Soltimes Almeria – Issue 588

30th May-5th June

almeria

PART OF EWN MEDIA GROUP

EST 2005

Bid to tackle traffic accidents in Almeria

The Board of Almeria has convened a inter-agency series of seminars to in a bid to improve the city’s response to road traffic incidents.

The seminars were launched by José María Martín, representative for Equality, Health and Social Policies in Almeria. He was accompanied by the director of the Public Health Emergency Services, José Javier García, and the director of the health emergency service 061 in the province, Itziar Vivar.

The purpose of the conference was to facilitate the work of pro-

fessionals involved at an accident site and to improve the quality of care to people affected.

Between January and April of this year 1,018 emergency calls were made in the province of Almería and 368 situations were related to traffic accidents.

In 50% of these traffic accidents there are discharges of fuels or dangerous substances, a vehicle is off the road or there is a frontal collision leaving people trapped who need to be rescued before they can receive health care.

In 2016, 26,607 requests for assistance due to traffic accident of which 2,828 occurred in Almería.

Around 37.5 percent of these instances were classified as an emergency and required treatment for critical injuries.

Representatives from the Public Health Emergency Service, Andalusian Health Service, Red Cross, the Civil Traffic Officers and the local police convened in the Maestro Padilla Auditorium in the capital.

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Upon his arrival at the special NATO meeting in Brussels, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, stressed that in a democracy such as Spain, no leader can place themselves above the law and adopt decisions that affect national sovereignty outside of Parliament. He also backed NATO’s involvement in the fight against terrorism.

Speaking at a press conference, Mariano Rajoy guaranteed to the Spanish people that “no-one is going to unilaterally liquidate the Spanish Constitution, national unity or national sovereignty”. “That is my obligation as President of the Government, aside from my own feelings”, he asserted.

What he is proposing to Parliament and the people of Spain, he underlined, is that if it is not agreed to hold a referendum on independence in Catalonia, a law will be approved 24 hours later to “liquidate the unity of a State”.

“I would be a bad President of the Government if I were to allow that, and you can rest assured that I am not going to allow that to happen, and I hope that a little common sense can reach those places where it should never have ceased to exist”, declared Mariano Rajoy.

“Fortunately we are a democracy and a civilised country and no leader, however much they may think so, can place themselves above the law and just ignore those decisions that correspond to the people of Spain as a whole”, he added.

Mariano Rajoy stressed the importance of the PSOE [Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party], the Partido Popular (PP) and the largest number of other political forces defending, like most of the Spanish people, unity and national sovereignty, the law and the Constitution in the face of the “pro-independence challenge that some people have proposed in Catalonia”.

As regards the possibility of the government resorting to the suspension of the autonomy of the region as contained in Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution, the Prime Minister said that he doesn’t want “to get ahead of events or announce problems that no-one will like”.

As regards the meeting of NATO leaders, Mariano Rajoy recalled that it is traditional to hold this

when a change takes place in the Presidency of the United States. This event served to inaugurate the new General Headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation in Brussels and to tackle the issues of terrorism and the contribution of the different countries to the NATO budget and its operations.

Spain currently contributes close to 1% of its Gross Domestic Product to defence work and plays an “important” role in the military missions of NATO, of the European Union and the United Nations and in the International Coalition against the terrorist group DAESH, always “with the approval of Parliament”.

“We are going to continue to support NATO in carrying out its functions and being involved in the fight against terrorism, which has now become, as we are all unfortunately too aware, as we have seen in Manchester just a few days ago, one of the worst problems facing the people of Europe”, maintained Mariano Rajoy.

Working together to defend freedoms and rights, he concluded, “is something very positive for the interests of everyone”.

At the start of the special meeting of NATO, the President of the Government of Spain and the President of the United States, Donald Trump, greeted each other and held a brief yet “very cordial” conversation.

Mariano Rajoy also spoke with the new President of France, Emmanuel Macron; with the British Prime Minister, Theresa May; with the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel; with the Prime Minister of Italy, Paolo Gentiloni; with the Prime Minister of Greece, Alexis Tsipras, and with the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau.

The Heads of State and Government of the Member States of NATO attended the unveiling of two monuments to commemorate 9/11 and the Berlin Wall and the ceremony to officially transfer the headquarters of NATO before holding a working dinner. Mariano Rajoy was accompanied on the trip to the Belgian capital by the Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Alfonso Dastis, and for Defence, María Dolores de Cospedal.

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News

Expats condemn carnage in Manchester

British expats in Andalusia have reacted with disgust to the attack on Manchester Arena which killed 22 people and injured over a hundred.

A man armed with an improvised bomb targeted teenagers leaving an Ariana Grande concert arena in central Manchester. It is the worst terrorist attack on UK soil since the 2005 London bombings.

The 23-year-old singer has a strong following among teens and youngsters in the UK. The suspect detonated among fans leaving the concert. The pop star tweeted: “broken. from the bottom of my heart, I am so so sorry. I don't have words.”

The Prime Minister Theresa May chaired a meeting of COBRA, the top-security crossdepartment committee which is convened at times of national emergency and coordinates the response of central government.

Both May and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn suspended their general election campaigns in response to the incident. Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron postponed a planned trip to Gibraltar.

Expat and visitor reaction has been fierce. Local resident Jon Budd said: “It’s a cowardly attack aimed at defenceless young children. I don't see how anyone with any sort of religious beliefs could justify such an attack.”

He added: “It’s horrific, especially as the attackers must have known their victims would have been innocent kids.” Holidaymaker

Darren Pike echoed the sentiments, saying: “I remember hearing the explosion the last time that great city was attacked by vile scum and know the pain it caused people. This sounds even worse.”

Pike, who was referring to the 1996 bombing by the IRA which injured 200, reflected the sentiments of expats who condemned the attack but championed the Manchester’s spirit, history and defiance.

There’s been widespread praise for Manchester residents who opened their homes to concert-goers unable to get home in the aftermath of the attack with #RoomsForManchester trending on Twitter.

Spaniards have been equally vociferous in their condemnation. Susana Díaz Pacheco, President of the Andalusia administration, tweeted that she was: “Shocked by the terrorist attack on #Manchester. Barbarism against young people and adolescents. All United against intolerance.”

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy also tweeted: “I condemn the Manchester attack. My regret to the families of deceased victims and wishes of speedy recovery to the injured.”

Emergency services and first responders have been universally praised for their dedication and response to the tragedy. The Prime Minister said that: “The cowardice of the attacker met the bravery of the emergency services and the people of Manchester.”

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Mixed reaction to Farron proposal in Almeria

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron has decried the “utter unfairness” of British expats being denied the vote in next month’s general election.

The Liberal Democrats are the only political party to propose giving representation to the 1.2 million British expats living in Europe.

Farron pledged that the Lib Dems would grant MPs to expat constituencies. He accused the Conservative Party of “breaking their word” after stating in its 2015 election manifesto it would give the vote to expats who had lived out of the UK for more than 15 years.

“In their 2015 manifesto, the Conservatives pledged to remove

the 15-year rule, but they refused to apply this to the referendum and in February this year, dropped the policy and broke their word.”

The proposals have been met with mixed reaction from British expats living in Almeria.

Almeria resident Jon Budd commented that “after fully integrating into Spanish society, being denied the vote after 15 years doesn’t worry me.”

Iain Smith, living in El Ejido, was more critical: “It’s too little too late. I’ve lived here for 15 years and have done everything myself. What could an MP do for expats that we don’t already

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He added that: “It sounds like just another excuse for more MPs to bump up Lib Dem numbers.”

Some reaction was more positive. Stephen Cardwell, living in Almeria city, welcomed the proposal: “I’ve been working here for three years, but I still want to have a say in how the UK is run. So much of what they’re doing now will affect us in Europe.”

Farron is likely to be questioned as to who would fund any new representatives when the majority of expats no longer pay British taxes.

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The deployment of military personnel to assist police in the aftermath of last week’s terrorist attack in Manchester is a significant step change in keeping the public safe.

Steve White, chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales said: “As always, the response of emergency workers in the face of adversity has been second to none.

“The welcome support of the military to free up armed officers and offer public reassurance will no doubt be managed in the same professional, resolute way.

“But, as welcome as this is, we cannot avoid the reasons it is needed at all. There is no ignoring the fact that we, the police, simply do not have the resources to manage an event like this on our own.”

As the service continues to try and keep up with emerging crime types and additional demand, both immediate resilience and resilience going forward will be an area requiring robust debate and tough decisions, he said.

Addressing the Home Secretary at the Police Federation’s Annual Conference recently, Mr White made the point that it used to be a case of ‘not if, but when’ but the reality is now ‘not when, but where next’.

Mr White is clear that visible neighbourhood policing is the basis for helping identify and tackle crime, including terrorism.

He said: “Prevention is better than cure. We know the information to stop these mindless attacks exists within communities and great work is being done to forge strong, valuable relationships to capture this. But it cannot be jeopardised by reducing the contact the police has with the public. Neighbourhood policing – bobbies on the beat, if you like - has never been more important.”

He praised the efforts of all those involved in the response to the attack, including the public, adding: “While the emergency services, as always, ran towards danger and did what they do best, so too did the people of Manchester, who offered help in countless selfless acts of kindness. This dogged resolve to unite in the face of adversity is what makes this nation great. We cannot lose focus on the challenge ahead – and that is ensuring we have a resilient fully-resourced police service, capable of not just reacting to contain a terrorist outrage but also acting to prevent atrocities in the first place.”

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News

Barcelona gives ID to detainees Officials in Spain’s second largest city, Barcelona, have announced that local authorities will soon begin issuing identity cards to immigrants living in the city that don’t have authorised documents in order to allow them access to municipal services and help them to prove they are residents in the city when held by federal authorities for internment in the local Centro de Internamiento de Extranjeros (CIE) detention centre.

Speaking at a press conference last week, officials said that as from September individuals who do not have legal immigration status in Spain can nevertheless request a local Barcelona identity card, provided they can prove they have been living in Spain for at least one year and in Barcelona for at least six months. The ability to show they have relatives living in Barcelona or that they belong to an immigrant rights or community group will also be taken into account in local authorities’ decision whether or not to grant an ID card.

Immigration attorneys who represent undocumented immigrants who are detained and interned in a CIE centre pending deportation are required to immediately show proof of their client’s residence in Spain in order to forestall deportation. Barcelona officials say the possession of a local identity card will help the immigrants to remain living in the city until their immigration case is decided and will also enable them to enrol on the local Padron census list and gain easier access to basic public services.

In October, Barcelona officials called for the closure of the local CIE centre in the city’s Zona Franca port area, calling conditions for detainees there “infrahuman”, and subsequently filed legal action against Spain’s national government over conditions at the centre.

Barcelona mayor Ada Colau and Madrid mayor Manuela Carmena have been at the forefront of pan-European efforts involving cities calling for improved conditions for migrants and greater acceptance of refugees from war-torn areas of the Middle East and Africa.

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News

European Council authorises Brexit negotiations The Council, meeting in an EU27 format, adopted a decision authorising the opening of Brexit negotiations with the UK and formally nominating the Commission as EU negotiator. The Council also adopted negotiating directives for the talks.

Both texts are based on a recommendation presented by the Commission on 3 May 2017 and build on the guidelines adopted by the European Council (Art.50) on 29 April 2017.

Their adoption allows for the start of negotiations with the UK following the notification of its intention to withdraw from the EU (under article 50 of the Treaty of the EU). “Today we have established the EU position on the key issues for the beginning of the talks. The rights of citizens are at the very top of our agenda and we aim for an ambitious solution, where those affected continue to enjoy their rights”.

Negotiating directives and phased approach This first set of negotiating directives is intended to guide the Commission for the first phase of the negotiations. They therefore prioritise issues that have been identified as necessary for an orderly withdrawal of the UK, including citizens’ rights, the financial settlement and the situation of Ireland, as well as other matters in which there is a risk of legal uncertainty as a consequence of Brexit.

The first phase of the talks aims to provide as much clarity and legal certainty as possible and to settle the disentanglement of the UK from the EU. Once the European Council deems sufficient progress has been achieved, the negotiations will proceed to the next phase.

An agreement on a future relationship between the EU and the UK can only be concluded once the UK effectively leaves the EU and becomes a third country. However, discussions on an overall understanding of that future relationship could start during a second phase of the negotiations. The negotiating directives may be amended and supplemented during the negotiations.

Citizens’ rights The first priority for the negotiations is to agree on guarantees to protect the rights of EU and UK citizens, and their family members, that are affected by Brexit. The EU27 insist that such guarantees should be reciprocal and based on equal treatment among EU27 citizens and compared to UK citizens. This should cover, among others, the right to permanent residence after five years of legal residence, including if this period is incomplete on the date of withdrawal but is completed afterwards.

The negotiating directives specify that workers, self-employed

persons, students and other inactive persons should be covered, as well as frontier workers and family members. Guarantees should protect residence rights and free movement, as well as all the rights attached to them (such as health care). All rights should be protected for the lifetime of the persons concerned.

mitments of the Good Friday Agreement. Negotiations should aim to avoid a hard border, while respecting EU law. Issues such as the transit of goods will need to be addressed.

Financial settlement The EU27 agree there must be a single financial settlement and the UK must honour its share of all the obligations undertaken while being a member. The UK should also fully cover the specific costs related to the withdrawal, such as the relocation of EU agencies currently based in the UK. The agreement should include a calculation of the total amount and a schedule of payments, as well as further rules and arrangements to address specific issues.

Goods placed on the market and procedures based on EU law The negotiating directives also cover other issues were arrangements are needed to reduce uncertainty and avoid a legal vacuum. This includes addressing what will happen with procedures based on EU law and with goods already on the market.

