Euro Weekly News - Mallorca 21 - 27 January 2021 Issue 1855

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The people’s paper ISSUE NO. 1855

21 - 27 January 2021

MALLORCA • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

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SLOWING DOWN

ALTHOUGH it is dangerous to make assumptions based on daily figures, it would ap­ pear that there is a slow­ down in the rate of new Covid­19 infections in Mal­ lorca.

Figures released by the Balearic ministry of health yesterday (Wednesday Janu­ ary 20) indicate the numbers are falling in some 27 areas, remaining unchanged in 15 and increasing by relatively small numbers in 11.

It is too early to take this as concrete news but Javier Arranz, speaking on behalf of the Autonomous Committee of Infectious Diseases of the Balearic Islands on Tuesday confirmed that there was a noticeable slowdown in new infections overall which he welcomed.

The same is not true for some of the other islands in the Balearics and Ibiza seems to be the hot spot for new in­ fections with two towns in

WELCOME NEWS: Health workers have been vaccinated. particular seeing significant increases of reported cases.

The relatively draconian

Iñaki Urdangarin may leave THE husband of the Infanta Cristina, Iñaki Urdangarin was sen­ tenced to five years and 10 months imprisonment for his part in the Nóos case which saw him embezzle €6 million through his Mallorca base.

He was most recently incarcerated in the Brieva prison in Avila and was allowed out for eight hours each week in order to under­ take voluntary work with the disabled, but when he applied for more relaxed conditions in 2020, this was rejected His lawyers have now received a positive response from a court in Castilla y Leon to an appeal (which was not contested by the prose­ cutor’s office) which would now allow him to work outside of the prison, although he would need to return each evening to sleep.

In addition, he would be given permission to leave the prison each weekend, subject to a number of restrictions.

It is anticipated that if he continues to behave in an exemplary manner that he will be considered for parole in 2022.

measures introduced by the Balearic Government in Mal­ lorca during January, whilst

not being good for business­ es appear to be having some positive results as far as

health care is concerned.

There is no doubt that the health facilities in Mallorca

are near to being over­ whelmed due to the number of patients being seen, but equally importantly doctors and nurses can only cope with so much stress and work so many hours before they suffer mentally and physically to the detriment of all.

At least however, 98 per cent of all front­line health workers have now received their inoculation which will give them some protection against the pandemic.

Whilst the Government both on the islands and in Madrid have been the focus of complaint and negative at­ tention, it seems more than likely that there will be fur­ ther restrictions on a national basis, but if the long­term re­ sult of such restrictions cou­ pled with increased numbers of vaccinations sees the end of the latest peak, then the difficult decisions being taken should be seen as being justi­ fied.

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21 - 27 January 2021

Central tunnel works Drastic cuts ahead ONE major construction op­ eration continues in Palma where a pipeline covering three kilometres is being cre­ ated in five sections.

With a budget of €22,609,330, funding is being supplied by the Balearic Gov­

ernment and is collected via the sanitation fee charged to residents.

The first section, has been completed and covers 716 metres, being created by a tunnel boring machine which took four months.

In the fullness of time, the two­metre pipeline will col­ lect, conduct and store wastewater and rainwater to purify it and prevent spills in the Bay of Palma in cases of rain and there will be a treat­ ment plant and pumping sta­ tion.

The work, which has seen relatively long­term employ­ ment for some 40 people will continue on the next section which will cover 154 metres.

When completed, it will not only add to the water supply but allow safe disper­ sal of rainwater.

THE PIMEM section representing hairdressers and beauti­ cians in the Balearics has demanded that the Central Gov­ ernment fulfil its promise of reapplying reduced VAT to this sector.

They consider themselves an ‘essential sector’ and therefore believe it only correct that as for similar busi­ nesses, VAT should be dropped from 21 per cent to 10 per cent especially as they are struggling to stay afloat.

According to studies carried out by PIMEM (which rep­ resents many small businesses in the Balearics), more than 50 per cent in this sector will not be able to survive much longer especially as with many now working from home and no major celebrations, demand has dropped drastically.

For this reason, members were invited to protest in Palma on Wednesday January 20 at the same time as oth­ er groups made their complaints heard in more than 70 cities across the whole of Spain.

Government housing AN investment fund linked to Sabadell Bank has found itself having to sell eight houses to the B alearic G overnment in the first operation of its kind.

The Government was able to take advantage of an option to have a preferential right to purchase a property being sold for investment purposes in a deal between two banks or commercial groups.

T he seller does not lose out as the

Government pays the same amount but prices are often less than market price and this means that it can increase its housing stock without building new properties.

This action saw the acquisition of six homes in P alma, one in M anacor and one in E s M ercadal at a total cost of €900,609.

Other empty properties are being taken on seven-year rental leases.

NEWS

Covid-19 vaccinations

AGE CONCERN MALLORCA has contacted Euro Weekly News asking us to advise readers they have been re­ ceiving an increasing num­ ber of enquiries regarding when and how the vacci­ nations are going to com­ mence for elderly resi­ dents.

Although many have al­ ready registered their email addresses with the charity, they believe that there may be a significant number of people who don’t use the internet or have easy access to local TV or press (or may not un­ derstand the language).

They are therefore hap­ py to compile a new list of those who would like to be kept up­to­date via tele­ phone or SMS text mes­ sages and would be happy to hear directly from them (and friends are invited to pass on this message) by calling 678 352 040 and if engaged try again and we will call back.

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NIBS EXTRA More beds IT has been announced by the Balearic Ministry of Health that a further 20 beds have been installed at Palma’s Sant Joan de Déu Hospital in order to try to cope with the continued arrival of new coronavirus patients.

No go DESPITE the fact that the military base on the summit of Puig Major in Escorca is no longer of national importance for dealing with the ‘Russian Threat,’ a request for access to the area to be granted to the general public has been refused.

Shocking event OFFICERS from the National Police were on hand when a construction worker suffered a serious electric shock at a building site just a few metres away from the police station in Palma and gave him immediate assistance before an ambulance arrived.

Confinement SENIOR medical officials have called for a two-week lockdown in Mallorca in order to reduce the strain on facilities and also to help halt the spread of the coronavirus because otherwise they believe that the health system could collapse.

Unbelievable A BAR on the beachfront in Deia suddenly opened last Sunday in breach of regulations, ser ving drinks to people not wearing masks and playing loud music which prompted local residents to complain and the Guardia Civil to arrive to close everything down.

Motorised IT appears that if people want to demonstrate against any matter in the streets of Mallorca that the council is likely to only allow this if the demonstrators are in cars, which means that the number who can attend will be restricted and separated.

21 - 27 January 2021

Cancer Support Mallorca THE year 2020 a very difficult one for Cancer Support Mallorca as they had to suspend the majority of their group activities and fundraising opportunities due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

This didn’t mean however that they didn’t continue to try to care for those in need of assistance and where possible, they moved online and attracted a number of new volunteers.

Having gained Covid-19 charity status, it meant that, where needed, they were also able to help patients with deliveries of food, medicine, personal protection equipment, lifts to hospital ap-

FUNDRAISING: Discussing future strategy. pointments etc.

In addition, for those who had difficulty in communication, volunteers were able to communi-

cate with local doctors and other organisations to arrange appointments and assist patients.

Working with other island char-

ities the Cancer Support Group was able to do its bit to help local communities where needed.

This determination to be of service will continue in 2021 regardless of the problems that arise and already one supporter, Sean Judkins, is taking on a two-day challenge, the Mallorca Odyssey, where he will be running, cycling, and kayaking around the island in April to raise funds.

They are always in need of volunteers, collaborators and sponsors so to find out more visit their Facebook page, https://www.can cersupportmallorca.com/ or call 659 887 455.

More aircraft parking at Palma airport FACED with the simple fact that the majority of flights have been can­ celled due to the worldwide Covid­19 pandemic, large airlines such as British Airways have had to find park­ ing spaces for their aircraft.

Whilst all of the British airports are chock a block with parked aircraft, BA has had to look further afield to store some of its larger aircraft in particu­ lar.

Whilst there are huge parking spaces in the driest parts of the USA,

Waiting to return to the sky. it makes more sense to look within Europe so that once restrictions are lifted, aircraft may be repositioned in

a matter of hours.

Price, space and weather are all fac­ tors in making the decision and in late 2020, the airline sent 28 of its Airbus fleet to Palma airport where they are stored at jetways as well as near hangers and for a while they were a great attraction to plane spotters.

Now a further 10 aircraft have ar­ rived at Palma, taking the total of combined BA Airbus aircraft parked there to 38, whilst other A380 planes are in Chateauroux, France.

Successful medical transfer

Gambling establishments

SAMU 061 the Balearic Emergency Service was responsible for co­ordi­ nating the transfer of a 58­year­old man, positive for Covid­19 and with bilateral pneumonia.

He was transferred from the Ma­ teu Orfila Hospital in Menorca to Son Espases Hospital in Mallorca with the use of ECMO (extracorporeal membrane ventilation system) med­ ical equipment supplied by the Vall d’Hebron Hospital in Barcelona.

This happened on Monday Janu­ ary 18, undertaken in two phases.

In the first, an ambulance plane of the SAMU 061 went to the Vall d’He­ bron University Hospital to gather the team of five professionals (three doctors and two nurses) who had to apply the ECMO technique to the pa­ tient.

Upon landing in Menorca, a Covid ambulance was activated and also at the UME in Menorca to provide lo­ gistical support to the ECMO team.

Once the patient had stabilised, the second phase began with the transfer from Mateu Orfila Hospital to Son Espases Hospital requiring the collection of the patient and team at Son Sant Joan airport in Palma.

AS venues that encourage gambling and bet­ ting appear to be flourishing across Spain, the Palma Council has indicated that it wants to re­ duce such operations in the city to a minimum.

The matter gained some prominence in the news as the Council received a planning appli­ cation to expand one such business in Palma, but it decided to postpone any decision and re­ fer the matter to the Balearic Government.

The granting of licences sits with the Govern­

Solar power AS part of its Green Policy, the Balearic Govern­ ment has developed a tracking device which can identify car parks which cover more than 1,000 square metres.

Details were unveiled at the car park of Cam­ pos municipal sports centre, one of the first in Mallorca to install solar panels.

As National Law requires the increase of pro­ duction of solar energy, with 794 car parks across the Balearics of which 571 are located in Mallorca, local councils, who own the majority, have until 2025 to comply with the law and this is one way of doing it.

It is estimated that although some car parks will be rejected due to wooded areas, at least 700 will be able to install solar panels and produce 6 per cent of the entire Balearic electrical needs.

ment but the Council is responsible for agree­ ing planning permission and because the oper­ ation was near to a park and children’s play­ ground it was decided that by granting permission that a law governing gambling might be broken.

Councillor Neus Truyol explained that if the Government confirms that there would be a breach, the Council would proceed to tighten up rules throughout the city.

Recycling clothes

THE sum of €3,962.42, funded from a propor­ tion of the Balearic Sustainable Tourism Tax (ITS) was given to Eines x Inserció, a Mallorca based organisation dedicated to recycling clothing and bed linen.

Representatives of the Balearic Govern­ ment visited their warehouse to view the huge amount of clothing that they have col­ lected over the years which represents a huge saving in both the cost of destroying the mate­ rial and the damage done to the environment.

Where possible the clothes are sold through charity shops but if they are too old or damaged, they are still recycled and the or­ ganisation is placing collection units across the island in order to increase the amount it can save. New facilities are now being rolled out in Ibiza and Menorca.

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Going greener IN keeping with the Spanish government’s commitment to increase the amount of green en­ ergy being produced across the nation, elec­ tricity supplier Endesa is to create its second solar park in Mallorca.

At an estimated cost of €13 million, the plant is being built in Alcudia adjacent to the Es Murterar coal­fired pow­ er station which has al­ ready seen a reduction in output and will eventual­ ly expect to be phased out.

Approval has been re­ ceived for a further park in Llucmajor and other applications await plan­ ning permission in a fur­ ther five municipalities across the island with construction likely to cost around €60 million ac­ cording to local reports.

Currently very little green energy is produced on Mallorca and these new solar parks will be seen as a major step in the right direction.

More buses for students AS students will be taking exams in person at the University of the Balearics (UIB) in Palma, the Municipal Transport Company (EMT) will increase the number of buses.

The decision was made after an approach from the UIB since because of the current State of Alarm the permitted maximum occupancy on EMT buses is just 33 per cent.

