The Courier Edition 251

245 Edition 246 250

www.thecourier.es www.thecourier.es

Friday6th 30th October 2015 Friday November Friday 4th December

AN EMPTY SHELL ALEX TRELINSKI

O

rihuela Costa residents are to protest over the level of emergency service cover, some five years after the official inauguration of a new centre that was never built. After the fanfare of Orihuela Mayor, Monica Lorente and Valencia minister, Serafín Castellano, presiding over a special ceremony in September 2010, the site by the Consum supermarket in La Zenia is still standing virtually empty as the builder went bankrupt, and the contract was not re-tendered by the regional Valencia government. The centre was to house the Local Police, Guardia Civil, National Police, fire, ambulance and

RESIDENTS CALL FOR BETTER EMERGENCY DEAL

Civil Protection services in a three million euro project.

Attempts by various Orihuela administrations to get any movement over the building from the powers that be in Valencia have seemingly fallen on stony ground.

Local residents and political figures will meet outside the empty shell of the structure on Saturday December 12th at 11.00 am to call for something to be done in the light of recent reports of people dying as ambulance response times are criticised. One reported case was that of 65-year-old Keith Wightman who collapsed and died at the Orihuela Costa Sports Centre at the start of last

month, with a wait for two ambulances said to be 40 minutes, with the crews unable to resuscitate him.

Only one ambulance based in Cabo Roig covers the area and that’s for limited times in any day and it can be called out on emergencies beyond the immediate vicinity. Torrevieja-based fire crews cover the Orihuela Costa with concerns they some people

that they don’t know the area well enough and the local police office is based at Playa Flamenca town hall, and that shuts when the last council official goes home. It’s also been pointed out by campaigners that the centre was commissioned before Zenia Boulevard shopping centre opened bringing even more visitors to the area all-year round.

WHATSON’S TV VIEWS

The Courier TV Pull-out

The latest news from tele-land 4th Dec - 10th Dec

See inside

2

News

Friday 4th December 2015

Coach Jailed

Fatal Fall

Your Bigger, Bolder, Brighter Courier Telephone 966 921 003

Email office@thecourier.es

Website www.thecourier.es

Head Office Av. De La Mancha 29B Aguas Nuevas 03183 Torrevieja

Opening Hours Mon - Fri 10.30 - 16.00

Editor Alex Trelinski

Production Editors Nicola Cross & Mark Nolan

Head of Layout Nicola Cross

Advertising Sales 966 921 003 office@thecourier.es

Sally

A football coach from Novelda who sexually abused several children over a period of years has been sentenced to 11 years in jail, as well as being the subject of a five year distancing order from all youngsters and ordered to pay 12 thousand euro in compensation to the victims. Michelangelo MN was arrested just over two years

ago and he was a wellknown figure in the Novelda youth soccer scene which allowed him to operate in an atmosphere of trust.

Teenage boys and a youngster aged under 13 were invited to come home with him to watch football on the television and once he gained their trust, he abused them in a variety of ways.

Brick Of Joy An early Christmas wish came true for a 42-year-old Murcia man who got what he wanted when he decided to hurl a brick through a window at a Guardia Civil sentry post at their barracks in

a section where there is a dirt track parallel to the bridge without any railings with Torrevieja council now pledging to make the area safer, as people have continued to use the track.

launch a new campaign to make dog owners aware of their responsibilities and that fines would start at 150 euro, and would go up for repeat offenders.

Soler added that owners should use soap and water

to clean the streets of dog urine and waste though there don't appear to have been any sightings of people on their hands and knees performing such a task in the municipality.

Sizzler Of A Year

Myra Torrevieja & North Tel. 618 583 765

There’s not much surprise that the World Meteorological Organization is saying that Spain is coming to the end of its hottest year on record, according to its latest report.

This year Spain registered its longest ever heatwave, between June 27th and July

Jean Orihuela Costa Tel. 618 898 034

Patrick International Rep 5 Languages Tel. 685 901 265

Alex Trelinski Mark Nolan Jeanette Erath Dave Silver Tony Mayes John McGregor Ivie Davies Nicola Cross

structure on Calle César Mateo Cid which links through to Avenida de las Cortes Valencianas.

Paramedics spent half an hour unsuccessfully trying to revive him. It appears that he slipped and fell in

Get Scrubbing

Murcia City. On his arrest his last Saturday morning, he told the authorities that he wanted to be jailed because Santa Pola is to follow he would be financially bet- Torrevieja's recent lead in ter off, and his wish promptly tightening up on pet owners became reality. who don't clear up dog mess from local streets.

Street cleaning councillor Francisco Soler says that the council is planning to

No Bleating

Los Alcazares, Tel. 618 391 491

Writers

A 55-year-old Belgian man fell to his death from a bridge over the N-332 in Torrevieja on Sunday lunchtime. He was out with his partner when tragedy ensued after his five metre fall off the

Cartagena firemen performed an unusual rescue on Sunday when they recovered a goat that had fallen down a 14 metre well.

The drama unfolded at the village of La Torre de Nicolás Pérez, with the

president of the neighbourhood association helping the fire team in the successful rescue that was performed in tricky conditions due to an unstable well wall in addition to dangerous land that’s prone to subsidence.

22nd, during which temperatures soared to a maximum of 44.9C at Zaragoza airport and 42.6C at Valencia airport. July was officially declared the hottest July across the whole of Spain since 1941, with Orihuela City hitting a year high of just

over 42 degrees, whilst Rojales and Torrevieja were over 39 degrees. On the Costa Blanca though, the July temperatures were the second highest in living memory, only beaten by the recorded figures way back in 1877.

A Load of Bollards Three instances of punctured tyres caused by bollards on Torrevieja’s Calle Caballero de Rodas and in adjacent streets has caused Mayor, José Manuel Dolón, to call for their removal. The council

leader says that a plan for their replacement will be put forward and that he will be putting in a claim against his own municipal servicing department.

Dolón added that he would be making the claim

as a way of protesting against the blue and white painted bollards which he says don’t meet the proper legal requirements and were an “outrage of the previous Partido Popular administration”.

Publication Published by TKO Media and Entertainment S.L. Printed by Localprint S.L Depósito legal A - 188 - 2014 The Courier, its publishers, members of staff and its agents do not accept responsibility for any readers letters or claims by advertisers nor can it be held responsible for any errors in advertisements which are reproduced from poor artwork, low quality electronic data or inadequate instructions for text or other layout features. Further no responsibility is accepted for any loss or damage caused by an error, inaccuracy or nonappearance of any advertisement, although all advertisements produced are checked prior to insertion. We regret that we cannot accept responsibility for more than ONE incorrect insertion and that no re-publication will be granted in the case of typographical or minor changes which do not affect the value of the advertisement. E&OE. NO PART OF THIS NEWSPAPER MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE WRITTEN CONSENT OF THE PUBLISHERS.

Sign up today...

To have Walter deliver The Courier newspaper to your email inbox each week. thecourier.es/newsletter

News

3

Friday 4th December 2015

All To Play For

An opinion poll published in the 'El Pais newspaper shows a virtual tie between three of Spain's main political parties ahead of the December 20th general election, and unless something dramatic happens, a near-certainty of a hung parliament. The poll shows a decline in support for the ruling Partido Popular of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy from 23.5 percent last month, down to 22.7 percent, just over half of the 44.6 percent they won in the 2011 general election.

Worryingly for Rajoy, the PP are also the party which provokes the most hostility, with 55 percent of those polled saying they would

never vote for his party under any circumstances.

The new centre-right Ciudadanos (Citizens) party are in second place in voting intentions after seeing a minor increase in their vote share from 22.5 to 22.6 percent, with their leader Albert Rivera the most popular of the four main candidates.

Meanwhile the Socialist Party (PSOE) of Pedro Sanchez enjoyed a moderately positive month as the poll shows their support climbed from 21 to 22.5 percent. The new left-wing group Podemos also saw an upturn in fortunes after several months of declining support, with Pablo

Iglesias' party rising to 17.1 percent in voting intentions, an improvement on the 14 percent support they had in October.

Prime Minister Rajoy refused to take part in a televised leaders debate organised debate on Monday organised by ‘El Pais’ who went ahead with an empty lectern and the other leaders making constant jibes about his nonappearance. Albert Rivera, Pedro Sanchez and Pablo Iglesias had sometimes heated exchanges for close to two hours in an unprecedented debate for a country long used to bi-party politics from the PP and the PSOE.

Rojales Xmas The annual Rojales Christmas market starts today (Friday) and runs through till Tuesday with a varied of programme of events over five days as well as 12 special exhibitors offering a variety of cuisine for people to try ranging from cheeses to meats. Some of the entertainment lined up includes contributions from the Municipal Dance School and music from the band, Lira.

Black Friday saw 185,345 background checks for new gun owners in U.S. Putin to Turkey: Expect more sanctions for jet shoot-down.

Big Switch On

Thai police say arrests made abroad in connection with Bangkok bomb.

Putin calls for broad international anti-terror front.

Report says EU trucks' fuel efficiency no better than a decade ago.

Barclays bank offloads Italian branches.

France plans to change constitution to extend state of emergency.

Torrevieja’s traditional Christmas tree had its lights switched on last Monday night at the Plaza de la Constitución by the Mayor,

José Manuel Dolón, and representatives of the local Scandinavian community who support the event every year.

Carefully Packed

Quick Change

China's economy to grow slightly faster than expected.

Unlicensed Cambodian doctor imprisoned for spreading HIV. Search for Malaysian jet refocuses in southern Indian Ocean.

More rains forecast for flood-hit southern India.

Four sentenced to death in China over miner murders.

ECB to unveil size of new stimulus effort.

Fashion retailer Zara is to install iPads in its changing rooms so that customers can ask for clothes to be brought straight to them.

The scheme will allow potential buyers to scan

their items onto the iPad as soon as they enter the changing room. They can then request different sizes or ask for an item of clothing to be brought to them that they have chosen at

the last minute. Zara will test the concept in one of its biggest stores in Spain, before deciding whether to roll out the scheme across of all its Spanish and worldwide outlets.

Customs officers were stunned when they opened the case of a so-called tourist visiting the Costa del Sol and found every item of clothing impregnated with cocaine.

Police discovered 33 items, including socks, scarves and tops, which on the surface looked completely ordinary.

But following a tip-off about an international gang using this method to smuggled drugs, the garments were

tested and found to contain a total of 12 kilos of cocaine.

The drugs had been carefully impregnated into the material and a laboratory process would have removed it ready for sale. The unusual find was made at Malaga airport where a woman from Argentina told police she was there for a sunshine holiday on the Costa del Sol. Four more people were arrested in Spain and two in Argentina.

Denmark tests key exemption from EU rules in referendum.

Greek unions hold general strike against pension reform.

China to cut power sector emissions by 60% by 2020.

Court to Decide if Comparing Someone to Gollum Is an Insult.

4

Naughty Iberdrola Spain’s major electricity company Iberdrola has been fined 25 million euros for price fixing two years ago. The country’s National Markets & Competition Commission (CNMC) has fined the company after calling their behaviour "very serious". The CNMC say that Iberdrola hike prices at hydroelectric plants on the banks of the Duero, the Sil and the Tajo rivers at the end of 2013, just before electricity tariffs went through the roof.

Iberdrola has got two months to appeal to the Supreme Court against the sanction.

Friday 4th December 2015

A Great Help The HELP Vega Baja Association Christmas Market raised the bumper sum of nearly four thousand euros when it was held recently at La Zenia’s Cristo Resucitado church. Michele Masson, HELP President, said: - “Everyone seemed to have a wonderful time and this was all due to the tremendous effort that had been put in by the great team of volunteers and friends of the charity who made the day possible.”

Guilty Norseman Thousands of people throughout Spain protested on Saturday against the war in Syria in a series of concentrations which were accompanied by both politicians and famous personalities. The anti-war manifesto, "No en nuestro nombre" (Not in our name), which gathered 34 thousand signatures over a few

Much Bigger Deal

26 extra park and pedestrian areas of Torrevieja are to be included in an expanded council maintenance contract at an additional cost of 456 thousand euro.

Parts of La Mata including the Plaza de Encarnación Pucho are on the expanded list with the annual maintenance spend set to rise to just under three million euro.

No To War

A Norwegian man in his eighties was given four years behind bars for sexually abusing the four-yearold grand-daughter of his wife at his Altea home last December. The octogenari-

an was found guilty of a “touching incident” on December 18th last year with the girl claiming that it was part of a series of incidents, which the court was unable to substantiate.

days was presented in cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Sevilla, Bilbao, San Sebastian, Zaragoza, and Murcia. Several thousand gathered opposite the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid in the presence of Mayor of Madrid, Manuela Carmena.

Part of the manifesto

reads that "if the response to barbarity means suspending civil rights, cutting back on freedom and locking ourselves in our homes, the victory of terrorism is complete. If we respond to the pain of the victims by provoking more pain for other innocents, then the spiral will be unstoppable ... not in our name."

More Arrests

Human Bone Riddle

Helping Hand

The Catholic charity Caritas say they look after 200 homeless people a week across Alicante Province, by providing hot food and warm clothes as well as offering a bed for the night at homes in the region including Alicante, Elche, and Orihuela. Caritas estimate that there are 40 thousand people without a home in Spain, but that crucially seven percent of the population suffer in overcrowded accommodation.

Eight skulls which are thought to be human have been found along with other bones off a popular beach in the northern part of Spain.

The bones were found halfburied some three metres out from Els Palangrers beach, close to the town of Roses, north of Barcelona.�

A Catalunya regional police spokeswoman said a local snorkeller had discovered the bones on Sunday and notified police. It is not yet known how old they are or how long they have been there. The beach is popular with bathers, divers and snorkellers.�

Many Liars

Caught On Camera A CCTV system is to be installed in San Javier’s Parque Almansa to improve safety in the area. 12 cameras will be used in the 17 thousand euro project commissioned by the local council which is designed to address the concerns of residents raised last summer.

Spain's interior ministry said on Saturday that they had arrested two men suspected of trying to recruit people for Islamic Jihad, or "holy war", as well as a woman ready to go to the conflict zone. The men of Moroccan origin, aged 32 and 42, were arrested in Barcelona, the ministry said in a statement without specifying the date.

They are suspected of having used "different virtual platforms and social

media to spread the extremist ideals of Daech (Arab acronym for the Islamic State group) and attract followers to send them to the conflict zones," the statement said.

A 24-year-old Spanish woman was arrested in a town northeast of Barcelona who had been radicalised and was ready to leave to join the extremist groups, said the ministry, which declined to name what country she

was heading for.

Meanwhile a 32-year-old Moroccan man was arrested by the Guardia Civil in Pamplona on Tuesday morning for planning to join Isis in Syria.

The man came to the attention of the Guardia after showing "clear signs of radicalisation, including changing his behaviour and appearance as well as his circle of friends," according to the Interior Ministry.

Mass Action

The National Police have swooped on over a dozen people in the last fortnight for making bogus insurance claims. False complaints were filed in police stations or Guardia Civil barracks in

Alicante, Benidorm, and Yecla (Murcia) as well as further afield, with bogus claims of violent robbery a common thread, with mobile phones a targeted item.

A major law-suit has been launched against over 250 Spanish car dealerships as well as 30 manufacturers to do with the subject of price fixing.

Spain's consumer association, OCU, is taking legal action on behalf of 70 thousand motorists whose claims were deemed actionable out of 160 thousand who initially wanted to join the suit.

Six separate probes discovered dealers who sold vehicles between 2006 and 2013 had been restricting competition by exchanging data such as maximum discounts and used-vehicle prices.

As a result, consumers were paying on average 750 euros to 1,500 euros more for their vehicles, OCU says. Companies accused include Audi,

BMW, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Fiat, Ford, Honda, Toyota and Volkswagen.

The Commission on Competition and Markets earlier this year fined the dealers and manufacturers 224 million euros for breaching fair trade agreements. Prosecuting lawyer Rosa Guirado said the case was 'even more damning' than the Volkswagen emissions fraud.

News

Friday 4th December 2015

Stubbed Out

Spain's largest-ever contraband cigarette round-up has seen nine people arrested in Jaén and two in Madrid for smuggling 41.5 tonnes of loose tobacco.

This is equivalent to 80 million cigarettes, or four million packets, and had a sale value of over six and a half million euro. Most of the illegal goods were sold in the Jaén area, and were acquired from three tobacco firms – one Polish, one in China and one Spanish.

The tobacco in question was of poor quality and it had not passed the quality control for use as cigarettes or rolling tobacco for legal sale, and was destined for herbal products

and compost.

It was sold cheaply to the smugglers who packaged it and distributed it at a vastly lower price than in the shops. 11 people have been charged with offences against public health as well as tax and customs fraud. The tobac-

Raised Paseo

Plans for a new walkway and improvements to the

area around Torrevieja's Acequión beach will have to be changed because a coastal law prohibits a concrete path on the beach.

Mayor Jose Manuel Dolon said the issue will be worked round with city architects and technicians proposing a route of removable raised slabs which would be placed some four metres above the sand in an elevated paseo.

Dolon says that there should’nt be any delays in advertising the three point four million euro tender for the project.

Gift With Strings A building on Santa Pola's Avenida de Portugal has been donated to the local council on the condition that it will be used as a

museum.

The 103 year old Villa Adelaida is said to be in good condition and also comes with a large garden.

Smash and NonGrab Thieves attempted to break into Glenn’s Bar on Torrevieja’s San Luis urbanisation on Tuesday morning in the latest of a whole series of reported break-ins at both commercial and domestic premises in the area. The bar had closed at around 2.30 am after the bar’s St Andrew´s Day celebrations. The alarm was activated at around 4.00 am with the suspects recorded on CCTV attempting to break in. The outer terrace door had been forced and the internal glass door was smashed through the security grills. The Guardia Civil were quick to attend and followed up their response

with an investigation to try to identify those involved.

co was mainly sold loose, but on some occasions it was rolled into cigarettes and 'retailed' in boxes of 21 for just one euro per packet. Local tobacconists alerted authorities that something was happening as their sales fell by 30 percent.

Anybody For Fish?

One and a half thousand tonnes of swordfish are destined for Murcia’s Food Bank and other regional charities after the Guardia Civil intercepted four boats with their illegal cargoes under Operation Gladiator. The boats were raided at Mazarrón last Sunday with four people charged with catching the fish out of season and not having the necessary documentation.

Experts say that the cooked fish will produce some ten thousand portions for the local needy, whilst the illegal catch could cost the fishermen fines of up to 300 thousand euro.

Tied Up Six Moroccan men and a Spanish woman have been arrested for trying to smuggle drugs including hashish into Alicante Province via a network of human mules that would swallow the illegal substances. The mules would travel on a coach from the southern port of Algeciras before disembarking at Alicante bus station with the arrests by the National Police including a man and woman based in Benidorm who would get the consignments of the drugs. A few weeks ago the authorities were alerted to what was going on when a 35-year-old Moroccan who had swallowed close to one kilo grams of hashish (as previously reported in The Courier) was arrested at the bus station as some of the bags burst and he became ill.

The Price Is Right Spanish retail sales rose for the 15th month in a row in October and at their fastest pace since last December, according to official figures released on Monday, boosted by strengthening household spending. Sales rose five point eight percent in October, compared to a four point seven rise in September, revised up initial estimates of four point three percent.

5

6

Speedster Stopped Pet Cemetery Owners of bereaved pets have been told to stop burying them in areas of La Mata’s natural park, with areas close to Albentosa Park and La Mata cemetery being prominently used. The report in the Informacion newspaper quotes Torrevieja councillor Carmen Morate as saying that the illegal burials were a health risk, with a serious risk of scavengers digging up the bodies and spreading disease.

Ruling Upheld A San Pedro del Pinatar man has been given a seven month jail sentence for hitting his ex-girlfriend. Murcia’s Provincial Court upheld the sentence and verdict of a Cartagena court after the incident in July 2014 when he punched his former partner in the head and inflicted other injuries that took the best part of a week to heal.

He’s also the subject of a restraining order that he cannot come within 300 metres of her.

More Jobs

Spain’s unemployed rate fell by 27,071 in November, the biggest drop on record for that month, according to official figures published this week. The total number of people registered as jobless is now four point one five million, which puts Spain’s percentage of unemployed at 21.2 percent, still the second largest within the European Union behind Greece. The dole queue in Alicante Province fell by 601 in November with twelve hundred people coming off the Murcia region lists in the same month.

A high-end Mercedes car was pushed to the limit when its driver clocked up 215 kilometres an hour on the A-7 road in the Murcia region between Mazarrón and Totana, in an area where the limit is 120 kilometres an hour. The Guardia stopped the bud-

There She Blows

Strong winds and gusts caused problems towards the end of last week especially around the Vega Baja and Mar Menor areas, with a number of trees being blown down. In the San

Javier area, a big tree collapsed and blocked Calle Francisco Franco in Santiago de la Ribera last Friday with firefighters called in to clear it off the road.

Torrevieja Carols

Choirs of all nationalities will be taking part in Torrevieja’s annual Carols in the Square concert next Friday, December 11th. The event will be staged as always at the Plaza de la

Constitucion, with the choirs accompanied by the Phoenix Concert Band.

Carol sheets will be provided on site with people asked to get to the area from 5.00pm for a 6.00pm start.

More Mortgages The number of home mortgages granted to prospective buyers in Spain increased by 20.2 percent in September when compared with the same month of a year earlier, according to official figures.

The National Statistics Institute says a total of 23,828 home mortgages

For Her Eyes Only

ding 48-year-old Fernando Alonso imitator from Toledo after he whizzed past their checkpoint, and discovered that he was only crawling compared to a previous infringement back in 2008 in Salamanca when a radar trap caught him doing 233 kilometres per hour!

Catalan Veto

Spain's Constitutional Court has revoked Catalunya’s parliamentary motion that set in motion a process of unilaterally breaking away from the rest of the country. Catalunya’s parliament passed the resolution in November, aiming to establish a republic within 18 months.

But the Constitutional Court has approved an appeal that was filed by the central government two days later. However, Catalan leaders have vowed to ignore the court's rulings. Their independence declaration calls for the Catalan government only to comply with laws that it has established.

News

Friday 4th December 2015

were granted in September, up 23.6 percent from August. The amount of capital loaned in the ninth month of the year rose by 24.3 percent when compared with a year earlier to 2.619 billion euro, some 30.3 percent more when compared with a month earlier.

Sean Connery's wife Micheline Roquebrune is officially facing criminal charges over the so-called 'Operation Goldfinger' property corruption investigation – although her Bond actor husband has been acquitted. Inquiries centred on Connery's wife in connection with a villa owned by the couple in Marbella, known as Malibu, which was sold for six point four million euros in 1998, in which she was considered to have

attempted to hide the profits. And now, the prosecution has revealed it has recommended the 86year-old be fined 22 million euro and sent to prison for two and a half years.

If she is found guilty and her custodial term reduced to less than two years, she will not have to serve it, as this is a first offence.

Prosecutors claim Ms Roquebrune was linked to the development company By the Sea, involving

solicitors and other businessmen, through which they say she documented 'fake legal transactions' to launder the sale proceeds of the villa, which was demolished and a complex of 73 luxury apartments built on the site.

Ms Roquebrune and Connery, 85, now live fulltime in the Bahamas, meaning it is likely the accused will not appear herself in court but will be represented by her solicitor.

Dave Silver

7

Friday 4th December 2015

A Famous Conductor Is Music To My Ears

WHEN I worked for a living, I hated Monday, didn't mind Wednesday coz it was half way through the week, Thursday was one day nearer to Friday and Friday was fab for obvious reasons unless I was working on the Saturday.

But my day off was always Tuesday. What can one say about Tuesday?

There is no point to Tuesday. It is neither here nor there nor even there nor here.

'Strangely,' I said to Mrs S the other afternoon as we

tucked into tea and biscuits in the kitchen, 'although I've been ranting on with my anti-Tuesday tirade, it did happen to be my mother's favourite day of the week.'

'Was that because you were born on a Tuesday?' asked Mrs S. 'No,' I said.

'Mother got married on a Wednesday and I came into the world on a Wednesday - not on the same Wednesday obviously -- but she never cared much for Wednesdays.'

Mrs S handed me a fresh mug of tea and slid another

digestive onto my plate.

'And what did your father say?'

I smiled as the memories came flooding back. 'Ah, my dad said many things during his lifetime.'

'No,' said Mrs S. 'I meant what was his favourite day of the week?'

'Who cares,' I shrugged.

