31 January - 6 February 2023

More rooms and more protests at Torrevieja Hospital

it was a mixed day for the regional Minister of health Miguel Minguez as he visited the university hospital of torrevieja recently, accompanied by the hospital manager, josé Cano, and the Mayor of torrevieja, eduardo dolón.

the dignitaries were visiting the medical facility to see the additional and newly created patient suits. there are 20 new individual rooms for patients on the second floor, all of which have bathrooms adapted for people with reduced mobility. the revamp of the rooms has been accompanied by the installation of a new call centre in the nursing stationso that patients can reach staff at the touch of a button, as well as the renovation of the beds and medical equipment in the suits.

Miguel Mínguez, said: “ the new

hospitalisation rooms increase the capacity of the centre and, in addition, represent a qualitative leap in the well-being of both patients and their families.”

the new rooms have been created after a reorganisation and reform of the floor’s layout. the space was previously used as sleeping and rest areas foron duty medicalstaff. however, staff now have new facilities, including a living room and bedrooms for rest and relaxation, freeing up the space for other uses.

repairs and redecoration have also been undertaken in the rooms and corridors, the floors have been polished and the necessary hospital fixturesand fittings have been renewed. the total cost of the improvements amounts to 161,805 euros.

Protests

however, its wasn´t all good news and celebrations as the Minister was greeted by protesters has he arrived for the visit. Most of the staff demonstrating were laboratory workers who believe they were ‘sold out’ when the regional health Ministry assumed the running and management of the hospital in 2021. until that time the facility had been operated privately by ribera salud.

during its management ribera salud contracted lab services out to a local torrevieja company. however, the change in management means that the lab workers could now be left unemployed as the health Ministry plans to bring the service in-house – despite the fact that most of the 30-strong team has worked for the hospital for 16 years. staff want the Ministry to offer them employment contracts to continue working as part of the in-house service.

the Minister for health listened to the workers issues and promised to hold a meeting to discuss the issues and see if the situation can be resolved. however, workers weren’t the only group voicing their concerns. Members of the public also gathered to criticise what they see as a drop in service and staffing levels since the management changeover. they believe that waiting times for surgical operations and medical treatments have increased and that the emergency department

is struggling to cope with the needs of patients and of the community. however, jose Cano, head of the hospital and local medical centres, said: “emergency service waiting times have been improving in recent months with an average wait of 2 hours and 35 minutes.”

World Cancer Day at Zenia Boulevard

this saturday, 4thFebruary, is World Cancer day and to mark the occasion Maria and the Pink Ladies and Panthers will be hosting an event at Zenia boulevard.

World Cancer day is a leading international awareness initiative organised by the union for international Cancer Control. it aims to reimagine a world where millions of lives are saved from preventable cancer deaths and access to life-saving cancer treatment and care is equitable for all - no matter who you are or where you live.

Created in 2000, World Cancer day has grown into a positive movement for everyone, everywhere to unite under one voice to face one of the greatest challenges in history.

each year, hundreds of activities and events take place around the world,acting as a powerful reminder that we all have a role to play in reducing the global impact of cancer. the organisation’s website says: “While we live in a time of aweinspiring advancements in cancer

prevention, diagnosis and treatment, many of us who seek cancer care hit barriers at every turn. income, education, geographical location and discrimination based on ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability and lifestyle are just a few of the factors that can negatively affect care.

so this year’s World Cancer day’s theme, “Close the Care Gap”, is all about celebrating progress in its many forms that enable more people to seek and receive the care they need and deserve.”

this theme fits perfectly with the work done locally by Maria and the Pink Ladies and Panthers in support of the aaCC anti-cancer charity. the event at Zenia boulevard will support those going through cancer, those who have survived and remember those who have lost their lives to cancer.

Volunteers will be at the boulevard to book appointments for thecharities early detection program, allowing members of the public to book cancer screening tests at the Pink Ladies table. Currently the Pink Ladies are booking around 50 screening tests every month for orihuela Costa residents. this includes screening for breast, cervical, ovarian, skin, bowel and prostate cancers. there will be live music on the day with simon jackson, Leroy Morales, alex tipping, Project duo, Margaret Macdonald and stevie spit. the event will be compared by alfie G of sunshine FM. all of theartists are donating their time and talent to the Pink Ladies free of charge to help raise awareness. there will be a minute’s silence at 3pm to remember all those who have lost theirlives to cancer.

Orihuela truck driver robbed at knifepoint

national Police officers have arrested two people, a man and a woman, inorihuela, for allegedly assaulting the driver of a truck with knives and stealing the money he was carrying for his job.

the victim went to the Police station in orihuela, and explained that he had been driving his truck to pick up citrus fruits as part of his job. he was near hurchillo when a car pulled up behind him and began to flash its

lights. he ignored it butthe vehicle continued to behave abnormally until, at a roundabout, it moved in front of the truck, blocking its path.

a man and a woman got out of the car and took two knives out of the boot and approached the cab of the truck. they opened the doors and threatened and intimidated the victim until he handed over an envelope with more than 3,000 euros inside, the money to pay for the

fruit he was going to pick up.

the victim recognised one of the attackers as someonewho had previously worked in the same company. the police quickly began to investigate and managed to fully identify the two alleged attackers. they were arrested a few days later and charged with the crime of robbery with violence.the detainees are of Moroccan nationality, aged 52 and 30 years old.

End of masks on public transport

the obligatory use of face masks on public transport in spain will end on 7th February. spain’s eFe news agency has reported that the government will approve in its cabinet meeting on ‘to remove the mandatory use of masks on public transport’, with the ruling coming into immediate effect.

the only Covid-19 restriction remaining in place in spain was the compulsory wearing of a face mask on planes, buses and other means of public transport, but not inside airports, stations or other transport hubs.

in june 2020, spain first made the wearing of face masks compulsory indoors and outdoors, for everyone aged over six if ‘social distancing’ could not be maintained. at the time, the former health minister salvador illa had said that the compulsory use of

Orihuela Costa maintenance contract

the department of infrastructures has put the contract for the maintenance of green spacesout to tender. the five-year contract for orihuela Costa involves an investment of 1,910,700 euros per year.

face masks would remain in place ‘until a vaccine is found’.

Prime Minister Pedro sánchez announced that face masks would no longer be required outdoors in spain from 26th june 2021, except if a safe distance of 1.5m could not be maintained with people outside your closest social bubble. the rules for wearing face masks outside again were then reinforced from 24th december 2021.

in april 2022, spain finally ended the compulsory use of face masks in most indoor settings.however, it remained compulsory to still wear face masks on all public transport, including on trains, coaches, planes, ferries, cable cars, trams and also taxis (even with one driver and passenger) – but not while waiting in bus or train stations, on platforms or in airports in spain.

the announcement was made by the deputy Mayor, josé aix, and the Councillor for infrastructures, Ángelnoguera, who explained the details of the new service.

jose aix said:“ this is the most important contract of this legislature, the most necessary and with the greatest impact on our municipality. it is a contract that affects more than 2.5 million square meters and 213 green areas of orihuela Costa. in addition, it has a significant economic impact since ten million euros are going to be invested in five years.”

the new contract will tackle the poor state of the green areas on the coast, where the service being provided currently is lacking.the councillors said that in a few months the contract would be awarded and that soon people should be able to see real and beneficial changes in our municipality, taking into account that the coast is one of the municipalities tourist attractions.