From Thursday January 21 to Wednesday February 3, the L19 (UIBPorta del Camp) service will double from 7am to 10am and 1pm to 4pm.

The fleet is equipped with partitions, hydroalcoholic dispensers approved by health authorities and vehicles travel with open windows to encourage air circulation.

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NEWS

There’s still time ERTE Extended

Helen Weir, Director Age in Spain HELLO there, I am delighted to have this opportunity to introduce the work of Age in Spain to the readers of Euro Weekly News in Mallorca.

In normal times (remember them) Age in Spain is focused on supporting the older, English-speaking population in Spain to lead full and active lives.

A good example of this is our telephone friendship service, Friendline, which we launched just before Christmas.

Friendline connects people anyone who would benefit from a regular, friendly phone conversation with volunteers with similar interests. You can find out more on our website – www.ageinspain.org/friendline Of course, these are not nor-

Age in Spain Regional Coordinator outside the Lions Charity Shop Palma Nova. mal times! Even if we ignore Covid-19, then there is still the aftermath of Brexit affecting many people on Mallorca.

As some of you will already know, Age in Spain has been funded by the British Government to provide free support on residency issues to UK na-

tionals on the Balearic Islands (along with nine other Spanish regions).

Over the last few months our Regional Co-ordinator, Giuseppe Monti, has been out and out about helping people get their heads around the residency requirements and supporting them through the process.

Remember, there is still time to apply for residency in Spain under the protection of the UK’s Withdrawal Agreement if you can show you were legally living here by 31 December 2020. I would urge anyone who is still not clear where they stand on residency to contact our helpline. Details are available at www.ageinspain.org/residency-helpline or you can call +34 932 209 741.

THE Executive Committee of the Spanish Confederation of Business Organisations (CEOE) met on Tuesday January 19 and have unanimously approved the document that will extend the E R T E until May 31 as offered by the government.

The CEOE has also supported the request of AT A , the main association of self-employed, to provide protection and help to entrepreneurs who are being af-

fected by capacity and activity limitations by administrative order.

“The governing bodies of CEOE have unanimously decided to approve the document on the extension of temporary employment regulation files (ERTEs) until next May 31,” said the statement, which will maintain in very similar terms the current regulations, in force until January 31.

ChefBot Banned THE Commercial Court of Barcelona has ordered the multinational supermarket chain Lidl to remove all of its Monsieur Cousine ‘ChefBot’ machines from the market, considering that it has breached the patent of Thermomix.

The ruling comes after a lawsuit brought in the Spanish courts by the German company Vorwerk, manufacturer of Thermomix, against the Lidl supermarkets, distributors of Monsieur Cuisine Connect. The court ruled that Vorwerk has all the rights of its machine protected in Spain and it considers that Lidl has infringed on those rights with its machine.

The court concluded that the machine marketed

by Lidl ‘reproduces each and every one of the characteristics’ of the Vorwerk patent, thereby violating the Patent Law. The court ordered Lidl to cease importing, storing, offering and marketing the Monsieur Cousine Connect machine, and to withdraw all machines from the market, those in its posses-

sion and that of its distributors.

Also, to withdraw all advertising and promotional material, including that hosted on the internet.

The Barcelona court concludes that Lidl’s robot constitutes ‘an infringement of the ex-

clusive rights deriving from the Spanish patent’ held by Vorwerk and must also compensate the manufacturer for the damage caused.

That figure has not yet been fixed but will be set at the stage of enforcement of this judgement.

Google announces completion of its Fitbit acquisition GOOGLE has announced that its acquisition of wearable fitness device Fitbit is complete.

The announcement that the multifunctional Fitbit watch is now officially part of Google was made by Rick Osterloh, Senior Vice President of Devices and Services for Google.

The purchase, which had been announced in 2019, was made for an approximate 2.1 million dollars.

The US authorities are still investigating the purchase, while in Europe it went ahead after accepting measures to guarantee that it would not further increase the hold that

Google has over the digital publicity market, following fears that data from the Fitbit could be used to personalise advertising.

In the release, Osterloh emphasised that the acquisition ‘has always been about the devices, not data’ to clarify Google’s intentions.

Google has made commitments promising that Fitbit users’ health data will not be used for targeting ads, and they will still have the choice of keeping fitness data on a Fitbit account whether or not they want to share it to third parties (like Google Fit).

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21 - 27 January 2021

Euro Weekly News ‘On-Air’ With BBC Merseyside Radio CEO Michel Euesden gave a live interview on Monday morning, J anuary 18, to BBC Merseyside Radio. She was invited on to give an insight into how B rexit has affected the lives of the many thousands of expat residents in Spain.

Michel said the paper was picked up and read every Thursday and was a major source of information as to what’s going on in S pain and, more importantly, what new rules there are regarding the Covid restrictions - all explained in Eng-

An insight into Brexit. lish for the non- S panish speaking reader.

The interview also included expat Jan Miller, from

W arrington in C heshire, who moved to Spain in December 2020. She goes on to describe the ‘interesting’ journey she is experiencing as she starts her new life with her partner and their two friends while they settle down in Spain.

Michel Euesden was also recently interviewed by a BBC news team at the EWN offices. The short documentary was intended to explain just how life is changing on the Costa del Sol for the many thousands of expats the paper serves.

Woman locked in Chinese Bazaar A WOMAN, 87, got left inside a Chinese Bazaar in Torrelavega, Madrid when they closed.

According to reports, the woman went to the shop and got locked inside when the owners closed for the night without realising she was there.

She stood in the shop window for more than half an hour waving to passers-by to attempt to get help, but many people believed that she was part of the window decoration.

When some finally did call for help, three police officers and a locksmith were needed to get the woman out of the shop, and she was finally released, in good health although a little shaken, at around 9.45pm.

Sweeping reform launched THE Spanish government has drafted a ‘road map’ of sweeping reforms across its labour laws, pension scheme, and tax system in order to gain faster access to €72 billion of European Union funds to boost the country’s economic recovery from the pandemic.

The massive funds will be accessed over three years, with €34 billion assigned to Spain’s 2021 Budget. The EU schemes ‘NextGenerationEU’ and ‘ReactEU’ are available to all member states and have a collective pot of €750 billion. Large swathes of the cash will be pumped into improving the country’s health and education systems.

To gain faster access to the much-needed funds, Spain has ambitious plans to modernise its tax systems to boost efficiency and reassign resources. It plans to move the economy away from dependency on the tourism and service sectors, both of which have been severely affected by the pandemic. Spain also plans to tighten its labour

laws to provide better conditions for part-time workers, who are often exploited by employers. A controversial reform will also see the country’s pension scheme changed, ending forced retirement and raising the stan-

dard age of retirement.

Madrid has until April 30 to enact its reforms to claim the funds and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is reportedly committed to driving through the proposals before the deadline.

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Brit Brexit confusion Turned back at the airport.

LUCY and Adam Montgomery have been living in Barcelona for several years and both pos­ sess NIE numbers in Spain.

Returning from a Christmas visit to family in Northern Ire­ land, they flew back to the Catalan capital via Manches­

Amazon Creates Jobs CORONAVIRUS restrictions and forced retail closures saw a huge shift away from traditional shopping in Spain, and online retail giant Amazon certainly made the most of the new trend, employing a whopping 5,000 people in 2020, bringing its Spanish workforce up to 12,000. The company announced on Thursday, January 14, that it now operates in 28 different locations in Spain, with new logistical centres having opened in Madrid and Sevilla in 2020.

“We are incredibly proud to support thousands of people in Spain and their families in these difficult times. This is not only great news for those looking for a new job, but also a clear vote of confidence in the Spanish economy, in the hope that we can contribute to accelerating the recovery after the pandemic,” reported Mariangela Marseglia, Vice President and General Director for Amazon in Italy and Spain.

“We have been overwhelmed by the trust that millions of Spanish customers have placed in Amazon and we will continue to work tirelessly for them and for the thousands of SMEs that work with us.”

ter. Upon arriving at Barcelona airport, border officials urged passengers to immediately take out their passports.

The plane was divided into three lines for Spanish, EU, and British citizens. The Brits were quizzed about their residency permits by border police, who told Lucy she would not be permitted to enter the country as her TIE (registration number for non­EU citizens) docu­ ments were still being processed.

She showed the police tax statements, proof of address, and other evidence that she was a resident of Spain to no avail. As her husband Adam al­ ready had a TIE number, he was permitted to enter the country. As the couple have two dogs in Barcelona, they were forced to separate and Lucy flew back to the UK. The case has highlighted the post­Brexit confusion faced by many British expats living in Spain, as overnight changes to the law brought in over the new year have caused wide­ spread travel issues.

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NEWS

Second Dose Rollout Alicante Field Hospital AUTONOMOUS communities across Spain are already administering the second dose of Pfizer’s vaccine against Covid-19 after eight communities began the second round of the vaccination process on Monday January 18 with Araceli Hidalgo (96), said to be the first person to be vaccinated in Spain, receiving her second dose.

The second dose will be administered to residents and healthcare professionals throughout Spain, although the vaccine requires at least one week to create immunity.

In a statement, the Ministry of Health recalled that prevention measures, the use of a mask, social distancing and hand washing, must also be

VAT On Masks

THE opposition has criticised the Spanish government for ‘lying’ about not being able to lower the price of face masks, which are mandatory in Spain, when the European Commission gave permission to all states in the European Union on April 3 of last year to lower the VAT on masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE) required in the fight against Covid­19.

The government did eventually lower the VAT on face masks from 21 to 4 per cent on November 17 after repeat­ edly insisting that the EU prohibited the reduction.

“Months ago I asked the European Commission if they had really prohibited reducing the VAT on masks, as our government said. Today they have responded to me, through official channels, that since April 3 it could have been done. We deserve a government that does not lie to us,” José Ramón Bauzá of Ciudadanos (Cs) wrote on Twit­ ter.

maintained among vaccinated people.

According to Health, the vaccination strategy against Covid19 in Spain is going as planned with the latest data reported on Friday, January 15, stating that 1,139,400 vaccines have been distributed and 768,950 administered - with a new weekly batch of doses of Pfizer’s vaccine which arrived from Belgium on January 18.

In total, 205,727 doses will be distributed equally among the autonomous communities, ensuring that all of them can administer the second dose to the people who have it this week.

In total, Spain will receive 4,591,275 doses of the Pfizer vaccine with which 2,295,638 people will be immunised.

In addition, on Tuesday January 12, the first Moderna vaccines arrived in Spain, which have also been distributed since last week.

In total, 599,500 doses will be distributed among all the autonomous communities in a period of five weeks, until the third week of February included.

THE Alicante field hospital, lo­ cated on the premises of the General University Hospital of Alicante, was put into opera­ tion on Sunday, January 17, to accommodate the hospitalisa­ tion of Covid patients with mild or moderate clinical con­ ditions, in order to relieve pressure in centres in the province due to the increase in cases.

The Department of Univer­ sal Health and Public Health has announced this week the fitting out of 280 beds in the three field hospitals of the Community, of which a total of 80 correspond to the Ali­ cante field hospital, the Gen­ eralitat has indicated in a statement. The Alicante field hospital, like its counterparts in Castelló and Valencia, will treat patients over the age of 18 ­ who are positive for Covid confirmed by PCR ­ and who have previously been admit­ ted to an acute hospital and are recovering from the ill­ ness.

The Department specifies that if they have respiratory

FIELD HOSPITAL: Is now in operation.

failure, it must be corrected with low oxygen flows.

This infrastructure is divided into different hospitalisation units, which have nursing con­ trols and medical consulta­ tions, equipped with the nec­ essary equipment to treat patients individually ­ and is al­ so being used for PCR testing.

Nurses Struck Off

THE Department of Health has confirmed ‘a very serious’ in­ cident has occurred during the vaccination of disabled resi­ dents at a centre in Tortosa, Tarragona.

The department has been alerted to the fact a number of Catalan Health Institute (ICS) nurses in charge of administer­ ing the jabs had given the vaccine to relatives.

The authority said this is ‘totally irregular’ as vaccines are currently only being administered to residents and health professionals.

A similar incident occurred at a residence in Madrid earlier this month.

Catalonia’s Secretary of Public Health, Josep Maria Argi­ mon, insisted this is an isolated case and has defended the work of the vaccination teams.

However, he did warn that “any incident of this type will be punishable,” and assured the staff in question “have been removed from their jobs” and the department has opened an investigation.

