The Leader Newspaper 1 January 2024 – Edition 1004

No 1004 Monday 1st - Sunday 7th December 2024

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THE LEADER NEWSPAPER WISHES A HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF OUR ADVERTISERS AND READERS

SEE PAGE 5 & 16

he Orihuela Chamber of Commerce now has a Digital Coworking office on the Orihuela Costa. The unit, which opened its doors on Friday, has 323 square metres spread over two floors. It is in a prized location, the old La Caixa Bank offices in the Cabo Roig Commercial Centre just off the N332 highway.

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Invited members of the Plenary Session of the Chamber of Commerce attended the opening of the exciting new venture that will now provide companies and entrepreneurs on the coastal area with advisory services on technological development and digital transformation, as well as technological support in the development of new business models based within the digital economy.

ORIHUEL A CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OPENS OFFICES ON THE COAST

At long last, business people who are resident on the coast will no longer have to travel to Orihuela city to receive this type of service.

The president of the Orihuela Chamber, Mario Martínez, said that "this is something that we owe to the companies of Orihuela Costa, and today it is a reality that will help them improve their competitiveness while, we hope, encourage the creation of new companies in a "an area that is an economic engine for our widespread territory." Furthermore, he confirmed that the Chamber is launching this Digital Coworking "with the aim of creating synergies between the business fabric across the entire municipality."

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The offices are situated alongside the N-332 in Cabo Roig

The Orihuela Costa Digital Coworking is a project that is 50% co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund, FEDER, through the INCYDE Foundation of the Spanish Chambers of Commerce The building has a workspace for entrepreneurs, companies and SMEs, each equipped with a table, chair, locker and internet connection; a networking room; fully equipped rest area and a meeting room with a capacity for ten people.

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Apart from the area to develop their projects, companies that need it will be able to receive advice and mentoring from the Cámara Orihuela staff, in addition to learning about success stories in the digitalization of processes through the conferences and workshops that are held.

Digital Coworking will, therefore, become an incubator and accelerator of projects for companies, micro-SMEs and entrepreneurs who are committed to digitalization to improve their competitiveness and productivity.

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“With this Digital Coworking we are responding to the needs of companies on the coast, which will now have the direct support of Cámara Orihuela staff

in the development of their projects, and which they will be able to attend without having to travel, concluded Martínez.

100 TREES FELLED IN PALMERAL

The order dates back to March when the previous PSOE-Ciudadanos coalition was still at the helm.

The total work amounts to 17,847 euros, or about 147.50 euros per palm tree. This includes felling, chopping, collection, transportation and disposal to an authorised transfer plant, extraction of the stump and its roots and compaction with the addition of soil, as well as the treatment of the remains and adjacent specimens.

The current government emphasises that these

actions are necessary to control the spread of pests such as the weevil, an insect that also proliferates in privately owned Palmeral plots and whose owners, however, ignore municipal warnings to keep their land tidy.

Currently the City Council has a nursery to make up for these losses, although the palm trees that are replaced are younger and do not have as much value, height or age as those that are lost.

Stocks currently stand at just 19.1 percent

AEMET warns the start of the driest hydrological year since 1869.

The beginning of the driest hydrological year in the province of Alicante since 1869. This is the warning being issued by the Spanish Meteorological Agency (Aemet) in its latest assessment of the weather situation in Alicante and across the Valencian Community.

They report of a drought situation that will continue for the foreseeable future, as there is no rain forecast during the remainder of the week.

While in the north of the country, the latest rainfall is boosting the reserves, the situation is critical in the Segura basin, where stocks stand at just 19.1 percent. This is one of the lowest levels

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In recent weeks, the felling of trees in Orihuela's palm grove, the second largest in Europe, has caused the astonishment and indignation of many residents. However, the images of stumps and trunks piled up in several municipal plots, is in respect of a minor contract for the felling of no less than one hundred municipally owned palm trees.

In its technical report, the council writes of the need to carry out the felling of these 100 palm trees, explaining that, "it is due to structural failures that pose a risk to people and property, as well as those that are seriously affected by a pest or disease."

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across the whole of Spain.

Those areas that are below the Segura at the moment are the Guadalete-Barbate basins (14.5 percent) and the internal basins of Catalonia (17.1%) , according to the latest information issued by the Ministry of Ecological Transition.

At the beginning of 2023, Alicante and the Valencian Community had an "exceptionally dry" period, especially the March-April two-month period, "which was the driest since records began. Unfortunately, this exceptional spring dryness has been repeated in the last quarter of the year.

Aemet highlighted that the meteorological situation is going from extreme to extreme; while 2022 was the wettest year since 1989, 2023 has been the driest. “They have been the two most extreme years of the century (the wettest and the driest have occurred consecutively),” they point out.

The Segura Hydrographic Confederation has recently begun to apply restrictions

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The Councilor of Urban Planning and Services confirmed there is currently no file open on the matter.

TORREVIEJA MAYOR ACCUSED OF LYING OVER WASTE DISPOSAL CONTRACT FINE

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he PSOE of Torrevieja has denounced the mayor of Torrevieja, Eduardo Dolón, for lying in a plenary session when he stated that he had opened a disciplinary file against Acciona for the serious breaches of the company in charge of the failing, though extremely expensive, waste disposal contract in the town.

Several months later, the technicians confirmed to the socialist municipal group that, to date, neither the sanctioning file, for the amount of e319,000, nor the file to reduce by e548,000 the amount that would correspond to Acciona's billing in the month of July 2023, have taken place, both of which measures were announced by the mayor in the extraordinary plenary session that was held on 1st September at the request of the socialist municipal group, to supervise the contract.

On October 11, the socialists requested “access to or copies of all the files that are being processed, or have been processed in this council, against the company ACCIONA for non-compliance, with the contract for solid waste collection, transport to landfill, street cleaning and cleaning and maintenance of the coast of the municipality of Torrevieja" but they did not receive a response until they warned that they would go to court to request protection for violation of the right of access to information that all councillors should have, affecting the fundamental right of political participation collected in the Spanish Constitution.

Thus, on December 18, 2023, the General Director of Urban Planning and Services literally answered that "after verifying the documentation on file at this City Council, there is currently no file initiated on the matters required in your application."

In the words of Bárbara Soler, spokesperson for the socialist municipal group,“that Eduardo Dolón lies full after full to all the people of Torrevieja is not a surprise

and we have assumed that part of our role is to uncover his falsehoods, but to realise that what had been done in a matter as delicate as this was disconcerting even to us, so much so that at first we thought it was a mistake or that they did not want to give us access.”

Likewise, Soler stated that to ensure the reality of the response they carried out their investigations in the areas of urban cleanliness and contracting, being informed that no file has actually been opened to impose sanctions or penalties on Acciona and that, at the moment, no contradictory file has been opened to deduct any amount from the invoices issued by the service recipient.

The lack of open files against Acciona, according to Soler, reveals the neglect of functions of the Partido Popular government team, with the mayor, Eduardo Dolón, at its head.

“We maintain what was said in the audit plenary session; We are witnessing an absolute inaction that means that the City Council is paying the winning company a flat rate of 25 million euro from all Torrevieja taxpayers with a free bar of non-compliance without any consequence for the company" and ruling that "the worst of the whole thing is that, this is a trademark of Eduardo Dolón's PP, which is to act badly and late, now the telling of blatant lies is added.”

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SHARP INCREASE IN CASES OF COVID AND FLU Christmas is synonymous with gatherings, whether between friends or family. And that, together with the fact that we have seen a drop in temperatures, is providing the perfect scenario for a rebound in respiratory virus infections.

Improvements to Benejúzar Industrial Est Benejúzar Council has undertaken several improvements in the Las Palmeras Industrial Estate with the aim of modernizing it and providing it with better infrastructure and services.

The works have been subsidised by the Valencian Institute of Business Competitiveness (IVACE). The budget for the works amounts to 99,103 euros and the subsidy awarded was 78,196 euros.

Mayor Vicente Cases , explained that these are "very necessary" works, with the industrial estate now provided with greater security, as well as an improvement in mobility and signage.

Actions carried out include the placement of four surveillance cameras and the connection with the Local Police of the main entrances to the industrial estate.

Covid cases have almost doubled with an increase of 83%; while flu cases triple compared to those recorded just a week ago, with an increase of 183%.

In the first instance, the incidence of acute respiratory infections (ARI) has gone from 247.3 cases per one hundred thousand inhabitants, when seven days before it was 135.1. With the flu, the difference of 142.3 cases these days compared to 52.2 a week ago is even higher.

In Torrevieja, Elche-Crevillente and the Alicante General Hospital the average is up to 1,337 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, while in Orihuela it is up to 1,474 cases on average.

TAXI SHORTAGE TO PROMPT DEMONSTRATIONS taxi. But they are especially concerned about the shortage at the Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández airport, where complaints are multiplying, with Alicante taxis not authorised to pick up passengers.