Ángelnoguera explained that the new service will cover one hundred percent of the green areas on the coast, when the previous contract only covered 40 percent. the service will have 30 operators, when there are only 12 at the moment and the amount of the contract will increase from 860,000 euros a year to 1.9 million. in orihuela Costa alone there are 7,000 palm trees, many more than the total that are planted in the rest of the municipality.

the technical specifications includes maintenance of irrigation networks, maintenance of street furniture and carrying out relevant works. the company is responsible for pruning trees, replacing trees when necessary, maintenance and replanting of grass areas and the annual planting of seasonal flowers and flowering shrubs. specifically, 2,500 seasonal flowers and bulbs will be planted each year, as well as 3,500 shrubs in municipally owned landscaped areas. the planting of 500 poinsettias has been includedfor Christmas. attention will also be paid to the 13 unique trees that exist in orihuela Costa and the palm trees located on public roads will be maintained through pruning and pest treatment. the maintenance of leisure equipment and urban furniture such as wooden platforms, pergolas, fences, accesses, benches, tables, litter bins, bollards, etc all comes

under the terms of the contact. the winning bidder will also be in charge of the maintenance of civil works, such as curbs, tree grates, stairs and the cleaning of scuppers, nets and sandboxes, especially in the rainy season.

Continuous maintenance of children’s rides will be carried out by painting, cleaning, adjusting parts, repairing surfaces and disinfecting. thirty people work to provide the service. in addition, the company must have a fleet of vehicles made up of, among others, a truck, eight vans, a tractor and two irrigation tanks, as well as motorised cultivators, hedge trimmers or brush-cutters. it must also have the precise machinery for the treatment and elimination of pruning. in order to provide the service with the quality requirements demanded by the City Council, the winning company must also establish an environmental and quality management system.

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Clergyman killed in Spanish terror attack

spanish authorities are investigating a potential “terrorist” incident after a man stabbed multiple people in two different churches in algeciras, killing at least oneperson last Wednesday evening.

at around 6:30pm, a man carrying a sword-like weapon attacked clergymen in two different churches in downtown algeciras, in the south of spain, authorities said.Prosecutors are investigating the assault, which also injured at least four people, as a possible islamist terror attack. the suspect, described as a 25-year-old Moroccan man, was arrested shortly after the attack. he reportedly had no criminal history.

diego Valencia, a sacristan at the nuestra señora de La Palma church, was killed in the attack. another clergyman was seriously injured and is in the hospital. before going to the churches, the suspect assaulted a Moroccan neighbour of his, according to reports, first talking to him about islam and then punching him in the face.

the attacker, described by local media as wielding either a machete or a samurai sword, allegedly attacked churchgoers in the town’s san Lorenzo parish. the attack began when the armed man went into the church

of san isidro and assaulted a priest, the ministry said.he then went to the church of nuestra senora de La Palma, around 300 metres away.there he attacked and killed the sexton outside the building.

“the facts are being investigated and analysed, but it is not yet possible to determine the nature of the attack,” the interior ministry said in an early statement.

spain’s Prime Minister Pedro sanchez expressed his sadness over the incident, tweeting: “i want to convey my most sincere condolences to the relatives of the sacristan who died in the terrible attack in algeciras.

“i wish a speedy recovery to the injured. all our support for the work being carried out by the state security Forces and

Spanish pensioner arrested for letter bombs

Corps.”

Meanwhile, Francisco García, the secretary general of spain’s episcopal Conference, tweeted: “i have received the news of the incident in algeciras with great pain.these are sad moments of suffering; we are united by the pain of families of the victims and for the diocese of Cadiz.” spanish authorities believe the Moroccan suspect acted alone in the assault, which is being investigated as a suspected terror attack.

“the police investigation is going at a rapid pace. there are not third parties involved in the events,” interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said. spain’s national Court in Madrid has begun an investigation “as a suspected terrorist attack” in relation to the assault, the court press office said.

the suspect, arrested shortly after the fatal attack, has been in spain since last summer, without proper documentation to stay in the country, and an administrative deportation file had been opened, but an expulsion order had not been expected imminently, an interior Ministry statement said. the suspect has no prior criminal record in spain, the ministry statement added.

Police have arrested a pensioner on suspicion he sent letter bombs targeting spain’s prime minister and the ukrainian embassy, authorities said. the 74-year-old spaniard was taken into custody in Miranda de ebro, in the north of the peninsula. he was taken to Madrid and will appear before a judge on Friday, said a spokesman for the national Court which deals with terrorism cases. investigators searched the suspect’s home where he was thought to have made six letter bombs, police and the interior ministry said. Masked police stood guard outside the property as officers with sniffer dogs searched the interior, t V footage showed.

“this person was very active on social networks and according to national Police investigators, he has technical and computer expertise,” an interior ministry statement said.

“although it is presumed that the detainee made and sent the explosive devices alone, the police do not rule out the participation or influence of other people.”

nobody was killed by the six letter bombs sent in late november and early december to various sites in spain, but a ukrainian embassy employee was slightly injured while opening one of the packages.

Letters were sent to the

official residence of Prime Minister Pedro sanchez, to spain’s defence ministry and to an air base near Madrid from which spain has sent weapons to ukraine.also targeted was a military equipment firm in the north-eastern city of Zaragoza, which makes grenade launchers that spain has sent to ukraine. after the Madrid embassy was targeted, Kyiv ramped up security at its embassies around the world.

the arrest came after a weekend report in the new york times which said russian military intelligence officers had “directed” associates of

a white supremacist militant group based in russia to carry out the campaign in spain.us officials told the newspaper that the russian officers who directed the campaign appeared intent on “keeping european governments off guard” and “may be testing out proxy groups in the event Moscow decides to escalate a conflict”.

in addition to sending arms to ukraine in its fight against russia’s nearly year-long war, spain is also training ukrainian troops as part of a european union programme and providing humanitarian aid.

Diego Valencia

R/C Mar Menor

We are a radio controlled model yacht club and we sail from a beautiful location at the water sport and fitness centre at Lo Pagan on the Mar Menor. We sail on Wednesdays from 11am to 1pm with an hour or so either end to set up and pack away. We are multicultural and currently have members from the u.K. norway,sweden,denmark and spain. the boats we currently sail are from the class ioM. international one meter. as the name implies they are a world class boat and the models we sail are the same ones being sailed by the top skippers in the world. the 2022 worlds just finished in Croatia, the spanish champion whom we sometimes sail with came sixth. there were entries from many far flung

countries including ukraine, that’s not to imply that we are at that skill level yet’! one of the most successful designs to date is the britpop designed by a top skipper in the u.K. and built in the u.K. and spain and a good used one can easily change hands for €1500 without radio or rigs. the boats need three different suits of sails to suit different wind conditions a suit being the most often used ,an a rig main and jib sell for £84 for the bare sails and suitable for light to moderate conditions. on top of that is the mast and booms and all the rigging. oh and the radio another €150 minimum new.

setting all this up is not for the novice but we will always guide people willing to try. the easiest route is to buy second

hand and these can be had locally from about €600 for a complete outfit ready to sail still competitive at club level to be able to sail competitively takes a lot of practice and there are many adjustments and tweaks that make for good results. although we are predominantly male retirees there are both young and old,females and youngsters.

the most common question we get asked is “ where is the propeller “ these boats are only wind powered the sails are by a winch and there is a servo that works the rudder for steering although in reality in medium to strong winds the boat is actually “aimed” by the angle of the sails.

there are some quite good “out of the box “boats available now and they mostly sail well but they can’t compete with an ioM in most cases they are smaller and not suitable for the open sea only for ponds and lakes. despite the fact that there are quite a few very good spanish sailors there are not actually very many venues. several times a year there are regattas held at torrevieja and there have been international events there too but it is not a club venue like Lo Pagan. even some of our members travel for an hour or more to sail and we have one travels from calpe. Most of these skippers only sail at regattas and they often travel from one end of the country to the other to compete. there are some very big clubs in France and one of the best is at pierlotte where

the worlds were held a few years ago. there was excellent film and comentary coverage and it can still be watched by putting “ ioM worlds Pierrelatte into you tube. this is such a satisfying hobby the scenery is amazing, it’s silent, no

noise or pollution but at competition level quite stressfull the level of concentration required is quite tiring. Come along and join us you can always go into the restaurant above for a coffee and watch us from the balcony.

Carnival 2023 has kicked off in Torrevieja

The starting signal for the festivities took place last Friday, 27 January, at the Municipal Theatre, with the opening speech being given by the comedian and “tiktoker - Instagramer” from the Canary Islands, Omayra Cazorla.

