10 January - 16 January 2023

Plans for local solar farms scuppered

The regional Ministry for Ecological Transition has refused plans to build two solar energy farms in the Sierra Escalona. In a statement the Ministry said that it was concerned about the environmental impact on the protected area. The proposed sites would take up more than 300 hectares of land in the Sierra Escalona the largest countryside area in the Vega Baja region.

The Ecological Transition Ministry said “The plants would have a signi cant adverse impact on the landscape and the environment, especially in the protected area of the Sierra Escalona and its surroundings.”

The Ministry ruling pointed out that the Sierra Escalona was classi ed as a protected area by the Valencian government in 2018 and was ‘one of

and Itel project applications were regarded as leading proposals for solar plants farms in the Vega Baja region that are said to total around 25.

The solar plans produced an unfavourable environmental report from the Valencian government, as well as submissions from groups like from the Friends of Sierra Escalona(ASE). ASE President, Miguel Angel Pavon, said “This is a good start for 2023 for the Sierra Escalona and sets a good precedent for the processing of around a dozen other solar farm applications that would a ect the area.”

The refusal follows the recent announcement that ve new solar farms are being considered for the surrounding area of the Lagunas de La Mata and Torrevieja Natural Park, as well as the Hoyo Serrano and area later this year. In total, there are nine plants in the same area and in just one month, seven new planning requests have been submitted in the Vega Baja taking the number of projects from 25 to 32.

As with the Sierra Escalona farms, it is a foregone conclusion that all the planning applications will be contested by a variety of environmental and neighbourhood groups, who will hope that the Ministry will once again deny the applications.

the most relevant areas’ in the Valencia region. The statement continued “The proximity to wetlands in Torrevieja and San Pedro del Pinatar enriches the birdlife that passes and is seen in the area regularly.”

In theory the government’s Energy Ministry could overturn the decision, but that is viewed as highly unlikely. The application for the plants in Torremendo had been funded by the Atitlan investment fund and the Bibey

No Orihuela Beach Bars till Easter

Orihuela Costa beach bars have been closed after the current contract with Chiringuitos del Sol expired. The closure is due to continue until the Easter tourist season starts.

Chiringuitos del Sol, the company awarded the management contract following the termination of the previous agreement that was extended on 31st December 2021, posted on social media that the closure was for reasons

‘beyond our control’. The Councillor for Beaches, Antonio Sanchez, explained that according to the Town Hall’s legal advisers, the cont5ractb could not be extended again. Therefore, a new contract with new speci cations is currently being nalised with the aim of an Easter start.

The Tender will be published shortly and will be similar to the previous one, including not just beach bars but sun-

loungers, parasols and water sports. It is expected that bids will be received this month, evaluated in February and the award proposal ready by March.

The new cont5ract will be awarded for a four-year term, valued at around 900,000 euros and also included the opportunity to extend for an additional two years. The winning operator will have the option to add or reduce the metreage of the terraces and the opening times.

Lowest unemployment since 2007

The number of people registering as unemployed in Spain fell slightly for December from the previous month, and which means it ended 2022 at a 15-year low, according to data from the Labour Ministry.

The number of jobless fell by 1.52 percent, or by 43,727 people, leaving 2.84 million people out of work, the lowest gure since 2007 and before the nancial crisis, when 2.2 million were unemployed. The encouraging gure for 2022 comes amid prolonged economic uncertainty, resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic and then the Russian war in Ukraine.

‘This data shows that labour protection measures are working,’ Labour Minister Yolanda Díaz said in a post on Twitter. Spain lost 8,347 net formal jobs in December to 20.31 million jobs, after November’s record high job creation, a separate report from the Social Security Ministry showed. Figures show that 471,360 jobs were created in 2022, and there are now 20,296,271 Spaniards

registered in the Social Security system.

In April 2022, the Spanish labour market rst surpassed the 20 million threshold for the rst time, and then in June, the total number of unemployed fell below 3 million for the rst time since the 2008 nancial crisis.

Minister for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, José Luis Escrivá, said that ‘the latest enrolment data for 2022 shows that the year that has just ended has been very positive for

employment, despite the complicated international situation’.

The labour market reform passed in February 2022, and driven by Díaz, limited most temporary contracts to a maximum of three months and brought back collective bargaining with unions as the main way of negotiating pay and conditions. Shortterm and temporary job contracts were largely blamed for job insecurity in Spain, especially among young people who are still hit by high unemployment.

Unemployment of young people under 25 decreased 5.86 percent in December, by 12,185 people, compared with the previous month and reaching a record low of 195,751 people.

‘The youngest workers have bene ted the most from the approval of the labour reform, signing 1.9 million more contracts than in 2019,’ Díaz said.

In 2022, the total number of

permanent contracts signed almost reached ve million (4,867,726), according to the Ministry of Labour. Over nine million fewer temporary contracts (9,069,604) were signed in 2022 than in 2019, the year before the pandemic.

This job market growth also appears to be evenly spread around Spain, with employment increases above 3.5 percent in Andalusia, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Catalonia, Castilla-La Mancha, Valencia, Madrid and Murcia.

Archaeological artifacts seized from Costa Blanca homes

Spanish police have recovered hundreds of archaeological artifacts, including marine fossils, Bronze Age ceramics and 18th-century weapons, from two houses in the province of Alicante.

More than 200 human bone fragments, some of which are between 4,000 and 5,000 years old, were also seized from the homes, the Spanish Civil Guard said in a statement. The discovery follows a weeks-long investigation, known as Operation Osarium, that led police to what they called “one of the largest illegal private collections” in Alicante. Two men are currently under investigation for the misappropriation of goods with artistic, historical, cultural or scienti c value, the statement added. Roman mosaic tiles, paleolithic int tools and historical weaponry, including cannonballs and an iron grenade, were among the 350 archaeological artifacts recovered.

After the initial discovery was made at a house in the village of Gata de Gorgos, the homeowner cooperated with police and led them to a larger collection at a property in the nearby city of Dénia.

The occupant at the second home claimed that the archaeological items discovered there had been inherited from a deceased relative, though police found no documentation “that would justify his possession” of the artifacts, the statement added. Investigators did, however, nd notebooks containing handwritten notes from the late relative pinpointing where the items originated from.

The Spanish Civil Guard said it is seeking to collaborate with culture department o cials to research and catalog the items.

“The study by specialists could help to date the origin and context of the pieces, thereby increasing their value, and even facilitating the location of new archaeological sites,” the police statement added.

The discovery comes a year after 36 stolen antiquities, also recovered by the Spanish Civil Guard, were returned to Egypt. The objects, which included gurines of goddesses and ancient jars, were seized at the Spanish port of Valencia after being smuggled out of archaeological sites in 2014, according to Reuters.

Historic flooding issue addressed

The Department of Infrastructures has announced the contracting of works for the renovation and expansion of the rainwater network in Calle Mariano Torregrosa and the San Miguel de Salinas Road in Villamartín.

The projects will be nanced under the Vega Renhace Plan and were pending the approval of the Segura Hydrographic Confederation, before being transferred to the Contracting area in order to tender and award the works.

The Councillor for Infrastructures, Ángel Noguera, explained that the project consists of the construction of a new collector with a length of 285.52 meters at the intersection between the San Miguel de Salinas Road and Calle Mariano Torregrosa into which the water collects in the green area of

Man shot in Catral

The Civil Guard is investigating an alleged attempted murder in Catral. The incident happened after two cars collided at exit 730 of the AP7 at the Catral-Crevillente roundabout. Two people got out of one car and went towards the occupants of the other, shooting one in the leg and hitting the other with the butt of a hand-gun before eeing the scene. The victims are two men of North African origin who were transferred to the Hospital del Vinalopó, but luckily their injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.

Bahamas street. Likewise, new rainwater collection points and scuppers will be built to avoid the accumulation of water on the public roads.

The Councillor reported that the budget for the work is 321,217.59 euros and the expected period for completion of these is three months.

“This is one of the projects nanced through the Vega Renhace Plan, which will make it possible to carry out important works to prevent ooding

the municipality,” he said.

Migrants rescued off Torrevieja

A boat that had 13 people on board was intercepted 19 miles o the coast of Torrevieja, according to the Red Cross. The boat was carrying 13 Algerian men, all over the age of 18 and all in good health. The rst sighting was made by a shing vessel, which approached the boat and stayed close by until the migrants were rescued. The Maritime Service launched the ‘Salvamar Leo’ and its crew to complete the rescue.

Value-added tax reduced on staple groceries

Cutting value-added tax on basic foodstu s has already borne fruit for households in Spain, and the move will continue for at least the rst six months of 2023, the national government conrms. From Sunday 1st January, IVA –as this tax is known in mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands – is no longer charged on milk, bread, cheese, eggs, fruit, vegetables, cereals and pulses, which previously attracted the lowest rate of 4 percent.

Middle-rate IVA, currently 10 percent, which normally applies to pasta and cooking oil, has been reduced to 5 percent for these goods.

Consumers remain sceptical, saying they expect supermarkets will simply raise their prices and the public will not bene t from the tax cut, but the government says this will not be allowed. Stores are not permitted to take advantage of lower IVA to charge more and increase their pro ts.

Supermarket bosses stress that the IVA element is only a small part of the end price, meaning it is not clear whether costs to customers will continue to soar. Depending upon the goods in question, price tags have risen by anything from 10 percent to 100 percent - as an example, stores’ own-brand milk has gone up by 61 percent, from approximately 57 cents a litre to 93 cents.

National authorities say groceries a ected by the IVA reduction must not go up in price for four months, although it is unclear whether this period will be extended to include the whole six months of reduced value-added tax, nor whether the IVA cut will go on for longer.

Major supermarket chains say the actual impact on home nances through lower IVA will depend upon the type of goods individual customers typically buy, although the Association of Finance Consumers in Spain (ASUFIN) has carried out research to try to predict the levels of savings possible.

A stock-take of items on sale in ve supermarkets – Mercadona, Día, Alcampo, Carrefour, and El Corte Inglés – on 29th December and again on 2nd January, the rst working day after New Year, found that an average shopping basket of staple goods would be around 10 percent cheaper. This represents a saving of about €3.56.

ASUFIN warns stores are likely to round up prices which are discounted, rather than round them down, but said some of the savings are the result of the ‘January sales’.

After the festive season, food items are often reduced in price to encourage people to buy more at a time when purchases typically fall – due to leftovers from Christmas still being eaten up, less

disposable income due to compensating for over-spending during the holidays, and not needing to buy non-basic foods which are popular for Yuletide family gatherings.

Savings

The greatest savings are seen in the El Corte Inglés food hall, given that the national department store chain’s in-house supermarket is one of the

more high-end outlets – customers will spend an average of 15.54 percent less now, with shopping bills €5.51 lower.

Alcampo shoppers will save about 14 percent (approximately €4.24), those buying in Día will pay 9.46 percent less (€3.32), Mercadona customers’ bill will fall by a typical 7.76 percent (around €2.60), and purchases at Carrefour will come in 6.32 percent cheaper (€2.14), ASUFIN says.

Illegal migration to Spain drops in 2022

The number of migrants arriving illegally in Spain dropped by more than a quarter in 2022 over the previous year, mainly due to a fall in sea crossings, the interior ministry said.

A total of 31,219 people entered Spain without permission last year, down from 41,945 in 2021 — a drop of 25.6 percent and a second straight yearly decline, the ministry said in its annual migration report. The interior ministry credited “cooperation with countries of origin and transit” of migrants, and the reinforcement of the ght “against ma as that tra c people” for the fall.

