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Monday 18th April, 2016
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MAR MENOR SEAHORSES Main Office and Classified Adverts call Fay 676 820 588 (Mon-Fri 10am - 1.30pm) Los Alcázares to Pilar de la Horadada call David 658 058 883 Mazarrón to Los Urrutias inc. Cartagena call Fay 676 820 588 (10am-5pm)
Volunteers from various environmentalist groups are collaborating to try and ensure the preservation of the Seahorse (Hippocampus guttulatus) in the Mar Menor, whose population has been severely depleted over the past decade. The Seahorse feeds on small crustaceans, larvae and juveniles of other species. It uses its prehensile tail to cling to the algae and plants from the bottom of the lagoon, it is a slow mover so is easily caught by other sea life and unfortunately unscrupulous visitors who catch them to take home as a souvenir.
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For Costa Blanca or Costa Almeria editions contact Telephone 966 730 057 E-mail office@theleader.info Website www.theleader.info Head Office Edificio Centro Zenia 2 1a Planta Avda. de Villa Martin s/n Urb La Zenia 03189 Orihuela Costa, Alicante
Following years of these practices the effects on the species is now evident. The Seahorse is facing extinction and drastic measures must be taken to preserve the species. Shutting off some areas of the Mar Menor to all motorboats has been suggested as a plan to try and encourage the Seahorse to multiply, as an undisturbed habitat would be conducive to reproduction. After exploring 40.000 metros of the Mar Menor in 500 dives, 150 Seahorses were found, examined, identified and marked. The team of 80 environmentalists and divers donated 3200 hours of their time to the project.
The Costa Blanca and Costa Calida Leader, its publishers, members of staff and its agents do not accept responsibility for 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 non-appearance 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.
Leader Media
The Next Issue of the
Costa Calida Informer will be published on Monday 2nd May 2016
INFORMER
FACING EXTINCTION
Once the results of the study are compiled, the plight of the Seahorse will be presented to the Government to ensure its protection. In order to help the effort in preserving this endangered species, the environmentalists are asking for people to be careful when untying boats and check anchor ropes carefully to ensure any sea horses that may have wrapped themselves around are released safely and obviously never take a Seahorse home.
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SINNOTT’S RAISE MUCH NEEDED CASH FOR MABS On Wednesday April 13th, Sinnott’s bar in La Manga hosted a great fundraising day in aid of Mabs, a charity which gives much needed to support to cancer sufferers and their families. The team worked hard to provide a fun filled day of entertainment and Sinnott’s also donated all takings from the Hot & Cold Buffet, this generous gesture together with other donations raised a massive 510€. John & Julia , the owners of Sinnott’s bar stated " We would like to thank everyone for supporting our charity day in aid of Mabs, we are over the moon to raise 510€, thanks to Lisa and Michelle who worked tirelessly all day, extra special thanks to our dear friend John Phillips for organising it all for us and more thanks to Mave and John for accommodating us with the date we needed."
PARKING
FOR
CALBLANQUE
IN
LOS BELONES
500 parking spaces will be available at the new Los Belones Commercial centre for those wanting to go to the beaches in Calblanque. 3 busses will run throughout the day every 15 minutes in the busy season taking passengers from the Commercial centre to Calblanque. Calblanque closes to traffic on June 25th and no vehicles other than public transport and emergency services are allowed access to Calbanque until September 4th.
DRUNKEN BRIT ARRESTED
IN
LOS BELONES
Guardia Civil Officers from Cabo de Palos were called out to the Mare Nostrum bank in Los Belones, following reports that the cash machine had been damaged. After viewing the surveillance tapes they were able to see a man attacking the machine with a rubbish bin resulting in substantial damage to the ATM. The investigation did not take long to resolve as a man meeting the description of the perpetrator was spotted sleeping in a flowerbed of a near by bar. The man was awoken from a drunken slumber and has been identified as a British national. He was taken to the Guardia Civil in Cabo de Palos where he spent the night sleeping off the excessive alcohol in the cells. He is facing charges of destruction of property and possibly attempted theft.
GUARDIA CIVIL BUST LOS NIETOS CAR THIEVES Cabo de Palos Guardia Civil officers arrested a group of 5 Spanish men aged between 16 and 30 years old on charges of alleged car theft, theft from vehicles and breaking and entering. Three of the group members allegedly did the breaking and entering and theft of vehicles whilst the other two were in charge of selling on the stolen merchandise from a bar in Los Nietos. All five individuals are residents of Los Nietos and are well known to the local law enforcement.
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THE CRAZY RABBIT The Crazy Rabbit or El Conejo Loco in Spanish, Is now open with a new energetic team at the helm. Emma Davies who has lots of experience in the pub trade is captaining the venture and helping the bar flow smoothly is Emma’s mother Gaynor and Jose, the ‘Rock a Billy’. Emma Davies hales from Wales and is no stranger to La Manga; she has been visiting this little slice of paradise for the past 20 years and has recently decided to relocate here with her husband and 2 children. Emma is familiar with the pub/restaurant scene in La Manga, as her family has run pubs in the area including Paddywacks and the Sunrise beach bar. When the chance arose to bring “The Crazy Rabbit” out of retirement Emma jumped at the chance. The Crazy Rabbit is located on the Mar Menor side of the La Manga strip at exit/salida 18, opposite from the bowling bar. The bar has ample terraces offering shade in the front and lots of sun in the back as well as a spacious cool interior. Emma has been hard at work, breathing
IS
Monday 18th April, 2016
NOW OPEN
life back into the Crazy Rabbit and the results are stunning. The Crazy Rabbit is open 7 days a week from 10am to late, food is served all day and a wide variety of Spanish tapas are also on offer daily. A take away all day service of Fish ‘N’ Chips or Burgers is additionally available. Emma is looking forward to meeting new people and catching up with old friends on this new venture and is very grateful to all those who have helped so far on the way, including her super helpful Spanish neighbors from Menkanta. Also for those who might be missing Polly the Parrot from the Sunrise bar, she has also relocated to the Crazy Rabbit with her mum, so do pop in and say hello.