Below is a programme of events. Make sure you don’t miss the big parade on Sunday 12 February or the night parade on Saturday 18 February.

Saturday 4th February

The National Drag Queen Competition will be held again in the Municipal Theatre. The carnival association has increased the prize money to 1,500 euros for the first prize, 900 euros for the second and 750 euros for the third.

Sunday 5th February

For the second year running, the Animal Carnival will be held with a parade competition on the stage of the Jardín de las Naciones, starting at 12:00 noon.

Friday 10th February

The “Gran quedada carnivalera” will take place in the Plaza de la Constitución towards the Plaza de Oriente.

Saturday 11th February

A large representation of the Torrevieja carnival will travel to Vinaroz to complete the twinning, participating in the gala of carnival queens and kings. It will be the comparsa “Aquí hay tomate”, which will represent the carnival of Salinas with a choreography in the town of Castellón.

Sunday, 12th February

The date chosen for the big day of the Parade Competition which, this year, as a novelty, varies its route starting in Ramón Gallud Street from the vicinity of the Virgen del Carmen Cultural Centre to Dr. Gregorio Marañón Avenue, at the height of the CEPSA Service Station. There, the exhibition area will be set up for the third year and will be renovated with new attractions.

Other important dates for the Torrevieja Carnival will be 14 and 15 February, with workshops and parades in local schools. On Thursday, 16th February, there will be a Senior Citizen’s Ball at the Municipal Leisure Centre (CMO) and on Friday, 17th February, the Children’s Parade “The Carnival of the Schools” from the Virgen del Carmen Cultural Centre to the Paseo Vista Alegre.

On Saturday, 18 February, the Grand

Night Parade and Foreign Comparsas Competition will be held from 18:00 along Ramón Gallud Street, starting at the Cultural Centre.

Sunday 19th February

The culmination of the festivities will be the National Contest of Comparsas in the Municipal Theatre. The timetable is still to be determined depending on the number of groups taking part.

All events will be free with an invitation that can be collected at the box office of the Municipal Theatre from Wednesday 18 or Thursday 19 January, as announced on the social networks of the Cultural Association of Torrevieja Carnival.

How to create an investment plan that can help you build an income, retire early or just get richer

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Know what you want from investing the question of what you are investing for is an important one to answer when creating your investment plan.

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if you don’t work out how much that is each month or year – and how that fits into the rest of your finances, be that everyday life, savings, home or debts - then you aren’t setting yourself up properly.

Consider how much risk you are willing to take risk is a difficult concept to get your head round when investing. yet, in reality, we take and calculate risks all the time and so are capable of weighing them up.

Work out your investing strategy

Working out your strategy involves combining what you want, how much you have, and the risk you are willing to take to come up with a coherent plan.

even if you have put in the legwork on the other bits of the investment plan, this is likely to be where you come unstuck.

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Work has begun on the landscaping and development of the La Siesta Park

the Mayor of torrevieja, eduardo dolon, the Councillor for Parks and Gardens, antonio Vidal, and the mayor of international residents, Gitte Lund, accompanied by the manager of the company awarded urdeCon, enrique Fernandez and the construction manager, eva Fernandez, last Monday presented the landscaping and management of the Park La siesta, which was attended by many residents of the area, mainly international residents from the uK, belgium and France.

Work has begun on this municipal park (located between henri Matisse, ravel and Guridi streets) which had been paralysed for several years, and which will become one of the most important and complete parks in the city of torrevieja, as it has a total surface area of 44,000 square metres, with an investment of 4.2 million euros, and will create a large multi-sports area for the enjoyment of the citizens. it should be noted that this large municipal park will be perimeter fenced.

the deadline for completion of the works is 20 months, although the town hall has asked the company awarded the contract to reduce it, with the company urdeCon assuring that this large municipal park can be completed in less than half the time established in the

contract.

the mayor, eduardo dolon, said that it was a very important day for torrevieja as it is the execution of a park much demanded by the residents of La siesta and san Luis, and will bring together a large number of sports courts, as well as green and landscaped areas and a large Pump track for skateboards and bMX bike, highly demanded by young people. there will be three distinct areas: advanced Pump track, Pump track Medium Level and Children’s Pump track. in addition, it is worth highlighting the redistribution of spaces both for sports activities and for the enjoyment of walks for people and families who want

to spend the day in the middle of nature, with picnic areas for relaxation and rest, as well as an amphitheatre with steps for various performances.

in addition to the three Pump track areas, La siesta Park will have an agility area for large dogs and another for small dogs, a large central area that divides the park with two circular squares, skating circuits, children’s playgrounds, biohealthy areas, a skating rink, hockey, football, basketball and indoor football courts, petanque courts, calisthenics area, cycle lane, as well as three paddle tennis courts, making this park the first in torrevieja to have courts to enjoy this very fashionable sport.

GBP

the pound has been contained within a fairly tight trading range over the past week, with GbP/usd only briefly moving below 1.2300 (low 1.2263), whilstalso failing to break over 1.2450 after several attempts. the latest batch of data releases have hardly helped the pound’s cause, with december’s data for uK public sector borrowing reflecting the accelerating cost to the government of both ongoing debt interest payments, and energy bill assistance programmes. the former saw the government having to foot a painful £17.3bn bill through december alone, a figure clearly impacted by thoseongoing boe rate hikes. overall, government public sector net borrowing hit £24.7bn through the past month (a december record), nearly £15bn more than the same month a year ago, and £7bn more than had been earmarked by analysts. it is not all doom and gloom, however, with the latest factory price data helping to boost signs of softening in inflation, which may help to cap the ultimate terminal rate for the boe, as well as softer energy prices since the summer helping to reduce the government’s cost with assistance programmes. these factors should help to smooth overall borrowing costs as we progress through the spring. the latest PMi readings also reflected some softness versus expectations in the composite and services components, although there was a surprising beat for manufacturing. next week will be dominated by the first boe meeting of the year. it is a tough balancing act for andrew bailey and the rest of the MPC, on the one hand inflation is softening, but by no means anywhere near where it needs to be at. however, the uK has been struggling against a wall of negativity, with huge increases already to the cost of living andwhat seems like half of the country out on strike at any given moment. Further hikes in rates will only make the tough times even tougher for those that need it the most, as higher interest rates add to their woes, so after what is likely to be another 25bps rate hike, further hikes may be a tough ask. as for the pound, well the powerful trend of a weakening dollar and that surging eur/usd (see eur) will help to ensure that GbP/usd may remain buoyant for the most part. a move over 1.2500 looks the next big challenge for the sterling bulls to attack. GbP/anything else is another matter, and given the

GBP / EUR U P dat E

weak backdrop, the pound may find the going a little tougher, especially against the resurgent single currency.

EURO

it has been a strong start to the year for the single currency, with better data for the region helping to underpin the ongoing commitment from the eCb to maintain their aggressive path of rate hikes. that set of improving data really has helped the cause, with the latest PMi readings (mostly) beating estimates and reflecting solid improvements. both German and euro area services PMi’s are now above the key 50 (economic expansion) territory, reflecting increased optimism. strong gains in the German ZeW survey also highlighted improving sentiment and business conditions.

talking of increased optimism, German Chancellor, olafscholz, bravely predicted this week that Germany will now avoid a recession. of course, with spot gas prices now running at about a third of the level they were at their peak, the predicted commitment that the government in Germany would have had to made to assist consumer energy bills, will now be a fraction of previous estimates. With signs of recovering manufacturing and consumer optimism increasing, the chancellor may well be onto something.