For instance, if a product is already placed on the single market before the withdrawal, it should be ensured that it can remain in the market afterwards.

Other matters where there may be a need to reduce uncertainty or avoid a legal vacuum, such as services, will be covered in future negotiating directives.

The situation of Ireland The EU is committed to continue to support peace, stability and reconciliation on the island of Ireland. Nothing in the UK withdrawal agreement should undermine the objectives and com-

Next steps The Commission will agree with the UK the dates for the first negotiating sessions. The first formal meeting between the EU and the UK negotiators is likely to take place in June.

More migrants saved by Spanish navy Spain’s Ministry of Defence reported that a navy frigate rescued 282 migrants from two boats found adrift in waters off the Libyan coast.

A statement from the ministry said the migrants rescued on Wednesday included 18 Eritrean children under 10 years old. They were sailing in a small rubber boat and a larger wooden one.

It went on to say that the migrants were from African and Asian nations. They were transferred to a British vessel also taking part in the European Union’s anti-smuggling mission in Libyan waters.

This latest rescue brought to 3,035 the number of migrants picked up by the frigate in the past three months. It says three alleged people traffickers were detained as a result of the exercise.

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Spain and China sign tax agreements Spanish military The Spanish Minister for Employment and Social Security, Fátima Báñez, and the Chinese Minister for Human Resources and Social Security, Yin Weimin, have signed an Administrative Social Security Agreement in respect of tax arrangements between the two nations.

The agreement signed by the two countries will avoid double contributions being paid by workers travelling between the two countries, thereby guaranteeing social protection while allowing companies based in either country to reduce their labour costs.

Negotiations began as far back as 2011showing such agreements don’t happen overnight - following two rounds of meetings that took place in Madrid and Beijing, and concluding in the text that was signed by the ministers.

The two countries agreed a limit of six years during which workers protected by the Spanish Social security system currently in China will contribute to the Spanish system with regard to all contributory pensions under the General Regime (except for those due to workplace accidents or occupational illness), as well as unemployment contributions and benefits under the same regime.

Those workers sent to China by their companies will be exempt from contributing to the Chinese basic insurance for old age and unemployment insurance during this period.

Similarly, for a period of six years, Chinese workers currently in Spain will

in readiness

contribute to the Spanish Social Security system for benefits under the General Regime. The pension quotas stemming from common contingencies or workplace accidents and unemployment will be paid to the Chinese system.

The Administrative Agreement provides for the possibility of extending this exemption upon expiry of the six-year deadline if the two countries are in agreement.

Furthermore, Spain is involved in the cooperation initiative between the European Union and the Government of China aimed at promoting equality and social inclusion in the economic development of Chinese society, as well as cooperation and dialogue between the EU and China in the same regard.

Spain is one of the seven EU countries that make up the consortium, which is the management body overseeing the project, alongside Belgium, France, Italy, Poland,

Romania and the Czech Republic.

Since the outset, the Spanish delegation has maintained an active presence on this programme, which will strengthen the ability of the authorities to develop social protection policies. The Ministry of Employment and Social Security is playing a major role in this regard.

The Chinese authorities have expressed significant interest in the Spanish social protection system, especially its financing model and the reforms undertaken in recent years in response to the challenges faced by the Spanish Social Security system. They welcome the information provided on the Spanish system.

The EU-China Social Protection Reform Project is aimed at promoting equality and social inclusion in the economic development of Chinese society, as well as at cooperation and dialogue between the EU and China in this field.

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Spanish media have reported that 300 Spanish soldiers have been deployed at the Adazi military base in Latvia, along the border with Russia. The Leopard combat tanks force is the first Spanish unit in the region since the fascist volunteers serving under German command during WWII, where they fought less than 200km from their current station. The unit’s mission is to hold a first Russian advance in the event of an attack, whilst waiting for reinforcements.

Of the 80-tanks unit deployed, there are six Spanish Leopards and 14 Pizarros. Spain is also contributing drones, support weapons, and armoured personnel vehicles. The Spanish unit is joining a 1000strong multinational battle-group under Canadian command, with the participation of Poland, Italy, Slovenia, and Albania. This makes part of NATO’s 4,000 Enhanced Forward Presence force, that is, additional troops requested from the Baltic States and Poland during the July 2016 NATO Summit in Warsaw.

The deployment is meant to address concerns of Russian aggression after the occupation of Crimea.

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News

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A crowdfunding campaign has been launched by the family of the Scottish cyclist who suffered life-changing injuries while riding in Spain to pay for a private air ambulance to bring him home.

John Telfer crashed while cycling in the Alicante province on May 4, hitting another cyclist who had come down after riding over a raised tree root in the road.

Mr Telfer suffered two fractures in his neck and was initially not expected to live. He is now in a critical condition in a hospital in Alzira, paralysed from the neck down and on life support machines.

He was in a coma for two weeks and now has pneumonia. His family say he is receiving excellent care but the language barrier and the distance from home are creating problems.

His son Gregg said: “He wasn’t expected to survive to the end of that day – but he’s still fighting for his life. My dad has now been fighting for his life and is currently critical in ICU in a highly Spanishspeaking hospital.

“The care is fantastic within La Ribera hospital and we owe his life to them but the language barrier is so tough and we need to try and get him home as soon as they release him to us. We are travelling over three hours a day to visit him for just a few minutes at a time.”

With his family understandably eager to get him back to Scotland, friends of Mr Telfer and his wife Dawn have set up a crowdfunding page to pay for the estimated €19,000 cost of a private air ambulance with a doctor and nurse on board, plus ongoing medical costs such as a motorised wheelchair.

The goal of the campaign is to raise €60,000, with more than €12,000 raised in just four days.

In an update on the page the Telfer family said they were thankful for the money raised so far.

“We don’t have the words to express our appreciation to you all for the generous donations and kind messages people have shared about John. We always known he was special but your kind words and generosity have touched our hearts.

People we don’t even know have donated, and we will be eternally grateful to you all. The next step is to get him home safely. “

Spanish sinking centenary acknowledged Spanish officials in South Africa have marked the centenary of the sinking of a steamer vessel that killed 134 Spanish passengers and crew members during World War I. The Spanish boat Carlos de Eizaguirre hit a German mine that had been part of a naval blockade near Cape Town on May 26, 1917. The vessel was travelling on a regular route between Barcelona in Spain and Manila in the Philippines. Spain was neutral during the war.

Spanish diplomats organised tributes on Friday in Cape Town and thanked the city for helping the 25 survivors who reached its harbour.

The Carlos de Eizaguirre sank in the Atlantic Ocean between Dassen Island and Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was jailed during the apartheid era that ended in 1994.

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30th May -5th June 2017

Top Gear comes to El Ejido

Top Gear magazine will visit El Ejido as part of a review of a concept prototype Volswagen.

Almerimar, near El Ejido, was selected specifically for its beaches and surfing and water sport attractions.

The photo session was conducted by reporters from the publication as well as Volkswagen engineers from Germany and England.

The Mayor of El Ejido, Francisco Góngora, attended the photo shoot and said that it “will bring a vivid, modern and innovative image of the new product of the German firm and will

project the supply of sun and beach of El Ejido internationally” Góngora and Councilor for Tourism Luisa Barranco tested the prototype which is scheduled for release in 2020.

The new generation electric vehicle from the German manufacturer is an update of the legendary ‘hippie’ van born in 1950, but now includes the latest technological advances.

Top Gear magazine is one of the most prestigious in motor journalism. The mayor added that the presence of such a known publication “help to translate [Almerimar] as a lively, modern and open place which defines our city in two tourism markets that are so important to us, such as the German and British.”

News

Kickboxing grading success

It was Grading Day for students at Nemesis Kickboxing Academy this week. 15 students successfully passed their grading exams and were awarded their new belts at a presentation ceremony at Maloan’s, Albox on Saturday cheered along by friends and family.

3rd Dan Coach Steve Evans (42) was joined by his former fellow coaches 3rd Dan Dr Claire Walker and 2nd Dan Lee Evans who flew in from Dragon School of Blackbelts in the UK to help put the students through their paces, followed by a week of fun but intensive training.

An experienced Kickboxing Coach, Steve established the Academy in February after moving to the area and failing to find somewhere to continue training and coaching in light contact/points kickboxing. Now with 15 classes a week in Albox and Cantoria and as members of the World Kickboxing Association, the club offers classes to students from age 3 through to adult.

Steve, currently working towards his 4th Dan, comes from a family of kickboxers with his Mum, brother, sister in law, nephew and son all black belts whilst 5 year old grandson Hayden follows in their footsteps.

Training continues again in earnest as students look forward to their next grading in August and the formation of a Fight Team competing both nationally and internationally.

Classes are held on Tuesdays and Saturdays in Maloan’s, Albox and on Thursdays at the Escenario in Cantoria where everyone is welcome.

30th May -5th June 2017

News

Sir Roger Moore has passed away at the age of 89 after a short battle with cancer.

While his passing is sad, his contribution to cinema, and one franchise, in particular, is far from it.

James Bond’s relationship with Spain is an old one. In the franchise’s 55 years, it has filmed in many locations across Spain, often passing off the

13

Bond in Spain

run of the mill locations for expats as even more exotic locales for cinemagoers.

In fact most of Bond’s most famous locations are doubling for somewhere else. As far back as From Russia With Love (1962), the filming of underground Istanbul was, in fact, Madrid. English law prohibited the use of the 200 rats trapping Bond, so the scenes were filmed in a garage in the capital which Spanish law permitted.

In You Only Live Twice (1967) Spain again gets a visit, with Torremolinos this time passing for Japan during the famous helicopter battle.

A more formal introduction to Spain was made in For Your Eyes Only (1981), where Bond travels ‘near Madrid’ as part of the plot. Unfortunately, it's fictitious - most of the film was filmed on the Greek island of Corfu.

With some irony, the unofficial 1983 film, Never Say Never Again, featured a great deal of Spain. The returning Sean Connery emerged from the waters of Los Escullos, jumping from the Alcazaba overlooking the bay of Almeria and riding horses in Cabo de Gata and El Ejido.

Timothy Dalton, famously, spent his pre-title sequence in The Living Daylights (1987) on top of a Land Rover racing down the Rock of Gibraltar.

The sequence, which ended in an explosive parachute flight off the Rock, is the longest ‘official’ Bond sequence in Spain to date.

Dalton’s successor, Pierce Brosnan, likewise found himself in Spain in The World Is Not Enough (1999).

Not only does the film begin in Bilbao with Bond jumping out of a window in front of the Guggenheim, but also features the alleys of Las Majadas in Cuenca, Tudela and the Bardenas Reales in Navarra pretending to be Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.

Brosnan again found himself in Spain, this time in the 2002 Die Another Day gon the beach of La Caleta in Cadiz guising as Caribbean waters and Playa del Castillo as Havana.

Most recently, Daniel Craig visited Spain once again for the shooting of Quantum of Solace (2008) where the Royal Opera House and the Royal Palace in Madrid were used as background shots.

A more tentative link comes Operation Goldeneye of which Bond author Ian Fleming was in charge of during World War 2. The plan was to maintain an intelligence framework in Spain in the event of a German takeover of the territory by maintaining communication with Gibraltar and launching sabotage operations against the Nazis. It was also the name of his

house in Jamaica, and the 1995 film of the same name.

Will the franchise return to Spain? It certainly seems likely. Spain’s diverse

cultural heritage, it’s ravishing beauty, and an almost incredulous mix of architectural tradition make it a haven for filmmakers.

15

30th May -5th June 2017

Feature

A cool reception

By Feature writer Sandy Shore

Stopping by to drop her résumé off at real estate offices my friend afterwards looked crestfallen. On one occasion only was she addressed civilly ~ by a man. What is it about receptionists that bring the blood of many people to boiling point?

Although her vacancy enquiry was placed in a sealed envelope and clearly addressed to the proprietor most receptionists opened her missive. As they did so they interrogated her as to the reason for her enquiry. At this point she was told that she was on a wild goose chase.

I wonder how many bosses realise that when they take on a secretary or receptionist they abdicate their responsibilities.

Perhaps it is a British peculiarity. Here in Spain I can’t recall a single incident in which I felt offended when greeted by a Spanish receptionist. Doctors at my UK medical practice were the epitome of civility; in terms of empathy they were angels. However, the practice’s receptionists were notoriously obnoxious.

Receptionists usually retort that they work under pressure and field the slingshots of irritable customers. Is that so? Then try working in a city bar at the weekend. Alternatively, you could apply for a job with the police, fire or medical services. They know a little about working under pressure in stressful situations.

Unprofessionalism being endemic suggests that the problem is not merely that of my personal experience. If at a dinner party you want to raise temperatures mention in passing an experience with a rude receptionist. Each guest will have their own cringe-making stories.

One lady writes; “people who like saving lives become doctors or fire fighters. Those with good math become scientists or engineers. Why then do those who hate people gravitate to the reception or enquiry desk?”

Media often highlights the problem of unpleasant receptionists and as often there’s the predictable response. Receptionists claim theirs is a thankless and demanding job. Yes, it would be if a prospective customer comes in when you’re on Facebook or chatting with colleagues.

The under pressure excuse just doesn’t wash. Why is it that doctors and nurses at the sharpest end of emotional encounters are invariably professional, pleasant and sympathetic. Why is it that some medical receptionists ~ sadly too few, are a credit to their calling?

There is growing concern that loathsome receptionists discourage people from visiting their doctors.

This is a health issue but a business issue too: A poorly trained or unprofessional receptionist can quickly destroy a business that has been carefully built over years.