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NEWS

Advertising Feature

Spain’s ambitious vision for 100% renewable energy SPAIN aims to cut carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, according to a new climate change bill, which sets out an ambitious raft of targets to tackle glob­ al warming over the next 30 years.

If the bill gets the go head from Span­ ish Parliament, at least 70 per cent of the country’s energy will need to come from clean energy sources, such as wind and solar, and all new coal, oil and gas extraction projects will be banned.

The new bill goes hand­in­hand with the Paris Climate Agreement, a global framework to limit global warming to well below 2ºC, and is also expected to shape the country’s economic recovery from Covid­19.

While the plans are ambitious, Spain has already made great headway into shaking up the electricity market in favour of renewable energies. Con­ sumers have been given more flexibili­

ty to switch electricity suppliers, giving green energy companies the opportu­ nity to offer competitive tariffs, while supplying electricity from 100 per cent renewable sources.

And, more recently, the removal of Spain’s infamous ‘sun tax’ has paved the way for more businesses and households to generate their own elec­ tricity using solar roof panels. With more than 300 days of sun per year, Spain provides the perfect location for generating electricity from solar pow­ er.

The former taxes and complex legis­ lation had previously made the process of installing and using solar PV panels prohibitive, but thanks to the abolition of these taxes more and more con­ sumers are choosing to invest in solar energy as a way of saving money and taking a step towards sustainable liv­ ing.

The new legislation on solar PV pan­ els even goes a stage further and al­ lows those who generate solar energy to be financially compensated for any surplus energy they produce, which can then be fed into the National Grid.

In addition to the legislative changes, which empower businesses and consumers to be able to generate and consume renewable energy, the government is also committing to in­ stalling a minimum of 3,000 MW of wind and solar power capacity, each year for the next 10 years.

Speaking about Spain’s environmen­ tal aims, Laurence Tubiana, chief exec­ utive of the European Climate Founda­ tion said: “By planning on going carbon neutral, Spain shows that the battle against climate change is deadly seri­ ous, that they are ready to step up and plan to reap the rewards of decarboni­ sation.”

+34 951 120 830 I info@mariposaenergia.es I www.mariposaenergia.es

Finally Reimbursed

IBERIA AIRLINES has finally reimbursed €17,153 for a cancelled trip to Japan.

The monies were returned to the customer and his five companions who decided to cancel the trip due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Spain’s consumer defence organisation Facua, which helped in this process. Antonio, a Madrid resident, booked six plane tickets in January 2020 to holiday in Japan with his friends. The trip, which was scheduled for the end of March and set to last for 10 days, included changes in the booking conditions allowed without penalty, in addition to the possibility of reimbursement. In March, due to Spain’s State of Alarm and home confinement, Antonio requested the cancellation of the trip and reimbursement of the amounts paid, since it was impossible to travel. Antonio said that the airline refused to return the money and would only send him a voucher for the same amount.

Even though the airline ended up cancelling the flight due to the pandemic, it continued to refuse to refund the price of the tickets, offering the only option of the voucher once more.

Faced with this situation, Antonio decided to go to Facua Madrid to help him manage the corresponding claim against the airline and after nine months, Iberia Airlines finally reimbursed the total amount.

Masks

Until 2022 THE director of the AIDS Research Institute (IrsiCaixa) and head of Infectious Diseases at the Germans Trias i Pujol Hospital (Can Ruti), Bonaventura Clotet, believes that “we will have to get used to masks” as he sees them having to be used until 2022.

In statements to the programme Faqs, of TV3 he said: “We have to get used to the fact that the use of masks will last until 2022,” who pointed out that after the appearance of the MERS respiratory coronavirus in 2012, “they should have spent a lot of money to prevent a new worse variant from appearing.”

The expert is committed to continuing the research on vaccines, since “in fact, it has already been published that there are coronaviruses that have mutations and characteristics that would not be sensitive and would not be neutralised with the antibodies that are generated with current vaccines.

“It is necessary to continue investigating vaccines,” he concluded.

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FEATURE

Barcelona ‘Strategic Plan 2021-2025’

Advertising Feature

HOME INSURANCE

THE port of Barcelona unveiled the ‘Strategic Plan 2021­2025’ at the headquarters of Foment del Treball on Wednesday Janu­ ary 13.

The main economic objec­ tives are to raise the value of the goods it moves internationally above €70,000 million. This will increase to 40,000, the number of people that are employed lo­ cally, and hopefully, bring an end to 50 per cent of the con­ tainer docks being empty.

The president of the port, Mercè Conesa, who presented the plan together with the gen­

BARCELONA PORT: The main logistics hub in the Med. eral director of the port of Barcelona, José Alberto Car­ bonell, and the vice president of Foment, Joaquim Llansó, high­ lighted that the port is already

the main logistics hub in the Mediterranean, with €65,000 million of annual exports, and moves 25 per cent of Spain’s for­ eign trade.

Katie’s Heart-Breaking Decision FLOOD DAMAGE: Just one of the items covered with a Linea Directa policy.

IF your home needs repairs following damage or your belongings need replacing after they’ve been stolen, then home insurance will help you cover the cost so you won’t have to pay everything yourself. Home insurance covers your property against damage and its contents against damage or theft.

HOW DOES IT WORK? Your home is covered up to a limit of 100 per cent of the insured amount for loss or damage caused by storms or flood, water or oil escaping from fixed water central heating systems, fire, explosion, lightning, earthquake and smoke, theft or attempted theft, subsidence or landslides, falling trees and branches, vandalism and much more. Simply notify Línea Directa about what has happened within seven days of becoming aware of it. They will assess the damage caused before carrying out the necessary repairs.

WHAT ABOUT CONTENTS? Home insurance policies from Línea Directa also cover broken windows, sanitary ware, the glass in ceramic hobs and even bathroom fittings made of earthenware or fibreglass. If the contents of your fridge and freezer are dam-

aged due to power cut or fault, then the cost of their replacement up to the limit established is covered.

ADDITIONAL COSTS After making a valid claim, you may be hit by unforeseen additional costs. Línea Directa covers salvage costs, fire services costs, debris removal costs, and costs resulting from temporary evacuation of the home or loss of rent. Legal costs will be covered should damage be caused to third parties; notary fees, solicitor fees, court fees and any costs for experts appointed.

HOME INSURANCE SPECIALISTS Línea Directa is dedicated to getting every customer the very best value for home insurance. With a range of optional covers that tailor policies for individual needs.

Quick and efficient customer service staff that aim to solve all your queries immediately. And with 24/7 assistance services that range from emergency plumbers to locksmiths, 365 days a year.

TOTAL REASSURANCE Over three million people trust Línea Directa for total peace-of-mind. They have been providing specialist insurance for British expatriates for over 20 years.

For more information or a really competitive quote, please call 952 147 834.

BEST PRICE. BETTER COVER.

KATIE PRICE has made the heart-breaking decision that no mother would ever want to make, of putting her 18-year-old, 6ft 2in and almost 29st, disabled son Harvey, who also has a disorder which makes him partially blind, into a residential college.

A devastated Katie, aged 42, said “It breaks my heart. I don’t want him to think I’m just getting rid of him. It’s so upsetting to think I won’t see him every day but this is the best thing for Harvey and we have to think positively because I don’t want him to think I’m just getting rid of him. This is his chance to live an independent life, learn skills, and socialise with people other than me.”

She continued, “I’m trying to get him used to

me not being there all the time. But he’ll call on his iPad and say, ‘Mum, I need you,’ and I run to him. When he’s away it will break my heart because I won’t be able to get there, as I’ve got to juggle him with my other kids. When he goes to college he will learn to be an adult. He says now, ‘Mummy, I’m not a boy, I’m a man’.”

Katie added, “The other kids are excited for him, they want to see what he can do. But I think they’ll find it hard when he’s not around on weekends. I need to learn to let go but it’s tough, anyone in my position knows how hard it is. We have an incredible bond. I don’t know how Harvey will react or how he’ll feel when I can’t get to him. It’s too painful to think about.”

Guardians Voluntary Gambling Exclusions for The Alhambra THE Junta de Andalucia has set out to provide new guardians for the Alham­ bra and the Generalife in Granada, in the form of fal­ conry birds of prey. They will not only restore a cul­ tural history linked to the Nasrid times, but also pro­ tect the monuments and their surroundings from being damaged by pi­ geons.

Falconer, Paulino Vázquez, is the head of the project that will project the gardens and forests along with the artistic heritage of the Alhambra. His team of guardians consists of brothers Rómulo and Re­ mo, who are Harris’s ea­ gles, two hawks and a goshawk.

The birds of prey will be used to displace groups of pigeons and move them into a more appropriate habitat.

IN a bid to help both gam­ blers and their affected families, gamblers can vol­ untarily register to be ex­ cluded from gambling. The Ministry of Consumer Af­ fairs states that in 2020 in Spain, over 6,000 people chose to voluntarily be ex­ cluded from online gam­ ONLINE: Access restricted. bling.

The protective measures of the registries mean addicts can be blocked from gambling if they deem that it has become a problem for them. There are both state and autonomous community registers, which serve different purposes.

The state registry controls access to online gambling and the au­ tonomous community registers restricted access to physical gaming businesses, that are regulated in the autonomous communities.

Madrid’s ‘Catastrophic Zone’ THE mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez Almeida, called on the Spanish government on Thurs­ day, January 14, to declare the country’s capital city a “cata­ strophic zone” following an esti­ mated €1.4million worth of damages caused by Storm Filomena.

“We request the declaration of a catastrophic zone, the cir­ cumstances exist for it and I ask

the central government for speed in its response,” said Almeida.

The mayor has also called an extraordinary plenary session to discuss the municipal manage­ ment of the recovery after the storm. Storm Filomena ripped through Madrid for several days, causing the worst snowstorm in half a century and causing un­ told damage in the city.

12 EWN

21 - 27 January 2021

EUROPEAN NIBS DENMARK

GERMANY

No boycott

Passports stolen

EVEN though there have been numerous allegations of civil rights breaches in Qatar, the Danish Government has indicated that if the Danish National Football Team qualifies for the World Cup Finals, it will not ban it from taking part.

THIEVES in the city of Köthen broke into a register office and removed a safe weighing 750 kilos which, it has been revealed, contained a large number of identity cards and passports as well as two finger-print scanners.

BELGIUM

FRANCE

Hydrogen problem

Back off

AN experiment to introduce buses run on hydrogen (which is considered one of the better green energy sources) in Charleroi which was first approved in May of last year has been postponed due to lack of development funding.

WORKERS and unions are upset by a new rule introduced by Swedish maker of toilet paper Essity which wants to make it mandatory for staff in France to wear a device that makes a noise if they violate social distancing rules.

NETHERLANDS

NORWAY

Child benefit scandal

Meteor strike

JUST two months before the next Dutch general election, it is possible that the government may decide to resign as politicians are due to debate a report highlighting a scandal concerning the tax office treatment of families wrongly suspected of benefit fraud.

THOSE living in the vicinity of the small town of Løten saw and heard the sudden arrival of a meteorite and are tr ying to find the outer space visitor (which is estimated to have weighed less than two kilos) in the thick snow.

www.euroweeklynews.com

NEWS

Guardia Civil confirm ‘It’s a scam’ A NEW scam alert has been is­ sued by the Guardia Civil re­ garding a download scam linked to the theft of bank de­ tails.

The scam is sent by SMS message to your phone and suggests downloading an app to track a parcel coming to you, and it also suggests that to be sure to receive this item you must download the app to your phone.

A Trojan or similar hidden software will then proceed to try and recover any bank details you have on your phone or within the commu­ nication received by third parties such as receipts, con­

SMS SCAM: Suggests there is a parcel on its way to you.

firmations and orders.

This scam impersonates the post office of Spain ‘Correos’ and asks you to upload your TIE or DNI document and a photo to be able to receive a parcel.

The very clear advice from the Guardia Civil is not to

download and not to give your details if you receive a message as described, but to go to your post office and show them what you have received where all will be confirmed immedi­ ately.

If you are not sure, don’t click it, the best advice always.

Freezing Classrooms unbearable AS most areas of Spain experience some of the coldest weather in a decade, teachers’ unions are demanding urgent action as students and teachers alike are forced to wear hats, scarves and coats in the classroom and wrap up in blankets due to guidance to keep doors and windows open to ensure plenty of cross-ventilation in the prevention of coronavirus.

However, the unions are now urgently calling on the Department of Education to install air filters in the classroom or revert to online

teaching, as the conditions in schools have become unbearable.