Christine Lagarde and her team at the eCb are still using every opportunity to highlight the need for further 50bps rate hikes,and markets now fully expect that the eCb will raise rates in the euro area by 100bps over the next couple of months. Contrast that against a Fed that may hike us rates by 50bps (at most) during the same period, and it is easy to see how rate dynamics have shifted in favour of the single currency.

that has all helped to underpin the move in eur/ usd, and gone are the days of talk of test of parity again, most analysts are now predictingthe next move to be a test of the 1.1000 region. saying that, the single currency has struggled to hold onto gains above 1.0900 over the past week. GbP/eur has not quite played to the same tune, and having slipped to test support at 1.1300, rallied back over 1.1350 alongside the recovery in GbP/usd (see GbP). next week sees the release of both German and region-wide inflation, data which could well add further support to the eCb’s argument to remain hawkish..

The Municipal Animal Shelter will open its doors for the first time in its history 365 days a year, in the morning and afternoon

the Municipal animal shelter of torrevieja has started to apply a new timetable. the councilman of animal Protection, Concha sala, has announced that since this week has released the new opening hours of that enclosure will be open for the first time in its entire history, 365 days a year, both morning and afternoon.

this new timetable has been made possible thanks to the configuration of the new work planning carried out by the staff of the Municipal shelter, made up of a coordinator, three labourers, two workers from the “Labora” programme of the Generalitat Valenciana, and the collaboration of the management and administration staff of the department of animal Protection.

the winter opening hours, which have already begun, are from Monday to sunday, including public holidays, from 09:00 to 13:00 and from 16:00 to 18:00.

Concha sala highlighted the willingness of all the staff “to keep the shelter open all year

round, something that has never happened before”. the councillor for animal Protection expressed her gratitude for this sensitivity “so that all those who wish to visit the facilities can do so on a greater number of occasions and, above all, the volunteers who will be able to carry out their work of caring for the animals, accompanying and walking the pets more comfortably”.

sala has indicated that this schedule is a turning point in the history of animal care in the city of torrevieja, and has

referred to the previous work for the construction of the new facilities of the Municipal shelter that continue their administrative processing. at the moment the updating of the prices that will form part of the contracting specifications, which have had to be compulsorily rectified due to the current economic situation, is being finalised. the next step, which is expected to take place as soon as possible, is the awarding of the contract for the construction of the new Municipal shelter.

Torrevieja hospital now has 20 new single patient rooms

the university hospital of torrevieja has 20 new single rooms for patients and has undertaken repair and painting work in rooms and corridors of the centre. the total cost of these improvements amounts to 161,805.5 euros.

the 20 new single rooms are located on the first floor of the university hospital of torrevieja, right corridor, and have bathrooms adapted for people with reduced mobility.

in the words of the regional Minister of universal health and

Public health, Miguel Mínguez, “the new hospital rooms increase the capacity of the centre and also represent a qualitative leap in the welfare of both patients and their families”.

the refurbishment of the rooms has been accompanied by the installation of a new call centre in the infirmary control room so that patients can communicate with staff from their bedrooms, as well as the renovation of the gas pipes and the headboards of the beds

(where the data, gas and sockets are located).

the new rooms have been put into operation following a process of reorganisation and refurbishment of rooms in the hospital. these new resources have been set up in a space that was previously used for the rest of the on-call medical staff, who now have a new living room and new bedrooms for their rest, and for rehabilitation activities that now take place in another area of the hospital.

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Terra Natura Benidorm confirms pregnancy of three female flying foxes by ultrasound scan

the nature and animal park

terra natura benidorm has confirmed the pregnancy of three female flying foxes (Pteropus lylei) by means of an ultrasound scan. this genus is considered one of the largest bats in the world. the confirmation of these pregnancies has come after the veterinarians of the park had to use a portable ultrasound scanner to perform ultrasound scans on six females in situ.

Currently, the group of this species is made up of 22 females and 21 males. of the six females checked, three are in the gestation phase. this action is usually carried out at this time of year to control the population growth of flying foxes in terra natura benidorm. this species arrived at terra natura benidorm in 2007. since then, there have been between 6 and 8 births per year, with a total of 98 flying fox cubs in a period of 15 years.

Gestation of this species lasts between 140-190 days, and they usually give birth to a single cub per year. the mother carries the fox for the weeks of lactation until the cub is large and heavy enough for the mother, and is able to remain alone on a

branch in the company of other cubs of the same age. they are gregarious animals that tend to form colonies that gather to rest in the immense trees of the jungle.

their populations have declined in recent years due to direct hunting, deforestation and the progressive degradation of their habitat. according to the iuCn (international union for Conservation of nature), this

species has recorded a decline of about 30% over the last 15 years. some flying foxes can reach a wingspan of up to 2 metres and weigh up to 1.5 kilos. unlike most chiroptera, which are nocturnal, insectivorous and use ultrasonic echolocation to orient themselves, flying foxes are crepuscular, feed on fruit, flowers and nectar, and use sight as well as hearing to guide them in flight and locate food.

My sister got on to me recently because I didn’t send my niece (her daughter), a gift for the birth of their new baby. This is my niece’s first child, and also the first child of that generation.

I sent a congratulations card and made sure I telephoned. It has been the way in our family, that when future generations come along and when first generation children reach the age of 18; gifts stop. Especially now that I am a pensioner there is not the money available to send to extended family. I lost my husband two years ago, and also at that time lost a fair amount of income as a result. My sister knows all this but still criticized me and called me tight, and expected me to send her children money. I might add that I have no children and the deficit has never been acknowledged by her in all these years - now she constantly badgers me with it.

You’ve acknowledged the birth of your great nephew by sending a card, and telephoning.

financial situation, but still calls you mean. What you’ve done is more than sufficient. Stop trying to justify your actions to your sister; she ought to understand,

so make it clear once and for all that putting pressure on you will not change things. She needs to be more understanding and accept your situation.

Your sister is aware of your Write to Sara in confidence. a p S eudonym W ill be u S ed if you WiS h. Sara read S all letter S and can give a per S onal reply. e mail your que S tion to S ara@ co S tablancapeople.com or Sara i S available for private con S ultation S, telephone 650 054 467.

Following on from last week’s article about how to obtain a vehicle report, this week we are going to look at the different sections of the report in more detail and the information contained in them, to help you understand all the information. Vehicle reports are available direct from the dGt here: https://sede.dgt.gob.es/es/ vehiculos/informe-de-vehiculo/

REGISTRATIOn nUMBER & InFOGRAPHICS

at the very top of a vehicle report you will see the registration number along with some infographics, designed to help you quickly identify potential problems with the vehicle or alternatively to provide peace of mind. a yellow triangle with an exclamation mark is a warning that there is an issue with the vehicle. here are the different sections to a vehicle report, but not all sections are available on every report. For example, section 3 may not be present if there are no charges or embargoes against the vehicle or section 7 if the vehicle has never been de-registered.

1. DATOS DEl TITUlAR - OWnER InFORMATIOn

in this section the name of the owner

is provided, along with the name of any co-owners of the vehicle. it’s worth noting here that dual owners are no longer permitted in spain.

2. IDEnTIFICACIÓn DEl VEHÍCUlOVEHIClE ID

this section contains the registration number, make, model, Vin number, date of first registration in spain (and date of first registration if imported), where the vehicle is registered and what type of vehicle it is. “servicio” is the type of owner, so this could be an individual, a company, a hire car etc. in the example provided, the vehicle is registered as “Part-sin esPeCiFiCar” which is an individual person.

3. CARGOS O GRAVAMEnTESCHARGES & lIEnS here you’ll see details of any charges or embargoes against the vehicle such as outstanding road tax, fines, finance markers etc.

4. DATOS SEGURO - InSURAnCE this is where you’ll see if the vehicle has current insurance and also the name of the insurance company if the vehicle has insurance.

5. HISTORIAl DE TITUlARES - OWnER HISTORY

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 offers.

“I am trying to find a file on my Windows laptop but I cannot remember the full file name. Can you help me please?”

i will assume also that you may not know exactly where on your computer you saved the file.