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Monday 18th April - Sunday 24th April, 2016
Diamante Beach is officially the best place to work
The
hotel complex AR Diamante Beach Spa & Convention Centre in Denia has been officially recognised as the best place to work in Spain. It achieved first place in the category of 50 to 100 employees where it was in competition with 325 other surveyed companies. The award is based upon the perception of its employees as well as it’s human
resources policy and is a significant improvement on last year’s position when the group finished 3rd. The award was made last week at an event held at the Casa de Monico Madrid, attended by more than 500 people. AR Diamante Beach Spa & Convention Centre thus joins with other companies including Brico Depot, Mars Spain, Cisco and W.L. Gore and Associates as having
achieved the very best in workplaces and will now be used as a reference for the entire business community. A spokesman for the group said that he was especially proud of the achievement because, in spite of the economic situation the centre has maintained extremely high levels of productivity and profitability thanks to the culture of trust placed in it by both its clients and its staff.
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‘Twitters from the Atlantic’ Barrie Mahoney was a head teacher and school inspector in the UK, as well as a reporter in Spain, before moving to the Canary Islands to launch and edit a new English language newspaper. He enjoys life in the sun as a columnist and author, and continues to write a series of popular novels, books for expats, as well as designing mobile apps and websites to promote the Canary Islands.
Consumer Rights in Spain One of the advantages of buying products in Spain and the Canary Islands is that all goods that are sold come with a two-year manufacturers’ guarantee, regardless of where the product is purchased. In addition, shops are obliged to accept the return of an unused item if you change your mind, within a fifteen-day cooling off period. This is one of the reasons why I, as an expat, much prefer to buy expensive items in Spain rather than from the UK, which offers a measly oneyear guarantee. However, there are some annoying exceptions, for instance, some high value and high tech products, although sold with the obligatory two year guarantee, are exempted from product returns within the 15 day period if the seal on the box has been opened, unless the item is faulty. In addition, manufacturers selling goods in Spain have to ensure that spare parts are available for at least six years following the date of sale. Although little known by the general public, this law is designed to discourage manufacturers from suddenly discontinuing the supply of replacement parts for major products at short notice, leaving purchasers with no option, but to purchase a more modern item. This form of planned obsolescence is, in theory, not allowed in Spain. I have friends who were recently faced with this issue when an expensive coffee maker failed and required a replacement part. The replacement part was no longer available and, when challenged, the suppliers were forced to supply an equivalent replacement product free of charge, even though the coffee maker was over four years old. Many consumers are unaware of their rights in this matter. This becomes more complicated with extended warranties, which provide cover for major appliances, such as washing machines and freez-
ers, when the manufacturer’s guarantee expires. There are insurance policies available for all major appliances from the better department stores, whilst some chains of electrical stores, as well as supermarkets selling electrical goods, offer purchasers the option to pay an additional fee to extend breakdown cover for a further 2 to 3 years. These add on deals often appear to be good value, or offered free, but as in most things in life, you get what you pay for, and some are hardly worth the paper that they are printed on. In my own recent case, our three-year-old washing machine suffered a major breakdown. It was an expensive machine, bought from a well known electrical chain that I have used many times before on the basis that it would last longer than some of the cheaper models, and that I would have a reliable company behind the product. The manufacturer’s two-year guarantee had expired and I therefore had to rely upon the additional warranty that I had purchased with the machine. I assumed that a telephone call to the store would bring a service engineer for the specific brand of washing machine to my home within a day or two. In reality, I had to wait for about a week before an engi-
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By Bar rie Mahoney neer eventually appeared. The engineer was appointed by the store to repair and install a whole range of products, and was not a specialist engineer. The engineer took a quick look, shook his head, and told me that the machine was a “right off” and if repaired the part would be very expensive. Permission would have to be obtained from the insurance company before the repair could take place and he would have to write a report, sending a full quotation of costs to the store. Four weeks later, there was no sign of either the machine being repaired or a replacement machine being delivered. Many phone calls to an expensive phone number and emails led to unhelpful customer service staff telling me to wait yet “another ten days” and eventually resulted in the same engineer returning to take away the machine for repair. It has now been four months since the washing machine broke down, and as yet there is no sign of a resolution or return of the washing machine, and in despair I have now bought a new one from another company. In addition, both the completion of the ‘libro de reclamaciones’ (complaints form), as well as reporting the issue to OMIC (the department responsible for consumer affairs at the Town Hall) has brought no resolution to the problem, so be very wary of the protection that these two so-called resolutions provide; I suspect that both approaches are little more than worthless bureaucracy. Looking back, it would have been wiser to cover certain key appliances, such as washing machines, dishwashers and freezers, with a separate insurance policy through a named insurance company rather than through the add on deal offered at the till. This would have given me the option to request service and repair from the authorised dealer rather than a local generic agent who dabbles in the repair and installation of a whole range of products. The experience has failed to give me confidence in purchasing large items from this particular store again. Generally, consumer protection in Spain is very good, but as in most things, we have to be careful, do our homework and accept that we usually get what we pay for. If you enjoyed this article, take a look at Barrie’s websites: www.barriemahoney.com and www.thecanaryislander.com or read his book, ‘Island in the Sun’ (ISBN: 9780992767181). Available in paperback, as well as Kindle. © Barrie Mahoney
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The secret business of helping others The Inditex group of companies has this week opened a new branch of their Massimo Dutti For & From outlet stores in Barcelona, creating 15 jobs for local workers. The group already has ten stores under the For & From brand in seven cities across Spain, including one located at the Elche Parque Industrial, C/ Severo Ochoa, Elche. One of the significant, though little known elements of this branch of the multi-billion euro company, is that the stores are specifically aimed at working with local groups to provide jobs for those with physical and mental disabilities. The group of course see the commercial benefits in the project, but also recognise the need to integrate those who may otherwise struggle into the workplace. They say that the idea was developed, “with the aim of providing innovative and sustainable solutions related to our business model to generate economic and social impact on the community�. For & From is a project for the integration of people with disabilities, from the creation of a network of shops, in collaboration with social organizations, under the Inditex franchise model. The model of the supply of clothing from previous campaigns that is offered for sale at reduced prices by these organizations. Thus, from an initial donation by Inditex for the construction of the store, the model becomes self-sustaining and provides stable profits to social organizations
through product sales. The shop, run by people with various types of severe disability, turns a commercial space in a reference centre for inclusion, accessibility and elimination of barriers. The program currently has nine retail outlets in Spain, in collaboration with four institutions of social economy that provide stable employment for more than 60 people with disabilities and has annual sales of more than 5.3 million euro.