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Today’s “quick and dirty” is about how to stop all those annoying “Show Notification” that show up while your surfing the net. You will have to make a few, usually simple, changes to your browser but these changes are different for each browser. So let’s start with my 2 least favourite browsers.

To make the changes to Google’s Chrome you will have to: Click on the menu button, then “settings”, “show advanced settings” and then click the “Content Settings” button under Privacy. Scroll down to the Notifications category and select “Do not allow any site to show notifications”.

Now number 2 on my list, which is Windows 10 Edge which will not allow you to completely stop these notications. Here is how to slow them down though: All you can do is click “No” when you’re asked if

you want to let a website show notifications. Edge will at least remember your preference for the current website, but other websites will still be able to prompt you.

Apple Safari is simple, it records which sites have asked for permission which you can find under “Safari”, then “Preferences”, and then “Notifications”. It is simply an on/off slider.

Done!

Finally, my favourite, Firefox. This too is not complex! In the address bar (where “www….” goes) you type “about:config”.

You get a serious warning but you can ignore that and “Accept the risk”. Type “notifications” into the search box. Doubleclick the “dom.webnotifications.enabled” option that appears. This will change the setting to “false”, which means web notifications will be disabled in Firefox.

Also done. Have a notification free week.

Caveat Emptor

Hosepipes are an alien life form endowed with an inborn perverseness.

They are at best a sneaky, underhand breed, at worst downright malicious.

There is nothing a hose enjoys more than getting itself in a kink, thus strangling the water flow.

I treat my hoses with an extreme and gentle care, not because I love them, but because I have to. I unroll them meticulously, make sure they remain straight at all times, and then roll them up again with equal care – if a hose gets put away kinkly then it will forever remain kinkly!

I longed to banish this unnecessary ritual forever; I wished to become master of my own hosepipe. Proudly and with touching innocence we bought a paragon among hosepipes – a shining example of plastic perfection; the acme of evolved irrigation, a curly hose. It promised to save storage space. It promised a reach of 30 metres.

But most of all it promised never to kink.

Oh what joy it promised!

In a dither of anticipation we bore it home. Pete attached it to the tap. I took hold of the business end and marched off to test its claim of a 30 metre reach.

Or I tried to – as soon as the curls were required to stretch out they began to fight back. The balance of power hovered between the hose and myself – I was determined not to be dragged backwards by a length of plastic, but then it pointed out that if I didn’t give up it would pull the tap out of the wall. This seemed a believable threat, so I called a truce while

By Jos Biggs we still had a viable tap.

Round 2 started with the hose attached to a stronger tap. I pulled like a prize carthorse. The curls straightened, but as I retreated to a nearer spot in the garden, so lessening the tension on the curls they sprang back in a random mess resembling thrown spaghetti.

Theoretically, if I pulled, it should unmess itself, I thought. I pulled. It unmessed – with enough kinks in it to form a complete Rock Band!

Not just kinks – these were super-kinks. I had to meticulously unkink them curl by curl from their point of origin mid-hose right to the very end of the hose, only to discover that the kinks had left a permanent scar, which would never be truly straightened - ever!

Dear reader, beware! Do not succumb to the seductive promises of the curly hose! It is a plastic Jezebel!

16

30th May -5th June 2017

Property, Home & Garden

Chelsea’s best honoured

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has awarded 73 prestigious RHS Gold Medals at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show, sponsored by M&G Investments, and even included a top prize for the sponsors themselves. A total of 117 medals were awarded to the gardens and floral exhibitors in the Great Pavilion, which also included 30 Silver-Gilt Medals, 13 Silver

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Medals and one Bronze Medal. The RHS Chelsea Flower Show sponsors’ The M&G Garden was awarded their 6th Gold Medal and scooped Best Show Garden. Showcasing ecological sustainability based on the unique environment of Malta, the garden designed by James Basson also received the coveted Best Construction Award making it the second year running for contractors Crocus. James Basson, The M&G Garden designer says: “I am absolutely thrilled to have won Best in Show for the first time at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. It is an incredible feeling and a testimony to the hard work of the whole team, including Crocus and my wife Helen, and I am very grateful to M&G for its support.” Show Garden Judging Panel Chair, James Alexander-Sinclair comments: “The garden is faultless and outstanding in terms of both construction and attention to detail.” Kate Gould’s City Living garden, representing an urban apartment block and how to innovatively use space in an urban context, won Best Fresh Garden. Meanwhile Best Artisan Garden was awarded to Walker’s Wharf Garden supported by Doncaster Deaf Trust, by designer Graham Bodle. A total of 61 Gold Medals were awarded to nurseries and growers at the heart of the

show in the Great Pavilion, without any Bronze medals in sight.

The Diamond Jubilee Award for the best display was presented to Penberth Plants for their ‘A reflection of Penberth – A Cornish Garden’ and New Design Award was given to Raymond Evison Clematis. The South African National Biodiversity Institute – Kirstenbosch stand received the popular President’s Award, while David Austin Roses Ltd, Cayeux Iris and Waterside Nursery were among the Gold Medal winners.

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18

30th May -5th June 2017

Flights to Spain still flying high

Last year saw over 41 million passengers travelling on flights between the UK and Spain. This was an increase of 15.7% on the 2015 figure of 35.7 million, and the fastest growth in the market in over 20 years.

Safety and security concerns in other traditional leisure destinations such as Egypt and Turkey continued to work in Spain’s favour as airlines and tour operators redirected capacity to this more established market.

Between 1994 and 2007 the UK-Spain market doubled in size from 17.6 million passengers to 35.5 million, before the economic recession resulted in three successive years of passenger declines in 2008, 2009 and 2010. The following year saw almost 10% growth before solid growth of between 4% and 5% in each of 2013, 2014 and 2015, with 2015 finally seeing the record of 2007 being beaten; then came 2016’s phenomenal growth.

Of the UK’s top 15 airports for Spanish routes, 10 saw doubledigit growth. Five airports recorded growth of more than 20%

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led by Birmingham (+34%), Edinburgh (+31%) and Newcastle (+29%). In volume terms Manchester’s growth of 25% represented an additional 1.1 million passengers just on routes to and from Spain. Four London airports ranked in the top eight, with Luton (+24%) recording the highest growth.

Airports outside the top 15 that also recorded impressive growth include Belfast City (+64%), Doncaster Sheffield (+36%) and Cardiff (+23%). London’s share of the UK-Spain market (which

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also includes London City and London Southend airports) fell in 2016 by two percentage points from 45.8% to 43.8%. What this highlights is that UK-Spain traffic from outside of the London area grew by almost 20% last year.

In Spain, 13 of the top 15 airports for UK traffic grew by more than 10%, with only Madrid (+7%) and Murcia (-1%) falling below that mark. Three airports managed growth of more than 20%; Gran Canaria (+29%), Reus (+28%) and Valencia (+25%).

The top three airports were separated by only a quarter of a million passengers. Alicante saw the greatest volume increase of just over 800,000 passengers ahead of Malaga (793,000 additional passengers) and Barcelona (717,000).

Outside the top 15 there was impressive growth at Almeria (+62%) and Asturias (+60%) while Castellon saw traffic increase from just under 20,000 passengers in 2015 to almost 73,000 in 2016 thanks to Ryanair’s services from Bristol and London Stansted. Looking at schedule data for this summer, the increase in UK-Spain seat capacity is around 11%, with an additional 1.9 million one-way seats from UK airports. Although Ryanair and easyJet remain the top two airlines, Jet2.com has overtaken Thomson Airways to become the third biggest carrier. Having opened bases this summer at Birmingham and London Stansted, the leisure carrier has added almost 900,000 one-way seats, accounting for 47% of the growth this summer.

Ryanair has added around 550,000 one-way seats, easyJet 315,000 and Thomson Airways just under 200,000 according to OAG data. Blue Air is the only additional carrier in the market this summer having launched three times weekly flights from its new base in Liverpool to Alicante, a route already served by Ryanair (10 weekly flights) and easyJet (seven weekly flights).

19

30th May -5th June 2017

Lack of space shouldn’t stop gardening The benefits from gardening are endless — relaxation, fitness, family fun, delicious food and beautifying your lawn. Millions of people live in town house, apartments or single-family homes that often lack the outdoor space needed for a conventional garden.

But the good news is that no matter where you live you can still create a garden that reflects your goals and is uniquely personal to you. Raised bed gardens may be the perfect solution. This type of gardening is gaining popularity not only because it can be adjusted to fit any size requirements but because it is prone to fewer weeds.

Raised bed gardens also offer you the opportunity to customise your garden bed in your own style that will make it look as amazing as the food it produces.

Steps for growing veggies and herbs in a raised garden bed...

Step 1: Prep your space. Raised garden beds can be bought or built to fill whatever space you have available. Select a bed that works well with your space and prepare accordingly.

Step 2: Choose your soil. Once you have your empty bed ready, choose your soil; which should be full of rich organic matter and high-quality nutrients that help give your plants the benefits they need with no mixing required. Once you add the soil be sure to rake it so it is smooth and level.

Step 3: Preparing your bed. Next, you can finalize what you want to plant. Spacing is essential here and you want to remember to

place your plants close together for maximum yield. There are a number of delicious and colourful options out there including basil, tomato, kale, peppers and more. Check out your local plant nurseries.

Step 4: Planting. Since plant spacing varies by plant type read the back of the plant tag for proper plant spacing.

Step 5: Feed your plants. Once your veggies and herbs are planted, apply a fertilizer to add essential nutrients to the soil and help your plants grow big and strong. Simply sprinkle and work into the soil then treat your plants to water.

Just like humans and animals, plants get hungry so make sure you follow the directions on the label to determine when to reapply.

Step 6: Harvest. When your vegetables are ripe it’s time to harvest. All you need to do is rinse and then you are ready to enjoy your favourite recipe.

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New analysis from insurance group Royal London has found that hundreds of thousands of older couples who live together but are not married are set to miss out on tax breaks and state pension rights as numbers have almost trebled over 13 years.

While it is still common for younger couples to choose to live together without getting married, the analysis suggests it’s a growing trend for older people, who are often unmarried because of being widowed or divorced.

More than 300,000 over-65s in England and Wales now live together without tying the knot but they are still considered ‘second class citizens’ as they are not entitled to some pension and inheritance tax benefits, the report said.

The proportion of older cohabiting couples aged between 65 and 69 years old trebled from 1.5% to 4.5% between 2002 and 2015, according to Royal London’s analysis of official figures.

It also rose from 0.7% to 2.3% among those aged 70 and over.

That is higher than overall cohabiting rates, which have risen by a third (from 7.5% to 10%) since the turn of the century.

All unmarried couples have few of the rights enjoyed by those who are married or in civil partnerships. Older couples are more exposed to be financially vulnerable because of their age when it comes to inheritance tax

and pensions.

For example, married couples can pass wealth to their surviving spouse free of inheritance and can transfer any unused portion of their inheritance tax threshold to their spouse. However none of these options apply to cohabiting couples, Royal London said.

Married couples are also allowed to pass on a family home worth £1million free of IHT, but cohabiting couples are excluded from this new concession, which has been recently introduced for residential property.

Meanwhile, older couples who reached pension age before the new state pension was introduced last year also miss out on some pension perks.

Under the previous pension system, widows or widowers have certain rights to inherit their spouse’s state pension, but these do not apply to cohabiting couples.

As an example, an older married woman could see her state pension boosted by around £2,500 per year following the death of her husband, but a cohabiting partner would miss out, Royal London said.

Personal finance specialist at Royal London, Helen Morrissey, said: “With each passing year more and more people are choosing to live together as couples, and it is amongst those over pension age where the growth has been the most dramatic.

But individuals need to be aware that there are many tax breaks and state pension advantages which apply only to married couples.”

She added there should be a review of whether the tax and benefit system needs to be updated “to reflect the world in which we now live, not the world of the 1940s”.

22

30th May -5th June 2017

Property

UK economy slowing down - official

UK business beyond Europe

The UK Business investment community has its eyes firmly fixed beyond Europe according to a new report by BusinessesForSale.com. The report, which examines the online activity of British investors in comparison to those overseas, has made the following discoveries: • UK investors’ interest in UK businesses has dropped by 9.8% • UK investors’ interest in European business has fallen in every European economic country surveyed, peaking at a 37.45% decline in Belgium • UK investors’ interest has grown the most in Australia and Japan with growths of 81.6% and 67.72% respectively.

Meanwhile business investors from beyond the realm echo the same concerns about investing in the UK and Europe with interest in businesses in the region waning by 10.10% overall.

In addition: • Investors in the UK from the USA were the highest in volume and increased by 11.56% • Investors in the UK from Australia were second in terms of volume, and rose by 79.06% • Key European economies showing an interest in the UK were down overall; France by 32.94%, Germany by 30.04% and Ireland by 30.04% • Volumes of visitors from Asian countries remained lower overall but had increased interest in investing in the UK substantially in percentage terms; Japan by 207.14%, Singapore by 55.59%, Hong Kong by 33.39% Rufus Bazley, Marketing Director at BusinessesForSale.com says, “Historically the UK has enjoyed consistently strong interest from investors based both here at home and abroad. This survey suggests there has been an undeniable loss of confidence and interest from UK investors in domestic and global markets following Brexit, no doubt fuelled by the uncertainty the decision has created in the business community.”

“In addition the change of administration in America and the elections here and in France will have an impact not only on high profile indexes like the FTSE, but also the massive market of micro businesses and SMEs which BusinessesForSale.com caters for.”

The figures cited compare the period from 12 March to 14 April for 2016-2017 with that of 2016-17 and so cover the Brexit referendum results, but not the announcement of the UK general election, which is predicted to bring more uncertainty to the market.

