Euro Weekly News - Mallorca 23 - 29 December 2021 Issue 1903

THE BEST FINANCE NEWS ON PAGES 14 - 17 23 - 29 Dec 2021

Christmas advice THE Balearic Minister of Health and Consumption, Patricia Gómez, has rec‐ ommended that Christmas lunches and dinners should consist of small groups of people and should always contain the same people when festivi‐ ties take place.

She also advised that un‐ vaccinated people should not go to social gatherings or celebrations, nor should people who present symp‐ toms of a cold, as well as the use of FFP2 masks by vulnerable people and companions.

In addition, she also sug‐ gested that in order to be as safe as possible, those meeting up should take a self‐diagnosis test in ad‐ vance in case there are people likely to be present who could be vulnerable to Covid‐19 She further recommend‐ ed that masks should al‐ ways be kept on, especially indoors, except when con‐ suming food or drinks, that celebrations take place outdoors, as far as possi‐ ble, and that all should avoid entering establish‐ ments where safety regu‐ lations are not respected.

As is to be expected, ev‐ eryone is advised to en‐ sure that they are fully vaccinated and to remem‐ ber that those aged 50 and above are now eligible to make an appointment to receive the booster vacci‐ nation.

MALLORCA • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

HISTORIC AGREEMENT Credit: Balearic Government

Issue No. 1903

FREE • GRATIS

School of Heroes THE Ilusions Teatre is presenting an interactive musical show where boys and girls are the real stars of ‘Escuela de Héroes’.

They can learn the value of courage with the Man of Steel, defend themselves with Wonder Woman, travel the world with the Flash, learn the feminine power with the Bat Girl and enjoy helping the Dark Knight.

A unique opportunity to meet these famous characters and enjoy a new, fresh and different show for Christmas at the Sala Mozart in the Palma Auditorium.

Tickets cost €20 each with four performances each starting at 6pm from Monday December 27 until Thursday December 30.

Each child has the chance to become their favourite hero or heroine and to understand how important it is to be a hero in your own day to day life.

CRUISE SHIPS: Numbers to arrive in Palma per day are to be reduced.

THE Balearic Government and the main shipping com‐ panies in the world operat‐ ing in the Balearic Islands reached a collaboration agreement in Hamburg on Monday December 20.

It has been agreed to intro‐ duce regulations to control the arrival of cruise ships in the Balearic Islands and ac‐ cording to the Government it becomes the first national destination to achieve such a commitment.

Effective from 2022, the port of Palma will receive 14.5 per cent fewer visits of large vessels than in 2019.

The agreement was reached after two years of negotiations and constant contacts between the two parties culminating in a meet‐

ing attended by the Minister of Tourism Iago Negueruela, and the general director of Tourism, Rosana Morillo., Present on behalf of the shipping companies were representatives of CLIA, Costa Cruceros, MSC Cruises, TUI Cruises, Royal Caribbean and Marella Cruises.

Both parties recognised the importance of this collab‐ oration agreement to set a sustainable limit on arrivals at the port of Palma and the agreement confirms that only three cruise ships will arrive in Palma on the same day and only one of them will be able to have a capacity of more than 5,000 passengers.

Next year 460 vessels with a capacity for more than 500 passengers will arrive in the

port of Palma, compared to the 538 that did so in 2019, with a similar percentage re‐ duction of passenger vessels with less than 500 passen‐ gers.

The agreement will be in place for the next five years with just 20 days in 2022 al‐ lowing four dockings as op‐ posed to three and the daily total of passengers may not exceed 8,500.

Negueruela has confirmed that the agreement is not lim‐ ited to arrivals, but also cov‐ ers environmental aspects and the cruise companies are ready to continue their poli‐ cies and efforts in environ‐ mental matters, which will re‐ sult in greater sustainability and respect for the environ‐ ment.

Credit: Ilusions Teatre Facebook

FAMOUS CHARACTERS: The Heroes on stage.

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23 - 29 December 2021

NEWS

Francina Armengol has Covid-19 THE President of the Balearic Government, Francina Ar‐ mengol revealed on her Twit‐ ter account on Monday De‐ cember 20 that she has tested positive for Covid‐19 and is isolating at home.

In her tweet, she said “I just received the news. I have test‐ ed positive for Covid. I am al‐ ready in quarantine and will continue to work online from home. I am fine and thanks to being vaccinated I only have mild symptoms. Let’s get vac‐ cinated and especially at this time, let’s take care of our‐ selves!”

She later added a second tweet “Since it is impossible for me to reply to so many messages received today,

from

Euro Weekly News!

ISOLATING: President Armengol tested positive.

from here I want to thank you all for your words of encour‐ agement and support. Best wishes to those who are re‐ covering from Covid or in quarantine and infinite grati‐ tude to the professionals who take care of us.”

Many Heads of State and senior politicians throughout the world who travel a great deal and meet with a variety of different people have caught the virus, although the majority appear to have re‐ covered quickly and without adverse reactions.

AFTER another challenging year that brought hope followed by more uncertainty, we are reminded of the things that matter.

Here at Euro Weekly News, we never ceased to be amazed by those who put others first in times of adversity.

Covering the news round the clock, we see closer than most the hardships endured by people close to home and further afield. But we are always uplifted by what people can achieve when they come together and focus on doing the right thing. The stories of kind‐ ness to others and the huge amounts of

Booster inoculations THE Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs has confirmed with immediate effect that it will be possible for those aged between 50 and 59 to register to receive the booster vaccina‐ tion There are just under 10,000 people through the Balearics who have received two vaccinations against Covid‐19 and will now be eligible to book an appointment via the BitCita digital self‐citation system (citavacunacovid.ibsalut.es) to re‐ ceive a booster dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Vaccinations in Mallorca will be given in Son Dureta Hospi‐ tal, Son Espases University Hospital, Son Llàtzer University Hospital, Inca Regional Hospital and Manacor Hospital and the ministry will be sending out text messages to those who received their last vaccination three or more months previ‐ ously to remind them to make their booking.

money raised by people in the communities we serve, always leaves us with a positive outlook on the world.

At a time when the luxury of normality still eludes us, let’s not forget those less fortu‐ nate than ourselves and those who make it their mission to make the world a better place. And let’s remember to cherish those closest to us, even if distance often keeps us apart.

From everyone at Euro Weekly News, we would like to wish each one of you a MERRY CHRISTMAS.

Outdoor mask decree PRESIDENT Pedro Sánchez has announced to the autonomous re‐ gions that a decree will be approved today, Thurs‐ day December 23 to bring back the use of face masks in open spaces.

The use of obligatory masks ended in June but is set to return. The previ‐ ous decree required masks to be worn by all people above the age of six in public spaces and any enclosed space for public use or open to the public. Certain exceptions were allowed for individ‐ uals including those with

respiratory difficulties, disabled people who could not use masks and those involved in outdoor sporting activities.

Sánchez is reacting to the request of many re‐ gional presidents who have called for the return of facial coverings in reac‐ tion to the new spike in coronavirus cases.

Leaders from Castile and Leon, Navarra, An‐ dalucia, Castile‐La Man‐ cha, Valencia, Galicia, the Basque Country, the Ca‐ nary Islands and Catalo‐ nia have all backed the move.

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NIBS EXTRA

Lucky winners

PUNTERS in Calvia who had purchased tickets for the ONCE draw on December 17 and 18 saw a good return for their money as a number of people shared €25,000 in the first draw and a further five shared €100,000 in the second draw.

Antigen tests ANXIOUS to ensure that they are not infected, more people than ever have been visiting phar‐ macies in Mallorca to purchase antigen tests which can be taken at home, which has result‐ ed in a temporary sell out in some parts of the island as new stocks are awaited.

Port plan THE latest Balearic Port plan intends to elimi‐ nate all of the unap‐ proved boats moored around Mallorca which is estimated in the re‐ gion of 1,500 and in re‐ turn it doesn’t expect to grant approval to more than 625 new spots for sustainably powered boats.

Life savers NATIONAL POLICE were the heroes of the day on Sunday December 19 when they were alerted to the fact that a young girl appeared to be about to jump off the cliffs at Cala Morlanda in Manacor. Acting swiftly, they grabbed her and stopped her from jump‐ ing.

Toy success THIS year, the Santanyi Council campaign ‘No child without a toy’ has been more successful than ever with around 1,500 toys collected and all will find good homes this Christmas as they are distributed by chari‐ ty Caritas to families who are suffering finan‐ cial difficulty.

23 - 29 December 2021

Another year of service

THE Son Espases University Hospital in Palma held its tradi‐ tional Christmas Party on Tues‐ day December 21 in which tribute was paid to the profes‐ sionals of the Hospital Centre who have retired this year.

In addition, staff who have been employed by the hospital for 25 years or more were hon‐ oured for their contributions to the success of the Balearics’ largest hospital.

The day began with a Mass officiated over by Father Llorenç Lladó, followed by a performance by the Hospital Choir and ended with the awarding of prizes for a number of competitions.

The winners of the 30th Pho‐ tography Contest were Fernan‐

Credit: Son Espases University Hospital

FOR THE CHILDREN: A trolley full of Christmas joy.

do Vega Martínez (first prize) and Encarnación López Muñoz (second prize).

The first prize of the 29th Bethlehem Competition has been for the Pulmonology Ser‐ vice‐3M Hospitalisation Unit ‐ and the second prize went to the Rehabilitation Service of the General Hospital.

The Son Espases Rehabilita‐ tion Service has won the first prize in the 12th Christmas Dec‐ oration Contest and the second has been for Convalescence Unit B of the General Hospital.

Nine‐year‐old Carmen Sevilla won the first prize in the fifth Hospital Children’s Drawing Competition and her art will be

used by the Hospital as a Christ‐ mas card.

This year, the first TikTok competition has been an‐ nounced, the winners of which have been the Convalescence Unit B and the Rehabilitation Service of the General Hospital.

The Christmas Party is a tradi‐ tional Son Espases event that is held every year with the aim of encouraging a sense of belong‐ ing of workers and also to offer a public thank you to profes‐ sionals who have dedicated a lifetime of work to achieve a high quality of health.

Just one day earlier, children staying at the hospital were cheered up by a visit from offi‐ cers of the Palma Fire Brigade who distributed Xmas presents.

Elderly Three Kings Parade greeting

ALERT to the number of elderly people in resi‐ dential care in Mallorca who will not be visited by family over Christ‐ mas, the CaixaBank Volunteer Association volunteer team has produced personalised cards to send to each one.