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QUICKIE CROSSWORD
CRYPTIC CROSSWORD
LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS QUICK ACROSS: 1 Manufacture; 9 Robbery; 10 Train; 11 Evens; 12 Utilise; 13 Occult; 15 Reveal; 18 Amnesty; 20 Prang; 22 Lasso; 23 Iranian; 24 Table tennis. DOWN: 2 Amble; 3 Utensil; 4 Asylum; 5 Tutti; 6 Realise; 7 Irrevocable; 8 Intelligent; 14 Canasta; 16 Explain; 17 Typist; 19 Stool; 21 Alibi. CRYPTIC ACROSS: 1 Promptitude; 9 Counter; 10 Khaki; 11 Order; 12 Sunburn; 13 Nobody; 15 Thwart; 18 Austere; 20 Satin; 22 Thing; 23 Growler; 24 Undertaking. DOWN: 2 Round; 3 Motored; 4 Thrust; 5 Token; 6 Dracula; 7 Accountants; 8 Piano tuners; 14 Bastion; 16 Hassock; 17 Weight; 19 Eagle; 21 Talon.
ACROSS 1. Impartial (9) 8. Flee (3) 9. Derange (5,6) 11. Unscrambler (7) 12. Earlier (5) 13. Buccaneering (6) 15. Nullify (6) 17. Rule (5) 18. Designate (7) 20. Impassive (11) 22. Baton (3) 23. Insipid (9)
DOWN 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 10. 11. 14. 16. 19. 21.
Taboo (3) Dogma (5) Disregard (6) Specimen (7) Fear (11) Experienced (9) Doubt (11) Leaving (9) Satisfied (7) Renowned (6) Cost (5) Donkey (3)
L EA D E R T R I V I A Q U I Z DOWN 2. Has destroyed a tree (3) 3. Artist leaving the party gives a reason to sue (5) 4. Stop for a b-breather (6) 5. Awfully pleased to have passed (7) 6. Sure no coins can fool the expert (11) 7. Wine turns up with ease (9) 10. Monarch is an awful person from another time (11) 11. Heavenly tiles Alec makes (9) 14. Two men get extremely touchy with the Queen's family (7) 16. Dreads discovering snakes (6) 19. Scope to changed the thicket (5) 21. Are going back in time (3)
SUDOKU CHALLENGE Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9. Solution on Page 23
02
05
14
42
51
55
BONUS BALL
54
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LUCKY STARS
01
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Tuesday Euromillions jackpot 22 million euro Wednesday UK Lottery jackpot 3 million euro
ed. What time did his world come to an end on that fateful morning? (plus or minus 1 min) 8. Name the four countries in the world starting with the letter T that are Red Crescent Societies. 1 pt for each correct answer 9. The RMS Titanic picked up passengers in which three ports before its ill fated collision with an iceberg? 1 pt for each correct answer 10. The Italian pasta named farfalle is derived from the Italian word farfalla. A farfalla is what kind of animal in Italy? a. Bumblebee, b. Ladybird, c. Butterfly 11. As of 2007, which country has the fastest growing population in Europe? a. Ireland, b. Sweden, c. Portugal, d. Holland 12. Which two symbols are found on the Red Cross flag in Russia? 13. Depending on how it is pronounced, which low or edible strait separates Tasmania from mainland
Australia? 14. Russia and European Overseas Territories excluded, in which six European countries would you find active volcanoes? 1 pt for each correct answer 15. With 75,600 km, which continent has the longest coastline? 16. If one includes Russia, what are the three longest rivers in Europe? 17. The Drake Passage separates which two continents? 18. Plus or Minus 5 %, what procentage of the planet Earth is covered by land? 19. The highest tides in the world are found in which Canadian Bay? 20. Which remote and hostile place starting with the letter A is considered to be the largest desert in the world?