The lack accounts for between 30 and 40% of the negative comments that tourists report of their stays in the hotels' internal questionnaires.

There are also no alternatives such as Uber or Cabify, as there are in other communities. It's not something they should regulate, they say.

But "what is clear is that measures must be agreed upon".

The tourism sector is supporting a united front with regards to taxi drivers on the Costa Blanca, faced with a shortage of licenced vehicles, which, according to the tourism sector, is adding to a negative impact on the area. As such, drivers are now considering action in the New Year to highlight the problems.

A shortage of legal taxis has been evident in a number of tourist centric towns such as Benidorm, Elche and Alicante, but the situation has become impossible at times at Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernadez airport, where a shortage of legal taxis has been hampered by those not allowed to pick up, the VTC private hire sector, and illegal pirate taxis all adding to the complications.

Fede Fuster, the President of the Costa Blanca hotel association, HOSBEC, explains that the current fleet is insufficient and that in cities like Benidorm it is difficult at certain times to find a

Fuster considers it "absurd" that both the City Councils and the Generalitat concentrate so much effort on attracting tourists, or on requesting the expansion of airport runways, when they ignore "an important need of tourists who are already at the door."

Meanwhile, taxi drivers in Alicante mainly attribute the problem to occasional or infrequent pedestrianisation, and to the continuous street closures in the centre of the capital. An adequate service cannot be provided, says the president of Radio Teletaxi, Paco Sánchez, "for reasons beyond our control."

Added to this is another problem, that of competition from VTC's, despite the fact that the moratorium ended more than a year ago and its actions are, to say the least, "illegal," Sánchez states. Not to mention the so-called tuk tuk tricycles that "run freely around the city, due to a legal loophole that the City Council has not yet resolved," he adds.

As a result of the combined frustrations, the taxi associations plan to carry out a survey among their members and do not rule out demonstrations.

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Vote of no confidence in Orihuela Councillor Ortuño. who began by pointing out that it was not a "comfortable" motion, criticised the leadership of mayor, Pepe Vegara, who she said, "has been silent for six months, during which time he has shown absolutely no management or leadership", despite requests from the public that "Someone explains how it is possible that he left the districts without Christmas lights " during a holiday period that she described as "the most disastrous in Orihuela’s history."

Little seems to have gone right for Ortuño since she was elected with many now wondering if she is up to the task

The motion was submitted following the "fiasco" of the Christmas lighting contract that was arranged far too late, with the lights not turned on until December 15, but the districts were also left out of the contract.

ted to last Thursday’s Plenary Meeting,

Cambiemos opposition group, for her disastrous management of Christmas activities and lighting, by councillor Rocío Ortuño.

by the PSOE, Ciudadanos and

The socialist leader, Carolina Gracia,

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he council majority enjoyed by PP and Vox was enough to defeat a vote on no confidence, submit-

It was the most austere Christmas lighting in years, the result of a contract carried out quickly and hurriedly by the Department of Festivities, for which Rocío Ortuño, a long time family friend of the mayor, is responsible, and with a budget of only 61,000 euros, well below that expended by other towns of similar

number of inhabitants (Torrevieja has spent more than 400,000 euros on their lights).

In addition, it was a contract surrounded by controversy for leaving out the 24 districts, which were left in the "dark" in terms of Christmas lighting, something that angered many residents. Meanwhile, the lighting was focused on the city with many roads and squares illuminated, along with various decorative elements including a large tree located on the Glorieta.

There was also minimal lighting displayed on the Orihuela Costa.

Cambiemos, councillor Quique Montero said that "the explanations given are not enough" criticising the fact that 65% of the lighting budget went to three decorations and "a more equitable distribution should have been made."

COLD WEATHER CARE PROCEDURE CIRCULATED FOR THE HOMELESS people, with the aim of expanding and improving the care network.”

The general director highlighted the purpose as being to “work together and commit to coordination” to provide comprehensive care to those people who, due to various circumstances, do not have access to the stable resources available for this group and that “no homeless person of the Valencian Community is left without receiving the necessary attention and support.”

The protocol takes into account both the resources available to the Generalitat and some of the municipal resources that could be used urgently on days when temperatures are lower.

The regional Department of Social Services, Equality and Housing has triggered a coordination procedure with the town councils and social agencies and with the Valencian Agency for Security and Emergency Response, to guarantee the best care for homeless people in the face of low temperatures and inclement weather that is being experienced in the Valencian Community.

The general director of Inclusion and Development Cooperation, Pedro Carceller, has explained that the protocol has already been sent to the councils of all municipalities in the Valencian Community with more than 25,000 inhabitants, and to third sector agencies that work with the most vulnerable people, “informing them of its content and requesting their collaboration to guarantee attention to the basic needs of homeless

The protocol proposes, for the first time, that each council have a plan for reception, care and information for homeless people, which will be responsible for ensuring that everyone who is sleeping on the street has information about municipal resources and existing agencies that can accommodate them during the night.

On the coldest days, municipalities, which are responsible for immediate care, is urged to enable spaces that can be used as lowdemand shelters or as living spaces, with spaces for personal hygiene, as well as the installation of laundry services.

It is also recommended that blankets and warm material are available for those who spend the night on the street along with hot drinks and food.

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weekend from the 9th to the 11th the main events will take place. On Friday the 9th there will be the carnival parade in the afternoon and at night.

Queen of the Carnival.

On Saturday there will be the main night parade and end of the party on Paseo Vista Alegre and on Sunday the 11th the national competition of comparsas and murgas will take place.

Although it is usually common in other festivals for these contracts to be divided into lots, in this case the Council has considered that dividing them into lots would generate unattractive spaces with a low monetary amount and therefore easy to remain unfulfilled.

The contract specifications include all the infrastructure necessary to carry out the different performances and parades, including chairs and tables, toilets, decorations, stands and stages, as well as the floats of the King and

he Torrevieja carnival contract has been put out to public tender, has a base bidding budget of 117,841 euro.

The duration of the contract will be for just one year and awarded to a single contractor.

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Municipal Theatre. It will be followed on Saturday the 27th with the coronation of the new Carnival Queens and on Sunday the 28th will be the carnival in La Mata.

The carnival will have eight days of celebration and will begin on Friday, January 26 with the proclamation and premiere of a film at the

On Friday the 2nd there will be time to warm up with the carnival gathering. On the 4th there will be the parade-contest and on the

The bulk of the events will be concentrated, however, in February.

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Also, other services such as ambulances, generator sets and all necessary sound and lighting equipment.

Likewise, it is added that the contract "is made for one year because it is anticipated that in successive years the carnival can be held with another financing formula."

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Tony Mayes Rant BRING BACK THE WINTER FUEL PAYMENT Have you noticed how cold it has been getting here is Spain, especially at night under clear skies?

On several nights right over Christmas, the mercury has dropped to near freezing. And when I have studied the temperature maps I find that, on many occasions, we in Spain have endured night-time temperatures well below those in southern England.

On at least two nights, while we recorded 3C it was 12C back in Britain. So, isn’t it about time that the government took a fresh look at granting winter fuel payments for us pensioners in Spain, usually totalling around 300 pounds?

If you have become an ex-pat in many Eastern European countries or Scandinavia, you get the cash, and rightly so. But I wouldn’t mind betting that the bureaucrats who denied the payment to us never thought about how properties are built in Spain.

Here, houses are designed more to keep heat out in the summer than keeping people warm in the winter.

Have you noticed that if you have a heater on in a room in the evening it’s got mighty cold minutes after the heating is turned off. Heat is disappearing through floor tiles and very thin walls.

Time for a re-think perhaps?

ROUNDABOUT ANTICS What is the subject most written about in Spain? It’s my guess that it’s motorists’ antics at roundabouts and the total lack of indication.

We have a roundabout from hell close to where we live, where drivers seem to take delight in pushing their way onto the roundabout in total disregard of a vehicle actually going around the roundabout.

Now, to set the scene, I was taught advanced driving techniques by a police inspector who trained police drivers, while I was working in the UK, and I wrote a feature on the need for safer driving and took the Advanced Driving test.

In the UK, at roundabouts, you slow down, check there is nothing on the roundabout, and if you are turning left you indicate and keep in the out-

side lane, giving way to anything on the roundabout. If you are going straight on you can use both lanes and indicate when you get to the turning before the exit. If you want to turn right, you should be in the right-hand lane, indicating right and indicating left before you exit. And it works very well.

In Spain you’re taught to keep on the outside lane going around the roundabout, which means that if someone is on the inside lane and wants to exit they are more than likely to cut across the bow of the car on the outside lane, and the number of near misses I have seen are beyond counting.

Back to the roundabout from hell, it seems that a growing number of drivers look on it as a game – to drive onto the roundabout regardless of people actually going round and who have priority.