Official figures released last week showed Britain’s economy slowed more than previously thought in the first three months of 2017 as rising inflation boosted by last year’s Brexit vote took a toll on household spending.

With just over a week to go before Britons go to the polls in a snap election called by Prime Minister Theresa May, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said Britain’s economy expanded at its slowest rate in a year in the three months to the end of March.

Gross domestic product grew by just 0.2% compared with an earlier estimate of 0.3%, the ONS said.

Year-on-year growth in early 2017 fell to 2.0% from an initial estimate of 2.1% growth.

“UK GDP growth slowed ... as consumerfacing industries such as retail and accommodation fell and household spending slowed. This was partly due to rising prices,” the ONS said.

After adjusting for inflation, household spending in the first quarter of 2017 rose by just 0.3%, its smallest amount since the final three months of 2014.

While business investment picked up, grow-

ing by 0.6% on the quarter, net trade lopped 1.4 percentage points off the quarterly GDP growth rate.

Overall, Britain’s economy grew 1.8% last year, one of the fastest rates among the world’s seven largest advanced economies, but the economy relied heavily on consumer spending, which this year has come under increased pressure from rising inflation as stores push up prices in response to sterling’s sharp fall after the June 2016 Brexit vote.

The Bank of England (BoE) said earlier this month that it expected first-quarter growth to be revised up to 0.4%, and for the economy to grow 1.9% this year, barely changed from 2016.

While it expects growth in household consumption to slow to 1.75% this year as inflation approaches 3%, it forecast export volumes would rise by 2.75% and business investment would rise by 1.75%.

Few expect the BoE to raise interest rates before 2019 as inflation is forecast to fall next year once the impact of sterling’s weakness fades, while uncertainty during the nearly two years of Brexit talks ahead is predicted to drag on growth.

Small business owners in jobs threat

Over 1.4 million jobs are at risk as 363,000 small businesses plan to stop trading in the next five years, according to a survey commissioned by business for sale marketplace Bizdaq.

The research, conducted for Bizdaq by Opinium, found that over 363,000 small businesses plan to cease trading in the next five years, with the average small business employing 4 people.

A further 510,000 small business owners plan to sell their business over the same period.

Of the 1.4 million jobs at risk from business closures, 529,000 of those will be at risk in the next 12 months, as businesses cease trading at an alarming rate.

Small business owners in the North East were found to be the

most likely to leave their business in the next five years, with 29% planning to exit. Those in the West Midlands were revealed to be happiest in their business, with only 14% considering exiting.

The survey found Brexit uncertainty is the leading cause of business closures for young business owners, with 35% of young entrepreneurs (respondents aged 18-34) exiting their business because of Brexit. This figure dropped to 9% in 35-54 year olds, and just 3% for small business owners aged 55+, showing older generations aren’t as concerned by the vote to leave.

With the General Election now less than a month away, small business owners are clear on who they want in power. 37% said they plan to vote Conservative, with just 19% voting Labour and 11% voting Liberal Democrat.

Labour’s small business support has eroded significantly following the last election, with the party losing 109,000 small

business votes as Labour’s support has dropped from 21% to 19%. Indeed these votes seemingly transferred to the Conservatives as their support grew by 2% to 37% following the last election.

Interestingly the North South divide is no longer prevalent either, with Labour losing the support of small business owners in the North West and Yorkshire regions to the Conservatives.

As reflected in the general public, there is a generation gap in voting, with younger small business owners giving only 20% of their vote the Conservatives. This is compared to 35% and 47% from those aged 35-54 and 55+ respectively.

Despite this increase in support for the Conservative party, 65% of small business owners say that they are either doing no better or are doing worse financially than at the previous election.

Sean Mallon, CEO of Bizdaq, said, “For too long, hard-working small business owners and their employees, who underpin the British economy, have been left without the support and advice they deserve from the government. Given the government’s continued campaign for job creation, it’s amazing so little is being done to preserve the number of existing jobs at risk within Britain’s small businesses. It’s clear that small business owners are undecided on the impact of leaving the EU, however the startling fact that our youngest entrepreneurs are most nervous paints a worrying picture.”

Mr Mallon concluded: “With 1.4m jobs at risk, and a little awareness around the preservation of great businesses and the jobs they create, I would suggest the government should be driving this agenda.”

The Bizdaq Small Business report worked with Opinium to survey 504 small business owners (businesses with 0-49 employees) between the dates of 28th April and 5th May 2017.

30th May -5th June 2017

23

Community News Send us your what’s on information & we can keep your community in the loop, send to Production.soltimes@ewnmediagroup.com

Richard Clarke Charity Walk Richard Clarke of Calida Homes in Arboleas, and his son Oliver, are setting off on Friday 2nd June to start the first leg of an epic 490km walk from Leon to Finisterre.

This has been a long time dream of Richard’s and has now decided to combine his dream whilst raising money for two local charities: Maz´s Canine Rescue and Walk For Life.

The route is the most difficult section of the Camino de Santiago and has rugged terrain as well as steep inclines. Richard and Oliver will walk the 490km route over 18 days hoping to average 37km per day.

On top of this they will be carrying their own things weighing in at 35lb per pack.

Richard and Oliver are hoping to raise 2000€ for the chosen charities and urgently need support. Pledge a donation now for these worthwhile causes: find Calida Homes on Facebook to make a pledge; drop your donation into the Calida Homes office; or text Richard on 634 302 801.

The branch meets the first thursday of the month at the centre of multi uses (artisan centre) mojacar pueblo at 11.15am. All are welcome. We plan to continue having our second meeting of the month, which is the third thursday, as a coffee/lunch meeting, venues to be notified, see press.

Diary for June 2017 Thursday June 1st, 11.15am Branch meeting Artisan Centre Guest speaker Zoe, Currencies Direct Friday 2nd June 19.30 Fish and chips quiz night, Oasis Bar, Palomares.

Call Rhoda on 697 297 929 Thursday 15th 11.30am Branch social, San Bernabe Restaurant, Mojacar Playa Thursday 29th Armed Forces Day for details contact Christine 697 887 362

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Spain District North • The Royal British Legion provides lifelong support for the Armed Forces community – serving men and women, veterans and their families.

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To the memory of the fallen and the future of the living

Alqueria

Manuela is depressed! Her foray into the world of online dating was a disaster. Antonio Poyato faked his profile, which didn’t fool Manuela and she ended up with Pongy Pedro the only man to pass from kinder-garden via puberty into middle age without taking a shower. She used him to rid her house of vermin, rats and mice that is not would be suitors reluctant to leave. Antonio Poyato, who had been forgiven for his deception had fallen into the role of confidant to Manuela, although he did tend to fall asleep during her more lengthy ramblings and took notes with trembling hands during her juicier and more colourful confessions. Antonio in his role as ‘advisor’ tried to dissuade her from her proposed course of action, she intended to consult Alqueria’s very own witch Sanchia Sústomore.

Poyato argued that she wasn’t a very good witch citing the fact that she had training wheels on her broomstick and had recently collided with Iberia’s evening flight from Madrid to Cape Town causing her to lose her no-claims bonus. Manuela being a headstrong girl would have none of it so on a particularly dark night they set out for Sanchia’s lair.

Manuela was no stranger to the world of witchcraft having studied at the Witches, Wizards and Allied Trades Training College but was expelled for using the Warlock’s wand for immoral JOHN MACDONALD (EL SORDO) www.caratacus.eu

Royal British Legion, Mojacar Branch

purposes. She pointed out the various potions and books of spells that Sanchia consulted and stopped Antonio from sampling the contents of large bubbling cauldron which contained and evil mixture which included the vital organs of various reptiles and the body fluids of the more disgusting quadruped mammals.

Sanchia was rather taken aback by Manuela’s request for a potion to bring her a man believing she already had a plentiful supply. Manuela explained it wasn’t the quantity she was looking to rectify but the quality. Manuela then listed the attributes she required for the man she wanted Sanchia to conjure up.

He was of course every women’s ideal.

Loyal, sharing his thoughts, listened to her emotional ramblings, caring for her needs etc. etc. During this discourse Antonio and Sanchia fell into a profound sleep such was the banality of the speech.

Sanchia prescribed potion ‘69’ for Manuela, the name didn’t surprise her but the extortionate price did. It was to be taken twice a day for two weeks.

After the two week period no man made an appearance and Manuela began to become suspicious and had the last remaining drops of ‘potion 69’ analysed.

It was Poyato’s Remitroot Grappa that Sanchia had given her.

You see Sanchia knew that no potion could do what Manuela had asked, a man like that simply doesn’t exist!

Visit Alqueria at www.alqueria.eu

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Leisure

Decades ago, when people said, ‘get with the times’, it was implied a new and amazing contraption called a video cassette recorder or computer with a black screen and green text connected to a tape recorder were needed. It took many people considerable effort to get their heads around this newfangled technology but they did and oh, how things have progressed since. This week, your thinking or approach to a particular goal needs upgrading. It’s time to take your thinking from the past and bring it to the present so it can facilitate a more secure future!

It might have been clear recently that you’ve had to ‘know your place’ within a group setting or organization. This might not have been helped by ways you were bringing new ideas to established routines and many Taureans might have felt they weren’t winning popularity prizes for doing so.

If you haven’t seen a shift in others’ attitude toward you or felt your contribution to a cause was being seen in a more welcoming and positive light, then coming events could confirm this.

Where you might have been keen to lift the curtain on certain plans or ideas, you could be tempted to allow them to simmer in secrecy for a bit longer. Knowing what you want to release to others is one thing but as awareness increases surrounding effort that will be required from you to follow through with your plans, you could decide your motivation levels simply aren’t high enough. This week, accept the need for more thought to be given to plans or proposals. If the time isn’t right to reveal them, then this time can be used to ensure they’re watertight.

A good idea deserves to be shared. Gaining input and advice would be helpful and there are support mechanisms on offer that you might not be taking advantage of to turn an idea into something more tangible. Don’t let a sense of pride cause you to refrain from connecting with at least one person whose experience you can draw upon to help you move a certain plan forward. You’re not as alone with a quest as you might believe yourself to be.

Time, we know, is a precious commodity and we’re often aware of when it is being wasted. Yet, we sometimes confuse the need to wait and allow certain ideas or plans to mature before taking action with procrastinating. We also see the ‘maturing process’ as frustrating, especially when we believe we’re ready to strike. This week, don’t be frustrated by apparent delays surrounding the launch of a plan you believe to be ready to embark upon. Its delay will serve a very helpful and necessary purpose.

The winds of change on the domestic front could grow stronger but you’re not in as much of a reactive position as you might believe yourself to be. Don’t believe you have no option other than to accept what’s unfolding and are unable to exert some influence over it. A change in your day-to-day routine looks set to form part of the package, too.

Be willing to accept that change you want to see happen won’t happen overnight. A process needs a bit more time to work its magic but have absolute faith in the improvement it’s bringing.

This week, don’t underestimate the power of your intuition, particularly surrounding a plan of action that ‘feels’ right. Whilst you appear to have someone able to offer input and support, a decision rests more on your shoulders and needs you to dig deeply into your reserves of insight to decide a specific way forward. An agreement might need to be reached about what’s yours and what’s someone else’s but if your actions are based on what you believe to be right and fair, you won’t go wrong.

A chance exists from this week into June to engage in conversations or negotiations that are more helpful and meaningful than what you’ve experienced recently. A new level of honesty is finding its way into exchanges and removing what has been superficial or lacking in depth. You and a certain person can discover, to your delight and relief, you’re ‘on the same page’ in ways you felt you weren’t. All that’s required from you is speaking from the very depths of your heart.

Continued emphasis exists on connecting with likeminded individuals and if you haven’t yet formed new and helpful alliances with others who share an interest in at least one topic close to your heart, then events this week might be pivotal to you doing so. You could be delighted and inspired to discover you’re not as alone as you thought you regarding a cause or project close to your heart. Communication between you and one comrade could flow amazingly.

The sky speaks of an area of your world you’ve been able to look into only, rather than being actively involved with in ways you’ve wished you could be. Coming events could bring a boost to your responsibility but with this will come an increase to your input and contributions and it won’t take long before you start to make a difference to a certain plan or project. You’ve paid certain dues by having to accept limitations surrounding your involvement and contribution until now. Now, the reins are being passed to you.

The coming week could bring much relief, reassurance and pride where knowing you were right about something is concerned. You’ve also earned a position to educate or instruct in some way or are better placed now than you were to ‘show someone the ropes’ and recognition or praise coming your way will do much to boost your confidence and enthusiasm levels. Allow events this week to confirm how sought-after you are for your knowledge or expertise.

You know what you’re talking about and are superbly placed to make this clear to a certain person. As much as you can understand why they have their own way of doing something or insist you stick with what they know to be tried and tested, you could feel more enthused by introducing a new methodology or putting your unique mark on what you see as in need of updating or upgrading. Your powers of persuasion and negotiation are strong this week, so use them wisely and sparingly. You won’t need as much of either as you might think you will.

Book Review Lorna Belling has been found dead in a bath tub in a rented flat in Brighton. Already known to the police because she’s reported her husband for domestic abuse Roy Grace sees the investigation as a good one for Guy Batchelor to be Deputy Senior Investigating Officer for a couple of reasons: one to allow him to learn the ropes and secondly because Roy has to fly to Germany to pick up his son Bruno to bring him back for the funeral of his mother.

Lorna is a hairdresser who works from home, her phone is monitored by her husband and there has been more than one nasty incident with her husband Corin who works for an IT company, but the last attack was particularly nasty. The Domestic Violence caseworker is concerned for Lorna’s safety but so far Lorna has decided to stay put with Corin and the puppies she has bred.