QUIZ ANSWERS 1. The snake. Swallowing its own tail. 2. Abba, 3. Three Answers: a. M:A.S.H, b. Jurassic Park, c. Planet of the Apes, 4. Two answers. a. Papa was a rolling stone and b. Ode to Billie Joe, 5. In the Ghetto, 6. Animism, 7. 8:15 (am) 8.15. 57 sec exactly, 8. Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey and Turkmenistan, 9. Southampton, Cherbourg and Queenstown (Cobh), 10. c. Butterfly, 11. a. Ireland, 12. The Red Cross and the Red Crescent, 13. Bass Strait, 14. Iceland, Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal and Norway. 15. North America, 16. Volga, Danube and Ural, 17. Antarctic and South America. 18. 29 %. 19. Bay of Fundy. 20. Antarctic
ACROSS 1. Arm a domineering woman (6-3) 8. Love to go to the museum for eggs (3) 9. Former prime minister had lain next to the room (11) 11 and 18Ac. Author writing about children's cakes (7,7) 12. Took a scarf (5) 13. Henry returns with a mineral from a Pakistan city (6) 15. Broken nose I'd given to the inventor (6) 17. Tale of a holy man or youth leader (5) 18. See 11 Ac. 20. I'm Peter Dell and I'm awfully irritable (3-8) 22. Animal found on a ship (3) 23. Time for a Beatles record (9)
1. Which animal is usually used to depict the eternal Ouroboros symbol? 2. A very very successful band and the name given to a Coptic bishop. One word. 3. In which films would you find the following doctors? a. Dr. John MacEntyre, b. Dr. John Hammond, c. Dr. Zira 4. The following are the first words to which songs? a. It was the 3rd of September, that day I'll always remember, b. It was the 3rd of June, another sleepy dusty delta day 5. "As the snow flies" are the first words to which sad mega hit from 1969? 6. Which spiritual, religious or philosophical 'ism' claims everything, including your pint of Guinness, has a soul? First letter "A" 7. There is a famous photograph of Hiroshima resident Kengo Nikawa's broken pocket watch. The watch stopped the moment the atom bomb explod-
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Bank Robber caught in Orihuela Free Lunch Quesada Fish &Chips Villamartin Officers from the Guardia Civil arrested a man in Orihuela who had knocked down two women as he tried to escape after allegedly robbing a bank in the Murcia town of Santomera.
The man made off with the bank with 12,000 euro in cash and then attempted a return to the Orihuela area. The officers noted the vehicle and were suspicious of the driver as they attempted to ask the vehicle driver to stop. The driver resisted and tried to escape at speed, knocking down the two women who were on separate streets in the city of Orihuela. Minutes later, the officers caught up with the vehicle and detained the driver. A subsequent inspection of the vehicle revealed a large amount of cash and a firearm, although this was later discovered to be a fake pistol. The two women were treated at the scene with one of them being taken to hospital as a result of injuries sustained in the incident.
The team at Free Lunch Spain have now supplied essential information about life in Spain to over 2,000 people. They have a 96% satisfaction score from those who have attended for correctly answering all their questions. The experts from the four local companies are overwhelmed by the massive popularity of these events. As a result they are now expanding the number of seminars. This will be a fantastic opportunity to get all the facts about life in Costa Blanca. Everybody who attends is able to ask the experts in various fields about how things work in Spain which is a refreshing change to the continued confusion that reigns here. Once again the highly respected UK & Spanish companies based in Costa Blanca are inviting all British, Irish & European nationals, spending time or living in Spain, to a meeting for their questions regarding life here to be answered. Some of the topics that will be covered will be as follows:Savings Wills – New law came into effect on August 17th 2015
Pensions Inheritance law and taxes in Spain Currency exchange Complex Spanish funeral system Experts from the four companies will also be providing professional advice on all these topics and answering all the questions. Everybody who wishes to attend the event can send their questions in advance and the answer will be provided at the meeting. How fantastic is that!! We could have all done with this type of event ages ago. Once all the questions have been answered then everybody will get a free lunch at Quesada Fish & Chips in Villamartin Plaza. The event begins at 12 noon on Thursday 28th April. To register your question and to attend this unique event you can e-mail freelunchspain@gmail.com with your name address and telephone number or call 966 799 070. Spaces are limited so I am off to register right now. The thing is I have about ten questions that need answers. Apparently the experts will have an answer for each one! Great news.
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Automoviles Crespo is a 2015 Ford C-Max priced at just 17,900 euro. Come along to our showroom in Elche or call 96 666 22 60 for all our latest offers. The biggest and best for price, choice and quality. (69148)
Boats and Nautical Boat servicing, engine oil/ filter change. General maintenance, fault finding, anti fouling, hull cleaning, accessory installation. Torrevieja to Mazarron. Licensed and registered in Spain, 20 years experience. All makes of outboard engines catered for. Competitive prices, all work guaranteed English/Spanish speaking. Call Tony on 628 166 738 (65470) FOR RENT - up to 10 metre berth - Marina Salinas - CALL 648 627 272 (69101)
Business Opportunity
Pets
Busy Profitable Bar /Restaurant in La Manga. Free Hold Premises, Front Line Med. Turn Key Operation, 100 covers. All licences in place. 240,000â‚Ź O.N.O. Selling due to retirement. Call : 868 08 34 55. Or Email: a n n a - g a rg a n @ h o t m a i l . c o m
Delmonte Catotel Cartagena. The cattery that cares! Tel 968 168 711 or 616 276 379 (69083)
Car and Vehicle Sales The
Car
of
the
Month
at
Property for Rent WANTED URGENTLY We are receiving requests for La Zenia, Playa Flamenca, San Miguel schools catchment area, detached houses. If you think your property may be suitable please CALL NOW on 966 772 553
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orange groves. UK TV, air-con, communal pool 400 euros. Contracts provided 966 772 553
Property for Sale
Social and Clubs Volunteer driver Wanted. Age Concern require an experienced volunteer driver for Tuesday mornings, 10.00am until 1.30pm. You must have a Spanish Driving Licence. If you think that you can help Age Concern in this respect, please call in to the Day Centre in La Siesta, or call Age Concern on 96 678 6887. Volunteers are urgently needed in all areas by the Age Concern LIFELINE Team visiting people in their own homes to assess their needs, reporting back to the Lifeline Team Leader. There are many people who live alone, are lonely and need some form of social contact. Please call Age Concern on 96 678 6887. (69185)
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LOS ALTOS spacious 2 bed 2 bath corner apartment with garden. Separate kitchen, walking distance to amenities 450 euros per calendar month, including allowance for bills. Long term contracts provided 966 772 553 MAR MENOR/PLAYA HONDA 2 Bed 1 bath, spacious 1st floor apartment. Separate kitchen, spacious lounge with patio doors leading to a large balcony with storage cupboard, UKTV, communal pool, walking distance to beach 400 pcm including an allowance for bills. Long term contracts provided 966 772 553 PLAYA FLAMENCA 2 Bed, 1 bath 1st floor apartment with English TV. Walking distance to Carrefour supermarket, the commercial centres of Playa Flamenca, La Mosca and the Citrus centre. 425 euros pcm including an allowance for bills. Call us on 966 772 553 PILAR DE LA HORADADA.