Migrant arrivals by sea decreased across the country but the most signi cant fall occurred in Spain’s Canary Islands in the Atlantic o northwest Africa. The number of migrants who arrived by sea in the archipelago fell to 15,682 in 2022 from 22,316 in the previous year, about 30 percent less.

The Atlantic route from West Africa to the Canary Islands had been increasingly used by migrant smugglers since the end of 2019 after safer routes to Europe in the Mediterranean were closed.

Boats have headed to the Canaries from Morocco or even Mauritania, Senegal or further a eld, increasing the risk of the crossing. But migrant arrivals by land in Spain’s two North African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla jumped by 24.1 percent in 2022 over the previous year to reach 2,289. The two tiny territories have the European Union’s only land borders with Africa.

In June around 2,000 migrants stormed the high fence that seals o Melilla from Morocco, according to Spanish authorities, and engaged in a two-hour skirmish with border o cers.

The death toll — at least 23 according to Morocco, at least 37 according to Amnesty and independent experts — was the worst in years of attempted migrant crossings into Melilla and Ceuta.

Cash for companies

Small and medium-sized businesses will get up to €150,000 if they reduce sta ’s working hours by at least 10 percent without cutting their salaries, as long as they keep the new system in place for a minimum of two years.

The ministry for industry and trade launched a public consultation at the beginning of summer with a view to shortening the standard working week to four days and launched a pilot scheme in which smaller companies would get paid to do so.

A deal struck when debating the 2022 State budget has led to €10 million being set aside – independent party Más País, a breakaway group of left-wing Podemos run by former member Íñigo Errejón, said it would vote in favour if funds were set aside to study the feasibility of reducing Spain’s working hours to a typical 32 a week. At present, a standard working day in Spain, net of breaks and lunch, is eight hours, meaning a 40-hour week over ve days, and anything less than this is considered a part-time job.

Cutting sta ’s workload by 10 percent to qualify for the €150,000 would mean a 36-hour week on the same pay as for 40 hours, although rms are encouraged to reduce time spent on the job by 20 percent, giving a four-day week of eight-hour days.

At present, around 60 or 70 small and medium-sized companies are expected to qualify for the €150,000 bonus, although Más País believes up to 160 rms may apply, bene ting over 3,000 employees.

The aim of this exercise is to increase productivity, since studies have shown that sta are physically and mentally healthier if they have more free time and a better work-life balance, and it would also encourage gender equality – women are statistically more likely to take on the bulk of care duties, which are easier to juggle over four days a week than ve.

As well as reducing the working week, businesses eligible for the €150,000 bonus will be required to incorporate organisational strategies,

sta training, and e cient procedures, to ensure productivity does not decline through employees spending less time at work and to compensate for maintaining their pay levels.

The government cash is aimed at helping with any costs incurred initially as rms get used to a shorter week and for their setting up new processes and training. These costs could include supplementing salaries, taking on management consultants to aid the process, or funding courses for employees.

The Municipal Theatre of Torrevieja will host the final of the rising Mediamarkt Intel De Valorant on 11th March

Rising MediaMarkt Intel, the national league of VALORANT organized by LVP (GRUP MEDIAPRO) and the City Council of Torrevieja already has a venue for its most important game of the season.

The Councillor for Youth, Domingo Paredes, reports that the Municipal Theatre of Torrevieja, with capacity for 650 spectators, will receive the two best teams in the course of VALORANT in the grand final of the competition, to be held on 11

March and whose tickets will go on sale in the coming weeks.

Challengers Spain: Rising MediaMarkt Intel kicked off on Sunday, 8 January, with new broadcasting days compared to the previous season: each week there will be three days between Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. In addition, there will be up to five newcomers in the race for the title: KPI Gaming, who won promotion after beating Herbalife Real Betis; AYM Esports,

owned by footballer Aymeric Laporte (Manchester City); Falcons, owned by footballer César Azpilicueta (Chelsea); the Valencian team Ramboot Club; and ZETA Gaming, a team from Zaragoza whose founders include rapper Kase.O.

Movistar Riders, Rebels Gaming, UCAM Tokiers and Team Queso repeat from last year, along with CASE Esports, the reigning champions of the competition. The ten teams will start their race for a place in the

grand final in Torrevieja on 11 March.

“In 2022 the two VALORANT live finals were held in Barcelona, where LVP has its headquarters, and for 2023 it was clear to us that we had to take the spectacle of the best VALORANT live to other cities in Spain.

Torrevieja offers us the best conditions to make a spectacular final of the Rising and we are convinced that on 11 March we will enjoy a historic game,” explains Jordi Soler, CEO of LVP.

For his part, the mayor of Youth, Domingo Paredes, has valued very positively and as a historical fact, that Torrevieja is the headquarters of the grand finale of the competition VALORANT “for all that this represents and the media coverage at national and international level that will have for our city”.

With Torrevieja at the end of the road, Challengers Spain: Rising MediaMarkt Intel returns this Sunday at 17:00 and can be seen every Sunday, Monday and Tuesday on LVP’s Twitch channel.

About LVP: LVP (Liga de Videojuegos Profesional) is one of the largest operators of video game competitions in the world and the largest eSports organisation in the Spanish-speaking world. Through its headquarters in Barcelona, Madrid, Buenos Aires, Bogota and Mexico, LVP has a presence in more than 30 countries. It organises the most prestigious national competitions (such as the Superliga in Spain or the Master Flow League in Argentina) and major international tournaments, has online competition platforms (ArenaGG), manages events for third parties (such as the eLaLiga Santander for LaLiga and Electronic Arts) and distributes worldwide events such as the League of Legends European Championship (c) in Spanish. Part of GRUP MEDIAPRO, LVP also provides event production, advertising and audiovisual production services, covering all aspects of the eSports ecosystem.

Financial Resolutions for the New Year

The New Year is a great time to overhaul your life for the better, and one excellent place to start is by making solid nancial resolutions that can help get you closer to your money goals, whether it’s increasing your retirement savings or setting enough money aside for that dream holiday.

Set Financial Goals

What are your life’s dreams? This should be a fun exercise, but remember, if you don’t plan to get somewhere, you’re not likely to arrive. Ultimately with the right nancial advice and regular reviews you can work towards your nancial goals.

Enjoy Saving Excess Cash

This may not seem like fun at rst, but once you get started on making regular savings, this can

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Review Your Savings Portfolio

There’s a lot of misconception surrounding investing. If even the word “Investment” sounds daunting, then help is at hand. Here at Seagate, we have access to some fantastic products from the UK’s leading nancial institutions to give you the lifestyle you deserve.

Get Competent Advice When You Need It

Don’t be ‘penny wise and pound foolish’. The complexity and sophistication of nancial products has increased immensely. In today’s world of nance, it is impossible to keep up with it all. You don’t have to do it all yourself. It is often

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Simplify Your Financial A

airs

Keep good records. Go through your nancial documents. Keep your nancial life as simple as possible. It’s easier to manage and you’re more likely to keep up with it.

Make every e ort to bid farewell to bad personal nancial habits, inspire some good ones of your own, and get started on creating your own nancial security with these New Year’s resolutions.

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Orihuela Costa stuck between a council deliberately obstructing our legal rights to vote and the British Consulate Alicante not wanting to get involved.

At the Voting Rights presentation which took place at the Orihuela Costa Town hall 17 November 2022.

Those of us who remember it clearly, the Manager in charge of the Padron o ce stated that there would be 3 sta working in the Padron o ce helping people with their Voting forms, but true to form, the council was not accurate with the truth.

We wrote to the Vice Consul asking her to get involved in helping the British expats by contacting the town hall and reminding them of their legal duty, but it appears our Vice Consul’s memory of the meeting di ers from not just ours but those who we spoke to who attended the meeting.

What a massive mistake the Orihuela City Council continue to make!

PIOC organised clinics at various locations before Christmas to assist people to register to vote. Due to the very short deadline, they organised an information table outside the Town Hall from Monday 2nd to 15th January 2023 to assist anyone wanting help or information regards their right to vote, but, the police turned them away. Why?

Article 21.1 and 21.2 of the Spanish Constitution recognizes the right to meet peacefully. To use this right will not need previous authorization.

In reality the only thing needed is to communicate to the Town Hall the action to be taken if in a public place. But in this case that is not even needed as the land and building is private, although used by the Town Hall Nevertheless we have communicated to the Town Hall using the web and the registry at the Town Hall.

Surely It is easier to help all foreigners and cement better relations between them and the local politicians, than to continually confront them, making

their life di cult to deal with the bureaucracy and administration of procedures to enrol on the Padron and Voting

Rights, which is having the opposite e ect.

Why is Orihuela city afraid of Orihuela Costa residents exercising their right to vote?

Why are there so few Spanish residents registered in Orihuela Costa? (Approximately 5000).

Could it be that the prices of properties and the cost of living in Orihuela Costa are too high for them?

Could it be the lack of infrastructure and services are not adequate for them to live in Orihuela Costa, bearing in mind Spanish citizens are used to having good services and infrastructure provided by their local councils everywhere else in Spain.

Why is Orihuela Costa not registered as a village or a town?

Why is Orihuela Costa registered as the “seaside” of Orihuela city?

These questions are cropping up time and time again.

The local government know every Spanish citizen automatically registers on the Padron, therefore automatically exercises their right to vote.

The majority of residents of Orihuela Costa, foreigners from 100 or more countries were not aware they were buying properties that lacked the infrastructure and services they are entitled too.

The Orihuela government know every citizen is entitled to good services and infrastructure, which suggests they have purposely over the past 20 plus years, not encouraged Spanish citizens to purchase properties to live permanently in Orihuela Costa by purposely not providing the services and infrastructure they know they are entitled to, as they know they will complain, exercise their right to vote at local elections, possibly campaign for independence similar to the neighbouring Spanish towns surrounding Orihuela Costa?

Moreover, if the local government were to employ someone to represent them in the Orihuela Costa town hall where citizens can go to talk of their complaints or concerns, they know they will be inundated with so many unhappy residents complaining about the lack of services, maintenance and infrastructure NOT provided by the

Orihuela government.

Are these issues really the reason why so many people are not happy with the government in Orihuela, why there are not many Spanish residents living in Orihuela Costa, registered on the Padron who will vote!

Do you want to continue living in Orihuela Costa knowing the local government do not want you to have your say, exercise your right to vote!

Only you can make a di erence to the way we live here on the coast, which could be paradise, if only we were respected by the Orihuela government.

Have you received your voting form / letter from the Electoral Censo O cina Madrid?

The deadline to register your right to vote is 15th January 2023 if you are a Non European, a British subject.

If you have NOT received your letter and want to exercise your right to vote, pop into the Padron o ce located in the Town Hall and ask for help to register. The o ce hours are 10am till 1pm. Monday to Friday, plus Monday and Wednesday afternoons 330pm till 6.30pm.

Hopefully, PIOC will be allowed to return with their table to help you with the process. Good luck everyone, you deserve your say in how you want to live your dream in Spain.

GBP / EUR UPDATE

GBP

The bank of England raised UK rates yesterday by a further 50bps, moving the base rate to a 14year high of 3.5%. Whilst the 50bps move was completely priced into markets, the 9-member BoE voting pattern was a surprise to markets, given that there appears to be a fairly broad opinion amongst MPC members. Six members voted for the preferred 50bps move, with two opting for no hike and one member thinking that 75bps would be the right choice.

In his post-meeting conference, BoE head Andrew ‘honest’ Bailey said that ‘I know raising interest rates has a real impact on people’s lives, but by raising interest rates we can bring in ation down sooner and help the economy begin to grow and prosper once more.’ The majority of MPC members also suggested that further hikes were likely ‘for a sustainable return of in ation to target.’