To quote the highway code: “It is important to remember that on entering a roundabout, all the vehicles already circulating have priority, and the vehicle located on a driver's immediate right always has the right of way.”

It means that if you want to exit and you are on the inside lane you give way to any vehicle on the roundabout on your right.

It would work well if everyone indicated exactly what they intended doing - but they don’t and on the roundabout from hell you get more and more motorists pushing onto the roundabout and expecting the person on the roundabout to give way.

It happened to me last week – and the offender was in a police car, and not on an emergency. I had to make an emergency stop on the roundabout and we were bumper to bumper. We need police to show examples, not behave like cowboys.

And the highways department should take a long look at the roundabouts and set pedestrian crossings a few metres away from exits to prevent motorists having to stop while still on the roundabout.

But let’s all have a new year resolution...look in mirrors, make sure your manoeuvre is safe and INDICATE. No one can read minds.

‘NOW ARRIVING IN ALICANTE....’

A new aviation company has developed a type of jet fuel made entirely

from human sewage.

Chemists at a lab in Gloucestershire have turned the waste into kerosene, and the fuel is net zero. Independent tests have found the fuel is nearly identical to standard fossil jet fuel.

James Hygate, the company's CEO, has been developing low-carbon fuels in Gloucestershire for 20 years.

He said that although the new fuel performs just like fossil-based kerosene, it "has no fossil carbon, it's a fossil-free fuel".

Across the world, flying contributes around 2% of global carbon emissions, which contribute to climate change. It is a small fraction, but growing fast. And taking carbon out of aviation is one of the hardest challenges.

The news brought a smile to my face. I had a vision of the captain announcing over the air: “Would passengers please form an orderly queue and go to the toilet quickly, we need more poo to get us to Alicante airport”.

HOSPITAL CAR PARKING CHARGES Car parking charges at Hospitals in England have become a national disgrace – with charges going up by 50% in just one year.

People visiting hospitals – patients and those visiting loved-ones are pouring £400,000 into meters each and every day or £146m a year.

And the problem is that the majority of hospitals are in heavily built-up areas where car parking is virtually impossible and drivers have no option but to cough up – or wait for a bus which increasingly fails to arrive.

Car parking fees paid by hospital staff soared more than eight-fold compared to the previous year, from £5.6m in 2021/22 to £46.7m in 2022/23.

The Lib Dems branded the huge sum a "tax on caring" and criticised the government for "failing to deliver" on a pledge in its 2019 manifesto, which vowed to end the unfair charges by making parking free for those in greatest need.

and bad for your health." A Tory spokesman said: "The Conservatives have fulfilled their manifesto pledge to end unfair charges for those in greatest need.

"The Lib Dems should come clean as to which services they would cut to subsidise parking further."

Bloody cheek – the far fairer answer would be to raise taxes on the superrich and get rid of loopholes. Those earning the most pay 45%, above £125,140, but a 50% rate wouldn’t hurt the rich earning more than say £300,000.

And council tax has become a complete nonsense. It was last set in 1991 and a band A house, worth up to £40,000 would attract a tax of around £1,227.27. The highest band is band H, covering properties over £320,000 and they pay £3,681.78.

So you have the majority of people in the UK paying in bands which bear no relationship to current property prices. And because the top band covers properties over £320,000, which is the cut off point, a person in a luxury home worth £1m pays no more – and that’s another national scandal. It’s no wonder councils are running out of cash Lib Dems say:" The message to the and declaring bankruptcy, with a eventvoting will take place public couldn't The be clearer, 2 -your 4 February Conservative isfrom bad for wallet 2024. government feather-bedding the rich.

Patricia Marquis, the Royal College of Nursing's director for England, said: "For nursing staff and support workers, the soaring cost of parking takes too much of their low wage.

"Government and the NHS must rethink - leaving nursing staff out of pocket just for doing their job is wholly unfair."

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Six more months before Alicante implements LEZ The Alicante Low Emissions Zone (ZBE) will not come into operation until the second half of 2024, at the earliest.

The extension agreed with the Ministry for the Ecological Transition for the completion of the redevelopment and traffic calming projects that are still ongoing, which was

announced in December, now has continuity with the extension of the deadline for the implementation of the control network of that ZBE: a project that was awarded to the company Tecnologías Viales Aplicadas (TEVA) in November 2022, for 4.4 million euro.

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So what, specifically, does this control network consist of?

In accordance with the project designed by the Department of the Environment, and with the proposal presented by TEVA, it includes the installation of two networks of sensors and intelligent license plate recognition systems, to be installed on the Gran Vía route and on the perimeter of Alfonso el Sabio and Doctor Gadea, to control and restrict the access of polluting vehicles, with the purpose of reducing current road traffic in the central district by up to 20%, particularly those vehicles that will exceed the permitted levels of contamination.

These tracking and monitoring points will be located so that they can capture information on the movement of vehicles and transfer it to the Traffic Control Room.

The extension of the deadline for the imple-

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mentation of this control network is justified by the need to undertake the development of civil works on the streets and avenues that make up the ZBE, which have been subjected to redevelopment and traffic calming actions. While these works were to be completed by the end of 2023, several of them are still in development, although traffic has already been restored on most of the routes.

The extension to the time frame is necessary for the completion of the control network, since the civil works phase on those roads would have prevented part of the work entrusted to TEVA from being carried out, such as the installation of the fibre optic cabling necessary for the deployment of the sensor network and the installation of the ZBE signalling measures, although some tasks could have been implemented simultaneously.

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Campoverde residents resume street patrols as wave of thefts continue

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result of which he was detained,” stated the same source, who was disappointed that that the Pilareño council, and the media, "sold" the arrest as a solution to the problems being experienced with home robberies.

"Perhaps the detainee might have been a suspect in some robberies," they point out, but based on the experience of this weekend, the perpetrators of the bulk of the intrusions are still active in the residential complex.

They are seemingly a group of assailants that live in, or close to, Pinar de Campoverde: thousands of houses in an urbanisation with 5,000 registered residents. Many have once again organised themselves through messaging groups to warn of possible assaults and have drawn up a map of the areas most affected by more than twenty assaults or attempted robberies in the last two months.

They have once again taken to the streets with baseball bats and golf clubs.

The Pilar de la Horadada City Council say that they never stated that the detainee was linked to the wave of robberies, although it did confirm that the arrest was made in the context of the special police operation introduced to stop the wave of robberies.

esidents of Pinar de Campoverde in Pilar de la Horadada have resumed surveillance patrols in the streets after confirming that there has been at least one new robbery attempt inside a home this weekend.

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"Same people, same clothes. They were seen jumping into the grounds of a house, presumably to access others," explained a

spokesperson for the residents. The owners have re-formed their surveillance operation which was introduced because of the wave of thefts that began at the beginning of last November.

"The good news of the recent arrest seemed like good news at the time. Although not for an attempted robbery, the criminal was identified and had an international warrant outstanding as a

Torrevieja Council to upgrade beaches for next summer

So on Saturday night the residents went out again "to look for the criminal gang, with a view to ending the nightmare now... but for us they are not medals that we want to wear, it is not a game, we are protecting our homes, our families and our children".

The Civil Guard and the Local Police, meanwhile, in addition to the mayor, have asked residents not to carry out these patrols because, in addition to breaking the law, they can pose a risk to the members of the community themselves.

CAMBIEMOS MOTION TO IMPROVE ACCESSIBILITY IN ORIHUELA that the commitment is translated into specific and quantifiable actions. It is unacceptable that, in the year 2023, heartbreaking situations still regularly exist for people with disabilities in our municipality persist, directly violating their human rights, especially that of human dignity.

When a person with reduced mobility cannot park in a disabled space due to improper occupation by vehicles without the regulatory card, an obvious problem arises.

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orrevieja has begun work on preparing the beaches for next summer. The council has now put out contracts to supply and instal lifeguard booths, toilets and surveillance towers.

The contracts, according to the councillor, Federico Alarcón, will be mixed, as they will require the acquisition of these beach items plus their assembly and, in some cases, the dismantling of others already in place.

In specifications include the installation of eight first aid stations, of which seven will be fixed and one removable.

It is also planned to provide the Torrevieja beaches with eight fixed public toilets. The lifeguard towers, for their part, will all be removable.

The companies, have until next January 22 to submit their offers.

They must take charge of the assembly work and storage of the first aid post and the removable surveillance towers, they will also instal the ditches, slabs and connections that are deemed appropriate.

The base bidding budget amounts to 971,388 euros (VAT included). The duration of the contract will be five years.

Meanwhile, the tender for the maintenance of the beaches, valued at 2,194,762 euros for four years, is still pending resolution.

The deadline for submitting offers ended on May 5, but since April there have been no new documents uploaded to the Contracting Portal.

