestic 

producers but a move which 

has global repercussions. 

for a second referendum, said: “The idea 

of trying to replace the Northern Ireland 

backstop with so-called alternative 

arrangements has already been tested to 

destruction.” 

“There is no political will to do so 

from either Ireland, the rest of the EU or 

most importantly the people of Northern 

Ireland, particularly those living on or 

near the border.” 

Naomi Smith, head of the pro-EU Best 

for Britain campaign, said “a solution 

years down the line won’t cut it: we have 

a deadline of October 31st this year” and 

the proposals would “wrap the island of 

Ireland in red tape and bureaucracy – at a 

hefty cost to the British taxpayer”. 

“A quicker, cheaper and more efficient 

option would be to stop Brexit,” she said. 

US computing giant 

Dell is facing more than 

2,000 lawsuits in Spain after 

consumers claim that laptops 

they purchased on the firm’s 

websites for a fraction of 

their normal price have not 

been delivered. In Valencia 

Facua-Consumidores en 

Accion (FACUA) has 

lodged complaints against 

the firm with the Commerce 

Sponsored By 

Tel: 671 935 072 

Bargain basement laptop row 


watchdog while disgruntled 

bargain hunters have joined 

the #AfectadosDell platform 

that FACUA has launched. 

They purchased the Dell 

Inspirion 5000 and 7000 

models at €35 and €39 

(RRP €999 and upwards) on 

23 May before the company 

realised the mistake and 

altered the website. They 

have admitted their error 

but FACUA believes they 

still have an obligation to 

deliver, seeing the website 

purchase as effectively a 

contract between buyer and 

seller. Dell has said that they 

reserve the “right to review” 

any purchases something 

FACUA calls legally 

questionable.



21 


The Complexity 

of Expat Finances 

One of the biggest challenges that 

expatriates face when moving to, 

and living in, Spain is the complexity 

of expat finances, be it inheritance 

tax or income and savings tax 

rules. Add to this, problems with 

understanding the language and it 

can soon become difficult to know 

where to turn. 

Many expats don’t consider all 

aspects of their finances before, 

during or after moving abroad; 

therefore, making their life abroad 

more challenging than it needs to 

be. Some common mistakes are: 

1. Living beyond your means 

The excitement of starting a life in 

a new location, integrating with the 

local culture, building or renovating 

a new home (often unforeseen 

expenses) and making new friends 

can affect your spending behaviour. 

How far do your investments or 

income go to cover this lifestyle? 

Are you planning far enough ahead? 

2. Banking local or overseas 

It is, of course, imperative that 

you open a local bank account in 

your new country of residence 

to assist with your day-to-day 

financial needs. What other needs 

do you have and what products 

are suitable to keep your savings 

and investments tax efficient for 

you, now that you are in Spain? (A 

Spanish Tax Compliant Bond, for 

example). 

Should you maintain accounts 

in your home country or consider 

alternative locations? It is important 

to get this right to ensure you are 

aligning everything in a tax efficient 

manner and getting the best service 

or returns for your money. 

3. Not getting your tax right 

Many expats forget to inform their 

home country’s tax authority of 

their decision to move abroad, thus 

failing to change their tax status. 

In the UK, aspiring expats should 

inform HM Revenue and Customs 

(HMRC) of their intention to move 

abroad and submit a completed P85 

form. This is crucial for expats, to 

ensure that they will not be sought 

after for tax, claim tax relief or 

any tax refund they are owed and 

become non-UK resident to avoid 

tax on certain incomes. 

4. Not researching the laws of 

inheritance in the country you are 

moving to 

Every country has its own way 

of taxing people’s wealth after they 

have left this world. Leaving the UK, 

contacting HMRC and completing 

the P85 form does not remove your 

Inheritance Tax liability to the UK; 

but on top of this, you are likely to 

have a liability on the assets you 

hold in the country where you now 

reside. This is certainly true in Spain, 

where there is potentially up to 81% 

Inheritance Tax liability. Careful 

financial planning is required to 

ensure that you get to leave your 

wealth to your loved ones in the 

most tax efficient way possible. 

5. Neglecting your pensions 

You would be advised to review 

your pensions; we have all been 

educated over our working careers 

that we must set aside monies to 

be able to live a comfortable life in 

retirement. So what should you do 

with what has been accumulated? 

Options outside of the UK could 

have advantages such as QROPS 

and International SIPPs etc. 

6. Getting the services of 

unsuitable financial planners 

Common mistakes that expats 

make are thinking that their financial 

adviser is regulated in their new 

country of residence and believing 

their marketing hype without doing 

adequate research on the individuals 

or Company they will be dealing 

with. You need to ask questions and 

complete your own due diligence; 

the internet is a great place to start. 

The Financial Adviser must have the 

relevant ‘Passporting’ permissions to 

By Christina Brady 

BLACKTOWER 

Financial Management 

provide advice in your country 

of residence – this information 

should be well documented on the 

Regulator’s website. 

7. Poor investment choices 

Making poor investment choices 

is, to some extent, relevant to 

the previous mistake, which is 

getting the services of unregulated 

advisers, especially in countries 

with lax policies on regulation. 

This said, you are not stuck with 

these and that is why a review with 

a qualified adviser can help. 

In these testing times, getting 

advice from a financial advice 

company that has weathered more 

than one or two financial downturns 

is essential for your financial 

wellbeing and peace of mind. 

Blacktower Financial Management 

has been established for over 32 

years and has worked with its clients 

through the good and the bad times, 

offering sound financial advice. 

Blacktower will be by your side 

both now and in the future, we 

are here to help you weather the 

potential storms ahead. To arrange 

a professional and impartial 

consultation, please contact 

me by email christina.brady@ 

blacktowerfm.com or call me 

on 658 892 330. Website: www. 

theblacktowergroup.com 

The above information was 

correct at the time of preparation 

and does not constitute investment 

advice and you should seek advice 

from a professional adviser before 

embarking on any financial planning 

activity. 

Blacktower Financial Management Ltd is authorised and 

regulated in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority and is 

registered with both the DGS and CNMV. Blacktower Financial 

Management (International) Ltd is licensed in Gibraltar by 

the Financial Services Commission (FSC) 00805B and is 

registered with both the DGS and CNMV in Spain.



How to become a resident in Spain 

Sun Lawyers are the people to go to, if you are looking to You usually require: 

You must register at your local town hall to receive this threemonth 

become a Spanish resident, especially with Brexit looming around 

the corner. 

If you are living permanently here already and don´t have a 

residencia, then you are breaking the law, and even if you just come 

over to Spain for a total of 183 days, then you are classed as being a 

resident of Spain and you should apply for the official documents to 

get yourself registered. 

It all may seem a bit daunting, but here at Sun Lawyers, we´ve 

lost count of how times we´ve gone through this process down the 

decades, and it is straight-forward. 

Sun Lawyers will do virtually all the work for you to give you 

peace of mind, and make sure that you have all the correct documents 

to enjoy your time in Spain. 

NIE – your foreigner’s tax number 

The form S1 if you are a pensioner, or proof of health insurance 

Confirmation of payment for the residencia in the bank 

The completed residency application form 

Passport 

Proof of income 

certificate. When registering bring the following with you: 

Proof of where you are living e.g. a rental contract or Title Deed 

Passport 

Residencia – if you are applying for this first in your local area 

A recent water bill and electricity bill 

The certificate lasts for three months, and when it has expired 

you just need to go back to the same office and present your passport 

and previous padrón, and you will get a new one right away. 

It is advisable to renew your registration on the padrón every 

five years, which is to confirm that your name is still on the register. 

The town hall may ask people who have not had their certificate 

reissued for years to confirm that you still live in the area, which is 

a very quick process. 

To live here permanently you must have the following: 

Residencia 

Padrón 

SIP (a health card) 

The requirements for the above will vary depending on the region 

of Spain you want to live in and your own status. Requirements will 

also differ, depending on if you are a pensioner, working in Spain 

or a retiree. 

Don´t worry as once you chat to us, the team at Sun Lawyers can 

sort exactly what you will require! 

This is what you need for each stage:- 

Residency certificate 

‘Residencia’ is a residence certificate that states that you are 

living in Spain. It is important to remember that in many areas 

you will need you residencia certificate before you apply for your 

padrón. The certificate is issued in the Foreigner’s Office or National 

Police station, depending on the area you live in. 

In most cases, you will be able to receive your residencia the 

same day as you apply. It is important to bring all the necessary 

paperwork with you. The required paperwork differs between one 

town hall to the next, so before going you should always check. 

The main thing to remember is that you must show that your life 

in Spain is financially sustainable. This includes presenting bank 

statements for the last three months. You must show that you have a 

monthly income of at least €800 per person. 

For those planning on working in Spain, your employer must 

give you ‘un certificado de vida laboral’ – which is proof that you 

are working in Spain. 

If you are under pensionable age, you must have proof of health 

insurance, if you do not have a contract to work. Health insurance 

must cover everything, and in some cases you might be asked to 

show proof of payment. Alternatively, there are local health schemes 

in Spain you can use. 