The current market-implied terminal (or end) rate from the BoE is at just over 4.5%, a level that has been on the decline of late, as markets reevaluate the impacts of a weakening UK economy, and (thankfully) softening in ation, albeit at the margin for now.

The pound also declined after the BoE, with GBP/USD slipping from a 6-month high at over 1.2440, back to 1.2200. However, we were at that level just this Monday, so the move may well have been driven partly by position squaring as markets reduce risk and portfolio exposures into the holiday season. Next week is dominated by the latest growth gures, with Q3 GDP expected to have declined by 0.2%, as the UK slips into a recession. Indeed, this week’s data highlighted a slight increase in the overall unemployment rate from 3.6 to 3.7% combined with an unexpected jump in the claimant count of 3.5K. With average private sector earnings also increasing sharply, there is a lingering fear that companies will pass on

higher wage costs through price increases, which could keep unwanted pressures on in ation. Next year therefore looks a tough one on paper for the UK economy, even if the pound continues to take its lead from broader dollar moves.

EURO

The ECB may have replicated the moves of the BoE, Fed and SNB this week, when raising Euro area rates by a further 50bps to 2.5%. However, the accompanying language from ECB Head Lagarde was far more hawkish than that of the Fed or BoE, as Lagarde & Co doubled-down on the ECB’s commitment to continue hiking rates, in order to combat surging in ation in the region. Lagarde stressed that ‘we judge that interest rates will still have to rise signi cantly and at a steady pace.’ She went on to say that further hikes of 50bps should be coming for ‘a considerable amount of time.’ That last line really caught our attention.

Markets were themselves caught slightly oguard by the brazen hawkishness of Lagarde, just as much as Lagarde & Co were caught out by the surge in Euro area in ation earlier in the year. However, those who turn-up late to the party are often the last one’s dancing, and the ECB will take our honesty award from the BoE, as they look to continue with their hiking cycle, even though recent data has re ected a slight drop in Euro area in ation. Saying that, both German (11.3%) and Spanish (12.6%) in ation remains sticky, and that may have played a part in the ECB’s rather forceful language yesterday.

The market reaction to the ECB was fairly swift, with yields rising in key Euro area bonds and EUR/ USD brie y moving over 1.0700 for the rst time since the middle of June. Indeed, the gains for the single currency were fairly broad-based, with GBP/ EUR succumbing to Euro strength, and slipping back under 1.1500.

Why

Car Registrations Spain?

Great Service

Here at Car Registrations Spain we will provide you with a reliable, honest and professional service to enable the legal import of your UK registered motor vehicle onto Spanish Number Plates. We have many hundreds of happy customers who have all used our service and found us to be both friendly and easy to deal with and we’re con dent that you will too.

Communication

Although our native language is English, we are also uent in Spanish and can easily deal with any and all aspects of the importation process. We actively encourage your participation in the import process but are also happy to manage everything on your behalf if you prefer. In any case, we’ll always keep you fully informed at all stages of the importation process.

Customer Satisfaction

As you’d expect, the majority of our customers come to us by way of recommendation and it’s therefore essential to the success of our business that every customer that we deal with is extremely happy with the service that they receive. Peace of mind

We are a family run registered Spanish business that specialises

in the import of cars, motorbikes, trailers, caravans, motorhomes and light commercial vehicles from UK registration on to Spanish Number Plates. Accordingly we pay our taxes here in Spain, so you can be assured that you are dealing with a legitimate, fully legal and professional company.

Our Values

From the moment of rst contact with us to the moment you receive your new Spanish Registration Plates and Paperwork, you’ll nd us to be friendly, easy to contact, good communicators and above all straightforward, honest and hardworking people. We love what we do and we love that our customers always recommend us to their family and friends.

Our

Services

• Vehicle importation and registration

• Car transport UK / Spain

• Motor insurance Spain

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Customer reviews

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Contact us Call us

Do get in touch with us if you would like more information about importing your vehicle onto Spanish Number Plates. Our contact telephone numbers are as follows:

· Spain o ce: +34 868 990 576 · UK landline: +44 (0)2380 200 706

BUSINESS PROFILE

Please note that all information contained within this Costa Blanca People Business Pro le has been provided by the client, and is therefore deemed correct and accurate. Any errors, omissions or inaccuracies are the sole responsibility of the client.

Eazylawns

Eazylawns is the leading specialist in the trend for arti cial grass that is taking the costas by storm. Forget 80s astro-turf and cheap-looking plastic turf, Eazylawns provides high quality arti cial lawns that are so realistic no-one can tell the di erence from real grass. Eazylawns was born of necessity; A client was looking for a solution to the common problem in Spain – how to make a lawn green and keep it green. Through the businesses extensive experience in garden maintenance, the team put together a program of watering, scarifying, fertilising, hollow-tining and cutting. This method was extremely costly, time consuming and far from fool-proof.

Then they considered

arti cial grass. Eazylawns sourced several di erent types and were not impressed. Most of what they saw looked totally unrealistic and the level of service and expertise left more than a little to be desired. This inspired the team to develop its own product.

Eazylawns products are produced in the UK and the business covers the Costa Blanca, although it has undertaken projects as far a eld as Valencia and Marbella. The business o ers a free full consultation and quotation service and works closely with each customer on the design and installation process. Once agreed, the installation is prompt and e cient, leaving the site clean and tidy.

Arti cial grass is safe and has a low abrasion index, providing a soft landing if there should be an accident. It is realistic and can be adapted to all areas, surfaces, uses and budgets and it comes with an eight year manufacturers guarantee. Put simply arti cial lawns are practical, environmentally friendly, cost e ective and convenient. Added to that is the sheer quality and realistic look of this product, it really does have to be seen to be believed. So, whether it’s a tennis court, putting green, communal lawn, picnic area or private garden, Eazylawns will make sure your grass is greener all year round.

For further information on any of the above, call 636 102 509, email: info@ eazylawns.es or visit: www. easzylawns.es

BUSINESS PROFILE

Please note that all information contained within this Costa Blanca People Business Pro le has been provided by the client, and is therefore deemed correct and accurate. Any errors, omissions or inaccuracies are the sole responsibility of the client.

Marina Bar Charity Donations

Dave and Rita, owners of the Marina Bar in Torreta 2 were delighted to have raised nearly 700 euros from their Christmas charity events.

They organised two Christmas markets with a ra e, tombola and, of course, a surprise visit from Father Christmas. Donnie, the piper played some festive carols and mince pies and mulled wine were on the menu.

Thanks to the stall holders and especially all the people who turned up to support their local bar, not forgetting the hard

work and dedication of their “Team”, they were able to help the following two local charities.

Lara at the Torrevieja branch of Red Cross, Cruz Roja, gave a list of essential foods that were desperately needed for the families they support. Rita, Dave and their daughter Sarah, who had just arrived from the UK for Christmas, loaded up 2 trolleys at Mercadona with all the items on the list.

The Cruz Roja drivers arrived in their van and were amazed at the amount of goods. They have

promised to visit the Marina Bar in the new year to give a rst aid course to all those interested.

The other donation, of 350 euros was presented to Marion Smith, president of the Association of Movers and Shakers, a registered charity which supports people and their families with neurological, life limiting illnesses, including, Huntington´s disease, Motor Neurone disease, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson´s disease.

For more information visit the website at www.amscb.org.es

My son’s girlfriend makes a big fuss about being vegetarian, but eats fish. So, myself and my daughter (who is a chef), prepared a trout for her Christmas day lunch. We had a big gathering, which included my husband’s cousin, who doesn’t hold his opinions back and can be outspoken. When my son’s girlfriend poured gravy over her lunch, he called her out by stating that Turkey gravy is surely not vegetarian. In the year we have known her, we know she can be contrary, and likes to be centre of attention, but I just ignore it. She stormed off upstairs at the comment, and my son dutifully followed afterwards. Later, my son tackled me about how the rest of us had some nerve and continued with our lunch, appearing not to care. I asked my son, what we were meant to do exactly, as our cousin had pointed out correctly that meat gravy was not vegetarian. Later that evening, when the extended family arrived, she’d had too much to drink, and swore at the family and stormed out; with my son in tow again. The next day we were in for it again, being accused of ganging up on her, and were again accused

of continuing the party. I told my son that we have bent over backwards to accommodate his girlfriend but feel we are constantly treading on eggshells, and we haven’t seen him since. What were we meant to do exactly?

You tell me you have messaged your son, so that’s really all you can do. People can’t always see the wood for the trees in situations like this, and

your son’s girlfriend seems to have a lot of problems. She probably would benefit from therapy, but when you mentioned this, your son was furious and shot you down. You pointed out to him that she has already cheated on him, and this is something that doesn’t sit well with you, but despite this he still wants her in his life. So, there is really not much else you can do but let your son live his own life, but let him know that you and his Dad always there. .

WRITE TO SARA IN CONFIDENCE. A PSEUDONYM WILL BE USED IF YOU WISH. SARA READS ALL LETTERS AND CAN GIVE A PERSONAL REPLY. EMAIL YOUR QUESTION TO SARA@ COSTABLANCAPEOPLE.COM OR SARA IS AVAILABLE FOR PRIVATE CONSULTATIONS, TELEPHONE 650 054 467.

The Carnet Jove is free of charge from 1 January 2023

The Councillor for Youth of the City of Torrevieja, Domingo Paredes, reports that the fee for obtaining the Youth Hostel Card in the Valencian Community is abolished for the new year 2023, so that all young people between 14 and 30 years who wish to obtain it in physical format and free of charge, only by lling out the application form at the Center for Information and Youth Animation (CIAJ), located in Paseo Juan Aparicio, No. 5.

The carnet Jove is a European credential for discounts in areas

such as culture, recreation, sports, consumption, transport and similar, which is valid in more than 30 countries throughout Europe and in youth hostels of the Hostelling International network, which is located throughout the world.

In Torrevieja there are around twenty member organisations.

Domingo Paredes indicates that the Youth Hostel Card is also available in a free digital version on the website of the Valencian Youth Institute https://ivaj.gva.es/

that all young people can carry it on their mobile phones.

It is also reported that the Youth Department of the City of Torrevieja, thanks to the collaboration agreement with Generalitat Valenciana for the Youth Hostel Card, issued a total of 455 cards during the past 2022.

The councillor for youth reminds that for more information about youth cards and about the di erent activities and courses of Youth, those interested can go in person to the CIAJ or get information through their social networks, phone 965714072, whatsapp

torrevieja.eu and on the

If you have a question or problem that needs my help, please email Brian at cbtechnology.help@gmail. com. If you want to join the Technology Help Group search Facebook for “Costa Blanca Technology Help Group”. If you do not use Facebook you can still join by sending an email with your details to cbtechnology. help@gmail.com.

When joining on Facebook please make sure that you scroll all the way through and answer all questions and give your email address. I use your email address as the primary means of communication.

Scan the QR for a reminder of what the Costa Blanca Technology Help Group o ers.

“I have sent a Messenger message to a friend who is not my Facebook friend. I have not received a reply. Why is this?” The most likely reason is that your message has not been seen. A Messenger message from a non-Facebook friend will NOT appear in their normal message feed. You could also

Your tech questions answered by Brian Hoile of the Costa Blanca Technology Help Group, helping over 200 members with their PCs, smartphones and more. Find the group on Facebook (Costa Blanca Technology Help Group) or attend the meetings in person or online via Zoom.

have unseen messages.

Open Messenger. Click on your pro le picture (you may notice a red dot next to your picture).

Select “Message requests”. Previously unseen messages will appear in bold. Select a message.

You now have a choice. Read and reply to the message. Ignore it, delete it or block the sender.

If you do reply subsequent messages will appear in the normal message feed.

“I use Messenger and Messages on my Smartphone. What is the di erence between them?”