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.

open Windows explorer and select “this PC”. at the top of the screen is the search field with an image of a magnifying glass. if you do remember the folder where the file is you can select that folder. now it depends on how much you remember about the file you are looking for, each file is stored with a filename and an extensioni.e.filename.ext. the extension identifies what type of file it is.

e.g. budget.xls is a file named budget created using excel or cv.doc is a file named cv using Word.

if you remember the application used to create the file but not all ofthe filename you can use a “wildcard” symbol in your search.

Wildcards take the place of one or more characters in a search term. a question mark (?) is used for a single character in a specific position. an asterisk (*) matches any number of characters in a filename. examples.

*.pdf will show a list of all pdf files.

*budget*.xls will show all excel files with “budget” in the filename.

??plan*.doc will show all Word files with any 2 characters in positions 1 and 2 followed by “plan” and then any character.

“I have an Android tablet with only 16G Bytes of storage which is almost full, and it will not allow the Apps to update. What can I do?” i recommend having at least 1 Gb of free storage space on your device to ensure that you’re able to download updates.

you can either free up storage space or insert a micro sd card if the tablet has a card slot. to free up space move files to the Cloud storage of your choice. Google drive is automatically available on an android device. to move files to Cloud storage i use the File Manager + application. to add more storage insert a suitable micro sd card and then make the sd card the default location for the storage of files. Go to settings and search for “default file storage”. set the default location for storage as the sd card.

Brian Hoile Technology Help Group

Spain: 711 001 721

UK: 02380 200 706

info@car-registrations-spain.com

www.car-registrations-spain.com

in this section, you can see how many owners the vehicle has had and whether they are an individual or business and how long they owned the vehicle for with dates of ownership.

6. HISTORIAl DE InSPECCIOnES TÉCnICAS - ITV HISTORY here you see the complete itV history for the vehicle. the itV test and expiry dates are shown, including any failed tests along with the kilometres recorded at the time of the test and also the itV station number.

7. HISTORIAl DE BAJAS - HISTORY OF DE-REGISTRATIOn this is where you will see if and when the vehicle was taken off the system either temporarily or permanently. temporary “bajas” are often due to transfer of the vehicle to a vehicle sales company whereas a permanent “baja” is usually due to vehicle export.

8. HISTORIAl DE lECTURAS DEl CUEnTAKIlÓMETROS - RECORDED KMs here you’ll see the recorded kilometres of the vehicle in reverse order and also details of the agency responsible for the reading. in most cases this will usually be the itV test station.

9. InFORMACIÓn TÉCnICATECHnICAl DETAIlS

in this section you’ll see the vehicle’s technical information which includes engine size, fuel type, power, fiscal horsepower (important for road tax), number of seats, the vehicle masses, the type, model variant and version and also the european type approval number for the vehicle. the Co2 emissions and euro rating are also usually listed.

10. InFORMACIÓn AMBIEnTAlEnVIROnMEnTAl InFO this section contains the environmental information for the vehicle. including fuel type. For electric vehicles, the category (Full electric, heV, PheV etc.) the consumption for electric vehicles in watts per km and also the range.

11. SEGURIDAD DEl VEHÍCUlOSAFETY InFO

in this section you’ll find the nCaP safety information but this is not available for older vehicles.

Finally, at the bottom of the report you’ll see the name of the person, business or organisation that requested the search along with the date and time the report was requested.

DETAIlED SEARCH

We hope this guide will help you understand the vehicle report, but if you’d like us to carry out a detailed vehicle report on your behalf with a full explanation of the relevant information attached you can do so using the following link:

https://www.car-registrations-spain. com/vehicle-search

nEXT WEEK in next week’s article we’ll cover some of the negative information that you may find on a vehicle report and how to rectify some of the most common problems that you may come across.

Car Registrations Spain S.l. is the leading vehicle registration service of pre-registered foreign vehicles in Spain. If you have a foreign registered vehicle that you would like to register on to Spanish plates or think we can be of service, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with a member of our team.

info@car-registrations-spain.com

+34 868 990 576

+44 (0)2380 200 706

https://www.facebook.com/ carregistrationsspain/ https://quote.car-registrationsspain.com

Driving in Spain with

TIREDNESS AND DRIVING IS A DEADLY COMBINATION

the darker nights of winter sometimes play with our normal sleep routines, and can sometimes mean we are more tired during the day than we might like. however, although feeling tired can be somewhat unpleasant, when it comes to driving, tiredness and driving can be a deadly combination.

in a study conducted around 2 years ago, it was reported that almost 60% of spanish residents reported trouble sleeping. that percentage increased during the height of the Covid pandemic, and in particular reached up to 90% during the state of alarm, according to the calculations of dr. elia Gómez Merino, a pulmonologist and expert doctor in sleep Medicine at the hLa Vistahermosa sleep unit. increased levels of anxiety and depression, due to lack of control of the situation, were cited as the cause insomnia or problems falling asleep.

RISK FACTOR

according to dr. Gómez, not sleeping correctly generates metabolic, cardiovascular, cognitive, gastrointestinal, and emotional problems. establishing routines, avoiding exciting substances such as

alcohol or caffeine, doing some physical exercise and avoiding long naps are some of the tips for better sleep. not having a restful sleep at night negatively influences road safety.

Fatigue or daytime sleepiness are behind 30% of traffic incidents, according to the article signed by the late doctor joaquín terán (then head of the sleep unit of the burgos assistance Complex) and other experts in “archives of broncho pneumology”. this article indicates that these road traffic incidents have high mortality rates. in general, these are incidents on main roads, which take place in the middle of the afternoon or around midnight and with a single vehicle that goes off the road.

CHROnIC SlEEP

this group of experts emphasises that drowsiness is “an important risk factor for traffic incidents”. and they add that those most likely to suffer it are professional drivers (more time behind the wheel), those who work very long shifts, people who sleep less than 6 hours, those who consume alcohol, hypnotics or other medications, and “people who have symptoms related to the presence of undiagnosed sleep

apnoea or other sleep disorders.”

dr. Fernando Masa, head of Pneumology at the san Pedro alcántara de Cáceres hospital and a member of sePar (spanish society of Pneumology and thoracic surgery), highlights that a study carried out in the year 2000 of 4,002 drivers, showed that 6% of spanish drivers suffered from chronic sleep during the day (about 500,000 people, since that year there were about 12 million people with driving licences in spain). of that percentage, 81% acknowledged falling asleep at the wheel at some time, while 25% did so regularly.

SPAIn, PIOnEER AGAInST APnOEA in 2016, spain incorporated the european directive that regulates psychophysical skills to obtain or extend a driving licence; one of them refers to sleep apnoea. however, the country had already included it years before in the General regulations for drivers (annex iV).

From the dGt, a protocol is promoted for the driver recognition Centres (CrC) to carry out an individualised assessment. People diagnosed with

apnoea must submit a report from the sleep unit that treats them, which specifies whether the disease is controlled, especially drowsiness and the type, compliance and efficacy of treatment (CPaP, mandibular advancement device), weight loss, etc.). if everything turns out positive, their driving licence is renewed for one year if they are professional drivers and for three years for the rest.

however, specialists recommend “carrying out a screening to detect the presence of sahs” and assess sleepiness by combining the epworth scale (a short questionnaire that asks about everyday situations in which a person falls asleep) with the stoP-bang questionnaire (which includes a series of objective data, such as hypertension, body mass index greater than 35 kg / m2, age, neck circumference, etc.).

This Week´s Movie Picks

Despicable Me 3

Saturday 4th February – ITV2, 4.55pm

Step Up

Sunday 5th February – ITV2, 6.50pm

after he is fired from the anti-Villain League for failing to take down the latest bad guy to threaten humanity, Gru (steve Carell) finds himself in the midst of a major identity crisis. but when a mysterious stranger shows up to inform Gru that he has a long-lost twin brother - a brother who desperately wishes to follow in his twin’s despicable footsteps - one former supervillain will rediscover just how good it feels to be bad.

in baltimore, the troublemaker and street dancer tyler Gage lives with his foster parents in a lower class neighborhood. his best friends are Mac Carter and his little brother skinny Carter and they used to hang around together, going to parties and stealing cars. after being expelled from a party, the trio breaks in the Maryland school of arts and commits vandalism, destroying the stage. tyler is arrested and sentenced to 200 hours of community service in the school and director Gordon assigns him to help the janitor cleaning the place. one afternoon, the ballet dancer nora Clark sees tyler dancing in the parking area and when her partner andrew has a strain and tyler offers to help her in the choreography, she accepts the offer; they rehearsal and become close to each other while tyler becomes friend of the students Miles darby and Lucy avila. When andrew returns, tyler that is known for quitting everything he starts gives up dancing and leaves nora alone. after an incident, tyler has to decide to follow his dream or return to his life of rebel loser.