'But you've really turned on my nostalgia tap by asking me what Dad used to say.

My father said many things but probably the phrases he mostly uttered were "Any more fares?" and "Hold tight, please!"'

Mrs S smiled and then looked puzzled. 'But your father never worked on the buses. For the umpteenth time in our marital partnership I have to ask what the heck you are talking about?'

I slid another biscuit onto my plate because the previous one had turned to mush when I'd dipped it into my tea.

'Of course Dad wasn't a bus conductor. I have never said that he was.'

Mrs S stared at me for a while as I nibbled on my current biscuit (not currant as in fruit but current as in latest because the previous biscuit had fallen to bits.)

'Okay, I give up,' she said eventually. 'Why did your father say stuff which only a bus conductor would say?'

'You just don't get it, do

you?' I tutted. 'My father could do the most amazing vocal impressions of that ginger-haired bloke who was the regular conductor on the old Manchester Corporation No.81 bus which went from Hightown to Southern Cemetery.'

Mrs S shook her head.

'Well, I don't remember him.'

'Of course you do!' I argued. 'Your memory is terrible. Trust me, if I told you his name it would all come back to you in an instant.'

Mrs S sluiced the mushy remains of my previous collapsed digestive biscuit from out of my tea mug and poured me another drink.

'Okay, okay,' Mrs S said.

'So put me out of my misery.

What was his name?'

I grinned in anticipation.

'Believe me, once I reveal the bloke's identity you will smack your forehead with an open palm and ask me how you could be so silly in not remembering.'

Mrs S sighed. 'Well, lay it on me already!'

I pursed my lips and enunciated the syllables very carefully. 'His name was Syd Silver.'

There was a brief silence as Mrs S loaded daggers into her eyes and turned her face full on to me in order to target my self-satisfied features.

'But that,' she hissed through gritted teeth, 'was your father's name. Of course, I know your father's name because I knew your father for many years.'

'So what's all this been about?' I asked puzzled. 'I swear I'll never understand women if I live for another 100 years.'

Mrs S leaned over me and snarled: 'I thought you were talking about the bloke who was the conductor on the old No.81 bus and who I still do not remember!'

'Now you are really puzzling me,' I said, chomping furiously on my digestive.

'How on earth would I have known the name of the bus conductor? Even if I had known his name in the first place, I am not Mr Marvel the Memory Man. Blimey, woman, it's been nearly 60 years since I stepped onto a No.81 bus.

'Anyway,' I sniffed, 'the bus conductor must have passed away a long time ago. He most probably alighted from his bus one day at Southern Cemetery and decided it just wasn't worth him climbing back on for the return journey.'

'You are so sick!' declared Mrs S. 'Actually, now that you mention it, I am feeling a touch seriously ill, ' I said.

Mrs S shook her head in disgust. 'Yes, you are certifi-

ably sick as well as being one sick hypochondriac.

What are you coming down with this time? Is it perhaps Curse of the Warmbloods?

Or maybe it's Black Trump Virus? Or even, God forbid, The Gray Death?'

I started to shiver uncontrollably. 'See!' I cried.

'You're worried, too!'

Mrs S pointed an accusing finger at me as my eyes widened in fear. 'Idiot!

Those are all fictional diseases from books. You'd have known that inescapable fact if you could read.'

'No, no,' I argued. 'I am definitely coming down with something. Just feel these swellings in my neck. My glands must be up.'

Mrs S threw me out of the kitchen. 'Go upstairs and wash yourself.

Those swellings are not in your neck -- they are on your neck. They're nothing more than bits of clingy wet digestive biscuits which somehow escaped your gob.'

'I'm going to bed now because I feel weak with weakness,' I said (which, I suppose, was a pretty weak thing to say.) 'Please keep a steady eye on me in case I fall while I attempt to ascend the stairs.'

'You'll be okay,' responded Mrs S. 'Just remember to grab the handrail and hold on tight, please!'

8

Franco First

Pamplona will ask a local court to investigate crimes committed against its residents during the civil war and dictatorship of Francisco Franco after city councillors voted in favour of an unprecedented resolution.

"This is of huge importance," said Carlos Slepoy, a human rights lawyer who, along with several organisations, helped draft the resolution outlining the course of action. "It will be the first time that a public institution in Spain – a city council that represents thousands of Spaniards – decides to present a criminal complaint in front of the Spanish courts."

Four decades after Franco's death, the country has never officially investigated the crimes committed during his regime. The rebellion he led against the elected government led to the civil war and paved the way for 36 years of unopposed rule. In recent years, those representing victims have become increasingly vocal, calling on authorities to do more to look into the regime's dark history and investigate the stories of the estimated 114,000 people who disappeared during the civil war and ensuing dictatorship.

Their calls have been met with resistance from those who worry about opening old wounds and others who point to the legal implications of violating the 1977 amnesty law that shields Franco-era crimes from trial.

News

Friday 4th December 2015

Collateral Damage

Oscar Upgraded Olympic Athlete Oscar Pistorius has been found guilty of murder after a South African appeals court yesterday overturned an earlier manslaughter verdict. He killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in February 2013 after shooting her four times through a locked toilet door.

He is currently under house arrest after spending one year of his original five-year sentence in jail.

Pistorius will return to court to be re-sentenced, for

An Alicante City man was killed in almost unbelievable circumstances on Wednesday morning after a woman suffering from depression fell from a seventh-floor apartment balcony and landed on top of him.

The 81-year-old man, named only as Eduardo, was sat on a bench with his

wife when the 48-year-old woman plunged down on him.

She was taken to San Juan Hospital in a stable condition, but the unsuspecting man died at the scene despite being tended to by paramedics at Plaza de Manila. His wife was taken to hospital suffering from shock.

Community Spirit Authorities took away the corpse of a 49-year-old woman who was dead for five years before being discovered last Monday in a southern Spanish city. The body of the woman, identified as Pilar M, was spotted by builders doing work on the outside of her building in central Cadiz. The workmen called the fire brigade

who broke in to find her skeletal form surrounded by birds that had entered the room through the window.

A background check revealed the woman, a nurse, had been off work for mental problems, and was an only child with deceased parents and no family in the area.

murder. South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal ruled that the lower court did not correctly apply the rule of dolus eventualis whether Pistorius knew that a death would be a likely result of his actions.

The minimum sentence for murder is 15 years but judges can apply some discretion. South African law does not make provision for someone to be placed under house arrest for more than five years, so Pistorius will be going back to prison.

5 Ways To Make Your Home Cosier Feeling the cold? Would you love to make your house warm and cosy in a way that will also have benefits in the summer? Covering those cold ceramic tiles or marble floor is one of the best ways to make your heating more effective and efficient.

There’s 5 ways to achieve this.

RUGS – Most of us will already have rugs in our lounges as a finishing touch but a rug can be so much more. If you can feel cold air under your sofa, then it makes sense to have a bigger rug that can go underneath and stop that draft.

This also applies equally for bedrooms too.

CARPETS – You probably thought you would never want fitted carpet in Spain but after a winter or two, you realise how cold the nights are. Add top quality underlay to good quality carpet and you’ve got a room that is warm and cosy and provides support for your joints all year round. Carpet also traps dust

and pet hair which can then be hoovered away, quickly and easily and is therefore highly recommended for allergy sufferers.

EDGED / BOUND CARPET - If you want good quality floor covering, but don’t want it to be fully fitted, edged carpet could be the answer for you. You can order carpet to fit any room, the edges are bound in a matching colour and you have a large area rug. You can turn it for equal wear or, take it up in the summer or take it with you if you move. For both the fitted and edged options, choose the ´stainfree for life´ option that is available to order in multi-

ple widths so reducing any wastage.

CARPET TILES – Do you need a more practical and cheaper alternative to carpet to cover your floor. Consider carpet tiles as these can look amazing and will cover and cushion your floor, making them perfect for households with children, or if you dislike the tiles or marble floor. This is also an option if the floor is damaged or discoloured.

CUSHIONED VINYL Perfect for kitchens, bathrooms, utility rooms or offices, cushioned vinyl is as it sounds - cushioned, comfortable, practical and easy to clean. Available in a wide range of designs and qualities to provide extra comfort, Vinyl is also perfect for covering ugly, cracked or broken tiles. For more advice and information on all aspects of flooring and free quotations, contact CARPET HEAVEN in Los Montesinos on 966 720 782 or visit their shop on the high street, Avenida del Mar 33B, to look at all their samples and collections.

News

9

Friday 4th December 2015

Third Time Lucky?

The third murder trial in less than a year of a mother and son started in Elche on Monday after two previous hearings collapsed over the matter of legal representation and a telephone wire-tap transcript.

The new trial sees Elche prosecutors calling for a 20 year jail sentence for both of them (pictured at a hearing in 2009) over the alleged murder of her hus-

band in 2003. With prosecutors claiming she ran him over in the La Mata area of Torrevieja 12 years ago.

The long standing “crime of passion” case involved Elda-based teacher, Miguel Lloret Candela, being downed by a car in a hit and run in January 2003, with the authorities saying that the vehicle involved was owned by his ex-wife, Dolores Sánchez

Fernández.

Reports suggested that she and her son, Miguel Lloret Sánchez, had a heated discussion with Mr.Candela the night before in a bar about an alleged affair with a woman. The defence deny the accusations and claim that the Guardia Civil have not searched for the real culprit behind the teacher’s death.

More Despatching Spain, long concerned about its ageing population and emptying countryside, has passed a milestone in population decline, recording more deaths than births in the first half of this year.

Deaths exceeded births by more than 19,000 in the first

half of 2015, a turnaround from a year earlier when there were nearly 4,000 more births than deaths, the National Statistics Institute (INE) said.

Spain has not consistently experienced more deaths than births since its 1936-

39 civil war or the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, according to news reports.

Deaths briefly exceeded births in early 1999, but demographers considered that a blip, while now they see it as the start of a longer trend.

Preparing Your Car For Winter

Winter weather in Spain can vary from year to year and snowfall on the south coast is unlikely. However, if your car is parked outside during the worst of the winter months, or you’re planning to visit the interior or venture north, there are some simple steps you can take to prepare your car for winter.

PROTECTING AGAINST ICE AND FROST Lights, heaters and wipers put high demands on the car battery and they have to work harder in colder weather. If your battery is over 5 years old it may be time to shop around for a replacement. Top up your windscreen wash with a more concentrated mix of antifreeze. Give locks and mechanisms a spray with WD40. Cleaning and waxing your car will give the bodywork a coat of protection against temperature extremes.

BEING PREPARED Make sure you have a phone charger in the car should you need to call for assistance. In the event you get stranded, there are some items that will make a difference; carry some blankets, a folding shovel, jump leads, tow-bar and tow rope. If colder weather is forecast, make sure you have a full tank of fuel, as you may need to keep the engine running to

stay warm until help arrives.

Check your insurance policy covers you for emergency breakdown and recovery.

Línea Directa provides for R o a d Assistance in their car insurance policies. This ensures that you receive immediate assistance by phone 24 hours a day. Our breakdown service will endeavour to get your car back on the road as soon as possible or tow your vehicle to your local repairer of choice in Spain.

ROAD SAFETY During the winter, driving conditions can become challenging. Winter tyres or cold weather tyres mean shorter stopping distances, reduce aquaplaning and improve handling. If you haven’t changed to winter treads, road safety experts recommend 3mm of tyre depth as a minimum for winter driving.

WINTER DRIVING Breakdowns are more common in winter. The number of breakdowns can increase dramatically during extreme conditions. For safe trouble-free driving we recommend gentle manoeuvres, as stopping distances are ten times longer in snow

and ice. To avoid wheel spin, pull away in second gear, easing your foot gently off the clutch. Maintain a constant speed where possible, if you need to break, then apply them gently and progressively. Leave plenty of room between you and the car in front. If you get stuck, straighten the steering and clear any excess build up of snow from the wheels. You can get additional grip by putting a sack or old rug in front of the driving wheels.

Once your car is moving, maintain a constant speed, avoiding rapid acceleration or deceleration and try not to stop until you reach firmer ground.

We hope the information provided in this article is of interest.

If you would like to contact Línea Directa please call 902-123-182 More information on Línea Directa online at www.lineadirecta.com

10

Friday 4th December 2015

Hurry Up Santa!

The local cancer charity fund-raisers, Maria and The Pink Ladies will be staging their annual Santa Fun Run this Sunday (December 6th).

The five kilometre event, which starts and finishes at the Zenia Boulevard shopping centre, gets going at 10.30 am.

Nanny Adapted

Dinner Date

A sold out venue and a raffle that made nearly thirteen hundred euros all helped to make Help at Home, Mar Menor’s second Dinner Dance go with a swing at Los Alcazares last Saturday night. The 525 Hotel was the venue for the black tie event with

entertainment provided by the Campoverde Reef Band. Lesley Eburne HAH founder/organiser said:“We have such a great following for our events, great venues, music and value, and we at HAH are all so proud of what we achieve.”

Elaine’s Passion

Three sell-out performances of the annual ADAPT pantomime has helped to net almost eighteen-hundred euros for charities based around San Pedro del Pinatar. An English-Spanish version of Mary Poppins,

called Moody Poopins attracted enthusiastic audiences at the municipality’s Casa de la Cultura. ADAPT’s aim is to foster links between the Spanish community and non-Spanish native speakers.

A recent coffee and cake fundraiser held at Laguna Green’s Bamboo Lounge has raised 353 euro for the Rojales-based Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre. The event was organised by supporter Elaine Sissons, who earlier this year completed a sky diving jump to celebrate her 60th birthday, raising 571 euro for the centre.

She’s now in training for next year’s 26 mile Yorkshire Three Peaks, with the centre set to benefit again.

Local & News

In Tune With Xmas

The Torrevieja-based Velvetones ladies harmony chorus are hosting their Christmas charity concert this Wednesday evening, December 9th, starting at

7.15pm. The venue will be the Restaurant El Paraiso, behind Carrefour in Torrevieja, with tickets costing just five euro available from Jean on 693 727 218.

Friday 4th December 2015

11

12

Pets

Friday 4th December 2015

Farewell Dolores

An abandoned old mare rescued by the Rojalesbased Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre nearly three years ago has passed away peacefully.

Dolores, who was thought to be about 30 years old, arrived at the rescue centre in January 2013, suffering pneumonia and with a mouth full of painfully rotten teeth. She was also traumatised after being tied to the back of a van and forced to run behind it.

During the three years that Dolores lived at the rescue centre, she was given a range of specialist treatment to manage her poor lung condition. A specialist horse nebuliser was ordered to help her breathe more easily and last summer an air conditioner was installed in her stable to help her

cope with the stifling heat.

Sadly Dolores started to struggle recently and the centre took the tough decision to put her to sleep.

Centre co-founder, Sue Weeding, said:- “She really was a lovely old girl.

Everyone loved her and she was very spoilt, always receiving loads of special feeds and carrots and apples. She really had it all and we feel happy to have given her a few good years of love and kindness.”

The Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre, located just outside Rojales at Partido Lo Garriga, 59, is open to the public on the first Sunday of every month between 1.00pm and 4.00pm. For more details and directions, please visit www.easyhorsecare.net

Be The Leader Of The Pack

We’re back with more advice this week to help you get the perfect walk with your dog. We’ve got your furry friend all nice and calm in last week’s article to get ready to go outdoors, and now it’s time to go walkies!

As leader, you should go first. In a pack situation, that's the leader's job, so they can check it's safe for everyone else to follow. By letting your dog go first, you're giving him the job of leader and asking him to check that it's safe for you to go out. So this is something else that needs practise, until the movement is smooth and natural - not forced by a lot of pulling and commands to sit, wait etc.

Start by opening the door a fraction. As soon as your dog moves forward, pull him back and close the door.

You should be able to gradually open the door further and further each time. If you're opening the door on to a secure garden, you could do this without a lead and when the dog dashes forward out of the door, you simply close the door behind him so he's outside on his own. What you're aiming for is for your dog to automatically hang back in the doorway until you have gone through the door first.

With all this preparation, it could easily be several days before you're ready to venture outside. The next challenge may be the dog pulling on the lead. This is the dog trying to lead the walk (or the "hunt" as they see it) with you just tagging along behind. Even with a small dog or a puppy, this

should not be tolerated.

There are numerous gadgets available to "cure" pulling but what they really do is lull you into a false sense of security that you've fixed the problem. You haven't. You may even be physically hurting your dog.

And take the gadget away and you'll be back at square one. Instead of a quick fix, work on a permanent solution. Convince your dog that you are in charge of the walk and you will lead it, not him. This can be a very repetitive exercise but well worth sticking with for that permanent fix. Every time your dog starts to pull, stop and wait for him to relax again before walking the next step. Or stop and change direction by turning right or left, or stepping backwards. The emphasis

here is not on pulling the dog's head around or "checking" the lead with a jerking movement. You stop first so that you avoid this.

You are showing your dog that you are choosing the direction and pace of the walk.

Once again, you should be looking for very gradual progress, literally one or two steps at a time to begin with. Build up the distance slowly, don't rush into going too far too soon. When your dog looks at you, looking for direction and what's happening next, praise him: he's finally focussing on you instead of charging ahead and dragging you along behind him. You can practise this in the house and in the garden before going outside, even a small space will do as you can walk in circles if necessary.

It doesn't matter whether your dog walks next to you, slightly ahead or slightly behind, as long as the lead is relaxed.

The key to these repetitive exercises is consistency, persistence and patience. Your dog will only learn what is expected of him if you follow through.

As soon as you give up and go back to what you were doing before putting the lead on when your dog is jumping up and allowing him to pull, you will undo anything you've already achieved and prove to your dog that you're not in charge and he can just continue as before. Next week we’ll look at what excites or worries your dog when you are going for a walk.

Pets Corner: Can You take in a Homeless Dog or Cat?

BILLY These two lovely brothers are called Billy (pictured) and Bobby and were rescued by APAH as small puppies.

They are now four years old and are still waiting for their chance at a loving home after all this time.

They are large dogs, but both have lovely, friendly natures and get on well with everyone.

To meet them, please call 630 422 563.

COOKIE Cookie is a three year old Minature Pinscher and weighs just five kilos.

He is such a happy, friendly little boy who is chipped and vaccinated and is great with other dogs and cats.

He loves to play and have fun and just wants somebody to show him the love he deserves.

Phone: 645 469 253. www.petsinspain.com

KIKA Kika was brought into the kennels as her owners were returning to their home country. She is four and a half year old Chihuahua mix and had been in that home since she was a puppy. Kika could do with losing some weight, and is very affectionate and loves cuddles. If you think Kika is the girl for you then contact the SAT kennels on 966 710 047 or email info@satanimalrescue.com

ROSEY Rosey is a beautiful five month old female dog, who was found dumped with her sister. Rosey is not very big and will be medium size when fully grown. Currently in a foster home with other cats and dogs, they get on well with both. They love being cuddled. For more about Rosey please call PEPA on 650 304 746 or Email: p.e.p.a.animalcharity@gmail. com

SUZIE Lovely Suzie is the APAH Cattery's oldest resident. She is seven years old and has lived almost the whole of her life in a shelter.

She is a very affectionate cat who deserves to spend her 'old age' in a loving forever home.

Anyone looking for an older cat would be rewarded with a lovely companion.

To arrange to meet Susie, please call 630 422 563.

TEDDY Teddy is a very intelligent ten month old mixed breed dog, who loves playing with other dogs and people. He is very good with other dogs and walks well on a lead, but sadly Teddy has never known a home, which is such a shame as he is a very laid back dog eager to please. For more on this adorable boy phone PEPA on 650 304 746 or email p.e.p.a.animalcharity@gmail.c om

Friday 4th December 2015

Champion Pet Idols

Some of the winners of Pet Idol 2015 have been in to collect their prizes, with the overall winner Monty sending Dawn in to collect his prize (above), and Nelly accompanying Valerie to collect hers (below).

13

14

Friday 4th December 2015

Tony Mayes - About Life

Action Not Appeasement

I thought it would give me great pleasure to see the Labour Party tear itself to pieces under the leadership of leftie Jeremy Corbyn, but I’m beginning to feel sorry for them. It must be awful to be a rank and file Labour MP that’s being led by someone who doesn't live in the real world, with rumours now swelling around of a leadership coup against Corbyn. Nobody in their right mind would eagerly want to drop bombs on another country, or to push the nuclear button, but there are moments in life when being a pacifist is totally inappropriate, especially when you aspire to being the leader of your country.

Frankly, I would not feel at all safe in Britain if Corbyn was ever prime minister. His attitude reminds me of Chamberlain before WW2 when he thought he had managed to get Hitler on side by diplomacy. What would make him change his stance? What would be his reaction if Islamic State

managed to kill the Royal Family by blowing up Buckingham Palace? The time has come for a concerted attack on Islamic State wherever it shows its many heads, but anyone who thinks that it can be defeated just by air strikes alone is barmy. Boots on the ground is the only answer and the sooner it happens and with the utmost ferocity the better. But Corbyn would never vote for it, let alone internationally approved airstrikes.

A pride in one's country is not a bad thing - perhaps within the UK the English could benefit from a dose of it.

But nationalism can so quickly get out of hand and a classic example of this is in the tiny Welsh village of Cynywd, in Denbighshire, where the Community Council has, in its twisted wisdom, decided to hold its meetings in Welsh, and publish its agendas only in Welsh. And quite rightly residents who only speak English feel excluded, hav-

ing no idea what is being discussed and what decisions are being reached.

The fact is that only a small percentage of people who live in Wales actually speak the language, whilst every Welsh person can speak English and even the EU transacts its business in English, but that's not good enough for the nationalists of Cynywd! An English speaking resident has complained to the Ombudsman which has criticised the council for not giving translations in English. The council has responded by criticising the Ombudsman for not giving them a Welsh translation and pompous councillors point out that while the agenda is in Welsh-only 'at the moment' there is an inhouse translation service, and non-Welsh speakers are free to bring a translator to meetings! This is nationalism gone utterly mad, and there are far bigger problems to solve in the world and we don't need narrowminded idiots making life

more difficult than it already is.

If there was one good thing to come out of George Osborne's financial pronouncements last week apart from the pay rise for pensioners of course - was that the booming buy-to-let market has had its wings clipped. He is planning to raise stamp duty on second homes and rental properties to bring in a total of four billion pounds. The buy-to-let boom might have kept the property market alive during the financial crisis, but latterly it has fuelled the rise in house prices, putting the price of a home beyond reach of first-time buyers.

Increasingly people looking to build a nest-egg for retirement opted to put their money into property rather than buying a pension. This only made property prices rise even faster, and starved the Stock Market of funds, reducing the price of shares and made pensions an even poorer choice. At a stroke, George Osborne's reform

will add £7,500 to the purchase price of a £250,000 property. Someone who buys a £500,000 second home will now face a tax bill of £30,000 – twice the previous amount. However, in the short term, there could be even greater pressure on house prices, as would-be buyers rush to buy before the new stamp duty rates come in. One thing is certain - Britain needs far more houses to be built so that the pressure on prices is further reduced. Otherwise, increasingly, people will not be able to afford a roof over their heads.

I was pleased to hear there's a new organisation in Spain that is campaigning to make restaurants quieter.

When it comes to the decibels, the Spanish beats most in Europe. When they get together they talk loudly and in restaurants it gets deafening, one table shouting to make themselves heard above the next table.

And acoustics in most Spanish restaurants are not the best, which leads to bedlam. Add if the compulsory "live" music is being "performed" by one hasbeen or the other, eating out can be a disaster. The new organisation called Oir es Calave (Hearing is Key) says that excess noise spoils the eating experience, so they want restaurants to quieten things down. Some restaurants

have already signed up - I hope it's a trend which catches on.

There's good news for those countries which are plagued with malaria infected mosquitoes.

Scientists have bred a genetically modified mosquito that can resist the malaria infection, which means that although people will still be bitten by the critters, given time the malariainfected strain will be a thing of the past. About three point two billion people almost half of the world's population - are at risk of malaria and the disease claims more than half a million lives each year.

Pity that at the same time scientists didn't find something that makes mosquitoes self-destruct!

Did you know that there's another menace that stops British trains running on time? We've heard of leaves on the line, a few flakes of snow and, of course, industrial action causing mayhem on the tracks, but the latest menace is lighter trains!

Apparently services in the East of England had to be cancelled recently because lighter trains which operate there are vulnerable to leaf damage. The leaves get lodged in the wheels and friction makes them catch fire. It was happening to at least two trains a day, causing cancellations. And it can only happen in Britain!