Messenger is linked to your Facebook account. The Messages application is to send or receive SMS messages using your mobile phone account and phone number.

Facebook Messenger is a mobile app that enables chat, voice and video communications between the social media site’s web-based messaging and smartphones.

Can you tell if someone is looking at your Messenger?

A lled-in blue circle next to your message means that your message was delivered. And, when a friend has read your message, a small version of

your friend’s pro le photo will appear next to your message.

SMS stands for Short Message Service and is commonly known as texting. It’s a way to send text-only messages of up to 160 characters between phones.

You can con gure Messenger to also receive SMS messages by clicking on the SMS text to the right of the “Search” eld. Another screen is then displayed where you can “TURN ON” Send and receive SMS messages in Messenger. Clearly, this facility is only available on a mobile phone.

“I am looking to buy a new mobile phone. How do I transfer my information from my old phone to the new one?”

Most new phones now give you the opportunity to transfer Apps and information from your old phone to your new one. Follow the on-screen prompts.

If you have signed into a Google account and backed up your information you can restore to your new phone simply by signing in to your Google account.

Brian Hoile Technology Help Group

Join the Group by searching Facebook for “Costa Blanca Technology Help Group” Send your questions to cbtechnology.help@gmail.com

Immaculada school, Torrevieja, opens its new prefabricated facilities

Torrevieja begins 2023 with 91,731 inhabitants registered on the municipal census

The citizens of Ukraine (5,771) become the residents with the largest presence in the municipal census, ahead of Russia (4,932) and the United Kingdom (4,815), which for the rst time ceases to be the country with the largest number of registered foreigners in Torrevieja.

After the two countries of the former USSR and the United Kingdom are the Colombian residents (3,139), who for the second consecutive year are ahead of the stable and historic Moroccan population (2,262), followed by Romanians (1,481), Bulgarians (1,432), Swedes (1,402), Belgians (1,236), Italians (1,079) and Germans (1,031).

from 8,7091 to the 91,731 counted today.

The number of registered men is 44,624 (48.65%), while 47,107 (51.35%) are women, with a higher number of registered women than men in 2022, mainly due to the massive arrival of women from Ukraine due to the invasion of Russia in February last year.

(1. 079), Germans (1,031), Chinese (775), Algerians (738), Poles (709), Brazilians (639), Norwegians (586), Argentinians (589), Finns (551), French (534), Lithuanians (479), Venezuelans (479), Indians (473), Belarusians (470) and the Netherlands (417), Cubans (347) and Irish (307).

The Councillor for Education of the City of Torrevieja, Ricardo recuero, reported that yesterday, they launched the Immaculate school in the new prefabricated facilities, as they have been awarded the demolition and construction of the current centre by the Department of Education.

Ricardo Recuero indicated that during the Christmas holidays, work was carried out to move and install the furniture in the classrooms and

various areas of the centre, as well as the necessary works not covered by the Regional Ministry of Education, such as ramps, covering the ground oor of the classrooms, water connections, oor screed, etc.

The centre, which is on line 2, will be in prefabricated classrooms on line 3, as one of the lines will belong to the new Number 14 School, to cover the need for school places in the town.

The new prefabricated

classroom centre has a dining room, library, computer room and multi-purpose spaces, and is expected to be open to 420 pupils.

Finally, the Department of Education has set up a school transport service for the school’s pupils, which will start in Calle Orihuela, opposite the old school, and which will be able to drop pupils o inside the school as a speci c area has been set up for school transport.

The city of Torrevieja has started the year 2023 with a total of 91,731 registered inhabitants in its census, according to the statistical data of population and evolution of the Municipal Register of the City Council, of which 54.45% are of Spanish origin (49,952), while 45.55% (41,779) are residents from a total of 121 countries from ve continents. It is worth noting that in just one year, from January 2022 to January 2023, the municipal census has increased by 4,640 inhabitants,

From these data provided by the Department of Census and Statistics of the Torrevieja consistory, it can be seen that the number of citizens coming from Ukraine (5.771) become for the rst time in the history of the city the residents with the largest presence in the municipal census, ahead of Russia (4.932) and the United Kingdom (4.815), which ceases to be the country with the largest number of registered foreigners in Torrevieja.

After the two countries of the former USSR and the United Kingdom are the Colombian residents (3,139), who for the second consecutive year are ahead of the stable and historic Moroccan population (2,262), followed by Romanians (1,481), Bulgarians (1,432), Swedes (1,402), Belgians (1,236), Italians

In relation to the distribution of the population registered in Torrevieja according to age, the number of children and young people under 20 years of age amounts to 16,953. Likewise, the number of Torrevieja residents between 20 and 40 years old is 19,791; between 40 and 60 years old there are 27,844 registered; between 60 and 80 years old, a total of 22,004; and between 80 and 100 years old, the number of registered residents is 5,116; while the number of residents in Torrevieja with 100 or more years of age is 23, of which 5 are men and 18 are women.

With these data, the city of Torrevieja continues to be the third city with the highest number of inhabitants in the province of Alicante and the fth in the Valencian Community, only behind the three provincial capitals (Valencia, Alicante and Castellón) and Elche).

Torrevieja City Council acquires the Plasa to turn it into a modern building more open to the public

The Mayor of Torrevieja, Eduardo Dolon, has reported an important agreement that has been adopted in the Local Government Board, and that was one of the strategic lines of the Government Program that was launched from the moment the citizens gave their con dence to the Popular Party in May 2019.

Eduardo Dolon has announced that the Torrevieja Town Hall has taken ownership of the building of “La Plasa”, whose property of the premises is distributed in 58 parts on the rst oor, second oor and roof that, although historically had multiple owners, recently communicated to the City Council - as owner of part of the building - which had been acquired by a majority by a company.

The investment to be made to acquire the entire building is 4,380,800.43 euros, according to the municipal valuation carried out for this purpose, o ering each of the owners a single price of 1,223.35 euros per square metre which, multiplied by the corresponding individual surface area, constitutes the o er to each of them.

The ground oor of the building (municipal property) will continue to be used as a food market, converting it into a modern market, with a more open architectural composition, very focused on local produce and which

we hope will also attract tourists and visitors to the city centre.

In addition, the three upper oors of 1,400 m2 each (4,200 m2 in total) will be used for various public uses, including spaces to complement and support the forthcoming university campus on Calle Concepción, as well as creating an important space related to knowledge and youth. It is also important to promote employment and entrepreneurship, especially for the younger and older sector and, facilities and services available to them to carry out their activity and, of course, from the City Council is committed to be the administrative headquarters of the Open Shopping Centre of the city. Also, adds Eduardo Dolon, will also take advantage of the building of La Plasa to house other municipal areas, so we are facing a multipurpose building that will become a major pole of attraction in the centre of Torrevieja, open 24 hours.

The mayor assures that the aim is to ensure that La Plasa is perfectly integrated into the whole renovation of the port façade that we are designing, opting for open spaces, perfectly integrated with the public square and the pedestrian areas, and for this reason, we are going to tackle the complete renovation of the building.

Finally, Eduardo Dolón informed that the Town Hall is going to commission the project for the execution of the

building and the adjoining spaces through the Framework Agreement tool for works projects. It is expected

that once the project has been approved in the coming months, work could begin at the end of 2023.

This Week´s Movie Picks

Mission Impossible

Saturday 14th January – Channel 4, 7.20pm

Based on the hit television series. Jim Phelps (Jon Voight) was sent to Prague for a mission to prevent the theft of classi ed material. His wife Claire (Emmanuelle Béart) and his trusted partner Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) were members of Phelps’ team. Unfortunately, something went horribly wrong and the mission failed, leaving Ethan Hunt the seemingly lone survivor. After he reported the failed mission, Kittridge (Henry Czerny), the head of the agency, suspects Ethan of being the culprit for the failed mission. Now, Ethan uses unorthodox methods (which includes the aid of an arms dealer going by the name “Max” (Vanessa Redgrave)) to try to nd who set him up and to clear his name.

Legally Blonde Monday 16th January – ITV2, 8.05pm

Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) has it all. She’s the President of her sorority, a Hawaiian Tropic girl, Miss June in her campus calendar, and, above all, a natural blonde. She dates the cutest fraternity boy on campus and wants nothing more than to be Mrs. Warner Huntington III. But, there’s just one thing stopping Warner (Matthew Davis) from popping the question: Elle is too blonde. Growing up across the street from Aaron Spelling might mean something in Los Angeles, California, but nothing to Warner’s East-Coast blue blood family. So, when Warner packs up for Harvard Law and reunites with an old sweetheart from prep school, Elle rallies all her resources and gets into Harvard, determined to win him back. But law school is a far cry from the comforts of her poolside and the mall. Elle must wage the battle of her life, for her guy, for herself and for all the blondes who su er endless indignities everyday.

22 Your FREE Weekly TV Guide costablancapeople.com | 10th - 16th January 2023

Countryfile 04:00 Miriam Margolyes: Australia Unmasked 05:00 The Traitors 06:00 This Is BBC TWO 07:30 The Farmers’ Country Showdown 08:15 Make It at Market 09:00 Digging for Britain 10:00 BBC News 11:00 BBC News 13:15 Politics Live 14:00 Live: Masters Snooker 18:15 Flog It! 19:00 Richard Osman’s House of Games 19:30 Take a Hike 20:00 This Farming Life 21:00 The Hairy Bikers Go Local 22:00 Miriam Margolyes: Australia Unmasked 23:00 Detectorists 23:30 Newsnight

00:35 All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite 02:15 Ideal World 04:00 Lingo 04:50 Unwind with ITV 06:05 Dickinson’s Real Deal

07:00 Good Morning Britain 10:00 Lorraine 11:00 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV Lunchtime News 14:55 ITV News London 15:00 Dickinson’s Real Deal 16:00 Lingo 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Chase 19:00 ITV News London 19:30 ITV Evening News 20:30 Emmerdale 21:00 The Martin Lewis Money Show Live 22:00 Bradley and Barney Walsh: Breaking Dad 22:30 Bradley and Barney Walsh: Breaking Dad 23:00 ITV News at Ten 23:30 ITV News London 23:45 The John Bishop Show

04:05 George Clarke’s Old House, New Home 05:00 Grand Designs 05:55 Sarah Beeny’s New Life in the Country 06:50 Kirstie’s House of Craft 07:10 Countdown 07:50 3rd Rock From the Sun 08:15 3rd Rock From the Sun

08:40 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:05 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 10:30 Frasier 11:00 Frasier 11:25 Undercover Boss USA 12:25 Channel 4 News

Summary

12:30 Couples Come Dine with Me

13:30 Steph’s Packed Lunch 15:10 Countdown 16:00 A Place in the Sun 17:00 A New Life in the Sun 18:00 Come Dine with Me:

The Professionals

19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 21:00 Food Unwrapped 22:00 24 Hours in A&E 23:00 Belfast Midwives

07:40 Oggy Oggy 07:45 Odo 07:55 Fireman Sam 08:05 Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go 08:15 Kangaroo Beach 08:25 Peppa Pig 08:30 Peppa Pig 08:40 PAW Patrol 08:55 Pip & Posy 09:10 The Adventures of Paddington 09:25 Milo 09:35 PAW Patrol 09:45 Daisy & Ollie 09:55 Pip & Posy 10:05 Peppa Pig 10:10 Sunny Bunnies 10:15 Jeremy Vine 13:45 Traffic Cops 14:40 5 News at Lunchtime 14:45 Home and Away 15:20 Stalked: Saving My Daughter 17:00 Bargain Loving Brits in the Sun 18:00 5 News at 5 19:00 Holiday Homes In The Sun 20:00 GPs: Behind Closed Doors 21:00 Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly 22:00 Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild 23:00 Tulsa King