‘Convenio especial’ allows you to pay into Spanish health system 

on a monthly basis, but to qualify, you must have lived in Spain for 

a continuous period of one year. It is important to note however 

that convenio especial does not cover the cost of health transport 

services or prescriptions plus health coverage in other EU countries. 

If you come from another EU country, your residencia does not 

need to be renewed. Non-EU members must renew their residencia 

every five years. 

For UK residents in Spain, the plans, based on Brexit, are for the 

residencia to be replaced by a Foreigner´s ID card. 

This, acccording to the Spanish government, will be a straightforward 

swap, which means that you have to get your residencia 

sorted out now to avoid any problems down the line. That´s why you 

need to contact us at Sun Lawyers right now to get things sorted! 

The padrón 

A padrón is a certificate that allows you to apply for a SIP, which 

is a health card. Other local benefits that a padrón provides you with 

include enrolling your child in a school, receiving a library card and 

obtaining a bus pass. 

The SIP Card 

Once you have obtained your residencia and padrón, you can now 

apply for a SIP health card, which gets you free health treatment, as 

well as prescriptions at a reduced cost. 

To get your card, you have to book an appointment at your 

local social security office where you will need to present these 

documents: 

Your NIE 

Passport 

S1 – if you are a pensioner 

Padrón 

Application form TA1 

Once that process is done, you will be get a registration number 

which you then show to your local health centre to get your SIP 

card. 

After obtaining your residencia, padrón and SIP you have got all 

the basic documents required to live as a resident in Spain. 

These documents will make your life in Spain much easier, 

allowing you to relax knowing that everything has been taken care 

of. 

If all of this sounds confusing, then let Sun Lawyers take you 

through it, and you can contact us for a free initial consultation at 

our offices across the Costa Blanca. 

Just call Sun Lawyers on (0034) 965 321 193 or email us at 

admin@sun-lawyers.com



23 

Home&Garden 

Sponserd By 

Grass in Spain just isn’t the same for a 

lot of expats. 

Grass tends to just not be the same, many 

miss the lovely soft turfs in their front or 

back garden, well-kept football pitches or 

even the local park where we take sitting 

and laying on the grass for granted. 

In Spain even if you find some nice green 

grass, its just not the same and maybe not 

the kind you will want to sit on.. so what 

are the options if you are wanting a lawn 

in your garden, maintaining a lawn can be 

extremly difficult in this climate with many 

turning to artificial options. 

Grass in Spain, just 

isn´t the same...


Home&Garden 

Sponserd By 

Real Vs Artificial 

Us Brits as well as many 

expats across Europe love 

grass lawns. They are a 

defining feature of suburbs 

and are in most people’s 

gardens. Yet they do 

require regular upkeep. At 

a bare minimum, you have 

to mow them regularly, 

strim the edges and dig out 

the weeds. 

If you have lovelylooking 

grass on your 

lawn, chances are it will 

stay like that. But not all 

gardens are as fortunate. 

For some, the lawn can be 

the most high maintenance 

thing in their garden. 

So, here we explore the 

pros and cons of real turf 

vs artificial grass. 

REAL GRASS 

A newly turfed lawn can 

transform a tired garden into 

an attractive outdoor space. 

The process of laying the 

turves (rolls of turf) is not 

difficult and you can start 

using the lawn within a few 

days. 

Most of work is in the 

soil preparation. It involves 

stripping the old lawn and 

a lot of weeding, digging, 

levelling and raking. 

The turves ideally need 

to be laid within 24 hours of 

delivery, so you need to work 

relatively quickly. After 

it has been laid, it needs 

to be watered frequently 

until it has rooted into the 

underlying soil. 

If you want to cultivate 

a lawn that is long-lasting, 

make sure you buy the 

right variety of turf. Many 

products are described as 

multipurpose but they may 

not be suitable for your 

garden. 

One square metre of 

multipurpose lawn turf 

starts from £2 to £3. You 

may also have to buy top 

soil if your existing soil 

is poor. A 750 litre bag of 

top soil will cover 15 to 20 

square metres to a depth 

of 55 mm. It costs around 

£120. 

You’ll need to water 

it – a lot – when first 

laid. But thereafter, even 

in the hottest summers, 

established lawns do 

usually recover naturally 

from dry spells, despite 

going a little yellow, even 

without watering. 

If your current lawn 

is suffering from weeds 

or moss or just never 

taken properly, you can 

have your lawn treated 

by a lawn maintenance 

company. These services 

can treat your lawn regularly 

throughout the year or do 

a one off treatment. Check 

the products they use 

are organic and safe for 

children, wildlife and the 

environment. 

ARTIFICIAL GRASS 

More people are opting 

for synthetic grass in their 

gardens because they require 

minimal upkeep. They can 

also work well in a small 

space and for people who 

find garden maintenance 

difficult or expensive. 

Artificial grass doesn’t 

need to be mowed and 

you get a green lawn all 

year round. It can’t be 

dug up, which is why it is 

particularly popular with 

families who have young 

children and dogs. 

Previously, synthetic 

lawn turf looked very similar 

to the mats you used to get 

on greengrocers’ displays. 

Now, you can get products 

that are a convincing 

alternative to real turf. 

The fibres are cut at 

different lengths and are in a 

range of greens and browns, 

which gives the grass a 

natural look and feel. 

If the lawn is laid and 

looked after properly, it can 

last approximately 7 to 10 

years.



25 

Home&Garden 

Sponserd By 

PERGOLAS 

The main downside is 

that you won’t get the lovely 

cut-grass smell and the same 

biodiversity as a real grass 

lawn. 

Some maintenance is 

also required. It needs 

to be swept and watered 

occasionally. You may get 

algae and moss growing on 

the grass and bird poo stains, 

but they should be easy to 

remove with hot water and 

household detergent. 

One square metre of 

artificial grass typically cost 

around £20 excluding VAT 

and installation costs. 

So, should you 

fake it or not? 

If you’re fed up with your 

lawn looking like a mud bath/ 

dry and patchy, artificial turf 

will probably sound hugely 

appealing. They suit gardens 

that get a lot of wear and tear 

all year around. 

As we said, it is possible 

to improve your lawn. Get 

a specialist round to look 

at what the issue is. For 

example, a soggy garden can 

be addressed by improving 

the drainage if you put down 

the right top soil, according 

to lawn turf specialists. 

If you do opt for artificial 

grass, the installation is the 

key to its longevity. If it isn’t 

laid properly, it could look 

ropey quite quickly. 

Synthetic turf specialists 

are unlikely to offer a 

guarantee on their product 

if they have not laid it 

themselves, so it may 

be worth paying for the 

installation costs if you don’t 

feel confident about doing it 

yourself. 

But nothing beats a real 

lawn – as many readers below 

have testified! It’s cheaper to 

lay, more environmentally 

friendly overall, means 

you’re not contributing to 

the worlds plastic production 

and landfill (as you would 

be with a fake lawn) and 

creates a wonderful space for 

wildlife to inhabit.


Home&Garden 

Enjoy an easy, hassle-free lawn 

with Evolution Grass 

The green, green grass of home is 

now available across the Costa Blanca 

in the form of top quality astroturf. 

Giving that glorious greenness 

to your home, artificial turf from 

Evolution Grass uses the latest 

generation fibres which allow 

the look and feel of natural grass 

without the considerable work 

and constant effort to maintain 

it. Evolution Grass S.L., based in 

Crevillente, emerged in early 2007 

as a result of three generations 

dedicated to the manufacture of 

carpets and rugs in Crevillente. 

The skilled team use their knowhow 

in terms of manufacturing to 

launch technological artificial turf 

products as a result of 

customer enquiries giving 

them sustainable and 

ecological astroturf at the 

most competitive prices. 

Evolution Grass offers 

a fully professional 

and comprehensive 

service. They can give 

personalised advice on 

the product and how it 

would best suit a client’s 

need and their desired 

look and complete 

installation is offered. 

It can be fitted on any 

surface with the land being prepared 

before laying. Gravel is applied first 

to allow for the necessary drainage 

and water absorption. It contains 

special treatments to protect from 

chlorine from swimming pools, the 

sun and freezing conditions so it is 

the ideal all year round solution. The 

turf is also easy to clean and diluted 

bleach, soaps and detergents free 

of abrasive solvents can be used. 

With the high cost of water and 

maintenance of a natural lawn, 

astroturf is becoming a more 

attractive and affordable option with 

Evolution Grass providing artificial 

lawns for a range of clients, from 

private customers wishing to turn 

their garden, to the community 

and public areas for Town Halls. 

They have carried out more than 3 

3,000 installations from private 

homes and businesses to public 

parks and even sports facilities 

including tennis courts, football 

pitches and golf courses for 

sports centres across the region. 

To discuss how Evolution Grass 

can transform your property 

contact the team now. Evolution 

Grass is happy to provide free home 

estimates and advise and help you 

design your new outdoor living 

space, improving the appearance 

and value of your property. 

Evolution Grass Crevillente, 03330 

965 403 974 or 677 739 530 

www.cespedartificialalicante.net 

Email: evolutiongrass@gmail.com 

EVOLUTION GRASS: artificial turf offers perfect looking grass all 

year round

BUYING OR SELLING 

YOUR PROPERTY? 

SWISS PEOPLE, 

SWISS VALUES! 