But the flat where Lorna was found dead wasn’t her home, so why is she in a cheap rental flat with dodgy electrics?

Of course the investigation isn’t quite as straightforward as first appearances indicated and the reader is in on the action seeing the red-herrings being liberally scattered across Brighton to ensure that the Police are following entirely the wrong scent. In a bold move by the author we even know why the only link missing is who it could be. It goes to show how in experienced hands a small amount of mystery is all that is needed with this book not lacking at all in tension as the team set

Need you dead by Peter James out to find the killer – or perhaps Lorna committed suicide after all?

It is almost refreshing these days to have modern crime fiction told in a straightforward time-line and here we have the chapters headed up by the days of the week starting from the beginning and working to the end – how clever is that?

As always this latest Roy Grace story is a thoroughly entertaining romp. There are a few clues contained in this story that will no doubt follow for a few books yet in Roy’s personal life as Bruno settles into life as a big brother to baby Noah and so as always, no sooner as you finish this latest offering from the great Peter James, you’ll be eager to have the next instalment from Brighton and Hove.

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Leisure

Murder on the Orient Express One example often given as a sign of getting older is when a film first released when in one’s childhood or teenage years is being remade. The ever growing list of movie makeovers is a new adaptation of Agatha Christie’s classic tale Murder on the Orient Express.

Starring – as Hercule Poirot - and directed by Sir Kenneth Branagh, the film which is due for release in November, also stars a who’s who of A-listers including Michelle Pfeiffer, Daisy Ridley, Michael Pena and Dame Judi Dench.

Murder on the Orient Express is considered one of the most ingenious stories ever devised. The now well-known story thanks to big and small screen productions revolves around a murder on board the famous train. Belgian detective Hercule Poirot must solve the case, but as he soon discovers and in true Christie tradition there are a number of passengers who could potentially be the murderer.

The cast also includes Johnny Depp, who will play Ratchett, the man who is murdered; Hamilton star Leslie Odom Jr., who is playing Dr. Arbuthnot; and Tom Bateman, who will play the Frenchman Bouc. Lucy Boynton and Derek Jacobi also feature in this lavish production.

Pfeiffer will play Mrs. Hubbard, a glamorous and opinionated passenger with a secret, taking on the role made famous by the equally elegant Lauren Bacall in the 1974 original. Ridley will play

Mary Debenham, a working-class woman in love with Arbuthnot.

Dame Wendy Hiller’s cameo role 42 years ago as a member of the Russian royalty Princess Dragomiroff, is in the hands of fellow acting royalty Dame Judi Dench.

There’s no doubting Branagh’s enthusiasm for the project. “Christie’s Murder is mysterious, compelling and unsettling. I’m honoured to have this fantastic group of actors bring these dark materials to life for a new audience.”

Ridley Scott, Simon Kinberg, Mark Gordon and Branagh himself are producing the movie, which began production in London towards the end of last year.

“It is always thrilling for us to see the stellar casting that Agatha Christie film adaptations attract,” said James Prichard of Agatha Christie Ltd., who is executive producing with Hilary Strong.

Christie’s book was published in 1934, and the most famous adaptation is without a doubt the 1974 film version featuring the big stars of the time, and the first of a trio of big screen adaptations that was succeeded by Death on the Nile and Evil Under the Sun. Could any other film of even the last 10 years match the line up of Albert Finney, Richard Widmark, Anthony Perkins, Ingrid Bergman (who won Best Supporting Actress for her role) Sean Connery, Vanessa Redgrave, Michael York, Rachel Roberts, and John Gielgud – among others and alongside those mentioned earlier?

OUR CHOICE

ONE TO WATCH

Hijacked Friday, June 2nd, 2017 on Channel 5 from 10:30pm to 11:30pm

OUR PICK OF THIS WEEK’S MUST-SEE MOVIES & TV FILM OF THE WEEK

Legend Saturday, June 3rd, 2017 on Channel 4 from 9:00pm to 11:35pm Tom Hardy takes both lead roles in writer-director Brian Helgeland’s biopic of London gangsters Ronnie and Reggie Kray. The swaggering narrative, by turns humorous and brutally violent, kicks off with detective superintendent Leonard ‘Nipper’ Read shadowing Reggie as he goes to wake his tardy chauffeur Frankie Shea. The driver’s lie-in is fortuitous for Reggie: he’s greeted by Frankie’s younger sister Frances, whom he instantly invites on a date. Meanwhile, psychopathically violent Ronnie is in prison, having been declared criminally insane. However, an unfortunate psychiatrist is leant upon to provide the testimony needed to release him. Now the twins are free to pursue their ambition of controlling the capital. But, with fierce rivals and intense police interest, it won’t be easy.

Frank Skinner on Muhammad Ali

Thursday, June 1st, 2017 on BBC 1 London from 9:00pm to 10:00pm Frank Skinner goes on a journey to explore the life of boxing legend Muhammad Ali, meeting Ali’s family and friends and visiting key locations in his life. In Ali’s hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, Frank meets the neighbour who witnessed the teenage boxer’s dedication to his craft. He also meets Ali’s younger brother Rahaman, a key figure in the boxer’s entourage, and Ali’s wife Khalilah, who was alongside Ali during the years when he was banned from boxing for refusing to fight in Vietnam. Frank pays a visit to Ali’s training compound in Deer Lake, Pennsylvania, where Ali prepared for the Rumble in the Jungle.

He finds out what it was like behind the scenes by talking to Ali’s old sparring partner Larry Holmes, who later faced him in the ring. Frank also delves into some of the lesser-known aspects of Ali’s life, meeting the bare-knuckle boxer from Oxfordshire who became one of Ali’s dearest friends and the actor who played alongside Ali in a little-known musical on Broadway.

Documentary series exploring real-life terrorist actions. In 1985, a regular stop in Athens for TWA flight 847 turned into a three-day nightmare due to members of the Hezbollah terrorist group. Includes interviews with relatives of those involved.

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ANSWERS NEXT WEEK!

Wordsearch

K

Quick

Across

Down

1. Profound (4)

1. Undeceive (8)

3. Ready (8)

2. Authorise (7)

8. Tastes (4)

4. Duty list (6)

9. Star (8)

5. Excelling (3-7)

11. Confusion (12)

6. Rule (5)

13. Wanders (6)

7. Ditch (4)

14. Grab (6)

10. Skip school (4,6)

17. Incarceration (12)

12. Movable possessions (8)

20. Mitigated (8)

15. Treachery (7)

21. Eyot (4)

16. Climb (6)

22. Pause (8)

18. Hebrew leader (5)

23. Burden (4)

19. Reckless (4)

L

H

“BOGGLE”

G

G

A

A

W

D

R

X

L

J

O

O

C

Puzzles

Find as many 5 letter words as you can from the grid.

You can go in any direction, but use each letter only once.

(There are 18 in total!” 2 points for each 5 letter word Maximum of 36 points this game)

Cryptic

Across 1. Select tool (4) 3. The bird is heather after the chief actor (8) 8. The only sound spirit (4) 9. Worthless stuff from tricky cardplayers? (8) 11. The reason for the command is a matter of formal procedure (5,2,5) 13. Charge for hire could have been learnt (6) 14. Allow mischievous child to be included - he’s a sticker! (6) 17. Does nobody take the chair in the chamber? (8-4) 20. Tore tape up to make short musical drama (8) 21. The sort of performance one would expect from a recluse (4) 22. Freedom from restraint on the map, perhaps (8) 23. Abandoned socialism, perhaps (4)

Down 1. Travel document shows father’s a good fellow! (8) 2. Warning; confused education deal is out (7) 4. Economy in the garden? (6) 5. Coupling made again? (10) 6. She figures in their energetic display (5) 7. The artist should leave yawning at first (4) 10. The taint meant an accomplishment (10) 12. Completely get rid of the latest philatelic issue? (5,3) 15. Suggest work in writing other than poetry (7) 16. Dismissed from the prospect of becoming the better half (6) 18. Pilfering article 12 in. long (5) 19. Fathead, the wise bird is a bird! (4)

Puzzles

Know your faces?

Picture Quiz Number 01

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Number 02

Number 03

Number 04

SODUKU

SOLTIMES Sports QUIZ 1. The Millennium Stadium is found in which country?

2. How many hurdles are there in a 110m hurdles race?

3. How many players may one ice hockey team have on the ice at one time?

4. Which term in golf means scoring three under par?

5. Who won Great Britain’s first medal in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games?

Number 05

6. Which three individual sports are combined to make an Olympic triathlon?

7. In which month of the year is the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony?

8. Which nationality is the Formula One racing driver Sebastian Vettel?

9. Who won the 2016 Wimbledon Men’s singles title?

10. The highest ever football transfer fee, as of the end of the transfer window in 2016, £89.3m. For which player was this sum paid?

11. In which sport could you encounter the terms ‘yuko’, ‘koka’, ‘ippon’ and ‘waza-ari’?

Cryptic Solutions Across: 1 Midnight oil; 9 Observe; 10 Watch; 11 Extra; 12 Curtain; 13 Ogress; 15 Tissue; 18 In force; 20 Clara; 22 Hoard; 23 Castled; 24 Intemperate.

Down: 2 Inset; 3 Normans; 4 Greece; 5 Tower; 6 In tears; 7 Come to light; 8 Change hands; 14 Refrain; 16 Incisor; 17 Tea-cup; 19 Ridge; 21 Allot.

Quick Solutions Across: 1 Promiscuous; 9 Plunged; 10 Prior; 11 Opera; 12 Termite; 13 Treaty; 15 Effete; 18 Neglect; 20 Dodge; 22 Trait; 23 Islamic; 24 Belligerent.

Down: 2 Rouse; 3 Migrant; 4 Sedate; 5 Upper; 6 Utilise; 7 Opportunity; 8 Irreverence; 14 Engrave; 16 Fiddler; 17 String; 19 Extol; 21 Demon.

1. JUDI DENCH

6. TERENCE STAMP

2. CHRISTIAN BALE

7. SARAH LANCASHIRE

3. EMMA WATSON

8. ALAN RICKMAN

4. ALEC GUINNESS

9. JOANNA LUMLEY

5. KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS

10. GEORGE COLE

Number 07

Number 08

HARD SODUKU

Crossword Solutions

Picture Quiz Solutions

Number 06

Boggle Solution

aulos (2 pts) elops (2 pts) galop (2 pts) galops (3 pts) galosh (3 pts) gaups (2 pts) gavel (2 pts) league (3 pts) loave (2 pts) loups (2 pts) mauve (2 pts) ohmage (3 pts)

Number 09

Number 10

SQUIGGLE

12. Which sport featured in the 2016 Olympics for the first time since 1904?

13. The ‘perfect’ 501 game can be completed with how many darts?

14. Who won the World Snooker Championship in 2001, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2013?

15. Which 1993 American comedy film is loosely based on the Jamaican bobsleigh team’s debut entry into the 1998 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada?

ouphs (2 pts) poleax (3 pts) poule (2 pts) psoae (2 pts) pulao (2 pts) pulaos (3 pts) quops (2 pts) shoal (2 pts) shola (2 pts) soave (2 pts) spule (2 pts) ulema (2 pts) uveal (2 pts) vague (2 pts) value (2 pts)

Soduku Solution

Hard Soduku

Squiggly solution

History Quiz 1. George VI 2. Trafalgar 3. Sir Winston Churchill 4. Tenerife 5. 1973

6. Anne of Cleves 7. Belgium 8. Philadelphia 9. Mahatma Gandhi 10. Salem

11. Nelson Mandela 12. 1996 13. Gallipoli 14. Ronald Reagan 15. Brighton

Solutions 587

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Food and Drink

Kitchen make-over for children’s hospice

After a quarter of a century of producing more than 300,000 meals for the families of children with life-limiting conditions, the kitchen at Francis House has undergone a major makeover.

In desperate need of refurbishment, the cramped cupboards

and small serving hatch have been replaced by modern sleek units. A large island complete with sinks also adds space for food preparation. To celebrate the occasion, chef and Channel 4 Sunday Brunch host Simon Rimmer officially opened the new kitchen. Among those in attendance were volunteers

and staff including Francis House chef Dean Jenkins, who has worked at the hospice since it first opened in 1991.

“It looks amazing, the size of the kitchen that Dean’s got to work in now is going to make life much easier and give him and the volunteers the opportunity to cook more varied things. It will be brilliant for everyone. I’ve always been a big supporter of Francis House, the work they do here is unbelievable. I’m honoured to be the person to open the kitchen.” said Simon.

Dean from Withington, heads up a dedicated team of volunteers who travel to the Didsburybased hospice from across the region to help with daily food preparation, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as washing up.

He said: “The kitchen was ready for an upgrade; it was quite big but didn’t use the space well.

At the beginning we had domestic ovens now we have catering ovens; we’ve come a long way since the early days.”

Kitchens are often described as the heart of the home, and this is certainly the case at Francis House. Dean said: “For the children and families that come here, having a mealtime routine in lives that are often chaotic is extremely important. It takes the pressure off the parents, when they come here they don’t have to cook and worry about organising a meal. It really is a great place to work.”

The daily menu caters for all needs and is often adapted if parents have a preferred dish. Family favourites are vegetable hot pot and lasagne.

Restaurant owner Simon knows the joy people get for having a meal cooked for them. He said: “There’s something nice about having a plate of food put in front of you. I’d be quite happy to sit down and someone bring me beans on toast because I haven’t had to do it, but then equally I think there’s something really lovely about cooking food and just saying ‘dig in’.”