2

Lifestyle

Friday 4th December 2015

+

CK2, Calvin Klein's New 'Gender-Free' Fragrance Be the envy of all your friends with the new signature fragrance from Calvin Klein

In February 2016, Calvin Klein will launch CK2, a ‘gender-free’ follow up to the brand’s best-selling 90s icon, CK One. The ‘urban woody fresh’ fragrance includes notes of

mandarin, sandalwood and violet leaf - and, rather unusually, wasabi and wet cobblestones. We've witnessed the fiery Japanese condiment that is wasabi popping up in perfumes pre-

viously, but wet cobblestones is a new one to us.

Following in the footsteps of unisex CK One, CK2 is a scent aimed at both men and women and hopes to appeal to a younger, jet-set audience. Although the fragrance officially launches in February, it will be available at World Duty Free airport stores from today.

A World Duty Free spokesperson commented: “We are continua l l y looking for opportunities to bring new and exciting products to our customers by launching exclusively ahead of the domestic market; WDF has already done this very successfully with a number of great brands, underlining the

scale and reach of beauty within travel retail.

"We are delighted to bring CK2 to WDF’s customers a full two months ahead of its availability in off-airport stores and expect to see very strong sales results on the back of this exclusive launch."

To tie in with the launch, a campaign video was created

by Ryan McGinley. It follows four different stories that all intertwine to celebrate youth, passion and romance.

Calvin Klein has other existing fragrances, including CK Be and CK Free, but this much-anticipated follow-up to CK One is expected to be a best-seller. CK2 products include a 100ml eau de toilette (55€), a 50ml edt (45€) and a deodorant stick, priced at £13€.

Resveratrol, The Red Wine Antioxidant The science behind beauty buzzwords, “resveratrol is the single best antioxidant known for topical skincare” As far as antioxidants go, resveratrol is one of the most potent around, and has come under particular spotlight in the last couple of years. It’s a polyphenol (which is like a protective antibiotic produced in plants under stress) and when used in skincare it can to some extent have the same effects: helping to prevent damage and repair the skin from environmental damage.

Claims have been made that resveratrol is the single best antioxidant known for topical skincare purp o s e s .

"There are o t h e r antioxidants in the body which are more effective," says the biochemist

Nausheen Qureshi, "however they cannot be applied topically because they cannot be extracted from a food source like resveratrol."

Resveratrol is found in Japanese knotweed and the skin of red grapes - you are probably familiar with the antioxidant benefits of red wine, and this is down to resveratrol (apparently Malbec or muscadine grapes have the highest concentration of all). It is also found in peanuts, pistachios, blueberries, cranberries and, pleasingly, cacao beans.

Although resveratrol is a potent antioxidant, you need a mix of both watersoluble and fatsoluble antioxidants. Free radicals affect both the water and fat parts of a cell so you need a mix of water soluble antioxidants (like vitamin C, green tea and resveratrol, and glutathione) and fat soluble antioxidants (like vitamin A, beta-carotene, and vitamin E).

"Resveratrol is only one type of antioxidant and you need a variety of types of antioxidants for a product that has the best chance of protecting the skin from damage and preventing ageing," says Qureshi.

"In my opinion the best products contain an array of antioxidants that work in a combination of ways to absorb and neutralise free radicals."

So when resveratrol is applied in skincare, does it have a real effect?

The Japanese skincare brand Astalift, developed by FujiFilm, uses resveratrol as a key ingredient throughout its range. It claims that the antioxidant activates cell renewal to achieve firmness in the skin (the growth of epidermal cells thickens the epidermis and prevents the loss of skin firmness due to ageing).

Dr Askari Townshend, the founder of Askinology says that “research has shown that resveratrol has powerful antioxidant properties to

help repair the visible effects of skin ageing.

Resveratrol is notoriously difficult to stabilise however – it has taken many years of research for brands to launch a product with stabilised resveratrol which is proven to penetrate the skin."

So now that we have it stabalised for skincare use, as far as antioxidants go, resveratrol is very potent indeed. Here are three of our favourite skincare products containing the wonder antioxidant.

Astalift Jelly Aquarysta Rejuvenating Concentrate Serum, 80€

A jelly formula that sinks into the skin immediately, this collagen and resveratrol-strong serum helps to firm and brighten the skin.

Caudalie Resveratrol Lift Firming Serum, £55€ The resveratrol is combined with micro hyaluronic acid in this serum to help firm and lift the skin. The price is great for the potency of ingredients.

Try Skin Cueticals Resveratrol BE, 140€ Apply this serum on at night, either alone or on top of your existing serum. It helps to lift and brighten the skin, and repair from the day’s damage.

Lifestyle

+

Friday 4th December 2015

3

4

Friday 4th December 2015

Jeanette Erath - Learn Spanish

Adverbs:- Spanish Style!

Last week we started menos/less, a veces/somelooking at putting a sen- times, etc. tence together in Spanish, In Spanish, as well as in at the moment we are only English adverb placement looking at simple sentences, can change, although in not complicated structures. Spanish the adverb tends to We will go on to reflexives stay close to the word it´s etc, later. We know that modifying. For example in sometimes we can use the the sentence: Aprobó fácilsame structure as in English mente el examen de inglés when we are speaking the adverb ´fácilmente´ is Spanish and this is what I placed directly after the verb am covering first. ´aprobó´, however to say What is an adverb? the same sentence in Basically it’s a word that English we would put the modifies an adjective, verb adverb at the end: he or another adverb and a lot passed the English exam of English adverbs end –ly easily. Although in the where in Spanish they end – above example the adverb mente, words such as fre- is after the verb normally in quently/frecuentamente, Spanish it goes before, easy/fácilmente, however although the rules are not there are a lot of adverbs hard and fast, but some and sometimes it can be dif- ways sound better than othficult to know if a word is an ers. E.g. A veces voy al adverb or not, however as teatro, you write it should If an adverb modibecome clear fies an adjective that words it is normally that don´t fit placed before into any that adjeco t h e r tive, for category, example, ll the such as estoy We cover a determ u y rases, h p , ry la u b voca miners, contenta. grammar verbs, and speak conjuncI f to t i o n s , adverbs you need Spanish verbs, etc. modify Other exama n o t h e r ples of adverbs adverb then they are: nunca/never, also go before the quízas/maybe, one they are modifying,

STEP BY STEP

e.g. comí demasiado anoche, One point to remember in Spanish with adverbs is that in English we commonly put the adverb between the auxiliary and the main verb in the perfect tenses, however this is never done in Spanish, there is never anything put between the auxiliary ´haber´ and the past participle in Spanish, for example in English we say ´I have often been to the cinema´ however in Spanish we have to say ´ a menudo he ido al cine´.

The difficulty with adverbs is that there are so many different types, that when it comes to placement it can sometimes depend on whether we are using an adverb of frequency, of place or of manner, or some other adverb. Just remember that once you reach a certain level of Spanish just listening to the language is the easiest way to pick up where to place words and how to say them. You will get used to the sound of the word rather than just trying to guess which becomes harder the more fluent you get.

We now know how to make a simple sentence in Spanish and to make it more interesting with the use of adjectives and

adverbs. Now it´s up to you to practice; one good way is to keep a diary in Spanish.

Not just a diary of what you have done but also future plans and basically anything you want to write about. Just get into the habit of thinking in Spanish at least once a day. If you´re taking lessons use those to check with your teacher for any mistakes, if not then it´s up to you to either find a Spanish speaking friend or do a lot of checking yourself.

The hardest thing about learning a language is keeping it fresh in your mind and the only way to do it is by using it. I´m going to leave you with a list of some common adverbs and adverbial

phrases for you to revise and some sentences for you to translate: Adverbios de frecuencia: a veces – sometimes, a menudo – often, al fin – finally, de vez en cuando – from time to time.

Adverbios de lugar: a la derecha – to the right, en casa – at home, en ninguna parte – nowhere, en todas partes – everywhere, por aquí – around here, afuera – outside, aquí – here, delante – in front, detrás – behind.

Adverbios de manera: bien – well, despacio – slowly, mal – badly, mejor – better, peor – worse.

Adverbios de cantidad: bastante/suficiente –

enough, demasiado – too much, más – more, menos – less, muy – very, poco – little, algo – some.

Now translate the following into Spanish: we eat chocolate once in a while, sometimes we go to the beach after studying, we sleep during the daytime and we work during the night, at last I was able to get in the university, the book is at home, I left the money somewhere, one can´t find so many waterfalls anywhere else, I have sometimes thought about you, she studies well, I read a lot.

Have a great week, I´ll give you the translations then. ¡hasta la próxima!

Friday 4th December to Thursday 10th December 2015

2 - The Courier TV Pull-out

December Welcome - Whatson´s Choice

It's the most wonderful time of the year. With the kids jingle belling. And everyone telling you be of good cheer. It's the most wonderful time of the year…. Sing along. It´s December, it´s Christmas month, it´s the season to be jolly, tra, la, la, la, laaaaaa.

Oh I love Christmas, it´s my favourite time of year.

Everybody happy and jolly, exchanging gifts, eating and drinking and enjoying the good will, what more could anybody ask for?

Well, how about all our favourite shows on the tele? Oh yes, Christmas, the most wonderful time of the year.

Mind you, it also means that some of the shows we´ve been enjoying throughout the autumn are coming to a close. Some have gone already, as we know, but this week it´s the

end of the road for even more.

Simply Nigella, London Spy, Tomorrow´s Food, all coming to a close this week, as well as others of course, but we also have some great shows starting too.

Prey for example is one not to be missed. The first series was a nailbiting success and this one is likely to be just as exciting, but maybe avoid it if you don´t like jumpy surprises.

It’s said to be a modern take on Alfred Hitchcock’s chase thrillers such as The 39 Steps and North by Northwest, albeit without the romance, as we’re thrown straight into the

Fern Meets...

Linford Christie

Marking the season of Advent, this week Fern is in conversation with European, Commonwealth, World and Olympic gold medallist, Linford Christie.

A failed drugs test marred the end of Linford’s career, although he’s always denied any wrong-doing. Today he is coach to some of the rising stars of Team GB. He chats to Fern about his life, career and faith.

Over 17 years Linford sprinted to 23 major championship medals, including gold at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. Often outspoken and frequently caught in clashes with the press, Linford’s reputation off the track was as striking as his success on it. But it all ended in controversy when

in 1999, after he’d all-but retired from competition, he tested positive for the banned steroid Nandrolone.

With other high profile sportsmen also falling foul of the drug it became something of a cause celebre.

British Athletics cleared Linford but the IAAF upheld a two year suspension which also meant an Olympic lifetime ban. It marred the end of his career and continues to have an impact. Linford Christie was notably absent from London 2012.

Linford continues to work in the sport and today is coach to some of Britain’s rising stars. He talks to Fern about the highs and the lows of a life in British athletics and the role of his faith.

action in a mad night-time dash through the countryside, with Philip Glenister handcuffed to MyAnna Burning pursued by police and slavering dogs.

If you want something a little lighter, Blood and Gold: The Making of Spain is the pick of t h e w e e k , delving into the history of a c o u n t r y which has become home to many different nationalities.

I´m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here also comes to a close this weekend, who will be crowned the King or Queen of the jungle this year? We will have to wait

and see but one thing we do know is that the final on Sunday is sure to be another nail-biter, although of a different type.

Did you know, there are now only two more editions of The Courier before the Christmas break? What that means is I get a holiday soon, a chance to enjoy some of the shows myself. For the Christmas edition I´ll bring you plenty to keep you occupied though, don´t worry about that, I´d hate for you to miss out on anything, so keep picking up The Courier each week. For now, my work is done, and so, tatty bye my friends, tatty bye. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas Ev'rywhere you go; Take a look in the five-and-ten, glistening once again. With candy canes and silver lanes aglow.

Tomorrow's Food In final episode of Tomorrow´s Food, Dara O Briain visits the world’s only Quorn production plant to find out how they turn tiny specks of fungus into thousands of tonnes of high protein food. From fermentation to freezing, Dara discovers the intriguing, hi-tech process of creating meatfree versions of our favourite foods.

Dara also investigates the hotly-debated world of genetically modified food.

He meets the scientists using genetic engineering (GM) to create everything from tomatoes which are purple and contain high levels nutrients called anthocyanins, thought to reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and even cancer; to goats that produce the constituents of human breast milk - all in a bid to make food that could save lives.

Michelin-starred chef Angela Hartnett is in Holland to find out if tomorrow’s pasta could be personalised to the shape of your choice and then printed straight from a 3D food printer. She also pits her culinary skills against a super-computer that claims to create better flavour combinations than people can, and meets

super-muscled cows bred to provide maximum beef for your buck.

Greengrocer Chris Bavin goes to a futuristic vertical farm in Chicago to find out if tomorrow’s vegetables could be grown in skyscrapers in the city, without ever seeing soil or daylight. And he joins a group of busy Brits in the ultimate food challenge - living food free. How will they fare after seven days on nothing but nutrient rich shakes?

Technology expert Dr Shini Somara (pictured) tries out an extraordinary new chocolate made with far less sugar, all thanks to the power of mushrooms. And discovers a supermarket in Shanghai where you don’t need cash or a credit card to buy your groceries because you can pay with your face.

Blood And Gold: The Making Of Spain

If you are fascinated by local history, Blood And

Gold: The Making Of Spain With Simon Sebag

Montefiore on BBC Four on Tuesday is not to be missed.

In this rich and thrilling three part series, Simon embarks on a fascinating journey to unlock 2,000 years of Spain’s history.

In the first episode Simon explores the early years of the country, when Iberia was a minor province of Carthage - then the most coveted of Rome’s colonies - through to the glories of Spain's Moslem age and the Córdoba Caliphate.

Simon travels to Cadiz with Spain’s first invaders and visits a sacred island where the Carthaginian warrior Hannibal received the blessing of the Gods. We learn how early Spain was a battleground for empires and visit Italica - a perfectly preserved Roman city with one of the finest amphitheatres outside Rome. From there this episode covers the early, brazen Christian Martyrs; the Visigoths and the Moslem conquest.

Prey

Wednesday - ITV Critically acclaimed actress Rosie Cavaliero (The Enfield Haunting, Inside No.9) is joined by Philip Glenister (Life on Mars, Mad Dogs), MyAnna Buring (Banished, Ripper Street), Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (Utopia, Misfits), Ralph Ineson (Game Of Thrones, The Office) and Sammy Winward (Emmerdale) for the second series of ITV’s gripping drama Prey.

Written by Prey creator Chris Lunt, the new three-part story will see Rosie reprise her role as DS Susan Reinhardt the no-nonsense, hard-working cop now reporting to DCI Mike Ward (Ralph Ineson).

Philip Glenister takes the role of Prison Officer David Murdoch whose life becomes complicated when on a routine visit to a Manchester hospital with female prisoner Jules Hope (MyAnna Buring) events spiral out of control. David takes a phone call that will change his life forever.

With the life of his heavily pregnant daughter, Lucy (Sammy Winward), threatened, David has no alternative but to go on the run and inadvertently becomes the prey.

Unaware of the danger to Lucy, DS Susan Reinhardt, whose personal happiness seems forever blighted, tries to unravel why David is suddenly behaving totally out of character. With his reputation as a prison officer intact, Reinhardt tries to understand why he is now making every effort to dodge the police.

Reinhardt and her new colleague, DC Richard Iddon (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett), set off on a thrilling pursuit as a desperate David handcuffs himself to Jules. She is his only bargaining tool as he sets out to move ‘heaven and earth’ to find his beloved daughter.

The cast of Prey also includes Kieran O’Brien (Silk, Love Life) and Lisa Millet (Cucumber, The Paradise).

In episode one on Wednesday we meet David Murcoch, a middle-aged prison officer; widowed, living alone, he has one grownup daughter, Lucy, who is pregnant. She is his world.

When Jules Hope, an inmate at Ravenhill Prison, is taken ill, it’s Murdoch who escorts her to hospital. But while Jules is waiting for treatment, Murdoch gets a phone call with an ultimatum that turns his life upside down.

If Murdoch wants to see his daughter again, he must break Jules out of hospital and deliver her to the man holding Lucy captive. If he talks to the police, Lucy will die.

Murdoch knows he has no choice but to comply. But when the plan goes awry he is forced to take matters into his own hands.

Pursued by Ds Susan Reinhardt, Murdoch finds himself in a race against time to evade the law and save his daughter’s life.

Simply Nigella Nigella delivers her final serving of feel-good food, sharing as she does the origins of some of her latest recipe ideas and revealing just how and why they came into being.

There’s a beautiful bowl of steamed clams with Thai basil - a recipe that was inspired by Nigella’s recent holiday to Thailand. Having fallen in love with a similar dish whilst there, it wasn’t long until she found a way to recreate the same intense flavours back at home.

Then there’s Nigella’s toasty olive oil granola, which was born out of a need to have a satisfying breakfast at the ready, even on the busiest of mornings. Hunger pangs at the other end of the day led to Nigella’s griddled halloumi with a sweet chilli sauce – first rustled up after getting home late and ravenous one night, it has since become a favourite speedy supper.

Finally, Nigella’s friends are treated to a ‘bav and pav’ feast for supper - griddled bavette steak for main course, followed by a luscious Lemon Pavlova for pud.

Friday 4th December 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Fake Britain 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Oxford Street Revealed 12:45 Rip Off Britain 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 News 14:45 Doctors 15:15 The Doctor Blake Mysteries 16:10 Escape to the Country 17:15 Flog It 18:15 Pointless 19:00 News 20:00 The One Show

07:30 Homes Under the Hammer 08:30 Oxford Street Revealed 09:15 An Island Parish: Falklands 09:45 Great British Menu 10:15 Victoria Derbyshire 12:00 News 13:00 The Daily Politics 14:00 Snooker: UK Championship 2015 19:00 Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two

20:30 Would I Lie to You? Celebrity guests reveal amazing stories about themselves, some of which are true and some of which are not

20:00 Mastermind John Humphrys invites four more contenders to answer questions in the black chair. The subjects are World War II in Europe, Josephine Butler, 21:00 EastEnders Kim Freemasonry and Pete makes a shocking discov- Seeger ery 20:30 Match of the Day v City 21:30 Citizen Khan While Live:Salford trying to teach Baby Mo to Hartlepool United Dan play cricket, Mr Khan dis- Walker presents live covercovers that his grandson age of Salford City’s home might be psychic match against Hartlepool United in the FA Cup second 22:00 Have I Got News for You Satirical news quiz with round. With a spot in the FA Alexander Cup third round up for grabs host guest and a potential tie against a Armstrong Premier League club, who 22:30 Peter Kay’s Car will write their name into FA Share An unfortunate event Cup folklore this weekend? at work means John and Kayleigh get to take the 23:00 An Island Parish: morning off together Falklands 23:30 Newsnight 00:35 Artsnight 00:00 23:00 News 23:35 The Snooker 01:25 Film - The Graham Norton Show 00:20 Josh 00:50 Film - Old Salton Sea (18) 03:00 04:00 Time School (15) 02:20 Weather Question for the Week Ahead 02:25 Imagine 05:30 This is BBC Two News

SOAPS

In Emmerdale Leyla tells Jai how Nikhil branded her a gold digger. Megan is grateful when Nikhil offers to take her to the hospital.

Jai sees them together and berates Nikhil for what he said to Leyla.

Later, Nikhil apologises to Leyla and she agrees to forgive him for David’s sake. However, Priya is suspicious when he grows flustered trying to cover where he’s been with Megan today.

Meanwhile, Tess is taken aback when Paddy tells her about his and Rhona’s adoption meeting, but she also has news of her own.

In Coronation Street, After a sleepless night, Sarah asks the nurse not to tell anyone about her pregnancy. Audrey, Gail and Bethany discuss Sarah’s accident and how she was rowing with David before she tripped. Kylie is suspicious.

In the hospital, Billy tells Gail that he’s been worried about Sarah.

Sarah assures Gail that she wasn’t trying to take her own life and was run over by accident. Unable to contain her doubts, Kylie confronts David, accusing him of pushing Sarah in front

Morning Good 07:00 Britain 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 Jeremy Kyle 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 News 15:00 Judge Rinder 16:00 1000 Heartbeats 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Chase 19:00 News 20:00 Emmerdale Megan turns to Nikhil for support 20:30 Coronation Street Kylie assumes the worst of her husband Italian Gino’s 21:00 Escape: Islands in the D’Acampo Gino Sun arrives in Palermo, the capital city of Sicily, and a place he has never visited before. This portside city immediately stops him in his tracks with its vibrant street food culture and fascinating history 21:30 Coronation Street Nick and Carla make it official 22:00 I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here The competition is ramping up and tiredness is taking over, but who is in reach of the Jungle Crown?

The Courier TV Pull-out - 3

07:00 Countdown 07:45 3rd Rock from the Sun 08:35 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 11:30 Undercover Boss USA 12:30 Come Dine with Me 13:00 News 13:05 Come Dine with Me 15:10 Deal or No Deal 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Posh Pawnbrokers 18:00 Couples Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 News 21:00 TFI Friday The new series of Chris Evans’ entertainment show continues, from its new home in central London, with new features, raucous stunts and guests include Kylie Minogue, Daniel Radcliffe, Florence and The Machine, Mumford and Sons, and Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats 22:00 Gogglebox Britain’s favourite opinionated TV viewers share their sharp, insightful, passionate and sometimes emotional critiques of the week’s biggest and best shows

23:00 Alan Carr: Chatty Man 00:05 First Dates 01:10 Rude Tube 02:05 Film - Black Swan (15) 23:00 News and Weather 03:50 Four Rooms 04:45 23:40 Film - Mercury Rising You Deserve This House (15) 01:45 Jackpot247 05:40 Hugh’s 3 Good 04:00 Jeremy Kyle USA Things 05:50 Deal or No 04:45 ITV Nightscreen Deal of the van to stop her from blabbing!

Meanwhile, when Carla announces that she and Nick are engaged, Johnny and Aidan are thrilled for her. However, when they break the news of their engagement to Gail, will she be as pleased?

In part two, Carla confides in Michelle that she’s worried Nick might be having second thoughts about marrying her. Michelle

07:00 Milkshake 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 News 12:25 Film - Deck the Halls (PG) 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS 16:15 Film Gift of the Magi 18:00 News 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 News 20:00 The UK’s Strongest Man 2015 Action from the final of the annual contest at the Crumlin Road Gaol in Belfast, where eight men from across the British Isles competed in five gruelling events including the Farmer’s Walk, Giant Log Press and Barbell Squat 21:00 Ice Road Truckers Darrell and Todd fight their way through a recordbreaking snowfall. The remaining team members find themselves lost in the wild with no sign of help 22:00 NCIS: New Orleans Pride suspects a mole among the ranks, as NCIS and local law enforcement continue to track the Broussard Syndicate and a potentially city-destroying threat 23:00 NCIS 00:50 Access 01:00 Super Casino 04:10 Secrets of Great British Castles 05:00 Secrets of Rome’s Colosseum 05:45 House Doctor

reckons she’s worrying over nothing. In front of both families, Nick produces an engagement ring, gets down on one knee and places it on Carla’s finger.

Kathy manage to build bridges, but it’s not long before Bobby makes a decision that’s bound to cause trouble when he moves all of his things back to his old room

Also, Michael confesses to Gail that the reason he’s helping Dee is that he burgled her house and can’t possibly accept a Good Samaritan award as he feels such a fraud. Arriving home drunk, Michael throws his invite in the bin, announcing to a baffled Eileen that he won’t be attending.

Ian is upset when Jane fails to turn up to the Christmas light switch-on, but he goes ahead regardless with Kathy by his side.

As the Square celebrates the Christmas tree lights, Jane finds herself in an argument with Bobby back at home..

In Eastenders, Bobby remains upset about having to move bedrooms.