There are 400 resi‐ dents in five centres on the island which are managed by the Mallor‐ can Institute of Social Affairs (IMAS) and many have been unable to meet up with friends and family because of the pandemic or be‐ cause they are alone in the world.

Although restrictions have been eased this year when compared to last Christmas, many are anxious to ensure that elderly people are not exposed to poten‐ tial infection, hence the decision to ensure that they will be cheered up by a colourful card.

THERE will be a Three Kings Parade in Palma on January 5 but it will change its usual route so will visit more streets and go through wider roads in order to comply with health recommendations.

Councillor for Citizen Partici‐ pation and Home Affairs, Al‐ berto Jarabo said when an‐ nouncing the decision on Monday December 20 that the current regional regula‐ tions currently allow this type of event to take place. Howev‐ er, he stressed that “the use of the mask will be mandatory for all people over the age of

The parade this year will change its usual route.

six.” About 450 people will take part in the parade, which will consist of nine floats, to‐ gether with the three royal visi‐ tors, as well as the standard bearers and the pages, who will accompany the kings.

Public Holidays 2022

A DRAFT DECREE has been approved by the Balearic Govern‐ ment to set the Public Holidays for 2022 and are generally in accordance with the rest of Spain, except that Balearic Day is added and Labour Day will not be included.

January 1, New Year’s Eve • January 6, Epiphany • March 1, Balearic Islands Day • April 14, Holy Thursday • April 15, Good Friday • April 18, Easter Monday, August 15, Assumption of the Virgin • October 12, National holiday • November 1, All Saints Day • December 6, Constitution Day • December 8, Immaculate Conception • December 26 as Christmas Day falls on a Sunday Local holidays depending upon the wishes of each munici‐ pality will also be recognised for each area, but not across the islands as detailed in the Official Gazette of the Balearic Is‐ lands (BOIB) of August 7.

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The municipal contribution will be formed this year by the Mounted Police, the Tambor‐ ers de la Sala, the Banda Mu‐ nicipal de Música de Palma, the Gegants i els Capgrossos and Xeremiers de la Sala.

As usual, their Majesties will arrive at 6pm at the Moll Vell aboard the ship Rafael Verdera and will start their parade, al‐ though the traditional free sweets will not be thrown to the crowd and sightseers are asked to respect social distanc‐ ing at all times.

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Against new restrictions ALTHOUGH isolated due to infection with Covid‐19, Balearic President Francina Ar‐ mengol participated in the online conference between President Pe‐ dro Sánchez and other heads of Autonomous Communities on Wednesday, Decem‐ ber 22.

Whilst confirming that she is in favour of promoting continued advice for individuals to be vaccinated and where appropriate to take the booster jab, she does not want to see any major new rules imposed, espe‐ cially as she believes that residents in the Balearics have acted responsibly at all times in trying to combat the pandemic.

She pointed out that many organisations and individuals have decided not to pro‐ ceed with large Christ‐ mas get‐togethers in order to protect staff, friends and families during this ongoing time of increased in‐ fection.

Her government al‐ so believes that the use of the Covid pass in appropriate areas is sensible but she wants to have to time to con‐ sider other proposals that might come from either the national government or the other Autonomous Communities.

and finally...

AS has been explained on many occasions by the Balearic Government and the Palma Council, accommo‐ dation in the capital is expensive and in short supply.

With many students enrolling in the University of the Balearics it has become increasingly more important that those from the mainland especially are able to find suitable and affordable accommodation.

It has now been announced that the Palma Council is prepared to make over the land currently taken up by the old provincial prison to the university as it has far more space than any other option on the campus.

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23 - 29 December 2021

Secret Santa couple A COUPLE left $10,000 to pay off the instalment plans of hundreds of families be‐ fore Christmas at a Kmart in Melbourne, Australia.

One recipient comment‐ ed: “That selfless act has done more for my family than I can even begin to ex‐ plain.”

The secret Santa couple only had one request. The money had to go towards paying off pre‐ordered Christmas gifts and toys, which were on instalment plans.

A Kmart spokesperson commented: “I think the in‐ tent behind the donation

was alleviating some of the financial pressures for fami‐ lies.

“We really have a lot of people coming in and sup‐

porting our Kmart wishing tree appeal that do it in smaller amounts, but every year they support those in need.”

Holy Grail of archaeology MERCEDES COLOMBO, the territorial delegate of Culture and Historical Her‐ itage of the Junta de Andalucia in Cadiz, attended the Underwater Archaeology Centre of the Andalucian Institute of His‐ torical Heritage earlier this week. There, she presented the remains of ancient buildings that have recently been discov‐ ered. It is believed that these remains could correspond to a legendary temple.

The temple of Hercules Gaditanus ‐ known as Melqart in Phoenician times ‐

was a key pilgrimage site in ancient times, dating back to at least 9BC. This temple, according to historical records, witnessed visits from legendary figures such as Hannibal, the Carthaginian con‐ queror, and the Roman emperor, Julius Caesar.

Historians and archaeologists have been searching for its location for thou‐ sands of years, but it has remained a mystery. The temple has become some‐ thing of a holy grail in this field.

New vaccine approved ON December 20, the Eu‐ ropean Medicines Agency (EMA) granted a Euro‐ pean licence to the Amer‐ ican vaccine Novavax.

This is the fifth Covid‐19 vaccine available on the

IL Divo star dies CARLOS MARIN, the Spanish voice from international singing sensations, Il Divo, passed away on Sunday, De‐ cember 19, aged just 53.

He had been rushed to Manchester Royal Hospital on December 7, where he was admitted to the ICU, and re‐

Xmas gifts and toys were paid for.

European market.

Its full regimen consists of two injections, three weeks apart. It can be stored, handled, and dis‐ tributed, at refrigerator temperatures between

1.7 and 7.8 Celsius. This vaccine is based on a sta‐ bilised form of protein S from the virus, for which recombinant protein nanoparticles have been used.

NEWS

portedly placed in an induced coma. His tragic passing was confirmed on Twitter by his saddened bandmates. “It is with heavy hearts that we are letting you know that our friend and partner, Carlos Marin, has passed away,” they posted, accompanied by

Search warrant THE investigation into the death of Halyna Hutchins, who died on the set of the movie Rust, has taken a new turn with a search war‐ rant issued for Alec Baldwin’s phone. The warrant has been issued by a Sante Fe court in New Mexico, where the film was being shot.

Of interest on the phone are messages that are believed to have been exchanged between Baldwin and an unnamed person, which could shed more light on the events of that fatal day. Baldwin who was filming on set was given a gun that was apparently ‘safe’ how‐ ever he pointed it at the Director of Filmography, and it went off killing her and injuring the Director of the western Joel Souza.With a search warrant issued for the actor’s phone, the story is not yet fin‐ ished and it would seem there are more revelations to come.

a photo of the singer.

They continued, “He will be missed by his friends, family, and fans. There wiIl never be another voice or spirit like Car‐ los.”

Il Divo was formed in De‐ cember 2003, by music mogul, Simon Cowell. They enjoyed worldwide fame, sell‐ ing over 30 million copies of their operatic pop albums.

Marin from Il Divo, RIP.

New Year’s Eve cancelled LONDON’S mayor, Sadiq Khan, announced on Monday December 20, that the planned event in Trafalgar Square on New Year’s Eve is cancelled. This decision probably doesn’t come as a surprise due to the surging rate of Covid infections in the capital. The event had been announced in November, designed to replace the annual fireworks celebration that normally takes place in the Square. It would have paid tribute to 6,500 key workers, plus

members of the public. Mr Khan said it was being called off “in the interests of public safe‐ ty.”

“This will be very disappointing for many Londoners, but we must take the right steps to reduce the spread of the virus. I’m proud that we will still have an incredible broadcast spectacular to watch on our screens, which will showcase our great city to the rest of the world.”

No end to supply crisis ACROSS the globe, supplies of different items are running low or running out and ex‐ perts are warning that the

global supply chain crisis is far from finished. The issues with supply and demand caused by the pandemic have far‐reaching and long‐ lasting effects and businesses are not out of the woods yet.

As some bottlenecks start to ease, others begin, and it is these signs that are causing experts to forecast a long road ahead for recovery.

A Covid‐19 outbreak in the Chinese manufacturing hub of Zhejiang has left 10s of thousands of people in quar‐ antine under China’s strict ze‐

ro‐Covid policy and “Further supply chain disruption is a significant possibility,” eco‐ nomic analysts at Capital Eco‐ nomics have said in a note.

There are currently delays of up to four weeks for un‐ loading onto the US west coast as there is a severe lack of workers on the ground.

This creates a ‘ripple effect’ in the global supply chain cri‐ sis, with ships working to tight deadlines and too many con‐ tainers in the US ports, and not enough in the ports throughout Asia.

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President’s dog rehomed VJOE BIDEN’S dog Major has been given away after biting a Secret Service agent.

On Monday December 20, the White House welcomed a new German Shepherd puppy called Commander. It has also been revealed that the president’s previous dog Major has been sent away to live with family friends.

Major came to live at the White House in January, but did not settle and bit both a Se‐ cret Service agent and a National Park Ser‐ vice employee.

The First Lady’s spokesperson said: “After consulting with dog trainers, animal be‐ haviourists, and veterinarians, the First Fami‐ ly has decided … it would be safest for Major to live in a quieter environment with family friends.

“This is not in reaction to any new or spe‐

BIDEN: Welcomes his new pup. cific incident, but rather a decision reached after several months of deliberation as a family and discussions with experts.”

Biden took to Twitter to welcome the new pup Commander. His post featured a photo of the new pup along with the cap‐ tion ‘Welcome to the White House, Com‐ mander.’

Germany bans Brits GERMANY has banned Brit tourists and classed the UK as a ‘Covid area of concern’ as the number of Omicron cases rises dramatically.

The world is battling the Omi‐ cron variant and Germany is the latest country to decide to ban trav‐ el to and from the UK under certain conditions. According to the Ger‐ man government, the new mea‐ sures were brought in to try and slow the advance of the Omicron variant.

The new measures came into place from midnight on Sunday, December 19. Only German na‐ tionals and residents will be al‐ lowed to travel freely into Germany from the UK, unless they are tran‐ siting through the country. Anyone who does want to travel to Ger‐ many from the UK will need to have a negative PCR test and spend 14 days in quarantine.