Beautiful sunny 2 bedroom detached villa. Consists of Lounge/diner, american style kitchen. Master bedroom with en-suite shower room, twin bedroom, family bathroom. Rooftop solarium. South facing. Off road parking. Communal swimming pool. Just a short walk into the lovely Spanish town of Pilar de la Horadada. 5 minutes drive to the nearest beaches. Ideal for full time living. 600 euros per calendar month including an allowance for bills. Contracts provided 966 772 553 URGENT! - Properties required for waiting clients.We are receiving requests for La Zenia, Playa Flamenca, San Miguel schools catchment area, 2 or 3 bed houses, and detached villas. Let your property earn you money CALL NOW on 966 772 553 PILAR DE LA HORADADA 2 bed 1 bath house on one level. Currently furnished but could be unfurnished. Driveway to fore, courtyard at rear and private solarium 500 euros per month, inclusive of allowance for bills. Legal let with contracts 966 772 553 JACARILLA. 3 Bed, 2 bath apartment. Good sized separate kitchen with external patio off, balcony with lovely views over
For Sale Town House In SAX/Alicante. 4 Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths, with separate granny flat. Single Garage space & 50 metre Patio. Quiet area with no community fees. Close to all local amenities. 160,000â‚Ź O.N.O. Call: 868 08 34 55 Or email: anna-gargan@hotmail.com LA MANGA - Immaculate 2 bed, 2 bath apartment. Fully-furnished. Close to beaches and Veneziola Golf. 2nd floor. Reduced for quick sale. 125.500 Euro. Tel 626 253 569. (90187) Dolores. Large Finca in plot of 10,000 m2. All services connected. Build Size 215m2. Must be viewed. 195,000 euros. Tel 649 189 930 (65297) Beautifully presented 2 bed ground floor bungalow. Property consists of Lounge/Diner, good sized kitchen with storage area, Master bedroom with fitted wardrobes, twin bedroom with fitted wardrobes and family bathroom. Good sized garden and communal pool. This property is located just a short stroll to Villamartin and is ideal for full time living and holidays 80,000 euros Tel 966 772 553 (92320) A stunning quad villa in playa golf property with 2 bedrooms 1.5 bathroom and large garden just a short walk from bars and the bus and only a 5 mins drive to the beach 115,000 euros contact Ian on 644 115 988 (96290) 2 Bedroom quad villa in Lomas de Cabo Roig just 5 mins walk to
the shop and about 5 mins drive to the beach this has been a lovely home but need to sell now it only 89,999 euros call Carl on 672 875 251 (96292) Ground floor bungalow over looking community garden and just a short walk from the supermarket carrefour in Torrevieja this is a lovely property with a nice size garden Ideal for you if you are looking to be close to all amenties was 99,000 euros now 75,000 euros call me James on 644 138 502 (96293) Refurbished top floor bungalow with private garden and private solarium in the Verdemars with sea view and golf views also we have refurbished to a high standard there is a lovely stream just a few mins walk away and the communtiy is a nice and clean with 2 communal pool now 124,999 euros call today Paul on 634 043 697 (96294)
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A few days later the first customer can back with his friend who had made a similar mistake in allowing the same person to rectify a small fault with his machine, Tasia noticed straight away that this machine was brought in the week before by a different person asking for it to be repaired, Tasia remembered the person and described to them what he looked like, it turns out this was the so called repairer who had tried to get Fowof to repair the machine but in this case damage had been done to the inside that was not repairable because they had broken a part from the main memory. Tasia phoned the manufacturers who said they do not supply the part as it is part of the circuit board and would cost the same as the computer and also the connections were broken so it would be difficult to replace effectively. Tasia explained this to the first person that Fowof were unable to repair items that had been taken apart because they did not want to be blamed for damage not caused by them, so the so called repairer who brought it in, was charged 10€ for the time taken, he then went back and charged the customer 45€ saying that a diode had burnt out on the circuit board and no repairs would be practical.
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I must remind you about Hot Spots! The new innovation that gives everyone Wi-Fi anywhere for little cost, however as I say every week ask in the shop to make sure this is best for you, Tasia or Anne will point you in the right direction and advise of the different available internet access you can have here in Spain.