Likewise, the impossibility of using pavements due to the risk of wheelchairs tipping over because of damaged or poorly designed footpaths, or the absence of slipways that prevent access to the pavements, is unacceptable.

On 3rd December, the International Day of People with Disabilities was commemorated by the Orihuela council with readings of two manifestos carried out in Orihuela City Council and in Orihuela Costa.

Both highlighted that accessibility is one of the pending issues in the municipality, and although steps have been taken and progress has been made in recent years, there is still much to do.

However, Cambiemos says that it is essential

The lack of accessibility in premises or restaurants, whether due to the absence of ramps or their excessive slope, forcing the disabled to enter through storage areas or kitchens, constitutes another affront to equality and safety.

For all this, Cambiemos Orihuela proposes to urge the government to reactivate and schedule the activity of the Accessibility Table.

They are also asking for the creation of a budget item in future municipal budgets as well as the improvement and establishment of vertical signs in each and every one of the parking spaces enabled for people with reduced mobility.

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"The yin and the yang": revelations of Camilla's sister he first Christmas of King Charles III and Camilla since they were crowned was chosen by the BBC to broadcast the documentary 'Charles III: The Coronation Year', which was broadcast on Boxing Day, in which several members of the royal family and people very close to them provide their vision of the current occupants of the throne before and after the coronation that took place on May 6 at Westminster Abbey.

T

One of them was Annabel Elliot, the queen's sister, who in front of the cameras described her as the king's "rock", while her close friend, Lady Lansdowne, said that the fact that the couple had to "fight" to be together only strengthened their "unbreakable bond."

Speaking publicly for the first time about the king and queen's long relationship, Princess Anne, who is not known for being particularly emotional, gave her sister-in-law the royal seal of approval.

"I've known her for a long time. Her understanding of her role and the difference she makes to the king is absolutely exceptional," she stated in the documentary. "It brings that change of speed and tone, which is equally important," she adds of her.

Camilla's sister, who acted as one of the queen's two ladies-in-waiting on coronation day, described her as "someone completely loyal," while emphasising that theirs is not a one-sided relationship, explaining: "He gives her everything. I'm not talking about all this

[referring to Buckingham Palace, where they were filming at the time], but... he has so much knowledge and interest in so many different things, which she wouldn't have really been open to if she hadn't been interested in him."

"They're yin and yang. They're polar opposites. But I think it works wonderfully," said a proud Annabel.

They're yin and yang. They're polar opposites.”

Camilla with her sister.

Fiona Lansdowne, Camilla's friend for many years and one of her new ladies-in-waiting, says of them: " They make an extraordinary team. And I think that, whether because they have had to fight to get there or because they have been through a lot together, that has made them have a very strong bond.

PAGE 12

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ORIHUELA RESIDENTS - UNITED 33,000 plus residents live permanently on the coast, 117 different nationalities, all contributing to the local economy, paying their taxes, for what?

As residents of Orihuela Costa, the majority of us had little or no idea the surrounding villages are suffering the same neglect as are in the coastal areas.

We have 78 children’s play parks, half of the total of all Orihuela, to accommodate 6000 children under 18 years of age. The lack of maintenance is beyond comprehension, and is completely unacceptable.

Poor maintenance of Childrens Parks

There is absolutely no infrastructure in place to accommodate all these people. There are no Libraries, no Cultural centre, no Youth centres, no mother and toddler centres, just the one Centre for the Elderly and one Medical Health Centre.

Poor maintenance of parks and schools is a massive concern to all of us both here on the coast and surrounding villages and the city.

All children, adults, young and the elderly have the right to enjoy parks and green areas, wherever they live.

But the lack of water should be the main concern for every one of us, without which we cannot survive.

the worst stretch of the N332 in all Spain and less water, with the Pedrera reservoir is at its lowest level ever!

We imagine that the residents of the villages and Orihuela city are told by the Orihuela council, that their taxes are spent on the coast, for the foreigners moving into the area to enjoy the seaside and sunny holidays, not live there permanently, which, as we all know, is not true.

We need more wastewater plants built to provide more water, especially now more than ever as the Orihuela government have agreed to even more development on the coast.

3000 plus more properties, means 6000 plus more people within 2 years,

Our environment is badly affected, being destroyed by over-development, why? Greed and power as always.

resulting in more cars causing air pollution on

Orihuela hosts Autism Conference The Councilor for Social Welfare, Agustina Rodríguez, opened the IV Autism-Orihuela Conference that was held on December 26 and 27 at the La Lonja Auditorium. More than a hundred people took part in these sessions which were aimed at families, professionals and students all involved with people with ASD, as well as the public.

The residents on the coast support you, residents of the city and villages, in all that you do to campaign for your rights, equality and fairness.

We residents of Orihuela Costa will continue to campaign for our rights, together we can fight for improvements for our right to live in Orihuela.

And P.I.O.C will continue to campaign for our independence, fight for equality, fairness, our rights!

You, residents in the surrounding villages of Orihuela can also do the same, why not?

Together, we can, one step at a time!

Improvements to San Fulgencio Irrigation network will save 45 million cubic metres of water per year

Rodríguez said that in the last 40 years the prevalence of Autism Spectrum disorders has increased significantly, reaching one case per hundred births. “We, the people who assume public responsibility, have the obligation and responsibility to enable the creation of actions that make autism visible and it is, in this sense, that the organization of these conferences, which in its fourth edition, are framed, creating a common place, where professionals, students, associations and families can share experiences, knowledge and actions to improve care for people with autism."

The conference featured presentations by Karina Solcoff (Challenges of memory in autism), Daniel Valdez (Keys for creating friendly contexts), Lisa Maranini (Importance and models of Psychoeducational Intervention) and Gema López (The role of family in intervention models).

Improvement works to the irrigation network The regional Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, José Luis Aguirre, has announced that at the beginning of 2024 the conditioning and improvement works of the irrigation hydraulic infrastructures will begin in the municipalities of San Fulgencio and Orihuela, also affecting Crevillente and Catral, with a budget of 4,164,310.94 euro.

Crevillente and Catral, and from the Alquible drain in Orihuela.

José Luis Aguirre has highlighted the work that will be carried out to make the irrigation of 22,705 irrigators more efficient in an agricultural area of 27,110 hectares and that will prevent water losses of approximately 45 million cubic metres per year and that will revert to the crops themselves.

In the drainage of the partition, the regrowth of the floor and crowning of the walls and the interior lining of these will be carried out.

Regarding this, Aguirre added that "although the Valencian Community has one of the most efficient irrigation systems in the world, the weather conditions force us to deepen the maximum use of water and, to do so, the Ministry will always be with the irrigators".

The work will be carried out on the first irrigation elevation of Levant, Marge Esquerre, in the municipality of San Fulgencio; from the partition drain in the towns of

In detail, in the main channel and first irrigation elevation of Llevant, the works consist of the channelisation and covering, the installation of automatic roughing sluices and the conditioning of the pumping installation of the first elevation.

With regard to the Alquibla ditch, the construction of a 24-metre-long passage will be carried out, to replace the existing reinforced concrete passage in very poor condition, and the reconstruction of 37 metres of the canal drain, upstream and downstream, of the new step.

These works are part of the action that the Ministry is carrying out to repair the damage to the irrigated areas affected by the DANA of 2019 in Baix Segura (the Vega Renhace plan), of which more than 25 million have already been executed, as negotiated and implemented by the previous administration.

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CRYPTIC CROSSWORD QUICKIE CROSSWORD

ANSWERS Week 1003

ACROSS 7.

Whole (6) 8.

Severe (6)

10.

Lie (7)

11.

Perch (5)

12.

Ceremony (4)

13.

Shatter (5)

17.

Tactless (5)

18.

Novice (4)

22.

Fragrance (5)

23.

Elucidate (7)

24.

Run (6)

25.

Border (6)

CAN YOU MASTER THE 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 19

DOWN 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

9.

14.

15.

16.

19.

20.

21.

Need (7) Law (7) Dispute (5) Everlasting (7) Axle (5) Condition (5) Choirboy (9) Folded (7) Despotism (7) Aimed (7) Flaw (5) Irritable (5) Scanty (5)

QUICK ACROSS: 3 Fortitude; 8 Lard; 9 Territory; 10 Ponder; 11 Rebel; 14 Ample; 15 Rest; 16 Taunt; 18 Curb; 20 Ashen; 21 Trite; 24 Terror; 25 Forgotten; 26 Mien; 27 Brutality.

DOWN: 1 Flippancy; 2 Transport; 4 Over; 5 Terse; 6 Titter; 7 Dark; 9 Tenet; 11 Rouse; 12 Lethargic; 13 Itinerant; 17 Taken; 19 Bright; 22 Total; 23 Poor; 24 Tent.