Germany also considers South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, and Zim‐ babwe to be high risk countries for the Omicron variant.

IBERDROLA: A huge boost for the company in the US.

Clean energy contract IN a major boost for Iberdrola’s operations in the United States, the Spanish energy company has won a clean ener‐ gy supply contract in Massachusetts. The contract, which will see the company invest €3.5 billion in the USA, includes the construction of the future Commonwealth Wind Park, the third such facility in the state This is a huge win for Iberdrola in the United States, pro‐ viding jobs for 11,000 full time staff and generating enough power to supply 750,000 homes. Winning this contract pro‐ vides the company with a much‐needed boost after they were rejected by the regulator in New Mexico.

The Commonwealth Wind Park is a key project in help‐ ing the States to meet its target of 30,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2030. Speaking about the project, Igna‐ cio Galán, President of Iberdrola said: “Our portfolio of offshore wind energy projects in the United States could represent more than $15 billion investment in the next few years.”

UK lockdown ruled out AFTER a three‐hour virtual emergency cabinet meeting on December 20, British Prime Minis‐ ter, Boris Johnson, announced that his govern‐ ment will not be implementing a lockdown be‐ fore Christmas.

Playing his cards close to his chest, he added that they will be monitoring the Omicron data situation on an hourly basis, and action would be taken without further hesitation if he thought it was necessary.

“Unfortunately, I must say to people that we will have to reserve the possibility of taking fur‐ ther action to protect the public, to protect public health, to protect our NHS. We won’t hesitate to take action,” said the prime minis‐ ter.

Mr Johnson had been caught in the crossfire of angry MPs earlier, as several of them were reported to have demanded to know if Christ‐ mas was going to be ruined or not.

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Couple reunited with stolen pet A CO U P L E has been re‐ united with their beloved pet after he was stolen and sold to another fami‐ ly.

Björn, a Russian Bolon‐ ka, was stolen on Novem‐ ber 6 after thieves broke into his owners’ van in Es‐ sex.

The couple reported the incident and launched an appeal to get their dog back, making several video posts which were shared across social media.

Five weeks later, the pair received a phone call from a woman in East Ham who had purchased an adult male Bolonka as a Christmas present for her daughter.

She had shown a photo‐ graph of the dog to a col‐ league at work, who recognised him as the dog they had seen on social media.

The woman had kept Björn for two weeks be‐ fore realising it was the stolen dog, she then sent the couple images of the

BJÖRN: The dog was recognised on social media. pet she had purchased.

Michael said: “We could tell immediately it was him. She then offered to

meet us to give him back, as she obviously didn’t want to keep a stolen dog.”

and finally...

UNLUCKY winning ticket. Two men who bought a winning lottery ticket with a stolen card were jailed after being found guilty of fraud. The men had stolen card details and used these to draw money and buy groceries along with some scratch cards at a Londis store in Clapham Common back in 2019.

One of those cards revealed a prize of £4 million. Suspi‐ cions were raised when they went to collect, but said they did not have a bank account, although the purchase of the winning scratch card had been made by debit card.

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BA cancels many flights BRITISH AIRWAYS cancelled multiple flights over the weekend of December 18 and 19. The shortage of baggage handlers al‐ so led to chaos with Brits being asked to leave their bags behind at the airport.

The airline said that they would be couriered on later, but many passengers were not happy.

British Airways’ customers took to social media to complain about the lack of luggage. One person commented: “@British_Airways entire BA636 flight to #Athens de‐ parted from London without any luggage loaded. And no alert to passengers.”

Earlier this month British Air‐ ways grounded more than 2,000 flights until March 2022. A spokesperson for the airline ex‐ plained that it was not due to worries over the new Omicron variant or Coronavirus travel re‐ strictions being put in place.

The airline commented: “Like other airlines, due to the continu‐ ing Coronavirus pandemic we are operating a reduced and dynamic schedule.”

No confinement

ON December 18, Presi‐ dent Pedro Sanchez ruled out the implementation of confinements or se‐ vere restrictions due to the rise of Covid‐19 infec‐ tions. Instead, the gov‐ ernment expressed its commitment to vaccina‐ tion and the use of masks to combat the latest wave.

According to govern‐ ment sources, there is no imminent forecast to an‐ nounce confinements or any other restrictive mea‐

Restrictions ruled out.

sures. Carolina Darias, the Minister of Health, stated that there had been “a turning point” in the in‐ crease in infections al‐ though it remained “slow and sustained.” Its impact on the healthcare system,

given the escalation of cases in recent days, was also pointed out.

Ms Darias highlighted the importance of the im‐ minent gathering of the Conference of Presidents.

Regarding the lack of a global response that had been demanded by some communities, Darias reit‐ erated her commitment to co‐governance. She pointed out that up until now, they have managed to bend all the curves, thanks to acting “jointly.”

No mulled wine for offenders

MULLED wine and brandy are off the cards for alcohol‐tagged offenders along with oth‐ er Christmas tipples. Nearly 800 people have been tagged with alcohol monitoring tags this Christmas. The new technology is being used by the probation service to stop alco‐ hol‐fuelled crime. Nearly 40 per cent of all vi‐ olent crime in the UK involves alcohol con‐ sumption. This includes domestic abuse which is known to increase dramatically over the festive period. Crime, Policing and

Probation Minister Kit Malthouse com‐ mented: “Alcohol‐fuelled violence ruins too many lives and families and creates may‐ hem in our town centres. It is a sad reality that over Christmas we see a worrying spike in domestic abuse and crimes fuelled by drink. Sobriety tags have already brought enormous benefit helping offenders change their ways and the Probation Service to clamp down on this behaviour and protect victims from further violence.”

NEWS

Russian demands

Troops gathered at the Ukraine border.

RUSSIA has put forward a list of security guar‐ antees that it wants the West to agree to in or‐ der to lower the tensions across Europe and defuse the crisis over the Ukrainian border.

Many of the Russian demands on the list have already been ruled out and security experts across the world have deemed the requests unacceptable.

The eight‐point draft treaty was released by Russia’s foreign ministry after months of escala‐ tion and as more troops gathered within striking distance of Ukraine’s border. Moscow has said if its interests are ignored, then it would lead to a “military response” similar to the Cuban missile crisis of 1962.

One of the Russian demands wants a limit to the deployment of troops and weapons to Na‐ to’s eastern flank. Russia has also demanded that Nato rule out further expansion, including the accession of Ukraine into the alliance. Nato head, Jens Stoltenberg, has already ruled out any agreements denying Ukraine the right to enter the military alliance.

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Resolve to review your financial planning for 2022 The New Year is a time when most of us take stock of our situation and set goals to improve our health, happiness, lifestyle and wealth. This January, make it one of your resolutions to check your financial planning is on track to meet your needs and protect your long-term financial security.

Why regular reviews are important Regular reviews help keep your financial affairs compliant and up-to-date. Tax rules or financial regulations often change, which may affect the tax efficiency of existing arrangements. There may be new opportunities you could find beneficial. And with Brexit still relatively new, it is important to keep ahead of any further developments that may affect you.

Consider also if any changes in your personal and family circumstances mean you should adjust your arrangements.

For a truly effective review, and to ensure it is suitable for

In today’s world of ‘automatic exchange of information’, it’s more important than ever to get it right. Cross-border tax planning is complex; take specialist advice to achieve peace of mind and secure tax savings.

By Cathal Rochford, Partner, Blevins Franks

your life in Spain, consider how your tax planning, investments, pensions and estate planning work together.

Tax planning Make sure you know where you are resident for tax purposes, especially if you are new to Spain or spend time in both countries. You can then structure your wealth in the most suitable way to minimise taxation, while still meeting your obligations.

Savings and investments If you do not already have a financial plan in place for Spain, take a fresh look at your savings and investments. Are they better suited to a UK resident? Do they meet your risk/reward appetite? Are you taking advantage of tax-efficient opportunities in Spain?

Successful investing is about having a strategy specifically based around your personal circumstances, time horizon, needs, aims and risk tolerance.

Ensure you have adequate diversification to avoid over-exposure to any given country, asset type, sector or company.

Explore investment structures that allow multi-currency flexibility to help minimise exchange rate risk.

Pensions

World’s first octopus farm

Pensions are usually key to financial security through retirement, so deciding what to do with yours could be one of the most important financial decisions you make.

Take the time to explore all the options, weighing the pros and cons and considering the tax implications and potential benefits in Spain.

Take regulated advice to protect your retirement benefits from pension scams and do what is right for your circumstances and aims.

Estate planning It is vital to review your estate planning when living in Spain. Both succession law and tax work very differently to the UK. For example, Spain’s ‘forced heirship’ rules could automatically pass a significant proportion of your worldwide estate to your direct family, whatever your intentions. You can specify in your will for the EU regulation ‘Brussels IV’ to apply relevant British law to your estate, but understand your options

down on us.” Elsewhere, ministers in Austria, Cyprus and France have also toughened restrictions on travel and Paris has cancelled its New Year’s Eve fireworks. Denmark has closed its theatres, concert halls, amusement parks and museums for Christ‐ mas and regional health ministers in Germany have urged the national government to tighten rules on people arriving from the UK. The UK is cur‐ rently experiencing its highest Covid numbers and there have been talks of lockdowns.

NHS dilemma IN a year when many countries have passed laws to protect species deemed to be sentient beings, the news that the world’s first octopus farm is to open in the Canaries has been met with dismay by conservationists and scientists alike.

For some years now, experts have ar‐ gued that the octopus is an intelligent be‐ ing, one that is able to feel pain and emo‐ tion. This was portrayed all too well in the South African documentary ‘My octopus teacher.’

They believe such creatures should never be farmed for commercial purpos‐

es.

Part of the interest in farming the octo‐ pus comes from the demand for the meat, but also the rapid rate at which the animal develops making it relatively quick to market and therefore potentially com‐ mercially viable.

But those who work with octopuses say that the animals quickly form bonds with their carers that they can sense their moods ‐ at times playful, at other times just happy to be in your company. For them these animals are more akin to pets than they are food.

Keep up to date on the financial issues that may affect you on the Blevins Franks news page at www.blevins franks.com.

Netherlands lockdown THE Netherlands entered a Christmas lockdown on Sunday December 19, to curb the spread of the Omicron variant. Non‐essential shops, bars, restau‐ rants, and other public places were ordered to close.

On Monday, December 20, schools also closed, and the lockdown will remain in place until at least January 14, Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced.