The cleaning and maintenance of computers is a complicated and ever updating industry, so be careful when allowing someone to repair or do work on your computer. This week we had two machines that had been looked at by a friend of a friend who knows about computers allegedly, both arrived at the shop with instructions to repair the machines and save all the information that seems to have been lost. After the engineer took the first one apart, I was shown internal damage that could not have taken place without components being removed, touched and broken by a third party. The Engineers phoned the customer who then came clean and explained his next door neighbour said he can repair and clean tablets, and would only charge for what he does, the charge was 63€ but he said that irreparable damage had taken place inside the machine and that it was not financially viable to repair. We asked the customer to come in so we could show him the problem, Manuel opened it to show him the so called irreparable damage, Manuel then explained that the only damage was that caused by the person who had tried to repair the machine and that the only problem was a soft ware one, that could have been sorted out in 10 minutes, now however the parts inside that were broken needed replacing, he agreed to the work taking place and it was completed and returned to him the next day, the cost was 52€ but it would have only have cost him 20€ had he not taken it to this person who obviously had little knowledge about computers, the damage was a direct consequence of his intervention so the person was over the moon, sadly the next story has no such happy ending.
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The man explained that the Tablet had all the pictures of his children and was desperate to try and save even just some of them, he left it there and Tasia and Manuel worked on the machine but no repair could be done so the man bought a similar model and they managed to transfer nearly all of the memory from the old Tablet to the new one including all his photos, his only loss were his word files that were corrupt and could not be saved. He was very pleased with the outcome however they suggested that he back up his files with a memory card, the cost was only 8.95€ on top of the Tablet price for peace of mind, they charged him also 23€ for the time taken to transfer the data from one to the other, but as he said had he brought it in the first place he would have saved the cost of a new one plus the money paid to the so called engineer. Remember to clean and maintain a tablet at Fowof costs around 20€, so be careful of friends who say they are engineers, a little knowledge can be very expensive in the wrong hands! Even though I did a similar thing with my car, I got a so called mechanic to repair it only to find it worse and he charged me 75€, I broke down the offending part, it was replaced, the cost only 30€ plus of course the original 75€, my wife reminds me of this daily so the financial side was bad but nothing like being reminded of your stupidity for the next ten years.
Wi-Fi is something we all need and the benefit of having a good access to the internet is important, we stayed last week at a Hotel who managed to offer free Wi-Fi as long as I climbed a lamppost dangled by my legs whilst pointing my phone North, regretfully it is a large hotel so the lamppost and surrounding area was very busy, but after sending many emails I found I was not receiving any replies, I thought at first that the lamppost was faulty but then found that all my sent emails had travelled the long distance between my inbox and my outbox, a distance of some 1mm and the only person to write and read them was me, so I had the choice of reading them again and formulate a suitable response to each one, that I could read and get pleasure from making my life that bit more exciting for the day or I could sort out the problem at source. However, this was not easy as asking my phone to send the emails resulted in a stern no, from the Wi-Fi supplier who had set up their Wi-Fi system to block certain items and certain places I.e. your room had a disc on the wall that blocked all Wi-Fi downloads emails or even simple whatsapps. The cost of opening this up in your room was 15€ a day or 75€ a week, had that guaranteed a good connection I would have accepted this exorbitant fee but the people in the next room paid but said due to heavy usage they could only get out between 1am and 4.30am it would seem the hotel had lost so much revenue from there phone system they decided to spite their visitors with this new fangled system that was free but only in one place in the hotel that seemed to be changed every night to confuse the luckless user who though he can get it free. The value of its usage was not obtained by the user unless the user paid a great deal of money, we decided to try sending our messages by post or carrier pigeon, even that would be faster than their system that had the speed of an asthmatic ant with a heart condition. We ended up sending our messages on our return to the UK whilst awaiting our flight back to Spain and then spent then the rest of the day explaining why we had not responded to friends and families emails. See their main advert on page 3.
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BACON, BUTLERS AND SPANISH NUDISTS – FOREIGN OFFICE REVEALS LATEST TOP TEN BIZARRE REQUESTS FROM BRITS ABROAD Confused callers have looked to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) for advice on bizarre issues ranging from where to buy English bacon in Europe, how to recruit a butler in Lebanon and how to avoid nudists in southern Spain, it has been revealed. The FCO has released details of the ten weirdest consular calls it has received in the past year, as a reminder to Brits overseas that they should only look to use its services for genuine emergencies. The calls included: z A man planning to move to Spain who was worried he would encounter nudists walking through the streets z A homesick expat asking where he could buy English bacon z A lady in Lebanon looking for help to recruit an English butler z A holidaymaker trying to find Travel Advice for a visit to Coventry z A European filmmaker looking for an English pensioner to play a part in his new film z A woman who was disappointed the British Embassy had not sent someone to give her a tour of St. Petersburg on her arrival in Russia z A man asking for assistance to get illegal employment in Singapore z A mother asking for the contact details of a young British YouTuber, as her son was a fan of his Minecraft videos z A confused businessman looking for information on the construction of plug sockets
trouble around the world – but it is important that people remember they are there to help with genuine emergencies and not as an alternative to directory enquiries. “Every minute they spend handling a call requesting advice on butlers or nudists is time taken away from dealing with life and death cases, so I urge the public to think before picking up the phone.” Latest FCO figures show that over the last year almost half a million calls were made to its consular service –which provides emergency help to Britons in trouble overseas. The vast majority were from people with genuine requests and the FCO assisted with numerous cases, including 3,250 Brits who were hospitalised, 4,770 who were arrested, and the families of 3,670 who died overseas. Almost 38,000 replacement travel documents were issued. British residents in Spain made more than 13,000 telephone enquiries in the past year, of which a quarter could have been resolved if callers had first searched www.gov.uk. The most frequent topics - for which there is plenty of information online - included applying for a British passport, getting UK documents legalised and registering a birth, death or marriage (see table below for links). In addition, nearly 2000 of the total calls were inappropriately seeking ‘lifestyle’ advice, with questions sometimes similar to the more bizarre examples received worldwide. Useful www.gov.uk links: British passport applications www.gov.uk/overseas-passports Legalisation of documents www.gov.uk/get-document-legalised
z A man in South Korea asking what he could do with his old pound notes
Registering a birth abroad www.gov.uk/register-a-birth
Foreign and Commonwealth Minister James Duddridge said:
Registering a death abroad www.gov.uk/register-a-death
Office
“Our consular staff are a helpful bunch and do an amazing job helping out Brits in
Getting married abroad www.gov.uk/marriage-abroad
Copies of birth or marriage certificates etc www.gov.uk/general-register-office
z Provide information about transferring money
FCO staff can support Brits abroad in many ways – including arranging to visit vulnerable Brits in hospital or in prison, advising on how to transfer money and helping those caught up in crisis situations.