BBC one BBC two ITV Channel 4Channel 5ITV2 ITV3

Tuesday 31st January

Rojales Pantomime GroupA NIGHT AT THE OSCARS

After their recent resounding successful pantomime, Treasure Island, performed in December, members of the cast and crew were invited to nominate and vote for their favourite ‘Best Actor’ and ‘Best Supporting Actor’. A sparkling after show party was held in El Raso where everyone was treated to an excellent meal, followed by the Oscars presentations, all organised by our excellent Social Secretary, Dee.

John Fagg, the Group’s President, was pleased to present an Oscar to the ‘best actor’, Dave Hart, our magnificent Dame and one to the ‘best supporting actor’, Len Beedham, a very funny Polly Parrot.

Two special Oscars were awarded –The Director’s Award which went to Roger Scott who did an excellent job providing all the music, lighting and technical know how, together with the President’s Award which went to Joyce Maher who played Pirate Blood Boiler.

Well done to all the winners but a special well done to everyone, cast, backstage crew and our very patient Director, Dee, for all their hard work in putting on such a successful pantomime whilst raising lots of money which will be donated to various local charities, including The Stroke Association, details of the rewarding charities will be featured in the local press.

Members enjoyed performing the pantomime so much that they are going to do it all over again later this year..... oh yes they are, and a new production is being discussed.

For details of how to join our Group email –rojalespantomimegroup@ yahoo.com

Thursday 2nd February

Friday 3rd February

Saturday 4th February

BBC one BBC two ITV Channel 4Channel 5ITV2 ITV3

Sunday 5th February

Monday 6th February

Volunteer Drivers needed for Age Concern

Costa Blanca Sur

Age Concern Costa Blanca Sur are looking for volunteers drivers, to become part of our great team, helping those in need.

Must possess a Spanish Driving

Licence. For more details please contact us on 966786887 or pop in to our Day Centre in Calle Paganini, La Siesta, we are open Monday to Friday 10 am until 1.30pm

Alannia Costa Blanca will host charity music festival in March

Alannia Costa Blanca will be holding a charity music festival in March, where the most legendary English songs will be played

On Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 March, the Legends Charity Fiesta will take place, a music festival featuring a variety of musical shows and special activities, with all proceeds from ticket sales going to three charities.

Alannia Costa Blanca (Crevillente), one of the camping resorts of Alannia Resorts (belonging to the Marjal Group), is hosting the Legends Charity Fiesta music festival on 25th and 26th March, setting an important date for leisure in the Vega Baja and the province of Alicante with a charitable purpose.

Attendees to this event, which will open its doors at 12:00h until 18:00h both days, will be able to enjoy first hand a total of 8 musical groups and live shows, 4 per day, which will be in charge of entertaining and making the

public enjoy with legendary songs in each of the days.

Charity music festival to collaborate with diverse charities.

The money earned from the sale of all the tickets will go towards financially collaborating with and raising the profile of 3 associations committed to different causes of social importance:

Cruz Roja Crevillente, Easy Care Horse Rescue Centre and Rock Against Cancer.

The bands playing at Alannia Costa Blanca on Saturday 25th March will be Cher Tribute Show, Abba Tribute Show, Fakers Quo - Status Quo Tribute Show and Desperados - Eagles Tribute Show while on Sunday 26th you can listen to Elvis Tribute Show, Westlife Tribute Show, Il Divo Tribute Show and Liverpool Band - Beatles Tribute Show. A show of the most legendary songs.

In addition, a number of special activities are planned to offer a much more complete experience with a car show, craft stalls and a full gastronomic

offer, but there will be more surprises to come.

About Grupo Marjal and Corpfin Capital

Grupo Marjal is the company that manages all the Alannia Resorts together with Corpfin Capital. Currently, the company has more than 2,000 accommodation places in the different bungalow or plot offers. The brand’s objective is to continue its expansion by adding establishments that meet the chain’s parameters and are willing to join a project.

Alannia Costa Blanca have very kindly given the Costa Blanca People 10 tickets for this event.

To be in with a chance of winning one of these tickets email “WIN ALANNIA” to Claire@costablancapeople. com or WhatsApp

“WIN ALANNIA” to 607031113

Deadline for the draw will be Friday 17 March and winners will be announced in 21 March edition.

amount

February facts!

Julius Caesar introduced a new calendar system, the Julian calendar where he added a day to the end of February every four years on February 29th. This is Leap Day. This added day synchronized with the seasonal year.

If you were born in February, your birthstone is an amethyst, and your flower is a primrose.

February is the third of the Winter months in the northern hemisphere (above the equator). It is Summer in the southern hemisphere. In North America, most locations experience lots of snow, and cooler temperatures.

Did you know that “February” is one of the most misspelled words in the English language February is the only month where it’s possible to go the entire time without having a full moon.

February has been Black History Month for over 40 years.

The odds of being born on February 29th are about 1 in 1,461. Those born on a leap day can be called a “leaper” or “leapling.”

February, March, and November always start on the same day of the week unless it is a leap year.

It was in February 1964 when The Beatles made their first American television appearance

on the “Ed Sullivan Show.” Over 73 million Americans watched!

Sadly, on February 1, 2003, the Space Shuttle “Columbia” broke apart in flight, which killed all seven crew members. The accident was believed to be a result of damage that occurred during lift-off. The tragedy occurred only 16 minutes before the shuttle was scheduled to land.

February in the United States is the snowiest month.

February is the shortest month of the year.

The Welsh call February “y mis bach” which means “little month”.

February is the Latin word “februum” which means purification or to cleanse.

The Roman King Numa Pompilius added January and February to the original 10-month calendar.

About 0.07% of the US population is born on Leap Day Valentine Day facts

· The first Valentine’s Day was in Paris on February 14, 1400

· 250 Million roses are grown for Valentine’s Day.

· American send over 145 Million greeting cards each year.

· Lovebirds are actual birds called Agapornis birds and travel in pairs.

· Teachers are the number one receiver of Valentine’s day cards.

‘I’m so excited for the boys and Rose!’: Pregnant Stacey Solomon reveals her baby’s gender as she counts down to due date of fifth child with husband Joe Swash

The presenter, 33, is over eight months pregnant with her fifth childher third with husband Joe Swash 40

The couple announced they were expecting in a sweet Instagram post last month

Stacey Solomon has revealed the gender of her fifth child.

The TV personality, 33, stunned fans last month when she and husband Joe Swash, 41, announced they were expecting their third child together in a sweet Instagram post.

Taking to Instagram on Thursday night, Stacey, who is over eight months pregnant, revealed they are having a baby girl.

‘I nearly died’: X Factor’s Christopher Maloney reveals he was rushed to hospital after bad Chinese takeaway that caused his organs to ‘shut down’

Christopher Maloney has revealed he nearly died after eating a bad Chinese takeaway that caused his organs to start shutting down.

The former X Factor star, 45, told

how he was rushed to hospital after a parasite embedded itself in his large intestine, giving him colitis of the colon.

Christopher recalled how he ate a meal of crispy duck and pancakes and started to feel ill around five hours later and is now left with a lifelong condition.

he said: ‘I was literally on the floor and in the toilet, I was ill, it was just

horrendous.

‘I had fever, I had hallucinations and I couldn’t sleep because I was constantly going to the toilet and vomiting.’