Chicken Breasts in Sage and Lime sauce Chicken breasts are a great option for an easy, quick and healthy midweek supper and this creamy sauce has a fabulous citrusy kick. Serve with a green salad and boiled new potatoes.

Serves 4 Preparation time – 10 minutes Cooking time – 25 minutes INGREDIENTS 50g salted butter, at room temperature 2 limes 4 skinless chicken breasts 10g fresh sage, finely chopped 4 tbsp hot chicken stock 100g reduced-fat mascarpone cheese Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper METHOD 1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC/fan 190ºC/gas mark 6.

2. Put the butter into a small bowl with the grated zest of one of the limes and mix until combined. Set aside.

3. Using a sharp knife, score each chicken breast with three or four deep diagonal cuts. Transfer the chicken to a flameproof roasting tray and dot with the lime butter.

Squeeze the juice from both limes and pour over the chicken. Sprinkle over the sage and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes.

4. Transfer the cooked chicken on to warm serving plates and cover to keep warm while you make the sauce.

5. Place the roasting tray in which you cooked the chicken over a medium heat and pour in a tablespoon of the chicken stock. Scrape the bottom of the tray to remove any brown bits and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and stir in the mascarpone cheese. Add the remaining stock to loosen the sauce, stir all together and check the seasoning. Pour the sauce over the chicken breasts to serve.

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Food and Drink

Set your watches to wine o’clock

If you’re a wine lover, it’s more than likely that you’ll have used the expression ‘wine o’ clock’ on more than one occasion. After all, it’s the perfect phrase to describe the perfect moment to pour yourself a glass of your favourite vino blanco, tinto or collapso.

But it’s actually a real thing. So much so, the Oxford English Dictionary officially recognised the phrase in 2015 as ‘an appropriate time of day for starting to drink wine.’

However, the dictionary doesn’t specify a time, meaning that wine o’clock has been left open to interpretation, having a different significance for different people, depending on occasion, celebration and mood.

So wine experts were consulted to help us uncover the precise time of wine o’clock.

Contributing editor at Decanter magazine, Jane Anson, says wine o’clock varies depending on the circumstance, primarily focusing on drinking with food.

“A lazy Sunday brunch wine o’clock could be 11am with a mimosa, while a summer beach holiday could call for wine o’clock at lunchtime with a cold glass of rosé,’ she told us.

“For me, the rules for a normal working day back at home is whoever is cooking that night gets to open whatever wine goes best with the food.”

And this concept of drinking wine with dinner is something that has developed throughout history. Food historian Dr Annie Gray explained that throughout time, the most popular time to drink wine has changed depending on the set eating times.

“It was only wine o’clock if you could afford it, and then it depended on the era. The Tudors ate their main meal at 10am, the Stuarts at 2pm and the Victorians at 8pm. Historically, therefore, wine o clock is whenever you want it to be!’

But what if tasting wine is your full-time job...

For Joe Fattorini, presenter of ITV programme The Wine Show, wine o’clock has no correlation with mealtimes, and is in fact between the hours of 11 in the morning and one in the afternoon.

This is because it’s the perfect time to properly taste wine, when your mouth is drier and not obscured by the lingering taste of food.

“For wine tasters, 11am to one pm is the optimum time to actually drink wine because your mouth is drier. The saliva that builds up in your mouth throughout the day can dramatically change the taste of wine. It doesn’t make it taste worse, just different.”

However, he says for non-professional wine tasters, five to six o’clock in the evening is a great time to drink wine “because you’re hungry before dinner, thus building up your appetite for a glass.”

Cheers!

It’s chilli and getting hotter

The ‘world’s hottest chilli’ has been unveiled at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

The Dragon’s Breath chilli as it is known comes in at 2.4 million Scovilles (SCU), that’s 200,000 SCU hotter than the current record holder.

The chilli is the culmination of a joint project involving Tom Smith Plants, NPK Technology and Newark-based chilli grower, ChilliBobs. The Dragon’s Breath is being revealed to the world on the Tom Smith Plants stand at the Show and the Guinness World Records have been approached to have it officially verified as the world’s hottest chilli.

As the creator, owner and commercial grower of the Dragon’s Breath chilli, father and son Bob and Neal Price, harvested it from seed.

Bob said: “We make it a rule to taste every new type of chilli that we grow. As soon as we tried Dragon’s Breath we knew it was hot!”

At 2.4m Scovilles, the chilli grown for the Chelsea Flower Show is over 500 times hotter than Tabasco sauce. The spicy heat of chilli peppers is measured using the Scoville scale, which was developed in 1912 by an American pharmacist Wilbur Scoville.

Hopefully Chilli fans will also be able to taste it at the ChilliBobs East Midlands’ Chilli Festival, being held between 7-9th July at the ChilliBobs farm in Rolleston, near Newark, Nottinghamshire. The three-day event is a mix of live music acts, Artisan produce, gift and street food stalls, refreshments and beer tents provided by local breweries plus free kids’ activities.

eek Days a w 7 n e p O

NEW VEGETARIAN MENU cous-cous, risottos, vegetable lasagne, fresh pasta, pizzas, soya burgers, vegetable soups, vegetable pies, tofu salads, all serve with fresh vegetables and potatoes or rice.

MENU DEL NOCHE

20OZ T-BONE STEAK, 16OZ BEEF ENTRECOTE, 12OZ PORK TENDERLOIN, ROASTED LAMB SHANK & sHOULDER, ROASTED PORK KNUCKLE AND MORE. SERVED 7PM - 10PM

SUNDAY ROAST MENU DEL DIA

4 COURSES WITH BOTTLE OF RIOJA WINE PER COUPLE, COFFEE INCLUDED, ROAST LAMB SHOULDER & PORK KNUCkLE, 20OZ T-BONE STEAK, 12OZ ENTRECOTE, 10OZ PORK TENDERLOIN, ROAST POTATOES & FRESH VEGETABLES. SERVED 1PM - 4PM

Booking Recommended

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Health and Beauty

Heart attack risks from painkillers

People who use commonly prescribed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to treat pain and inflammation could be raising their risk of having a heart attack, as early as in the first week of use and especially within the first month of taking high doses of such medication, suggests a recently published study in The British Medical Journal (BMJ).

Previous studies suggested that both traditional and COX 2 selective NSAIDs could increase the risk of acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), but the timing of the risk, the effect of dose, treatment duration, and the comparative risks between NSAIDs were poorly understood.

An international team of researchers led by Michèle Bally of the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM), then an epidemiology doctoral student at McGill University in Canada, set out to characterise the risks of heart attack associated with use of oral NSAIDs under real life practice circumstances.

For their study, the researchers carried out a systematic review and a meta-analysis of relevant studies from various healthcare databases including those from Canada, Finland and the United Kingdom.

Collectively, they analysed results on 446,763 people of whom 61,460 had a heart attack.

The NSAIDs of interest to the researchers were celecoxib, the three main traditional NSAIDs (diclofenac, ibuprofen, and naproxen), and rofecoxib. To provide guidance, the researchers presented their results as probabilities of having a heart attack.

They looked at various scenarios corresponding to how people might routinely use these drugs.

The study found that taking any dose of NSAIDs for one week, one month, or more than a month was associated with an increased risk of heart attack. Naproxen was associated with the same risk of heart attack as that documented for other NSAIDs. With celecoxib, the risk was lower than for rofecoxib (Vioxx) and was comparable to that of traditional NSAIDs. Overall the increase in risk of a heart attack is about 20 to 50% if using NSAIDs compared with not using these medications. To put this in perspective, as a result of this increase, the risk of heart attack due to NSAIDs is on average about 1% annually. The type of analysis the researchers used allowed them to conclude with greater than 90%

probability that all NSAIDs studied are associated with a heightened risk of heart attack.

Further analysis suggested that the risk of heart attack associated with NSAID use was greatest with higher doses and during the first month of use. With longer treatment duration, risk did not seem to continue to increase but the researchers caution that they did not study repeat heart attacks such that it remains prudent to use NSAIDs

for as short time as possible.

This is an observational study based on drug prescribing or dispensing and not all potentially influential factors could be taken into account.

Although this means that conclusions cannot be made about cause and effect, the authors say that their study was the largest investigation of its type and that its real-world origin helped to ensure that findings were broadly generalisable.

The researchers also emphasise the

advantages of sharing ‘de-identifed’ patient data as this helps making healthcare decisions that may improve patient care.

They conclude: “Given that the onset of risk of acute myocardial infarction occurred in the first week and appeared greatest in the first month of treatment with higher doses, prescribers should consider weighing the risks and benefits of NSAIDs before instituting treatment, particularly for higher doses.”

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Take chocolate to your heart

Regular chocolate consumption may be linked to a lower risk of developing the heart rhythm irregularity atrial fibrillation, also known as heart flutter, finds research published online in the journal Heart.

The associations seemed to be strongest for 1 weekly serving for women and between 2 and 6 weekly servings for men, the findings suggest.

Atrial fibrillation affects more than 33 million people worldwide, with one in four adults likely to develop it at some point during the life course. It’s not clear exactly what causes it, but there is currently no cure, and no obvious contenders for prevention either.

Given that regular chocolate consumption, particularly of dark chocolate, has been linked to improvements in various indicators of heart health, the researchers wanted to see if it might also be associated with a lower rate of atrial fibrillation.

They drew on 55,502 (26,400 men and 29,100 women) participants, aged between 50 and 64, from the population-based Danish Diet, Cancer and Health Study.

Participants provided information on their usual weekly chocolate consumption, with one serving classified as 1 ounce (30 g). But they were not asked to specify which type of chocolate they ate. Most chocolate eaten in Denmark, however, is milk chocolate (minimum 30% cocoa solids).

Information on heart disease risk factors, diet, and lifestyle—roughly one in three smoked—was obtained when the participants were recruited to the study. Their health was then tracked using national registry data on episodes of hospital treatment and deaths.

Those at the higher end of chocolate consumption tended to consume more daily calories, with a higher proportion of these coming from chocolate, and to be more highly educated than those at the lower end of the scale.

During the monitoring period, which averaged 13.5 years, 3346 new cases of atrial fibrillation were diagnosed. After accounting for other factors related to heart disease, the newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation rate was 10% lower for 1-3 servings of chocolate a month than it was for less than 1 serving a month.

This difference was also apparent at other levels of consumption: 17% lower for 1 weekly serving; 20% lower for 2-6 weekly servings; and 14% lower for 1 or more daily servings.

When the data were analysed by sex, the incidence of atrial fibrillation was lower among women than among men irrespective of intake, but the associations between higher chocolate intake and lower risk of heart flutter remained even after accounting for potentially influential factors.

The strongest association for women seemed to be 1 weekly serving of chocolate (21% lower risk), while for men, it was 2 to 6 weekly servings (23% lower risk).

This is an observational study, so no firm conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect, added to which milk may lower levels of the beneficial compounds in chocolate thought to have a role in the favourable associations found between chocolate and heart health.

And more often than not, chocolate is eaten in high calorie products containing fat and sugar, which are generally not considered good for heart health.

But say the researchers: “Despite the fact that most of the chocolate consumed in our sample probably contained relatively low concentrations of the potentially protective ingredients, we still observed a robust statistically significant association.”

However, a linked editorial sounds a note of caution. Doctors from the Duke Centre for Atrial Fibrillation in North Carolina, USA, highlight that the chocolate eaters in the study were healthier and more highly educated—factors associated with better general health—which might have influenced the findings.

Secondly, the researchers were not able to take account of other risk factors for atrial fibrillation, such as kidney disease and breathing problems at night (sleep apnoea). And the study included only diagnosed cases of atrial fibrillation, making it difficult to determine if chocolate is associated with a lower risk of atrial fibrillation or only with obvious symptoms, the editorialists suggest.

Lastly, cocoa solid levels vary in different parts of the world, so the findings might not apply in countries with lower levels, they add.

Nevertheless, Drs Sea Pokorney and Jonathan Piccini say: “Regardless of the limitations of the Danish chocolate study, the findings are interesting and warrant further consideration, especially given the importance of identifying effective prevention strategies for [atrial fibrillation],” which have so far proved elusive.

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32

Travel

30th May -5th June 2017

Are you an MBT?

If you have visited 21 countries or more, been on a wine tasting tour, choose your Hotels based on the strength of the Wi-Fi and get your travel inspiration from social media “influencers” – you could well be an MBT (Modern British Traveller), according to new research.

Researchers took a detailed look into the travel habits of Britons and revealed almost half (48%) now shun the term “holiday-maker”, preferring the more discerning phrase “traveller”.

And the research, by Trainline has revealed a list of definitive signs you are LESS “holiday-maker” and MORE MBT, with preferring sight-seeing to partying (57%), visiting places based on the food and the culture (35%) – and enjoying a City break just as much as a beach holiday (52%) all emerging in the list.

The research reveals the role technology now plays in terms of travel, with one in ten Brits saying they wouldn’t choose a mode of transport that didn’t cater to their technology needs – and 44% feeling more in control of their travel plans when they have their tech with them on holiday.

According to the data, almost 20% prefer to use their smartphone to plan trips and journeys – with only 14% now using a traditional travel agent to research and manage their trip away.

The average adult now spends 2 hours 50 minutes taking photos on holiday, snapping on average 34 pictures over the trip which they will upload to social media and a further 24% will only choose Hotels based on whether they have free Wi-Fi and other technology available.

A spokesperson from Trainline, Europe’s number one independent train ticket retailer and train travel app, commented: “The survey has uncovered some really fascinating insights into who the MBTs are and what they are looking for when it comes to their trips away. One of the things that jumped out at us was how important ease of booking and arriving in the centre of a city are a priority for a large proportion of MBTs. This is why we’ve teamed up with the epitome of a modern British traveller, Eleanor Tomlinson to champion the rail revolution powered by technology like mobile tickets and the Trainline app.”