The atmosphere at the Beale house improves slightly when Jane and

07:00 The Hot Desk 07:10 Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records 07:35 Psych 08:20 Emmerdale 09:20 You’ve Been Framed 09:50 Dinner Date 10:50 Psych 11:40 I’m a Celebrity 13:10 Emmerdale 14:15 You’ve Been Framed 14:40 Dinner Date 15:40 Jeremy Kyle 19:00 I’m a Celebrity 20:30 Film - Back to the Future (PG) 22:45 The Hot Desk 23:00 I’m a Celebrity 00:05 Keith Lemon’s Back T’future Tribute 01:35 Two and a Half Men ITV3 07:00 Movies Now 07:10 George and Mildred 07:35 Heartbeat 08:40 Murder, She Wrote 09:35 Where the Heart is 10:40 Judge Judy 12:00 A Touch of Frost 14:05 Heartbeat 15:10 Wild at Heart 16:10 Where the Heart is 17:15 Doctor at Large 17:50 On the Buses 18:20 George and Mildred 18:55 Heartbeat 20:00 Murder, She Wrote 21:00 Doc Martin 22:00 Foyle’s War 00:00 A Touch of Frost 02:00 Film - Closing the Ring (12) ITV4 07:00 Gunsmoke 07:50 The Sweeney 08:45 Minder 09:45 Alias Smith and Jones 10:50 Gunsmoke 11:55 The Professionals 12:55 The Sweeney 13:55 Minder 14:55 Pawn Stars 15:50 Gunsmoke 16:55 Alias Smith and Jones 18:00 The Professionals 19:00 The Sweeney 20:00 Pawn Stars 21:00 The Car Chasers 22:00 Film - The Enforcer (18) 00:05 Film Child’s Play 3 (18) 01:55 Film - The Chronicles of Riddick (15)

08:00 Peter Hurst, 11:00 Dennis Christian, 13:00 Alex Trelinski, 16:00 Andy James, 18:00 Suzy G

Saturday 5th December

4 - The Courier TV Pull-out

07:00 Breakfast 11:00 Saturday Kitchen 12:30 Simply Nigella 13:00 News 13:10 Football Focus 14:00 Snooker: UK Championship 2015 17:30 Final Score 18:20 Celebrity Mastermind 18:50 News 19:10Pointless 20:00 Strictly Come Dancing The six remaining couples are dancing to songs from the world’s biggest musicals, competing for a place in the semifinals 21:00 Doctor Who The Doctor faces a bittersweet homecoming as, betrayed and trapped, with both his hearts broken, he demonstrates just how far he would be willing to go if someone took everything he cared about from him 22:05 Casualty The festive season is upon us, but as the harsh conditions bring some people together, others are torn apart 22:55 The National Lottery Live 23:05 News 23:25 Match of the Day 00:55 The Apprentice 01:55 Weather for the Week Ahead 02:00 News

07:10 Race to Super Bowl 50 08:00 Film - The Amazing Mr Blunden (U) 09:35 Film - Beverly Hills 11:00 (U) Chihuahua Ronnie’s Animal Crackers 12:00 The Wonder of Animals 12:30 Animal Park 13:00 My Life on a Plate 13:45 Len and Ainsley’s Big Food Adventure 15:15 Film - Saboteur (PG) 17:00 Flog it! Trade Secrets 17:30 UK : Snooker Championship 2015 18:30 The Great Pottery Throw Down 19:30 Dad’s Army

07:00 Fort Boyard Ultimate Challenge 07:25 Pat and Stan 07:35 Dino Dan: Trek’s Adventures 08:00 Share a Story 08:05 Oddbods 08:10 Sooty 08:25 Super 4 08:40 Adventure Time 09:00 Marvel’s Avengers Assemble 09:30 Thunderbirds are Go 10:00 Jessie 10:25 News 10:30 Murder, She Wrote 11:25 Countrywise 11:55 Jeremy Kyle 13:00 News 13:05 Jeremy Kyle 14:10 Judge Rinder 15:15 Doc Martin 16:20 Film - ET The ExtraTerrestrial (PG) 18:30 Regional News 18:45 Catchphrase 19:45 News

Snooker:UK 20:00 Championship 2015 Hazel Irvine introduces coverage of the second semi-final from the Barbican Centre in York, as the tournament widely regarded as the second-most prestigious on the calendar continues.

With commentary by Steve Davis, Ken Doherty and Stephen Hendry

20:00 The Chase: Celebrity Special Another selection of celebrity contestants pit their wits against the Chaser

23:00 QI XL 23:45 Film Glory (15) 01:40 Film Come As You Are (15) 03:25 This is BBC Two

Show 00:40 News 00:55 The Chase 01:45 Jackpot247 04:00 Jeremy Kyle USA 04:40 ITV Nightscreen

07:10 King of Queen 08:25 Mobil 1 The Grid 08:55 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 The Morning Line 11:00 Frasier 12:00 The Big Bang Theory 13:25 The Simpsons 14:25 Racing: Sandown Park and Aintree 17:00 Come Dine with Me 19:30 News 20:00 The Great Polar Bear Feast Documentary charting the extraordinary gathering of polar bears that occurs every year in early September off the Arctic coast of Alaska 21:00 The World’s Weirdest Weather A look at icy waves in the Arctic and earthquakes in England

21:00 The X Factor The 22:00 Film - Non-Stop singing competition reach- (12) An air marshal springs into action during a transates the semi-final stage lantic flight after receiving a 22:30 I’m a Celebrity, Get series of text messages Me Out of Here Ant and that put his fellow passenDec present more celebrity gers at risk unless the airjungle action line transfers $150 million 23:35 The Jonathan Ross into an off-shore account 00:10 TFI Friday 01:10 Film - The Descendants (15) 03:10 Fargo 04:15 Hollyoaks Omnibus

07:00 Milkshake 09:55 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 10:30 The Saturday Show 12:30 Film - A Christmas Promise (PG) 14:15 Film - Hats Off to Christmas 16:00 Film A Snow Globe Christmas (PG) 17:50 Film - The Christmas Spirit (U) 19:35 News 19:40 Fail Army 20:05 Ultimate Police Interceptors Reality documentary series featuring highlights of the elite highspeed road policing units in Lincolnshire, Durham and Cleveland 21:05 Can’t Pay? We’ll Take it Away Series following the work of High Court enforcement agents 22:00 Football League Tonight Extended highlights of the weekend’s top matches, as well as all the goals from the Championship, League One and League Two, including Leeds United v Hull City at Elland Road 23:30 Live Boxing 01:00 Film - Reservoir Dogs (18) 02:45 Super Casino 04:10 Dino Autopsy 05:50 Make it Big

14:20 The Hot Desk 14:30 Scorpion 15:25 Film - The Polar Express (U) 17:20 You’ve Been Framed 17:45 I’m a Celebrity 18:50 Film Lost in Space (PG) 21:20 Film - Back to the Future Part II (PG) 23:35 I’m a Celebrity 00:35 The Keith Lemon Sketch Show ITV3 13:55 Film - Carry on Screaming (PG) 15:55 A Touch of Frost 18:00 Columbo 19:55 Doc Martin 21:00 Midsomer Murders 23:00 Foyle’s War ITV4 14:40 Storage Wars New York 15:45 Film - The Secret War of Harry Frigg 18:00 The Car Chasers 19:00 Fifth Gear 20:00 Storage Wars Texas 21:00 River Monsters 22:00 Film - Texas Killing Fields (15)

09:00 Trev Massey, 12:00 Gordon Lack, 15:00 Keith Nicol

Sunday 6th December 07:15 A to Z of TV Big 08:00 Gardening Dreams Small Spaces 09:00 Countryfile 10:00 An Island Parish: Falklands 10:30 Saturday Kitchen Best Bites 12:00 Len and Food Big Ainsley’s Adventure 12:45 Terry and Mason’s Great Food Trip 13:15 MOTD2 Extra 14:00 UK Snooker: 20:20 Strictly Come Championship 2015 19:00 Dancing The results of the Match of the Day: FA Cup viewers’ votes from last Highlights night Snooker:UK 20:00 21:00 Antiques Championship 2015 Hazel Roadshow Fiona Bruce Irvine presents coverage of presents the show from the concluding session of Balmoral the final from the Barbican 22:00 The Hunt A look at Centre in York, as the tourhow predators hunt on the nament widely regarded as coast, both in the water and the second-most prestion land. The environment is gious on the calendar in a constant state of comes to an end. With a change as the tides ebb commentary team including and flow, so any opportuni- Dennis Taylor, Stephen ties to feed must be taken Hendry and Steve Davis quickly Subsequent programmes are subject to change 23:00 News 23:30 Match of the Day 2 00:20 Citizen Khan 00:50 The Graham 00:00 Film - Brooklyn’s 02:05 (18) Norton Show 01:35 Finest Weather for the Week Countryfile 03:00 Holby City 04:00 This is BBC Two Ahead 01:40 News

07:00 Breakfast 08:25 Match of the Day 10:00 The Andrew Marr Show 11:00 Fern Britton Meets Linford Christie 12:00 Sunday Politics 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 News 14:15 Escape to the Country 14:45 FA Cup Final Score 17:15 Songs of Praise 17:50 The Hunt 18:50 News 19:20 Countryfile

07:00 Fort Boyard Ultimate Challenge 07:25 Pat and Stan 07:35 Dino Dan: Trek’s Adventures 08:00 Share a Story 08:05 Oddbods 08:10 Sooty 08:25 Super 4 08:40 The Matt Hatter Chronicles 09:00 Marvel’s Avengers Assemble 09:30 Fish Hooks 10:00 Jessie 10:25 News 10:30 Murder, She Wrote 11:25 Jeremy Kyle 13:35 News 13:45 Jeremy Kyle 14:50 The Chase 15:55 The X Factor 17:30 Film - The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (12) 19:30 News

07:10 King of Queens 07:35 Challenge Mallorca 08:05 World Superbike Review of the Year 08:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:30 Frasier 10:30 Sunday Brunch 13:45 The Big Bang Theory 15:35 The Simpsons 16:35 Film - Journey to the Center of the Earth (PG) 18:25 Film - The Jungle Book (U) 20:00 News

20:30 World’s Weirdest Homes Architectural designer Charlie Luxton presents the world’s 20 weirdest, most fascinating and jaw-dropping homes, 20:00 Jekyll and Hyde Robert agrees to help the counting down to reveal what he thinks is the weirdsecretive MIO agency est house on earth.

21:00 The X Factor Results Show The results 22:00 Homeland The of the weekend’s viewers’ Central Intelligence Agency and the German foreign vote intelligence agency BND 22:00 I’m a Celebrity, Get both make a play Me Out of Here The final of 23:05 Gogglebox 00:05 the 15th series Film - The Five-Year 23:35 News 23:50 Rugby Engagement (15) 02:15 Highlights 00:50 Off Their Alan Carr: Chatty Man Obsessive Rockers 01:15 Jackpot247 03:10 Cleaners 04:00 Motorsport UK 04:50 Compulsive 04:00 Four in a Bed ITV Nightscreen

07:00 Milkshake 10:40 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 11:15 Football League Tonight 12:40 The Gadget Show 13:45 Film Christmas Mix 15:30 Film Call Me Claus (PG) 17:20 Film - Santa Who? (U) 19:10 Film - Bruce Almighty (12) A TV reporter blames God for the worst day of his life, not expecting Him to then bestow his divine powers upon him to see if he could do a better job 21:10 Film - Bulletproof Monk (12) Martial arts comedy, based on the comic book strip of the same name, in which a Tibetan monk enlists the help of a pickpocket in order to protect an immortality-giving scroll from a new generation of Nazis 22:55 News 23:00 Film Django Unchained (18) 02:15 Super Casino 04:10 Police Ultimate Interceptors 05:00 House Doctor 05:25 Make it Big

13:35 I’m a Celebrity 14:35 You’ve Been Framed 15:35 Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas 16:35 Film - The Polar Express (U) 18:35 I’m a Celebrity 19:40 Film Back to the Future Part III (PG) 22:00 The Xtra Factor 23:00 You’ve Been Framed 23:35 I’m a Celebrity ITV3 13:50 Columbo 15:50 Rosemary and Thyme 16:50 Wycliffe 17:55 Agatha Christie’s Marple 20:00 Sunday Night at the Palladium 21:00 Lewis 23:00 Film - The Constant Gardener (15) ITV4 14:35 Pawn Stars 16:25 Film - The ‘Burbs (PG) 18:30 Film Blues Brothers 2000 (PG) 21:00 Rugby Highlights 22:00 Film - Kull the Conqueror (15)

09:00 Trev Massey, 12:00 Gordon Lack, 15:00 Tony De Love

Monday 7th December

6 - The Courier TV Pull-out

07:15 Fake Britain 08:00 Oxford Street Revealed 08:45 Flog it! Trade Secrets 09:15 Caught Red Handed 09:45 Thief Trackers 10:15 Victoria Derbyshire 12:00 News 13:00 The Daily Politics 14:00 Cash in the Attic 14:45 Pressure Pad 15:30 The Great British Bake Off 16:30 The Great Antiques Map of Britain 17:00 The World’s Most 17:30 Photographed Wogan: The Best of 18:15 19:00 Hunt Bargain Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes 20:30 Fake Britain Matt Two reveals the fake high-end sausages being sold at 20:00 Match of the Day some farmers’ markets Live coverage of 2015’s FA Cup third-round draw from 21:00 EastEnders Kathy Cardiff makes a worrying discovery 20:30 Only Connect Quiz 21:30 The Taliban Hunters show Mobeen Azhar joins Police University Superintendent Ijaz and his 21:00 Challenge Quiz show team of Taliban hunters as they try to regain control of 21:30 Simply Nigella the city Nigella shares the origins of some of her ideas, reveal22:00 Tomorrow’s Food ing just how and why they Chef Angela Hartnett heads came into being to Holland to investigate the future of the burger and find 22:00 London Spy Danny out how a 3D printer could finally discovers the shocksoon become an essential ing truth about what really happened to his lover kitchen gadget

07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Sister Rita to the Rescue 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Oxford Street Revealed 12:45 13:15 Finders Family Bargain Hunt 14:00 News 14:45 Doctors 15:15 The Doctor Blake Mysteries 16:10 Escape to the Home 16:40 Country Comforts at Christmas 17:25 Flog It 18:15 Pointless 19:00 News 20:00 The One Show

23:00 News 23:35 Have I Got a Bit More News for You 00:20 Doctor in the House 01:20 Weather for the Week Ahead 01:25 News

SOAPS

In Emmerdale, It’s the day of Rhona and Paddy’s adoption interview. As Paddy and Vanessa argue at the surgery, Paddy accidentally reveals Rhona’s drug addiction in front of the social worker.

They quickly try to backtrack as Rhona arrives, but the social worker is already questioning whether or not she can be trusted. Has Paddy ruined

07:00 Countdown 07:45 3rd Rock from the Sun 08:35 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 11:00 Undercover Boss USA 12:00 Jamie’s Comfort Food 12:30 Jamie’s Comfort Food 13:00 News 13:05 Come Dine with Me 15:10 Deal or 20:00 Emmerdale Paddy No Deal 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Posh Pawnbrokers is under pressure 18:00 Couples Come Dine 20:30 Coronation Street with Me 19:00 The Rob’s return spells trouble Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 News for Tracy 07:00 Good Morning Britain 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 Jeremy Kyle 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 News 15:00 Judge Rinder 16:00 1000 Heartbeats 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Chase 19:00 News

21:00 The Martin Lewis Money Show Martin Lewis and Saira Khan offer more money-saving tips, including how to secure the cheapest EasyJet flights for next year

20:30 Turner Prize 2015 Live coverage the ceremony 21:00 Dispatches Is the Government’s flagship apprenticeships scheme working?

23:00 Live at the Apollo 23:30 Newsnight 00:15 Ireland with Simon Reeve 01:15 The Apprentice 02:15 The Great Pottery Throw Down 03:15 This is BBC Two

21:30 Coronation Street 21:30 The Shopper’s Sarah turns to Todd Guide to Saving Money Kate and Dave sniff out a 22:00 Las Vegas with bargain this time in two disTrevor Mcdonald First in a tinctly smelly worlds: pertwo-part documentary fume and gas which sees Trevor explore the city of Las Vegas, meet- 22:00 Hunting the ing some of the 13 million Paedophiles The hunt to inhabitants whose lives find the offender who got play out in the shadow of hundreds of British teenage the Strip. There he encoun- boys to send indecent ters people who have won images of themselves to and lost big and those who what they thought was a have experienced both the teenage girl online glamour and the violence of the place 23:00 Fargo 00:15 The World’s Most Famous Train 23:00 News and Weather 01:15 Hotel Hell 02:00 The 23:40 Travel Guides 00:40 Undateables 02:55 Film Murder, She Wrote 01:30 Play (15) 04:55 Four Jackpot247 04:00 Jeremy Rooms 05:45 Location, Kyle 04:55 ITV Nightscreen Location, Location

their chances of adoption?

revenge on Tracy.

Meanwhile, Megan panics that her secret is out when Brenda discovers she is pregnant. Later, Sam is defensive when Jai questions him over Megan and Nikhil’s relationship, having seen how close they’re getting. Seeing Sam’s clear feelings, Jai enjoys taunting him over Megan.

Jai also makes a phone call to Tanya, but what is he planning this time?

Tracy is gutted when Robert sends her a text cancelling their drink and then she spots him leaving in a cab with Leanne and Simon. Soon afterwards in the prison visiting room, Tracy goes ahead with seeing Rob...

In Coronation Street, Tracy is taken aback when she receives a visiting order from Rob in prison.

As Robert approaches, she shoves it in her pocket. In his prison cell, Rob tells his cellmate that he intends to have his

In part two, Rob tells Tracy that he’s tried to forget about her, but can’t as she still means the world to him. Telling Tracy how

lonely he is, Rob begs her to stay a bit longer and wonders if she’s met somebody else. Tracy lies to him, denying that she’s in any relationship.

In Eastenders, Kathy heads home after the Christmas lights switch-on and is shocked when Bobby tells her that Jane is hurt. When Jane regains consciousness, she covers for Bobby by telling Kathy that she tripped down the stairs.

Later, Ben arrives at the pub and tells Sharon that he thinks Phil has bought more alcohol. Sharon tells Ben that she knows what she’s doing, but this sparks tensions with Kathy. Kathy is touched

07:00 Milkshake 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:45 Film - A Snow Globe Christmas (PG) 14:30 News 14:35 Neighbours 15:05 Film - A Perfect Christmas 16:45 Film Lucky Christmas (PG) 18:30 News 19:00 Neighbours 19:30 News 20:00 The Gadget Show The gang each take on a part of the big day. Amy provides the ultimate Christmas day wake-up, Ortis transforms his living room into a grotto, Jon has a techy take on a festive feast and Jason is in charge of the entertainment 21:00 Impractical Jokers The guys return to White Castle, pose as bouncers at a night club and read horoscopes to patrons at a mall 22:00 On Benefits: Benefit Beauty Queens Documentary looking at families on benefits who aspire to glamorous lifestyles 23:00 Danger: Teen Bingers 00:00 Britain’s Craziest Christmas Lights 01:00 Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild UK 01:50 Super Casino 04:10 Loch Lomond: A Year in the Wild 05:00 Wildlife SOS 05:25 HouseBusters 05:45 House Doctor when Jane supports her and they go off to The Albert for a drink together.

Meanwhile, a shocked Kim demands to know why Vincent has drugs. Vincent starts to spin a story, but Kim is sceptical and forces him to come clean with the truth. Vincent’s story still doesn’t ring true for Kim, but when Claudette arrives and panics that Kim knows what’s going on, it confirms that Vincent isn’t lying.

07:00 The Hot Desk 07:10 Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records 07:35 Psych 08:20 Emmerdale 08:50 Coronation Street 09:50 The Cube 10:50 Psych 11:40 I’m a Celebrity 13:10 Emmerdale 13:40 Coronation Street 14:40 Celebrity Catchphrase 15:40 Jeremy Kyle 19:00 I’m a Celebrity 20:30 You’ve Been Framed 21:00 Two and a Half Men 22:00 Through the Keyhole 23:00 Film American Pie: The Wedding (15) 01:00 Two and a Half Men 01:55 Scorpion ITV3 07:00 On the Buses 07:25 George and Mildred 07:50 Heartbeat 08:55 Murder, She Wrote 09:45 Where the Heart is 10:45 Judge Judy 12:05 A Touch of Frost 14:05 Heartbeat 15:10 Wild at Heart 16:15 Where the Heart is 17:20 On the Buses 18:25 George and Mildred 18:55 Heartbeat 20:00 Murder, She Wrote 21:00 Agatha Christie’s Marple 23:00 Law and Order: UK 00:00 Cold Blood 01:35 Where the Heart is ITV4 07:00 Goals of the 80s 07:10 Gunsmoke 08:00 The Professionals 09:00 Minder 10:05 Alias Smith and Jones 11:10 Gunsmoke 12:15 The Professionals 13:20 Minder 14:20 Pawn Stars 15:15 Gunsmoke 16:20 Alias Smith and Jones 18:00 The Professionals 19:00 Kojak 20:00 Pawn Stars 21:00 Storage Wars New York 22:00 Film - The Sentinel (12) 00:15 Bundesliga 01:15 Rugby Highlights 02:15 Motorsport UK 03:05 Ax Men

08:00 Peter Hurst, 11:00 Dennis Christian, 13:00 Alex Trelinski, 16:00 Andy James, 18:00 Suzy G

Tuesday 8th December 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Sister Rita to the Rescue 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Oxford Street Revealed 12:45 Family Finders 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 News 14:45 Doctors 15:15 The Doctor Blake Mysteries 16:10 Escape to the Country 16:40 Home Comforts at Christmas 17:25 Flog It 18:15 Pointless 19:00 News 20:00 The One Show 20:30 EastEnders Ronnie is forced to do the unthinkable 21:00 Holby City Sparks fly as Fran and Jac clash over the treatment of a patient 22:00 Capital As the police investigation into the ‘We Want What You Have’ campaign leads them in an unexpected direction, DI Mill hopes to secure a confession - but has he got the right person? Elsewhere, as Smitty’s new artwork reaches completion, he makes a startling discovery. Will this lead to his biggest secret being revealed?

23:00 News 23:35 Imagine 00:45 Live at the Apollo 01:15 Weather for the Week Ahead 01:20 News

SOAPS

In Emmerdale, Paddy returns to the village after spending the night with Tess. Rhona then accidentally takes his phone with her as she heads off on a job.

Later, Rhona returns and is about to give the phone back when a message from Tess comes through.

She is stunned to see that Tess has sent Paddy a saucy text. How will he get

07:15 Oxford Street Revealed 08:00 Home Comforts at Christmas 08:45 Flog it! Trade Secrets 09:15 Ireland with Simon Reeve 10:15 Victoria Derbyshire 12:00 News 13:00 The Daily Politics 14:00 Cash in the Attic 14:45 Pressure Pad 15:30 The Great British Bake Off 16:30 The Great Antiques Map of Britain 17:00 The World’s Most Photographed 17:30 Wogan: The Best of 18:15 Bargain Hunt 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two 20:00 Celebrity Antiques Road Trip Phyllis Logan goes head to head with her husband Kevin McNally 21:00 MasterChef: The Professionals The 12 remaining chefs cook off against each other for the first time 22:00 The Great Pottery Throw Down It is the grand final and the four remaining potters have just three tests left before one is crowned the winner 23:00 Mock the Week 23:30 Newsnight 00:15 Race to Super Bowl 50 01:05 This is Tottenham 02:05 The Hunt 03:05 The Naked Choir with Gareth Malone 04:05 This is BBC Two out of this?

Meanwhile, Megan plans to leave the village as she fears it’s only a matter of time before news of her pregnancy spreads. Nikhil offers to loan Leyla all of the money she needs to buy out Megan from the business with zero interest.

In Eastenders, It’s the day of Lucy’s birthday and Kathy warns Bobby that she has to tell Ian the truth about him pushing Jane down the stairs. When Kathy and Ian help Martin on the stall, Ian opens up about his love for Bobby, which prompts Kathy to realise that it may be best to keep quiet.

Back home, Kathy tells

07:00 Good Morning Britain 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 Jeremy Kyle 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 News 15:00 Judge Rinder 16:00 1000 Heartbeats 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Chase 19:00 News 20:00 Emmerdale Megan looks for a way out 20:30 The Royal Variety Performance Comedian Jack Whitehall hosts this year’s Royal Variety Performance from the Royal Albert Hall in the presence of Prince Harry.

The show features performances from Sir Elton John, One Direction, Kylie Minogue, Ricky Martin and Britain’s Got Talent winners Jules, Matisse and Friends. The cast of Mary Poppins perform songs from their show, the spectacular Cirque du Soleil are back in town, and there is an excerpt from the award-winning comedy The Play That Goes Wrong.

Comedians Romesh Ranganathan, Matt Forde and Chris Ramsey provide even more laughs on this exceptional night of entertainment 23:05 News and Weather 23:45 The Jonathan Ross Show 00:50 Freeze Out 01:40 Jackpot247 04:00 Loose Women 04:45 ITV Nightscreen Jane that she knows what happened, but Jane storms out when Kathy suggests that Bobby may need help. However, when Bobby’s bad behaviour continues, Jane starts to have doubts and privately confides in Kathy about her fears.

