Laura Isabel Guerrero Vara, jueza, recientemente resolvió a favor de un amparo interpuesto por la defensa de Rafael Caro Quintero, en la que se señala que reciba atención médica de primer nivel mientras esté en El Altiplano ubicado en el Estado de México. En dicha resolución se tiene la obligación de parte de las autoridades […]
La entrada Ordenan atención médica especial a Caro Quintero en El Altiplano se publicó primero en Verás.
WHEN Phillip Schofield announced on morning television that he was gay, everyone rallied round and said how brave he’d been.
But when it turned out that he’d actually done gay stuff, he was sacked, cancelled, eviscerated and swept into the bucket of history marked “disgraced ageing TV stars”.
I was actually quite cross about this, so even though I don’t know him at all well, I called him up and we had a long chat.
It was like talking to a completely broken man because he could see no way back.
I was therefore delighted to hear this week that he’s managed it.
He’s been on a small island with nothing but a camera for company, and he’s made some kind of soul-searching documentary which will be aired by Channel 5 next week.
My delight then turned to horror because I learned the small island was off Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.
And when I visited a small island off Madagascar a few years ago, it was rammed full of German paedos and the reception desk at my hotel was littered with signs telling guests they couldn’t take children back to their rooms.
I thought that Channel 5 had screwed him.
Happily, however, they haven’t.
He was on a different island. A deserted island.
And looking at the pictures, I couldn’t help thinking: Hmmm. Couldn’t we all do with a break like that?
Forgive the change in direction here but right now, the world feels very unstable.
Ukraine shows no signs of getting better and the Israeli thing looks like it might actually get worse.
Pretty much the whole of North Africa is a no-go area, America is descending into madness and, without wishing to sound like Enoch Powell, I do see some serious immigration issues coming Europe’s way in the near future.
So it’s all very gloomy on the world stage and things aren’t much cop at home because our new government is definitely going to wreck our economy in the coming years.
Doubtless, then, many of you will be thinking that maybe you too would like to put your head in the sand on a faraway island until the dust settles and things (hopefully) return to normal.
I’m not sure that Phillip Schofield’s would work, though.
While it might be far enough away to escape any unpleasantness from a nuclear holocaust, it’s too hot and too full of mosquitoes.
For that same reason, all the tropical Robinson Crusoe islands are out.
Svalbard, way up there next door to the North Pole, looks better.
But actually, it’s too cold and there are too many polar bears.
I’d like to recommend Tristan Da Cunha.
Situated in the Atlantic about halfway between Africa and South America, it’s the most remote inhabited place on earth.
And when I say remote, the islanders didn’t even know the First World War had started until a year after it finished.
And when I say inhabited, it has a population of just 250.
There’s one shop. One pub. And one policeman.
Can you move there? Well, even though it’s a British overseas territory and has a British postcode, it’s not easy.
But it is possible.
They always need a teacher and a doctor, for instance. And you can get a temporary visa which would last “until Starmer buggers off”.
Normally, if I suggested buggering off to a rock in the South Atlantic for the next few years, you’d say “no thanks”.
But after the Labour Party Conference this week, I bet some of you will now be calling Channel 5 and saying, “How do I sign up?”
OH dear.
We learned this week that the viewing figures for Strictly Come Dancing are in freefall.
They fell from a high of 10.2million in 2020 to just 6.7million last week, as Toyah Willcox and Neil Jones took to the floor.
And now everyone at the BBC is running around, waving their arms in the air and wondering what to do.
Well, here’s one idea.
Every single time I turn on the BBC (which isn’t that often, I must admit), it’s running a chat show where the guest is urging viewers to watch their new drama on Netflix or Amazon or Apple.
You don’t get that in a normal business.
Staff behind the counter at McDonald’s, for example, never say that next week you should get a curry or a pizza instead.
IN his column in The Sun this week, Piers Morgan said that he and I had been at a party in an Oxfordshire pub last weekend.
He went on to say that everyone else in the pub garden observed our presence with a mixture or fascination and excitement.
And in some cases, revulsion.
Well, I don’t want to sound like the Queen here, but recollections may vary.
Because what I noticed is that no one else in the pub even noticed we were there.
IT’S that time of year when people with hairy armpits and verbal diarrhoea come together to talk nonsense about art.
And this, one of the hot favourites for the fabled Turner Prize, is a Ford Escort covered in a giant doily.
Many will say, of course: “I could have done that”.
True enough. But you didn’t.
In the same way that you never pickled a shark.
Or submitted your unmade bed. You were too busy working for a living.
AFTER using the “F” word during an official press conference at last week’s Singapore Grand Prix, championship leader Max Verstappen has been ordered by officials to do, and I quote, “work of a public interest”.
On the face of it, this sounds like he’s got to spend a day collecting litter or giving a talk to hard-working families in the community.
But think about it.
We are the public, so what would we really be interested in seeing him do?
I’d quite like to see if he could ride a pig. Or eat a hundred baked beans in a minute.
Or do a wing walk while dressed as Batman.
If I know Max, and I don’t, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find he goes along with this, and next week he does his punishment by drinking a bottle of vodka while standing on his head.
BACK in 2022, I pootled into town on the day of the Grand National to place my bet, only to find the local bookies had closed down.