According to one union, students are being forced to try and learn “in the heart of the cold snap with the lowest temperatures in decades, exposed to temperatures of 5 degrees Celsius, when the Law of Education states the minimum is 17 degrees, covered with blankets, with coats on, gloves, scarves and hats. What kind of system is it that condemns people to wither, get sick from the virus or catch pneumonia?”

FEATURE

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21 - 27 January 2021

EWN 13

Advertising Feature

Two week Update

STERLING did not slide easily into the new year. Barely had January got underway before the prime minister imposed a third lockdown to limit the spread of the tragic Covid-19 pandemic.

The chancellor was quick off the mark to announce £4.6 billion of help for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses but investors were not convinced it would be enough.

Having taken an average hit of 1.1% in the first week of the year, sterling made it all back, and more, in the second, for an average gain of 0.2%. Even that began as a struggle, with red-tape problems at the GB/NI border and stories of negative UK interest rates. The Bank of England Governor helped by dismissing the idea of negative rates and the NHS contributed by achieving a higher rate of Covid vaccinations than Europe and the United States.

After a strong end to 2020 the euro struggled in early January, partly because of a recovery by the US dollar. In the first fortnight of 2021 the EUR lost an average of 0.7% to the majors and gave up a cent to sterling.

EU economic data were not of much help even though the numbers from Germany were mostly on an upward track. Inflation remained depressed, with Euroland consumer prices falling 0.3% in 2020. The European Central Bank provided more than one reminder that its accommodative monetary policy would continue for the foreseeable future. ECP President Lagarde said that that “any kind of tightening at the moment would be very unwarranted… and could lead to very serious risks.”

Most members of America’s Federal Open Market Committee agree with Ms Lagarde. After suggestions that they might consider tightening monetary policy they lined up to remind investors that near-zero interest rates and quantitative easing will be around “for quite some time.” Ahead of his inauguration next Tuesday President elect Joe Biden announced, to nobody’s surprise, a $1.9 trillion package of aid and stimulus, $5,800 for every US resident. It will doubtless be watered down by Congress - fewer than a handful of dissenting Democrats

would be enough to derail it in a 50-50 Senate - but Mr Biden has set out his stall for the economy.

Canada’s dollar was bracketed by its Australian and NZ cousins, all three of them delivering above average results. The Loonie added a quarter of a US cent and lost three quarters of a cent to sterling. Rising oil prices were of help, though they did stall in mid-January. Two purchasing managers’ indices from different sources pointed in opposite directions. Markit’s manufacturing PMI was the strongest since the survey began in 2010 while Ivey’s multi-sector measure fell to a seven-month low.

The AUD was strongest among the major currencies, rising by an average of 0.9% and taking a cent and a quarter off the pound. It benefited from abroad an upward shift in risk appetite among investors and was helped along by mostly positive economic data. Retail sales and mortgage lending were both unexpectedly strong, with mortgage approvals at a record high. The trade surplus for November was less impressive: it

Clarisse Musselwhite is Moneycorp’s Account Manager for Mallorca.

She can be contacted on Tel: +34 902 887 243 • Mobile: +34 687 932 472 Email:mallorca@moneycorp.com.

mallorca@moneycorp.com. narrowed in November as imports grew at more than three times the pace of exports.

Among a mostly lacklustre - and sparse crop of NZ economic data the outstanding numbers came with Core Logic’s house price index. The restrained headline read; “Record summer in store for scorching hot NZ property market.” Despite the government’s efforts to enrol the Reserve Bank of New Zealand in controlling runaway house prices, the shortage of housing stock is squeezing the rental market. By contrast, NZ food prices rose 0.1% in December and were 2.9% higher on the year.

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14 EWN

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21 - 27 January 2021

FEATURE

GO LO

THE EUROWEEKLY NEWS is urging its readers to support local businesses in the com­ munity by going local through the lockdown and for your all your shopping this year, instead of feeding online giants and super­ stores.

This lockdown and with Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day upcoming, we challenge you to rediscover your local high streets, markets, butch­ ers, greengrocers and all of the wonderfully quirky inde­ pendent businesses in your area.

Due to the Covid­19 pan­ demic, you may have to sup­ port many local businesses by ordering online and mak­ ing use of any click and col­ lect services they can oper­ ate if you are unable to get out due to health reasons or lockdown restrictions.

The joy of shopping local means that independent businesses can help sup­ port the local community.

Although it may be a eu­ ro or two cheaper else­ where or online, consider where your money is actu­ ally going. By shopping at an independent store you’re putting food on a local fami­ ly’s table, and there is no bet­ ter time than now to give back to your community by making a small gesture and shopping in this way.

Many local stores support local charities, support and sponsor local sports teams and in many cases the small

independent stores are actu­ ally much more than just a small high street shop, they’re a family’s legacy, often passed down through numerous gen­ erations and support not just the current owner but the generation before.

For those stores which are new, that extra couple of eu­ ros spent there are support­ ing someone’s dream and am­

bition, and also the courage it took them to step out alone, which is no easy task. It takes quite a large chunk of money to set up an independent store and compete with the multinational and chains.

So be sure to pre­order your meat from a local butch­ er and get your spuds from a local greengrocer, let us re­ vive that community spirit

and get to know our neighbours again.

You could also consider purchasing gift vouchers from local businesses to help them over the com­ ing weeks, thinking out­ side the box can often lead to some fantastic ideas. Why not buy a meal for two, an hour’s tattoo time at a local studio, a hair cut at a local sa­ lon or an online study course for someone looking to change their career path.

As people are struggling with finances thinking about what friends and family may actually need is important

FEATURE

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21 - 27 January 2021

CAL BUYING LOCAL: Helps keep money circulating within the local economy. too. Whilst it’s nice to give a glamourous gift perhaps pre­ paying a family member’s phone bill for the month would actually be a better gift. Helping people alleviate stress and worry , give the gift of peace of mind through these difficult times.

Choosing to spend your money locally will really make a difference in the re­ covery of the local economy.

When we buy local, our mon­ ey stays local, and it strengthens the local econo­ my in two ways. First, buying local keeps money circulating within the local economy.

Studies have shown that local businesses recirculate a greater share of every euro as they create locally owned supply chains and invest in their employees.

Data shows that local re­ tailers return 52 per cent of their revenue back into the local economy, compared to just 14 per cent for national chain retailers.

Money circulating through the local economy benefits everyone who is a part of each transaction. For exam­ ple, let’s look at a local farmer growing produce.

First, they sell to a local restaurant, which in turn pre­ pares the fresh produce and sells it to local customers.

The farmer pays its local em­ ployees and the restaurant uses revenue from sales to

buy sup­ plies from a neighbourhood hardware store. This example illustrates how the recircula­ tion of money in the local economy leads to a stronger financial foundation for our neighbours and communi­ ties.

Buying local also fuels new employment and job oppor­ tunities for people within our community. Studies show, lo­ cally owned businesses em­ ploy more people per unit of sales and retain more em­ ployees over time.

A fantastic example of how to support your local commu­ nity is with a Charity Gift cer­ tificate, why not donate to your loved one’s favourite cause. Just remember to fol­ low the latest government advice and any guidance businesses have to keep everyone safe.

EWN 15

FINANCE Refinancing SABA, the Spanish car park group owned by Criteria Caixa, the investment holding company of La Caixa bank has suffered from the lockdown and is now refinancing debts of €465 million with a number of lenders and is extending the life of its loans.

Recession bound A REPORT from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) highlighted the fact that the UK gross domestic product (GDP) declined by 2.6 per cent in November. GDP at the end of the month was 8.5 per cent below its pre-pandemic peak.

Fishing for shrimp FISHING company Iberconsa is to spend €26 million to have two new vessels built in order to strengthen its fleet and these will sail to Argentinian waters to fish for shrimp which is a new area of operation for the Galician organisation.

Jobs saved A RESCUE deal has been agreed for the Edinburgh Woollen Mill with Purepay Retail, a syndicate of investors led by the former chief operating officer of the group which will save 1,450 workers and salvage both Ponden Home and Bonmarche.

UK lockdown insurance THOUSANDS of small businesses in the UK will receive compensation from their insurance companies to cover losses incurred during the first national lockdown, following a recent court ruling. It was a test case put together by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) with the agreement of some insurance companies and small business protection groups.

The Supreme Court ruled that small firms should receive payments under business interruption insurance policies which could now cost the insurers millions of pounds and form a precedence for future claims.

STAT OF WEEK

www.euroweeklynews.com • 21 - 27 January 2021

€3.5 billion

is the amount of money that Bankinter placed in its Luxembourg subsidiary in 2020 on behalf of clients looking to move their savings.

Covid dismissal upheld

EU Recovery Fund money ALTHOUGH the announce­ ment of the huge sums to be made available to Spain from the EU’s Recovery Fund was widely applaud­ ed, none has been received as yet and it appears that the government will have to prove that it is worthy of receiving the funds.

The problem for Spain is that it needs the money in order to support the nu­ merous changes and finan­ cial aid that it has included in its 2021 budget which it­

self assumes the injection of €34 billion from the Eu­ ropean Union.

Already it has been made clear that the ma­ chinery behind the two major new Tobin and Google taxes which were to generate significant in­ come for the country is lacking and this is an indi­ cation that the bureaucra­ cy behind the Spanish tax system is due for a major overhaul.

The coalition govern­

LEGALLY SPEAKING

ment is committed to re­ form of some of the origi­ nal labour laws introduced by the Partido Popular but as time passes, it is clear that PSOE and Podemos have different views on how far and how quickly these changes can go.

In a time of crisis with so many people out of work or on furlough, tax income falls and expenditure in­ creases and, in a bid, to re­ duce that load, the govern­ ment is looking closely at

the state pension with qualifying period to be in­ creased and incentives giv­ en to encourage workers to continue after the age of 65.

The problem however is that with nearly four mil­ lion unemployed, many of them young, blocking re­ tirement might save ex­ pensive pensions, but leaves unemployed youth which may become a social and financial burden for a future government.

Selling performance

Future Residence Permits?

Credit: Ralph-PH flickr

BUSINESS EXTRA

16

We have received several similar questions regarding applications for Spanish residence permits into the next few years. Some al­ ready own holiday homes here where they intend eventually to retire. Others simply wonder how to apply for a residence permit a few years from now after the special post­Brexit regulations all expire.

What documents will they need?

First you will need evidence of regular YOU AND THE LAW income to show IN SPAIN you can support yourself in Spain.

This can be as low as €13,300, which is the general mini­ mum wage in Spain, for a single person. It varies on a sliding scale according to the number of family mem­ bers. If you do not have a regular income you must show a lump sum of €22,000 in the bank. Then you will need a medical certificate showing no contagious diseases. You must present a medical insurance policy with a company authorised to operate in Spain. There are other forms to fill in but these are basic. You will make your application at the Consular section of the Spanish embassy in Lon­ don or at the Consulate in Manchester and you must ap­ pear in person.

DAVID SEARL

Send your questions for David Searl through lawyers Ubeda-Retana and Associates in Fuengirola at Ask@lawtaxspain.com, or call 952 667 090.

IN an interview with the Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation on January 14, former Chief Minister and recent­ ly appointed Minister with responsi­ bility for Financial Stability, Sir Joe Bossano made a shocking statement.

He basically said that due to disrup­ tion caused by both Brexit and the Covid­19 pandemic that the Rock was no longer financially stable and that the situation is “extremely serious”

NOVEL IDEA: For someone who says he’s not a great drummer, Mick Fleetwood has done ok.

MICK FLEETWOOD, British drummer and one of the founder members of Fleet­ wood Mac has come up with a novel idea which will add to his millions in the bank by sell­ ing his proportion of perfor­ mance rights to BMG music.

At 73 he is clearly looking to generate additional in­ come for his successors, but unlike other musicians who have sold publishing rights re­ cently, his deal means that every time any Fleetwood Mac number (from the most successful line­up) is streamed on the internet, BMG will be paid his portion of the royalties.

The recent huge success of

the Tik Tok hit featuring Dreams produced by Nathan Apodaca which had 2.8 bil­ lion views worldwide shows how important the internet and streaming has become.

This deal is a follow­up to a separate arrangement done earlier whereby he sold pub­ lishing rights to a separate company, but does not ex­ clude ongoing royalties for sales of CDs and vinyl from the group’s back catalogue.

Evergreen rock music has become a popular private in­ vestment option for those looking for something differ­ ent and many old rockers have sold different rights over the past 12 months or so.

Gibraltar financially unstable

with hard decisions having to be made with regards to public spend­ ing.