Believing the journey to be just as important as the holiday itself (36%), learning some of the language before you go (26%), having more than three different foreign plug adaptors in your home (26%) and carrying all of your travel documents on your smartphone (18%) were also sure fired signs you are securely in the MBT category.

Owning a kindle and having swum with sharks also made the list – as did having done a bungee jump and generally being happy to step outside your comfort zone on trips abroad.

According to the research, the average Briton now takes THREE trips every year in the UK and abroad – and travels a staggering 15,474 miles in total each year by train, plane and car.

The survey also revealed that for modern Brits, the traditional fortnight holiday has been replaced with 10 days (average length of main holiday) – with 52% now enjoying more frequent City breaks over longer beach holidays.

Almost half now prefer to eat at local restaurants opposed to “tourist traps”, and 30% try to find ways to avoid queues wherever possible.

Tips for stress-free travelling Whether it’s business travel, family road tripping or a romantic getaway exploring new places is exciting. You may be counting down the days until you leave, but if there’s one thing you dread, it’s packing. Deciding what earns a spot in your suitcase is hard enough, let alone figuring out how you can fit it all in.

Do you look with envy at clever travellers who seem to navigate airports with ease while only lugging a small carry-on? It’s because years of travel experience has taught them some packing tricks

that make the process simple. Now you can use these same strategies to pack with ease no matter how near or far you plan to travel.

SELECT DOUBLE-DUTY CLOTHING ITEMS. Check the weather for your destination so you pack only items appropriate for the forecast. You won’t need that big sunhat if rain is coming. Want to take it one step further? Choose items that multitask. For example, a large scarf can be a stylish accessory and also be used as a blanket on the plane or at the beach.

PACK TOILETRIES STRATEGICALLY. If possible, only bring samples and travel sizes of items to save space. Then leave them behind at the end of the trip to open up luggage space to bring home mementos. To avoid luggage spills and explosions place toiletries in plastic bags or add plastic wrap to the tops before screwing on the cap.

FOLD TO PREVENT WRINKLING. To prevent wrinkles on delicate items, try wrapping them around soft, bulky items. For example, wrap a silk blouse or cotton trousers around a sweater.

Avoid folding clothing any more than necessary. In fact, many people use a rolling method for packing clothes to save space and prevent wrinkles.

UTILIZE ODD-SHAPED ITEMS. Shoes take up a ton of luggage space, so strive to select no more than three pairs. and wear the heaviest or bulkiest pair while travelling. Place shoes along the sides or bottom to strengthen the bag and then stash items inside to maximize space (like socks, underwear and deodorant).

ELIMINATE MAKE-UP MAYHEM. Only take make-up essentials on a holiday and pack multi-use items such as a lipstick that can also be used as a blush. To prevent shadows and pressed powders from cracking, place a pressed cotton pad between the powder and the lid.

GRAB A FEW PLASTIC BAGS. One of the most versatile things you can bring on a trip is also one many people forget: resealable plastic bags. Whether you need a bag for bringing toys down to the pool, a place to put dirty clothes throughout your trip, or something to place that soggy swimsuit in before you check out of the hotel, plastic bags are your secret weapon.

33

30th May -5th June 2017

Animal Corner

It’s snapping cats and dogs Photographing your favourite pets and sharing them on social media can be a tricky business, not least because many of them refuse to sit still for any length of time. Follow our top tips though and you will get some great results.

1. CAPTURE YOUR PET’S PERSONALITY Pets all have their own distinct personality, just like humans and ideally you want to capture this in your photos of them.

Whether you own a yappy Jack Russell that can’t stand still, or a lazy house cat that spends most of its time curled up in a doze, try to photograph your pet in a situation that best sums up their personality.

2. NATURAL LIGHT WORKS BEST There’s no ideal place to photograph a family pet, but somewhere with a bit of space and good light is ideal. Speaking of light, do pay attention to where the natural light in your location is coming from and try to shoot at an optimal time of day.

As with regular portrait photography the softer, more directional sunlight of early morning and late evening makes for much more interesting images. Bounced flash, or flash that has been heavily diffused through the use of photographic soft boxes or umbrellas is generally OK, but avoid using direct flash straight from your camera as this is likely to startle and/or unnerve your pet.

3. PUT A PERSON IN THE PICTURE This is a great way to give scale and extra meaning to a photo. For example, if you have a child who is particularly attached to a family pet then get them to show that pet a little love and capture the moment on camera. Zoom in tight, so that you fill most of the frame with them both, otherwise they might get lost in the background. Of course, it doesn’t have to be a child either – adults and pets make great photos too.

4. SHOOT AT PET LEVEL Pets are generally a lot smaller than humans so it pays to get down to their level. Try and shoot from a low angle or even ground level, rather than just standing up and holding the camera in front of you as you might when photographing a person.

5. USE INTERESTING ANGLES Because pets are generally much smaller than humans it’s a lot easier to play around with interesting angles rather than just shooting side-on or head-on.

6. SELECT A LOW APERTURE Just like when taking portraits of people, selecting a low aperture (anywhere from f/1.4 - f/4) can work wonders as this creates a shallow depth of field effect that results in a pinsharp pet and a blurred background. In turn, this ensures that your pet will proudly stand out from the background. The best setting to use on DSLRs and compact system cameras is Aperture-priority mode, however if your camera doesn’t offer this then look for a ‘Portrait’ mode in the Scene mode options of your camera instead – this will generally force the camera to use as low an aperture as possible.

7. FOCUSING Dogs and cats have distinct personalities. Set your focus point on the pet’s eyes or head, just as you would when photographing a person.

8. USE A PROP Using a prop can often enhance an image immeasurably. From dogs in sunglasses to cats in hats pretty much anything goes – just so long as it doesn’t cause the animal any distress obviously. Look around to see what you have to work with and then use your imagination.

9. BE PATIENT While dogs can be trained to stand on their hind legs or roll onto their back, directing other pets is unrealistic.

Set enough time aside and don’t expect to get the perfect shot quickly.

When photographing pets it helps immensely if you treat the session as extended playtime. Encourage your pet to do things, but don’t get impatient if they fail to co-operate.

The best shots nearly always come to those that wait.

PooGuard for extra doggie cleanliness Most dog owners believe they are acting responsibly by cleaning up after their pet but actually each time they scoop the poop millions of viruses and bacteria are left behind – around 25 million per poo, in fact –some of which can pose significant risks to children and adults.

These bugs can be responsible for stomach upsets and more serious conditions. One rugby player almost lost his foot after a wound sustained on the pitch became infected by bacteria from dog faeces and this isn’t uncommon.

British inventor Kevan Norton says the problem is underestimated because we can’t see the millions of germs left behind after scooping, “It’s very much out of sight, out of mind until something goes wrong.” As a sports coach he has seen how deadly these bugs can be even after the poo has been bagged and binned.

Kevan’s response to the problem was to develop a new product called PooGuard™ which aims to help pet owners Pick Up Properly. PooGuard is a foaming disinfectant that is simply sprayed onto the ground after pick-up to destroy 99.99% of

viruses and bacteria found in dog poo and it’s tough enough to kill Salmonella, Enterobacter Streptococcus and Parvovirus (which is responsible for hundreds of dog deaths each year). A bitter repellent discourages the pet from approaching treated poo, also helping to prevent spread while the product gets to work. It’s safe to use around children and pets, can be used indoors and out, on natural or artificial surfaces and doesn’t harm the environment.

Owning a dog has considerable health benefits, helping families deal with stress and providing companionship and love. Now those benefits can be enjoyed while also protecting both pets and people from the potential dangers presented by dog poo germs by spraying after scooping.

PooGuard was awarded pet product innovation of the year by the pet industry and is available from Amazon, selected veterinary practices and pet shops as a handy 50 ml carry size that pet owners can use during walks and a 300 ml can that coaches

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34

30th May -5th June 2017

Motoring

Car ‘Black Box’ placebo effect exposed Parents of young drivers have been found lying about installing a ‘black box’ telematics device in their child’s vehicle.

According to telematics insurer Insure The Box, parents are lying about installing a telematics device in their child’s car, hoping they’ll be safer drivers if they think they’re being watched.

Telematics devices have been found to improve driver safety, with some studies finding a 58% drop in speeding and fines when black boxes are installed.

However, the insurer said although the placebo effect of a device may improve driving, it doesn’t replace feedback (such as driver scores) or the embedded safety features (like contacting emergency services after an accident) that an actual device comes with.

Telematics boxes register and record G-forces on a regular basis, and in the event of an accident, can determine whether to contact the driver or emergency services. According to Insure the Box, emergency services were contacted 16 times every month last year by telematics providers. Young drivers also won’t be offered cheaper insurance for good driving if the ‘black box’ is a fantasy cooked up by mum and dad.

Simon Rewell, road safety manager at Insure The Box, said: “Telematics boxes are proven to effectively increase driver safety. However, it’s important parents realise that the extended benefits of this technology, such as reduced speeding and lower accident rates, are realised with the installation of an actual black box.

“It’s concerning to see some parents, no matter how good their intentions, think they can give their children the safety benefits that come with installing a black box just with a white lie.”

BMW Series 8 is back

The BMW 8 Series will return next year – and will be joined by a high-performance BMW M8.

The new car will become the firm’s flagship luxury performance car. It’ll compete with the Mercedes S-Class Coupe and will herald a new approach to BMW’s design.

The new car’s design will stay close to the BMW Concept 8 Series, shown here in these official pictures and revealed at Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in Italy.

It’ll push BMW’s performance-car offering more upmarket than ever before, while the BMW 6 Series will be relaunched as a Porsche 911 rival.

According to BMW’s design boss, Adrian van Hooydonk,

the Concept 8 Series “provides a fresh interpretation of iconic BMW styling cues”.

The striking coupe has crisp, muscular lines reminiscent of the Maserati Gran Turismo and a side window similar to the Aston Martin DB9. What is radical is BMW’s use of heavily sculpted panels, particularly across the doors and front and rear bumpers. The huge ‘kidney’ grille and slim laser headlights make the car appear wide and squat from the front. The concept is finished in Barcelona Grey Liquid paint, a greyish-blue hue, and 21-inch light alloy wheels. Inside, the BMW Concept 8 Series groups its myriad functions into ‘control clusters’ in the

dashboard, centre console and doors. The slim seats are based around a carbon-fibre shell structure and are trimmed in leather. The steering wheel has hand-polished aluminium spokes and the gearshift paddles are anodised red. The gearlever and iDrive controller are made from Swarovski glass.

BMW is remaining tight-lipped on the 8 Series’ engine range, but it has already trademarked a range of names, including 825, 830, 835, 850, 845, 860 and M850.

The 8 Series name is also likely to be attached to a range of cars, with a convertible and four-door Gran Coupe joining the two-door coupe once that car establishes itself in the market. BMW chief Harald Krüger announced that the 8 Series will build on BMW’s “tradition of luxurious sports coupes and add a genuine dream car” to the company’s line-up, providing buyers with “a slice of pure automotive fascination” while underpinning the BMW’s “claim to leadership in the luxury segment”.

The high-performance BMW M8 is being developed alongside the standard 8 Series and BMW says the M8 will feature “classical M features”, including larger air intakes, more powerful brakes and four tailpipes. The engine is still under wraps, but it could use a 4.4-litre V8 engine, designed to give the M8 sufficient power to rival the Mercedes-AMG S63 Coupe.

Frank van Meel, BMW M Division’s boss, said: “The future BMW M8 will build on the genes of the 8 Series and augment its DNA with added track ability and generous extra portions of dynamic sharpness, precision and agility. It all flows into a driving experience that bears the familiar BMW M hallmarks and satisfies our customers’ most exacting requirements.”

BMW is also working on a race car, which will mark the return of BMW Motorsport to Le Mans. The BMW M8 GTE will make its race debut at the Daytona 24 Hours in January 2018.

35

30th May -5th June 2017

Motoring

European Union rules on truck emissions Following last week’s vote by EU member states on the procedure for determining CO2 emissions from new trucks, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) welcomes this as an important step to introduce more transparency to the market – ultimately leading to reduced fuel consumption and lower CO2 emissions.

Truck manufacturers however have concerns as to whether the proposed lead time between the entry into force of the regulation and the start of the first step of the CO2 declaration, now tied to the date of vehicle registration rather than production, is sufficient to perform the necessary certification activities.

This new regulation – approved by member states in the European Commission’s regulatory committee (TCMV) – will require CO2 emissions from new trucks to be calculated according to harmonised and certified procedures. This opens the possibility for reporting and monitoring of these CO2 emissions. To this end, the European Commission has developed a computer calculation tool called VECTO to model CO2 emissions from a wide variety of complete truck and trailer configurations using various heavy-duty vehicle cycles.

Using VECTO data, the EU legislation on the calculation of CO2 from trucks will

require a declaration of CO2 values for each vehicle produced for the EU market – providing a credible, standardised way of comparing fuel efficiency across all brands. “This will be a major game changer, as it will help transport operators choose the most fuel-efficient vehicle more easily, thereby significantly reducing CO2. It will also lead to increased

transparency and competition among manufacturers to develop the most fuelefficient vehicles, driving the market uptake of the cleanest vehicles,” stated ACEA Secretary General, Erik Jonnaert.

“The market is diverse and complex, and trucks are usually tailor-made to customers’ specific orders or are custombuilt for a specific mission,” Jonnaert

Huracán LP 620-2 Super Trofeo

added. VECTO can reflect that complexity, as it takes the variables into account that affect CO2 emissions, such as various usage patterns, vehicle configurations or different payloads. “In order to set the direction for future CO2 reduction policy, we need to have a clear understanding of the baseline – VECTO is a necessary tool to close this knowledge gap.”