He said it was “unavoidable because of the fifth wave caused by the Omicron variant that is bearing

OCTOPUS: Quickly form bonds with their carers.

and any tax implications.

Your estate plan should be set up to achieve your wishes in the most tax-efficient way possible.

If you remain UK domiciled – as many expatriates do – you continue to be liable for UK inheritance tax, so plan to reduce this liability for your heirs.

To bring all these complex elements together and ensure you haven’t missed out on any opportunities, take expert, crossborder advice. Spending time on a financial health-check can secure peace of mind that you and your family are in the best position to enjoy a prosperous 2022 and beyond.

The tax rates, scope and reliefs may change. Any statements concerning taxation are based upon our understanding of current taxation laws and practices which are subject to change. Tax information has been summarised; individuals should seek personalised advice.

THE leader of Scottish Labour, Anas Sarwar, has challenged Nicola Sturgeon over the impact of Covid on cancer care within the NHS, asking her to commit that cancer services will be pro‐ tected in any redeploy‐ ment of care sparked by coronavirus. He has insist‐ ed that the NHS should not be made to choose be‐ tween cancer and Covid.

Sarwar says this means that screening pro‐ grammes must not be paused again in the same way they were at the start

of the pandemic in March 2020. Also, cancer opera‐ tions should not be can‐ celled because of Covid pressures either. The Scot‐ tish party leader tweeted: “Since the start of the pan‐ demic, almost 30,000 of our fellow Scots have died from cancer.

“Every one of these deaths ‐ just like Covid ‐ is a tragedy. “There must be no pause to screening pro‐ grammes, no cancelled cancer operations, and a genuine acceleration so we can catch up on cases.”

Life-extending pill A FOUNTAIN-OF-YOUTH pill could be on the horizon after scientists dramati‐ cally extended the life of mice by in‐ jecting elderly rodents with a grape seed extract.

The extract extended their remaining time by 60 per cent and boosted overall lifespan by 9 per cent ‐ this is equivalent to over a decade of human life.

Dr Yu Sun, of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai said: “The plant chemical has high potential as a clinical intervention to delay, alleviate, or pre‐ vent illnesses.” The flavonoid known as PCC1 gets rid of ‘zombie’ or ‘senescent’ cells that have stopped dividing. As we age, they naturally build‐up and re‐ lease chemicals that result in inflam‐ mation.

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A load of baubles NANA BAUBLES: Recognised by the Guinness World Records.

SYLVIA POPE, a grandmother from Swansea has broken a festive world record for the largest collection of Christmas baubles. Known as Nana Baubles, Sylvia is the proud owner of 1,760 festive orna‐ ments, a total recognised by the Guinness World Records.

Ms Pope, who turns 79 on Boxing Day, hopes to pass the 2,000 mark this Christmas with her collection coming from all over the world. Whenever she travels, she buys baubles, with items coming from as far away as New York. Ms Pope starts putting them up in September long before any of us even be‐ gin to think about Christmas and decorating our homes.

She remembers where most of the baubles come from and has her favourites.

Amongst her favourites are a lobster, a hamburger, Disney characters and of course Big Ben. But her number one is a Royal Doulton Royal Jubilee celebration edition, represent‐ ing her ‘love’ of Queen Eliza‐ beth, who she thinks is ‘won‐ derful.’

NEWS

German police raids Piers Morgan revelation

POLICE have conducted raids in Germany’s eastern state of Saxony after Pre‐ mier Michael Kretschmer received death threats for backing Coronavirus mea‐ sures. The officers searched several proper‐ ties in the state capital Dresden and nearby Hei‐ denau, after Covid ex‐ tremists were discovered to be organising violent attacks.

The far‐right activists are suspected of plotting violence with crossbows and other weapons. This occurred after Mr

Kretschmer rescinded his statement from last year warning people of Covid “hysteria” and has now gone on to back strict Coronavirus measures.

The state of Saxony has the lowest vaccination take‐up of all of Germany.

The police in the state re‐ leased information about the raids and security forces, including the spe‐ cial Soko Rex anti‐extrem‐ ist unit which raided sev‐ eral locations following a German TV documentary drawing attention to the death threats last week.

Heathrow charges to rise PASSENGERS at Heathrow may have to pay increased charges of more than 50 per cent from January 1.

This comes after the Civil Aviation Au‐ thority (CAA) approved price rises to “re‐ flect the uncertainty of the recovery of passenger volumes from the pandemic as Heathrow has made a loss of £3.4 billion since the start of the pandemic.”

Although the charges are paid by the

airlines, they are usually covered in pas‐ sengers’ airfares.

A spokesperson for Heathrow has said the cap range of £32 to £43 has left them “extremely disappointed.” They also said it “relies on rushed analysis and will un‐ dermine passenger experience.”

The cap will increase or decrease de‐ pending on passenger numbers and com‐ mercial revenue.

PIERS MORGAN believes he caught Covid‐19 at the Euro 2020 final in July and has revealed he is still bat‐ tling long Covid months lat‐ er.

The 56‐year‐old former Good Morning Britain host said he is thankful that he was double jabbed when he was infected. He comment‐ ed on the effects of long Covid during a Twitter ex‐ change with Sky News Tech‐ nology Correspondent Row‐ land Manthorpe who revealed he had “a nasty case of long Covid. Eight months and counting.”

Morgan replied: “DM me, I had the same for five

months, but new meds seem to be cracking it.”

Piers previously told fans about his symptoms: “Aside from ongoing tedious fa‐ tigue and inability to taste wine, all the coughing’s caused a ‘posterior vitreous detachment’ in my left eye.”

Shortly after catching the virus, he wrote in his col‐ umn: “Been a week now and although the fever’s long gone, the fatigue keeps overwhelming me like a so‐ porific tidal wave.

“I haven’t even read a newspaper since developing symptoms, which for a news junkie like me is unprece‐ dented.”

and finally...

NASA has made history as the Parker spacecraft offi‐ cially ‘touched’ the sun. On December 14, NASA con‐ firmed that Parker had made its way through the sun’s corona. The historic event happened in April but it has taken months for the data to return from the spacecraft due to the distance. Parker was launched in 2018 and is named after astrophysicist Eugene Parker.

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Forqué suicide confirmed POPULAR actress Verónica Forqué died at her home in the Chamartín district of Madrid, aged 66. A post‐ mortem was carried out and it was confirmed on Decem‐ ber 16 that she committed suicide.

The actress had performed in films such as Kika and Sé in‐ fiel and she also appeared in Spain’s sixth season of Celebrity Masterchef.

No traces of any toxic sub‐ stances or pills were discov‐ ered in her body. The cause of death has been confirmed as mechanical asphyxia by hang‐ ing. The actress’s body showed no signs of violence.

Verónica was discovered by her maid after she had taken longer than usual in the show‐ er. The maid entered the bathroom and discovered Verónica was unconscious.

The emergency services were called immediately.

Antonio Banderas took to Twitter to pay tribute to

Verónica. He commented: “Goodbye to Verónica Forqué. I worked with her years ago and my memory is that of a sweet, spiritual woman and a good compan‐ ion. RIP.”

UK schools prepare to close

Much loved actress.

Correos recruitment drive CORREOS, the Spanish postal service has an‐ nounced they are starting their biggest recruitment drive in decades, in which 5,377 jobs with indefinite contracts will be available.

The roles will be across many different operations within the company, includ‐ ing distribution, classifica‐ tion and customer service.

The company will make the relevant information and agenda known to the public in the first half of 2022 so that people know how and where to apply.

The tests will then take place next November. A

statement released by the business said the hiring pro‐ cess will be developed short‐ ly, guaranteeing the princi‐ ples of merit, ability and equal treatment of women and men.

There is another current hiring process happening within Correos for which more than 60,200 people have been registered. These are for temporary seasonal positions in their operations throughout Spain which be‐ gin from February 1.

Further information on the job roles and how to ap‐ ply will be posted on www.correos.com.

SOME schools are already preparing to hand out lap‐ tops in preparation for possi‐ ble closures in January.

The number of Omicron cases in the UK is growing rapidly and schools are preparing for online learning again. According to recent data from the government, more than 200,000 pupils were off school in the last couple of weeks due to the virus.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid has already admitted

that there are “no guaran‐ tees” that schools will be able to remain open in Jan‐ uary if cases of the Omicron variant continue to rise.

Prime Minister Boris John‐ son has encouraged people to ensure their children are jabbed as soon as possible.

He commented: “We know how crucial it is to keep chil‐ dren in schools so let’s all make sure our children and young people are vaccinated before they go back next term.”

Apple home-worker bonus THE technology giant Apple has suspended the return of all its workers to its offices indefinitely. In addition, it will give all of its employees $1,000 each (around €884 at current exchange rates) so that they can equip their home offices and continue working from home.

Tim Cook, the CEO of the company, announced this plan by email to his employees on December 15. The decision was made due to concern about the increase in Covid‐19 cases, and the rapid spread of the new Omicron variant.

A return to offices was planned for February 22, 2022, but the company has now left the return to office date open. Oth‐ er large companies, such as Google, Uber, and Amazon, have also delayed their return to the offices for the same reason and many have offered similar packages to support home working.

NEWS

Pension rise in 2022 AS stated in the new pension law being processed by Par‐ liament, pensions in Spain will rise by 2.5 per cent next year, which is the inflation rate registered between De‐ cember 2020 and November of this year.

Spain has returned to the formula of linking incomes and prices, a modus operan‐ di that was applied in the 1990s and replaced by the Revaluation Index in the 2013 reform.

In previous years, the in‐ terannual inflation registered in November served to ad‐ just the rise applied in Jan‐ uary so that pensioners did not lose purchasing power.

These are once again the ref‐ erence.

With the 2.5 per cent in‐ crease, the average retire‐ ment pension (€1,195) will increase by about €30 per month (€420 per year) and the ‘pay’ that the retiree will receive in a single payment at the beginning of the year to compensate for the devia‐ tion in prices will be €268.

GO LOCAL BUY LOCAL: By shopping locally, independent businesses can help support the local

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EUROPEAN PRESS

EUROPEAN PRESS DENMARK

Spies arrested

Mink fiasco

DANISH authorities have arrested four current and former employees of the country’s intelligence service for alleged spying following a lengthy investigation.

Names have been withheld and the country for which they were supposedly spying for has also been kept secret.

A YEAR after the Danish Government decided to cull around 15 million minks due to unsupported fears that they might transmit a mutated form of Covid-19 to humans, the matter is still being reviewed and the prime minister quizzed by a parliamentary committee over the culling.