This was after an emergency cabi­ net meeting held to discuss the forthcoming budget and he further indicated his belief that things won’t return to the buoyant times of 2018/2019 until after the next Gen­

eral Election due in 2023.

Roy Clinton the opposition Shadow Minster for Public Finance remarked upon hearing this news: “We have for the last eight years been warning the government that its level of spending and borrowing were out of control. Whereas no­one could have foreseen the combined econom­

SOON after the start of the Spanish lockdown, the gov­ ernment had a Royal Decree passed which effectively stated that no­one could be dismissed due to Covid­19 related matters.

Now however it is facing a dilemma as a court in Barcelona has ruled that a dismissal of an individual on July 3, 2020 had to be upheld due to Spain’s relationship with the European Union.

The decision was based on the grounds that by declaring the dismissal unlawful, there would be a violation of the freedom of the company un­ der regulations governing the EU.

Mercadona coffee supplies ONE of Mercadona’s popular coffee products, the Hacen­ dado Americano range has until now been purchased from UCC Coffee Spain but actually produced by the parent company in Japan.

Now with an investment of €250,000 and in accor­ dance with the supermar­ ket’s wishes to cut the envi­ ronmental impact caused by shipping, a new production line will be created at its Logroño (La Rioja) facility.

The coffee, available in all of the company’s stores ex­ cept for the Canary Islands is a simple way to enjoy Amer­ icano style filter coffee with­ out the need for any special machinery. ic effects of Covid­19 and Brexit, it is evident that Gibraltar needed a big­ ger financial cushion than it currently has and its rainy­day funds are insuffi­ cient.

“The £500 million loan facility guar­ anteed by the UK is only for three years and thus does not give us much room for error if we are to meet our obligations as a community. Spending needs to be prioritised and targeted.”

18 EWN

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21 - 27 January 2021

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C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 18

PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) COMPANY 3I Group 1.151,50 1.153,00 Admiral Group 2.936,0 2.940,0 Anglo American 2.672,5 2.679,6 Antofagasta 1.517,00 1.523,00 Ashtead Group 3.655,0 3.681,0 Associated British Foods 2.251,4 2.257,6 AstraZeneca 7.642,0 7.645,0 Auto Trader Group Plc 571,60 574,60 Avast 537,39 539,74 Aveva 3.788,0 3.846,0 Aviva 351,80 352,00 B&M European Value Retail SA507,80 511,40 BAE Systems 493,16 495,70 Bank VTB DRC 1,007 1,010 Barclays 150,38 150,50 Barratt Developments 705,20 705,20 Berkeley 4.537,0 4.537,0 BHP Group 2.117,98 2.135,50 BP 296,59 299,06 British American Tobacco 2.771,0 2.774,0 British Land Company 457,20 459,00 BT Group 137,46 138,65 Bunzl 2.450,0 2.449,0 Burberry Group 1.728,0 1.732,0 Carnival 1.295,4 1.308,0 Centrica 49,49 50,54 Coca Cola HBC AG 2.311,3 2.312,4 Compass 1.412,00 1.414,00 CRH 3.250,0 3.253,0 Croda Intl 6.332,0 6.406,0 DCC 5.662,0 5.712,0 Diageo 2.906,5 2.920,5 DS Smith 386,40 389,50 EasyJet 815,00 816,60 Experian 2.699,0 2.715,0 Ferguson 9.326,5 9.354,4 Flutter Entertainment 14.965,0 15.060,0 Fresnillo 1.090,00 1.118,50 GlaxoSmithKline 1.411,00 1.412,80 Glencore 277,45 279,38 Halma 2.558,0 2.579,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.578,50 1.580,50 Hikma Pharma 2.515,00 2.552,00 HSBC 401,75 402,70 IAG 160,31 160,95 Imperial Brands 1.635,90 1.638,00 Informa 539,20 541,80 InterContinental 4.840,0 4.865,0 Intermediate Capital 1.697,00 1.714,00 Intertek 5.584,0 5.610,0 ITV 109,75 110,40

% CHG. 1.144,50 2.926,0 2.661,7 1.488,50 3.640,0 2.234,6 7.563,0 566,40 534,50 3.785,0 347,40 505,80 490,90 1,007 147,92 692,60 4.471,0 2.112,00 296,00 2.757,0 448,00 136,85 2.436,0 1.704,5 1.280,5 49,24 2.296,0 1.403,70 3.250,0 6.332,0 5.658,0 2.888,0 383,80 795,37 2.682,0 9.242,0 14.880,0 1.081,00 1.400,60 276,58 2.554,0 1.562,50 2.500,00 399,75 156,50 1.620,75 535,00 4.824,0 1.695,00 5.548,0 109,31

NET VOL 15,53K 0,25K 7,59K 41,22K 14,92K 3,54K 10,35K 36,36K 1,98K 13,10K 295,25K 48,85K 14,15K 25,02K 806,45K 58,30K 12,76K 118,46K 664,14K 44,57K 61,15K 1,38M 0,20K 13,99K 26,21K 453,08K 1,81K 8,84K 0,02K 28,37K 2,45K 47,32K 137,72K 239,72K 36,72K 1,52K 6,73K 48,99K 53,68K 698,02K 16,44K 7,69K 1,54K 74,19K 2,26M 8,12K 55,57K 3,69K 9,88K 4,03K 49,21K

COMPANY

PRICE(P)

J Sainsbury Johnson Matthey Land Securities Legal & General Lloyds Banking London Stock Exchange Meggitt Melrose Industries Mondi National Grid NatWest Group Next Norilskiy Nikel ADR Ocado Persimmon Phoenix Prudential Reckitt Benckiser Relx Rentokil Rightmove Rio Tinto PLC Rolls-Royce Holdings Rosneft DRC Royal Dutch Shell A Royal Dutch Shell A Royal Dutch Shell B RSA Insurance Sage Samsung Electronics DRC Sberbank Schroders Scottish Mortgage Segro Severn Trent Smith & Nephew Smiths Group Spirax-Sarco Engineering SSE St. James’s Place Standard Chartered Standard Life Aberdeen Taylor Wimpey Tesco Tui Unilever United Utilities Vodafone Group PLC Whitbread WPP

237,42 2.741,0 668,20 273,87 36,24 9.213,5 431,60 182,65 1.806,29 871,60 161,20 8.122,0 34,70 2.510,19 2.738,0 695,60 1.434,50 6.292,0 1.826,50 523,20 614,20 5.933,0 104,30 6,79 1.457,40 1.457,4 1.397,6 678,20 566,83 1.908,00 14,99 3.461,0 1.228,00 965,68 2.333,0 1.566,50 1.499,00 11.525,0 1.521,00 1.178,50 490,90 307,10 165,45 242,80 400,19 4.386,7 930,00 126,03 3.152,0 817,60

CHANGE(P)

% CHG.

NET VOL

238,13 2.753,0 674,30 273,87 36,26 9.213,5 438,90 183,30 1.820,50 877,80 161,20 8.130,0 35,01 2.540,00 2.743,0 704,00 1.435,50 6.324,0 1.839,50 527,00 617,20 5.963,2 105,65 6,88 1.464,40 1.464,8 1.403,4 678,60 567,20 1.914,00 15,04 3.479,0 1.232,14 968,52 2.341,0 1.575,50 1.503,50 11.630,0 1.529,00 1.178,50 491,90 307,10 165,45 243,50 400,60 4.403,7 936,40 126,78 3.197,8 819,00

236,30 2.723,0 659,70 270,51 35,68 9.186,0 429,50 180,90 1.798,48 869,60 157,35 7.998,0 34,62 2.507,40 2.688,0 689,40 1.420,00 6.280,0 1.823,00 521,40 613,80 5.913,0 104,05 6,79 1.451,75 1.452,2 1.388,0 677,00 564,00 1.906,00 14,87 3.446,0 1.220,00 961,40 2.330,0 1.554,50 1.490,00 11.485,0 1.517,00 1.169,00 485,90 302,89 163,16 239,60 385,25 4.369,0 929,60 125,76 3.147,7 808,80

35,17K 10,10K 66,71K 136,44K 7,97M 0,91K 111,45K 163,55K 0,80K 112,64K 742,53K 14,01K 18,00K 12,23K 47,03K 93,12K 114,70K 37,98K 96,96K 49,34K 20,70K 10,77K 1,34M 82,30K 25,29K 25,63K 76,73K 68,73K 14,95K 3,46K 389,60K 2,06K 226,40K 9,00K 5,99K 45,36K 10,80K 2,10K 49,33K 9,46K 137,65K 93,62K 114,00K 266,89K 270,54K 6,13K 34,83K 377,05K 2,37K 44,80K

0.89184

1.12257 Units per €

US dollar (USD) ......................................1.20699 Japan yen (JPY)......................................125.238 Switzerland franc (CHF) .........................1.07634 Denmark kroner (DKK) ...........................7.43881 Norway kroner (NOK) .............................10.3834

currenciesdirect.com/mallorca • Tel: +34 687 906 226 THE ABOVE TABLE USES THE CURRENT INTERBANK EXCHANGE RATES, WHICH AREN’T REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RATE WE OFFER

DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 18

COMPANY 3M Alphabet C Amazon.com Amgen Apple Boeing Caterpillar Chevron Cisco Coca-Cola Facebook Goldman Sachs Home Depot Honeywell IBM Intel J&J JPMorgan McDonald’s Merck&Co Microsoft Nike Procter&Gamble Salesforce.com Tesla UnitedHealth Verizon Visa A Walmart Walt Disney

PRICE 165,55 1.736,19 3.104,25 245,49 127,14 204,32 194,62 92,09 45,43 48,70 251,36 301,01 275,59 205,97 128,39 57,58 160,30 138,64 209,91 83,38 212,65 140,72 134,78 213,14 826,16 351,30 57,38 201,59 144,64 171,44

CHANGE CHANGE% VOLUME(M) 166,26 163,38 3,55M 1.756,00 1.721,55 1,34M 3.142,55 3.095,17 4,24M 246,84 240,02 2,86M 130,22 127,00 111,60M 209,25 204,20 11,10M 195,71 190,88 3,32M 94,31 91,71 10,24M 45,65 44,88 30,27M 49,18 48,53 24,37M 253,86 247,16 24,94M 304,86 296,88 3,86M 276,39 268,00 5,13M 207,86 205,20 3,89M 129,24 127,67 4,91M 59,65 57,50 50,27M 161,41 159,11 7,63M 141,65 137,01 27,88M 210,70 207,42 3,59M 83,50 81,56 9,74M 214,51 212,03 31,75M 142,38 139,88 6,41M 136,20 134,66 7,76M 217,87 212,99 8,53M 859,90 819,10 38,78M 353,05 345,74 3,78M 57,50 56,71 15,79M 203,26 200,43 8,76M 145,90 143,67 11,97M 174,19 170,17 12,23M M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 18

COMPANY

CHANGE NET / %

VOLUME

+3.59% +2.62% +2.27% +3.58% +2.13% +3.12% +1.30% +5.62% +2.69% +26.65% +33.98%

6,355 549,921 551,686 381,507 422,804 307,192 521,782 1.36M 502,443 280,262 47,496

-2.90% -15.84% -8.39% -0.74% -2.23% -2.35% -1.22% -18.03% -8.73% -3.15% -1.68%

340,760 3.58M 1.61M 4.24M 38.78M 772,848 6,940 3.82M 5.24M 869,257 211,828

Most Advanced Atrion Corp.

Equinix Inc. Align Technology Inc. Abiomed Inc. MarketAxess Holdings Inc. Bio-Techne Corp.

Trade Desk Inc. Cl A Seagen Inc. BeiGene Ltd. ADR BioVie Inc. Kaspien Holdings Inc.

Most Declined Booking Holdings Inc. SolarEdge Technologies Inc. MicroStrategy Inc. Amazon.com Inc. Tesla Inc. Intuitive Surgical Inc. Broadcom Inc. 8% Pfd. Series A Poshmark Inc. Cl A Enphase Energy Inc. ASML Holding N.V. CoStar Group Inc.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

Credit: Norwegian/ Photo by David Charles Peacock

Back to basics for Norwegian

Norwegian 737-800 aircraft.

NORWEGIAN AIR has ad­ vised the Oslo Stock Ex­ change that it intends to concentrate on flights in Nordic areas only, to reduce aircraft numbers and sack around 2,000 members of staff.