The terrifying ordeal happened while he was celebrating his birthday on Boxing Day in 2019 with the cast of the Cinderella panto he was starring in at the time.

Christopher said: ‘I honestly nearly

died, my organs were shutting down. I nearly died. They were going to remove my colon and put me on a colostomy bag.’

The performer was struck down with Campylobacter E-Coli, which can be fatal.

He spent two weeks in intensive care and another two having tests which showed he developed a lifelong condition.

Christopher said at the time it would take around 12 months for him to fully recover and feel normal again.

According to the NHS, ulcerative colitis is a long-term condition where the colon and rectum become inflamed.

Rick Astley files multimillion-dollar suit against Yung Gravy over alleged violation in imitating his vocals from 1987 hit Never Gonna Give You Up

Rick Astley has filed a multimilliondollar suit against Yung Gravy, saying that the rap artist was unauthorized in using an imitation of his vocals from 1987’s Never Gonna Give You Up for the 2022 single Betty (Get Money).

The English singer and songwriter, 56, filed legal docs in Los Angeles that were reviewed by TMZ, saying Yung Gravy and his team had only licensed

the instrumentals of the pop classic. Astley’s legal team told the court that the Rochester, Minnesota-born musical artist, 26, and his production team, including Dillon Francis, and impersonator Nick ‘Popnick’ Seeley were not authorized in reproducing the vocals of his hit, which triggered the online ‘Rick-Rolling’ phenomenon.

Dancing On Ice ‘SCRAPS skate-off for the first time in the show’s history as the couples will not have the chance to be saved by judges’

Dancing On Ice will reportedly scrap the skate-off for the first time in the show’s history in Sunday night’s episode.

Bosses of the ITV dance contest are reportedly hoping that the huge formatting shake-up will ramp up the pressure on the celebrities.

It will mean the stars will not have a last chance to be saved by judges Oti Mabuse, Jayne Torvill, Christopher Dean and Ashley Banjo,

It has been claimed that the judges’ scores and the public’s votes will instead be combined, with the lowest ranking couple overall being eliminated from the show.

IKEA opens a new point of contact in the Zenia Boulevard Shopping Centre in Orihuela

IKEA continues to advance in its omnichannel expansion plan and its commitment to the Alicante market with a new point of contact with the customer. In this case, it is an order delivery point, opened in the Zenia Boulevard shopping centre and operational since last week.

Specifically, visitors can pick up orders previously placed through the company’s online shopping, telephone shopping service or in any physical shop, including the IKEA Diseña design and planning space, located just a 5-minute walk away in the same shopping centre.

IKEA has also envisioned a multichannel, interactive shopping experience that provides consumers with greater agility and time savings. Thus, if the purchase is made in the aforementioned design and planning space, where expert staff provide advice and guidance in the design and purchase of articles, and where there are also articles and exhibition spaces, the customer can scan the products they want from the household and bedding assortment directly with the IKEA mobile application, add them to the “shopping cart” and choose the “scan and pay without queuing” option. With the generated QR code you can pay at the checkout of this same IKEA Design and with the purchase receipt, go to the new delivery point to pick them up. For the rest of the products

the estimated delivery time is 48 hours.

Ainhoa Echávarri, Market Manager at IKEA Murcia, wanted to highlight the good experience lived this time in the shopping centre and the sense of this new centre: “Our experience this time in Zenia Boulevard, with the launch a year and a half ago of our IKEA Diseña, has been so positive that we are now launching with the opening of a second point of contact, designed to complete a more accessible, agile and fluid shopping experience. We are confident that this new delivery point will also be very well received.

IKEA continues to bring design and inspiration to the people of Orihuela Costa, Torrevieja and the province of Alicante, being even more accessible and closer to the people of Orihuela Costa, Torrevieja and the province of Alicante.

About IKEA

Almost eight decades ago, in 1943, IKEA was born in Sweden. And 25 years ago we landed in Spain. Since then, our mission has been to create a better everyday life for the majority of people with a concept that has changed homes forever: “democratic design”. That is to say, that everyone can have access to functional, design, sustainable, quality products at an affordable price. This is our commitment.

To achieve this, we are guided by

our values, with great passion for what we do. Our strength is the team spirit and enthusiasm of everyone at IKEA Spain. We work hard, but we have fun doing it. We are an inclusive company, committed to equality and caring for the planet.

Torrevieja weekend comes back in 2023 to Torrevieja

The mayor of Torrevieja, Eduardo Dolon, the councilman of Commerce, Hospitality and Tourism, Rosario Martinez, and designer Eduardo Navarrete, presented at the International Tourism Fair (FITUR) the second edition of Torrevieja Weekend, which returns with the motive to revive and enhance local trade in our city, where from 21 to 23 April will be held various activities with celebrities and

press specializing in the knowhow of the flagship trade points of Torrevieja. In addition, this year the Paseo Vistalegre will become the stage of the parade with a wonderful panoramic view of the sea of our city.

Torrevieja Weekend claims some of the essential enclaves of Torrevieja as the Natural Park of the Lagunas de Torrevieja and La Mata or the Real Club Nautico de Torrevieja (RCNT), in addition

to its trade, an essential muscle loaded with history.

Also parading on this original and glamorous catwalk will be the latest swimwear creations of Eduardo Navarrete, with a wonderful collection inspired by Torrevieja, a parade that will put the finishing touch to the gala, animated and set by this well-known designer and with the staging of surprise performances.

Buying or Selling a Car in Spain

Before Buying a Car…

If you are about to buy a car in Spain, and you are satisfied that the price and quality meets your expectations, you should still verify the general condition of the vehicle, which you can do by obtaining a report on the condition of the vehicle from the DGT. There are two reports available, a free report, which offers reduced information that allows you to confirm the correct identification of the vehicle, and information in case there is any incident or lien that could affect the vehicle. But for the purpose of buying a car, we recommend the detailed report. In these detailed reports you can also consult the repairs and revisions that have been carried out by the workshops attached to the digital maintenance book or workshop book. You should also be aware that a vehicle without local taxes up to date cannot be transferred.

Once you are satisfied that everything is correct, the transfer process can commence, which is done via the DGT

If you are the buyer...

If you are determined to make the purchase, you must sign a sales contractwith the seller in which the data of the vehicle, the purchase price and the date and time in which the contract is signed all appear. Do not forget that the contract must be signed by both the buyer and the seller on each of the pages that make it up.

Before attending the DGT trafico offices to request the transfer, you must pay the property transfer tax (model 620 or model 621 as appropriate) in the autonomous community in which you are registered. You can do it easily and electronically in almost all the Autonomous Communities.

With all this, the last thing left is to carry out the transfer process in the DGT office, but make sure you make an appointment first.

If you are the seller...

We advise you to have one of the copies of the original sales contract before handing over the vehicle. In the contract that you sign, the vehicle data,

the purchase price and the date and time in which the contract is signed must be completed. Do not forget that the contract must be signed by both the buyer and the seller on each of the pages that make it up. In the event that the vehicle had been financed by a financial institution, it is necessary to check if the latter made an entry in the Registry of Movable Assets that prevents the sale of the same until authorised by it. If this is the case, and there is a registered reservation of title, common in vehicle purchase operations in instalments, you must know that the change of owner cannot be made until full payment of the purchase price is justified. For this, it is necessary to contact the financial entity, and request a “title reservation cancellation letter”, to later process the cancellation in the Registry of Movable Property where the registration was made.

If you are the buyer...

You have a period of 30 days from the signing of the contract to make the transfer. In the DGT offices they will verify

that you have paid the corresponding fee and all the required documentation – do not forget the original circulation permit, and they will carry out the transfer straight away.

If you are the seller…

Once the sale is made, we advise you to make a notification of sale. Do not wait for the buyer to complete the transfer process,

as there are times when buyers are late, and this can cause you a headache. Remember that speed cameras, insurance or ITV fines will continue to arrive as long as the change of ownership does not occur in the Vehicle Registry. Notifying the sale is an easy way to avoid this problem, since once you make the notification, the responsibility is no longer yours.