• Experience 

• Quality 

• Timeliness 

Footie final rentals boost 

• Friendliness 

Trust us to sell your property 

CALL TODAY TO LIST YOUR PROPERTY 

www.benimo-villas.com 

Av. de La Marina 44 

(Calpe Moraira Coast Road) 

03720 Benissa 

(+34) 965 74 78 74 

(+34) 667 449 421 

info@benimo-villas.com 

FIGURES just 

published show that 

Madrid had 4,500 

more holiday rentals 

available in the period 

leading up to the capital 

hosting the Champions 

League final than in 

the corresponding 

period last year. The 

survey by Transparent 

Intelligence analysed 

tourist portals such as 

Airbnb, Trip Adviser 

and Booking.com 

for the month before 

the 1 June final. The 

price also jumped as 

the chances of an all 

English final increased. 

For example, if you had 

booked for the night 

of the final back in 

February the average 

cost would have been 

€629. On 12 May, when 

the Liverpool-Spurs 

final was confirmed, that 

shot up to €1,924. Most 

of the new renters were 

individuals rather than 

property companies 

and there was a big 

leap in the offer of 

accommodation such as 

just a bedroom or even 

a sofa bed as opposed 

to entire dwellings. On 

the Saturday after the 

final, the average rental 

in barrio Wanda, close 

to the stadium, was just 

€81, a drop of 1,200% 

from the level on 1 

June. 

by Simon Russell


Valencia turns to EU 

to help fight Airbnb 

VALENCIA has joined 

other major Spanish cities 

to help curb the expansion 

of holiday platforms such 

as Airbnb, something 

they believe is damaging 

traditional neighbourhoods 

by driving up the house and 

rental prices. Barcelona, 

Amsterdam, Krakow, 

Paris, Berlin and Vienna 

are among the cities 

taking part in the appeal 

against the recent EU 

ruling that said companies 

such as Airbnb were 


merely intermediaries, 

largely clearing them 

of any responsibility to 

the damage many cities 

feel they are wreaking 

on them. In short, in any 

city or town that attracts 

tourists in large numbers, 

a house or apartment in 

the right location is more 

viable to rent via platforms 

such as Airbnb than to 

conventional long term 

renters. On the sales side, 

prices are being driven 

up and often purchased 

by large companies to 

rent rather than by the 

public. Many properties 

are rented without being 

properly registered, again 

something the holiday 

firms are not fully liable 

for. In Valencia City 

the Hosbec hoteliers 

association has said that 

there are over twice as 

many rooms available via 

Airbnb than hotels, badly 

damaging the hotel trade. 

BANK PROPERTY SEIZED 

Barcelona’s mayor, 

Ada Colau, has ordered 

the expropriation of an 

‘empty’ flat owned by 

a bank, in a first for the 

city facing a shortage of 

homes. Ms Colau, a former 

housing campaigner who 

started her second term 

as mayor last week, put 

to use a law passed by 

the Catalan parliament in 

2016. 

Under its terms, local 


authorities can claim 

homes owned by 

companies that have 

many properties in their 

portfolios, if they are left 

vacant for two years or 

more. The homes can 

remain under public 

control for four to ten years. 

The law was suspended 

by Spain’s constitutional 

court after a challenge by 

the government of former 

Partido Popular Prime 

Minister Mariano Rajoy, 

but last year the court ruled 

it in order. “This empty 

flat will now form part 

of the municipal housing 

stock for 10 years,” said 

Lucía Martín, Barcelona’s 

councillor in charge of 

housing. Ms Martín added 

that expropriation orders 

were being prepared for 

seven other repossessed 

properties belonging 

to banks. The council 

says it discovered the 

apartment had been empty 

for two years through the 

residency register, and a 

lack of utility payments. 

The law can only be 

applied to properties 

in areas with a “strong 

residential demand”, 

as in the Besòs district, 

where the flat belonging 

to Spain’s BBVA bank is 

located. Having observed 

a two-year vacant period, 

the council must then ask 

the owner to allow the 

property to be used as 

social housing and can only 

proceed to expropriation 

in the case of a refusal or 

no reply. BBVA claims 

that Barcelona council 

has made a mistake and 

that it will challenge the 

expropriation in court. 

Other Spanish regions 

will look at interest 

as to what happens in 

Barcelona and may be 

tempted to try to go down 

the same appropriation 

route, assuming they pass 

legislation.



29 

GETTING IT 

SURVEYED 

There are three types of surveys in Spain 

Like in Britain and most other countries, 

getting a property survey is an absolute must 

to avoid any problems down the line, and 

to give you peace of mind. A survey sorts 

out what the property condition is like, and 

covers a whole variety of aspects that will 

prevent you from spending your valuable 

money without all the correct information at 

your fingertips. There are essentially three 

sorts of surveys in Spain, namely building; 

valuation; and an investment appraisal. 

A building survey is essentially what it 

says, and looks at the state of the property 

that you want to buy. Any problems are 

flagged up, and so if you are after purchasing 

the property, then you know what you are 

letting yourself in for. An experienced 

surveyor has a checklist of what they are 

looking for, and will also make sure that the 

current paperwork adds up to what is being 

promised by the seller, including legal and tax 

matters. A valuation report simply confirms, 

hopefully, that the price of your new home is 

realistic and matches up to what the seller is 

asking for. If you are buying a property for 

investment purposes, or perhaps to rent out 

either as a holiday home, or on a long-term 

let, then an appraisal will give the state of the 

market, and what sort of yield the property 

is likely to make you, including a rise in 

the building´s market value over a period of 

time. Make sure that your property surveyor 

speaks English as well as Spanish, and is 

affiliated to a body like the International 

Valuation Standards Council, and even the 

Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, 

which many English-speaking surveyors in 

the region are members of as well. 

BUYING OR SELLING 

YOUR PROPERTY? 

www.benimo-villas.com 

SWISS PEOPLE, 

SWISS VALUES! 

• Experience 

• Quality 

• Timeliness 

• Friendliness 

Trust us to sell your property 

CALL TODAY TO LIST YOUR PROPERTY 

Av. de La Marina 44 

(Calpe Moraira Coast Road) 

03720 Benissa 

(+34) 965 74 78 74 

(+34) 667 449 421 

info@benimo-villas.com


Health&Lifestyle 

A happy home might just be the 

best way to a healthy you 

If someone was to suggest that 

we’re healthier when our partners 

are happy, it probably wouldn’t 

come as that much of a surprise 

to anyone in a relationship, or 

anyone who has ever been in a 

relationship. After all, things are 

a lot less stressful when our other 

half is content, rather unpleasant 

to be around when things go 

awry, and our emotional and 

mental states have been linked to 

our physical condition. 

As such, perhaps it didn’t 

need a study by Michigan State 

University academics to deliver 

the not-so-startling news. Or 

maybe it did. Either way, it 

has happened, or at least it has 

happened to some extent. From 

1,981 married couples that took 

part in the Health and Retirement 

Study, those whose most precious 

were happy reported back as 

having the least health worries 

overall. 

Spanning ages 50 to 94, perhaps 

what’s most interesting about it 

all is that by this ‘second half’ 

of many people’s lives they are 

naturally becoming less mobile, 

and that means maintaining 

good health can become more 

difficult. Add to this the fact 

that rates of long term illness 

naturally rise the older we get, 

and you start to realise just how 

much environment could make 

a difference in getting people to 

take the necessary steps towards 

keeping themselves in good 

shape. 

For one thing, when we’re 

happy we tend to want to go 

outside more- whether that’s 

walking, socialising, or simply 

shopping. Either way, that’s good 

exercise, and it also encourages 

trying new things- for example, 

yoga, or seeing a specialist about 

that bad back, which we might 

be less inclined to do under more 

metaphorical grey skies. As with 

so many things in life, even the 

most disparate health problems 

Image credit: (C) Neaj Jean 

can be linked to each other, and 

have an effect on each other. The 

point being we cannot remove 

psychological wellbeing, and 

mental health, from the physical, 

because that’s not how humans- 

or any other animal- works. This 

should be the first thing any 

‘better’ or ‘healthier’ you article 

makes clear, so consider what 

you’ve just read an introduction 

to the wider subject.



31 


Childhood Obesity 

–The Shocking Facts 

Like children’s waistlines, the problem of childhood 

obesity is getting BIGGER AND BIGGER!!! Facts from 

the most recent large scale survey in the U.K. reveal that: 

• 25% of boys and 33% of girls aged between 2 and 19 

years are overweight or obese. 

• Obesity currently costs the country around £2 billion 

annually. 

• Obesity shortens the child’s lives by 9 years, due to the 

associated health problems. Some health experts even 

believe we’ll soon see parents outliving their children. 

Health risks associated with childhood obesity include 

heart disease, high blood pressure (certain studies show 

that overweight teenagers were eight and a half times more 

likely to develop high blood pressure and almost 2 and a 

half times as likely to have high blood cholesterol levels), 

certain cancers, joint problems, psychological problems 

and diabetes. 

Unfortunately for some, problems start early in life. A 

survey by Mother & Baby magazine revealed that 9 out of 

10 toddlers eat junk food, with chocolate, biscuits, crisps, 

fish fingers, chips, cake and chicken nuggets appearing in 

their top 10 favourite foods. 