Founded in 1963, it ex­ panded from being an inter­ nal airline, to touching down first in Nordic countries, then most of Europe and fi­ nally took on intercontinen­ tal flights using modern air­ craft and charging relatively low prices.

It eventually became the largest airline in Scandinavia and the fourth largest inde­ pendent carrier in Europe after WIZZ, easyJet and Ryanair, but its reliance on Boeing 787 Dreamliners for long haul flights had caused major problems before the outbreak of the pandemic.

The airline had significant

debts and didn’t have the technical back up to cope with technical problems with its fleet and the out­ break of Covid­19 really was the last straw, as it had al­ most no income but debts to cover as well as the cost of parking its fleet to cope with.

Having been refused sig­ nificant financial assistance by the Norwegian Govern­ ment it had to enter into bankruptcy protection in Ireland and whilst it hopes to reduce its indebtedness to Kr 20 billion (€1.9 billion) it can only achieve this by disposing of aircraft (if any­ one wants them), reducing staff and destinations.

By taking this action, it hopes that the Norwegian Government will reconsider its appeal for assistance and it has been confirmed that the Norwegian Busi­

Spanish taxes delayed THE much-vaunted Spanish Tobin and Google taxes due to be reported in February and April respectively will have to be postponed due to a number of problems.

Not only are the necessary orders and regulations not yet in place to make the imposition of these taxes legal, but computer platforms have not been completed to allow for their reporting and collection.

What is not known at the moment is whether the taxes will be retrospective once everything is in place or those responsible for paying will be let off any back dating.

ness and Trade Minister, Iselin Nybø, is reviewing the situation.

BUSINESS EXTRA Cryptocurrency THE continued rise of the value of Bitcoins is starting to worry some regulators who whilst in favour of the concept of cryptocurrency fear that crooks will continue to be attracted to an untraceable way of moving money around.

Lockdown woe WHILST purely online card companies like Moonpig have seen business increase dramatically, those like Card Factory in the UK with nearly 1,000 stores has run into some financial difficulty as although online sales are good, the lockdown has drained income from the shops.

Anti-Covid bus GALICIAN based bus manufacturer Castrosura working with Scania has unveiled its first anti-Covid electric bus which includes foot pedals to request that the bus stop, built in temperature gauges and even mask detectors.

21 - 27 January 2021

EWN 19

20 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

21 - 27 January 2021

Stuck fast in window L O C A L P O L I C E in the P io XII neighbourhood of Sevilla managed to arrest a thief with 51 previous arrests as he attempted to rob a bar on Calle Llerena in the early hours of Friday morning, January 15.

N eighbours contacted the emergency services when they heard noises coming from the premises at around 1.30am, before the security alarm started going off.

When the Local Police arrived at the address, they were surprised to find the

40-year-old burglar stuck half-in, half-out of the front window of the bar.

They also found the tools with which he had managed to pry open the security shutters. Because of the thief’s unfortunate position, officers wasted no time in arresting the man.

Once back at the station the officers realised that the man had been arrested on no less than 51 previous occasions, the most recent being two days beforehand, for theft.

Vaccine Blunder THE Orihuela Health councillor, Jose Galiano, has confirmed that he received his first dose of the Pfizer Covid­19 vaccina­ tion on Wednesday January 6, at a time when people from the four priority groups were supposed to be first in line for the jab.

The councillor has insisted that he was offered the vaccine by medical staff who claimed they had excess doses of the jab.

“I was in the health centre and when they told me there were excess doses I agreed to get one, because if I didn’t they were going to throw them away,” said Galiano, who is in fact a qualified nurse but has been on sabbatical for a year and a half.

On Thursday, January 14, the Ministry of Health revealed that it had opened an investigation to establish why 15 people in the Alicante region who did not fall into priority groups had already received the Covid­19 vaccine. It has been reported that two mayors in Marina Alta, Local Police, Guardia Civil and eight officials of the Almoradi City Council have been vaccinat­ ed.

Fireball spotted crossing Andalucia at 65,000 km/h A B A L L of fire was seen crossing the sky between Andalucia and Morocco at a speed of 65,000 km/h at around 10.10pm on Wednesday, January 13.

T he rock was part of a comet which upon impacting the atmosphere at such a high speed became incandescent.

Many people spotted it in Andalucia, according to astrophysicist J ose M aria Madiedo from the Andalucia Institute of Astrophysics (IAA-CSIC) who is in charge of the SMART project which tracks such occurrences.

T he fireball ignited at around 106 kilometes above Alhucemas in north Moroc-

FIREBALL: In the sky. co then travelled northeast and was finally extinguished 65 kilometres above the M editerranean, some 30 kilometres from the coast of M orocco. I t covered a distance of approximately 50 kilometres.

It was caught by S M A R T project detectors from the observatories of Calar Alto ( A lmeria), S ierra N evada (Granada) and Sevilla.

FEATURE

I say, each to their own LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT I’M afraid I’m rather going off this vaccine idea. At first I thought the adverse reports coming in were the work of the usual scaremongering conspiracy theorists, but this time I find myself tending toward a similar way of thinking. Computers can deliver up all the probabilities in the world, but you cannot simulate real time in a laboratory.

The only way to really know the safety and effectiveness of these new vaccines is with the test of real time ­ and this they haven’t had.

What is even more disconcerting is that Norway, who, sometime before the end of last year was the first to implement the vaccine, have reported large numbers of people experiencing adverse effects, and even more disturbingly, had some 23 deaths with 13 of them positively linked to vaccine side effects. Admittedly these were all elderly patients, but even so they were the first

to receive the injection and subsequently had it in their system for the longest time.

Other reports, backed up by video evidence, show people having severe convulsions after receiving the vaccine and an investigation is also under way after the death of a Florida doctor, who died of a blood disorder some 16 weeks after receiving a shot.

VAERS has alleged that already in the USA 33 people have died, 96 experienced life threatening symptoms and 225 were hospitalised. It’s just all a bit worrying. Whatever any of the medical ‘experts’ say, they have no way whatsoever of knowing what the long term effects of these vaccines can be.

I do believe however, that although it may never actually become compulsory, the time will come when if you haven’t had the shot, you could be severely restricted; ie not allowed to travel or cross borders without showing some proof of vaccination.

Hotels, bars, restaurants and places of entertainment, could also require proof before admitting customers and even find themselves refused a licence should

they fail to comply with orders laid down by their respective governments. You also will probably be unable to gain employment in certain capacities. It’s all a bit ‘Big Brother.’

If you don’t want to spend the rest of your days as a recluse, the only choice you may have is to actually have the jab.

Of course if people start keeling over in droves, all of this will become moot! I just don’t fancy being an early victim.

I think I’ll try and put it off as long as possible. I’m pretty sure the three weeks of debilitating illness I suffered back in February was my own personal bout of the virus, but without the test of time, even contracting the illness is no guarantee of further immunity. Ah well, as with a whole host of human experiences and occurrences, ‘only time will tell’.

All this is only my opinion of course, don’t take my word for it. Each to their own, that’s what I say. Good luck all.

Keep the faith.

Love Leapy.

Leapylee2002@gmail.com.

Expatradioscotland.com Mon. Wed. Fri.

Leapy Lee’s opinions are his own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.

DAVID WORBOYS MAHATMA GANDHI said “the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way in which its animals are treated.” Mankind has been blessed with mental and physical faculties, supe­ rior to all other beings. With this comes responsibility for the welfare of each other, of trees, plants, marine life and the environment. And animals! How well are we doing?

For the past 60 years, the factory farm­ ing of animals has led to the unimaginable suffering of countless billions of cows, pigs and chickens. These innocent sensitive animals are separated from their young, injected with chemicals, fed unnatural ‘food’ and caged, often in their own fae­ ces, with no space for movement and just enough air to sustain their wretched exis­ tences. The United States is the guiltiest of hundreds of culprit nations. When we ourselves are no longer ‘caged,’ will we begin to learn from our own present in­ conveniences?

In Spain, bullfighting is still practised in a majority of regions. I am ashamed that I have attended two corridas ­ in Barcelona (1961) and in Granada (1968). I boasted that I had seen the legendary

ANIMAL WELFARE

ALL GUILTY: The world has failed miserably with regard to animal rights.

Antonio Ordonez and I read Hemingway and even studied the history. By the early 70s, I regarded it as a depraved form of entertainment, marketed as a ‘contest’ between man’s skill and the bull’s strength.

It is nothing of the sort. For me, seeing little children among the spectators ap­ plauding the barbaric torture of these proud beasts is disturbing, whatever the colourful traditions and drama.

Millions of pigs are slaughtered in the most inhumane way in this country that keeps millions of birds locked up for ‘life’ in tiny cages. Every day there are reports of the sadistic treatment and appalling neglect of beasts of burden, farm animals and domestic pets.

It is clear to me that we are currently

experiencing a major ‘market adjust­ ment.’ We have abused our domain over our fellow beings, the animal kingdom.

We have polluted the air, sea and land of our own planet and messed up the cli­ mate. We are destroying the rain forests.

As travel, migration and globalisation have expanded, our standards and morals have dropped dramatically. There is too much selfishness and hatred and not enough love and compassion.

We are all guilty in varying degrees. The Spanish and the American people have so many virtues, especially as individuals. As societies, they have failed miserably in re­ gard to animal rights. So has the rest of the world and we are all paying a price. I fear that, if we don’t quickly mend our ways, there will be worse to come.

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EW YOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE - YOUR OPINION Letters should be emailed to yoursay@euroweeklynews.com or make your comments on our website: www.euroweeklynews.com Views expressed and opinions given are not necessarily those of the EWN publishers. No responsibility is accepted for accuracy of information, errors, omissions or statements.

TO THE SPANISH GOVERNMENT

From our Facebook

GOVERNMENT: Needs to take action.

Chris Shelley Palmer Not much difference. We came back to the UK last year. Spain is slightly cheaper until you have to add on the private medical insurance. Food, electricity and water are similar. Car and household insurance are dearer, but council tax is cheaper.

Heather Ullyott

OUR VIEW Inoculation is the way forward NOW that the various anti-Covid vaccines are being approved by different States and production is increasing, there seems little doubt that in the long-term it should make a major difference but it will take time.

Here in Spain, those in residences for the elderly and front-line workers are the first to receive the inoculations, but it has to be remembered that it takes several days for the first of two injections to start to give some safety but it isn’t until after the second injection that most people can be considered immune.

The fact that some people have succumbed to Covid-19 infection following the first injections give ammunition to those nay sayers who believe that ‘the cure is more dangerous than the illness.’

With any new drug, especially one created so quickly, there are bound to be some side effects which will appear in a percentage of those who are injected, but the world can’t simply continue with these rapidly expanding and returning spikes with economies being shot to hell and people almost becoming prisoners in their own houses.

One thing is certain and that is without the vaccine, cases will continue to rise as will deaths from coronavirus so those who want to fight against the virus can only do so if there is a chance of reducing the number of people liable to catch it.

It is going to take a very long time for the entire population of Spain to be vaccinated, but the only way to discover what percentage of the population will benefit is by testing the vaccine in ‘real time’ as we simply don’t have the the luxury of time on our side.

CORRECTIONS

SIR, Having read in the papers this week of the terrible toll in the tourist sector, does the government realise that at the end of March tens of thousands of British tourists will leave Spain under the 90-day rule. Some of us have enquired about getting an extended holiday visa here in Spain, only to be told we can only get one in England.

I think tourism is about to get another big shock.

You might want to start issuing extended holiday visas here and QUICKLY! Your sincerely S Cochrane

Shocking!!

I read with interest the report in the EWN Costa del Sol edition that the Velez-Malaga Council were celebrating the success of the Three Kings Celebration in Velez.

WHAT! 20,000 people attending and they say coronavirus restrictions were abided by. Traffic problems in the area were terrible and guess what? Within 14 days, Velez is closed down and coronavirus probems. Which dreamland are they living in?

J McLean

Thank you, thank you, thank you Hi Leapy, Just to say thank you for having the courage to write your articles in such a positive manner and from the heart! Long may you reign!

And on the matter of black women’s hair, I’ve worked with many and some keep it curly and others straighten it! Not rocket science!

Keep safe!

A fan ­ W Ramos

HAVE YOUR SAY All letters by email or post should carry the writer’s address, NIE and contact number though only the name and town will be published.

Readers who have missed correspondence can see all letters - which can be edited before publication - posted on: www.euroweeklynews.com.

A lot depends on where you live in both countries. A glass of wine here in southern Spain is around €2.50 and you get a free tapa. In the UK, last time I went, it was around £5 per glass. You can have a three-course meal here for between €8 - €10, I’ve yet to find its match in the UK, both north and south.