Meanwhile, Vincent tells Ronnie that the day has arrived for him to take Phil down and enlists her help with setting him up.

Ronnie successfully follows Vincent’s instructions

The Courier TV Pull-out - 7

07:00 Countdown 07:45 3rd Rock from the Sun 08:35 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 11:00 Undercover Boss USA 12:00 Jamie’s Comfort Food 13:00 News 13:05 Come Dine with Me 15:10 Deal or No Deal 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Posh Pawnbrokers 18:00 Couples Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 News 20:55 The Political Slot

07:00 Milkshake 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:45 Film The Christmas Spirit (U) 14:30 News 14:35 Neighbours 15:05 Film - All I Want for Christmas (PG) 16:45 Film - A Bride for Christmas 18:30 News 19:00 Neighbours 19:30 News 20:00 Kids’ Hospital at Christmas Three-part series following staff and patients at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital over the festive season

21:00 Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas It’s the 50th anniversary of Christmas favourite The Sound of Music, and Kirstie is in Austria to celebrate and to learn how to make a few of her favourite things

21:00 Crackers About Christmas Documentary about people who celebrate Christmas all year round, including a man for whom every day is Christmas Day, a Welsh great-grandma obsessed with Christmas baubles 22:00 8 Out of 10 Cats and Britain’s oldest Father Christmas who has set up Does Countdown Jimmy a school for Santas Carr hosts a festive edition of the comedy panel quiz 22:00 Meet the P s y c h o p a t h s 23:00 That’s So Last Documentary series in Century 00:00 Tattoo which leading psychiatrist Fixers 01:05 Professor Tony Maden PokerstarsCom Shark assesses what makes a Cage 02:00 KOTV Boxing psychopath different from Weekly 02:25 Gillette the rest of the population World Sport 02:55 Mobil 1 23:00 CSI: Cyber 23:55 The Grid 03:20 World Law and Order: Special Superbike Review of the Victims Unit 01:40 Super Year 03:50 Challenge Casino 04:10 GPs: Behind Mallorca 04:15 You Closed Doors 05:00 Deserve This House 05:10 Wildlife SOS 05:25 Divine Location, Location, Designs 05:45 House Doctor Location at The Albert, but she also warns him that Phil is dangerous. Later, Kim tells Denise and Patrick that someone has put an offer on her share of the house.

one. When Caroline’s mother arrives, Jesse recognises her and is left reeling.

In Holby City, Keen to secure his career change from anaesthesia to surgery, Jesse jumps at the chance to impress Hanssen and assist in theatre. When bike accident patient Caroline is admitted, Jesse is unnerved as she reminds him of some-

Elsewhere, Cara is down in the dumps. When she hits it off with a flirtatious patient, Fletch and Raf see an opportunity to cheer her up. They encourage the patient to ask her out, but will their efforts to play Cupid backfire?

Jesse springs into action when Caroline begins to bleed, but her mother remembers him as the surgeon who operated on Caroline’s sister, who died in surgery 20 years ago.

She is distraught and wants him to have nothing to do with her daughter’s treatment.

07:00 The Hot Desk 07:10 Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records 07:35 Psych 08:20 Emmerdale 08:50 Coronation Street 09:50 The Cube 10:50 Psych 11:40 All Star Family Fortunes Christmas Special 12:45 You’ve Been Framed 13:10 Emmerdale 13:40 Coronation Street 14:40 Catchphrase 15:40 Jeremy Kyle 19:00 Judge Rinder 20:00 You’ve Been Framed 21:00 Two and a Half Men 22:00 Film - The Dark Knight (12) 01:00 Two and a Half Men 02:00 The Vampire Diaries ITV3 07:00 Movies Now 07:10 George and Mildred 07:35 Heartbeat 08:40 Murder, She Wrote 09:35 Where the Heart is 10:35 Judge Judy 11:55 A Touch of Frost 14:00 Heartbeat 15:00 Wycliffe 16:10 Where the Heart is 17:15 On the Buses 18:20 George and Mildred 18:55 Heartbeat 19:55 Murder, She Wrote 21:00 Midsomer Murders 23:00 Law and Order: UK 00:05 Cold Blood 01:40 Wycliffe 02:40 Where the Heart is ITV4 07:00 Football’s Greatest 07:10 The Professionals 08:00 Minder 08:55 Alias Smith and Jones 10:35 Gunsmoke 11:40 The Professionals 12:45 Kojak 13:50 Minder 14:55 Pawn Stars 15:50 Gunsmoke 16:55 Alias Smith and Jones 17:55 The Professionals 19:00 Kojak 20:00 Pawn Stars 21:00 The Chase: Celebrity Special 22:00 Film - The Game of Death 00:05 Film - Hard to Kill (18) 02:05 Film - Child’s Play 3 (18)

08:00 Peter Hurst, 11:00 Dennis Christian, 13:00 Alex Trelinski, 16:00 Andy James, 18:00 Suzy G

Wednesday 9th December

8 - The Courier TV Pull-out

07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Sister Rita to the Rescue 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Oxford Street Revealed 12:45 Family Finders 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 News and Weather 14:45 Doctors 15:15 The Doctor Blake Mysteries 16:10 Escape to the Country 16:40 Home Comforts at Christmas 17:25 Flog It 18:15 Pointless 19:00 News and Weather 20:00 The One Show 21:00 Cuffs Robert is unwittingly involved in the pursuit of a dangerous criminal gang, in which Donna must think quickly to save the day 22:00 The Apprentice Lord Sugar summons the remaining candidates to the London Aquatic Centre, where he gives them the task of creating and producing a new health food, before pitching their idea to three major retailers. The teams have two days to invent an original snack, build a brand, and then achieve orders from leading figures in the industry 23:00 News and Weather 23:35 The Apprentice 00:35 Film - 2015 01:05 Weather for the Week Ahead 01:10 News

SOAPS

In Emmerdale, Sam is shocked when he realises that Jai knows Megan is pregnant. When Jai turns nasty with Sam and demands answers, it’s not long before Sam lets slip that Megan is planning on leaving.

Sam tries to make a run for it, but ends up in a scuffle. This leads to Sam knocking Jai out by hitting

07:00 Homes Under the Hammer 08:00 Oxford Street Revealed 08:45 Flog it! Trade Secrets 09:15 Simply Nigella 09:45 Terry and Mason’s Great Food Trip 10:15 Victoria Derbyshire 12:00 News 12:30 The Daily Politics 14:00 Cash in the Attic 14:45 Pressure Pad 15:30 The Great British Bake Off 16:30 The Great Antiques Map of Britain 17:00 The World’s Most Photographed 17:30 Wogan: The Best of 18:15 Bargain Hunt 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two 20:00 Celebrity Antiques Road Trip Neil Dudgeon takes on Diana Rigg in the battle for glory 21:00 MasterChef: The Professionals Half the group must prove they can work as a team when they are asked to create an exceptional dinner at London’s Law Society 22:00 The Secrets of the Mona Lisa Documentary delving into the secrets of the Mona Lisa 23:00 The Apprentice: You’re Fired 23:30 Newsnight 00:15 Monty Don’s Secret History of the British Garden 01:15 Earth’s Wildest Waters 02:15 The Last Dukes 03:15 This is BBC Two him over the head with a doorstop. Sam panics when he can’t wake Jai up.

Brenda becomes ever more suspicious of Bob and shares her concerns with Harriet. She asks her to do some digging to see what they’re up to. Later in the pub, Harriet tells Brenda that she called in a favour and tracked Bob’s car to Hotten General.

Brenda puts Bob under pressure when she questions them about their hospital visit. Will Bob cover for Ashley?

Paddy becomes panicked when Rhona wants Tess’s number. She wants to become a governor at the school to help with their adoption.

07:00 Good Morning Britain 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 Jeremy Kyle 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 News 15:00 Judge Rinder 16:00 1000 Heartbeats 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Chase 19:00 News 20:00 Emmerdale Jai wants the truth about Megan 20:30 Coronation Street Carla suspects that Rob has an agenda 21:00 I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! Coming Out This programme follows the celebrities from the moment they step off the bridge to the emotional reunions with their family and friends

07:00 Countdown 07:45 3rd Rock from the Sun 08:35 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 11:00 Undercover Boss USA 12:00 Jamie’s Comfort Food 13:00 News 13:05 Come Dine with Me 15:10 Deal or No Deal 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Posh Pawnbrokers 18:00 Couples Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 News 20:55 The Political Slot 21:00 The Supervet A Staffordshire bull terrier requires attention when he suffers complete paralysis in his back legs 22:00 24 Hours in A and E A five-year-old is rushed into St George’s struggling to breathe, and her mum reveals how she has spent months in Great Ormond Street Hospital after being diagnosed with a rare form of juvenile arthritis

22:00 Prey The thriller returns, this time following the story of a prison officer who is forced on the run with a young female prisoner when his daughter is kidnapped. DS Reinhardt has a new prey in her sights - 23:00 Peep Show 23:30 but she is unaware of the Toast of London 00:05 8 Out of 10 Cats Does threat against Murdoch Countdown 01:05 Best 23:00 UEFA Champions Before 01:35 Hunting the League Highlights 00:00 Paedophiles: Inside the News 00:45 UEFA National Crime Agency Champions League: Extra 02:30 Film - Kingpin (12) Time 01:15 Jackpot247 04:25 Film - Buchanan 04:00 Ejector Seat 04:50 Rides Alone (15) 05:45 Kirstie’s Vintage Gems ITV Nightscreen Ross feels caught between Debbie and his mum, while Sandy suspects that Laurel has feelings for Ashley.

In Coronation Street, Johnny is stunned to receive a visiting order from Rob and shows it to Carla. Carla is taken aback, but reckons he’ll have to go to find out what Rob wants.

Later, Carla confides in Nick about how unnerved

07:00 Milkshake 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:45 Film Gift of the Magi 14:30 News 14:35 Neighbours 15:05 Film - The Case for Christmas 16:50 Film Christmas at Cartwright’s (U) 18:30 News 19:00 Neighbours 19:30 News 20:00 Kids’ Hospital at 13-day-old Christmas baby Harry undergoes major surgery to remove a tumour from the base of his spine, nine-year-old Isaiah needs help to breathe unaided and seven-yearold Gracie is joining in the festivities on the wards despite her rare and incurable condition Behind GPs: 21:00 Closed Doors Two very different patients come in to consult the doctors about their pregnancy 22:00 Can’t Pay? We’ll Take it Away The agents encounter a feisty dispute in a takeaway, rent evaders living in potentially lethal conditions and tenants scammed by a fake landlord 23:00 Suspects 00:00 Law and Order: Special Victims Unit 01:50 Super Casino 04:10 Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild UK 05:00 Wildlife SOS 05:25 Divine Designs 05:45 House Doctor

she is by Johnny’s visiting order. She reckons Rob has clearly got an agenda.

only too keen. What has Amy got in store for Nessa?

Meanwhile, as Nessa cooks Ken his breakfast, Tracy is outraged to realise that she stayed the night. Roy later suggests to Nessa that the way to Ken’s heart is to win Amy round. Taking Roy’s words on board, Nessa offers to take Amy to the Christmas markets after school.

Realising she can play Nessa like a fiddle, Amy is

Elsewhere, Bethany persuades Sarah to let her skip school so they can go shopping and enjoy some quality time together.

As they stagger home with their bags, Sarah heads off to find Todd. Sarah breaks down, admitting that she’s not sure she can have Callum’s baby.

Brendan meets up with Mary for a drink in The Rovers. Mary is frosty towards him, but Brendan turns on the charm, telling her that he’s just waiting for the right time and one day they’ll be together properly. Will Mary fall for his patter?

07:00 The Hot Desk 07:10 Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records 07:35 Psych 08:20 Emmerdale 08:50 Best of You’ve Been Framed 09:45 The Cube 10:45 Psych 11:35 Film Secret Santa 13:25 Emmerdale 13:55 You’ve Been Framed 14:55 Catchphrase 15:40 Jeremy Kyle 19:00 Judge Rinder 20:00 You’ve Been Framed 21:00 Two and a Half Men 22:00 Through the Keyhole 23:00 Release the Hounds 00:00 The Vampire Diaries 01:00 Two and a Half Men ITV3 07:00 On the Buses 07:25 George and Mildred 07:50 Heartbeat 08:50 Murder, She Wrote 09:45 Where the Heart is 10:45 Judge Judy 12:05 A Touch of Frost 14:00 Heartbeat 15:05 Wycliffe 16:10 Where the Heart is 17:15 On the Buses 17:50 On the Buses 18:20 George and Mildred 18:55 Heartbeat 20:00 Murder, She Wrote 21:00 Long Lost Family 22:00 Inside Asprey: Luxury by Royal Appointment 23:00 Law and Order: UK 00:05 Cold Blood 01:35 A Touch of Frost ITV4 07:00 Gunsmoke 07:50 The Professionals 08:45 Minder 09:50 Alias Smith and Jones 10:55 Gunsmoke 12:00 The Professionals 13:05 Kojak 14:05 Minder 15:15 Pawn Stars 15:45 Gunsmoke 16:50 Alias Smith and Jones 17:55 The Professionals 19:00 Kojak 20:00 Pawn Stars 21:00 Fifth Gear 22:00 River Monsters 23:00 Film Death Wish 2 (18) 00:55 Film - Year of the Dragon (18)

08:00 Peter Hurst, 11:00 Dennis Christian, 13:00 Alex Trelinski, 16:00 Andy James, 18:00 Suzy G

The Courier TV Pull-out - 9

Thursday 10th December 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Sister Rita to the Rescue 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Oxford Street Revealed 12:45 Family Finders 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 News 14:45 Doctors 15:15 The Doctor Blake Mysteries 16:10 Escape to the Country 16:40 Home Comforts at Christmas 17:25 Flog It 18:15 Pointless 19:00 News 20:00 The One Show 20:30 EastEnders Denise and Kim come to blows 21:00 BBC Music Awards Chris Evans and Fearne Cotton host the second annual BBC Music Awards from the Genting Arena in Birmingham. The spectacular show features standout performances of some of this year’s biggest songs by artists including One Direction, Rod Stewart, Ellie Goulding, Faithless, Hozier, James Bay, Jess Glynne, Little Mix, Mumford and Sons, OMI, Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott, the Shires and Jack Garratt, who will also be crowned BBC Introducing Artist of the Year 23:00 News 23:35 Question Time 00:35 This Week 01:20 Weather for the Week Ahead 01:25 News

07:15 Oxford Street Revealed 08:00 Home Comforts at Christmas 08:45 Flog it! Trade Secrets 09:15 MasterChef: The Professionals 10:15 Victoria Derbyshire 12:00 News 13:00 The Daily Politics 14:00 Coast 14:15 Cash in the Attic 15:00 Rugby Union: Varsity Match 17:30 Wogan: The Best of 18:15 Bargain Hunt 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two 20:00 Celebrity Antiques Road Trip Barry Cryer and Bernard Cribbins take on the antiques-hunting challenge 21:00 MasterChef: The Professionals The second group of five chefs travel to Lord’s, where they’re set the task of cooking a threecourse fine-dining menu for ex-England captain Mike Gatting and four of his guests 22:00 The Last Kingdom Leaving the safety of the marshes, a united Alfred and Uhtred prepare for a final decisive battle with the Danes 23:00 Russell Howard’s Good News 23:30 Newsnight 00:15 The Secrets of the Mona Lisa 01:15 The Taliban Hunters 01:45 Dominic Sandbrook: Let Us Entertain You 02:45 Doctor Who 03:45 This is BBC Two Sarah are forced to work together to make a batch of cupcakes when Debbie deliberately leaves them alone together. Sarah suggests that Ross should go to the shop for icing, but as he leaves, she deliberately turns the oven up and lets the cakes burn.

SOAPS

In Emmerdale, Sam has Jai bound and gagged in a container and has seized his phone.

Jai is full of rage over his situation, but Sam refuses to let him go and lies that Megan has already left the village. Jai warns him that he’ll regret what he’s done, but will he manage to escape?

Meanwhile,

Ross

and

Elsewhere, Sandy challenges Laurel on her growing feelings for her ex-husband. Laurel insists he’s wrong, but her defensiveness only confirms his suspicions.

07:00 Good Morning Britain 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 Jeremy Kyle 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 News 15:00 Judge Rinder 16:00 1000 Heartbeats 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Chase 19:00 News 20:00 Emmerdale Sam is forced to hide his guilt 20:30 Tonight Six million people in the UK are earning less than the national living wage, Fiona Foster investigates whether hard work really does pay for this section of society 21:00 Emmerdale Megan says her goodbyes 21:30 Paul O’Grady: For The Love of Dogs In the last of the series, a very important guest arrives to officially open the new kennels - Her Majesty the Queen!

22:00 Britain’s Oldest Crooks Retirement is usually a period to take things easy and enjoy a wellearned rest, but as the UK’s population ages, so does its criminals - the over-60s are now the fastest-growing group behind bars 23:00 News 23:40 The Late Debate 00:10 UEFA Europa League Highlights 01:30 Jackpot247 04:00 Tonight 04:25 ITV Nightscreen Also, Paddy is hopeful that Chas and Diane will repair their friendship, while Bob is left curious as Brenda and Carly fail to agree on his birthday surprise.

In part two, as Megan says her goodbyes in the pub, Sam breathes a sigh of relief that Jai hasn’t got to her on time. Nikhil hasn’t been able to locate Jai and starts to wonder if he doesn’t want to be found.

Meanwhile, Ross panics when he returns to find the house filled with smoke.

He realises that Sarah deliberately put the cakes back in the oven. Debbie is fuming at Ross for leaving the kids alone, but her anger prompts Ross to walk out. Will Debbie work

07:00 Countdown 07:45 3rd Rock from the Sun 08:35 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 11:00 Undercover Boss USA 12:00 Jamie’s Comfort Food 13:00 News 13:05 Come Dine with Me 15:10 Deal or No Deal 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Posh Pawnbrokers 18:00 Couples Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 News 20:55 The Political Slot 21:00 The Secret Life of 6 Year Olds Cameras follow the youngsters’ development after two weeks apart as they are joined by some new playmates 22:00 18 Kids and Counting Britain’s biggest family is about to get even bigger. It’s been a special year for the Radfords: at the age of 40, Sue has announced that she is pregnant with baby number 18

07:00 Milkshake 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:45 Film - Call Me Claus (PG) 14:30 News 14:35 Neighbours 15:05 Film The Santa Suit (PG) 16:45 Film - The Christmas Shepherd (U) 18:30 News 19:00 Neighbours 19:30 News 20:00 Kids’ Hospital at Christmas In the final episode of the series, 14year-old Chloe is rushed to hospital after an accident on Christmas Eve 21:00 Alex Polizzi’s Italian Islands Alex tours the north of Sicily, revealing a different side to this mystical and ancient island 22:00 Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild UK Ben Fogle meets Tommy Hyndman, who runs a small guest house on Fair Isle off the coast of northern Scotland, having moved there 10 years ago from America

23:00 First Dates 00:05 Gogglebox 01:10 24 Hours in A and E 02:05 Liberty of London 03:00 Embarrassing Bodies 03:50 Food Unwrapped 04:20 Unreported World 04:45 Dispatches 05:15 Location, Location, Location

23:00 Lonely at Christmas 00:00 Can’t Pay? We’ll Take it Away 01:00 Access 01:10 Super Casino 04:10 The UK’s Strongest Man 2015 05:00 Wildlife SOS 05:25 Divine Designs 05:45 House Doctor

out her daughter’s manipulation?

Heather, Kathy also has her doubts.

Also, for Bob’s birthday, Carly and Brenda compromise with a mixture of geocaching and the Bronte sisters.

In Eastenders, Kathy is shocked by Jane’s confession. When Jane opens up further, she wonders whether she really made the right decision by covering for Bobby. When Jane lets slip that Ben was in prison before he killed

A torn Ronnie continues to follow Vincent’s instructions and finds a way to get close to Phil by telling Ben that she’ll help deal with him. Vincent also heads to The Albert and slips something into Phil’s coat pocket. When Ronnie returns, she tells a smug Vincent that she’s done what he wanted. Ronnie is left stunned when Vincent calls the police to say that Phil is at The Albert and is carrying a gun. Is this the end of Phil?

Janet is offered the role of the Angel Gabriel, but Billy panics that the role might be too big for her until Elaine convinces him otherwise.

07:00 The Hot Desk 07:10 You’ve Been Framed 07:35 Psych 08:20 Emmerdale 08:45 Coronation Street 09:15 You’ve Been Framed 09:40 The Cube 10:40 Psych 11:35 Film - Merry in-Laws 13:25 Emmerdale 13:55 Coronation Street 14:30 You’ve Been Framed 14:55 Catchphrase 15:40 Jeremy Kyle 19:00 Judge Rinder 20:00 The Xtra Factor 21:00 Two and a Half Men 22:00 Scorpion 23:00 Celebrity Juice 00:00 Release the Hounds 01:00 Two and a Half Men 02:00 Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records 02:30 The Vampire Diaries ITV3 07:00 Movies Now 07:10 George and Mildred 07:35 Heartbeat 08:40 Murder, She Wrote 09:30 Where the Heart is 10:30 Judge Judy 11:55 A Touch of Frost 14:00 Heartbeat 15:05 Wycliffe 16:10 Where the Heart is 17:15 On the Buses 18:20 George and Mildred 18:55 Heartbeat 20:00 Murder, She Wrote 21:00 Lewis 23:00 Law and Order: UK 00:00 Cold Blood 01:30 A Touch of Frost ITV4 07:00 Gunsmoke 07:55 The Professionals 08:50 Minder 09:55 Alias Smith and Jones 11:00 Gunsmoke 12:05 The Professionals 13:10 Kojak 14:15 Minder 15:20 Pawn Stars 15:50 Gunsmoke 16:55 Alias Smith and Jones 18:00 The Professionals 19:00 Kojak 20:00 Pawn Stars 21:00 The Car Chasers 22:00 Fifth Gear 23:00 Film - The Chronicles of Riddick (15) 01:20 Film - Daylight (12) 03:30 Pawn Stars

08:00 Peter Hurst, 11:00 Dennis Christian, 13:00 Alex Trelinski, 16:00 Andy James, 18:00 Suzy G

10 - The Courier TV Pull-out

CODE CRACKER Code Cracker is a crossword puzzle with no clues; instead, every letter of the alphabet has been replaced by a number, the same number representing the same letter throughout the puzzle. All you have to do is decide which letter is represented by which number. In this week’s puzzle, 11 represents B and 2 represents Z, when these letters have been entered throughout the puzzle, you should have enough information to start guessing words and discovering other letters.

QUICKIE

Across

Down

7 Garden flower (6) 8 In a foreign country (6) 9 Hairless (4) 10 Particular (8) 11 Moorland shrub (7) 13 At no time (5) 15 Convey (5) 17 Last course (7) 20 Hair problem (5,3) 21 See 2 Down 22 Containing salt (6) 23 Not wide (6)

1 Handle (6) 2/21A Best clothes (4,4) 3 Burrowing rodent (7) 4 Army trainee (5) 5 Running shoes (8) 6 Large gully (6) 12 Wonderful (8) 14 Marriage ceremony (7) 16 Earnest request (6) 18 Area (6) 19 Postpone (5) 21 Uncommon (4)

Last weeks Solution

Across: 1 Summons, 4 Topic, 7 Scald, 9 Retains, 10 Absolve, 11 Lotus, 12 Nickel, 14 Madras, 18 Brass, 20 Measles, 22 Actress, 23 Dense, 24 Stray, 25 Dead end.

Down: 1 Sustain, 2 Means, 3 Shriek, 4 Total, 5 Painter, 6 Costs, 8 Delve, 13 Chapter, 15 Award, 16 Suspend, 17 Amused, 18 Boars, 19 Seedy, 21 Lunge.

Scribble Pad

DOUBLE CROSS-WORD Solve the Double Cross-Word puzzle using either the standard or cryptic clues, the answers are exactly the same.