In an attempt to stem the problem of childhood obesity the 

most important thing is to encourage eating habits from an 

early age. 

Diabetes UK believes there are currently around 100 

children with the condition, although some experts believe 

the figure could be as high as 1,400 based on the number 

of overweight and obese schoolchildren there are in the 

UK. Experts relate this solely to the increase in childhood 

obesity. 

One of the biggest concerns is that parents are getting so 

used to seeing overweight children they don’t recognise 

their own children are obese. 

Unfortunately, there’s no mystery as to why children are 

getting so fat: 

• A poor diet containing too much fat, salt, junk food etc. 

and too little fresh fruit and vegetables. 

• Lack of exercise, computer based activities being the 

favourite pastime of most children. 

For more information or to book an appointment call the Family Medical 

Centre on +34 966 865 072, emailing us at info@albirfamilymedicalcentre.com 

or on Facebook www.facebook.com/albirfamilymedicalcentre



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33 


Dancing might be doing your back in 

Let’s face it, most of us enjoy heading out 

on a Friday or Saturday night somewhere with 

loud music, even if it’s not a thumping techno 

club. During the course of the evening, we might 

shake a hip or two. Some even take this one step 

further, going all out on the floor like there’s no 

tomorrow. 

But what’s this actually doing to our backs? 

Back in 2007, The Telegraph newspaper 

reported on how what was then the new craze 

for ballroom dancing sweeping Britain- inspired 

by Strictly Come Dancing - was leading to more 

and more people doing themselves mischief 

whilst trying to show off their (not-so)silky 

skills. Apparently, nobody forgets to mention 

that years of inactivity followed by a sudden 

series of aggressive stints under the spotlights 

might be more trouble than they’re worth. 

This stands to reason. Dancing is like any 

other exercise and needs to be approached 

respectfully or you do risk injury. This might 

sound like the most killjoy thing anyone has ever 

read, but when you consider how many people 

trip over their partner’s feet, fall off the bar they 

were grooving away on, or simply stumble on a 

step, you begin to realise that there are actually 

loads of different ways you could be having the 

time of your life one minute, and then on your 

backside, with some serious pain in your back, 

the next. 

Jennifer Grey, star of 80s smash and all-round 

celebration of busting a groove, Dirty Dancing, 

even managed to do herself a very bad favour 

whilst strutting her stuff. After suffering in 

silence (well, self management at least) for years 

with a terribly painful back she finally decided to 

get surgery, with a plate inserted into her neck. 

Sadly this didn’t quite work out, during the 

filming of 2010’s Dancing With The Stars she 

ruptured a disc, and then had to undergo further 

surgery which finally solved the problem. The 

point being that even the pros come unstuck, 

so for goodness sake don’t get silly, and if you 

already have a bad back get it seen to before you 

really, really have to 

#dermaclinicspain 

00 34 674 255 579



Don’t leave your dog to 

die this summer 

Parked cars are deathtraps for dogs: On a 

78-degree day, the temperature inside a parked car 

can soar to 100 degrees in just minutes, and on a 

90-degree day, the interior temperature can reach 

as high as 109 degrees in less than 10 minutes. 

Animals can sustain brain damage or even die from 

heatstroke in just 15 minutes. Beating the heat is 

extra tough for dogs because they can only cool 

themselves by panting. If you see a dog left alone 

in a hot car, take down the car’s colour, model, 

make, and license plate number. Have the owner 

paged in the nearest buildings, or call local humane 

authorities or police. Have someone keep an eye on 

the dog. Don’t leave the scene until the situation has 

been resolved. If the authorities are unresponsive or 

too slow and the dog’s life appears to be in imminent 

danger, find a witness (or several) who will back up 

your assessment, take steps to remove the suffering 

animal from the car, and then wait for authorities 

to arrive. Watch for heatstroke symptoms such as 

restlessness, excessive thirst, thick saliva, heavy 

panting, lethargy, lack of appetite, dark tongue, 

rapid heartbeat, fever, vomiting, bloody diarrhoea, 

and lack of coordination. If a dog shows any of 

these symptoms, get him or her out of the heat, 

preferably into an air-conditioned vehicle, and then 

to a veterinarian immediately. If you are unable to 

transport the dog yourself, take him or her into an 

air-conditioned building if possible and call animal 

control: Tell them it is an emergency. 

Heartless cat 

owners 

JALON Valley ARC have appealed for help after eight 

cats were found abandoned by refuse bins on the Pinos 

road recently. They were contacted by the woman who 

found them and she managed to catch one while the 

charity dealt with the remainder. The vet they were taken 

to for treatment has confirmed they were domestic cats 

and unable to fend for themselves, meaning that they had 

become very emaciated. One cat remains on a rehydration 

drip and all will need ongoing veterinary care. ARC funds 

are low and financial help with the care of the creatures 

would be greatly appreciated. If you would like to donate 

please go to the groups Paypal at jalonvalleyarc14@ 

yahoo.co.uk or their Facebook fundraiser page. The ARC 

has also just acquired a new kitten, 10 weeks old Max, 

who is looking for a new home as are various other cats 

and dogs. For more information on this contact Sally on 

625 985 689 or the e-mail address above. 

Residencia canina y felina 

Boarding kennel & Cattery 

Since 

1977 

desde/since 

1977 

RESIDENCIA CANINA Y FELINA 

BOARDING KENNEL & CATTERY 

Habitaciones individuales 

Ozono 

Hilo musical 

Calefacción 

Parques ajardinados 

Servicio a domicilio 

Admitimos todas las razas 

Individual rooms 

Ozono 

Music 

Heated floor system 

Landscaped playgrounds 

Free home delivery service 

All types of dogs & cats allowed



33 

From the moment of waking in the 

beautifully spacious and exceptionally 

elegant garden rooms of the Nos Da Ty hotel 

in Sri Lanka, it is easy to see how it got its 

name. Meaning ‘The Good Night’ Hotel in 

Welsh, in honour of the heritage of one of 

the owners, it is a genuine place of secluded 

serenity designed to invite a relaxing, stylish 

and uniquely individual experience to the 

weariest of travellers. Sri Lanka sits pretty 

at the south tip of India, a small country 

offering big attractions mixing up culture, 

beaches and nature. 

The destination is a luxury in itself 

but when combined with Nos Da Ty, a 

visit becomes something very special and 

certainly more than just a holiday. The 

boutique hotel boasts just six rooms and two 

bungalows with accommodation for up to 20 

people situated on Koggala beach. It can be 

hired in its entirety although any visitors can 

be assured of such personal service they will 

feel like the only guests. Should you choose 

to take some breakfast there are various 

traditional options but the local specialities 

of coconut sambol, milk rice, coconut roti, 

fresh fruit or local breads really help start 

the day in traditional fashion. You can 

contemplate what you are going to do with 

your time, whether it is to chill out by the 

pool, maybe with a massage (available at just 

£20 for an hour), take part in some yoga or 

meditation or explore the island and all it has 

to offer. 

A GOOD NIGHT IN SRI LANKA 

There are plenty of choices too. Beyond 

Koggala’s perfect beaches is a world of 

culture, spanning thousands of years, on 

the doorstep. A short walk away, the stilt 

fishermen go about their daily business and 

at the Kataluwa Purwarama Temple, the 

friendly monks explain the painted Jataka 

tales behind the 200-year-old murals. 

A tuk-tuk ride takes you to the Martin 

Wickramasinghe Art Museum, a fascinating 

place to learn about Sri Lankan folk culture. 

Better still, you can go anywhere at any 

time because the owners of the Nos Da Ty 

offer you the opportunity to design your 

own adventures using tour drivers who are 

appointed to the hotel for local visits or fully 

escorted, around-the-island trips - or even 

an exotic trip to the Maldives. The Tiogalla 

Latie Boat Trip is a firm favourite with hotel 

guests. Taking two hours, the excursion 

includes visits to Temple Island, Bird Island 

and Cinnamon Island. It’s a ten-minute walk 

from the hotel - or five minutes in the red 

tuk-tuk - to the boat. 

The more intrepid traveller who is happy 

to leave behind the serenity and tropical 

gardens of the hotel can find even more 

slightly further afield. Just 45 minutes away 

is Galle’s UNESCO World Heritage Site 

fort, the Handunugoda Tea Estate where you 

can discover the Virgin White Tea Factory 

and sample 25 varieties of tea, or Mirissa, a 

charming seaside town with fantastic whale 

watching trips. A two-hour drive takes you 

to Yala National Park, home to a variety 

of animals including leopards, over 300 

elephants, and a multitude of colourful birds. 

There is no better place to return to after a 

busy day exploring Sri Lanka and all the 

complexities and the intrigue of its vast and 

rich history. 

Everyone at Nos Da Ty will make you feel 

at home with creature comforts such as fresh 

linen, a cosy bar and air conditioning. If you 

really feel the need to keep in touch with the 

rest of the world then wi-fi and TV is also 

freely available. The evenings are something 

of a delight with the resident chef’s eclectic 

mix of traditional and international cuisine 

- with the speciality that has to come from 

an island: fish. The menu covers Sri Lankan 

Sri-Lankan Temple 

and global specialities to unexpected 

Mediterranean salads, fish and chips, pasta 

and paella to homemade burgers. The grilled 

or barbecued seafood in lime butter sauce, 

Sri Lankan red rice and various curries, 

regional soup and gotu kola are exquisite. 