CRYPTIC CRYPTIC ACROSS: 3 Off-chance; 8 Draw; 9 Full board; 10 Clever; 11 Sound; 14 Those; 15 Dead; 16 Robes; 18 Omen; 20 Cease; 21 Sense; 24 Priest; 25 Get-at-able; 26 Scar; 27 Alternate.

DOWN: 1 Education; 2 Make notes; 4 Four; 5 Cello; 6 Abound; 7 Cure; 9 Fewer; 11 Sabre; 12 Decadence; 13 Adventure; 17 Score; 19 Negate; 22 Spain; 23 Fell; 24 Plot.

ACROSS 7. Gap made right in strip of land by the sea (6) 8.

Her sin destroyed a holy place (6)

10. Gather for prayer (7) 11. Material worn by sedentary workers? (5) 12. Move boulder from side to side (4) 13. Bases - about fifty - for the ships (5) 17. Child - there's one in a farm building (5) 18. Fruity diary entry? (4) 22. Express the view there is nothing on the tree (5) 23. Progressing when doing hospital duty? (7) 24. Somehow rest if conflict results (6) 25. A very small bit of time (6)

DOWN 1. The old boy's remedy is not at all clear (7) 2. Wrestling hold you and I had to take in marriage? (7) 3. Did things in a dramatic way perhaps (5) 4. Wrongly wish solution could be liquor! (7) 5. Measurement in the company of about 500 (5) 6. Trousers for girls (5) 9. All the space not yet full in the liquor store (5-4) 14. Mocking imitation of leaving the ground (4-3) 15. Some lessening of cover for the crown (4-3) 16. Defeats resulting in being given sumptuous meals? (7) 19. The majority include one that is damp (5) 20. Joint goes to the bishop's head! (5) 21. Mark the writer bagged a couple? (5)

H OW W E L L D O YO U R E M E M B E R 2 0 2 3 1. What was the name of Prince Harry's memoir published in January?

2. At the beginning of the year which country re-opened its borders to international visitors three years after the beginning of the covid pandemic?

3. What did Kylie Jenner wear to the Schiaparelli fashion show in January?

4. What is the name of the fungal infection that caused a global pandemic in the TV series The Last of Us? 5. After winning four Grammys in February, Beyoncé is now the most awarded artist in the prize's history, but how many Grammys in total does she have?

6. During the BAFTAs in February, what was the meme that went viral?

7. What did Rihanna reveal during her Super Bowl halftime show?

8. Who won the Best Actress award at the Oscars?

9. The Scandoval cheating scandal shocked the reality TV world in March, who was accused of having the sixth month long affair?

10. Why was Gary Lineker forced

( A n s we r s o n p a g e 1 9 )

off his hosting duties for Match of the Day in March?

11. What date did Taylor Swift's Eras Tour commence?

12. In April which country became the 31st country to join NATO? 13. Netflix's Beef was one of the most popular shows of the year, who were the two lead actors in the series?

14. Who won the Women’s Six Nations?

15. What was the codename for King Charles coronation?

16. Where was King Charles' coronation held?

17. And which guest couldn't find her seat at the coronation?

18. Who was the actor who took on the role of Ariel in the live action Disney movie The Little Mermaid?

19. What was the name of Kylie Minogue's viral single released in May? 20. How many months did the Writers Guild of America strike go on for?

21. What city hosted the Eurovision contest this year?

22. Who won the men’s 2022 – 2023 Premier League?

23. Who's set was famously cut short at Glastonbury?

24. What is the name of the Barbie played by Kate McKinnon in the Barbie movie?

25. In the Barbie film what is Ken’s job?

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Concerns highlighted over shortage of Radiologists at Torrevieja Hospital This solution adds more problems to those already generated by the lack of radiologists, such as the overload of personnel due to the additional management that this entails, the unjustified increase in tests that use ionizing radiation due to not having a radiologist in person to perform ultrasounds, as well as the delay in diagnoses due to problems with the platform.

It should be noted that these radiology personnel external to the Ministry of Health do not have access to the patient's clinical history, which also generates clinical uncertainties with the consequent increase in unnecessary tests due to not having all the patient's information.

Finally, an increase in contrast tests has also been detected, which could be avoided with an inperson radiologist. nce again, the UGT union at Torrevieja Hospital has denounced the serious shortage of medical personnel in the radiodiagnosis service and the referral of patients to other hospitals to perform urgent tests due to a lack of staff at the once award-winning hospital.

O

According to the Federation of Public Services of UGT PV, there are only five radiologists on duty on the morning shift to cover a total population of 204,000 people 24 hours a day.

That is, a ratio of one specialist for every 40,800 potential patients. This is an insufficient number of radiologists to undertake the activity as a staff of at least twelve specialists should be available.

Furthermore, the Torrevieja hospital does not have a radiologist in attendance at night, on weekends and during holidays. To solve this problem, the hospital has opted to continue with the service established by Ribera Salud of outsourcing teleradiology tests to a platform outside the Valencian Community.

The hospital management is aware of these problems and requested to declare the vacant positions as difficult to cover in March 2023 and November 2023 without, so far, obtaining a response from the administration.

UGT therefore, requests an immediate solution to the problems and shows its concern about the increase in unjustified and avoidable tests with ionizing radiation, as well as the absence of a radiologist at the Torrevieja Hospital in the uncovered areas.

PAGE 15

Rain still in short supply Whereas many areas are still suffering drought in Spain, and places such as the Vega Baja have expeienced over 100 days without significant rain through what would normally be one of the wettest times of the year, in general terms, rain has started to increase in the last report period.

The national average value of accumulated rainfall is now estimated at 206 l/m2, which represents around 3% more than the normal value of the corresponding period (199 l/m2).

Man facing 3 years in prison for Facebook Post The Valencia Prosecutor's Office is asking for a three-year prison sentence for a man accused of publishing false information about an immigrant group on social networks to spread rejection.

The accused published information on his Facebook account in which he attributed to a Muslim immigrant group, the commission of crimes.

According to the prosecutor, these publications, were intended to spread rejection, contempt, hostility and animosity towards the immigrant group.

PAGE 16

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social relationships, etc. There is a doseresponse relationship between alcohol consumption and the frequency and severity of many diseases. At higher levels of consumption, there is a higher rate of certain diseases such as liver cirrhosis, or some types of cancer, and of work, domestic and traffic incidents.

Alcohol is a depressant of the Central Nervous System that alters both the ability and attitude to drive and increases the risk of being involved in a traffic incident. In its first phase, it produces a euphoric effect, which leads to loss of control, reduces the perception of risk, modifies behaviour, and impairs psychomotor function, all of which alters the ability to drive a vehicle.

DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE! As we are now in the middle of the immediate Christmas period, we are turning our attention once again to alcohol, because, as parties and celebrations continue, especially for New Year, it is important to stress that when it comes to driving, the only safe level of alcohol is ZERO. Alcohol is one of the risk factors most frequently involved in traffic incidents and colli-

sions, and because the consumption of alcohol is a choice, that factor which is present in between 30% and 50% of fatal incidents can so easily be avoided. In other words, many deaths and serious life-changing injuries can be avoided if we all consume alcohol responsibly and never drive under the influence.

Alcohol is a psychoactive substance very present in our society, its consumption is associated with multiple and serious pathologies. It is a problem about which there is not enough awareness in relation to the harm it causes, both in terms of health and in family, work,

There is a perception that incident risk is only associated with very high levels of consumption, but its negative effects on driving ability are observed even at low levels of consumption. As the amount of alcohol in the body increases, so does the risk of an incident: with a blood alcohol level of 0.5 g of ethanol per litre of blood, the risk of suffering a collision is multiplied by two, and with 0.8 g /l the risk is 5 times greater and continues to increase as the blood alcohol level increases. Not only does the risk of suffering an incident increase, so does the risk of suffering injuries and the likelihood of them being fatal.

PAGE 17

The risk is even greater in young drivers, where inexperience with alcohol is combined with inexperience in driving, a fact that justifies the legislator having established in the norm, lower alcohol levels for novice drivers, and a zero rate for minors, although, again, the only safe level is zero for all drivers.

We should also realise that if drinking and driving becomes habitual, it is only a matter of time before you are involved in an incident. Routine leads to complacency, complacency leads to risk, added to the already present diminished ability the alcohol causes.

The blood alcohol level represents the volume of alcohol in the blood and is measured in grams of alcohol per litre of blood (g/l) or its equivalent in exhaled air.

According to current legislation, the maximum blood alcohol levels allowed for drivers in Spain are the: General drivers: 0,5 g/l of blood, 0,25 mg/l expelled air.

Novice and professional drivers: 0,3 g/l of blood, 0,15 mg/l expelled air.

Minors: Zero.

Even below the legal limit, the risk of an incident will already be increased. Therefore, it is best to avoid driving after consuming any amount of alcohol. The only truly safe rate is 0.0 g/l.