z Provide help if you have suffered rape or serious sexual or physical assault, are a victim of crime, are ill or in hospital
However, recent research* has revealed that three quarters of Brits (74%) wrongly think the FCO can get them out of jail if they are arrested, nearly a quarter (22%) think the FCO can arrange for them to get home if they lose their ticket and 15% presume the FCO will lend them money if theirs is lost or stolen. Kelvin Green, Head of the FCO’s Global Contact Centres, said: “We receive thousands of calls a year, and do all we can to help people who find themselves in difficulty abroad. But we cannot help people make travel arrangements or lifestyle plans, lend them money or pay medical and other bills for them. “I would urge people to prepare well before they travel, making sure they have valid travel documents and insurance.”
z Give you a list of local lawyers, interpreters, doctors or funeral directors z Contact you if you are detained abroad z Contact friends and family back home for you if you wish z Provide help in cases of forced marriage z Assist people affected by parental child abduction The FCO cannot: z Help you enter a country if you do not have a valid passport or necessary visas z Give you legal advice or translate documents z Investigate crimes or get you out of prison
How the FCO can and cannot help British nationals abroad:
z Get you better treatment in hospital or prison than is given to local people, but we will raise concerns if treatment falls below internationally recognised standards
The FCO can:
z Pay any bills or give you money
z Issue you with an emergency travel document
z Make travel arrangements for you
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KEEP
A
KEEN
EYE OUT FOR
Local Vets are warning Costa Calida dog owners to be on the alert for a disease, which can affect both pets and humans. The warning comes after one La Manga dog became extremely ill after contracting suspected Lyme disease from ticks on a rabbit on scrubland. Local Vets confirmed there had been a near-four-fold rise in cases relating to the disease among pets in the last five years and said the "worrying" statistics mirrored the worsening situation in humans, with surging numbers of people now diagnosed with the debilitating disease. Luna a German Shepherd, from La Manga, became extremely unwell after contracting suspected Lyme Disease. Her owner, local resident Mr Biss said his twelve-year-old dog had found a rabbit on shrub land in Calblanque and, when he went to put her back in the car he noticed she had several ticks attached to her muzzle and leg. Lyme Disease, or Borreliosis, is caused by ticks - blood sucking parasites found in woodlands and long grass. It can lead to symptoms in pets such as fever, pain and swelling in the joints, crippling arthritis, nerve damage and even meningitis - which are similar to human symptoms. A spokesperson from the official school of veterinarians in Murcia said they saw around 100 cases of suspected or confirmed Lyme Disease in 2015 - an increase of 560% since 2009 when only 15 cases were reported. According to one local Vet, the figures were likely to be “just the tip of the iceberg” as many cases go unreported. “These figures are incredibly worrying because Lyme Disease can be a very serious, debilitating condition that can cause longterm problems if left untreated. Caught early, the disease can usually be effectively treated with long-term antibiotics.
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TICKS
"However, owners may not even be aware that their animal has been bitten by a tick, so they need to be vigilant.” “Although the tick population appears to be on the increase, the majority of these parasites do not cause Lyme Disease. “We treated 427 pets for tick related issues, including bites or removal in 2015 and only around 26 of these cases were suspected or confirmed cases of Lyme Disease. Now is the time for vigilance, as Spains tick population peaks between late spring and autumn.” With Luna, Mr Biss said, although I believed I had removed all of the ticks it seemed Luna contracted Lyme Disease from one of the parasites. Mr Biss said: “A few weeks later I noticed Luna wasn’t herself at all. She would stand there almost looking straight through us and she couldn’t jump in and out of the car. “ At first I thought it might just be her age and a hip problem but my wife seemed to think it could be something else, so I took her to the vets.” The vet agreed that Luna was displaying classic symptoms of Lyme Disease. He said: “Luna appeared to be very uncomfortable and was suffering joint pain. She seemed to have a hunched appearance and was having head tremors. “We suspected she had Lyme Disease and prescribed a long course of antibiotics.” After six weeks of medication Luna is making good progress. Mr Biss added: “I would say she’s 100% back to her old self which is great. But she is one of the lucky ones. People don’t often realise how serious a tick bite can be but hopefully by highlighting Luna’s story we can help raise awareness among more pet owners.”
SPEED
TRAP LOCATIONS FOR THIS WEEK
Cartagena Local Police have published the locations of the radars which will be checking vehicles speed over the next week, April 18th to April 24th The radars will be in place on: AV. VICTOR BELTRI AV. BRUSELAS AV. LUXEMBURGO C/ LOMA FARIAS (LA VAGUADA) C/ VIÑA DEL MAR (LA VAGUADA) PASEO DEL MUELLE C/ CTRA. ALGAMECA C/ PICOS DE EUROPA (NUEVA CARTAGENA) C/ SUSPIROS (LOS DOLORES) AV. SAN JUAN BOSCO (LOS DOLORES) N-301 ZONA BDA. SAN CRISTOBAL AV VENECIA (POL. SANTA ANA) AV. GENOVA (POL. SANTA ANA)
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Monday 18th April, 2016
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DEREK’S MONTHLY CRUISE SHIP ARRIVAL CALENDAR FOR CARTAGENA Cruise ship arrivals calendar for Cartagena.