Assuming, of course, you have room if you 

have taken part in the free tea and cakes that 

are served at 5pm on the garden terrace. Sri 

Lanka is an island of unbelievable beauty, 

history, mystique and culture, and the owners 

have combined their love of the country with 

the desire to share it with their guests. Their 

passion shines through and any visit can 

only be enhanced by staying at this small but 

beautifully packaged hotel that can only be 

described as a place of paradise.


by Yvonne Hollywood, 

Worldwide Horizons 

Mallorca is the biggest of the 

Balearic Islands with world-renowned 

beaches and coves, it is also a great 

destination to enjoy turquoise 

waters, countryside, culture, water 

sports, golf, entertainment... There 

are many reasons to visit this idyllic 

Mediterranean Island. Mallorca has 

3,640 km² of surface area, measuring 

nearly 80 kilometres from one end to 

the other and about 262 beaches. White 

sand beaches and sparkling waters are 

predominant in most of the island, as 

well as small coves between cliffs and 

pine groves in the north of the island. 

Its crystalline waters are perfect for 

swimming and water sports such as 

scuba diving, kite surfing, fishing, 

sailing, windsurfing and surfing. There 

are many other sports available, The 

Island has a range of well-designed golf 

courses, ideally set between lush green 

surroundings, suitable for all levels. 

The countryside plays an important 

role as almost 40 percent of the island 

is protected. There is mountain range 

Mallorca 

crossing the island called the Sierra 

de Tramuntana with peaks reaching 

over 1,400 m above sea level. The best 

way to explore the island is by hiring a 

car, taking public transport or going on 

excursions. The Island boasts countless 

routes for cycling and for hiking, 

both along the coastline and inland. 

Towns such as Pollença, Valldemossa 

and Deía are known for their cultural 

importance, In the East of the Island, 

you can find towns like Cala Millor, Sa 

Coma and Calas de Mallorca for relaxed 

beach holidays. Around the South of the 

island, you will find Palma de Mallorca, 

the capital of the Island, a busy city 

with lots of historic value, great 

nightlife and the biggest commercial 

Port of the Island, there are scheduled 

boat and ferry services available daily. 

Mallorca is also a favourite holiday 

destination for the rich and famous. 

Throughout the year there are many 

festivals, concerts, literary events, 

exhibitions. The Airport is situated just 

outside Palma de Mallorca and in less 

than an hour, you can reach any part of 

the Island. Package deals are available 

all year round, and with the new Murcia 

Corvera now also offering flights direct 

to the island, it really is very easy to get 

there. 

What Is Imserso? 

This is a Government 

Sponsored scheme for 

subsidized holidays 

for pensioners who 

are residents in Spain. 

They have currently 

sent out a letter to allow 

everyone to update their 

contact information and 

holidays destination 

options. The period is 

now open also for new 

applications. Following 

this, all registered 

participants will be 

advised for their date 

to book for the season 

19/20.

100 

Issues 

Join in the celebration with 

The Weekender Newspaper 

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Call 602 296 180 or email sales@impactgroup.es

38 

Alex Trelinski’s 

SWEETNESS AND LIGHT 

I can exclusively reveal that the stages of the Tory leadership battle 

heavily circulated photos of PM between the ex-Foreign Secretary, 

hopeful Boris Johnson smiling away and his replacement, the amiable 

to girlfriend Carrie Symonds in a Jeremy Hunt. The row in the flat, and 

Sussex field are fake. It is clear that the inability of Johnson to just admit 

singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran broke it and to put a line underneath it leads 

away from his European Tour dates to some very telling questions being 

for the loving photo snapped on asked about him as a potential leader. 

Sunday, as the hairstyle doesn´t quite You need a calm head running the UK 

match what Boris has at the moment. at this dangerous time, and I like a 

Perhaps it was a wig, and this piece of scenario that one or two commentators 

sickbag-grabbing stage-management have mentioned. Between Hunt and 

came after neighbours said they Johnson, who would like to pick up the 

heard ‘plates smashing’ and Carrie phone as PM at 3.00 am and be told of 

shouting ‘get off me, get out’ at the an impending national catastrophe or 

home they share in London on Friday. disaster, and have the ability to deal 

All of this has dominated the early with it immediately and sensibly? 

SAM´S NO DUMMY! 

I love original marriage out an engagement ring. He 

proposal stories, and this tale of a then popped the question - and 

lifeboat crew member who went Kirsty said yes. That was met 

to the aid of a “dummy” during with cheering and applause from 

a training exercise, only to find the entire lifeboat crew. Lifeboat 

the question popped to her! The coxswain Davie Orr said: 

RNLI team in Aberdeen had “Aberdeen’s volunteer lifeboat 

helped disguise Kirsty Noble’s crew is a very close-knit team. 

boyfriend Sam Main as the “We go through the highs 

“casualty” during the training and lows of search and rescue 

at the city’s Fishmarket Quay. missions together. “We all 

When Kirsty went to help, he got wish Kirsty and Sam every 

up onto one knee and brought happiness.” 

Back In 

EXPRESS GRUMPINESS 

It´s amazingly 20 years 

ago since that catchy pop ditty 

from Divine Comedy called 

National Express, and I confess 

to having quietly sung onboard 

their coaches in that era. But I 

suspect that other songs were 

on the minds of passengers as 

a coach driver led them on a 

“horrific and abusive” journey 

from Heathrow to Exeter. 

Passenger Beth Lee said that 

the driver did an emergency stop 

on the M5, swore at them and 

arrived two hours late. National 

Express said the driver had been 

suspended pending the outcome 

of an investigation. Ms Lees said 

the coach had arrived more than 

two hours late at Heathrow on 

Saturday, and that the driver was 

“clearly in a bad mood” and was 

“grumpy and moaning”. After 

getting onto the M5 they came 

off soon afterwards and “for an 

hour-and-a-half we roamed the 

countryside”. She said: “He was 

clearly lost. A couple of ladies 

went up and said he was going 

the wrong way. He was saying 

‘... off, it’s my ....... coach, I’m 

..... driving it.” At one point, she 

said the driver was “trying to 

force someone off the coach in 

the middle of nowhere”. Some 

passengers offered to help the 

driver with directions and she 

said it “was getting quite scary”, 

and on the M5, he “slammed 

on his brakes and veered onto 

the hard shoulder.” What a 

charming return back to the 

UK for Ms Lees and her fellow 

travellers!

Britain 

PETEŔ S RARE ROUTINE 

Dog lovers everywhere 

will be intrigued by the story 

of Peter the cocker spaniel, 

who has a very unusual 

piece of behaviour. The 

one-year-old doggy tenses 

up and falls over when he’s 

excited or scared, and that 

has left vets puzzled about 

the exact cause. Peter 

has been turning heads 

around Sheffield due to the 

behaviour, with triggers 

including birds, ducks, bikes, 

other dogs and crunchy 

leaves. Emma Clayton, the 

dog’s owner, said vets have 

told her Peter didn’t seem to 

be in any pain but more tests 

were required to pinpoint the 

reason behind it. She said: 

“He’s perfect in every single 

way, even with this silly 

little quirk he’s got.” Perhaps 

Peter just needs a lady dog to 

take his mind off his falling 

over, but every dog has his 

or her quirks, which is what 

makes each one of done an 

individual character. 

A STOUT ARREST 

I´ve always thought that cup 

holders in cars, with hot or cold 

drinks inside them, are just as 

dangerous for motorists as the 

regular plague of them using 

mobile phones, when they should 

be concentrating on the road. 

Birmingham police though came 

along something different at the 

weekend, as they arrested a driver 

with a pint of Guinness in his cup 

holder. He had a can of the beer in 

one of the cup holders, and a halffull 

glass of it in the other. Eagleeyed 

officers made the swoop after 

finding a number of cans of the 

stout in the man’s car in the Acocks 

Green area of the city on Saturday 

night, and drugs were also found 

in the vehicle. It was too good an 

opportunity for the cops to miss out 

on social media as a tweet read, ‘This 

man is going to have a headache in 

an interview this morning! He was 

literally arrested for drink-driving, 

as well as possession. It was a 

costly detention for the 54-year-old 

man, who´s had his car seized, and 

will have plenty of time to work out 

why he did in the first place. 


A S D Á S 

HARD PRICE 

39 

What price comedy I ask, letter words into the bargain. 

after a man was sacked by After the complaint, Mr Leach 

Asda for sharing an ‘antireligion’ 

sketch by Billy wrote an apology to his bosses 

deleted the post last month and 

Connolly on his Facebook and colleagues, but Asda fired 

page? Brian Leach, who had him last week though for 

worked at the Asda store for breaching the company’s social 

five years in Dewsbury, West media policy. His mistake was 

Yorkshire, was let go by the on his home page, where on 

supermarket after a colleague the left you can list your past 

complained the comments in and present employers, and he 

the sketch were anti-Islamic. mentioned that he worked for 

Yes there was one tiny Islamic Asda. Sounds a bit severe to 

mention, but it was anti-every me, as I presume Asda sold 

other religion as well, and the Connolly DVD that it came 

a true Connolly “pox on all from a few years ago without 

your houses”, with some four- 

any complaints.