07:40 Oggy Oggy 07:45 Odo 07:55 Fireman Sam 08:05 Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go 08:15 Kangaroo Beach 08:25 Peppa Pig 08:30 Peppa Pig 08:45 PAW Patrol 08:55 Pip & Posy 09:05 The Adventures of Paddington 09:25 Milo 09:35 PAW Patrol 09:45 Daisy & Ollie 09:55 Pip & Posy 10:05 Peppa Pig 10:15 Jeremy Vine 13:45 Traffic Cops 00:10 BBC Weather 00:15 Masters Snooker 01:05 Masters Snooker 03:05

00:25 Kate Garraway’s Life Stories 01:20 Ideal World 04:00 Dickinson’s Real Deal 04:50 Unwind with ITV 06:05 Lingo 07:00 Good Morning Britain 10:00 Lorraine 11:00 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV Lunchtime News 14:55 ITV News London 15:00 Dickinson’s Real Deal 16:00 Lingo 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Chase 19:00 ITV News London 19:25 Party Political Broadcast 19:30 ITV Evening News 20:30 Emmerdale 21:00 Coronation Street 22:00 Next Level Chef 23:00 ITV News at Ten 23:30 ITV News London 23:45 Peston

05:45 Sarah Beeny’s New Life in the Country 06:40 Food Unwrapped 07:10 Countdown 07:50 3rd Rock From the Sun 08:15 3rd Rock From the Sun 08:40 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:05 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 10:30 Frasier 11:00 Frasier 11:25 Undercover Boss USA 12:25 Channel 4 News Summary 12:30 Couples Come Dine with Me

00:00 Family Guy 00:30 American Dad! 01:00 American Dad! 01:30 Superstore 02:00 Superstore 02:30 Kavos Weekender 03:30 Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records 04:00 Teleshopping 07:00 World’s Funniest Videos 07:35 Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records 08:00 Secret Crush 09:00 Dress to Impress 10:00 Chuck 11:00 One Tree Hill 12:00 The O.C. 13:00 Secret Crush 14:00 Dress to Impress 15:00 Family Fortunes 16:05 Chuck 17:00 One Tree Hill 18:00 The O.C. 19:00 Catchphrase 20:00 Ninja Warrior UK 21:00 Superstore 21:30 Superstore 22:00 Kavos Weekender 23:00 Family Guy 23:30 Family Guy

00:00 DCI Banks

01:05 Agatha Christie’s Marple 03:15 Unwind with ITV 03:30 Teleshopping 07:00 Emmerdale 07:35 Emmerdale

08:00 Coronation Street 08:35 Coronation Street 09:05 George and Mildred 09:40 George and Mildred 10:15 Agatha Christie’s Marple

12:30 Heartbeat 13:35 Heartbeat 14:40 Emmerdale 15:10 Emmerdale 15:40 Coronation Street 16:15 Coronation Street 16:45 Inspector Morse 19:00 Heartbeat 20:00 Heartbeat 21:00 Midsomer Murders 23:00 DCI Banks

Impress 10:00

DCI Banks Tuesday

Generosity of people in tough times

The generosity of people in these tough times is quite amazing as the photo shows.

Donations of food and toys plus a load of party bags from people attending a New Years

Eve gala dinner in Benalmadena with David’s Coaches. Thanks to all those holiday makers and to the customers of Overseas Supermarket for their continued food donations. Thanks also to, to James Lound manager of Overseas Supermarket for his continued support for this charity.

A further food donation will shortly be on it’s way to the Cruz Roja again highlighting the sheer generosity of local people.

David and Lorraine Whitney, local fund raisers, were happy to collect and deliver the goods to the o ces of the Cruz Roja in Torrevieja and donate their own items. They would like to thank everybody who has supported and donated to this charity.

(The photo shows Lorrane Whitney, fundraiser with many donated items)

Thursday 12th January

04:00 BBC News

04:30 Click

05:00 BBC News

05:30 HARDtalk

06:00 BBC World News

06:30 World Business Report

07:00 Breakfast

10:15 Rip Off Britain: Holidays 11:00 Big Little Crimes

11:45 For Love or Money

12:15 Homes Under the Hammer

13:15 Bargain Hunt

14:00 BBC News at One 14:30 BBC London

14:45 Doctors

15:15 The Farmers’ Country Showdown

16:00 Escape to the Country

16:45 The Repair Shop

17:30 Make It at Market

18:15 Pointless

19:00 BBC News at Six 19:30 BBC London

20:00 The One Show

20:30 EastEnders

21:00 Dragons’ Den 22:00 The Apprentice 23:00 BBC News at Ten 23:30 BBC London 23:40 Question Time

00:10 BBC Weather 00:15 Masters Snooker 01:05 Masters Snooker 03:05 See Hear 03:35 The Traitors 04:35 Flipping Profit 05:20 This Is BBC TWO 07:30 The Farmers’ Country Showdown

08:15 Make It at Market

09:00 Dynasties

10:00 BBC News 11:00 BBC News 13:15 Politics Live 14:00 To Be Announced 18:15 Flog It!

19:00 Richard Osman’s House of Games 19:30 Take a Hike 20:00 To Be Announced 21:00 The Hairy Bikers Go Local 22:00 Marie-Antoinette

23:00 The Apprentice: You’re Fired 23:30 Newsnight

00:40 Made in Britain

01:10 EFL Cup Highlights

02:20 Ideal World 04:00 Tonight 04:25 Martin Lewis’ Extreme Savers

04:50 Unwind with ITV 06:05 Dickinson’s Real Deal

07:00 Good Morning Britain

10:00 Lorraine

11:00 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women

14:30 ITV Lunchtime News 14:55 ITV News London 15:00 Dickinson’s Real Deal 16:00 Lingo

17:00 Tipping Point

18:00 The Chase 19:00 ITV News London 19:30 ITV Evening News 20:30 Emmerdale 21:30 Tonight 22:00 Britain’s Notorious

Prisons: Strangeways 23:00 ITV News at Ten 23:30 ITV News London 23:45 Next Level Chef

04:45 Couples Come Dine with Me

05:40 Sarah Beeny’s New Life in the Country 06:35 Food Unwrapped 07:00 Find It, Fix It, Flog It 07:10 Countdown 07:50 3rd Rock From the Sun 08:15 3rd Rock From the Sun

08:40 Everybody Loves Raymond

09:05 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 10:30 Frasier 11:00 Frasier 11:25 Undercover Boss USA 12:25 Channel 4 News

Summary

12:30 Couples Come Dine with Me

13:30 Steph’s Packed Lunch 15:10 Countdown 16:00 A Place in the Sun 17:00 A New Life in the Sun 18:00 Come Dine with Me:

The Professionals

19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks

20:00 Channel 4 News 21:00 The Dog House 22:00 The Light in the Hall 23:00 In the Footsteps of Killers

07:45 Odo 07:55 Fireman Sam 08:05 Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go 08:15 Kangaroo Beach 08:25 Peppa Pig 08:30 Peppa Pig 08:45 PAW Patrol 08:55 Pip & Posy 09:05 The Adventures of Paddington 09:25 Milo 09:35 PAW Patrol 09:45 Daisy & Ollie 09:55 Pip & Posy 10:05 Peppa Pig 10:10 Sunny Bunnies 10:15 Jeremy Vine 13:45 Traffic Cops 14:40 5 News at Lunchtime 14:45 Home and Away 15:15 A Beautiful Place to Die: A Martha’s Vineyard Mystery 17:00 Bargain Loving Brits in the Sun 18:00 5 News at 5 19:00 Holiday Homes In The Sun 20:00 Nick Knowles’ Big House Clearout 21:00 Build Your Dream Home in the Country 22:00 The Madame Blanc Mysteries 23:00 Million Pound Motorhomes

00:00 Family Guy 00:30 American Dad! 01:00 American Dad! 01:30 Superstore 02:00 Superstore 02:30 CelebAbility 03:15 Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records 03:45 Unwind with ITV 04:00 Teleshopping 07:00 World’s Funniest Videos 07:35 Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records 08:00 Secret Crush 09:00 Dress to Impress 10:00 Chuck 11:00 One Tree Hill 12:00 The O.C. 13:00 Secret Crush 14:00 Dress to Impress 15:00 Family Fortunes 16:05 Chuck 17:00 One Tree Hill 18:00 The O.C. 19:00 Catchphrase 20:00 Ninja Warrior UK 21:00 Superstore 21:30 Superstore 22:00 Ekin-Su and Davide: Homecomings 23:00 Plebs 23:30 Plebs

00:00 DCI Banks

01:05 Agatha Christie’s

Marple 03:15 Unwind with ITV 03:30 Teleshopping 07:00 Emmerdale 07:35 Emmerdale 08:00 Coronation Street 08:35 Coronation Street

09:05 George and Mildred 09:40 George and Mildred 10:15 Agatha Christie’s Marple 12:30 Heartbeat 13:35 Heartbeat 14:40 Emmerdale 15:10 Emmerdale 15:40 Coronation Street 16:15 Coronation Street 16:45 Inspector Morse 19:00 Heartbeat 2000 Heartbeat 21:00 Vera 23:00 DCI Banks

The Graham Norton Show

00:10 BBC Weather 00:15 To Be Announced 01:05 To Be Announced 03:05 The Traitors 04:05 Flipping Profit 04:50 The Travelling Auctioneers 05:35 This Is BBC TWO 07:30 The Farmers’ Country Showdown 08:15 Make It at Market 09:00 The Polar Bear Family & Me 10:00 BBC News 11:00 BBC News 13:15 Politics UK 14:00 Live: Masters Snooker 18:15 Flog It! 19:00 Richard Osman’s House of Games 19:30 Take a Hike 20:00 Live: Masters Snooker 21:00 The Hairy Bikers Go Local 22:00 QI XL 22:45 Live at the Apollo 23:30 Newsnight

00:40 All Elite Wrestling: Rampage 01:35 Ideal World 04:00 Dickinson’s Real Deal 04:50 Unwind with ITV 06:05 Lingo 07:00 Good Morning Britain 10:00 Lorraine 11:00 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV Lunchtime News 14:55 ITV News London 15:00 Dickinson’s Real Deal 16:00 Lingo 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Chase 19:00 ITV News London 19:30 ITV Evening News 20:30 Emmerdale 21:00 Coronation Street 22:00 Midsomer Murders 23:50 ITV News

06:35 Food Unwrapped 07:00 Find It, Fix It, Flog It 07:10 Countdown 07:50 3rd Rock From the Sun 08:15 3rd Rock From the Sun 08:40 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:05 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 10:30 Frasier 11:00 Frasier 11:25 Undercover Boss USA 12:25 Channel 4 News Summary

12:30 Couples Come Dine with Me 13:30 Steph’s Packed Lunch 15:10 Countdown 16:00 A Place in the Sun 17:00 A New Life in the Sun 18:00 Come Dine with Me: The Professionals 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 21:00 Food Unwrapped 21:30 Travel Man: 48 Hours in... 22:00 Jon and Lucy’s Odd Couples 23:00 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown

07:40 Odo 07:50 Fireman Sam 08:00 Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go 08:10 Kangaroo Beach 08:25 Peppa Pig 08:30 Peppa Pig 08:45 PAW Patrol 08:55 Pip & Posy 09:05 The Adventures of Paddington 09:25 Milo 09:35 PAW Patrol 09:45 Daisy & Ollie 09:55 Pip & Posy 10:05 Peppa Pig 10:10 Sunny Bunnies 10:15 Jeremy Vine 13:45 Traffic Cops 14:40 5 News at Lunchtime 14:45 Home and Away 15:15 Big Lies in a Small Town 17:00 Bargain Loving Brits in the Sun 18:00 5 News at 5 19:00 Holiday Homes In The Sun 20:00 Argos: How Do They Really Do It? 21:00 Cruising With Susan Calman 22:00 Holidaying With Jane Mcdonald 23:00 Greatest Hits Of The 70s