CRYTPIC CLUES

23 Vet show on television

Across

(6)

1 Small laboratory with our

Down

work (6)

2

5 Search for water to put

donna on the way up (4)

out the fire, one hears (5)

3 Stayed too long at the

8 Quote the Church of

fare? (7)

England about it (4)

4 Schedule is not altered

9 Order ale, but at riot (8)

by the revolutions (9)

10 Manager is hesitant but

5 Spot the bad back (3)

is the exact opposite (10)

6 Earnest writer spotted in

13 Look at old boy over in

the wilderness (5)

summerhouse (6)

7 Involved ideal networks

14 Possibly buries gems

(8)

(6)

11 Dines in with sailors

16 Selfish lover giving

who are late (9)

flowers to saint (10)

12 Hiding a para? No I’d

19 More of us play a game

be fearful (8)

of golf (8)

15 However, Sonny’s part-

21 Originate from Thailand

ner is a killer (7)

(4)

17 Dog included in decor

22 Started to damage the

gibberish (5)

skating area and take in

18 Dreadful ride (4)

Enthusiastic

prima

20 Article in fine wood (3) liquid (5) Down STANDARD CLUES 2 Ardent (4) Across 1 Physical or mental toil (6) 3 Had too much food (7) 5 Divine for water (5) 4 Gyrations (9) 8 Make reference to (4) 5 Apply lightly (3) 9 Arrange systematically (8) 6 Irish writer and wit (185410 Exact opposite (10) 13 Garden summerhouse 1900) (5) (6) 7 Involved (8) 14 Red gems (6) 11 Lateness (9) 16 Someone in love with 12 Irrationally fearful (8) themselves (10) 15 Retailer of meat (7) 19 Group for golf (8) 17 Welsh breed of dog (5) 21 Frozen rain (4) 18 Appalling (4) 22 Take in liquids (5) 23 Partition (6) 20 Mighty tree (3) Last weeks Solution Across: 1 Clutch, 5 Mutiny, 8 Esau, 9 Turnover, 10 Oilstone, 11 Else, 12 Igloos, 14 Chumps, 16 Reap, 18 Sombrero, 20 Sure-fire, 21 Zinc, 22 Bedsit, 23 Straps.

Down: 2 Lasting, 3 Truss, 4 Hotdogs, 5 Merge, 6 Thoreau, 7 Noels, 13 Orpheus, 14 Campers, 15 Parsnip, 17 Elude, 18 Swift, 19 Razor.

FILL IT IN

Complete the crossword grid by using the given words:

3 letter words Nab Pen Urn 4 letter words Acne Acre Ague Aloe Amen Aunt Aura Bend Bets Burn Card

Data Dodo Drop Dyer Earl Elbe Erie Gasp Halo Iran Naan Oath Oral Ours Past Rata Rial Rope

Rusk Shoe Slab Sole Tons Trot Whet 5 letter words Alamo Alias Alone Aorta Baize Baulk Beans Beret Brace

Delta Ensue Eyrie Farad Hares Haunt Hough Ideal Inane Learn Motel Roast Seize Spasm Straw Trees 6 letter words

Basket Carpet Famine Fiesta Grille Melees Moaned Shears 7 letter words Clamber Doleful Easiest Inkblot 8 letter words Asphalts Reassess

SPANISH-ENGLISH CROSSWORD

Improve your Spanish - clues in Spanish, answers in English or vice versa.

Across 1 Otoño (6) 4 Mouths (5) 8 Comidas (5) 9 Promedio (7) 10 Sport (game) (7) 11 Boss (4) 12 Y (3) 14 Ass (donkey) (4) 15 Cada (4) 18 More (3) 21 Último (final) (4) 23 Terrace (patio, verandah) (7) 25 As well as (3,4) 26 Sauce (savoury) (5) 27 Floor (of room) (5) 28 Theory (6)

Down 1 Navy (ships) (6) 2 Traps (snares) (7) 3 Seta (8) 4 Cerveza (4) 5 Code (cipher) (5) 6 Suecia (6) 7 Task (job) (5) 13 Behind (in or at the rear) (6,2) 16 To chat (7) 17 Siempre (indicando frecuencia) (6) 19 Taburete (5) 20 Plátano (6) 22 Sonrisa (5) 24 Wolf (4)

The Courier TV Pull-out - 11 Across 8 Long or roundabout route that is taken to avoid something or to visit somewhere along the way (6) 9 Playing field on which American football is played (8) 10 Large coloured handkerchief, typically with white spots, worn tied around the head or neck (8) 11 Game played with rackets by two or four players who hit a ball back and forth over a net that divides the court (6) 12 Edible Mediterranean plant, the bitter leaves of which may be used in salads (6) 13 American psychedelic rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965: Jefferson -------- (8) 15 Fourth studio album from the progressive rock band Yes, released in November 1971 on Atlantic Records. It was their first

album recorded with keyboard player Rick Wakeman (7) 17 Cushion for kneeling on in church, while at prayer (7) 20 Irish dramatist whose plays are comedies of manners, including The Rivals (1775) and The School for Scandal (1777): Richard Brinsley -------- (8) 22 Small room or cupboard in which food, crockery and cutlery are kept (6) 23 Town in Salford that shares its name with a comedy character, created and performed by Spike Milligan, from the Goon Show (6) 25 Queen of Castile whose marriage to Ferdinand of Aragon in 1469 marked the beginning of the modern state of Spain (8) 26 Apache chieftain who raided the white settlers in the American Southwest as

SUDOKU (Very Easy)

Quiz Word

resistance to being confined to a reservation (18291909) (8) 27 Greek mythological sea nymph, mother of

Achilles (6) Down 1 Servant, especially one who has worked for a per-

son or family for a long time (8) 2 Woman who forms relationships with men purely to obtain money or gifts from them (4,6) 3 American singer-songwriter born in Minneapolis in 1958, whose UK hit singles include: Little Red Corvette, When Doves Cry and Purple Rain (6) 4 Large herbivorous tropical American arboreal lizards with a spiny crest along the backs (7) 5 State in the south-east of Australia whose capital and largest city is Melbourne (8) 6 Furnace for firing or burning or drying such things as porcelain or bricks (4) 7 Of or pertaining to or characteristic of or resembling the planet Jupiter (6) 14 Most populous city of California and second largest in the United States

(3,7) 16 Title used to address any peeress except a duchess (8) 18 Alphabet derived from the Greek alphabet and used for writing Slavic languages (Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Ukrainian, and some other Slavic languages) (8) 19 Narrow-edged tooth at the front of the mouth, adapted for cutting (7) 21 Programmer who breaks into computer systems in order to steal, change or destroy information as a form of cyber-terrorism (6) 22 Hairdo formed by braiding or twisting the hair (6) 24 Mountainous landlocked communist state in south-eastern Asia that achieved independence from France in 1949 (4)

SALLY’S SIMPLE SPANISH LA COPA DEL MUNDO

Match these words with their Spanish translations then find them in the wordsearch.

(Answers below)

sports QUIZ

ANSEWRS 1. 19th 2. Frank Bruno 3. Tennis 4. Daley Thompson 5. Fred Perry 6. Mike Tyson 7. Archery 8. blue 9. David Seaman 10.

Nine

Last Week’s Solutions Code Cracker Last weeks Quiz Word Solution Across: 1/24 Paper Moon, 4 Hit parade, 9/10 Pen pal, 11 Red flag, 12 Loin, 13 Belladonna, 15 Corgi, 16 Desecrate, 17 Stood fast, 21 Moses, 23 Astronomer, 27 Embassy, 28 Aga, 29 Pod, 30 Strasberg, 31 Putty.

Down: 1 Pupil, 2 Pannier, 3 Ripe, 4 Halberd, 5 Turtles, 6 Aidede-camp, 7 Atlanta, 8 Engravers, 14 Wild Horses, 15 Castanets, 18 October, 19 Acolyte, 20 Trepang, 22 Shot put, 25 Noddy, 26 Rasp.

jugar bien

el delantero

jugar mal

el empate

la alineación

el equipo

la red

el jugador

tarjeta roja

el portero

tiempo extra

el primer tiempo

un golazo

esquina

un partidazo

fuera de lugar

un tiro libre

Empareja estas palabras - Match the Spanish and English words You will find the answers at the bottom of the quiz.

1.el arbitro, 2.el delantero,

15.tiempo extra, 16.un golazo,

k.to play well, l.the goal keeper,

3.el empate, 4.el equipo,

17.un partidazo, 18.un tiro libre.

m.corner, n.the line up,

5.el jugador, 6.el portero,

a.the draw, b.the player,

o.the net, p.a free kick,

7.el primer tiempo, 8.esquina,

c.a great game, d.off side,

q.red card, r.the team

9.fuera de lugar, 10.jugar bien,

e.extra time, f.the first half,

11.jugar mal, 12.la alineación,

g.the referee, h.to play badly,

13.la red, 14.tarjeta roja,

i.a great goal, j.the forward,

Soduko

Span - Eng

Quizword

Answers: 1g, 2j, 3a, 4r, 5b, 6l, 7f, 8m, 9d, 10k, 11h, 12n, 13o, 14q, 15e, 16i, 17c, 18p.

1. Was The Oxford And Cambridge Boat Race First Contested In The 18th, 19th Or 20th Century?

2. In Boxing Who Suffered Defeats To Tim Witherspoon, Mike Tyson & Lennox Lewis?

3. Which Sport Was Inroduced Into The Olympic Games In 1988?

4. How is British sportsman Francis Thompson more usually known?

5. Who died in 1995 and was the last Brit to win the Wimbledon Mens Singles Title?

6. Name The Youngest Ever World Heavyweight Boxing Champion?

7. From which sport does the expression "To keep tabs on" come?

8. what colour cap is worn by an english cricketer capped for his country?

9. Who In The World Of Sport Has The Nickname "Safe Hands"?

10. In baseball, how many innings does each team have?

el arbitro

Fill It In

12

Friday 4th December 2015

Tko Teddy Takes The Train!

90.8fm & 91.9fm

Hi from TKO Teddy and I’ve really got into the seasonal spirit by meeting the big man himself, Father Christmas when he and his helpers dropped in at the Lakeside Centre, San Luis, Torrevieja last Saturday. I was amazed he could spare the time as he’s so busy getting ready for his big day later this month!

Of course he had to drop in at the Christmas Shop to say hello, and then those nice people at the Reflections Bar and Restaurant set up a grotto where he could meet lots of lovely children plus a few grown-ups to boot! He even chatted with me but I won’t tell you what I want him and

his helpers to bring me for Christmas, as I like to keep an occasional surprise up my furry sleeve. I did like riding on his train a lot and chatting to some very happy youngsters.

I also rubbed my considerable shoulders with the folk from the Rojales Pantomime Group who are going to be putting on Humpty Dumpty in the middle of next month in Los Montesinos, so I hope that nobody has a big fall! Don’t forget that if you want me to pay you a visit, then contact me via Facebook and my special page, TKO Teddy.

My phone number is 664 315 470 or via e-mail tkoteddy@tko.media

>> TKO Teddy on his first train ride with some admirers

>> TKO Teddy with the Three Amigos

>> The cast and crew of humpty dumpty

>> Lucy, with her 4 green friends and santa

>>TKO Teddy with a young lady with her mother

TRELI ON THE TELLY WITH ALEX TRELINSKI

Live sporting coverage of Brits doing well makes for unbeatable TV, that unites a nation as we witnessed back in 2012 with the London Olympics, and there were two unforgettable moments last weekend which also showed why sporting bodies must have the foresight to make sure that their premium events must be available on "free to air" channels. Britain's historic Davis Cup triumph was an absolute gift for the BBC who gave it all the due coverage it deserved, with the sweet irony of having the always perceptive John Lloyd as part of their commentary team. It was Lloyd who presided over Team GB's almost disappearing into oblivion five years ago before Leon Smith came to rescue things, but that seems like a long time ago. Crucially British fans could enjoy everything for nothing with the usual peerless BBC

Rule Brittania For All

presentation, but contrast that with Tyson Fury's boxing triumph over the seemingly unbeatable Wladimir Klitschko. Not more than two men and a dog saw one of the biggest nights in British boxing history because it was hidden behind an extortionate paywall and that's plain crazy. Some sports just prefer to pick up a big cheque and forget the point that exposure breeds interest and the stars of the future.

Golf, cricket, and of course football are some of the worst offenders in the UK, but other sports like Formula One, Rugby Union, and Tennis regard an element of non-subscription coverage as vital. Sadly with funding problems besetting the BBC, the situation is not going to get any better for viewers unless cashloaded ITV come to the party, like they have done over the Six Nations tour-

nament this winter. ITV have a golden opportunity to do sports fans a service to stop everything getting into the clutches of Sky and BT Sport, and surely the resulting boost to viewing figures would bolster their coffers.

Don't hold your breath for a new clutch of critically-acclaimed news shows from the main American

networks this autumn.

Loads of stuff has tanked including a dreadful Fox TV version of the Tom Cruise movie, Minority Report. In fact there are just three dramas that have cut the mustard:namely Quantico (to be shown on the UK Alibi channel) which follows a series of FBI recruits who have a terrorist amongst

their ranks; Limitless (picked up by Sky Living) which is a spin-off from the Bradley Cooper film (he appears in some of the episodes) where a man discovers a drug that gives him perfect recall; and now showing on Sky Living, the stand-out hit that is Blindspot. I've enjoyed the first two episodes as it's the story of a Jane Doe covered in tattoos that is found wrapped in a sack in the centre of New York. We learn that she was a Navy Seal involved in black ops, and her tats give clues to crimes or part of her history. By the way, she can barely remember anything, as the FBI try to piece together what her story is, especially as her back has the name of a key agent scrawled over it. There are some clunks in the script, but the novel premise of the show and the cast keep things going nicely, but I'm not sure

how many seasons they can squeeze out of it.

I'll be sorry to see the end of London Spy on BBC2 this Monday night, because it has been an acting masterclass from two different generations thanks to Ben Wishaw and Jim Broadbent. The use of silence and facial expressions has built up the tension superbly in another drama that I'm delighted to put on my "best of the year" list. Also an acting gong must go to Peter Capaldi for his solo effort across nearly an hour in a terrific Doctor Who last Saturday.

I couldn't resist a chuckle when I caught the new Aldi supermarket advert on ITV the other day. It took the rip out of the John Lewis "Man on the Moon" Christmas ad with a far cheaper telescope being sold in the Germanowned retailer. Who says the Germans don't have a sense of humour?

Lifestyle+

Friday 4th December 2015

5

2016 Top Travel Trend Predictions

We´re all pretty much aware now that Christmas is just around the corner, but chasing its tail is New Year and if you´re attention has already drifted to planning your next big break, how about somewhere a little different?

Flight comparison site skyscanner.net have compiled their list of the top 5 destinations on the holidaymakers' travel list and growing in interest, set to be the next big thing in the New Year.

The predictions are based on the analysis of millions of Skyscanner flight searches from the last three years, combined with qualitative research carried out by our team of travel experts. And the winners are:

1. Ponta Delgada, the Azores – up 63% With more airlines flying to the Azores, including Ryanair’s new weekly flight from Stansted to Ponta Delgada, this autonomous region of Portugal is opening up as a viable budget travel destination and is therefore experiencing a tourism boom. With excellent hiking, whale watching, surfing and diving, the Azores is likely to feature heavily on adventure travellers’ bucket lists in 2016.

ture tourism offerings. Thanks to the excellent value Japan Rail Passes and Airbnb type accommodation, Tokyo is now 50% cheaper for UK travellers than in 2013 according to the Post Office’s Long Haul Report.

What’s more, Japan will host the 2020 Olympics and the 2019 Rugby World Cup so attention will only increase throughout 2016. Hokkaido’s first Shinkansen high speed train will also launch in 2016, opening up more of Japan to visitors.

2. Havana, Cuba – up 33% After years in the cold, Cuba is back on the world stage as the USA restored diplomatic relations in July and continues to loosen restrictions on trade. If more restrictions are lifted we may see flights from the US and US hotel chains opening in Cuba in 2016. Many are therefore booking flights to Cuba to experience the country before it changes beyond recognition (and before prices rise as a result). Having been shut off for so long Cuba is trapped in a time warp, with crumbing colonial buildings and 1950s cars. It is like nowhere else on earth.

4. Copenhagen, Denmark – up 21% Recently voted the ninth most reputable city in the world, Copenhagen is a must visit for culture vultures and foodies alike. Home to the five-month long Tivoli Festival (May – September 2016), classical music fans can expect a star-studded line up hosted at the stunning Tivoli Gardens.

February is also a great time to visit the capital, with the Copenhagen Cooking festival showcasing ever-increasingly popular Nordic cuisine, whilst fashionistas can immerse themselves in Copenhagen’s Fashion Week, the largest of its kind in Northern Europe.

3. Tokyo, Japan – up 25% Tourism has boomed under the current prime minister’s administration. The national tourist board are actively targeting niche UK markets by focusing on ski, honeymoon and adven-

5. Sal, Cape Verde – up 14% With a reputation for unspoilt beaches and cobbled streets, the island of Sal is only just emerging as a tourist destination.

Thomson Airways is adding to its portfolio with a new route from Bristol in summer 2016. What’s more, with chart topping acts and reality stars frequenting these West Africa isles Skyscanner predicts the destination’s popularity will continue to rise. Sal is also a great base for exploring the rest of the archipelago, from the canyons, gorges and valleys of Santo Antao to the Sahara-like dunes of Boa Vista.

So there you have it, the top 5 predictions for next year. If you choose one of these locations don´t forget to send us a postcard, just a selfie will do, so we know you´re thinking about us whilst you´re enjoying the latest trendy place to travel.

6

Lifestyle +

Friday 4th December 2015

Christmas Jewellery: Go Sleek And Sophisticated

Given that we’re rapidly approaching tinsel season, I vote we all take a deep breath and close our eyes.

Next, with apologies to Derren Brown, try to visualise yourself in this year’s party “must-haves”. There’s the ubiquitous Lurex dress,

the metallic pleated skirt that seemed such a good idea in the changing room (Lamé folds? Of course they don’t make your thighs look Titanicular), the copy of the floor-length beaded Sienna Miller maxi that’s already partially bald, because New

Look’s idea of craft isn’t quite the same as Ralph Lauren’s Tempting though it undoubtedly can be, an overload of twinkly stuff is not pretty past a certain age (six), it’s not clever, and there’s an exceptionally strong likelihood that it will all end up in one of Mary Portas’s Living & Giving shops come January.

Assuming that is, Mary will take it. Glitter tends not to travel well beyond December 25th.

There is another way to approach the winter solstice that doesn’t entail leaving a trail of sequins in your wake, however. It’s called jewellery. Coco Chanel would have approved and, when it came to style, Coco was never wrong.

What’s particularly bracing about the type of jewellery that suddenly finds itself in vogue (can we just please say in Telegraph henceforth?) is that it is inherently sleek and sophisticated – and almost devoid of coloured stones. The clean lines, geometric curves (which owe a strong debt to Georg Jensen, who originally trained as a sculptor, and the Danish and

Are You Still Working Into Your 50s?

Women over 50 are more likely to be in work now than at any time since records began, new figures show.

According to data released by the Department for Work and Pensions, there has been an increase of more than 50 per cent over the last 30 years of women aged 50 to 64 with jobs.

Now, 64.2 per cent of women in this age group work, compared with 41.9 per cent in 1985.

The rate of increase for women has been signifi-

cantly faster than of men, although older men are also more likely to be working now than in the 1980s.

The increase has been attributed to two factors: the rising state pension age for women, and the changing attitudes to older people.

Women now have to work for longer before being able to take their pension. By October 2020, the age at which women can claim state pension is set to be 66. It is currently 62.

Women are increasingly employed in caring roles

which may distort the figure of those who would like, or ought, to be in work. One in four women aged between 50 and 64 undertake caring duties in some form, whether it is for elderly parents or friends and relatives that are disabled or unwell.

More generally, the employment rate for people aged 50 to 64 has grown from 55.4 to 69.6 per cent over the past 30 years.

Across the older generation, the employment rate for all over 65s has doubled, going from 4.9 per cent to 10.2 per cent. The proportion of those in work aged 70 to 74 has risen from 5.5 per cent 9.9 per cent.

Women aged 60 to 64 are directly affected by the equalisation of State Pension age. Over the past five years this has been the group with the highest growth in employment rate.

With 40.7 per cent of women now in work, this translates to 69,000. This brings the total number of women aged 60-64 in employment to 701,000 in the second quarter of 2015.

Italian gold and silversmiths who followed him) work particularly well with paredblack clothes, while still managing to make a bold statement.

Stella McCartney’s brass ring pendants for instance, add instant polish to the simplest T-shirt look, but also look good with knits, which isn’t always the case with a fussier piece. Like various sculptured pieces, its constituent elements can be detached, making it extra‑versatile.

Yes, I did just mention knits. I have a horror of wearing jewellery with jumpers, but architectural pieces look just fine. “I love a structured bracelet in brushed gold with a hint of diamonds with a jumper,” says jewellery designer Maurizio Pintaldi. “Pure lines and good gold, whether it’s rose-pink or yellow, always look chic.”

For those who yearn for some subtle sparkle, Vinader’s Naida collection adds a sprinkling of diamonds to her asymmetric orbs. The combination is both understated and striking. The pavé settings mean it’s discreet enough to wear

during the day, yet the return of matching parures (Vinader has rings, bracelets, earrings and necklaces in complementing design) makes it easy to build up layers for a more dressed‑up night time look, while still maintaining a

pared-back effect.

Maurizio Pintaldi notes that “strong architectural designs look good at any age. We’re selling a lot of architectural rings and ear cuffs that follow the lobe this winter. It’s a way to look edgy but elegant.”

Lifestyle +

7

Friday 4th December 2015

Microsoft staff Ditch Microsoft save thousands sing to Apple

Microsoft has taken a unique, and downright interesting approach for a holiday-themed television commercial this Christmas.

Instead of depending on big name stars like Apple’s recent “Someday at Christmas” ad, Microsoft enlisted select employees and a New York City children’s choir to spread some cheer by singing some Christmas carols. The group set off from the Microsoft Store on 5th Ave. and set up shop down the street outside the iconic Apple Store.

This year there seems to be a clear divide in Christmas TV adverts, on

the one side is the lavish and expensive presentations such as the Man in the Moon, and on the other is the focus on what many think Christmas is all about, the real people who make it special.

The feedback from this carol concert is that the employees and children’s choir did a great job singing “Peace on Earth.”

The Apple Store employees who ventured outside also seemed to enjoy the performance. Great job by Microsoft, the ad definitely put a smile on the faces of their competitors for a change.

Although it looks like Microsoft Office 365 has been sprinting ahead of Google Apps these days, Google has been slowly creating an army of converts.

Business Insider reports this week how companies that ditched Microsoft Office and/or Office 365 for Google's Apps for Work saved thousands of dollars a month.

Business Insider spoke to one such director of IT, POPSugar's Bjorn Pave who moved the company's nearly 500 employees to Google Apps for Work in late 2013.

Pave took the job as POPSugar's director of IT in early 2013, after a long career managing Microsoft software, including Office, Outlook and Exchange, for various other companies.

When he arrived, POPSugar, which operates a network of news and entertainment websites, had been using a combination of old-fashioned installed Microsoft Office software, and the Office 365 cloud for email.

But the company's LA production team had gone rogue and signed up for Google Apps. They needed real-time documents to help them manage their film shoots and other schedules.

With Google Apps, multiple

people could be in the same document at the same time and changes would show up on everyone's phones as they were typed. No syncing, no attachments, no delays.

POPSugar's cofounder husband and wife team (CEO Brian Sugar, editor and chief Lisa Sugar) wanted the whole company to switch to Google.

But Pave knew that canceling that Microsoft contract early would be "very costly," in fines, he told us.

So before he switched, the IT department did a shootout with Office 365 and Google Apps f0r Work.

"We ran a test environment side-by-side," he said and concluded Apps was "moving in the right direction."

And it turned out, POPSugar could save some serious cash by switching, too.

The company had been paying Microsoft roughly $100,000 a year under an annual enterprise volume software license which, Pave says, included stuff the company neither wanted nor needed.

In comparison, Google Apps for Work is costing POPSugar about $30,000 a year. And there were other savings.

For instance, employees could use

Google Hangouts instead of a conference call line.

All told, Apps for Work is saving POPSugar $110,000 a year over Microsoft Office, he says.

The one department that wasn't happy was the finance folks, who wanted Microsoft Excel.

So POPSugar kept a few updated Office licenses for those folks.

"Our finance team stayed on Excel, and to this day still are on Excel on PCs. The entire company is a Mac shop over here, so it feels like the finance group is in a state of arrested development of some kind," he jokes.

In the meantime, Microsoft would say that Office 365 sales are doing very well, and there’s quite a bit of evidence to support that.

POPSugar doesn't run its own data center and keeps all of its data and apps in Amazon's cloud, with no plans to use Microsoft's cloud.