PAGE 18

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The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-Day Saints in Torrevieja meet at 10.00 each Sunday in their chapel at Rambla Juan Mateo Garcia, 104. All Welcome. Phone or whatsapp the missionaries on 659 016 733 Join us at the SALT CHURCH Sundays at 10.30 am. We are a friendly church, bible centred in our teaching and informal in our worship. Meets at Calle Daya Nueva 12, Polígono Ind. Levante 11, 03187 Los Montesinos. We look forward to meeting you. www.Saltchurchspain.

Facebook SaltChurchSpain International Christian Assembly, Calle Beniajan 14, Torrevieja -Evangelical Church. Sunday Service 11 a.m.; - Contact 966 799 273 / 660 127 276. Evangelical non-denominational church. www.icatorrevieja.org

The Car of the Month at AUTOMOVILES CRESPO is a very attractive 2019 Ford Focus ST-Line Hybrid at just 21,900 euro.

Come along to our large showroom in Elche and see our vast range of new and

used cars or call 96 666 22 60 for all our latest offers.

See page 7.

We can assure you of the biggest and best choice of new and used cars in the area for price, choice and quality. ENGLISH SPOKEN

AGE CONCERN BEREAVEMENT GROUP. Have you lost somebody close to you? Are you finding life difficult after a bereavement? Come along and chat to other people in the same situation. Starting on October 10th, then every Tuesday from 2-4pm at the Age Concern Centre, Calle Paganini, La Siesta, Torrevieja. 96 678 6887.

Everyone is welcome.

Los Alcázares Digital Camera Club. Interested in photography? We invite you to come and join us at our twice monthly meetings. Please contact coordinatorladcc@ gmail.com or see http://www.los-alcazarescamera.club/ for details.

COMMUNITY CARE ASSOCIATION (CCA) Open to residents of Orihuela Costa over 60 years of age.

Located at the Centro Civico Alameda del Mar. Open 3 times a week for a programme of English speaking

Monday 1st - Sunday 7th January 2024

activities, support, information and advice with the support of Orihuela Council.

Anyone wanting to join CCA social activities can pop along. Open 2pm -6pm Mondays and Thursdays, Wednesday 2pm - 5pm. You can register between 1pm & 2pm on those days, in the Cafe area where you will find Eva or Norah. email: oc.communitycare@gmail.com RAGS CLUB (previously Friendship Centre). Every Tuesday Lunchtime, From a Bun to a Banquet. At Graceys - upstairs La Zenia park in Lidl Carpark.

COME AND PLAY RUMMIKUB. Age Concern Costa Blanca Sur is here to help you with problem solving and well being for the over 50’s. We need volunteer Drivers and people to join our Home Visiting Team to visit a Residential Home, and take them out for a coffee. Call into our centre at C/Paganini s/n, Urb. La Siesta 03184 Torrevieja or ring 966 786 887. Or email: costablanca@ageconcern.org.es Royal Naval Association, Torrevieja Branch now meets on the first Wednesday of the month at 5pm at the Lakeview bar/restaurant, Quesada. For more info contact Chairman Tony Jenkins on +44 7576 117 222, Secretary Steve Hemingfield 0n Mob/Whats 711 011 373 The RAFA Costa Blanca RMG is a social group of caring people and remains affiliated to the parent Assn.

Contact with the RAFA and the RMG is via the RAFA website rafa.org.uk.

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LOOKING FOR Silent Business Partner for small Private Care Home. Invest 10K and get 20K back in 14 months. Call 747 438 225

CONSTRUCTION AND GENERAL BUILDING. For all building works large or small, phone 604 152 124 for quotes. We also specialise in pool leaks and repairs. (1010) Law Services: PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR, Solicitor, Debt Collections, Bad Tenants. 747 438 225

I am looking for an apartment to let. One or two bedrooms, fully furnished, one person only. Long term. Email brendan murphy: brendanmurphy609@gmail.com or call 00353 0872 586249

Several corgi buses boxed for sale. Also other items not with boxes. Los Montesinos.

Call 744 617 883

FREE CLASSIFIED ADS If you have items that are WANTED or FOR SALE, ANNOUNCEMENTS, NOTICES and suchlike, advertise them, to a maximum of 35 words, FREE OF CHARGE, on this page.

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PAGE 19

MULTIMEDIA GAMING AREA AT ORIHUELA COSTA SPORTS CENTRE here will be plenty of sports and leisure activities available to Orihuela residents in early January as the Department of Youth attempts to promote a more active and healthier lifestyle, especially among children. On Wednesday the Councillor for Sports, Víctor Sigüenza, announced details of the activities which will be held on January 2nd, 3rd and

T

QUIZ FROM P 14: 1. Spare, 2. China, 3. A dress with a lion's head on it, 4. Cordyceps, 5. 32, 6. Ariana DeBose rapping 'Angela Bassett did the thing', 7. That she was pregnant with her second child, 8. Michelle Yeoh, 9. Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss, 10. He was a in a impartiality row with the BBC over his Twitter after he criticised the language used in a government asylum policy, 11.

17th March 2023, 12. Finland, 13. Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, 14. England, 15. Operation Golden Orb, 16.

Westminster Abbey, 17. Katy Perry, 18. Halle Bailey, 19. 'Padam Padam' 20. 4 months from 2 May 2023 – 27 Sept 2023, 21. Liverpool, UK, 22. Manchester City, 23. Lana Del Rey, 24. Weird Barbie, 25. Beach

SUDUKO SOLUTION

4th.

In Orihuela town, the main activities will be located on the Glorieta and the adjacent platform, while on the coast, at the Municipal Sports Centre; and in districts, on the 2nd, in the Plaza de la Iglesia de Molins, on the 3rd, in the Plaza de la Iglesia de La Murada and on the 4th at the Hurchillo municipal sports court. The hours of

the events will be from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Not surprisingly, the bulk of the activities will be held in Orihuela City, however the Orihuela Costa Municipal Sports Centre will enjoy three days of pursuits for the whole family, including a multimedia-'gaming' sports area, a mechanical attraction and crafts and face painting workshops.

The Councillor for Sports, Víctor Sigüenza

Studio 32 Want You Would you like to know more about getting involved with Studio 32 Musical Theatre Group?

Join the cast and crew for a cheese and wine evening at Casa Contenta, Rojales, from 7.30pm on Tuesday the 9th of January, where you can meet the show director who will give a brief outline of the next show.

There are still male and female principal roles to be filled for the May production so if you think you have what it takes, to tread the boards, sing, dance and be a part of the ensemble or take on a leading role then pop in on the 9th of January for a chat.

If being on stage is not for you, S32 are always looking for crew to help behind the scenes or Front of House during show week. Training will be available.

S32 look forward to welcoming you at 7.30pm on the 9th of January.

Contact Linda 679 062 272 for further information.

PILAR DE LA HORADADA CREATES CULTURE COUNCIL The Councillor for Culture in Pilar de la Horadada has met with local associations related to the field of culture in order to establish a new Local Culture Council, with the intention of “coordinating the cultural activities of the associations, giving them greater visibility, in addition to directly

involving them in the programming of the department of culture” explained the councillor, Darío Quesada.

The Local Council of Culture is to comprise of the councillor, municipal staff, and representatives of associations related to the cultural field, which currently number around

twenty.

The next meeting will be held at the end of January to “listen to the proposals and work towards a combined program, promoting an enriching offer that is agreed upon with related associations” he said.

PAGE 20

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REIKI .. . The wonderful energy of our universe INTRODUCTION There are as many paths to enlightenment as there are people. Reiki is one of those paths and each person who practices it will walk the path in their own way. No one person owns it – it has been given to all of us as part of the essence of our human being.

Reiki is primarily perceived as a practice for healing the body, but it is also a method for healing the mind and spirit. Ultimately, Reiki has the power to reunite the trinity of Mind-Body-Spirit in their optimal state of harmony. All of us need to start the process of returning to that state of harmony. Reiki, with its power and simplicity and its methods for healing both the self and others, offers the way to start taking what I call the “the journey home” THE MEANING OF REIKI Reiki is one of the most ancient healing methods known to mankind.

It originated in Tibet and was rediscovered in the early 1900’s by a Japanese priest named Dr Mikao Usui. The tradition of Reiki is referred to 2500-year-old writings in Sanskrit, the ancient Indian language. The Usui system of Natural Healing, named after Dr Usui, has been passed down by Reiki Masters since that time and is today practiced worldwide.

As humans we have Universal Life Energy all around us and within us. The Japanese word Reiki consists of two syllables: “Rei” which describes the cosmic, universal aspect of this energy and “ki”, which means the fundamental life force flowing and pulsating in all living things.

This life force energy is given to us at birth. We bring with us a certain amount of “ki” to life, and we use it up in the business of ordinary daily life. We then have to create a daily supply of new energy. When we are unable to make up for the energy consumption for a prolonged period, we may become physically or emotionally ill.