We are asking all budding Cruise ship spotters and photographers to send in snaps of your sightings of the Cruise ships in Cartagena to editor@informernews.org, the best shots will be printed in the paper. April
Time
Ship name
Cruise liner
19
08:00 17:00
Eurodam
Holland America Line 2104
20
8:00 17:00
Celebrity Reflection
Celebrity Cruises 3046
01
09:00 18:00
Thomson Majesty
Thomson Island Cruises
01
12:00 17:00
Seadream II
SeaDream Yacht Club
02
09:00 15:00
Star Flyer
Star Clipppers
05
08:00 16:00
Koningsdam
Holland America Line
05
08:00 17:00
Royal Princess
Princess Cruises
07
09:00 16:00
Thomson Spirit
Thomson Island Cruises
08
12:00 19:00
Royal Princess
Princess Cruises
11
10:00 18:00
Koningsdam
Holland America Line
12
09:00 19:00
Silver Spirit
Silversea Cruises
12
12:00 17:00
Seadream I
SeaDream Yacht Club
May
Eurodam, Cartagena April 19th
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INFORMER GOLF After many months of saying how expensive it is to play golf here in Murcia, I have found yet another country where against all the odds golf prices are the same as Murcia. The rest of the prices do not compare as a bottle of beer is 13€, a meal is around 70€ and a can of coke 13€, very expensive indeed, yet a round of golf in the Caribbean costs only 28€ for 9 holes or 56€ for 18 holes, these prices are similar to those charged at La Serena, LA Manga and Roda to name but a few. But the relative prices locally are so different, we did not play as we could not bring ourselves to play in the searing heat, with temperatures starting around 80 degrees and making their way up we just couldn't face it so we opted for the other options of being on grandchildren watch whilst their parents basked in the sunshine. The place was Antigua in the Caribbean, Golf was expensive or what I perceive to be expensive, add buggies and or a caddy was also very expensive so after checking the prices we walked to a local bar thinking we will have a quick cheap drink but that is when we found out the local prices charged to tourists, a bottle of beer was 13€, a bottle of water 1.5lts was 6€, the average cost of a 3 course meal was 70€ per person! Luckily we were fully inclusive at our hotel, although we ventured out for a meal one night and regretted it after our first drink, the owner of the restaurant said since fully inclusive arrived, bars were no longer making money so that is why the prices had gone up so much. I explained that tourists will not return after paying these prices, she shrugged her shoulders and walked back across her empty restaurant mumbling that foreigners just do not understand. Apparently we should be grateful and pay these premium (plus some) prices, then we were told by the Taxi driver there is no drunk drivers in Antigua, I explained it was most likely because no one could afford to get drunk, only then were we told that only tourists pay
the premium prices, a bottle of beer should be 3€, tourists pay 13€ after they get the bill for their drink and meals, they then need something to forget the price of the meals and drinks. So if you need to spend extra money go to the Caribbean, they will willingly take it from you. There was a shop at the Hotel that after walking around it we decided there was nothing we wanted, travel plug 15€, a single cigar (nothing special) cost up to 66€, yes ''one''. My high light of the week was the golf played in Augusta at the Masters Tournament. Last week saw the "Masters" take place in the USA, our main hope Rory McIlroy trailed the field finishing outside of the top ten, but our other players had a fantastic game including joint second Lee Westwood, who since moving back to the UK to be nearer to his children after his divorce, seems to have gotten a new lease of life, but the hero who came from nowhere to steal the green jacket from the late leader Jordan Speith, who after a disastrous 12th taking 7 shots on this par 3 dropped him out of contention, however after a brave fight back on the 13th to 16th he faltered again and ended up -2 alongside Westwood tied for second place behind the hero from the UK Danny Willet. Danny Willet played a steady 4 rounds ending up -5 winning by two strokes, he had to endure the fight back stated by Spieth until the 18th hole, Dustin Johnson who was always in second place to Spieth but he also succumbed to nerves and double bogeyed the 16th dropping him to third. Danny Willets win is the first by an English player since Nick Faldo won 3 times many years ago. A popular player with no airs and graces he gave a great interview afterwards to the TV saying that he just played to put pressure on the leaders but never believing it would end this way. He and Westwood, who are great
friends on and off course were so pleased with the results after Lee Westwood had many Lean years before this fantastic return to form, other players in the money were Justin Rose and the 1st Japanese player to get into the play-off was Mateyuma, a name to look out for in the future. Bernard Langer brought up the rear on +7 but after being off colour plus his elder years (58), did quite well, several hole in ones including Langer, gave everyone something to cheer about but the desperation of the American crowd was obvious when on the 18th, a par four, when Jordan Spieths drove from the tee they shouted get in the hole! Desperation for a home winner was apparent. but the crowd gave the young Danny Willet a great welcome to receive his prize and famous green jacket, as if he had a premonition Danny wore a green tee shirt under his shirt which he removed on the last green so he was already in green before holing his last ball.
With the many courses in Murcia you would think one of them could host a big competition attracting a generous sponsor who would attract the top players here to put us on the map. I am sure La Manga or La Serena both great courses could host such an event, plus the income it would achieve for local business that they would be grateful for, or would they? We returned back from the Caribbean only to find the usual mixture of bills in the post box, this is when you think how much better off we would have been, had we stayed at home and kept the money, we never did play golf in Antigua, that saved us a great deal of money and a marriage, but we hope to return out of season June to October when we are told you do not need to be a multi millionaire to have a round of golf. How much you save was not disclosed but we were told it's much cheaper out off season.
To advertise in our golfing section please contact your local rep for our latest offers, call David on 658 058 883
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