Leading luxury dealer group H.R. Owen has welcomed a spectacular and podium-ready Huracán LP 620-2 Super Trofeo racer to its world-famous Lamborghini London dealership.

The South Kensington showroom – the number one Lamborghini dealer in the world in 2016 – recently put the race version of the Huracán coupé on display ready for a licensed racer to snap up.

The car was made exclusively for the 2016 Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo Series season, but was never able to fulfil its explosive track potential.

Owner commitments meant the Huracán only completed half a year’s worth of Super Trofeo races, making it an exciting prospect with just shy of 4,000km on the clock.

On the track, it offers unrivalled performance thanks to being lighter, more rigid and more powerful than the standard car. Power is provided by a 620hp version of Lamborghini’s V10, while the power-to-weight ratio is an impressive 2.05 kilograms per horsepower thanks to its new and improved 1,270kg dry weight.

Developed by Lamborghini in collaboration with race car constructors Dallara, the rear-wheel-drive monster is an attractive buy for drivers looking to progress to GT3 racing.

The Huracán LP 620-2 Super Trofeo has cut a stunning figure in the Lamborghini London showroom since its arrival, with its racing livery, enormous rear wing and striking grey paintwork stopping the South Kensington public in their tracks.

H.R. Owen’s Huracán LP 620-2 Super Trofeo is available to view at Lamborghini London now, priced at £200,000 excluding VAT.

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A former player, Tony is now the world’s most prolific author of football books with 150 published since 1975. He has also been a PE teacher and a policeman, and is now a quizorganiser, fund–raiser, for various charities, and sports correspondent for Spectrum Radio.

30th May -5th June 2017

SOLTIMES Sports shorts

Sport

The Champions League

On Saturday, 3rd June, at Cardiff ’s Millennium Stadium, Juventus will play Real Madrid in the Champions League final.

This will be the 63rd such final involving the two top club sides in European football, although prior to season 1992-93 the competition was known as the European Cup. Real Madrid have won the coveted trophy a record ten times, registered successive victories in each of the first five finals: 1956 to 1960. Since then, they have lifted the huge Cup in 1966, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2014 and 2016. They have also finished runner’s-up on three occasions, 1962, 1964 and 1981, and in Cardiff in few days time, they will be aiming to become the first team to retain the Cup since it’s name change 24 years ago.

In contrast, Real’s opponents this time round, Juventus, have won the trophy just twice, in 1985 and 1996, while they have been runner’s-up six times, with their last second-place finish coming in 2015 when they were defeated 3-1 by Barcelona.

Both finalists won their domestic League championships this season and both finished the campaign with solid performances. Each club will have 17,500 fans supporting them inside Cardiff ’s national stadium which has a capacity of 74,500. Felix Brych from Germany will be the match referee and the kick-off is 20.45 hrs (CET).

• Facts: There may well be 22 full internationals on the field when they game kicks off… and eight more will be sitting on the bench.

• Real could have at least ten players in their line-up who gained winner’s medals last season, among them hot-shot Cristiano Ronaldo… the former Spurs’ duo of Gareth Bale and Luca Modric… long-serving centre-back Sergio Ramos… the Brazilian left-back Marcelo… German midfielder Tony Kroos… and the French striker Karim Benzema who always puts in a great shift.

• Juventus, for sure, will field 39 year-old Gianluigi Buffon in goal… and without doubt they’ll start off at least with exBarcelona star Dani Alves at right-back… Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Banucci in defence… Claudio Marchisio, Alex Sandro and Sami Khedira (once of Real Madrid) in midfield… and in-form Paulo Dybala and the Argentinian workhorse Gonzalo Higuain up front.

• The winners of the final will receive £15.5m; the runner’s-up £11m.

It will be a great game, no doubt, and may the best team win…

• On Saturday in Cardiff it’s the Champions League final between Juventus and Real Madrid. The latter are set to become the first team to retain the trophy since its introduction in 1992.

• The Oaks (Friday) and the Derby (Saturday) take place at Epsom and my each-way choices respectively are Natavia and Yucatan See my Derby Preview elsewhere.

• On Thursday, England’s cricketers, after a ODI series triumph over South Africa which included a dramatic 2-run victory in the second encounter at Southampton last Saturday, play Bangladesh in their first 2017 Champions Trophy game at The Oval. England’s second match is against New Zealand next Tuesday.

• The French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament is underway at Roland Garros – and there were early exits for women’s world number Angelique Kerber and GB’s Dan Evans.

• Some 37,000 fans saw Sebastian Vettel win last Sunday’s F1 Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo, ahead of Kimi Raikkonen and Daniel Ricciardo. An unhappy Lewis Hamilton finished seventh.

By Tony Mathews

• Last Saturday, Arsenal won the FA Cup for a record 13th time, beating 10-man Chelsea 2-1; Celtic, unbeaten in all domestic matches in 2016-17, registered an historic treble by defeating Aberdeen 2-1 in the Scottish Cup final and Barcelona overcame Alaves 3-1 in the Copa del Rey final. All this after Manchester United had earlier won in Europa League final with a 2-0 win over Ajax.

• Blackpool have gained promotion to FL1 and Hamilton will play in the SPL again next season.

• In Indianapolis 500, Spain’s Fernando Alonso led for 27 laps but then his Honda engine ‘blew up’.

• In Rugby Union, Exeter beat Wasps 23-20 in the Premiership final, Northampton overcame Stade Francais 23-22 in the Champions Cup final and Scarlets won the Pro12 trophy with a 46-22 victory over Munster.

• England beat the Barbarians 28-14 in the annual challenge match at Twickenham.

• In boxing, GB’s Kell Brook has lost his IBF Welterweight world title after being stopped in round by Errol Spence jnr.

• George Groves has, at last, become the WBA supermiddleweight title after beating Feder Chudinov.

• In athletics, Mo Farah won the 5,000m at the Diamond League meeting in Oregon and Holly Bradshaw (pole vault) and Greg Rutherford (long jump) were victors at the Great City Games in Manchester which saw Tirunesh Dibaba win the women’s marathon for a fourth time.

• Tom Dumoulin won the 100th Giro d’Italia cycle race.

• And over the last 10 days, managers David Moyes (Sunderland), Gary Monk (Leeds), Marco Silva (Hull) and Walter Mazzeratti (Watford) moved out. Silva, however, quickly moved in at Vicarage Road.

DID YOU KNOW? Chelsea received £153.2m for winning the Premiership title; runner’s-up Spurs received £148.5m while demoted Sunderland got just £99.9m. Manchester United got £2.4m when they won the first PL title in 1993. How times have changed!

This week in sporting history… * 1883 The first floodlit baseball match took place in Indiana. * 1895 W.C. Grace scored his 1,000th run of the season after 22 days of batting. * 1902 England bowled out Australia for just 36 runs in a Test Match at Edgbaston. * 1927 USA beat England 9½ to 2½ to win the first Ryder Cup. * 1935 Fred Perry (GB) won the French Open tennis title. * 1937 Second largest Baseball crowd, 61,756, saw Brooklyn Dodgers beat Chicago Cubs. * 1939 First live boxing bout on TV saw Lon Nova beat Max Baer in a heavyweight fight * 1951 Ezzard Charles beat Joey Maxim to become world heavyweight boxing champion. * 1952 Bowler Fred Trueman made his Test Match debut on home soil at Leeds.

* 1953 Ken Rosewall and Mo Connelly won the French Open men/women singles titles * 1959 Real Madrid beat Stade Reims 2-0 to win European Cup for fourth year running. * 1961 Benfica defeated Barcelona 3-2 in Berne to win the European Cup. * 1964 Opener batsman Geoffrey Boycott made his Test Match debut for England. * 1969 American driver Mario Andretti won the Indy 500. * 1978 Batsman David Gower played in his first Test Match for England. * 1987 Mike Tyson k’od Pinklon Thomas to retained the world heavyweight crown. * 1991 Thomas (The Hitman) Hearns became world light heavyweight champion. * 2012 Tiger Woods equalled Jack

Nicklaus’s record of 73 PGA tour victories. * 2016 Muhammad Ali died at the age of 74. * 2016 Spain’s Garbine Muguruza beat Serena Williams in the French Open – her first Grand Slam victory.

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30th May -5th June 2017

Premiership fact file: 2016-17

Here are some interesting facts and figures covering last season’s Premiership football programme.

• 380 games were played… 1,064 goals were scored… 9,734 shots were fired in… goalkeepers made 2,216 saves… 8,650 fouls were committed… 1,392 yellow cards were brandished and only 41 players received red.

• Watford defender Jose Holebas received the most yellow cards – 14.

• The most changes made by a manager to his line-up (match to match) was 120 by Jose Mourinho.

• Relegated Hull City spent one day at the top of the PL table… on day more than Spurs!

• The 75 points gained by Arsenal was a record high for a team finishing outside the top four.

• Tottenham’s goal-difference of 60 was the highest for a team finishing second.

• Manchester City’s average possession of the ball during the season was 64.9% - the highest in PL history.

• The 30 victories acheived by Chelsea was the most in any 38match PL season (1992-2017).

• Chelsea’s Spanish full-back Cesar Azpilicueta played every minute of every game.

• WBA fielded the oldest team: 30 years 275 days v. Swansea, 14 December.

• Manchester United fielded the youngest team: 22 years, 284 days v. Crystal Palace, 21 May. • Stoke City ‘keeper Shay Given (aged 40 years, 151 days) was the oldest PL player in 2016-17.

• Manchester United’s Angel Gomes was season’s youngest player, aged 16 years, 263 days v. Crystal Palace, 21 May. • Peter Crouch (Stoke) became the first player in PL history to score 50 headed goals while at the same time he became the 17th player to reach the milestone of 100 PL goals.

• Golden Boot winner Harry Kane (Spurs) scored 29 goals; Romelu Lukaku (Everton) netted 25; Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal) notched 24 and both Diego Costa (Chelsea) and Sergio Aguero (Manchester City) bagged 20 apeice.

• PFA Footballer of the Year N’Golo Kanté (Chelsea) made more tackles and most interceptions than any other player.

• Dimitri Payet – before leaving West Ham – created more chances (74) than any other PL player.

• Let downs and ‘waste of money’ players (in my opinion): Paul Pogba (Manchester United - re-signed for £89.3m after the Reds had given him away!); Vincent Janssen (a £17m buy

by Spurs); Saido Berahino (Stoke City’s £12m acquisition from WBA ); Ahmed Musa (bought by Leicester for £16.6m to replace Kanté); Sofiane Boufal (secured by Southampton for £16m), Borja Baston (a £15m signing by Swansea) and Jordan Ibe (recruited by Bournemouth for £15m).

Finally, this is my chosen PL team for season 2016-17 (in a

4-4-2 formation)… Ben Foster (WBA) in goal; a back four of Kyle Walker (Spurs), Toby Alderweireld (Spurs), Virgil van Dijk (Southampton) and Marcos Alonso (Chelsea); a midfield foursome of N’Golo Kanté (Chelsea), Sadio Mané (Liverpool), Deli Alli (Spurs) and Eden Hazard (Chelsea) and strikers Harry Kane (Spurs) and Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal). Subs: Jordan Pickford (Sunderland), Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea), Nicolas Otamendi (Manchester City), David Silva (Manchester City) and Romelu Lukako (Everton)…. and my manager of the season is Antonio Conti (Chelsea).

2017 Derby Preview The 238th Epsom Derby takes place on Saturday (3rd June) and will be televised on ITV for the first time since 1988.

The race, worth £1.5m, cover one mile, 4 furlongs and 10 yards (2,423 metres) and once again is sponsored by Investec.

Of the 20+ runners, here are six I believe will do well on the Epsom Downs.

• CLIFFS OF MOHAR, an early favourite at 9-2 and one of nine entries by Aiden O’Brien, the Master of Ballydoyle, was an impressive Leopardstown maiden winner last season. Sired by the 2001 Epsom and Irish Derby winner Galileo, he started this campaign with victory in the Dee Stakes at Chester and has a lot to offer.

• CRACKSMAN, priced at 5-1, is perhaps the best of trainer John Gosden’s four horses and will be ridden by Frankie Dettori. A Frankel progeny who won his only race as a juvenile, the Derby trial, he will enjoy racing round Tattenham Corner!

• EMINENT is a 9-1 shot, trained by Martyn Meade at Sefton Lodge and ridden by Jim Crowley. Another son of the great Frankel, he was an easy winner of the Craven Stakes at Newmarket and finished sixth in the 2000 Guineas.

Hopefully he’ll improve on that performance.

• BEST SOLUTION is worth an each-way gamble at 12-1.

Trained by Saeed bin Suroor who has five runners from his Godolphin stable, ‘BS’ was a convincing winner of a Group 3 race and the Lingfield Derby trial. He’ll go well on Saturday, for sure!

• YUCATAN, Aiden O’Brien’s 16-1 outsider, has already been placed in several top races including the Racing Post Trophy and Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial. This Galileo offspring looks another decent each-way bet.

• CHURCHILL, listed at 5-1, and another horse from the formidable O’Brien yard, has won his last six races. A multiple Group winning juvenile, he started this term with an impressive victory in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and is my tip to win Saturday’s race.

• The best of the rest are CAPRI, from the O’Brien stable, French entry WALDGEIST and ATTY PERSEE, winner of the Esher Cup. NB: I’m not a professional tipster, so please don’t blame me if the nags I named don’t perform as expected and you lose your money. Just sit and watch (or listen) to the race and enjoy it.

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