00:00 Family Guy 00:30 Family Guy 01:00 American Dad! 01:30 American Dad! 02:00 Superstore 02:30 Superstore 03:00 Hey Tracey 03:55 Unwind with ITV 04:00 Teleshopping 07:00 World’s Funniest Videos 07:35 Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records 08:00 Secret Crush 09:00 Dress to Impress 10:00 Chuck 11:00 One Tree Hill 12:00 The O.C. 13:00 Secret Crush 14:00 Dress to Impress 15:00 Family Fortunes 16:05 Chuck 17:00 One Tree Hill 18:00 The O.C. 19:00 Catchphrase 20:00 Ninja Warrior UK 21:00 Superstore 21:30 Superstore 22:00 2 Fast 2 Furious

00:00 DCI Banks 01:05 Agatha Christie’s Marple 03:10 Unwind with ITV 03:30 Teleshopping 07:00 Emmerdale 07:35 Emmerdale 08:00 Coronation Street 08:35 Coronation Street 09:05 George and Mildred 09:40 George and Mildred 10:15 Agatha Christie’s Marple 12:30 Heartbeat 13:35 Heartbeat 14:40 Emmerdale 15:10 Emmerdale 15:40 Coronation Street 16:15 Coronation Street 16:45 Inspector Morse 19:00 Heartbeat 20:00 Heartbeat 21:00 Doc Martin 22:00 Doc Martin 23:00 DCI Banks

Lose Weight for Good 09:30 England’s Lionesses: Inside the Pride 10:00 BBC News 11:00 BBC News 13:15 Politics Live 14:00 Live: World Indoor Championship Bowls 18:15 Flog It! 19:00 Richard Osman’s House of Games 19:30 Take a Hike 20:00 Nadiya’s Fast Flavours 20:30 Mastermind 21:00 Only Connect 21:30 University Challenge 22:00 The Mayfair Hotel Megabuild 23:00 QI 23:30 Newsnight

07:15 The Rubbish World of Dave Spud

07:25 The Rubbish World of Dave Spud 07:40 Lloyd of the Flies 07:50 Lloyd of the Flies 08:05 LEGO Marvel Avengers: Time Twisted 08:30 The Rubbish World of Dave Spud 08:45 The Rubbish World of Dave Spud 09:00 Dodo 09:10 Dodo 09:25 Lloyd of the Flies 09:40 Lloyd of the Flies 09:55 How 10:25 ITV News

10:30 Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh 12:30 Love Your Garden

13:30 Simply Raymond Blanc 14:30 ITV Lunchtime News 14:45 You’ve Been Framed! 15:15 Dr. Seuss’ the Lorax 17:00 Tipping Point: Lucky Stars 18:00 ITV Evening News 18:20 ITV News London 18:30 The Chase: Celebrity Special

19:30 Dancing on Ice 21:00 Vera 23:00 ITV News 23:15 John Wick

01:10 Ideal World 04:00 The Widow 04:55 Unwind with ITV 06:05 Lingo 07:00 Good Morning Britain 10:00 Lorraine 11:00 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV Lunchtime News 14:55 ITV News London 15:00 Dickinson’s Real Deal 16:00 Lingo 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Chase 19:00 ITV News London 19:30 ITV Evening News 20:30 Emmerdale 21:00 Coronation Street 22:00 Maternal 23:00 ITV News at Ten 23:30 ITV News London 23:45 Bradley and Barney Walsh: Breaking Dad

Andante International Choir

Andante International Choir, the only choir in the Costa Blanca community devoted to sacred choral works and classical pieces, has begun rehearsing again. They meet in Los Montesinos at Calle San Antonio, 4 on Thursday nights from 7:15 to 9 pm beginning on January 12, 2023. Works they are currently learning include Motet, Ave Verum corpus by Mozart, Benedicat Vobis by Handel, O Sanctissima, a traditional Sicilian hymn and Anima Christi by Marco Frisina and Missa de Angelis, arranged by Christopher

Moore. Their music director is Manuel Jesus Perez Garcia, music director and pianist for Parroquia Nuestra Señora del Pilar (Our Lady of Pilar Church) in Los Montesinos. All are welcome to join them. They especially need tenors and basses. For more information contact Andante International Choir member Sue Lewey at suelewey@gmail.com. Also see the Facebook page, Andante International Choir (Spain). They plan to do performances starting in 2023, including at Our Lady of Pilar Church.

02:10 Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA

03:00 Couples Come Dine with Me

03:55 Hollyoaks Omnibus 06:00 Find It, Fix It, Flog It 06:15 Countdown

06:55 3rd Rock From the Sun

07:20 3rd Rock From the Sun

07:45 3rd Rock From the Sun

08:10 The Simpsons

08:35 The Simpsons

09:00 Formula E Unplugged 09:30 FIA Formula E Motor Racing

10:30 Sunday Brunch

13:30 The Simpsons

13:55 The Simpsons 14:25 The Simpsons 15:00 The Simpsons 15:30 Patrick 17:15 Jumanji 19:15 Channel 4 News 19:45 How to Live to 100 20:45 The Great Pottery Throw Down 22:00 Jack Reacher

09:20 Santiago of the Seas 09:35 The Adventures of Paddington

09:50 Pop Paper City

10:00 Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom 10:15 Cooking with the Gills 10:30 Show Me How 10:40 Mimi’s World 10:50 The World According To Grandpa 11:00 The Smurfs 11:15 SpongeBob SquarePants 11:25 Entertainment News On 5 11:30 NFL End Zone 12:00 Friends 12:25 Friends 13:00 Friends 13:25 Friends 13:55 Aurora Teagarden Mysteries 15:40 Appointment With Death 17:50 Cruising with Jane McDonald 19:25 5 News Weekend 19:30 When All Inclusive Holidays Go Horribly Wrong 21:00 22 Kids & Counting 22:00 Motorhoming With Merton & Webster 23:00 Hotel Benidorm: Sun, Sea & Sangria 23:55 Most Shocking Celebrity Moments

04:25 Come Dine with Me 04:50 Come Dine with Me 05:15 Food Unwrapped 06:10 Jamie’s Comfort Food 06:20 Sarah Beeny’s New Life in the Country 07:10 Countdown 07:50 3rd Rock From the Sun 08:15 3rd Rock From the Sun 08:40 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:05 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 10:30 Frasier 11:00 Frasier 11:25 Undercover Boss USA 12:25 Channel 4 News Summary

12:30 Come Dine with Me: The Professionals 13:30 Steph’s Packed Lunch 15:10 Countdown 16:00 A Place in the Sun 17:00 A New Life in the Sun 18:00 Junior Bake Off 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 21:00 George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces 22:00 999: On the Front Line 23:00 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown

00:00 Family Guy 00:30 Family Guy 01:00 American Dad! 01:30 American Dad! 02:00 Hey Tracey 03:00 All American 04:00 Teleshopping 07:00 Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records 07:35 Secret Crush 08:35 Secret Crush 09:25 Secret Crush 10:25 Dress to Impress 11:25 Dress to Impress 12:25 The Masked Singer 13:55 Rio 2 16:00 Step Up 2 the Streets 18:05 Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 19:55 Yes Man 22:00 Fast and Furious

00:05 Vera 02:05 George and Mildred 02:40 George and Mildred 03:10 Unwind with ITV 03:30 Teleshopping 07:00 George and Mildred 07:35 Emmerdale Omnibus 10:25 George and Mildred 10:55 Agatha Christie’s Marple 12:55 Agatha Christie’s Marple 14:55 Agatha Christie’s Marple

16:55 Doc Martin 18:00 Doc Martin 19:00 Rosemary and Thyme 20:00 Rosemary and Thyme 21:00 Martin Clunes: Islands of the Pacific 22:00 Joanna Lumley’s Great Cities of the World 23:00 Maigret

World Records 08:00 Secret Crush 09:00 Dress to Impress 10:00 Chuck 11:00 One Tree Hill 12:00 The O.C. 13:00 Secret Crush 14:00 Dress to Impress 15:00 Family Fortunes 16:05 Chuck 17:00 One Tree Hill 18:00 The O.C. 19:00 Catchphrase 20:05 Legally Blonde 22:00 Love Island 23:35 Family Guy

00:55 Upstairs, Downstairs 02:00 Upstairs, Downstairs 03:05 George and Mildred 03:40 George and Mildred 04:15 Emmerdale Omnibus 06:45 Unwind with ITV 07:00 Emmerdale 07:35 Emmerdale 08:00 Coronation Street 08:35 Coronation Street 09:05 George and Mildred 09:40 George and Mildred 10:15 Agatha Christie’s Marple 12:30 Heartbeat 13:35 Heartbeat 14:40 Emmerdale 15:10 Emmerdale 15:40 Coronation Street 16:15 Coronation Street 16:45 Inspector Morse 19:00 Heartbeat 20:00 Heartbeat 21:00 Agatha Christie’s Poirot 22:00 Long Lost Family 23:00 DCI Banks

Punjabi Palace

Punjabi Palace, two authentic Indian restaurants, the rst being situated right next to the golf course at Campo de Golf La Marquesa, Quesada and the second situated in CC Lomas de Cabo Roig.

The two Punjabi Palace restaurants have been established on the Costa Blanca for 15 years.

The restaurants are open every day of the week from 12 noon until 3.00 pm and 6.00 pm until 11.00 pm.

Both of the Punjabi Palace restaurants are well known for their superb quality food, outstanding service and a friendly atmosphere for you to enjoy your lunch or dinner.

Both restaurants have a very popular lunchtime special for only 11.95 euro per person. You can enjoy popadoms, chicken or lamb curry with rice or naan and a desert or co ee as well as a glass of wine or a small beer or soft drink. Amazing value for superb quality food.

There is also a normal menu where you will nd a wonderful array of enticing Indian dishes to suit all tastes. Each restaurant o ers

a childrens menu and take away service.

Both restaurants have fantastic terrace areas where you can sit and enjoy your meal whilst soaking up the Costa Blanca Sunshine at any time of the year.

If you are looking to celebrate a birthday, engagement, anniversary or any other type of celebration then Punjabi Palace is the perfect place. Give them a call and they will happily help you to organise the perfect celebration.

You can read some of their fantastic reviews on Tripadvisor or on their facebook pages.

You can call the restaurants on the following numbers and also make reservations via facebook.

Bookings are highly recommended.

Punjabi Palace, Campo de Golf La Marquesa, Quesada – 966714963

Punjabi Palace, CC Lomas de Cabo Roig – 865754972

The Punjabi Palace restaurants would like to wish all their clients, both old and new, a Happy and Prosperous New Year and they

look forward to welcoming you into either of their restaurants in 2023.

BUSINESS PROFILE

Please note that all information contained within this Costa Blanca People Business Pro le has been provided by the client, and is therefore deemed correct and accurate. Any errors, omissions or inaccuracies are the sole responsibility of the client.

RECIPES

Self-saucing sticky to ee chocolate pudding

Ingredients

200g pitted medjool dates

100g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for the dish

75g demerara sugar

75g dark brown soft sugar

2 large eggs

250g plain our

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tbsp baking powder

100g dark chocolate, roughly chopped Vanilla ice cream or custard, to serve

For the sauce

200ml double cream

75g unsalted butter, cubed

200g dark brown soft sugar

30g cocoa powder

Method

STEP 1

Put the dates in a bowl and pour in 300ml boiling water. Leave to soak for 30 mins. Meanwhile, make the sauce by tipping all the ingredients, a big pinch of salt and 300ml boiling water into a pan, then whisk over a medium heat and simmer for 2 mins. Pour into a jug and leave to cool slightly. Once the dates are soaked, use a hand blender to blitz the dates and water until you have smooth paste. Leave to cool slightly. Butter a deep 35 x 25cm dish.