Isabel Papa Bauset I have a low disability pension so I just make it to the end of the month. I would say Spain, even though food has gone up, gas bills have doubled, the water bill is a joke, electricity is slightly cheaper because I pay it by Alterna. Really I can’t complain because I have my own property, where as a single parent in London I couldn’t even afford my rent.

Sue June Definitely Spain...

All the bills are far cheaper, especially the yearly Suma bill which mine is €150 for a five bedroom old townhouse.

Electric is €20 less and water is cheaper here too.

I do have a pellet fire and that is expensive, costs me €3.69 a bag and I use one bag every day and all four levels of the house are lovely and warm. I bought 80 bags in October and that should last me all winter. Definitely Spain!!!!!

Roger Rosedale Depends what you are comparing. Housing is obviously cheaper than London. But then, so is the rest of the UK. Fresh fish is MUCH cheaper here in Spain, but fruit and veg, not necessarily so and I find the choice in Spain more limited, generally. Meat can be cheaper in Spain, but I miss the older lamb that one can get in the UK and is quite difficult to source here. And generally, white goods and cars etc are more expensive here in Spain. Not to mention electricity and heating/cooling. Luckily where I am, cooling need is rare, as is heating - except this last, exceptional, fortnight. Yer pays yer money and takes yer choice. Income Tax - far higher in Spain (for those of us not evading Spanish tax!). But, I’m very content living here in Spain.

At the EWN, we pride ourselves that reports are accurate and fair. If we do slip up, we promise to set the record straight in a clear, no-nonsense manner. To ask for an inaccuracy to be corrected. Email: editorial@euroweeklynews.com

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YOUR STARS FOR NEXT 7 DAYS ARIES (March 21 - April 20) Looking back over the past few months you will realise that fine adjustments are needed. Both your working life and diet need attention, so be determined that progress made will continue apace.

Certainly, you have no qualms about facing any problems straight on. You thrive on responsibility and there is no shortage of that at the moment.

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) Now that you are feeling much better, it will be tempting to put aside your healthy eating and exercise, but if you remember what a difference it makes it would be silly to stop now. Enlist the help of a friend or two in keeping the momentum going.

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) There are so many things to do or try that you should be spoiled for choice. No, don’t settle down in front of the TV. Get out, make some friends and aim to learn something new every day. That may only be the name of your neighbour on the bus but it counts. You are charming and urbane, so don’t keep it all to yourself.

CANCER (June 22 - July 23) When your feelings are so positive, which they should be now, it is hard to remember that they have ever been any other way. You may have a plan in mind for a new activity to get the adrenalin flowing. How much more enjoyable, though, to find someone to share this with you. Book that course and maybe you will meet them there.

LEO (July 24 - August 23)

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) With so much going on, you are in danger of burning yourself to a frazzle. You won’t realise until you have done it, so make a point of getting some peace and quiet, preferably both of them at the same time. Relax and don’t even think about things that are unchangeable.

Time will sort out most things for you.

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) Leave nothing to chance when it comes to your health. Although you are feeling good now you will soon have problems because you are more concerned with others than yourself. This can be good but can also be overdone. You know how good you can feel. Increase this by simply not accepting second-best treatment.

HEXAGRAM The purpose of the Hexagram puzzle is to place the 19 six-letter words into the 19 cells. The letters at the edges of interlocking cells MUST BE THE SAME. The letters in the words must be written CLOCKWISE. The word in cell 10 (CAMERA) and one letter in four other cells are given as clues.

ABSURD BICKER BUREAU CAMERA (10) CARROT CONVEY DERAIL FORMAL FOURTH GEYSER HUBRIS IDEATE KAISER MERCER SLEEPY SPARKY SUPERB SWAMPY TWINGE

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) Your tendency to see yourself through the eyes of others can lead you to undervalue your worth.

This could see you going pearshaped, emotionally. Try not to believe everything that you are told because there are always at least two ways of seeing things. Be positive. You are capable of so much. Take care of your needs on a daily basis.

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) Concentrate on your physical needs this week and spend much more time on yourself. There will be plenty of opportunities to look after others when you are feeling 100 per cent yourself. Stay in control of day-to-day plans.

LOTTERY UK NATIONAL LOTTERY Sat 16 January

3-15-38 45-48-53

After a few recent excesses, bad habits can prove hard to shake off.

Remember that any time of the year is a good time to make a fresh start. Don’t put off looking after your health any more than you would put off stashing a cheque in the bank. Use it or lose it? You know it makes sense. Think about combining health with a holiday.

Keep up the pace this week so that you have plenty to discuss and ‘write home about.’ With your mind so active, you are capable of doing in a day what would normally take a week. By-pass those who try to slow you down.

There will be plenty of time to be a plod later.

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23)

PISCES (February 20 - March 20)

It happens that energy is sometimes low. Take the chance to read up on why this could be. You may think that you know it all, but in this world there is no chance of that. Maybe you are out of touch generally, or just out of touch with your own needs. Give building your strength priority. How much better you will cope with extra energy.

Others may be changing their minds, and generally being a bit of a pain. That may irritate you but it is no reason to change your plans.

Both you and your colleagues will be glad that you did in the longer term. You may need to find some peace and space for yourself come the weekend.

BONUS BALL

27

IRISH LOTTO Sat 16 January

12-17-22 32-38-39

BONUS BALL

40

EURO MILLIONS Tue 12 January

AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19)

TIME OUT

BONUS BALL

6

02-10-18 34-35

9

Fri 15 January

BONUS BALL

04-10-27 38-40

3 11

EL MILLON: JSQ24427 LA PRIMITIVA Thurs 14 January

BONUS BALL

10-12-14 39-41-45

6 3

JOKER: 5378943 Sat 16 January

BONUS BALL

1-28-30 34-48-49

42

JOKER: 7002402

0

TIME OUT

26

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CODE BREAKER

ENGLISH-SPANISH

The clues are mixed, some clues are in Spanish and some are in English.

Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 7 represents W and 23 represents V, so fill in W every time the figure 7 appears and V every time the figure 23 appears. Now, using your knowledge of the English language, work out which letters should go in the missing squares. As you discover the letters, fill in other squares with the same number in the main grid and the control grid.

Across 1 Similar (8) 4 Cuervo (4) 8 Pavement (for walking on) (5) 10 Gaviota (7) 11 Creamy (f) (7) 12 Mildew (4) 14 To support (6) 16 Rain (6) 19 Espuma (4) 21 Ecuador (7) 24 East (7) 25 Street lamp (5) 26 Orejas (4) 27 Mountains (8)

Down 1 To iron (8) 2 Nail (metal) (5) 3 To want (6) 5 Áspero (5) 6/23 Bien hecho (4,4) 7 Marble (6) 9 January (5) 13 Barrels (8) 15 Almendra (6) 17 Votante (5) 18 Cherry tree (6) 20 To hate (5) 22 Incapaz (5) 23 See 6

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION • LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION • LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION QUICK Across: 1 Lose, 3 Shops, 8 Carpenter, 9 Fewer, 10 Bets, 14 Hide, 15 Mouse, 18 Pronounce, 20 Often, 21 Stun.

Down: 1 Lack, 2 Succeed, 4 Heel, 5/19 Put off, 6 Brief, 7 Grasp, 11 Easiest, 12 Chips, 13 Found, 16 None, 17 Grin.

CRYPTIC

Across: 1 Players, 5 Cheer, 8 Notch, 9 Realign, 10 Amnesty, 11 Title, 12 Crafty, 14 Scores, 17 Pedal, 19 Opposed, 22 Trained, 23 Isles, 24 Notes, 25 Elderly.

Down: 1 Panda, 2 Antenna, 3 Ethos, 4 Strays, 5 Chaotic, 6 Exist, 7 Runners, 12 Capstan, 13 Talents, 15 Rustler, 16 Poodle, 18 Dealt, 20 Pried, 21 Dusty.

ENGLISH-SPANISH Across: 1 Bowl, 3 Nubarrón, 9 Cascara, 10 Techo, 11 Perra, 12 Earwig, 14 Clavel, 16 Prueba, 19 Napkin, 21 Beret, 24 Avión, 25 Cheaper, 26 Bookshop, 27 Eyes.

Down: 1 Backpack, 2 Wiser, 4 Una vez, 5 After, 6 Receive, 7 Noon, 8 Damage, 13 Pastores, 15 Abanico, 17 Rubber, 18 Inicio, 20 Kings, 22 Reply, 23 Lamb.

CODE BREAKER

BOGGLED

FUTOSHIKI

smew seem seems sees mess messes messy meson mews seer seers sews sewn egis egises gees geese gist gits resew resews resewn eyes eyer swig sties queys quod soys soak soddy yeses yesses yews wees west wigs wise wises wits ties twee tweer twig twigs nose noses nosey nosy nods noddy oyer oyers odds dyes dyer dyers dose doses dons koan koans kaon kaons

NONAGRAM airy arty hair hart hoar hour hurt riot rota rout ruth taro tart thru tiro tori tort tour tray trio trot troy tyro your yurt hairy hoary houri ratio ratty rutty tarot trait troth trout truth tutor author thirty throat throaty AUTHORITY

HEXAGRAM

WORD LADDER

1 EASIER 2 ASSERT 3 TRIUNE 4 SWEATY 5 ARTERY 6 INHERE 7 WARMTH 8 THIRTY 9 BEHEST 10 MATURE 11 HEREIN 12 TEETHE 13 EUREKA 14 SHEAVE 15 STEREO 16 REMARK 17 NETTED 18 COARSE 19 RESCUE

SENT SEAT SEAM SLAM CLAM CLAN or

KAKURO

SUDOKU

SENT SEAT SLAT SLAY CLAY CLAN

27

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Mallorca TODAY POLLENÇA

ALCUDIA

CALVIA CALA D’OR

PALMA

ANDRATX

LLUCMAJOR MAGALLUF

TOMORROW POLLENÇA

ALCUDIA

WEATHER Malaga TODAY: MAX 16, MIN 5 Fri 14 5 Sat 15 5 Sun 16 6 Mon 16 6 Tues - 15 5 Wed 15 5

Alicante TODAY: MAX 17, MIN 8 Fri 17 7 Sat 17 7 Sun 17 7 Mon 16 8 Tues - 16 8 Wed 16 8

Almeria TODAY: MAX 16, MIN 8 Fri 16 8 Sat 15 8 Sun 15 8 Mon 15 9 Tues - 16 9 Wed 16 9

Benidorm TODAY: MAX 16, MIN 7 Fri 16 7 Sat 16 7 Sun 16 7 Mon 17 8 Tues - 17 8 Wed 17 9

Bilbao TODAY: MAX 12, MIN 2 Fri 12 2 Sat 11 2 Sun 11 3 Mon 12 3 Tues 12 2 Wed 12 2

Mallorca TODAY: MAX 17, MIN 7 Fri 15 7 Sat 15 7 Sun 16 7 Mon 17 8 Tues 17 8 Wed 16 9

Madrid TODAY: MAX 10, MIN 2 Fri 11 2 Sat 12 3 Sun 12 3 Mon 11 3 Tues 11 4 Wed 10 5

Barcelona TODAY: MAX 15, MIN 5 Fri 15 5 Sat 15 5 Sun 15 5 Mon 14 7 Tues 14 7 Wed 16 8

TIME OUT

FUTOSHIKI Fill in the squares so that each digit from 1 to 6 occurs exactly once in each row and column. Greater-than and less-than signs indicate the relationship of the two adjacent squares. There is only one solution, and you can find it without guessing.

BOGGLED How many English words can you find in the Boggled grid, according to the following rules?

• The letters must be adjoining in a ‘chain’. They can be adjacent horizontally, vertically or diagonally.

• Words must contain at least four letters and may include singular and plural or other derived forms.

• No letter may be used more than once within a single word, unless it appears twice.

• No vulgarities or proper nouns are permitted.

CALVIA ANDRATX

PALMA

CALA D’OR

LLUCMAJOR MAGALLUF

SATURDAY POLLENÇA

ALCUDIA

CALVIA ANDRATX

PALMA

CALA D’OR

LLUCMAJOR MAGALLUF

S: Sun

C: Cloudy

Th: Thunder

Cl: Clear

Sh: Showers

Sn: Snow

Euro Weekly News strives for accuracy, but cannot be held responsible for any errors in published forecasts

TARGET:

SCORING:

Average: 19 Good: 26 Very good: 38 Excellent: 49

4 letters: 1 point 5 letters: 2 points 6 letters: 3 points 7 letters: 5 points 8 or more letters: 11 points

KAKURO Fill all the empty squares using the numbers 1 to 9, so that the sum of each horizontal block equals the ‘clue’ on its left, and the sum of each vertical block equals the clue on its top. No number may be used in the same block more than once.