Most Common Failures in ITV Inspections

million vehicles in return passed without problems, reaching the figure of 81.5 percent.

THE VEHICLES WHERE MORE DEFECTS ARE DETECTED IN THE ITV

Another of the most interesting data that we know is that of the vehicles where the most defects are detected in the ITV and which are in the worst condition. And here the reviews do not lie: both vans and trucks weighing more than 3,500 kg are the ones with the most serious and very serious defects. Specifically, 28.9 percent of them do not pass the ITV the first time.

These vehicles are followed by trailers and semi-trailers, which accumulate a failure rate in the ITV of up to 24.4 percent; Then buses and coaches appear, with 23.6 percent, and vans and trucks weighing less than 3,500 kg, with 23.8 percent of vehicles not passing the ITV test the first time.

VEHICLES WHERE FEWER DEFECTS ARE DETECTED IN THE ITV

We will have to wait a little longer for the 2022 data, but for the last year in which information has been completed, 2021, we are able to see both the most common types of vehicles that fail the ITV inspections, and the most common reasons for failure.

The association of ITV stations in Spain, AECA-ITV, reports that in 2021, some 21.8 million vehicles were subjected to the ITV inspection in Spain, which itself was an increase of 10 percent compared to 2020, but more worryingly was the fact that up to 37.6 percent of the vehicles that had to undergo inspection did not show up.

Of the 21.8 million vehicles that were tested, a little more than 4 million vehicles did not pass the ITV the first time, representing up to 18.5 percent of the total. Of course, almost 17.8

On the contrary, ambulances and taxis are the vehicles with the highest percentage of “favorable” ITVs, with 87.7 percent approved the first time and only 12.3 percent rejected. They are followed by agricultural vehicles, with 85.1% approval, passenger cars, with 82.2 percent, and motorcycles and quads, with 82%.

Once these data are known, the following question is obvious: what are the main failures detected by the ITV and that lead the vehicles to fail? In this sense, the figures indicate that, on average, inspections register 2.1 serious defects per vehicle, with ambulances and taxis again having the lowest ratio (with only 0.9 serious defects per vehicle) and, conversely, with trailers and semitrailers registering the highest number: up to 2.8 serious defects per vehicle.

THE MAIN FAILURES IN THE ITV

Below we reflect which are the main defects that cause more ITV tests to be suspended in Spain, thus resulting in the 18.5 percent of vehicles that do not pass the inspection the first time.

Lighting and signalling: This is the section in which more serious defects are detected with 26% of the total. It is worth noting the importance of the correct functioning of the lighting system in a vehicle since it allows the correct perception of the road and the correct visibility of the vehicle for the rest of the occupants of the road. Lights are one of the things we can easily check ourselves, although it is easier with an assistant, so make sure you check every light before the test, including those which illuminate the rear number plate.

Axles, Wheels, Tyres and Suspension: With 21% of serious defects detected, it is the second section in which more defects are detected in the ITV in Spain. The difference between tyres below the minimum threshold and ones in perfect condition can tip the balance in the event of an incident on the road.

Polluting emissions: 16% of ITV rejections are caused by incorrect operation of polluting emission control systems. This is a section of vital importance, since, according to the study “Contribution of the Technical Inspection of Vehicles (ITV) to road safety and the environment”, carried out by the Duque de Santomauro Motor Vehicle Safety Institute (ISVA) of the Carlos III University of Madrid (UC3M), the ITV stations have avoided, due to exposure to particles (PM), 575 premature victims, in the year 2021.

Brakes: The brakes and braking systems of vehicles already account for 13% of the serious defects detected, being a key element in any incident on the road.

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TAlES FROM THE TOP FlIGHT

n CHRIS DARWEN chris@costablancapeople.com

Ah, the magic of the FA Cup. And of course, the magic is all about the TV somehow seeing an absolute plum tie being drawn without fail every single round.

As much as Man United fans would love me to pretend we’re talking about their visit of Reading it was Man City’s clash with eventual Premier League winners Arsenal that caught the eye in the 4th round.

Would this match tell us anything about the Premier League title race?

Not unless you think City winning 1-0 means that Arsenal will now throw the towel in and capitulate so fast they even miss the top four.

And if you think that, you are a fool.

Mind you, Thomas Partey picking up a knock won’t help them - unless they are able to remove Moises Caicedo from Brighton for a hell of a lot of money. The Ecuadorian is properly on trend in stating via social media that he’d really like the club to let him move to the Emirates, please and thank you, and has been asked to stay away until after the transfer window shuts.

Arsenal coped with Erling Haaland pretty comfortably and could have been forgiven for assuming Nathan Ake would not be much of a goalscoring threat yet it was the Dutchman who sent City through - and the way the big names are falling this season, you can see them easing the pain of not winning the league (Premier or Champions) with an FA Cup.

Is Liverpool being knocked out by Brighton a shock? Probably not. That’s where we are at now with Jurgen Klopp’s rabble.

Trent was hooked at halftime because, basically, Brighton’s Japanese wonder Mitoma was making him dizzy. Sure, James Milner did better but it was Mitoma who had the final say scoring a delightful winner (once VAR confirmed that Estupinan’s toenail was not offside).

This Liverpool team are done - does Kloppo have the legs for a rebuild?

Heung-Min Son remembered where the goal was in Spurs’ potentially tricky tie at Preston. Naturally, the first half was a shocker and then Tottenham played a bit - but even Conte must have been surprised by Son’s brace.

Harry Kane was kept warm on the bench, just in case, and will no doubt be seeing it as a chance missed to go past Greavsie.

It turns out Casemiro is not just the holding midfielder that United have been crying out for since Carrick but he’s the goalscoring midfielder that they’ve needed since Bryan Robson.

Paul Ince returned to Old Trafford with his Reading team that had more than a whiff of a 90s throwback in style.

Andy Carroll got two yellows for two, er, robust challenges and probably should have gone for taking the field with the number two shirt.

Sunderland gave Fulham a bit of a scare, leading until Tom Cairney equalised on the hour - and it could not be an FA Cup round without Kelechi

Iheanacho scoring the winner for

Leicester. They beat League One Walsall 1-0 after Youri Tielemens condemned himself to another six months at the club by missing a penalty.

Accrington might have sensed an opportunity against Leeds but that didn’t last long as Jesse Marsch’s side saw them off 3-1, Jack Harrison hitting the sweetest of sweet ones from distance.

There were other games, of course there were - but we only point the finger of fun at the top tier here so we should fill the big hole with some of the transfer rubbish being spouted ahead of Tuesday’s deadline and take a moment to note that Frank, as we suggested, didn’t make it to this week.

Sean Dyche seems to have asked for fewer crazy things than Marcelo Bielsa which means he’s getting the gig. Try not to get too excited, Everton fans.

Mickey Arteta is hoping to get Caicedo in the door but that won’t put him off trying to persuade Declan Rice that Arsenal are a much better option than Chelsea in the summer. And, showing how far the Gunners have come, Rice is potentially agreeing with

him. That wouldn’t have happened a year ago, right?

Newcastle have a lot of money and they’d like to waste some of it on Romelu Lukaku in July - Tottenham don’t have as much but would also like the big Belgian, probably to replace Harry Kane.

One that might actually happen this month is weekend winner Jack Harrison to Leicester. Brendan will part with £20m to take him south whilst Leeds focus on taking Weston McKennie out of the mess of Juventus’ own making.

Unai Emery believes Matteo Guendozi really could be a Premier League player and is prepared to spend a fair wedge to prove it. The French troublemaker is currently with French troublemakers Marseille.

Bournemouth are signing players more in hope than expectation of staying up and are after Bright OsaiSamuel, currently running past old men in Turkey.

And Palace are the latest club to remember that Ismaila Sarr is still at Watford and probably shouldn’t be.

SOLUTIONS ON PAGE 37