Star 0010-Solution 


Puzzles 

Easy 

Rose_0008_E1 

Rosetta 

ROSETTA 

2 3 4 

A Rosetta is made up of a 

7 6 

centre coloured hexagon 

encircled by 6 white hexagons. 

Example 

To complete the puzzle, fill in all 7 Rosettas 

with each number between 1 and 7 in no 

particular order while also ensuring that : 

1. No number is repeated in a horizontal row 

2. Each number from 1 to 7 are represented in 

the 7 grey coloured hexagon cells. 

1 

5 

STAR PUZZLE 

Medium 

Star 0010-Grid_M1 

Star Puzzle 

STAR PUZZLE 

To complete the puzzle fill in each of the empty hexagon 

cells with numbers between 1 & 7 following the 3 rules 

below; 

1. No numbers in a horizontal line can be repeated. 

2. No numbers in a diagonal line can be repeated. 

3. No numbers in the 7 gray hexagons can be repeated. 

Daily Codeword 

CODEWORDS 

24 January 19 

© Engaged Learning 

© 2011 Engaged Learning 

* Note that each white hexagon belongs to a line of 7 that 

must contain each of the numbers between 1 and 7. 

A B C D E F G H I J K L M 

N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 

Sudoku 

Easy 

Medium 

Hard 

Copyright © 2018 Best for Puzzles 

http://bestforpuzzles.com/dc/print.html?puzz=daily-codeword-190124 

Puzzle Solutions 

DROP QUOTE 

For a complete explanation on 

how this puzzle was solved 

visit www.hexaliagames.com 

“Positiveness is an absurd foible. If you are in the right, it lessens your triumph; if in the wrong, it adds shame to your 

QUICK CROSSWORD CRYPTIC CROSSWORD CODEWORD 

Stardoku


CRYPTIC CROSSWORD 

Across 

1. A petty officer, say, reveals defector (8) 

6. Better part of landscape (3) 

9. Turning up with mother’s cats (5) 

10. Callas confused by a place where she sang (2,5) 

11. Right conclusion? That’s ripping! (7) 

12. Noblemen needing laser treatment (5) 

13. Primitive creature getting a second English degree? (6) 

15. Mole responsible for decapitation of emperor? (6) 

19. Class from Lancaster (5) 

21. Ask family insistently for Halloween requirement (7) 

23. Wind or unsettled weather (7) 

24. Pooh’s friend, extremely short, has place to sleep (5) 

25. Pass on what could make an impression (3) 

26. Signed up, having listened for a change (8) 

Down 

2. I’m in enclosure with last bits of hot jalapeño pepper (7) 

3. South American greeting Japanese food (5) 

4. Claim knotty legal point (6) 

5. A street in dire need in part of London (4,3) 

6. Be in charge of post at university (5) 

7. Spare change for fruit (5) 

8. Catches up with a Greek city-state (6) 

14. Speak softly and be heart-broken (7) 

16. Annoying smoker I put out (7) 

17. Number swimming in Tyne (6) 

18. Legal procedure, please (6) 

19. Intimidated, we tucked into fish (5) 

20. Kid influenced by sound (5) 

22. Horses from the farm are saddled (5) 

Drop Quotes 

Drop Quotes are similar to cryptograms, 

in that the goal is for the solver 

to uncover a hidden quote. A blackand-white 

crossword-style grid is set 

up for each quote, with a number of 

letters “hovering” above each column. 

Your task is to “drop” each of those 

letters into the appropriate square in 

each column, until the entire quote is 

revealed. All punctuation (commas, periods, 

dashes, etc.) has been removed. 

Good luck! 

QUICK CROSSWORD 

Drop Quotes 

Source: Unattributed 

O 

K P N N H 

O E E T A 

M E T R O 

U 

T 

E 

N 

B 

H 

Y 

D 

L 

E 

F 

E 

I 

B 

I 

R 

O 

T 

W 

S 

H 

H 

H 

M 

E 

O 

U 

A 

N 

G 

Across 

1. Coloured pencils (7) 

5. Heartless (5) 

8. Stand-offish (5) 

9. Apparition (7) 

10. Sports coach (7) 

11. Tentacled sea creature (5) 

12. Cad (6) 

14. Not wearing shoes (6) 

18. Asian country (5) 

20. Funny (7) 

22. Rude (7) 

23. Performing (5) 

24. Correspond (5) 

25. Accomplish a goal (7) 

Down 

E 

R 

T 

T 

H 

E 

T 

1. Prattle (7) 

2. Fragrance (5) 

3. Crime (7) 

4. Splendid (6) 

5. Anarchy (5) 

6. Falsehood (7) 

7. Disabled (5) 

13. Representative (7) 

15. Wandering (7) 

16. Inundated (7) 

17. Weighing machine (6) 

18. Pleasure trip (5) 

19. Manual worker (5) 

21. Rebuke (5) 

Copyright © Puzzle Baron June 27, 2019 - Go to www.Printable-Puzzles.com for Hints and Solutions! 

Puzzle #A889BK 

S 

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Y 

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41 

Puzzles & Tarotscope 

Aries 

21st Mar – 20th Apr 

Four of Cups 

Opportunities are on their way for 

you to change your life and be the 

wonderful person you know you 

can be, take time out to see how 

others affect you and re-evaluate 

peoples importance in your life. 

A great time to do a cleanse and 

clear out any dross from your life 

Lucky Number 14 

Taurus 

21st Apr – 21st May 

Five of Cups 

For too long now you have relied on 

others get out there and find new 

adventures. Time to find the music 

in your life as one friend leaves and 

another one is found. A cake or 

recipe shared will bring luck. A busy 

week for all you Taureans, make 

sure you enjoy the journey 


Gemini 

22nd May – 21th June 

King of Wands 

Either work or hobby issues there 

is a person who would block your 

enjoyment of one of these, take 

no notice they will fade into the 

background. Pensions or savings 

need some adjustment make sure 

they are working for you. A redhead 

will bring forth great changes 


Cancer 

22nd June – 22nd July 

Strength 

You will need patience and strength 

to see you through yet another of life 

changes. Stand your ground and accept 

no negativity from those around 

you, you are a strong person and the 

week will end on a very positive note. 

DIY seems to be on your mind, you 

will be busy 


Leo 

23rd July – 22nd Aug 

The Hanged Man 

Man or Woman, you will be left 

to wait around this week, your 

ideas seem a bit off the wall but 

trust yourself and take pleasure in 

seeing the results you want. With 

travel on your mind, you will find an 

escape that will greatly inspire you. 

Green will be very lucky this week 


Virgo 

23rd Aug– 22nd Sept 

Eight of Wands 

Things are moving quickly this week 

make sure you are ready for them, 

or you may miss opportunities that 

are beginning to open up for you. A 

relationship may be becoming stale 

take some time to talk and things 

will work out in your favour. Visit to 

the doctor will turn out well 


Libra 

23rd Sept – 22nd Oct 

The Moon 

Things, in general, seem a bit 

confused this week and you need 

to check any plans to make sure 

everything will run smoothly. Others 

around you aren’t much help but 

be patient with them they are doing 

their best. Horses or horsepower 

will figure very strongly this week 


Scorpio 

23rd Oct – 21st Nov 

Ace of Swords 

Tears of happiness are foretold by this 

card, this will be a great week for you 

personally, with new ventures opening 

up for you. Check your car is running 

okay as a small delay on Tuesday 

could spoil your day. Thursday will 

leave you feeling as though you are 

victorious 


Sagittarius 

22nd Nov – 20th Dec 

Three of Wands 

Travel is showing in this card and 

you will not be travelling alone, new 

friendships will be made if you make 

an effort to be sociable. Your diet 

or lifestyle will need some changes 

as you move onto a more exciting 

phase of your life. An older Gentleman 

will help you with this 


Capricorn 

21st Dec – 19th Jan 

Two of Wands 

This is a great time to shut the doors 

and spend some time with yourself 

meditating or thinking on your next 

plan and how to go about putting this 

in place. A lucky time for those of you 

in work as opportunities are opening 

up this week. News of a new baby 

will surprise 


Aquarius 

20th Jan – 19th Feb 

Temperance 

It will seem so easy to go over the 

top with things this month, however, 

this is a time for rational thinking and 

not let your imagination take you on 

a pointless journey. You have been 

like a bird with its wings clipped and 

now is the time for you to fly and 

experience 

Lucky number 40 

Pisces 

20th Feb – 20th Mar 

Two of Coins 

There is a need for you to balance 

your finances, this week will show 

you how. You may feel like a fish out 

of water as you change aspects of 

your life, but be reassured you can 

and will come to a realisation that 

you have the courage to do this. 