CRYPTIC Across 1 Hit one's friends back (4) 3 Contains revised authorisation (8) 9 Carry out injured fencer to be given oxygen (7) 10 Raid outside Portugal is swift (5) 11 Silver is depressed when lit up (5) 12 Stand with old duke after journey (6) 14 In the past, not quite everyone ready to respond (2,4) 16 Peel off in the ship and good rests are assured (6) 19 General method for making a margin? (6) 21 Number you formerly had right in the middle (5) 24 Is doing nothing about foals (5) 25 Telephone permit for small band (7) 26 Rep sides made to move apart (8) 27 Eddy, possibly, changed colour (4) Down 1 Cabinet-maker crossing North Sea? (8) 2 Terrible starts for anyone who files unread letters (5) 4 Prevents vaster disruption (6) 5 Dog right in between officer and private (5) 6 Little devil may wander and get better (7) 7 Don's way of showing assent (4) 8 Hand tool for raw beginner wrapped in absorbent cloth (6) 13 Agreed, it's like it was posted to the editor (8) 15 Greek islanders can rest in resort (7) 17 Type of prayer from N Italy (6) 18 Letters from fancy Prussian to country (6) 20 Throw away a stew that's gone off (5) 22 Romeo gets colleague to perk up (5) 23 Foreign leader showed the way or took flight (4)

TIME OUT

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SUDOKU

QUICK

Fill the grid so that every row, every column and every 3X3 box contains the digits 1-9.

There’s no maths involved. You solve the puzzle with reasoning and logic.

Across

Down 1 Footwear (5) 2 Opposed to (7) 4 Holy book (5) 3 Summit (4) 7 Deserted (9) 4 Annoy persistently (6) 8 Short musical composition with words 5/17 Witty remark (3,3) (4) 6 Finished (5) 9 Assisted (6) 10 Ground breaker (7) 12 Small sofa (6) 11 Chief (6) 13 Digits of the foot (4) 12 Backbone (5) 16 Of the present time and place (9) 14 Closes down (5) 15 Felines (4) 18 Go in (5) 17 See 5 19 Classifies (5)

WORD LADDER

1 Low waterlogged ground (5)

Move from the start word (WOOD) to the end word (CAGE) in the same number of steps as there are rungs on the Word Ladder. You must only change one letter at a time.

WOOD

QUIZ BACK CAGE

LIFE’S A BEACH 1. Who delivered his celebrated ‘We shall fight on the beaches’ speech to the House of Commons on June 4, 1940?

2. Beach volleyball was introduced as a demonstration event at which Summer Olympic Games?

3. Echo Beach was a UK Top 10 hit for which Canadian rock band in June 1980?

4. In which south coast resort was Britain’s first nudist beach established in August 1979?

5. The Beach Boys have had two UK number one hit singles, name either?

6. The world famous Copacabana Beach is located in the South Zone of which South American city?

7. What connects Gold, Juno, Sword, Omaha and Utah?

8. Which British ocean liner that was launched in 1934 is now retired as a hotel in Long Beach, California?

9. Which famous American actress/singer starred alongside Gregory Peck, Fred Astaire and Anthony Perkins in the 1959 American post-apocalyptic science fiction film On the Beach, based on Nevil Shute’s 1957 novel of the same name?

10. Which large bird normally found in the Antarctic, was sighted on a New Zealand beach in June 2011, the first time this had happened in 44 years?

NONAGRAM

RACHEL AND FRIENDS

How many English words of four letters or more can you make from the nine letters in our Nonagram puzzle? Each letter may be used only once (unless the letter appears twice). Each word MUST CONTAIN THE CENTRE LETTER (in this case N) and there must be AT LEAST ONE NINE LETTER WORD. Plurals, vulgarities or proper nouns are not allowed.

Not a lot of people know that… in July 2008, a complete beach was stolen in Jamaica. A three-month police investigation into the missing 500 truckloads of white sand failed to lead to anyone being charged.

TARGET:

audreyquinton99@gmail.com

Average: 16 Good: 22 Very good: 32 Excellent: 41

Answers 1. WINSTON CHURCHILL, 2. BARCELONA (1992), it has been an official Olympic sport since 1996, 3. MARTHA AND THE MUFFINS, 4. BRIGHTON, 5. GOOD VIBRATIONS (1966) or DO IT AGAIN (1968), 6. RIO DE JANIERO, 7. NAMES OF NORMANDY LANDINGS BEACHES ON JUNE 6, 1944 (D-DAY), 8. RMS QUEEN MARY, 9. AVA GARDNER, 10. EMPEROR PENGUIN

PETS

30

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SPONSORED BY

Make sure pets have fun WHILE it may seem like an age away if you have planned a trip for later this year, and you need someone to care for your pets make sure they have a fun com­ panion at home with them. Find a house­sitter who will look af­ ter them and care for them in their own home.

Take a moment to plan ahead for pet and house­sitters if you have trips planned this year, to see family and friends or just to get away. Now is the time to get ready. We will help you as much as we can. Our philosophy is that we are all in this together. These are the steps to take: Register as a homeowner on HouseSitMatch.com Choose a Premium account (£89 per year) to ensure you can get help online when needed Create a profile with photos of your pet and the house Post a house­sit advert stating

lot rating scale) Here’s what members have said about us ­ HouseSitMatch found us a perfect house­sitter…

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Do you need a house-sitter? Get in touch. House-sitting can be a win-win for both parties, free house and pet-sitting, and the experienced and checked sitters get free accommodation! Register as either house-sitter or homeowner with a 20 per cent discount using coupon code P2020 - an exclusive offer for readers. To find a house or pet-sitter go to www.HousesitMatch.com.

Epileptic attacks

EPILEPSY is a problem suffered frequently by dogs un­ der the age of five, which usually causes convulsions or epileptic attacks. Canine epilepsy has a genetic fac­ tor and there are breeds, including Beagles, St Bernards and German Shepherds which are more like­ ly to suffer.

The first epileptic attack usually happens between the ages of six months and five years and comes com­ pletely unexpectedly in the form of convulsions, ped­ dling movements of the legs, excessive salivation, un­ controlled urination and loss of conscience.

Although the attacks in themselves don’t put a dog’s life at risk, they are in danger of biting their tongues, falling or bumping into things and injuring themselves.

Knowing how to react during an attack will help you remain calm and help your dog. First, lay it down on a soft surface. Avoid high places like the sofa to avoid the risk of a fall. It’s important not to try to pull your dog’s tongue out as it could end up biting it. Attacks usually last two minutes at the most. When over, let the dog rest in a quiet place as they are usually tired and confused after an attack.

A Close Encounter Of The Donald Kind NORA JOHNSON BREAKING VIEWS Nora is the author of popular psychological suspense and crime thrillers and a freelance journalist.

To comment on any of the issues raised in her column, go to www.euroweeklynews.com/3.0.15/nora-johnson

THIS week I was planning to write about the comparative differences between the philosophies of Nietzsche, Wittgenstein and Schopenhauer. Quite brief. Provoca­ tive. And thrilling. You’d have loved it.

Trust me. I’m a journo… Never mind!

But then I read somewhere that an elite unit of around 20 SAS soldiers is being trained to tackle a range of ‘alternative threats’ ­ including the possibility of con­ tact with extra­terrestrials.

I really don’t know why some people are so certain aliens don’t exist. Personally, I’ve an open mind; just because I’ve never seen one doesn’t mean it isn’t there. For

instance, I’ve never seen Dominic Cum­ mings but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t exist, does it? And Boris Johnson, is he a figment of my imagination too? No, hang on, I have met him!

In many early, low­budget, science­fic­ tion classics like ‘The Invaders’, ‘Invasion Of The Body Snatchers’, ‘Quatermass 2’, the alien invaders had the power to as­ sume human form. Maybe some migrants still making for the UK aren’t just from oth­ er lands, but other planets? After all, ac­ cording to the 2011 census, the UK alone underwent its biggest population surge af­ ter a decade of mass immigration.

Some even believe many ‘alien mi­ grants’, collectively, are known as Mem­ bers of Parliament since they often sound like they’re on another planet. Well, per­ haps that’s because they are.

Next we’ll read Europe’s bad weather is the fault of aliens. Their UFOs moved the jet stream south. Anyway, let’s hope they’ve brought their snow boots and

fleeces with them if they’re visiting the UK at the moment.

Really! Stories like these ­ head in buck­ et of sand comes to mind ­ do bring the, err, crazies out. What real news are we be­ ing distracted from? Elvis has been spotted on the moon ­ again? Slebs really do write their own novels? And Donald Trump’s still refusing to accept the election result or at­ tend Biden’s inauguration? No, hang on, that is true!

Yes, politicians are strange. Alien­like.

And with us. And, unlike the SAS, we’ve ALREADY got the proof...

Nora Johnson’s psychological crime thrillers ‘No Safe Place’, ‘Betrayal’, ‘The Girl in the Woods’, ‘The Girl in the Red Dress’, ‘No Way Back’, ‘Landscape of Lies’, ‘Retribution’, ‘Soul Stealer’, ‘The De Clerambault Code’ (www.nora­ johnson.net) available online as eBook (€0.99;£0.99), Apple Books, paperback and audiobook. All profits to Costa del Sol Cudeca cancer charity.

21 - 27 January 2021 • www.euroweeklynews.com

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21 - 27 January 2021

SPORT Title Race Draw Ozil to Fenerbahce to read more visit www.euroweeklynews.com

UNEVENTFUL: Liverpool and Manchester drew 0-0 in the title race clash.

LIVERPOOL and Manchester United battled to a bore draw in the title race clash at Anfield on Sunday, January 17.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side re­ main top of the Premier League table after an uneventful 0­0 draw against the champions.

Alisson proved the hero for the home side denying Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba from close range as the Manchester

club stretch their winless league run against the Reds to five matches for the first time since 2002.

In what was Jurgen Klopp’s 200th league game in charge, Liv­ erpool, sporting a makeshift cen­ tre­back pairing of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson, controlled possession but offered little in the way of attacking threat, al­ though De Gea did tip a fierce

shot from Thiago Alcantara wide and Firmino was denied a clear goal­scoring chance from United captain Harry Maguire.

The result means that Man­ chester United stay three points clear of Liverpool at the top of the table while the Anfield side sit in third a point behind Leices­ ter.

The two clubs meet again in the FA Cup on Sunday January 24.

FOLLOWING news that the Gunners agreed to cancel the German midfielder’s £350,000­a­week contract in north London, which was due to ex­ pire in June 2021 ­ the 32­year­old has apparent­ ly said his goodbyes to staff and players at Arse­ nal ­ bringing to an end his seven­and­a­half­year stay in north London ­ as he heads to Turkey to complete his free transfer to Fenerbahce.

Last week, the former Real Madrid star, who made 184 Premier League appearances for the Gunners, scoring 33 goals and providing 54 as­ sists, said on his Twitter account that Fenerbahce was his favourite club as a child.

“I grew up as a Fenerbahce fan when I was a kid in Germany,” Ozil tweeted last week.

“Fenerbahce is like Real Madrid in Spain. The biggest club in the country of Turkey.”

Ozil has chosen his jersey number at Fener­ bahce. He is claimed to have chosen the number 67 at the Turkish club based on a code he up­ loaded on Twitter.

Despite not releasing a formal statement, Ozil updated his Twitter profile picture and has spo­ ken to Turkish channel NTV ahead of his move.

“I am very excited and happy,” he said. “I am a Fenerbahce fan. As a Fenerbahce fan, god made it possible to wear that jersey. I will do my best.

“Tonight I will come to Istanbul with my fami­ ly. The flight time is not yet clear. I will be there

ARSENAL: Mesut Ozil is travelling to Turkey to seal his move to Fenerbahce, the biggest club in the country. tonight though.”

Fenerbahce also confirmed the move was in progress, saying: “Negotiations have started on the transfer of professional football player Mesut Ozil.”

Ozil joined Arsenal from Real Madrid in 2013 for what was then a club­record fee of £42 mil­ lion and won four FA Cups during his time at the club ­ he was also named the club’s player of the season in 2015­16.