THE NETHERLANDS Farmers’ protest

Sensitive documents

A CONVOY of some 200 tractors travelled to Schiphol airport to hand over a contract to purchase and decommission the airport to reduce nitrogen pollution as a protest against government plans to buy out agricultural landowners as part of a package of measures to fight nitrogen use.

INDICATING a change of tactics, a hacking ransomware group LockBit placed details of 39,000 files online which included sensitive documents for Dutch police, emergency services and security after the technology company Abiom refused to pay a ransom to keep the files secret.

BELGIUM Keeping abreast

Rainbow zebra

THE Wheel of Care, which provides health care in the home, wants mothers to be able to breastfeed in more hospitality outlets in Brussels and is producing an online map and asking pubs and restaurants to display a sticker to confirm breastfeeding mums are welcome.

FLEMISH Highways and Traffic Agency (AWV) has announced that it is happy to paint and maintain one rainbow zebra crossing in each of the 300 Flemish municipalities if requested to do so. Rainbow pedestrian crossings have already appeared in some municipalities as part of pride celebrations.

GERMANY Danger UXB

New weapon

WHEN a 250 kilo US made bomb dropped on Berlin during the Second World War was unearthed by workers extending the Jewish Hospital in Iranische Strasse, authorities knew that they would face a significant challenge to evacuate around 15,000 residents so it could be defused.

OFFICERS were out in force to police a demonstration against Covid restrictions in Hamburg armed with the latest weapon of crowd control, a 1.5-metre long red and white stick used to ensure that protestors observe proper social distancing whilst complaining about the rules!

FRANCE Referendum result

Greek deal

THE Pacific territory of New Caledonia voted in a third and final referendum on independence with 96.49 voting against, but as the independence parties boycotted the referendum, saying the pandemic prevented a fair ballot there was a small turnout of just 43.9 per cent.

AFTER losing out to the USA in the supply of submarines to Australia, the French Government has announced that despite the USA offering to supply four frigates to the Greek Navy it was too late as a deal had been signed with the French.

NORWAY Oil wealth

Peace prize

IN order to help every home in Norway during the winter months when daylight can last for just five hours in some parts of the country, the Norwegian Government will be using funds from its oil income to give automatic discounts on electricity costs.

THIS year’s Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo was heavily curtailed due to rising rates of Covid-19 with a planned double event to honour the 2020 and 2021 winners. In the background former winner Aung San Suu Kyi has been arrested in Myanmar.

FEATURE

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EWN 13

Advertising Feature

TWO WEEK REVIEW THE pre‐Christmas inertia seemed to set in a little earlier than usual this year. Some of the reticence is the result of uncertainty about the spread and lethality of the Covid Omi‐ cron virus. It is also the case that every major economy continues to be restrained by sup‐ ply bottlenecks and accelerating inflation.

Headline inflation in Britain rose to 5.1%, a 10‐year high, a figure that did not perturb in‐ vestors at the time because they assumed that the Bank of England would hold back from tightening monetary policy, out of con‐ cern about Omicron. But the Bank of England did not hold back. Against the expectations of most market participants it raised the Bank Rate by 15 basis points to 0.25%.

The move helped sterling to reverse some of the previous week’s losses, leaving the pound unchanged on average over the fort‐ night. Investors were unconcerned by stories of lockdown‐busting parties in Downing Street, Tory rebellion in Parliament and a by‐ election defeat for the prime minister.

In Frankfurt the European Central Bank is seemingly not concerned about anything. At

its last meeting of the year the Governing Council expresses confidence that inflation will subside of its own accord next year, and the supply chain bottlenecks will also disap‐ pear.

The ECB will run down its asset purchases to zero by the end of March but sees no need for higher interest rates any time soon. Like sterling, the euro was on average unchanged against the major currencies and the Swiss franc.

America’s Federal Reserve is absolutely concerned about inflation, which it now sees as a threat to the economy. Where only a couple of weeks ago the Fed viewed inflation as “transitory”, it now sees it as “uncomfort‐ ably high.” After this week’s meeting the Fed‐ eral Open Market Committee was unani‐ mous in expecting interest rates to move higher in 2022 and 2023.

The US employment data, an important factor in the Fed’s decision‐making process, were strong, if a little confusing. While non‐ farm payrolls increased by fewer than expect‐ ed in November, total employment shot up

by well over a million. Although those num‐ bers appear in the same report, they come from different surveys. They did not do much good for the dollar, however, which is an av‐ erage of 0.4% lower.

The Loonie delivered a performance similar to that of the US dollar, losing a third of a cent to sterling. Like just about every other major currency it has issues with inflation, most re‐ cently reported at a 34‐year high of 4.7%. A day later the Bank of Canada governor had to deliver a speech about the bank’s success in keeping inflation close to 2% for 30 years.

The BoC nevertheless held back from tight‐ ening policy, even though it no longer views the forces of inflation as “temporary”. Like the ECB, it sees inflation subsiding next year.

The Reserve Bank of Australia has a roughly similar stance. It kept the Cash Rate steady at 0.1% and said that asset purchases will contin‐ ue at least until February. However, the RBA also altered the wording of its guidance, sug‐ gesting that inflation is at least of some con‐ cern.

Australia’s employment data for November

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mallorca@moneycorp.com. were strong in every respect. They helped the AUD into first place, with an average gain of 0.9% despite the RBA sitting on its hands.

New Zealand’s dollar was far less success‐ ful, softening by an average of 0.6%. It re‐ ceived no help from political developments or from the near‐silent Reserve Bank of New Zealand.

The domestic economic data were not of much use to the Kiwi either. Manufacturing sales fell in the third quarter and gross domes‐ tic product shrank by 3.7%.

Business NZ’s performance of manufactur‐ ing index was only barely positive at 50.6, while the performance of services index re‐ mained in the sub‐50 contraction zone for a fourth month.

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FINANCE BUSINESS EXTRA Trade deal THE British Government has entered into a new free trade deal with Australia which it claims will be worth an additional £10.4 billion and is the first to be reached which doesn’t reflect pre‐Brexit arrangements. Farmers however worry about the potential for cheap Australian imports.

Home working THE Spanish Government has introduced a new law which will allow civil servants in areas of low population to voluntarily work from home for 90 per cent of each month as it believes those areas with low populations do not need regular face to face consultations with staff.

Xmas hackers SAINSBURY’S staff were worried after a US cloud payroll service Kronos was the subject of a cyber attack and according to a BBC report, an estimated weeks’ worth of information on 150,000 staff disappeared. The supermarket has confirmed that they will be paid by Christmas.

Reduced forecasts MUCH as expected, the Bank of Spain has reduced its GDP forecasts for both 2021, dropping 1.9 per cent and 2022 moving from 5.9 per cent to 5.4 per cent and now doesn’t expect the economy to return to pre‐pandemic levels until 2023.

Blue Banana ONLINE ethical clothing company Blue Banana was started by two Spanish friends who said they know little about fashion and use the slogan ‘We make noise not clothes.’ Despite their lack of expertise, they took the next step and opened shops in Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia, promoting their brand logo a large X. In 2021, they said their product would become the first Spanish carbon‐ negative fashion brand by collaborating on environmental projects endorsed by the United Nations and are now purchasing their stock from manufacturers in Spain, Portugal and Asia.

14

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STAT OF WEEK

price paid by US venture capital group Carlyle €1.9 billion isto the take over Spanish company Grupo Altadia.

Iberia Airlines pull out of deal IAG, parent company of Iberia Air‐ lines has confirmed via the Spanish CNMV (National Securities Market Commission) that it is suspending talks with Globalia over the purchase of Air Europa, although it hopes to renegotiate some form of deal dur‐ ing 2022.

This decision to enter into an agreement to purchase was an‐ nounced in November 2019 and modified in January 2021 and IAG has made a second payment of €35 million (in addition to the agreed €40 million) as a sign of commitment and to eliminate any pending claims.

In the event that a sale does take place, then the entire €75 million will be offset against the final purchase price.

IAG explained in a press release via Iberia that the decision was made due to the problems caused by the pandemic and the ongoing fragility of the tourist market to and from Spain, as well as the current state of the Spanish economy.

As it is a key operation for the country and very important for both companies, Iberia has committed to exploring different alternatives for shareholder structures to try to

LEGALLY SPEAKING

Can they stop noise?

Can you tell me what the law is regarding noise from neighbours working (hammering) at cer‐ tain times of the day or can they do it at any time? I live in Mijas Costa.

J G (Costa del Sol) Standardly DAVID SEARL the general rule all over Spain is YOU AND THE LAW that noisy work IN SPAIN cannot start before 8am and must end before 10pm. The rules for each indi‐ vidual municipality are set by the town hall. You can find these rules by going to the Mijas website and searching for Ordenanza Municipal Reguladora de la Emision y Re‐ cepcion de Ruidos y Vibraciones. This should tell you what times noise is allowed and what intensity is permitted.

The rules in Marbella, for example, state that noise lev‐ els as heard inside your building with the windows closed must not exceed 30 decibels during the day. However, be‐ fore you start measuring decibels, you should speak with the people doing the hammering. You may find them willing to help. Perhaps they can muffle the sound in some way. If you live in a community and they are ham‐ mering directly on your wall, you can ask your president to speak to them. Finally you can go to court. There are various laws to prohibit noise.

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

THE Spanish fashion chain Inditex re‐ vealed huge profits for 2021 as rev‐ enue amounted to €19.33 billion in the first nine months of its fiscal year.

Net profit over that same period came in at €2.5 billion, compared with €671 million in 2020 which is a massive increase of 273 per cent, al‐ though it recognises that 2020 was exceptionally low due to internation‐ al lockdowns.

come to some form of agreement to obtain the operation of Air Europa.

A new letter of intent has been signed by both parties to evaluate al‐ ternatives and other structures that may be interesting for both compa‐ nies, offering similar benefits for their shareholders, customers and employees, before the end of Jan‐ uary 2022.

In parallel, Iberia intends to work with the government of Spain to continue improving the country’s connectivity and to strengthen the Madrid hub to make it competitive with other European airports.

Which funeral plan from Golden Leaves?

FUNERAL experts Golden Leaves of‐ fer pre‐paid fu‐ neral plans for expats in Spain, to prevent your loved ones hav‐ ing to organise a Which is the right plan for you? funeral in a differ‐ ent country and another language.