Friday is your lucky day 

Lucky Number 33

Stars In 


Morrissey 

sinks lower Two 

When celebrities fall from grace, 

some fall a lot further than others, 

as can be seen by the case of 

everybody’s favourite miserable loner, 

Morrissey. Following recent claims 

by the former Smiths frontman, that 

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan ‘can’t 

speak properly’, that Adolf Hitler 

was a ‘lefty’ and that halal meat is 

‘evil’, he now reckons that ‘everyone 

prefers their own race’. In a recent 

interview, he also claimed that far 

right wing party, For Britain is the only 

party which can unite the left and 

right. “The UK is a dangerously 

hateful place now, and I think 

we need someone to put a stop 

to the lunacy and to speak 

Heaven knows, 

for everyone,” he says before 

I’m a twat 

endorsing their party leader 

Anne Marie Waters. Blimey, with 

people like him around, I’m glad I live 

in Spain. 

Andy 

Mansell’s 

Bad movie leak 

identical 

twitter photos 

of two donkeys 

with the word 

‘Soon‘ written 

alongside has 

caused quite 

an internet 

storm this 

week. Bryan 

Cranston and 

Aaron Paul, 

who posted 

the pics, have 

teased what 

fans believe 

to be a longanticipated 

Breaking Bad movie after 

they shared identical pictures of 

two mules. Cranston previously 

confirmed the Breaking Bad film 

was in the making but was unsure 

if he would be a part of it as his 

character Walter White died at the 

end of the sixth and final season. 

It seems however there is still 

Drug 

mules? 

more of 

Walter’s story to be told as 

Cranston and Paul shared the same 

sepia-toned picture at the exact 

same time, with the caption: ‘Soon.’ 

Netflix is said to be behind the 

movie, so on current form, it should 

be ‘Breaking’ all records... wow, get 

that pun!

My Eyes 


41 

Sun’s up on 

Glastonbury 

Controversial Kim 

Never one to shy away 

from a controversial fashion 

statement, Kim Kardashian 

has been at it again this 

week. The 38-year-old was 

pictured jetting into JFK 

Airport in New York, wearing 

a baggy t-shirt featuring a 

picture of a young Michael 

Jackson. Emblazoned on 

the oversize tee, was a 

faded purple photograph 

of Jackson standing next 

to Prince, who died in 2016 

and it can’t have been too 

much of a coincidence 

that Kim chose to wear 

the t-shirt 10 years to the 

day after Jacko died aged 

50. The 10th anniversary 

of Jackson’s death passed 

with little fanfare, following 

the resurrection of sexual 

abuse allegations against 

the star, so maybe Kim could 

have been a little more 

discreet. Why didn’t she 

just pop into HMV and buy a 

bargain CD of his greatest 

hits instead? 

Festival goers 

arrived early 

As this column went to press, the 

bi-annual mud-fest, commonly 

known as the Glastonbury 

Festival, was getting underway, 

with festival-goers arriving with 

all their various accoutrements 

needed for the world’s best 

known music bash. They may be 

in luck this year as the forecast 

for the weekend suggests there 

may be an unexpected heatwave 

blowing in from the Sahara to 

encourage them to throw away 

their wellies and cagoules. A 

stellar line up of music greats will 

be in attendance, with Stormzy 

headlining the Friday night, 

The Killers taking the helm on 

Saturday, and The Cure closing 

the festival on Sunday night. 

Other highlights will come from 

Janet Jackson, Janelle Monae, 

Liam Gallagher, Miley Cyrus 

and Kylie Minogue, who is this 

year’s Legend Stage star. Thank 

goodness the good old BBC will 

be there to record all the good 

stuff. 

Jackson died 10 

years ago this 

week 

Ronaldo on 

his jollies 

The extravagant lifestyles of top 

footballers are legendary, with 

their lavish homes, cars, jewellery 

and designer clothes. When it 

comes to holidays, few can top the 

vacation currently being enjoyed 

by Portuguese superstar Cristiano 

Ronaldo, accompanied by his wife, 

kids and friends. Fresh from his 

triumphant season for Italian giants 

Juventus and the Portugal national 

team, the World’s second wealthiest 

football player, (behind Lionel 

Messi), headed off to Greece and 

Spain for some rest and relaxation. 

Ronaldo and his entourage are 

currently holed up off the Costa Azul, 

on a mega yacht, Africa, which is 

I,47 metres in length and valued at 

17 million euros and costs 200,000 

euros a week to hire. It has a crew 

of nine members and all kinds of 

amenities, such as a gym and Jacuzzi, 

water slides and jet skis. Prior to 

his Spanish stay, the group enjoyed 

the facilities at the luxurious Royal 

Villa Methoni mansion, on the 

lavish Costa Navarino in Greece, 

where apparently Cristiano was 

so satisfied with the service that, 

apparently, he decided to leave a 

huge tip of about 20,000 euros for 

the staff. Mind you, that’s a mere 

drop in the Mediterranean Ocean 

for someone who earns 109 million 

dollars a year according to Forbes 

magazine. Now that would never 

happen in Benidorm, would it? 

The mega yacht 

costs 200K euros 

per week to hire

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45 

Sports & Local News 

PEGO GOLF SOCIETY STABLEFORD COMPETITION 25th June 

We played a Stableford Competition at 

Oliva Nova for our 29 members and our 2 

guests. 

Our guests today were John Patton 

and Chris Anderson and were warmly 

welcomed by our Captain namely Mr Bill 

Pike. The weather was perfect for golf with 

a lovely temperature and all the members 

rose to the game just like the temperature. 

The competition itself was played with 

two divisions for handicap 

Well played to all the winners for 

their golf, and they were John and Susie 

Snelling, 

Talk about keeping it in the family !!!.. 

Great playing from both of you 

Nearest the pin at Hole No 5 with his 

second shot was Martin Gates with 1.57 

metres, and at hole number 16, nearest the 

pin was Penny Barden with 4.59 metres. 

There were two 2’s today, which 

reflects the greens are getting better, and 

they were by John Snelling at the 6th and 

Penny Barden at the 3rd. Great 2 by John 

Snelling at the 6th Hole 

The “Balls in the Water” competition, 

was won today, and it was won by Steve 

Patton who guessed correctly there were 

72 balls in the water. 

Next week on Tuesday 2nd of July, we 

are playing a major competition, that being 

the Copa de Escocia so should you want 

to join us at Pego, please contact Penny 

Barden at pegohandicapsec@gmail.com, 

and we would love to see you. 

In the competition, the results for Division 1 were as follows:- 

1st Place John Snelling 38 Points playing off 11.5 Handicap. 

2nd Place Susie Snelling 36 Points playing off 16.1 Handicap 

3rd Place Steve Patton 35 Points playing off 12.3 Handicap 

4th Place David Blakeley 35 Points playing off 17.4 Handicap 

Results for Division 2 were as follows 

1st Place Brian Bardon 36 Points playing off 19.0 Handicap 

2nd Place John Evans 33 Points playing off 20.9 Handicap 

3rd Place Paul Trigwell 31 Points playing off 21.3 Handicap 

Flying Scotsman visits 

The most famous steam engine in the 

World, Flying Scotsman, last March paid 

a visit to Swanage Railway. This month it 

has been spotted here on the Costa Blanca! 

Well, no, not the real one, of course, but the 

00 gauge model, which was in service this 

week on one of the layouts of the Marina Alta 

Model Railway Club, based in Teulada. 

The Flying Scotsman was built in 

Doncaster in 1923 by the LNER to haul 

express trains between London Kings Cross 

and Edinburgh Waverley, and in 1928 it 

became the first locomotive to travel nonstop 

between these great cities. In 1934 it 

also became the first UK locomotive to reach 

a speed of 100 mph. The Club layout is based 

the East Coast main line which still connects 

Kings Cross and Waverley. 

The photo shows Flying Scotsman as it 

would have appeared in service in the mid- 

1920s. 

The Marina Alta Model Railway Club 

recently celebrated its second birthday with 

an enjoyable dinner in Javea Port, to which 

wives and/or partners were invited to share 

the joys of the model railway world. 

The Club continues to meet regularly at its 

large clubhouse in Teulada, and new members 

are welcome to revive their younger passion 

or experience railway modelling for the first 

time. Just drop a line to 

mamrclub@gmail.com 

We look forward to seeing you. 

JOHN WINS THE PRESIDENTS CUP 

Today Montgo G S played the Presidents 

Cup a Medal competition sponsored by the 

society. 

Our winner today was the President John 

Feek with an excellent 68, Second was Susie 

Snelling with 69, third was Mick Farmer 

with 74 and fourth was Nigel Siddall with 75. 

Today we had 4 nearest the pins for both 

the Ladies and Gents. On the 3rd hole the 

winners Ros Fletcher & John Snelling, the 

16th hole the winners were Sue Burman & 

John Feek, 2nd shot on the 5th the winners 

were Susie Snelling & Mick Farmer, and 2nd 

Benitachell Bowls Club has successfully seen off all 

the Northern Bowls Clubs to win the Northern Valencian 

Champions League. Play off against the South will take 

place at Mont y Mar Bowls Club on the 26th June. 