STEP 2

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Beat together the butter and sugar

for 3 mins until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition. Fold in the our, bicarb and baking powder along with a pinch of salt. Once combined, mix in the date purée, then fold in the dark chocolate. Pour the sponge batter into the prepared dish and spread out evenly using the back of a spoon. Pour the chocolate sauce evenly over the top of the batter.

STEP 3 Bake in the oven for 30-35 mins until risen, then leave to rest for 2 mins. Serve warm with a big scoop of ice cream or warm custard.

Spotted Dick

Ingredients

250g self-raising our Pinch of salt

125g shredded suet

180g currant

80g caster sugar

Finely grated zest 1 lemon

Finely grated zest 1 small orange

150ml whole milk, plus 2-3 tbsp Custard, to serve

Method

STEP 1

Put the our and salt in a bowl. Add the suet, currants, sugar, lemon and orange zest.

STEP 2 Pour in 150ml milk and mix to a rm but moist dough, adding the extra milk if necessary.

STEP 3

Shape into a fat roll about 20cm long. Place on a large rectangle of baking parchment. Wrap loosely to allow for the pudding to rise and tie the ends with string like a Christmas cracker.

STEP 4

Place a steamer over a large pan of boiling water, add the pudding to the steamer, cover and steam for 1½ hours. Top up the pan with water from time to time.

STEP 5 Remove from the steamer and allow to cool slightly before unwrapping. Serve sliced with custard.

Bread and Butter

Pudding

Ingredients 250ml full-fat milk 300ml double cream 1 vanilla pod, halved and seeds scraped out, or 1 tsp vanilla extract 3 whole large eggs, plus 1 egg yolk 3 tbsp golden caster sugar 8 slices of day-old white crusty bread 50g slightly salted butter, softened plus extra for greasing 75g mix sultanas and currants or other dried fruit

Zest ½ lemon

Method

STEP 1

Heat oven to 180C/160C/gas 4. To make the custard, heat the milk, cream

and vanilla pod with its scraped out seeds (if using) together in a saucepan to just below boiling point. Meanwhile whisk the eggs and yolk with the caster sugar in a jug. Slowly pour the warm milk mixture, including the vanilla pod, over the eggs, stirring constantly until smooth. Stir in the vanilla extract now if using.

STEP 2 Lightly butter an ovenproof dish approximately 20cm x 25cm x 5cm. Cut the crusts from the bread slices, then butter both sides of the bread and cut into triangles. Lay half of the

bread slices in the bottom of the dish so that they are slightly overlapping. Mix the dried fruit with the lemon zest and sprinkle half of the mix over the bread. Layer the rest of the bread on top then sprinkle over the remaining fruit.

STEP 3 Remove the vanilla pod from the custard then pour the custard over the pudding. Leave to soak for at least 30 mins, or longer in the fridge, if you like. Sprinkle over the demerara and bake for 35-40 mins until golden brown and pu ed up.

Crescendo International Choir Performed Several Concerts in December

Crescendo International Choir performed several wellattended concerts in December, mixing a variety of popular songs like I Say a Little Prayer for You, originally made famous by Dione Warwick, The Rose, made famous by Bette Midler, and Hallelujah by Leon Cohen and many Christmas songs like Jingle Bell Rock, White Christmas and the popular Spanish carol Campana Sobre Campana (Bells Upon Bells).

One concert was given Saturday night, December 10 in Benijofar’s Catholic Church. Almost 140 euros was raised for the local food bank at this event. The second concert took place Saturday night December 17 at La Siesta Evangelical Church in Torrevieja, raising almost 200 euros for church-supported charities. Earlier in December, Crescendo performed a fundraising Christmas concert with the Royal British Legion Band at Cardenal Belluga Theatre in San Fulgencio.

If interested in joining Crescendo, see the Crescendo website at crescendo-choir.com. The choir would be delighted to have more male singers, especially basses. The choir

includes sopranos, altos, tenors and basses. The group sings a variety of songs ranging from musicals to spirituals, from pop to classical, in English and

Spanish. Rehearsals take place at Rincon de Miguel in Los Montesinos Mondays between 17:45 to 20:00. All singers are welcome!

RECIPES

Easy Banno ee Pie

Ingredients

225g digestive biscuits

150g butter, melted 397g can caramel or 400g dulce de leche

3 small bananas, sliced

300ml double cream

1 tbsp icing sugar

1 square dark chocolate (optional)

Method

STEP 1

Crush the digestive biscuits, either by hand using a wooden spoon, or in a food processor, until you get ne crumbs, tip into a bowl. Mix the crushed biscuits with the melted butter

until fully combined. Tip the mixture into a 23cm loose bottomed uted tart tin and cover the tin, including the sides, with the biscuit in an even layer.

Push down with the back of a spoon to smooth the surface and chill for 1 hr, or overnight.

STEP 2

Beat the caramel to loosen and spoon it over the bottom of the biscuit base. Spread it out evenly using the back of a spoon or palette knife. Gently push the chopped banana into the top of the caramel until the base is covered. Put in the fridge.

STEP 3

Whip the cream with the icing sugar until billowy and thick. Take the pie out

of the fridge and spoon the whipped cream on top of the bananas. Grate the dark chocolate over the cream, if you like, and serve.

Lemon Drizzle Sponge Pudding

Ingredients

250g soft butter, plus extra for the dish 380g caster sugar 4 eggs 250g self-raising our 1 tsp baking powder

3 lemons, zested and juiced 2½ tbsp corn our Custard or cream, to serve

For the drizzle 50g icing sugar 1 lemon, juiced and zeste Method

STEP 1

Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter a 30 x 20cm deep baking dish.

STEP 2

Put the butter and 250g caster sugar in a bowl and beat for 5 mins until pale and u y. Whisk in the eggs, then sieve over the our and baking powder and fold in until you have a batter. Stir in the lemon zest, reserving a little for decoration.

STEP 3

Spoon the sponge batter into the dish and smooth over the top.

STEP 4 Mix the lemon juice with the corn our in a heatproof bowl to make a smooth paste. Mix the remaining 130g caster sugar with 300ml boiling water in a jug, pour over the corn our mix and whisk until smooth. Pour this over the sponge. Bake for 45-50 mins until golden and set, and the sponge springs back when touched.

STEP 5

While the pudding is baking, make the lemon drizzle. Mix the icing sugar with enough lemon juice (about half of it) to create a loose consistency. Drizzle over the sponge while it’s still warm and decorate with the reserved lemon zest. Serve straightaway with cream or custard

Madonna ‘is secretly planning a Greatest Hits tour to celebrate 40 years in music - with multiple shows already booked at London’s O2 Arena’

The music icon, 64, is allegedly set to announce dates in a few weeks

The tour will also be Madonna’s rst compilation show in history

The singer will mark 40 years since she released her debut album in 1983

Madonna last took to the road with

her Madame X tour in 2019 and 2020

Ellie Goulding nally addresses rumour she betrayed Ed Sheeran by cheating on him with Niall Horan

The singer, 36, and Ed, 31, were linked to each other back in 2013

Sheeran memorably penned Don’t about an ex cheating on him with a friend – rumoured to have been Niall Horan and Ellie

The hitmaker addressed the rumours once and for all in the comment of a TikTok video, after a follower said: Can’t believe you cheated on Ed with Niall’

Ellie is married to Caspar Jopling, while Ed found love with Cherry Seaborn

‘My skinniest times were some of my most miserable’: Kelly Brook says she is ‘happiest with my body now I’m married’ after past heartache made her think ‘I’m not good enough’

Kelly Brook says she is the happiest she’s ever been with her gure after years of insecurities.

The model, 43, who is a regarded as a sex symbol thanks to her pin-up photoshoots in the nineties, credits husband Jeremy Parisi for helping her overcome her body hang-ups.

In a candid interview, Kelly says looking back at when she was her skinniest, she was the most miserable having lost weight from heartache.

‘It’s been nonstop hurly-burly!’: Vanessa Feltz, 60, says she’s been ‘far more frolicsome than any menopausal woman should be’ thanks to her toyboy ancé Ben Ofoedu, 50 Vanessa Feltz has revealed she has had ‘nonstop hurly-burly’ during

menopause thanks to her ‘young, frolicsome’ ancé Ben Ofoedu.

The This Morning presenter, 60, shared a very candid insight into her sex life and revealed they have done the deed everywhere from the car to the chaise longue.

Vanessa described the times when she ‘couldn’t stand the thought of sex’ as she negotiated hot ushes and hormonal changes that made her want to ‘melt sob or screen’.

‘I’m going to say let’s try and win it!’ Patsy Palmer reveals she’s temporarily relocated from Hollywood to Berkshire

while competing on Dancing On Ice Patsy Palmer has revealed she’s relocated from her home in Malibu to Berkshire while competing in the new series of Dancing On Ice.

The former EastEnders star, 50, who moved to Hollywood with her husband Richard Merkell in 2014, had been training on ice rinks in LA with her partner Matt Evers ahead of the show’s return on January 15.

But now, Patsy has revealed she will be staying in the UK for the duration of the series so she can throw herself into the competition, saying that it’s already brought out her competitive streak.

Say goodbye to painful high heels

Ex-Balmain footwear designer develops a smart insole that distributes pressure and promises to make wearing stilettos a ‘walk in the park’

Insole developed by Italian company is being showcased at CES in Las Vegas. It cushions impact during walking and redistributes pressure along the foot.

High heels can cause longterm issues such as pinched nerves and back pain

A smart insole makes wearing high heels more comfortable –and can potentially reduce the risk of long-term health issues.

The insole, created by Italian company GAIT-TECH, cushions impact during walking and redistributes pressure along the foot.

It’s been built into the stiletto at the manufacturing stage, so

it’s not visible and doesn’t ap about awkwardly under the foot.

The shoe design was made by Italian footwear designer Diego Dolcini, who previously worked with brands including Balmain, Dolce & Gabbana and Gucci a pair will cost less than 20 euros (£17) – a price tag that’s ‘very comfortable for designers and manufacturers since it includes both the device and its integration’.

According to the Capri-based company, its ‘biomechanical innovation’, which is made of recycled polymer, will improve women’s health, relieve pain and prevent injuries.

It’s already known that wearing high heels for too long can cause stress fractures, lower back pain, pinched nerves, muscle pain heel deformity and

more.

‘Shoes with heels have always represented the best in terms of image, sensuality, and femininity,’ said Andrea Goldoni, co-founder and CEO of GAITTECH.

‘But at the same time, they have always been synonymous with discomfort and pain when worn for a long period of time.

‘The GAIT-TECH insole solution provides an experience of comfort and balance never felt on heels before, allowing women to wear shoes with better cushioning and less pain involved.’

As well as relieving pain on parts of the foot, the insole will make gluteal muscles and abdomen ‘less swollen and more toned’ by giving the wearer ‘an active and dynamic gait’.

Changes to Historic Vehicle Rules 2023

In 2023, the DGT is expected to o cially approve a new regulation for historic vehicles. This new regulation will replace the rst Historic Vehicle Regulation, Reglamento de Vehículos Históricos, created in 1995, almost 28 years ago. With this new announcement, the DGT will introduce very important new features for this type of model.