Providing several different types of plans, Golden Leaves will be able to find you the right pre‐paid plan for you, helping you to organise the service you want.

Golden Leaves also guarantees 100 per cent of the costs of the arrangements specified in your Funeral Plan.

There are no hidden extras or administration charges for your family to deal with when the time comes.

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Inditex reveals huge profits As the recovery continues, the 2021 profits compare favourably to 2019 when in the same period, the company made €2.73 billion.

Inditex’s Executive Chairman, Pablo Isla, said: “These results are very satisfactory and demonstrate once again the solidity of our busi‐

ness model, the quality and commit‐ ment of our teams, and the potential being realised by our strategy of fully integrating stores and online.”

It should be noted that when it was announced that Isla was due to step down in April 2022 to be re‐ placed by Marta Ortega, the 37‐year‐

LEGO futures FORGET gold and wine, in‐ vest in LEGO says a Russian University research paper.

Members of the faculty of the Moscow Higher School of Economics (HSE) have published a paper in the Research in Interna‐ tional Business and Fi‐ nance journal which makes this astonishing claim.

The authors of the paper looked at the prices of 2,322 unopened LEGO sets from 1987‐2015 and came to the conclusion that after two or three years, their value on the secondary market grew annually by an average of 11 per cent outperforming many tradi‐ tional investment options.

Growth for a number of Star Wars related models was significantly higher than the average.

Gin wars SANTA may not be amused by the fact that Marks and Spencer are about to launch a law suit against Al‐ di over what it claims is a copy of its light up musical snow globe gin liqueur that contains edible gold flakes marketed for Christmas.

The Aldi version is con‐ siderably cheaper and M&S want all stock destroyed as well as seeking damages for potential lost sales.

This is not the first time that it has taken action against Aldi, the last being over their Cuthbert the Caterpillar cake, which Marks and Spencer claimed was identical to their Colin the Caterpillar. old daughter of founder Amancio Or‐ tega, shares immediately dropped in value and they fell again despite the announcement of the enormous profits.

The new president’s challenge will be to manage the fall in profit mar‐ gins caused by ever increasing manu‐ facturing and transport costs and the growth in Spain of Chinese competi‐ tor Shein.

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LONDON - FTSE 100

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C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 20

COMPANY PRICE(P) 3I Group 1.400,50 Abrdn 231,30 Admiral Group 3.083,0 Anglo American 2.882,0 Antofagasta 1.319,00 Ashtead Group 5.896,0 Associated British Foods 1.900,0 AstraZeneca 8.471,0 Auto Trader Group Plc 715,80 Avast 614,60 Aveva 3.226,0 Aviva 398,10 B&M European Value Retail 608,80 BAE Systems 525,60 Bank VTB DRC 1,224 Barclays 179,00 Barratt Developments 704,40 Berkeley 4.646,0 BHP Group 2.152,50 BP 326,00 British American Tobacco 2.758,5 British Land Company 512,00 BT Group 164,05 Bunzl 2.860,0 Burberry Group 1.739,0 Carnival 1.209,2 Centrica 66,26 Coca Cola HBC AG 2.438,0 Compass 1.506,00 CRH 3.723,0 Croda Intl 9.992,0 DCC 5.958,0 Diageo 3.954,0 DS Smith 378,60 EasyJet 498,70 Experian 3.476,0 Ferguson 12.725,0 Flutter Entertainment 10.863,3 Fresnillo 894,20 GlaxoSmithKline 1.591,40 Glencore 359,25 Halma 3.061,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.357,00 Hikma Pharma 2.221,00 HSBC 441,40 IAG 128,26 Imperial Brands 1.564,50 Informa 479,60 InterContinental 4.370,0 Intermediate Capital 2.107,00

CHANGE(P) 1.407,00 233,70 3.094,0 2.883,0 1.331,00 5.904,0 1.911,0 8.474,0 718,40 615,20 3.229,0 398,10 610,00 526,40 1,226 179,30 712,60 4.679,0 2.155,50 326,20 2.767,0 512,40 165,80 2.863,0 1.739,5 1.232,8 66,30 2.461,0 1.514,50 3.729,0 10.005,0 6.016,0 3.956,0 381,50 499,80 3.479,0 12.735,0 10.951,3 915,00 1.596,00 359,95 3.067,0 1.358,00 2.221,00 443,00 128,68 1.571,00 480,90 4.392,0 2.108,00

% CHG. 1.383,00 228,70 3.058,0 2.826,5 1.286,50 5.778,0 1.861,0 8.349,0 706,20 606,60 3.177,0 393,20 598,20 517,40 1,206 176,88 698,00 4.611,0 2.125,00 320,60 2.719,0 504,40 162,70 2.806,0 1.689,5 1.177,0 65,02 2.408,0 1.479,50 3.660,0 9.740,0 5.910,0 3.893,5 374,90 483,60 3.431,0 12.475,0 10.739,1 888,00 1.574,80 354,10 2.997,0 1.319,50 2.183,00 434,00 124,40 1.547,00 467,50 4.314,0 2.071,00

NET VOL 82,83K 684,79K 33,54K 776,37K 324,74K 239,77K 422,09K 279,50K 160,31K 307,41K 37,65K 2,49M 408,55K 745,06K 610,34K 4,44M 241,68K 29,61K 1,30M 9,16M 706,58K 342,03K 4,16M 110,82K 220,30K 236,05K 2,18M 101,61K 390,75K 240,35K 34,69K 119,86K 400,35K 354,69K 1,73M 125,19K 70,64K 2,96K 270,77K 1,17M 8,21M 76,53K 85,84K 59,17K 4,01M 11,83M 223,04K 1,14M 93,31K 57,16K

COMPANY

PRICE(P)

Intertek ITV 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 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 Taylor Wimpey Tesco Tui Unilever United Utilities Vodafone Group PLC Whitbread WPP

5.506,0 106,35 274,10 1.934,5 740,40 283,10 45,42 6.716,0 733,60 145,25 1.784,50 1.057,60 216,50 7.708,0 29,10 1.708,50 2.692,0 630,60 1.236,50 6.219,0 2.333,00 548,40 765,20 4.797,5 110,00 7,51 1.566,40 1.566,4 1.567,2 816,00 1.602,00 15,44 3.404,0 1.347,00 1.384,00 2.922,0 1.215,00 1.526,00 15.345,0 1.603,50 1.595,00 427,90 163,90 285,20 208,10 3.978,0 1.094,50 112,00 2.742,0 1.080,50

CHANGE(P)

% CHG.

NET VOL

5.524,0 106,50 274,10 1.935,5 741,00 283,50 45,55 6.780,0 734,80 145,45 1.797,50 1.061,20 217,00 7.722,0 29,11 1.736,00 2.719,0 634,40 1.239,00 6.232,0 2.337,00 548,40 770,00 4.801,0 112,60 7,53 1.567,51 1.567,4 1.567,6 817,80 1.609,50 15,59 3.406,0 1.351,00 1.386,00 2.931,0 1.227,00 1.526,50 15.355,0 1.606,00 1.598,50 428,40 166,10 285,30 210,00 3.986,0 1.097,50 113,00 2.746,0 1.080,50

5.426,0 104,30 269,10 1.880,5 731,20 279,90 44,83 6.648,0 731,00 142,05 1.761,00 1.051,00 213,70 7.564,0 28,80 1.705,50 2.672,0 626,00 1.218,00 6.160,0 2.298,00 528,60 753,20 4.719,0 107,12 7,47 1.543,70 1.542,0 1.541,6 800,00 1.601,00 15,33 3.357,0 1.331,00 1.360,00 2.892,0 1.204,00 1.506,50 15.045,0 1.586,00 1.572,00 421,20 162,10 281,30 204,30 3.932,5 1.082,00 111,36 2.676,0 1.062,50

30,94K 1,56M 529,91K 112,34K 146,55K 2,61M 38,58M 88,63K 623,66K 948,33K 124,40K 1,08M 4,46M 27,81K 179,57K 158,02K 79,59K 606,48K 823,44K 141,35K 461,78K 2,43M 226,53K 453,27K 12,70M 237,96K 742,85K 749,62K 1,66M 294,76K 7,96K 2,41M 16,51K 957,65K 281,19K 42,59K 262,69K 134,93K 10,38K 305,87K 269,55K 1,04M 1,70M 253,14K 1,19M 699,63K 188,36K 8,77M 97,77K 310,61K

1.17128

0.85365

Units per €

US dollar (USD) ......................................1.12655 Japan yen (JPY)......................................127.919 Switzerland franc (CHF) ...........................1.0407 Denmark kroner (DKK) .............................7.4362 Norway kroner (NOK) ...............................10.215

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 D ECEMBER 20

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

PRICE 174,75 2.856,06 3.400,35 222,50 171,14 192,63 201,37 113,60 60,46 57,73 381,80 387,98 205,17 127,40 50,62 168,23 156,76 261,70 75,69 333,79 323,80 161,36 157,46 252,93 932,57 487,12 53,17 211,88 138,75 148,76

CHANGE 178,32 2.889,20 3.417,97 224,16 173,47 194,77 205,25 116,46 60,79 58,92 393,67 397,98 210,11 128,64 51,02 170,78 159,38 264,85 77,74 337,11 324,92 162,86 161,72 253,90 960,66 493,13 53,22 213,21 143,95 149,84

CHANGE% VOLUME(M) 174,34 3,92M 2.835,76 2,05M 3.312,27 4,25M 219,32 6,32M 169,69 193,76M 187,88 12,48M 201,23 5,88M 113,53 22,17M 59,78 60,54M 57,70 51,15M 380,63 6,97M 387,42 11,02M 204,71 5,49M 125,21 10,20M 50,01 48,56M 167,66 16,01M 155,18 27,77M 260,88 5,56M 75,50 27,82M 330,75 39,49M 317,25 47,36M 160,55 7,63M 157,31 23,55M 246,79 11,89M 909,04 30,55M 486,38 5,52M 52,36 53,74M 207,79 11,36M 138,39 25,66M 146,57 13,45M M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 20

COMPANY

CHANGE NET / %

VOLUME

Most Advanced Cable One Inc. Biglari Holdings Inc. Cl A Boston Beer Co. Cl A Carvana Co. Cl A HubSpot Inc. Ubiquiti Inc. Bank of America Corp. 7.25% Non-Cum. Perp.

Chemed Corp.