Wednesday afternoon, 5th June, saw the final game take 

place at the BBC v El Cid Bowls Club. The games consist 

of a Rinks game, a Triples game, a Pairs game and a Ladies 

singles and a Gents singles. BBC required three points to 

win and it was a nail biting competition right down to the 

wire. BBC Ladies singles was won by Mary Cockle v Betty 

Anderson with only two shots difference in the game, this 

awarded two points to BBC.. The BBC also won the Rinks 

game with Captain Jeff Richards, Brian Doggett, Trefor 

Evans and Gail Chick gaining another two points, there score 

shot on the 18th was won by Ros Fletcher & 

Geoff Willcock. 

We also have 2 pairs knockout results; 

Ros & Jim Fletcher beat Simon & Stella 

fox 3+2 (although Stella was unable to play 

Simon put up a valiant fight). Also, John 

Ross & Terry Moore beat Glenys & Neil 

Cuming 6+4. 

We welcomed 2 guests today llona 

Mathieu & Wolfgang Glaser, both have 

applied to become members of Montgo. 

Next weeks game is a Stableford 

competition sponsored by Heiko Schram 

BENITACHELL BOWLS CLUB NORTHERN VALENCIAN CHAMPIONS 

gave enough of a shot difference to gain the extra two points. 

The final result was six points to each club. 

This is the second Northern Championship that the club 

has won this year, having already won the L.L.B (Levante 

Lawn Bowls) North/South League Championship earlier in 

the year. Congratulations to one and all. 

Front Row: 

Greg Sperring, Bob Cockle, Linda Richards, Mary 

Cockell, Gail Chick and Carol Davies. 

Back Row: 

Captain Jeff Richards, Trefor Evans, Alex Fisher, (Marker 

for the Singles) Mick Adams Brian Doggett and Dudley 

Davies.


Sport 

GOING DUTCH 


The 2019 MotoGP world 

championship moves to 

Assen in The Netherlands 

this Sunday, with champion 

Marc Marquez leading the 

standings. Assen is a special 

circuit in MotoGP history, 

as in the 70 years that the 

championships have taken 

place, the Dutch venue has 

always hosted a race. It´s a 

record that no other country 

can boast, even though Italy 

has always had a GP race 

as well since 1949. Assen 

is held in such high regard 

that it is known as ‘The 

Cathedral’ of motorcycle 

racing and is a track that has 

a history of producing highly 

exciting and close racing. 

Spain´s Marquez gets 

there this weekend 37 points 

clear of his nearest rival 

Andrea Dovizioso, and has plenty of 

respect for the Dutch circuit. 

“Assen is a circuit where you need 

to be very precise and it’s difficult to 

be consistent there. To be strong in 

the fast change of directions is really 

important to go well at Assen. I’m 

looking forward to racing there again 

as we have had some good battles in 

the past and have put on a great show 

for the fans.,” said Marquez. 

NEYMAR RETURN 


Barcelona has allegedly 

reached a verbal agreement with 

Neymar over his return to the club 

from Paris Saint-Germain this 

summer, some two years after the 

Brazilian left the La Liga side for 

a world record fee. 

Rumours have circulated over 

Neymar’s desire to leave France 

over the last few weeks, and it 

appears he’s taken one step closer 

to the exit door after agreeing to 

a five-year deal with the Spanish 

champions. 

Barca are also set to sign 

Atletico Madrid´s Antoine 

Griezmann for 120 million euros 

next week, once his release clause 

in his contract becomes active. 

FAVOURITES 

FLOUNDER 

England’s World Cup 

hopes are on a knife 

edge after a demoralising 

defeat by Australia at 

Lord’s on Tuesday. 

The 64-run loss means 

they might need to win 

their last two games, 

beginning with India at 

Edgbaston on Sunday, 

in order to make the last 

four. Much will also 

depend on the results of 


Bangladesh, Sri Lanka 

and Pakistan, who can all 

overhaul Eoin Morgan’s 

men. 

The hosts began the 

tournament as favourites, 

but now have little margin 

for error, with Tuesday´s 

defeat following Friday’s 

shock reverse to Sri Lanka 

to make a total of three 

defeats in seven games. 

UNSTOPPABLE LEWIS 

Lewis Hamilton says he 

“understands” if people find 

Formula 1 boring in the face 

of Mercedes’ domination but 

says it is not his or the team’s 

fault.Hamilton’s victory 

in Sunday’s French Grand 

Prix was his sixth in eight 

races this year - his teammate 

Valtteri Bottas has won 

the other two. The world 

champion put the blame 

on the sport’s bosses and 

in particular former leader 

Bernie Ecclestone.“Don’t 


point fingers at the drivers, 

we don’t write the rules,” 

he said.“We have nothing 

to do with money shifting, 

all that kind of stuff. You 

should put the pressure on 

the people at the head, who 

should be doing the job.” 

The Brit´s parade towards 

another world title continues 

with the Austrian Grand 

Prix at the Red Bull Ring on 

Sunday.


47 

Sport 

DECADE DECISION 

Manchester City 

said: “No, this is the last 

midfielder David Silva by Alex Trelinski one.” He added: “Ten years 

says he will leave the club 

for me is enough. It’s the 

at the end of next season. 395 times. He featured in perfect time for me.” “It 

The ex-Valencia star, 33 Premier League games completes the cycle. It’s 

33, has won four Premier last season and scored six a nice round figure. I can 

League titles, the FA Cup goals as Pep Guardiola’s never see myself playing 

twice and the League Cup side retained the title. against City for another 

four times since joining Asked if he would stay team. So 10 years - that’s 

the club in 2010, playing beyond next season, Silva it.” 

TOON SHAMBLES 

Newcastle United are 

on the managerial hunt 

again, as Rafa Benitez 

quits the Premier League 

outfit when his contract 

expires this Sunday. 

A club statement this 

week claimed they 

had “worked hard to 

extend Rafa’s contract 

over a significant period 

of time but could not reach 


an agreement and said the 

Spaniard and his coaching 

staff will all leave the 

club.”. 

Benitez has worked 

miracles at Newcastle, 

despite having to work 

with controversial owner 

Mike Ashley. 

Ex-Toon legend, Alan 

Shearer, described the 

departure of Benitez as “a 

shambles”. 

A number of players 

are said to be unhappy 

about the news and are 

reported as looking to 

leave the club, whilst 

somewhat surprisingly, 

some newspapers have 

linked Jose Mourinho with 

the managerial vacancy. 

VALENCIA SWOOP 

Valencia has signed 

Netherlands goalkeeper 

Jasper Cillessen from 

Spanish rivals Barcelona 

for 35 million euros. 

Cillessen, 30, played 32 

games in three seasons at 


the Nou Camp and won two 

La Liga titles, the Copa del 

Rey twice and the Spanish 

Super Cup. 

He has agreed a four-year 

contract at Valencia and 

will have a buyout clause of 

80 million euros. Valencia 

finished fourth in La Liga 

in May and will play in the 

Champions League group 

stage this autumn.


There may be four tennis 

grand slam events, but there´s 

no doubt that Wimbledon, 

which starts on Monday, is 

the top prize for players and 

spectators alike. There´s extra 

weather protection for this 

year´s event with Court One 

having a roof to keep the action 

going with Centre Court if the 

rains arrive, whilst French 

Open winner Rafa Nadal 

has fired a broadside at the 

seeding committee for giving 

him a number three ranking, 

behind Roger Federer and 

top seed(and defending 

champion) Novak Djokovic. 

Unlike the three other 

Grand Slam tournaments, 

Wimbledon does not stick 

rigidly to the ATP and WTA 


rankings, meaning players 

can be bumped up the order to 

reflect their previous form on 

the grass. Nadal said:-“I don’t 

think it’s a good thing that 

Wimbledon is the only one 

with its own seeding formula.” 

Nadal lost a semi-final epic to 

Djokovic last year but in his 

previous five appearances, 

he never got past round four. 

With the 12-time French Open 

champion dropped to third, it 

means he could potentially 

have to beat both Djokovic 

and Federer to claim his first 

All England club title since 

2010. It´s very hard to see 

beyond the top three in that 

contest, but the ladies battle 

Sport 

RAFA´S ROUGH RANKING 

looks wonderfully wide open. 

New world number one 

Ashleigh Barty from Australia 

is the one to watch, after her 

success in Paris last month, 

and she looks equally good on 

grass. Serena Williams will, 

of course, have something 

to say about that, and after 

an excellent clay season for 

Britain´s Jo Konta, she will be 

leading the home supporters 

in having somebody to cheer 

for, along of course with Andy 

Murray in the doubles. The 

Scotsman looks like a new 

player after his hip operation 

and will be playing in the 

men´s and mixed events, with 

a Queens doubles title won 

with Feliciano Lopez, already 

in his pocket 

OUR 

MISSION 

We endeavour to 

raise funds and 

distribute 

them where most 

needed. 

Can you help us? 

Raising Awareness & Fund Raising 

For Cancer Care Nursing & Advisory Service 

We Deliver Support & Care 

To Those Affected By cancer 

Please come along and visit both our shops and charity 

centre located in Javea Park just off Av.de Paris Javea. 

Chat with our wonderful team of volunteers and find out 

about everything we do. 

Telephone - 965796846 / 965790129 

You can also contact our Lead Nurse 

Jayne directly on 965796846.

Weekender Alicante North Issue 100

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