But it hasn't shrugged off its relationship with Microsoft altogether, yet, he says.

He's still using software known as Microsoft Active Directory, which tracks and assigns WiFi passwords and other IT resources to PCs, Macs and employees. He

says he's looking at alternatives to replace that, too.

It's now been about a year and half since POPSugar made the switch and everyone is happy. The Macs still have the older paid-for copies of Office loaded on their PCs. "But Office doesn’t get any use. You know how I know? It used to be that everyone clamored when latest version of Office came out, especially for Macs. But I haven’t gotten one request for the newer version," he says.

The upshot is, companies simply don't need to use Microsoft anymore if they don't want to, he believes.

"It's completely plausible to leave that Microsoft environment," he says.

8

Friday 4th December 2015

Lifestyle

+

Friday 4th December 2015

35

top

36

1

Dessert

Poached Pears

Saffron

Ingredients Saffron, generous pinch 6 tbsp warm water 100g caster sugar 175ml water 75ml ginger wine 1 star anise 1 strip orange peel, pared with a peeler 4 medium Conference pears, peeled with stalks left on dollops of mascarpone Directions Soak the saffron in warm water and leave for an hour.

Dissolve the caster sugar in the water and ginger wine in a medium pan. Turn up the heat and boil for 3-4 minutes before adding the star anise and orange peel. Turn the heat to low and add the pears, peeled with stalks left on. Press scrunched greaseproof paper lightly over the pears. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, occasionally turning.

Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl. Strain the syrup into a jug and stir in the soaked saffron and liquid. Pour over the pears.

Cover and chill for 24 hours, turning once.

Place each pear on a separate plate, drizzle over a little syrup. Serve with dollops of mascarpone.

Friday 4th December 2015

Food & Drink

Easy Prosecco Cocktails For Christmas Parties

Sloe Gin: Make your own sloe gin and, come Christmas party time, plenty of these. You can buy sloe gin if you like, but it’s so easy to make your own if you have the inclination. Simply freeze 450g sloes and, when you’re ready, thaw them out and add them to 700ml of gin mixed with 250g granulated sugar. Leave to steep for a couple of months in a dark place, giving the jar a good

shake every day or so, then strain into a sterilized bottle.

To make the fix, simply mix 25ml of sloe gin with 125ml cold prosecco. And that’s it!

The Sgroppino can be either a drink or a dessert.

In the case of the latter, one simply tops a couple of scoops of good lemon sorbet with some finely chopped mint and a good shot of vodka. For the cocktail, the first question

is this: how minty do you want it to be?

Some people stick with the chopped mint, others prefer to muddle it in the glass so that just the oils perfume the drink. For this one, I’m of the chopping school.

Pour 30ml cold vodka and 100ml chilled prosecco into a champagne flute.

Float a good spoon of lemon sorbet in the glass and garnish with finely chopped mint.

The Equestrian: A while back, I sampled a delicious Roman Mule.

Mule, because it was made with ginger beer.

Roman, because it featured the delicious amaro Ramazotti. Since I’ve removed the ginger beer here, it can no longer can be called a Mule, but it remains Roman and vaguely horse-inspired.

So I’m calling it The Equestrian.

Hopefully Roman history buffs will approve…

In a high ball glass, stir together 25ml vodka with 50ml Ramazotti. Add ice and a sprig of mint, and top up with chilled prosecco. Garnish with a slice of lemon.

Food & Drink

Friday 4th December 2015

37

38

Health

Friday 4th December 2015

Law change in Wales means all adults become donors Revolutionary new system will 'save hundreds of lives' in dramatic departure from current 'opt-in' process

A landmark change in the law on organ donation in Wales means all adults will automatically become donors unless they have

chosen to opt out before they die.

The revolutionary new system, which came into effect on Tuesday, is a dra-

matic departure from the current "opt-in" process and will be closely watched by health officials in the rest of the UK.

Some religious groups have criticised the move, but health officials argue that it will save hundreds of lives.

The Welsh Government predicts the new law could increase the number of organ donors by as much as a quarter.

It means adults will have to remove themselves from the register if they do not want to become organ donors and, if they have not, medics will act as if they had given approval in a principle known as "deemed consent".

Wales' health minister Mark Drakeford said: "The latest figures show 14 people died last year in Wales while waiting for a transplant. The change to a soft opt-out system for organ donation will deliver a revolution in consent.

"Organ donation saves

lives; increasing the rate of organ donation allows us to save more lives. That's the key motivation for this significant change."

Under the new system, those over 18 will become potential donors either by registering their decision to opt in - as they do currently - or by doing nothing at all. It will apply to adults who have lived in the country for more than 12 months.

Organs available will be the same as the "opt-in" method - including kidneys, heart, liver, lungs and pancreas - and would go anywhere in the UK. According to the latest figures, 1,000 people in the UK die every year while waiting for a transplant. In Wales, there are currently 224 people on the waiting list for an organ transplant, including eight children.

Among those welcoming the new law in Wales is the British Heart Foundation (BHF) which said the rest of the United Kingdom should follow suit.

BHF chief executive Simon Gillespie said organ donation rates in the UK are 40 per cent lower compared to other countries in Europe that already use the opt-out system, such as Spain and Croatia.

"Sadly hundreds of people die every year waiting for a transplant because there is a desperate shortage of organ donors," he added.

"Other European countries that already use an opt-out system have much higher donor rates than the UK. "We campaigned strongly in Wales to introduce soft opt-out and now it's time for the rest of the UK to follow their lead."

Do we take driving while drowsy seriously enough?

Driving when you are drowsy can be as dangerous as having a few drinks, says the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Which is a worry, because a recent report found that 10% of drivers admitted falling asleep behind the wheel, while a 2011 survey of 1,000 drivers

by Brake, the road safety charity, found that one in

eight drivers had nodded off for up to 30 seconds.

Drowsiness, like alcohol, makes you less alert, slows your reaction times and means you are more likely to have an accident even if you don’t actually fall asleep.

About one in five crashes in which a person is killed involves a drowsy driver.

Driving while drowsy usually

occurs at high speeds, is most common in men between 16 and 24 years of age and occurs most often between 11pm and 8am. The car typically veers off the road and the driver isn’t alert enough to brake

The solution

It would seem we are a bit too relaxed about driving when tired. Shift workers, people on medications that cause sleepiness and anyone who is sleep deprived (as a new parent, I drove with my fingernails digging into my hands to keep myself awake) should realise that they could be drowsy drivers.

There are obvious symptoms of tiredness such as yawning, but other big clues that you should pull over include being unable to recall the last few miles, missing road signs, drifting out of your lane, getting too close to the car in front or finding it hard to

maintain your speed and needing more effort to keep your head up. If you do feel sleepy you should pull over immediately or, if you’re on a motorway, as soon as it is safe to do so.

A 15-minute nap is the most effective way to stop feeling sleepy. Turning on the radio, opening the window or

asking a passenger to say something interesting won’t wake you up sufficiently.

Driving is best done during normal waking hours; in particular, avoid driving between midnight and 6am, when you are naturally sleepy. Plan your journey so that you have a break for 15 minutes every two hours – ideally getting

out of the car – and don’t do a long drive after you have worked a full day. If your drive is monotonous, especially if on a motorway, it is even more important to get a good night’s sleep (around seven hours). Whenever possible, avoid driving alone and, if on a long trip, try to share the driving.

Health Dr M. Mannu

39

Friday 4th December 2015

Hundreds of operations cancelled despite doctors' strike being called off Contact@medb.es

Website: www.medb.es

600 planned operations cancelled alongside 3,500 outpatient appointments

Thousands of operations and appointments have been cancelled in England despite a last-minute deal to avert a strike by junior doctors furious over attempts by the government to unilaterally change their contracts and working conditions.

About 600 operations and procedures planned for Tuesday were cancelled, alongside about 3,500 outpatient appointments,

according to a snapshot survey of almost 20 NHS trusts by the Press Association. The poll represents less than a fifth of the trusts across England.

Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, previously told MPs that NHS England had estimated as many as 20,000 patients would have operations cancelled over the three days of strike action, the first of which had been due to start on

Tuesday.

The walkouts will not now go ahead after a temporary agreement was reached on Monday night between government officials, NHS Employers, which represents trusts, and the British Medical Association (BMA) doctors’ union.

While fresh talks are under way, the government has agreed to suspend its threat to impose a new contract on doctors. However,

ministers are still threatening to force it through if a final settlement with the BMA is not reached.

The BMA also maintains the right to go ahead with strikes before a deadline of 13 January if talks do break down.

A spokesman for the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas), which has been hosting the talks, said: “Following five days of productive talks under the auspices of Acas, the BMA, NHS Employers and the Department of Health have reached an agreement.

“Acas is pleased that the talks have been held in a constructive manner and co-operative spirit between the parties, that will allow an improvement in industrial relations.”

A statement from all parties said: “We intend to reach a collaborative agreement, working in partnership to produce a new contract for junior doctors, recognising their central

role in patient care and the future of the NHS. “All parties are committed to reaching an agreement that improves safety for patients and doctors and therefore NHS Employers have agreed to extend the timeframe for the BMA to commence any industrial action by four weeks to January 13 2016 at 1700, to allow negotiations to progress.

“Within that timetable, the BMA agrees to temporarily suspend its proposed strike action and the

Department of Health agrees similarly to temporarily suspend implementation of a contract without agreement.

“All parties acknowledge that they share responsibility for the safety of patients and junior doctors, which must be paramount.”

In a memorandum of understanding, the groups agreed there was a need to improve access to sevenday services in the NHS and appeared to be working towards an outline of an agreed contract.

Why do we suffer stomach and intestinal ulcers?

Stomach and intestinal ulcers are fairly common problems that can give rise to serious complications if not treated properly. An ulcer is a medical term for a ´wound´ or ´sore´ which can

be outside of the body such as a cut on the skin, or inside of the body such as a stomach ulcer.

Causes: Scientists recognise that the underlying cause of abdominal

ulcers is a bacteria, Helicobacter pylori.

However, other microbes including fungi and viruses can also cause abdominal ulcers.

Symptoms: Abdominal Pain, Nausea or Vomiting, Heartburn, Lack of Appetite, Weight Loss.

The symptoms of stomach ulcers also known as Gastric ulcers are different from those of intestinal or duodenal ulcers.

The pain from stomach ulcers typically occurs about an hour after a meal and is relieved by vomiting. The pain from intestinal ulcers, however, usually starts about 3 hours after a meal

and in the early hours of the morning. It is not relieved by vomiting, but may be relieved by eating or drinking a glass of milk. Those suffering from intestinal ulcers may notice an increase in weight from eating often to mask the pain of the ulcer.

Important Facts: Sometimes ulcers occur when the stomach produces excessive amounts of stomach acid that corrodes the lining of the stomach. Other diseases of the stomach and intestine such as Crohn´s disease and Cancer will also give rise to ulcers Conventional Therapy: Hospitals treat ulcers with a

variety of medications to manage infections from microbes, and to suppress acid produced in the stomach. Unfortunately, prescription antibiotics may not be effective against other microbes such as fungi that may be contributing to the ulcer. Furthermore, the acid produced by the stomach is essential for food digestion and controlling the growth of harmful bacteria and suppressing this acid will have an overall detrimental effect on health.

Natural Treatment: Colloidal Silver is preferable to prescription antibiotics because it targets a wider range of microbes than prescription antibiotics. Silver

also promotes wound healing. Probiotics are also necessary to replenish beneficial bacteria that is lacking in those suffering from ulcers.

Your Diet: If you suffer from ulcers or have a history of ulcers, you should avoid spices and stimulants such as coffee and alcohol that worsen symptoms. Eating regular meals will help prevent ulcers caused by high levels of stomach acid.

Good food sources of Probiotics include; Fermented Vegetables and Dairy such as Sauerkraut, Kefir and Yogurt. For a full body diagnostic scan call Medb clinic: 965071745, 966189074.

40

Friday 4th December 2015

RICHARD CAVENDER

Bluemoon Solutions www.bluemoonsolutions.es

BlueMoon Solutions is the computer and IT services company on the Costa Blanca, they provide quality computer services at realistic prices and specialise in working with home users and small businesses.

Richard moved to Spain eight years ago having left his management background behind in the UK and decided to use his IT skills to help home users and small businesses with their PC problems. Now a relaxed 'computer man' he is out and about in the Spanish sun every day, making house and shop calls and using his vast experience and qualifications to (usually) sort out the problem there and then. Computers are his hobby as well as his work so don’t be surprised to get an answer to your email in the early hours!

SOLVED: Jackie was having some trouble with Internet ADVICE: Barry wanted to know how to change the input language on his computer after buying a new Spanish Explorer displaying incorrectly Richard, I don’t know why but when I go online on my netbook, the image is bigger than the keyboard

Q

screen so I can’t see the toolbar at the top and therefore can’t get off whatever web page I am on. It hasn’t always been like this. What have I done to cause this? The computer is working fine apart from that.

Hi Jackie, it wasn’t at first obvious to me what your problem was, however after a quick phone call it was clear that you had inadvertently pressed the F11 button whilst using Internet Explorer. What this does is place the program in “full screen” mode and it removes the navigation bars from the top and bottom leaving you with just the web page. It can be pretty disconcerting if you don’t know you have done it, but just pressing the F11 button again will put things back to how they should be.

A

ADVICE: Sally was having problems with the free word Office package - OpenOffice

Q

. Hi Richard, every time I switch on my computer I get this message: Either another instance of OpenOffice.org is accessing your personal settings or your personal settings are locked. Simultaneous access can lead to inconsistencies in your personal settings. Before continuing you should make sure user closes OpenOffice.org in host.

Do you wish to continue? Yes or no?

I usually click yes. Any ideas?

A

Hi Sally, it sounds like your user profile for OpenOffice has become corrupt. A corruption of your profile can sometimes occur if your operating system crashes when you were using OpenOffice for example. If you notice some strange behaviour of OpenOffice or if it just crashes or doesn't start, the first thing to try is to reset the user profile.

First close OpenOffice, including the Quickstarter Icon (OpenOffice icon in system tray at the bottom right of the screen) if activated.

Open your Windows Explorer and make sure that it shows the hidden files and folders, to do this in Windows follow the instructions below...

1. Open Windows Explorer 2. Click Organize>Folder and Search Options or Tools>Folder Options (depending on Windows version).

3. Click the View Tab and check the radio button Show hidden files, folders and drive 4. Click OK. 4. Now you can rename your profile, its location will depend on your version of windows...

A) Windows XP C:\Documents and Settings\<user name>\Application Data\OpenOffice.org\3\user\ B) Windows Vista, Windows 7, 8, 10 C:\Users\<user name>\AppData\Roaming\OpenOffice.org\3\user 5. Navigate to your profile location and change the "\user" folder to "\user.old" for example.

This way, you still keep a backup of your configuration.

6. Restart OpenOffice, it will create a new profile. You should go through the welcome process again (if not, you may have not reset the profile properly).

Q

Hello Richard, hope you can help me , I have recently purchased a new 'Logitech ' keyboard, my problem is that the symbols (for example the @ is alongside the number 2) and the rest of the symbols are also in different places , my old keyboard came with my PC , a tower type and was the same as the UK keyboards , the new keyboard has the letter ' n ' with the squiggle above and is I suppose a standard Spanish keyboard , how do I make this new keyboard compatible with my PC, I’m using Windows 7 Home Premium.

Barry

A

Hi Barry, it sounds very much to me like your computer still thinks there is a UK keyboard attached to it and its therefore showing you the characters that would be in those places on that type of keyboard.

You can tell your computer that you have attached a Spanish keyboard by following these steps - thanks for taking the time to tell me what operating system you are using  1. Open Region and Language by clicking the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking Clock, Language, and Region, and then clicking Region and Language.

2. Click the Keyboards and Languages tab, and then click Change keyboards.

3. Under Installed services, click Add. 4. Double-click the language you want to add, double-click Keyboard, select the text services options you want to add, and then click OK, then make sure that the Default input language is correctly selected as Spanish in your case.

office@bluemoonsolutions.es www.bluemoonsolutions.es Mobile: 655 044 970

Office: 902 906 200

Don’t forget you can follow me on twitter @bluemoonspain Alternatively why don’t you sign up for my newsletter. You can do this by going to:www.bluemoonsolutions.es and fill in the form that is on any page except the front page.

41

Friday 4th December 2015

The rules of the road change constantly. It is an idea that we don´t always keep abreast of, sometimes allowing our knowledge to lapse and often being surprised when we encounter the reality of what those changes mean.

Currently, the trend is about creating safer, shared spaces on the roads, where all different types of vehicles can move in a harmonious manner, whilst still maintaining safety for all, especially those more vulnerable road users.

Slowing down and adjusting to the environment is crucial to this trend, as is staying safe both within and outside the vehicles.

In Spain, some of those changes have already come into force, for example restricting children to travelling in the back seats, others will come into force in the near future.

In order to help with the transition, the N332 road safety project has created an eBook, “The New Rules of the Road”, which details those changes in full, and how the future of traffic management and flow is geared more towards those shared spaces.

The New Rules Local Police of the Road get drug test kits

In addition, knowing that not everybody has access to the internet, we have also included some of the most popular articles from the n332.es website, which we hope can serve as a

resource to accompany the information which we update on a regular basis.

The overall aim of the publication is to help and assist. To provide the information that may make the

roads safer for all.

However, because we are approaching Christmas, a time of year many people face with dread, n332 has decided to donate all of the proceeds from the sale of the eBook to those who are in need, facing the daunting time of Christmas without their natural family environment, by donating the profits to the Elche Children´s Care Home.

N332 say that they decided to pass on the financial benefits of the sales to this registered charity because we are heading towards Christmas, which can be a very hard and difficult time for these children. So, with your help, we can all do our bit to help give them a very special Christmas, whilst you too benefit from the knowledge and information in the eBook.

You can now purchase your own personal copy of the eBook by visiting the website, n332.es/ebook.

At the end of the campaign they will publish details of exactly how much your generosity has contributed towards making this a very special Christmas for the children in the Elche Children´s Care Home.

The DGT has invested in the provision of 10,000 drug testing kits which it will give to local police forces around the country in order for them to better monitor local roads for drivers under the influence of drugs.

The kits will be shared with 100 municipalities across 15 provinces where 450 officers have also been trained in their use. The overall goal is to reduce the consumption of drugs and narcotics at the wheel and thus improve road safety on urban roads.

Under the agreement with local authorities, the police will be required to carry out at least 20,000

drugs tests in 2016.

The latest statistics for urban and local roads, collated from data in 2014, show that 61% of all injury incidents and 26% of all deaths on the roads occurred in the areas policed by the local authorities. In addition, 4,740 people were hospitalised.

These figures show that incidents with victims in urban areas still account for a significant percentage of road incidents in Spain, and so the DGT is widening its overall monitoring and enforcement campaign to take in these roads and thus reduce the number of incidents.

42

Classifieds

Friday 4th December 2015 ALARMS

CLEANERS

CATERING

HAIRDRESSERS

REMOVALS

PLUMBER

SURVEYOR

DRAINAGE CARPENTER

CAR BREAKERS SECOND HAND

SWIMMING POOL SERVICES

Maybe

WELDER

SITUATIONS VACANT RADIO COSTA INTERNATIONAL MEDIA needs selfemployed salesperson. Car, mobile phone and client base available. For more info call 685 901 265 or email info@radiocosta.eu

SERVICES Gardening, property maintenance, translations, cheap rates call David 722521654.

CHURCH SERVICES Torrevieja Christian Fellowship at Avenida de las Cortes Valencianas 68, Torrevieja 03183, all welcome to their friendly and lively 10.30 am. Service each Sunday morning.

They will not be holding the Wednesday night meeting at 6.00 pm. For further

information and/or directions please telephone 966700391 or visit our website on www.tcf-spain.org.

International Christian Assembly, Calle Pilar de Horadada 5, Torrevieja.

Evangelical non-denominational church. Sunday services 11am. Children's church 11am. House groups in Torrevieja, Los Balcones, San Javier.

Ladies meeting Thursdays 11am.

Craft club.Craft club, Tuesdays, 2pm.

Pastor, Rafael Restrepo.Call 966 799 273 or 660 127 276

TUITION Guitar lessons for beginners, as well as improvers.

Provide an insight into most musical styles. From 10€ per hour. Call Peter Now on 966789612 or 629975378.

QUIZ MASTER Experienced quiz-master /question setter with personality If you would like a quiz master that is interesting and entertaining, questions that are challenging yet not too difficult so as to be ungettable available to host quiz nights in local bars. Tel: 664 838 581.

SWIMMING POOL SERVICES

ALCOHOLICS

43

Friday 4th December 2015 Friday 30th October 2015

Lloyd wants change at LTA

British tennis is "a mess" and the Lawn Tennis Association must make changes, says former player David Lloyd.

He added that "the buck must stop" with LTA chief

executive Michael Downey, who he says has done "a poor job".

Following Great Britain's Davis Cup victory, Andy Murray said that speaking to the LTA about the future of

British tennis is a waste of his time.

"The LTA do not run the game very well. They haven't for many, many, many years," Lloyd told BBC World Service.

"They have poor management, poor systems."

The former Davis Cup captain and successful businessman said the LTA had invested millions "but not in the right places".

LTA boss Downey said in a statement on Tuesday: "We value the opinions of all of our players on how we

grow the game in Britain and our door is always open to Andy, Dan [Evans], Dom

Casero. “We have a good mix of stages and top teams”.

The race will slot into what will be a revived Spanish spring calendar, giving teams a nice alternative to racing in relatively warm climes of Mediterranean Spain instead of traveling to the Middle East or the more frigid areas of southern France during February.

Many of the top teams already hold training camps in the Valencia region, based in such places as Calpe or Denia, and many will likely stay there to race what’s becoming a busy spring Spanish calendar.

The Mallorca Challenge (January 28-31) opens the

Spanish calendar, with Valencia slotting in February 3-7, ahead of one-day races at Murcia and Almeria on February 13-14. The Ruta del Sol fills out the busy

and work collaboratively with them and all of our partners."

Team Of The Year

Race Returns The 2016 Tour of Valencia cycle race is back after economic problems meant it was last run in 2008. It will be staged between February 3rd and February 7th which will feature a mountain stage on the penultimate day between Orihuela all the way to Xorret de Catí. The event will start in the north with a time trial between Benicàssim and Oropesa del Mar with a sprint stage on the final day around Valencia City.

Former pro Ángel Casero and his brother Rafa found support from local politicians and sponsors to bring back the event. “We’re excited about the project,” said

[Inglot], James [Ward], Jamie [Murray] and Kyle [Edmund] to hear their views

month February 17-21.

March features the WorldTour Volta Ciclista a Catalunya (March 21-27), followed by a full April schedule.

Alastair Cook has been named captain of the International Cricket Council's Test team of the year, while England teammates Joe Root and Stuart Broad have also been included in the line-up.

Cook has been in fine form for England for much of the

year and that is reflected in him being the current leading Test run-scorer in 2015.

Having also skippered England to Ashes glory, Cook was an obvious choice to get his fourth selection and second as captain, after also achieving the honour two years ago.

Tigers Roar Torrevieja Tigers’ young rugby players are in top form as their under-18 cadete side continued their excellent start to the season last weekend with a 35-26 win at Totana.

The result means the Tigers stay on the top of the cadete table in the Murcia Federation league, a point clear of Lorca, and they don’t play again in the league until mid-January.

44

Ivie Davies on Golf

Friday 4th December 2015

Charl Takes Tour Opener

Charl Schwartzel won his fourth Alfred Dunhill Championship title when he finished 15 under par in South Africa on Sunday.

This was also his 10th victory on the European Tour, six of which have been in his native South Africa. The world number 50 shot a final-day two-under in Malelane to win by four

shots from France's Gregory Bourdy. His fourth victory gives him an aggregate score of 122 under for the course, so clearly Leopard Creek suits him to the ground.

Schwartzel, 31, led Frenchman Benjamin Herbert, who slipped to third, by three strokes heading into the fourth round

where he posted a second successive 70.

"It feels good," he said.

"The way I've played the last few years, I've been down in quite a slump, I didn't really see myself coming out and winning. But we've put in so much hard work in the last 18 months and it's frustrating when week-in, week-out you're playing and it feels

like it's never going to turn."

Since winning his only major four years ago, Schwartzel has only managed to win in this event.

Schwartzel, the 2011 Masters champion, shot 66, 67, 70 70 for a total of 273.

He bogeyed on the eighth at Leopard Creek Country Club, but four birdies made sure he held off the chal-

lenge from Bourdy.