If our supply of life force energy is very low and depleted, we suffer from physical, emotional and mental exhaustion, and tend to be much more irritable, bad-tempered and depressed than usual.

WHAT IS REIKI? Reiki is a natural and simple healing method which allows you to absorb more life force energy. The Reiki method vitalizes your life force and balances the energies in your body. This natural healing energy flows in a powerful and concentrated form through the hands of the Reiki healer.

The laying on of the hands directs the healing energy into the body of the receiver. The Reiki healer is used as a channel to conduct the Universal Life Energy.

As a result, no personal energy is drawn or drained from the healer, who is simultaneously charged and strengthened. (The Reiki healer does not remove energy to give them theirs. Reiki energy balances and harmonizes – when there is an imbalance, there is a potential for illness) WHAT DOES REIKI DO? Reiki usually helps healing of all kinds and relieves pains and acute symptoms very quickly. Reiki makes it way to areas of imbalance during a treatment. It also has a positive influence on spiritual growth as it works on many levels, Physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being are all enhanced with Reiki energy.

After a treatment, you may feel mentally much clearer about things and experience deep insights into particular questions or problems you are facing. Reiki then can help you to make the right changes and decisions in your life, if that is what you need or want to achieve.

Reiki affects each person differently, but it always acts wherever the receiver needs it most. However, there are common effects that everyone experiences.

Energy used up in everyday life is replaced, so that when you feel exhausted or drained, the imbalance, which may adversely affect you physically, emotionally and mentally, can be put right.

If you suffer from stress, you may react with physical symptoms, such as headaches, stomach aches, frequent colds, kidney pains and general disorders. These symptoms are the expression of excessive negative stress, accompanied by an imbalance of the energy system. To relieve these symptoms your energy needs to restored.

For example, a lowered immune system or a weak organ that is not functioning properly and needs recharging with extra energy. Reiki can balance the energies in the body, helping you to let go and relax, so reducing stress.

At the same time, it promotes the development of positive reactions to

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stressful situations. In other words, not only the symptoms but also the causes can be healed.

Reiki strengthens and harmonizes the immune system. We continually use up life force energy without replacing it. Reiki helps us to replenish and add to our energy and, in this way, helps to create a healthy body

Reiki is a simple technique anyone can learn. Most people experience a huge leap in personal growth after receiving the attunements. This feeling of such loving healing energy is a truly uplifting and empowering experience.

I WAS TOLD THAT REIKI WOULD CHANGE MY LIFE. IT DID. IT WILL CERTAINLY CHANGE YOURS

IS REIKI ALWAYS SAFE? The purpose of Reiki is to supply the body with additional energy which it can use for healing itself. Reiki can be used safely regardless of whatever illness the receiver is suffering from. Reiki makes no diagnoses and is intended to be used as a complementary healing method. In the case of acute disorders such as imflammations, influenza, colds, digestive disorders, gall or kidney stones, backaches and headaches, Reiki often acts very quickly and directly by easing the pain and accelerating healing.

Reiki can also be applied as first aid as it stops bleeding in open wounds and has a very calming influence on the nervous system, particularly when people are in shock after an accident. With Reiki, you can also provide relief from allergies, arthritis and other chronic disorders.

As Reiki supports and complements other medical and natural healing techniques, you can combine it with other treatments, for example with allopathic or homeopathic treatments, body therapies, counselling and speech-therapy and other psychological treatments. A Reiki healer is charged with energy and becomes a channel for Universal Life Energy. Reiki is a gift of the universe, and is available to us all.

A REIKI BREATHING EXERCISE If you want to experience a “taster” of Reiki before committing yourself to Reiki attunement or just to allow yourself to get an idea of what Reiki may feel like, try this exercise. The exercise will have the same relaxing effects as Reiki but without the added power and impact provided by the Universal Life Energy through attunement.

Make yourself comfortable, either sitting down or lying on your back and close your eyes. Pay attention to your breath and follow its rhythm. Notice how it flows in and out. Now take three deep breaths Now put your hands on your body wherever you feel drawn to or where you feel tension. Use your intuition to locate the spot in your body that needs relaxation the most.

Now direct your breath consciously and repeatedly to this place.

Imagine that your breath is the Universal Life Energy which flows through you. Let it collect and expand under your hands. Notice how a feeling of relaxation and peace gradually spreads from that place beneath your hands throughout your entire body After a short while (about five minutes) place your hands on another part of your body. Once again breathe into your hands during the whole exercise. You may find that your breath changes in some positions as the body stores memories and experiences which may now be awakened. It is not necessary to consciously probe feelings or initiate stronger breathing. Just allow yourself to let go and plunge into this feeling of flowing.

Move on to two further places on your body and charge them with energy Slowly open your eyes, stretch yourself, and return to your normal daytime consciousness. You will feel more relaxed, calmer and more centred.

If you would like to experience the wonderful energy of Reiki as a treatment, please contact CHRISTINE QUINLAN ON 966 795 103 or email me on bodyharmony44@gmail.com

THE EFFECTS OF REIKI In summary, Reiki is all-embracing in its effect. It involves your mind, body and soul and then attempts to set all these aspects of your being into a harmonious balance. Your personal energy, as a giver, is not transmitted to the receiver during a treatment, you are merely a channel.

If (without having attuned to Reiki) you try laying your hands on someone else, energy is still passed on, but at a much lower intensity than if you are attuned to Reiki. This is because Reiki is a highly powerful vibrating force, or light energy.

While the Universe Life Energy flows through you, as the giver, during the treatment, it is also fortifying and harmonizing you at the same time. You may also experience Reiki as a force which brings you more closely into contact with yourself, opening you up and allowing you to be more loving with yourself and with others. It is a unifying force which brings you closer to a condition of oneness and connection with the “whole” So let me summarise the many benefits: Balances the organs and glands and their bodily functions Releases blocks and suppressed feelings Promotes natural self-healing Adapts to the natural needs of the receiver Balances the energies in the body Enhances personal awareness and helps meditative states Relaxes and reduces stress Promotes creativity Strengthens life force energy Treats symptoms and causes of illness Heals holistically Strengthens the immune system Relieves pain Clears toxin

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Alicante will host 226,000 cruise passengers in 2024 lems in the structure of the building and improve its energy efficiency.

In addition, the works will also allow the implementation of an information point for passengers, the creation of two specific areas for baggage collection and the incorporation of more security measures, such as the provision of more X-ray equipment

he Port of Alicante is about to extend its golden period in the cruise segment with the forecast of breaking another record in tourist arrivals in 2024, surpassing the figures of 2023. The provisional programming agreed so far by the Commercial Division of the Authority Portuaria contemplates the arrival of 102 ships from January to December, the same numbers that were expected in the 2023 calendar, but this time with greater capacity to the point of transporting more than 226,000 passengers (226,850) to the city.

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Of course, this is still an initial estimate, prepared from the information collected so far, which is subject to modifications, both downwards, due to possible cancellations, and upwards, due to incorporations that are currently not contemplated, such as regularly happens. In fact, 2023 has ended up with 84 arrivals and more than 192,000 passengers, instead of the 102 stops and 187,000 tourists that were expected, according to the statistics released by the Port Authority.

This initial programming for 2024 includes two other especially significant circumstances that demonstrate the confidence of shipping companies in Alicante as a destination. It involves, first of all, the organization of 15 simultaneous arrivals of two ships, which multiplies the presence of visitors on the same day, with expectations of doubling potential consumption in the hospitality and commerce sectors.

However, this situation will be exceeded on 7 November with the arrival of up to four cruise ships in the waters of Alicante, with the scheduled visit of the MSC Orchestra, the Seabourn Ovation, the Aida Prima and the Renaissance. Together, the four ships have a capacity of 7,272 passengers that could all visit the city on the same day.

Aside from this, the second special occurrence is the arrangement of up to 20 boarding and disembarkation operations in Alicante by the shipping company MSC Cruises: the largest number contemplated so far since the arrival in its home port in

the city during the summer of 2022.

These visits will take place between May 1 and November 7, which represents the extension to the traditional summer campaign, after it was decided to give up the tours during the winter season for operational reasons, namely the outbreak of the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

Another improvement to the initial programming confirms the addition to MSC Cruises, of shipping companies such as P&O Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceanía Cruises. In fact, among the 101 scheduled stops, only one ship is scheduled to arrive that has never previously called at the Port: the Silver Moon, from the Silversea company, with capacity for 566 passengers, which will visit Alicante on the 14th of December.

The president of the Port Authority, Luis Rodríguez, said in his inauguration speech on December 15, that one of his priorities would be to continue attracting more shipping companies, pointing out that "the port of Alicante is becoming an important tourist port on the rise, and the intention, for this new year, will be to continue working to increase stopovers and passengers, to the benefit of all the municipalities in our area of ??influence".