Prepared by the DGT, together with the Ministry of Industry and the Autonomous Communities, and with the help and approval of the Spanish Federation of Antique Vehicles, this new regulation will establish in 2023 “the special rules that allow the circulation of historic vehicles and encourage the conservation and restoration of those that make up the historical automobile heritage”.

Thanks to all this, once approved, the procedures to obtain the catalogue will decrease and the owners of this type of vehicle will be able to drive with them for a management cost of only around €20.

But what are the requirements that will regulate the classi cation of historic vehicles going to be from now on? In

principle, the rule will establish that any vehicle that is more than 30 years old since its registration or manufacture, that is in original condition, registered in the General Inventory of Movable Property of Historical Heritage, and that has participated in historical events, belonged to personalities or collectibles due to their uniqueness and scarcity, you can obtain this quali cation.

There are currently two types of historic vehicles classi ed: those in Group A, which are those that are more than 30 years old, have a Spanish number plate and have a valid ITV; and those of Group B, which are the rest, those from abroad or which do not have an active circulation permit.

According to DGT data, there are currently approximately 47,000 historic vehicles registered in Spain, which will also have important innovations and bene ts from 2023 with the approval of the new regulation. Perhaps the most important will be that those vehicles already manufactured or registered before 1950, as well as mopeds classi ed as historic or agricultural transport, will be exempt from

passing the ITV next year. The rest of those considered historical that do not belong to this group, will have to do it every 2 or 4 years, without the need to review mechanical and safety elements that are not factory- tted, as well as being omitted

In

from the pollutant emission tests.

addition to all this, historic vehicles should be able to circulate next year through all the mandatory Low Emission Zones that will come into force in more than 150 cities in Spain, although

ultimately it will be the City Councils that regulate in each town which cars can or cannot circulate. The DGT does recommend that all municipal councils allow them to circulate as they are vehicles of special protection.

What will the number plates of the future look like?

On 31 October 1900, the rst car registered in Spain circulated on the roads. Since then, three di erent systems have been adopted to indicate a unique reference for vehicles, which today we refer to as the “number plate”, the current method being 4 numbers and three letters, excluding the vowels to avoid some profanity combinations, and the letter Ñ and Q are also left out to avoid being confused with the letters N and O.

In the previous system, which some cars still have of course, the number plate in Spain was geographically identi able, by using a pre x such as “M” for Madrid, or “A” for Alicante, for example.

The current European number plate model began in the year 2000. In that year, the provincial emblems were suppressed. The ordinary license plate is the one carried by the vast majority of the vehicles that make up the eet in Spain. This plate is made up of four digits and three consonant letters, again with the exception of Ñ and Q. In addition, the number plate also includes the European blue band on

the left side.

So what will happen next, when the current sequence runs out?

Last September, the General Directorate of Tra c (DGT) announced that the new sequence would be live on the number plates (MBB), and we have just entered into the realms of MCB, but the reality is it has taken 22 years to reach the current con guration.

We don’t have to worry about there being an immediate problem though, as the DGT envisions that the current plate model will run out in 2053, the year in which the 9999 ZZZ number plate could be seen.

Although it is not an immediate issue, the DGT is already looking at what to replace the system with. One of the options that attracted the most attention was number plates with a QR code with an incorporated microchip that would contain vehicle information such as the registration date, if it has passed the ITV or if it has su ered damage. When the idea was rst muted, there was some shock, partly because it would not be so easy to visually identify, or remember, a registration

number unless the code was scanned by an electronic device, although this of course could be something as simple as a mobile phone, but also a shock at the idea as to what these new number plates might look like.

However, the DGT themselves have said that number plates with a QR code “are not on the table” of the entity. «Who knows if QR codes will still exist in 30 years. There is plenty of time left to start thinking about what to do. It’s not an urgent matter.”

The DGT did however con rm that there might be a possibility in the future for personalisation. At the moment, unlike countries like the UK, personalised number plates are not issued in Spain.

More likely overall, the DGT is looking at the systems used by other countries such as Germany, China, Italy or Poland. Each country features a combination of letters and numbers, along with inexhaustible regional codes.

But, to nd out for sure what the Spanish number plate of the future might look like, we will most likely have to wait another 3 decades.

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Carla, nice Argentinian in Campoamor, Opposite CEPSA 643730129 (970)

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Misuky in Campoamor. The best massage and attention. Nice body, fantasies, opposite CEPSA Tel: 663088170 (976)

TALES FROM THE TOP FLIGHT

n CHRIS DARWEN chris@costablancapeople.com

Yet another seven days of football has been and gone and the football authorities have done everything they can to cram as much action into it as possible.

The week started with Brentford scoring seven against Liverpool so the VAR could decide which three they would be allowed in their rst win over the Reds since the 1930s.

The absence of Ivan Toney was a glimpse into Thomas Frank’s future and he dealt with it rather well given Toney’s replacement, Yoane Wissa, had the ball in the back of the net several times and was even allowed to keep one of the goals.

A quick online poll of things that could knock Ibrahima Konate over was won convincingly by a Yorkshire Terrier puppy as the Frenchman had an evening to forget - scoring Brentford’s rst before collapsing under the slightest of touches from Bryan Mbuembo because, according to Jurgen, he was running at the speed of light which means it’s very hard to stay on your feet when someone breathes in your vicinity.

Post-match, King Kloppo was magnanimous as ever suggesting that he’d get more sense from his microwave than the referee if he asked

him a question. Jurgen’s microwave could be busy, as I’m thinking he could do a job at the back for him as well.

Apparently, Frank Lampard “gets Everton” - at this rate, Lampard gets Everton relegated and certainly knocked out in the 3rd round of the FA Cup.

Following a 1-1 draw at City which was full of ‘character’ the next page of the script had “GET STUFFED AT HOME TO BRIGHTON” in big capital letters and double-underlined.

Frank’s boys did a bit better at Old Tra ord on Friday night in the cup though - they managed to lose only 3-1 this time, their one being hilariously gifted to them by David de Gea leaning on his post, having a cigar and reading the local paper rightfully assuming he’d have a quiet night.

After United’s win, Erik ten Hag talked about the highly mediocre transfers that had been made by his predecessors over the last few seasons - before the morning papers announced that Wout Weghorst was on his way to Old Tra ord. Irony, I think they call it.

Mikel Arteta certainly seems to cover more turf as a manager than he ever did as a central mid elder for the Arsenal. Everyone talks about how much he must have learned from Pep whilst assisting him at City - it seems the biggest takeaway from his time at the Etihad was how to act like an utter numpty on the touchline. Arsenal’s manager felt his side should have had

a couple of penalties - 50/50 at best - in their 0-0 with Newcastle and therefore the decision not to award either was scandalous. He’s managing to make me personally want City to win the title again, or better still Newcastle or United because nobody else seems to fancy it.

Tottenham were predictably rubbish against Crystal Palace in the rst half at Selhurst Park before Kane and Son remembered that they used to be quite a partnership and decided to play some of their greatest hits in the second half. Spurs won 4-0 in the end before they went on to beat Portsmouth 1-0 in the Cup - Harry Kane scoring again and moving within one of the late, great Jimmy Greaves (who, it has to be reminded, also banged in 130 odd for Chelsea before he set that Tottenham record).

Funnily enough, Jurgen Klopp was a little happier with the standard of re ng in their 2-2 draw with Wolves on Saturday night. Wolves had a late winner chalked o because there wasn’t a VAR angle available to con rm the assistant had completely ballsed it up. Unfortunately for Julen Lopetegui, he had the perfect “tactical camera” angle on his tablet and he nearly spilt his trousers with his outrage.

Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth de nitely have bigger sh to fry currently which is why neither will be that bothered at going out to Championship opposition. Bournemouth will probably be swapping with Burnley anyway,

and Gary O’Neil shouldn’t be too worried about losing to Championship opposition as he won’t be managing in it next season - well, not Bournemouth anyway.

Steve Evans is what we like to call a character, even if he has claimed to have mellowed over the years. His Stevenage slowed the Unai Emery Aston Villa revival scoring twice late on to shock the Premier League side. Yes, a League Two side beating a Premier League side probably should have been mentioned a bit earlier but (a) I was watching City trash Chelsea and (b) their reward is only a game with Stoke so it was hardly worth the e ort.

Update: Graham Potter’s job is still safe despite losing to Pep twice in a week. Roman’s left, y’know. If Kepa had got as much of a hand to Alvarez’s penalty as Havertz did in conceding it, he might have saved it.

You know it’s the FA Cup when Iheanacho is spotted in a Leicester City starting XI and the Nigerian didn’t disappoint scoring his 16th FA Cup goal to see o the worst team in the Football League in Gillingham.

The last time Alexis Mac Allister kicked a ball he was winning the World Cup. On Saturday, he was scoring at the Riverside as RDZ (as he is now o cially known) watched his Brighton side make it nine goals in a week scoring ve against Michael Carrick’s Boro.

Nathan Jones KNOWS WHAT HE IS

DOING, OK as he nally felt the taste of victory as manager of Southampton. They beat Palace 2-1 thanks to Guita forgetting the basics of goalkeeper.

You suspect Moysey would have traded the FA Cup win over Brentford for three points against them the other day.

Marco Silva had a nice day out returning to Hull - Fulham won 2-0, a rare victory for Silva at whatever Hull’s ground is called nowadays.

She eld Wednesday saw o Newcastle’s reserve team at Hillsborough meaning Eddie Howe’s side can now push for the title sans European football and FA Cup football.

Leeds managed to come back from 2-0 against Cardi to get a replay but, come on now, 2-0 to Cardi in the rst place? Marsch is on borrowed time.

Football lost two football stalwarts too - West Ham co-owner David Gold and former Chelsea player-manager and all-around absolute gent, Gianluca Vialli.

Terra Natura Benidorm welcomes a falcon

The nature and animal park Terra Natura Benidorm has just welcomed a falcon (Falco rusticolus), which will be part of the educational demonstrations on the ight of birds of prey. The arrival of this new specimen aims to disseminate the conservation values of these species, which contribute to pest control and the preservation of the biodiversity of ecosystems.

The new falcon is called Khabib and is a four-year-old male, weighing approximately 900 grams. The gyrfalcon comes from areas with cold temperatures, located in various arctic areas of the American, European and Asian continents. The Gyrfalcon is larger than the Saker Falcon, which is characterised by being a great chaser.

The demonstrations explain the most signi cant and di erential characteristics of the di erent types of birds of prey, both diurnal and nocturnal, among which other species such as vultures, storks, etc. stand out. These informative sessions are carried out with the aim of raising awareness of their importance at a biological level within the framework of biodiversity and the fragility of their survival in the natural ecosystem. These talks are held in the morning and afternoon in the amphitheatre of the thematic area, set in Asia.

The females of this species are larger than the males. In fact, females usually weigh around 1,100 to 1,400 grams,

while males usually weigh around 800 to 1,100 grams. In terms of size, this bird can reach up to 80 centimetres and has a wingspan of up to 1.40 metres.

The egg-laying period begins in March. In each nest they usually lay between three and ve eggs. Their plumage is light brown and mottled, while their backs are usually ash-coloured.

These birds are essential for maintaining the balance of ecosystems, as well as helping to reconcile and balance the conservation of the fauna of airport ecosystems with aviation safety.

Terra Natura Benidorm is a nature and animal park dedicated to the care of animal species, with more than 1,500 animals of 200 di erent species (98 of them protected or in danger of extinction), 30 conservation projects and 19 breeding programmes. Its surface area is divided into four areas representing the continents of America, Asia and Europe, and the Pangea area, inspired by the origin of the Earth. The tour of its facilities immerses visitors in the concept of zoo-immersion and otherness, and they can enjoy a wide range of entertainment activities.

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