"It's an honour playing here," Schwartzel said. "I knew I was going to have to shoot at least two or three under on the back nine to give myself a good chance of winning and I'm very happy with that."

It means that Schwartzel has become the third South African to win 10 European

Tour events, alongside Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, and the youngest to do so ahead of Els. England's Matt Ford was the highest Briton, and came in tied fifth.

Believe it or not, this competition marked the start of the 2016 European Tour season and the New Race to Dubai!

Stopping The Slowcoaches

There is nothing worse.

You are set up to smash another one down the fairway, you’ve practiced the swing, psyched yourself

up...but wait...the players in front of you are still ambling along without a care in the world. The moment is lost.

By the time you finally get

to hit your shot...you duff it into the rough somewhere.

This is a common story and yet in the professional ranks it can be even worse.

Now we know that there is more on the line for the pros but issue is that what is seen...is often replicated.

Recently Paul Lawrie expressed his anger at the slowness of play as he watched his son, Craig, attempt to qualify for the European Tour. He took to Twitter to have a wee rant.

Saying “Just watched a Pro Aimpoint* then line up line on the ball then use putter shaft to line up line on ball to line chosen with Aimpoint.” * Aimpoint is a green reading system.

Prior to this Paul Lawrie showed his disgust at slow play in an interview with a golf magazine. In it he said: “It’s a massive problem; it’s difficult, though, because there aren’t enough officials out there to stamp it out completely. You need officials with every game

but that’s something I’d like to see them try one week and I’m going to suggest it to them. I’m going back on the committee and I’m going to put it out there that, just one week, let’s invest in getting an official out there with every single game, just to observe and take notes of how long everybody’s taking because, believe me, some players don’t know how long they take.”

Thankfully the R&A are holding a two-day conference in St Andrews dedicated entirely to the issue of slow play. New R&A Chief executive, Martin Slumbers, places the issue of slow play high on his

agenda. A number of practical ideas are hoped to come from the conference.

Slumbers said "Maybe we need some marshals out on the course to help find balls," he added. "Maybe we need to play over shorter formats, nine-hole golf; playing off tees that are further forward, not cutting the rough as thick and deep as possible. But the key thing is getting people aware and recognising that playing reasonably quickly and getting a move on isn't just good for their game but fair to everybody out on the course."

Either way...it is needed...just to keep Paul Lawrie sane at least!

TITTER ON THE TEE A man was watching a teenager sitting next to him. She had a Mohican hairstyle in all different colours of green, red, orange and blue. He kept staring at her. The teenager kept looking and would find the man staring every time.

When the teenager had had enough, she sarcastically asked: "What's the matter old man, never done anything wild in your life?"

In classic style the old man responded without batting an eyelid: - "Got stoned once and had sex with a parrot. I was just wondering if you might be my kid?"

KNOW YOUR RULES QUESTION

What is the ruling if your ball is plugged or against the face of a bunker where you feel you will not be able to hit the ball out of the sand hazard properly? Can you deem the ball unplayable in this case?

ANSWER

Yes, a player may deem his ball unplayable at any place on the course, except when the ball is in a water hazard. The player is the sole judge as to whether his ball is unplayable (Rule 28).

However, note that if the player opts to take relief, under penalty of one stroke, under options b) or c) of this Rule he must drop the ball in the bunker.”

The Courier Sport

45

Friday 4th December 2015

Scoring Boots Discovered RECAMBIOS COLON 1 CD TORREVIEJA 3

Barclays Premier League Saturday 5 December

13:45 Stoke City v Manchester City 16:00 Arsenal v Sunderland 16:00 Manchester United v West Ham United 16:00 Southampton v Aston Villa 16:00 Swansea City v Leicester City 16:00 Watford v Norwich City 16:00 West Bromwich Albion v Tottenham Hotspur 18:30 Chelsea v Bournemouth

Sunday 6 December 17:00 Newcastle United v Liverpool

Monday 7 December 21:00 Everton v Crystal Palace

Sky Bet Championship Friday 4 December 20:45 Ipswich Town v Middlesbrough This was Torrevieja’s performance of the season as they got their first away victory of the current campaign, with a number of enforced changes meaning a different style to Torry’s play that was richly rewarded. Burguillos captained the side as Jorge and Carrasco only made it to the bench, whilst Vicente sat it out in the stands with a minor injury. Rafa and Oscar were also still injured, but it was an exciting and adventurous line up that manager Pedreno sent out. The penny has dropped and freed from too many options, he has examined his squad in detail and

selected a side with enterprise, commitment, tenacity and most importantly of all the ability to score!

The game was only two minutes old when the tigerish 21 year old forward Lewis Allen latched onto a ball he was about to volley.

Quick as a flash, the young Brummie saw the keeper off his line and executed a simply superb lob which was placed to perfection.

Throughout the game he battled, competed and got stuck into much bigger opponents and came out on top. He then had a 30 yard drive saved superbly by Tamarit to deny him a second and after another terrific

block by Tamarit in the second period from Higon, the ball came at the Torry striker too quick and he struck it over with the goal at his mercy. Selvas nodded home a lovely second and had he not, then Quintero was right behind him ready to do the honours. Higon added a third in the second period after a sweet pass from Allen. Higon had a subdued first half, but ran riot in the second period thoroughly deserving his debut goal which gave Torry a three goal advantage. .

Quintero gave away a penalty which hit the post before Miguel sprang back up and saved the follow up

shot in superb fashion. Very soon after that penalty miss, the hosts did pull one back and redoubled their efforts to further reduce the deficit, though Torry had their chances also in a thoroughly entertaining match, with the needed result keeping them a point above the relegation, but crucially fresh confidence.

There are no third division matches this weekend in a mystifying decision by the Valencian F.A., with all other Spanish teams in action. So it is a clash with new boys Rayo Ibense next for Torry on Sunday December 13th at the Nelson Mandela stadium with a 5.00 pm kick-off.

Strugglers Hold Monte

Saturday 5 December 16:00 16:00 16:00 16:00 16:00 16:00 16:00 16:00 16:00

Sunday 6 December 14:15 Sheffield Wednesday v Derby County

Scottish Premiership Saturday 5 December 13:30 16:00 16:00 16:00 16:00 16:00

CD MONTESINOS 2 SAN ISIDRO 2

Montesinos should have killed off this match within the first 20 minutes against the bottom club in the league who prior to kick off had just three points to their name, courtesy of one victory. It was

a classic case of a team left ruing a load of missed chances as Monte had to settle for a draw, and that was only achieved in the dying minutes of this encounter.

The home side should

have taken the lead within the first minute as a Wallace header went wide, and a string of opportunities went a begging until a well-placed free kick from Orourke from outside the box gave the home side a deserved lead.

Monte’s advantage though only lasted for a few minutes as a slack pass back to Manuel was seized upon by San Isidro who levelled up with Lopez no chance in goal to save the shot.

Monte started well in the second half, like in the first, with the best of the chances coming from a Manuel header from a corner close to the

hour mark. San Isidro though put the cat amongst the pigeons by carving through a vulnerable Monte defence to take the lead in the 72nd minute. Understandably the visitors then shut up shop in their bid for a vital win, and it took until the 88th minute for Monte to equalise courtesy of a cracking cross from Fernando finding the head of Carlos to make it two-two.

The result means Montesinos are seventh in the table, and nine points behind the leaders Dolores.

This weekend Monte are away to ninth-placed CD Almoradi B.

Masterful Times

Club Natacion Torrevieja’s Masters swimming team had a great start to the new season last weekend with many of the squad getting personal best times in the regional event at Elda’s Municipal Pool. The six strong team each swam a maximum of two events, with the 200m freestyle women’s event first, as both Beth Altabas and Vicki Connolly achieved new season best times. Adam Stewart, Yuriy Lymar and Rafael Borders Alonso then did the same in their 200m freestyle event, with Adam slashing some six seconds off his best. Lucy Stewart

also excelled herself in her 50m freestyle event, as with a much improved stroke she also notched up a personal best.

The improved times continued continued for all the team members, and then they swam the 4x50m medley relay in the 160 years plus category, and with ages amassing nearer the 200 years mark the team did well to earn second place! The squad is now working towards the Winter National Competition at the end of January in Gijon as well as two of the team members taking part in

the Valencia regional long distance three kilometre

championships at Elche on Sunday December 13th.

Birmingham City v Huddersfield Town Bolton Wanderers v Cardiff City Brentford v MK Dons Brighton and Hove Albion v Charlton Athletic Bristol City v Blackburn Rovers Burnley v Preston North End Leeds United v Hull City Nottingham Forest v Fulham Rotherham v Wolverhampton Wanderers

Dundee v Aberdeen Celtic v Hamilton Academical Heart of Midlothian v Inverness Caledonian Kilmarnock v Dundee United Partick Thistle v Motherwell Ross County v St. Johnstone

Spanish La Liga Saturday 5 December 16:00 18:15 20:30 22:00 22:05

Real Madrid v Getafe Granada CF v Atlético de Madrid Valencia CF v Barcelona Deportivo de La Coruña v Sevilla Real Betis v Celta de Vigo

Sunday 6 December 12:00 Real Sociedad v Eibar 16:00 Villarreal v Rayo Vallecano 18:15 Sporting de Gijón v Las Palmas 20:30 Athletic Club v Málaga

Monday 7 December 20:30 Espanyol v Levante

Torry Army Dates The Torry Army is the long-established international supporters club that follow CD Torrevieja and organise a variety of social events as well as cheering on the players.

The Torry Army Christmas Lunch will take place at the Marina Bar, Toretta 2, Torrevieja on Friday December 11th at 1.00pm, with a three-course meal costing 15 euros per person.

The Christmas Dance featuring music from the group, Timeless, will be at

Casa Ventura in San Luis, Torrevieja on Wednesday December 16th, from 9.00pm. There’ll be a buffet besides the entertainment with the cost being 12 euros for members and 14 euros for non-members.

If you are interested in learning more about the Torry Army and coming along to the events, then just put your name down at the Torry Army office in San Luis, or ring the office on 966 784 111 or call Pat Stewart on 966 786 352.

46

Friday 4th December 2015

Nev’s El Of A Job At Valencia!

Former Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville has been named as Valencia's head coach until the end of the season.

The 40-year-old, who will take charge officially on Sunday, will remain part of the England coaching set-up. Peter Lim, Valencia's Singaporean owner, has a stake in Salford City, the non-league club co-owned by Neville.

His brother Phil, who joined the Spanish club as assistant manager in July, will stay on the coaching staff. "I am absolutely thrilled to be given this opportunity with Valencia," the new head coach said.

Neville will attend a news conference with club president Layhoon Chaan on Thursday. He will not lead the team when they face Barcelona in La Liga on Saturday, instead taking charge for the first time when they host Lyon in the Champions League the following Wednesday. Neville replaces Nuno Espirito Santo, who resigned after Sunday's 1-0 defeat at Sevilla, which left Valencia ninth in the Spanish league.

The club finished fourth last season, but have won only five of their opening 13 league matches this term.

Ten Man Hoodoo ALBACETE 1 ELCHE 0

For the second time in a week Elche found themselves facing opponents who had a player sent off in the last third of a match, and once again the Ilicitanos could not make the advantage pay. In fact it was even worse last Sunday, as Albacete were down to 10 men with half an hour to go and they then had the nerve to get the only goal with just six minutes remaining.

What was frustrating for Elche was that they looked the better side until Albacete had a man dismissed. The Ilicitanos looked dangerous from set pieces in the first half, and an Alvaro strike was cleared off the line with the keeper beaten, and still in the first period, Sergio León, Alavro again, and Alex Moreno all kept Albacete keeper Juan Carlos busy.

The second half continued in the same vein until the referee sent off Miguel Núñez in the 56th minute for fouling Sergio León. Albacete then became a totally different side despite their disadvantage and Jona struck for them in the 84th minute as the home outfit looked far more likely to score, and Elche went away with absolutely nothing to show for their efforts. The Ilicitanos now lie fourteenth in the Segunda and entertain Tenerife tomorrow evening (Saturday) with a 6.00 pm kickoff.

A Real Toil EIBAR 0 REAL MADRID 2

Real Madrid coach Rafa Benitez lauded his players' work-rate despite another underwhelming display as they beat Eibar last Sunday to stay within six points of Barcelona at the top of La Liga.

Gareth Bale's first Madrid goal in three months just before half-time and Cristiano Ronaldo's late penalty got Real back to winning ways a week after being humiliated 4-0 at home by Barca.

"The important thing was to get the three points and do so with this spirit of sacrifice”, said Benitez.

Real are at home to Getafe this Saturday afternoon.

Stroll For Barca

BARCELONA 4 REAL SOCIEDAD 0

Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar all netted as Barcelona eased to victory over Real Sociedad, keeping them in the driving seat at the top of the Primera Division, four points clear of Atletico Madrid.

Messi scored his first La Liga goal since late September against Sociedad and Neymar admitted he worked hard to ensure his team-mate got on the scoresheet.

"It's true that, at the end, I looked for Leo so he could score his goal," he said.

Barcelona are away to Valencia tomorrow evening with Gary Neville in charge for the first time after Nuno Espirito Santo resigned after his side’s defeat to Sevilla.

Lionel’s Award Night Barcelona scooped five prizes at the annual La Liga awards this week, with Lionel Messi taking the trophies for best player and best forward. Barca boss Luis Enrique bagged the best coach award, while Claudio Bravo won best goalkeeper and Neymar was nominated best American player.

Real Madrid won in three categories, Sergio Ramos picking up best defender, James Rodriguez taking the best midfielder title and Cristiano Ronaldo nominated as the 'fans' five-star player'. The awards event was held at the Auditori Forum in Barcelona and was attended by more than 1,000 guests.

Arch Rivals Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar have been announced as the three-man shortlist for the Ballon d'Or - the award given to the world footballer of the year. It is the eighth consecutive year that Real Madrid's Ronaldo and Barcelona's Messi have been on the shortlist. The winners will be announced at a gala in Zurich on January 11th.

The Courier Sport

DAN’S

PLANS D SUBMInTs CThEelsea

Champio ning itted a plan have subm p to re-develo application e g d rd Bri their Stamfo ew 60,000n a to ground in ium seater stad

ILL GARY CAH SIGNS ender Chelsea def a si has gned Gary Cahill t ac tr n co ar new four-ye him at the ep ke ill w that 19. club until 20

>> Daniel Sturridge draws

Daniel Sturridge Stars Southampton vs Liverpool, Capital One Cup quarter-final - Origi gets a hat-trick as Sturridge claims a brace in devastating display which fires Jurgen Klopp's rampant Reds into Capital One Cup semi-finals.

Southampton 1 Liverpool 6 – this League Cup quarter final amazingly began with a Saints goal in the first minute from Sadio Mane, (inside just 41 seconds in fact!) – and then the St Mary’s roof fell in.

Daniel Sturridge, starting his first game for months, looked like he’d never been away with two fast strikes to avenge the early goal, he marked his first start under Jurgen Klopp with two goals in just four minutes Divock Origi deflected Alberto Moreno's shot in just before half-time and he added a second after the break. Jordon Ibe came off the bench in place of Sturridge to add a fifth goal for Klopp's rampant Reds.

Origi completed his hat-trick late on as Liverpool hit Southampton for six in an emphatic win.

John McGregor on Sport

47

Friday 4th December 2015

THE MAN FOR KLOPP SOUTHAMPTON 1 - 6 LIVERPOOL

R O F T I H S T N I A S

SIX!

The Latest Sport Headlines AFRICA Oscar Pistorius guilty of murder FORMULA 1 Rosberg complains a lot - Hamilton FOOTBALL Liverpool smash six past Saints FOOTBALL Man City to play Everton in cup semi BOXING Klitschko to take Fury rematch option ATHLETICS Coe defends IAAF vicepresident role FOOTBALL

>> Sadio Mane heads Southampton in front

Fifa forecasts £67m annual losses EUROPEAN FOOTBALL Gary Neville named Valencia coach FORMULA 1

Baby Blue Is The Colour

Liverpool level at Saint Mary’s

For Rampant Reds When Liverpool scored three at Chelsea we were surprised, then four at Man City was astounding - and now scoring six at respectable mid-table Southampton, Jurgen Klopp’s kids are amazing on the road.

The verdict: Unbelievable, remarkable, ruthless - Klopp's team now truly finding a deafening voice.

The result means that the semi-finals of the League Trophy, aka the Capital Cup will be an all Premier League affair, no teams from the lower divisions featuring this year for a change.

Everton will meet Man City, and Liverpool play Stoke. Interestingly at the end of last season, Stoke humiliated Liverpool 6 – 1, perhaps numbering Brendan Rodgers’ days, but the Reds will be looking out for revenge now!

There are times when teams play with such confidence, such swagger, that they appear to be capable of anything. Liverpool are back!

At Chelsea you don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater, you throw your bib at the manager!

Leaving your star striker out all game could Costa lot, as the Brazilian wasn’t even wanted during the Spurs bore draw.

When it was clear that Diego wasn’t coming on, his pretty-in-pink subs bib was ripped off and hurled in the managers direction – it missed him actually - apt when you think about it. Perhaps wisely for everyone’s sake, Mourinho played it down – or did it register in the Special One’s troubled mind for possible use later on?

For some bizarre reason, Chelsea’s midfield creator Hazard was expected to do the striking work as well - but didn’t. In fact amazingly the Blues had no out-and-out striker on the field at any time in the match.

Keeping it babyish Remy was on paternity leave, but his face doesn’t fit these days anyway, and as for Falcao, it looks his cruciate ligament injury two years ago has robbed

him of that necessary vital spark. It’s hugely ironic that Chelsea have more players farmed out on loan than anyone else, including some good forwards: yet when they really need one the Blues can’t call on a decent striker. Mourinho finally let Lukaku go last year after a successful loan at West Brom - and look what the Belgian’s doing at Everton, nine goals already this season.

The early season fitness of Costa was a problem. ’Maybe I got out of my diet and, when I came back, I was not the way I was supposed to be. I was a little bit overweight.

That affected my game,’ was over-partying Costa’s guilty take on the situation. Now a paltry three goals so far is incomparable against last season when their leading scorer had already scored 11 by this time when Chelsea were (last) on fire.

Judging by Costa’s surly reaction to being benched, he will either come back soon with something to prove to his

manager, or maybe angrily take it out on his markers (again) and get sent off. It’s morbidly fascinating to watch Mourinho, the man manager supreme, making a fist of trying to stop the rot. He is trying hard to get his vastly-overpaid players to start winning convincingly again and thereby climb up the Prem.

The Blues have always been there or thereabouts since Mourinho’s first spell at the club, and then going through a battery of top managers to stay in the top few places.

Now after his triumphant return two years ago, it’s amazing to see Chelsea struggling in 14th place, only five points above the relegation zone.

Upwards there’s a three point gap above them before you start mixing with the more modest likes of West Brom, Stoke and Watford.

Talk of Chelsea being in Europe next year? Forget it, Blues fans and concentrate on just surviving this season in the Prem. If they don’t ,it would surely Costa Jose his job.

US Grand Prix in doubt for 2016 FOOTBALL Cahill signs new Chelsea contract ATHLETICS Italy seeks doping bans for 26 athletes FOOTBALL Celtic fans told to avoid Istanbul metro SWIMMING Peaty and Miley win silver in Israel EUROPEAN FOOTBALL Barcelona thrash thirdtier Villanovense EUROPEAN FOOTBALL Neville can succeed at Valencia - Ferguson FOOTBALL Fifa set for reform proposals U-turn EUROPE Benzema denies playing blackmail 'game' SNOOKER Murphy out but Selby through in York FOOTBALL Klopp 'now gets' Sturridge excitement Supplied by BBC

TOON... A SHAMBLES!

McClaren

!

K C A S S E C A F

Lost: one dressing room. Apply Steve McClaren, manager, Newcastle United Football Club. Reward: keeping his job. The losing-too-many-matches manager is fairly and squarely blaming his players and their suspect attitudes on the field. Déjà vu - haven’t we been here before in owner Mike Ashley’s Geordieland Theme Park? Last year assistant-turned-manager-then-fired John Carver levelled his sights at his own lads last season, even accusing one experienced player of deliberately getting sent off to avoid playing, things were so bad.

Now, once again on Saturday, the Magpies were woeful, shattered to pieces at Crystal Palace, this time 5 – 1. Selhurst Park is a noisy, happy club clearly relishing and deserving their seventh place. Full of football irony the Eagles’ boss Alan Pardew was previously the manager at St James’ Park pre-Carver, where he was roundly vilified on the terraces – but successful.

Newcastle have been sliding ever since he left, Pardew must’ve sensibly stifled a smug snigger on Saturday.

After Newcastle’s 3 – 0 hammering by Leicester a fortnight ago, that’s eight conceded in two games, second bottom place with an even worse goal difference than death row Aston Villa. It can’t go on, the Toon Army deserve much better. Oh, and working on the ‘It never rains’ basis it’s only loving-it, lively Liverpool coming to St James’ Park on Sunday, the Reds fresh from thrashing Southampton 6 – 1 away. Slip again savagely, Stevie? So long, son…

Meanwhile down the road, Sam Allardyce is still superbly succeeding, Sunderland scavenging Stoke 2 – 0 to take the Black Cats clear of the relegation zone.

After last week’s surprise win at Selhurst Park the never-relegated hero Wearside warrior is steadily moving Sunderland clear of danger – just like he’s done before.

DANNY AIMS ENGLAND’S TO THRIVE AUTUMN LIST Danny Willett is preparing for a new challenge as he defends his Nedbank Golf Challenge title this week. Willett was 83rd in the world before his victory at the Gary Player Country Club 12 months ago but returns to South Africa ranked 20th Justin Rose is the only higherranked Englishman after finishing second on the 2015 Race to Dubai.

England have confirmed their opponents for next year's autumn internationals which begins against South Africa at Twickenham on November 12 Eddie Jones' side will play four fixtures against southern hemisphere opposition including Fiji and Australia, who were drawn in the same pool as England at this year's Rugby World Cup.

FOX-

TROT

Found:- a new, true goalscoring hero in 2015.

Jamie Vardy did it again at Manchester United to re-write history books to take his place alongside the greats of UK football. This time it only took 20 minutes for the Leicester striker to make it eleven goals in consecutive games, ironically eclipsing the visiting Reds’ ex-hero, van Nistelroy who had notched ten. The end result on Saturday was a fair 1 – 1 draw with Der Bomber Bastian Schweinsteiger crashing in his headed equaliser to bring the feisty Foxes back to Planet Earth and second place, albeit only on goal difference from Man City. The Mancunian Blues put away Southampton 3 – 1, the Saints have slipped a little of late to sit in 10th place – and Wednesday’s Liverpool thrashing will not have helped Ronald Koeman’s means confidence.

Bournemouth are set for Chelsea tomorrow with the Cherries now becoming the Come Back Kids, like last Saturday fighting back for a three-three draw against efficient Everton. The Cherries could stay up – and they deserve to with spirit like that.

Vanquished Villa went down again 3 – 2 to Watford, the Hornets going well in eleventh, but the result bodes badly for the Villains. You just can’t see any way up for Remy Garde’s wobbly ones.

P U C S ’ L REA

WOE!

Real Madrid could face disqualification from the Copa del Rey after fielding an ineligible player in their fourth-round three-one win over Cadiz on Wednesday night. Denis Cheryshev, 24, gave Real the lead but the Russian should have been serving a one-game ban, say reports.

Cheryshev was taken off moments after half-time as a double from Isco secured victory for the 19-time Copa del Rey winners, with Kike Marquez scoring a late goal for the hosts.

Newspaper AS has published a document showing he received three bookings in the domestic cup competition while on loan at Villarreal last season.

This first-leg tie was the first opportunity he had to serve the ban.

Real boss Rafael Benitez was manager of Valencia when they were disqualified from the Copa del Rey having played too many non-European Union players in a tie against Novelda in 2001.

Last season Osasuna were kicked out of the tournament for playing an ineligible player after Unai Garcia was selected in the win over Mirandes despite having been sent off the previous season.

Meanwhile Barcelona reached the last 16 of the Copa del Rey with an emphatic 6-1 home victory over third-tier Villanovense. Dani Alves scored the opener from long range, 20-year-old forward Sandro Ramirez hit a hat-trick, while Munir El Haddadi, also 20, got two goals.

Lionel Messi was left out of the squad, while Andres Iniesta, Neymar and Luis Suarez were unused substitutes .

THE COURIER No.1 for SPORT! All the action p 44-47