Mettler-Toledo International Inc. Twilio Inc. Cl A Wayfair Inc. Cl A

3.14% 3.42% 4.11% 9.54% 2.74% 5.60% 1.04% 2.81% 0.86% 4.88% 6.47%

88.23K 364 404.39K 6.78M 1.09M 287.08K 5.6K 295.89K 250.19K 3.49M 2.09M

-2.47% -2.15% -2.25% -1.17% -6.11% -4.61% -3.92% -3.04% -3.46% -0.74% -4.69%

2.33K 43.86K 94.85K 11.45K 625.31K 2.56M 7.07M 588.5K 567.31K 342.17K 2.29M

Most Declined Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Cl A NVR Inc. Texas Pacific Land Corp.

Danaher Corp. 5% Mand. Pfd. Series B TopBuild Corp.

Estee Lauder Cos. Cl A Goldman Sachs Group Inc. W.W. Grainger Inc. Teledyne Technologies Inc. AutoZone Inc. Equifax Inc.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

Credit: Liz Truss Twitter

Liz Truss targets cooperation with Spain

WORKING TOGETHER: Liz Truss met José Manuel Albares in Madrid.

BRITISH Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has made Spain her latest target as she trav‐ elled to Madrid on Wednes‐ day December 15 to meet her Spanish counterpart José Manuel Albares.

The foreign ministers dis‐ cussed how the UK and Spain can work together more closely on many dif‐ ferent matters including business relationships and NATO. This meeting comes just two weeks after their meeting in Riga, during the NATO Foreign Ministers Summit, at which both Ministers underlined their commitment to a Political Framework for a UK‐EU Gibraltar Treaty.

It has now been con‐ firmed that following a fourth meeting in London, the parties (Spain repre‐ senting the EU, UK and Gibraltar) the matter will continue to be negotiated during 2022 with the hope

that a final agreement is reached by Easter.

During the visit, which comes within her first 100 days in office, Foreign Sec‐ retary Liz Truss will also seek to boost the UK’s eco‐ nomic ties with Spain and hosted an event with lead‐ ing Spanish investors and British businesses in Spain.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: “I want to work with allies like Spain to cre‐ ate a network of liberty based around closer eco‐ nomic, tech and security ties.

“We’re significant trading partners, with the UK as Spain’s biggest European in‐ vestor, and the UK as the top destination for Spanish investment. By boosting our trading ties even fur‐ ther, both Spain and every region and nation of the UK will benefit.”

As part of her two‐day visit, the Foreign Secretary also launched a new report

Rising inflation FOR the second month running, Spain’s rate of infla‐ tion in November climbed to its highest for 29 years at 5.5 per cent according to the National Statistics In‐ stitute (INE).

This was 0.1 per cent up on the record October fig‐ ure and is blamed on significant rises in the price of food and fuel prices.

If one removes the food and energy rises, then in‐ flation settles at a more acceptable 1.7 per cent for November, although even that is an increase over October figures.

The European Central Bank and Bank of Spain however believe that these monthly price rises will be short lived.

on scientific collaboration between the UK and Spain.

BUSINESS EXTRA Boohoo sad ONLINE UK fashion brand Boohoo believes that many people who had purchased designer dress‐ es to wear at Christmas and New Year events dur‐ ing November are getting ‘cold feet’ and returning them for credit which could knock up to 3 per cent from forecast profits.

Qatar news SPANISH ambassador to Qatar, Belen Alfaro has said that the past year has been really turbulent and challenging at the global level in terms of health and economy, but the bilateral relations be‐ tween Qatar and Spain remain excellent, inspired by the strong affection between both royal fami‐ lies.

Major blow THE outbreak of the Omi‐ cron virus in the UK seems likely to have dis‐ astrous effects on the hospitality industry in the run up to Christmas and according to the BBC, the Bar 44 chain, which has four outlets, has reported that 3,200 people have cancelled December bookings.

23 - 29 December 2021

EWN 17

18 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

23 - 29 December 2021

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT THEY are still arriving ya know.

Just because the biased British media has decided to stop reporting it, hundreds of migrants are still traversing the channel to the UK’s ‘promised land’.

Most have been in France for months and in a few cases years.

With the majority still appearing to be young fit men, does it not strike anyone as suspicious how they manage to survive with no visible means of support?

Many are wearing designer gear and trainers, and just about all seem to carry expensive phones. They also must find the equivalent of three to five thousand pounds to pay the smugglers.

Most, if not all, have travelled through several countries in their quest to reach soft‐touch Britain. How did they manage to eat over the many months these treks lasted?

They are supposed to have come from war‐torn

Ulterior motive impoverished countries ‐ so where does all their money come from? Someone somewhere is bankrolling them. This raises the question as to why? Whatever the reasons, you can bet your lives it’s not from the kindness of somebody’s heart. There must be an ulterior motive.

Well, I personally think someone is generating a sleeping army. There are now thousands of these young Middle Eastern men entrenched all over the UK. If a non‐friendly nation is paying the bills, you can rest assured, they will also have underground contacts creating arms caches and bomb factories everywhere.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Russia didn’t have a financial source in there somewhere; wouldn’t Putin love to have a clandestine army sleeping in the UK! Whatever the reasons, I think the ever‐growing presence of

these young men is being taken far too lightly. Putting them up in hotels and lavishing them with benefits is verging on lunacy.

They should all be put into camps and interrogated as to their origins, and where their finances are coming from.

You can rest assured that if it ever does become necessary for them to pay their piper, the UK could finish up like Beirut.

The irony of that scenario is they will then have managed to turn the UK into something resembling the places they’re all supposedly trying to run away from!

Merry Christmas everyone.

Keep the faith Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com expatradioscotland.com Mon and Wed 1pm till 4 To read more articles from our columnists and to have your say in the comments go to www.euroweeklynews.com

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

FEATURE

TV & Film Review by Laura Kemp

Streaming now: The Unforgivable DESPITE mixed reviews, Sandra Bullock shines in this new Netflix movie based on the 2009 mini‐se‐ ries Unforgiven.

Ruth Slater, played by Bullock is released from prison after a 20‐year sen‐ tence for murdering a po‐ lice officer.

The Unforgivable follows Ruth as she attempts to re‐ integrate into society in Seattle and reconnect with her sister Katie, played by Aisling Franciosi (Game of Thrones).

Ruth finds that she will always be seen as a cop killer as she is judged by ev‐ eryone where she once lived. Her only hope for re‐ demption lies with her es‐ tranged younger sister who now lives with her adoptive mother (played by the amazing Viola Davis) and father.

The sons of the officer that Ruth killed 20 years

previously are out for re‐ venge. The plot that has some unexpected twists and turns and although her crime is ‘unforgivable,’ Bul‐ lock is successful in making the audience feel empathy and pity towards Ruth, as we see her isolated and alone in dreary Seattle.

The present day is meshed with flashbacks from Ruth’s and Katie’s past in the country house they were forced to leave behind.

Some of them are dreamy summer memories of Katie growing up, while others reveal why Ruth ends up in prison.

This movie portrays the idea that not everything and everyone is as they seem and although there are some plot holes and parts of the narrative are quite implausible, the end‐ ing will leave many welling up.

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THURSDAY 23/12 FRIDAY 24/12

6:15pm 7:00pm 7:20pm 7:30pm 8:15pm

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WEDNESDAY 29/12

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Superman & Lois BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather The Weakest Link Christmas Special The Wall v Celebrities: EastEnders Christmas Special EastEnders Ghosts

7:05pm 7:45pm

Dolittle Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather Weather The Repair Shop at Christmas EastEnders

2:35pm 4:20pm 6:35pm 7:15pm 8:30pm 9:00pm

Mary Poppins Returns Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special Michael McIntyre's Christmas Wheel Blankety Blank Christmas Special 2021 Call the Midwife EastEnders Mrs Brown's Boys Christmas Special

4:40pm

Beauty and the Beast Paddington Around the World in 80 Days Around the World in 80 Days Death in Paradise Christmas Special A Very British Scandal EastEnders BBC News Weather

3:20pm 5:20pm 6:20pm

Countryfile BBC News BBC London News; Weather Weather Paddington 2 EastEnders MasterChef: The Professionals Rematch 2021 A Very British Scandal BBC News

2:55pm 4:35pm

The BFG Pointless Celebrities BBC News BBC London News; Weather Weather The Weakest Link Worzel Gummidge: Twitchers EastEnders A Very British Scandal BBC News

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A Dog's Journey Pointless Celebrities BBC News BBC London News; Weather Weather The Weakest Link Worzel Gummidge: Calliope Jane The Repair Shop A Star Is Born BBC News

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Upstart Crow Blackadder's Christmas Carol University Challenge Blackburn Sings Christmas with Gareth Malone Last Christmas Top of the Pops 1984: Big Hits Elton John's Christmas Concert: Old Grey Whistle Test

9:00pm

To Catch a Thief North by Northwest Dad's Army Carols from King's University Challenge Gardeners' World Winter Specials Vienna Blood A Ghost Story for Christmas: The Mezzotint Amazing Grace

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The Two Ronnies: The Studio Recordings Quentin Blake: The Drawing of My Life The Queen's Christmas Broadcast The Adventures of Robin Hood The Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show 1971 The Morecambe & Wise Show 1970 - The Lost Tape

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Some Like it Hot Final Score The Two Ronnies at Christmas The Perfect Morecambe & Wise Christmas Special Anything Goes: The Musical Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Christmas Fishing Adele: The BBC Sessions Tina Live!