"It should be noted that this cruise tourism arrives at the port of Alicante but is then redistributed to the entire province through tourist itineraries and routes, which are increasingly more attractive and diverse thanks to the cooperation of companies and institutions. This is the strong point we must take advantage of to awaken the interest and confidence of new shipping companies," he noted.

Meanwhile, the cruise terminal remains immersed in carrying out renovation and modernisation works committed by its manager, the joint venture composed of Global Ports Holding (GPH) and Servicios Portuarios Canarios (Sepcan), upon assuming its operation. This is an action that involves a spend of 1.98 million that will make it possible to repair corrosion prob-

to speed up the reception and screening of passengers, particularly of those ships with capacity for more than 6,000 cruise passengers.

These works, carried out by the Zahonero construction company, must be completed by the month of April: the date from which the majority of arrivals are expected to begin.

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Real Madrid give Man Utd transfer dilemma over Mason Greenwood Manchester United are understood to have received a club-record bid from Getafe for their loan star Mason Greenwood ahead of the January window – but Sir Jim Ratcliffe is refusing to make a decision any time soon amid claims that Real Madrid are also about to enter the running.

The 22-year-old moved to the Estadio Coliseum over the summer, the small Madridbased side winning the transfer race for the forward after Manchester United decided to loan Greenwood out. And having decided his return in United colours was too controversial, it was deemed best if the player rebuilds his career away from the intrusive eyes of the English media.

However, Greenwood’s spell in Spain has gone far better than anticipated. The Bradford-born forward has settled well into the Madrid suburbs along with his partner Harriet Robson, with Getafe focusing purely on his footballing abilities, rather than the controversies he left behind, following his previous situation in Manchester.

That has been reflected on the pitch, with Getafe currently sat eighth in LaLiga, and with Greenwood very much playing his part. The player has scored five times and laid on four others from just 15 appearances so far, and has very much been the headline act of Jose Bordalas’ side.

With interest from the likes of Valencia, Villarreal, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona, it would now seem that Real Madrid are consid-

CARP-R-US. The last match of 2023 saw Carp-R-Us fishing the El Bosquet complex just north of Catral. Two sections had been booked, 1-7 and 26 - 40 with the anglers being split across these.

The air temperature had risen to 2C as each angler dipped into the draw bag to find which peg he would fish. Unusually, Willy Moons neither won the Lucky Peg nor did he draw one of the better pegs.

Instead Nick Bastock drew the lucky peg whilst top anglers Neil McBirnie and Ian Brown respectively drew what were considered the best pegs, 1B and 1.

The morning remained cold and overcast.

The fish did not want to feed and everyone struggled for bites. Maggot seemed to be the only bait that got an occasional bite and, as expected, it was pegs 1 and 1b which delivered a handful of carp.

ering a potential deal, giving Greenwood the chance to join arguably the biggest club in the world game, while not having to move from the luxury mansion in Madrid he has since made his home.

However, any offer is yet to arrive, although according to The Sun, Getafe have been in contact with United to present to them a clubrecord bid worth e46m (the current club record is e11m) to turn Greenwood’s loan into a permanent deal ahead of the January window.

Whether true or not, the speculation certainly underlines the serious progress Greenwood has made in Spain and reflects his status already as one of the league’s best players outside the regular big-three stranglehold.

The sun came out briefly around 13:00 and with it 5 Booted Eagles took to the sky, soaring above the complex.

A couple of Kingfishers also appeared with one settling briefly on Jeremy Fardoe's pole as if to say I bet I catch more than you.

At the weigh in, Ian Brown easily took the honours with 10.140 kgs of carp. Neil McBirnie was second with 5.76kgs which included a bass.

Roy Dainty was the only other angler to weigh in on that section with a mullet caught 3 minutes before the end; perseverance was his method.

The other section fared less well though Russell Davidson fishing extremely fine managing 5.12kgs from peg 39 with Nick Bastock catching 1.94 from peg 27.

Jeremy Fardoe caught 1.78kgs but everyone else failed to catch.

Happy New Year

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This Solheim Cup edition has been the most followed in history, both on television and through social networks.

2023 solheim cup writes its history in golden letters • •

The Costa del Sol welcomed 65,010 spectators, 14% of whom came from the United States, the highest number on European soil to date.

The King of Spain, Felipe VI, attended the final day at Finca Cortesín, and together with John Solheim, presented the trophy to the European team.

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he 2023 Solheim Cup shocked millions of people who had the opportunity to witness how Europe retained the trophy for the third consecutive time, with Carlota Ciganda, the only Spanish player on the team, playing a leading role.

Carlota Ciganda celebrates with Team Europe Captain, Suzann Petterson

While the game was fundamental to the tournament's success, it was also rooted in many other aspects that have managed to mark this year in gold letters in the history of the competition: in addition to the spectacular weather and the immaculate course presented by Finca Cortesín, there were multiple nuances that have made it possible for the 2023 Cup to leave an indelible mark on the world of women's golf.

AN EVENT THAT NOBODY WANTED TO MISS Hosting the biggest women's golf event in Andalusia for the first time meant nobody wanted to miss it out. This was clearly reflected in the reach of the television signal, exceeding 450 million households.

The 2023 Solheim Cup was the most watched both in Spain -Teledeporte reached peaks of over 170,000 viewers- and abroad Sky Sports reached peaks of 734,000 on the final day on Sunday, and 35% more average viewers than the previous edition-.

Social media, with Instagram leading the way, also caught fire during the key week of September, reaching more than 180 million people, not to mention the thousands of news stories generated in print and digital media.

Finca Cortesín, meanwhile, became the ideal setting to witness the best women's golf, as evidenced by the 465 accredited journalists.

65,010 spectators - 52% women - from 62 countries filled the course from 18 to 24 September; 14% came from the United States - the highest number to date in Europe, 33% from the British Isles, and 35% from Spain two thirds from Andalusia.

The final day on Sunday, with 18,193 people registered, was the busiest day of the year.

A COLOSSAL ECONOMIC IMPACT The most anticipated tournament of the year generated an economic impact on the Costa del Sol of more than 57 million euros in just 7 days. During that week more than 13,000 rooms were booked in 75 different hotels,

and employment generated amounted to 3,455 jobs, including the 1,843 staff members who made possible the successful development of both the Solheim Cup and the PING Junior Solheim Cup held in La Zagaleta.

SUSTAINABILITY AS A FLAG The Solheim Cup was also marked by its responsibility towards the environment, guaranteeing the sustainability of the event by relying on the multiple resources of Finca Cortesín, a venue that has stood out since its beginnings for its facilities based on sustainable management through the use of 100% reclaimed water.

The organisation, carried out by Deporte & Business, reflected its concern to present a greener Solheim Cup by creating the figure of the "sustainability partner", encompassing companies committed to the environment.

Some of the most prominent were, along with Acosol, Trablisa, Peninsula, Kyocera or BMW Automotor Premium.

Electric vehicles or electricity generated by solar panels were some of the actions that were implemented linked to the sustainable

spirit of the event.

On the social side, the Solheim Cup collaborated with the NGO Ángeles de la Noche, providing both financial donations and surplus food.

A YEAR TO REMEMBER This 2023 has been historic for the memory of golf. A colossal Carlota Ciganda completely captivated the public, not only for her decisive point on the last day, but also for her charisma and attitude throughout the competition.

With Carlota Ciganda's victory over Nelly Korda, multiple milestones were reached: the Navarrese won all her matches, earning 4 points for the European team; the Solheim Cup was tied for the first time in its history; Europe retained, also for the first time in history, the trophy for the third time in a row.

As if that were not enough, the public enjoyed brilliant performances by some players, such as the Swedish Caroline Hedwall, who came back from three holes down to win her match with four birdies in the last six holes, or Emily Kristine Pedersen, who achieved the second hole-in-one in the history of the Solheim Cup on the first day.

The event held at Finca Cortesín in September makes 2023 a historic year for the competition on a sporting, media, economic and sustainable level.

ABOUT THE SOLHEIM CUP 2023 The Solheim Cup 2023, an event of exceptional public interest whose official venue is Finca Cortesín, was sponsored by PING, Turismo Costa del Sol and Rolex as global partners; and by the Consejería de Turismo, Cultura y Deporte de la Junta de Andalucía, with the co-financing of the European Union, Acosol, the Ayuntamiento de Marbella and the Ayuntamiento de Benahavís as official partners, and the Ayuntamiento de Casares and Reale Seguros as official sponsors. Solán de Cabras, Eversheds Sutherland, Toro, Vithas, E-Z-GO, Jet Set Sports and Olin were official suppliers. BMW Automotor was the official sustainable vehicle. Marca, Radio Marca and Mediaset were official media. The Solheim Cup 2023 was promoted and organised by Deporte & Business. LET, LPGA, RFEG, CSD and RFGA collaborated in its organisation.

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