So I came home and after just an hour of swearing and trying to read that smudged number on the back of my debit card, I managed to deposit some funds and set up an online account.
Great. Well done, me.
But the following year, when I tried to place a bet, I could not for the life of me remember which online bookies I’d used.
I went on to all the sites, stabbed away at various possible passwords, and eventually, I missed the boat.
The National began without me.
I tried in the subsequent months to find out who had my money but it was only this week that I heard from Betfred that it was them, and that if I didn’t spend the money soon, or remove it, they would confiscate it.
Anyone know my password? Anyone?
I have 24 days left . . .
ARGOS has removed its website account service for its credit card holders – prompting complaints from customers struggling to manage their bills.
The card allows users to buy from Argos and Habitat on credit and then spread the payments over time.
But last month the retailer pulled the plug on its computer-based account service, forcing customers to either download the app or manage their account on the phone.
The decision has sparked a furious backlash from those without a mobile phone or who struggle to use them.
One said on the review site Trustpilot.com: “I only recently discovered that Argos had removed their website for cardholders, which allowed them to make payments, and to also provide them with an overview of their account balance.
“Consequently, if you now wish to make a payment, then this can only be done, via their My Argos Card app, that you are required to download to your mobile device.
“This is now the only way you can access the features that were previously available on their website.
“Am I right in thinking that Argos is the only major company in the UK, that doesn’t allow you to make payments online, via a computer? Unbelievable!”
Another added: “Can no longer pay my Argos card bill online as they’ve taken that site down.
“Have to have the app, sorry Argos but not everybody has a phone that can do apps.
“I use a push button phone like thousands of others. So how am I supposed to pay you?”
Another was struggling to log on to the app, and said: “You had better sort this or you won’t be getting paid what I owe!”
While a fourth customer fumed on social media site X: “From August 29 the ‘my Argos card’ is no longer available as a website.
“All payments etc. will have to be made through an app. My husband does not own a phone so can’t access his Argos card account.
“What do you suggest he does?”
Argos said most of its customers used the app, but they also had the option of using the phone too.
But consumer champions slated the decision, and called for the service to be reinstated.
Dennis Reed, of the Silver Voices campaign group, said: “Argos disappointedly join the ranks of the retail giants who are downgrading customer service because of their obsession of getting everyone on to apps.
“In effect Argos are saying that their older customers, or anyone without a smartphone, are not welcome as customers anymore.
“And we all know why they want customers on apps, so that they can track their retail preferences and bombard them with marketing material.
“The tide will turn against apps because they are intrusive, and ever more power hungry.”
Meanwhile James Daley, of the Fairer Finance organisation, added: “It’s strange that Argos has removed it’s website access – and it’s clearly proving a real concern for many vulnerable customers.
“Argos, and its owner, Sainsbury’s, may struggle to justify this to the FCA. New consumer duty rules state that firms need to deliver the right support to their customers and be particularly mindful of the needs of vulnerable customers.
“Sainsbury’s bank is in the process of being sold to NatWest – and I’m sure they will be concerned by this development.
“My advice would be that they get the website back up as soon as possible and hold back on future changes until they have supported customers to service their accounts in different ways.”
With the Argos Card you can choose normal credit, which gives you up to 56 days to pay.
A longer-term “Buy now, pay later” option might be available, but it’s not guaranteed for every purchase.
With these plans, you won’t pay any interest if you pay within the credit plan period, but if you don’t pay in full you’ll be charged interest on any remaining balances.
The advertised interest rate charged is 34.9% APR, backdated to the date or purchase if payments are not made in time.
An Argos spokesperson said: “We want to make it as easy and convenient as possible for Argos Card customers to manage their accounts.
“Most of our customers use our MyArgosCard app.
“Alternatively, they can contact our Customer Service team over the phone.”
With services going digital, it is becoming harder – or impossible – to carry out some day-to-day tasks without web access or knowledge of how to use it.
Argo’s decision illustrates just one small change within a bigger issue that consumers are seeing across multiple industries.
For example, older customers are finding it increasingly difficult to pay their energy bills with traditional methods that do not require an online account.
Energy suppliers are also pushing people to pay on a monthly basis by direct debit, reducing customer choice.
In June last year, EDF Energy axed its quarterly billing service.
Meanwhile, British Gas scrapped Giro slips from paper bills for new customers in October.
Thousands of elderly and vulnerable people are also missing out on loyalty schemes because they do not use the required technology.
For example, Costa’s scheme offers a physical and digital card to collect “beans” towards a free drink.
But if you do not use a smartphone and take out a physical card, you will still have to call customer services to activate it.
The decline in high street banking has left many communities without convenient access to essential services.
More and more banks are increasingly shifting their services online.
However, we recently visited a banking hub to see if they’re a viable alternative in a digital age.
THERE are a number of ways older and vulnerable people can get help with essential services.
For example, if you have an issue with your bank you can contact them and explain your vulnerabilities.
Most have dedicated helplines or sections on their website for vulnerable customers.
You may be able to register as a vulnerable customer.
In these circumstances, your bank may provide extra services such as:
The same goes for retailer’s who can offer extra assistance like:
The energy watchdog, Ofgem also encourages anyone vulnerable to sign up to their energy supplier’s Priority Services Register.
It gives customers early warning of blackouts where possible, as well as offering free gas safety checks and extra assistance with paper bills.