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Calamity Jane West Side Stories - The Making of a Classic West Side Story The Hairy Bikers Go North for Christmas Only Connect: Christmas Special University Challenge Blade Runner 2049 Highlander

8:00pm 10:05pm 11:35pm

Evil Under the Sun Death on the Nile Inside the Factory Only Connect: The Birds and the Bees Special University Challenge Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby Mock the Week End of Year Special Joanna & Jennifer: Absolutely Champers

8:00pm

Sean Connery: Talking Pictures The Great Train Robbery Murder on the Orient Express Wild Tales From the Village Only Connect: Cold Special University Challenge Inside the Factory XL: Diggers Frankie Boyle's 2021 New World Order

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Joanna Lumley in the Land of the Northern Lights Winterwatch 1963 - The Big Freeze The Last Igloo Lucy Worsley's Christmas Carol Odyssey 60 Years of Carols From King's Winterwatch 1963 - The Big Freeze

5:00pm

Top of the Pops: Christmas 2002 Top of the Pops: Christmas Hits Tom Jones & Beverley Knight's Gospel Christmas Country Christmas 2021 Country at the BBC The Turn of the Screw Whistle and I'll Come to You

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Penguin Post Office: Natural World Winter Journey: Schubert's Winterreise Eric and Ernie - Behind the Scenes Their Finest Mrs Dickens' Family Christmas What We Were Watching: Christmas 1991

4:10pm 6:15pm 6:30pm

The Chronicles of Erne Dancing the Nutcracker Inside the Royal Ballet La Boheme from the Royal Opera House Moonstruck Mark Kermode's Christmas Cinema Secrets The Chronicles of Erne The Turn of the Screw

5:15pm

BBC Proms Sondheim at the BBC Sunday in the Park with Stephen: Omnibus Face to Face with Stephen Sondheim Life of a Mountain: A Year on Scafell Pike The Great Mountain Sheep Gather Sunday in the Park with Stephen: Omnibus

6:15pm 7:00pm

Australia: Earth's Magical Kingdom Royal Institution Christmas Lectures West Side Story Into the Woods: Stage to Screen Australia: Earth's Magical Kingdom Royal Institution Christmas Lectures

5:30pm 6:30pm 7:30pm 7:45pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm

Australia: Earth's Magical Kingdom Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Billy Connolly: Made in Scotland Billy Connolly: Portrait of a Lifetime Williams: Formula One in the Blood Handmade in the Pacific: Pou

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Tipping Point: Lucky Stars Christmas Special The Chase Celebrity Christmas Special ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale A Merrier Christmas?

Tonight Alan Carr's Epic Gameshow Christmas Special

5:00pm

Tipping Point: Lucky Stars Christmas Special ITV Evening News ITV News London The Chase Celebrity Christmas Special Gino's Italian Family Adventure: A Festive Feast Emmerdale Royal Carols: Together at Christmas

3:00pm 5:40pm 6:00pm 6:35pm

Santa Claus ITV News and Weather Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs at Christmas The Masked Singalong Emmerdale Coronation Street The Larkins at Christmas ITV News and Weather Love Actually

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Saturday Night Takeaway Presents: Double Trouble The Chase Celebrity Christmas Special Celebrity Catchphrase: Christmas Special Emmerdale Coronation Street All Star Musicals at Christmas Billy Connolly: My Absolute Pleasure

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In for a Christmas Penny Family Fortunes Christmas Special Emmerdale The Voice Kids Coronation Street ITV News at Ten and Weather ITV London Weather Bradley & Barney: Breaking Dad at Christmas

5:05pm

The Chase Lingo ITV Evening News ITV News London Emmerdale The Voice Kids Coronation Street ITV News at Ten and Weather ITV London Weather All Star Musicals at Christmas

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Tipping Point The Chase Lingo ITV Evening News ITV News London Emmerdale Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs The Voice Kids ITV News at Ten and Weather ITV London Weather

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Chateau DIY at Christmas Kirstie's Handmade Christmas The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Christmas at Holkham Hall One Night in the Natural History Museum

2:35pm 4:15pm 5:15pm

It's a Wonderful Life Channel 4 News The Snowman The Snowman and the Snowdog Home Alone The Greatest Snowman 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown Christmas Special The Last Leg Christmas Eve Special

4:15pm

The Snowman The Snowman and the Snowdog The Alternative Christmas Message Channel 4 News Home Alone 2: Lost in New York Terry Pratchett's the Abominable Snowbaby The Great Christmas Bake Off 2021

11:10am

The Simpsons Home Alone 3 Crocodile Dundee Channel 4 News Britain's Scenic Railways at Christmas Escape to the Chateau at Christmas All I Want(ed) for Christmas The Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2021

2:50pm 4:00pm 5:00pm

The Great Christmas Bake Off 2021 Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Crocodile Dundee II Travel Man: 96 Hours in Iceland Jon & Lucy's Christmas Sleepover 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown Christmas Special

2:15pm 3:15pm

Christmas at Castle Howard Location, Location, Location The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Sarah Beeny's New Life in the Country Extraordinary Escapes at Christmas with Sandi Toksvig

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Playing With Fire Christmas at the Plaza Sarah Beeny's New Life in the Country The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Billionaire Blooms Kirstie and Phil's Love it or List it Britain's Most Expensive Houses

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6:10pm 7:10pm 7:15pm 7:55pm 8:00pm 9:00pm

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www.euroweeklynews.com

23 - 29 December 2021

TONI C. EASTWOOD OBE, MBA

FEATURE

REALLY HARD VS IMPOSSIBLE

#TheWomanBeyond IN his brilliant book Spartan Up! Joe De Sena (founder of Spartan Race) ‐ in which by the way the first chapter is ti‐ tled From Here to Insanity ‐ this gives you a clue.

Joe tells us the ridiculous story of Göran Kropp.

Imagine your friend inviting you on an adventure.

They tell you, “Hey! I have this idea.

Let’s jump on our bikes and from our homes in Sweden, ride to the base of Mount Everest, then hop off, ascend to the summit without oxygen or a sherpa and then come back down and ride back home!!! Are you in?!”

If you’re like me, you’d probably say, “Dude. Are you crazy!!”

You might even be tempted to say that’s impossible.

But it’s not impossible.

It’s just REALLY, REALLY, REALLY hard.

And there is a huge difference be‐ tween the two.

Really Hard vs Impossible.

Do you have any ‘impossible’ dreams that need to be redefined as simply re‐ ally (really!) hard?

Yes? Which one?

This is the season for sharing our hopes and dreams and for setting our intentions for the year ahead. What one big thing would you dare to dream (and do) if you knew you couldn’t fail?

I’ve been thinking about mine recent‐ ly, with a brilliant team away day last week, before we went off for the holi‐ days.

Come on what’s your Biggest Most Audacious Goal? Think about it. Dream about it. Get fired up about it. Then go WOOP it (you remember WOOP from a few weeks ago? Wish, Outcome, Ob‐ stacles and Plan) Then get to it!

I’m reminded of some great wisdom, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realise how close they were to success when they gave up.” ‐

Thomas Edison I also love to remember Seneca’s wis‐ dom: “It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.”

It may be difficult or really, really hard, but nothing is impossible if you really want it.

And in case you were wondering ‐ Göran Kropp, did achieve the impossi‐ ble and he tells his own story in his book, Ultimate High: My Everest Odyssey.

Stay Focused, Keep Positive and Choose to +1 in Every Moment.

Ignite Your Passion, Fulfil Your Dreams and Awaken Your Greatness!

Love, Hugs, High Fives and Fist Bumps

WomanBeyond PS. Want to ignite your passion and purpose? To get laser focused on your Biggest Most Audacious Goals? Grab one of the last few places on my Vi‐ sionary Women Programme for Jan‐ uary 2022. In just four, three‐hour on‐ line sessions you could make 2022 Your Best Year Yet. Twenty five per cent off for Euro Weekly News readers ‐ Just Quote Offer Code EWN25 ‐ for more info and to book, head on over to https://quantumvantage.co.uk/vi sionarywomenprogramme Don’t hold back another moment.

You could be just one step away…

To read more articles from our columnists and to have your say in the comments go to www.euroweeklynews.com

Toni x Toni Eastwood OBE, MBA #The‐

Please do get in touch if you have any questions. Follow me, chat and share your thoughts and network with other fabulous women in my Visionary Women Facebook Group.

@tonieastwood

CLAIRE GORDON FINDING BALANCE IN AN UNEVEN WORLD AS a fresh wave of infection sweeps across the globe, a horrible sense of déjà vu is creeping in. Case numbers are rising and whole countries are shutting down just in time to separate people from their family and friends during the festive season. While the need for measures to curb the spread of Covid is necessary, I can’t help but feel that various governments have tunnel vision when it comes to what to do.

My main gripe since the pandemic began has been the short-sightedness of the response. Especially in countries that can choose what path to take, instead of having to scramble to save themselves by any means necessary.

In March 2020, England was asked to stay inside for two weeks while the government organised itself into an all-singing, all-dancing testing machine. Or so they said.

Putting aside the fact that Boris Johnson’s sheer arrogance had delayed any kind of response at all until after Coronavirus was well and truly

@SixSecretsToSuccess @VisionaryWomen

Duty of care spreading through the community, they then managed to ignore the efficacy of one of the greatest things that the UK still has going for it (just).

The NHS has been the jewel in the crown of the UK for years and had all the provisions already in place to test, trace and track most of the country.

Instead, the Tories saw fit to bundle cash to a private company who then failed to deliver what was promised.

And this was just the beginning of similar issues there, and across the world, as governments asked for sacrifice from their population without looking at the bigger picture.

As peaks and troughs of the infection rate came and went, people and small businesses were battered by the waves.

Immunocompromised people were asked to shield indefinitely and forgot about when things started to open again. Businesses with no outdoor space were given no assistance when restrictions meant no one was allowed to sit inside. If you were not in the direct line of sight of ministers (ie, rich

enough to hold sway), any help was lost, and people went under the radar and then under the water.

With this strain, the panic is worse, even if the symptoms are not. As I see the mental health of people deteriorate at the thought of another Christmas alone, and the cancellations list grows for friends with small businesses suffering under unclear guidance, I despair.

In Andalucia, we waited for a BOJA to clarify new restrictions right up until the moment it was due to be enforced! People’s health and livelihoods hang on words the government can’t even prepare ahead of time.

While I understand the situation is ever-changing, if thoughts do not turn to the long-term plan of how to escape this merry-go-round with people and businesses intact, there are going to be many more casualties than just those who catch the virus.

To read more articles from our columnists and to have your say in the comments go to www.euroweeklynews.com

Claire Gordon’s opinions are her own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.

tonieastwoodobe

sixsecretstosuccess

Travel

Cueva del Agua, Jaen

CAVE OF WONDERS: There are various viewing points.

THE spectacular Cueva del Agua (water cave) is located near Quesada in Jaen. It is al‐ so known as La Cueva de la Virgen de Tíscar (tradition has it, the Virgin appeared there in 1319). It is also re‐ ferred to as the Cave of Won‐ ders.

This natural cave is formed from limestone at the point where the Tiscar river and the Monte del Caballo rock meet. This has created a hid‐ den oasis of fountains, streams, and waterfalls which have shaped the cave over thousands of years.

The cave is accessed by a narrow tunnel and there are wooden steps that descend

to various viewing points.

Legend has it that the Moors, who once ruled the Castle of Tíscar, threw an im‐ age of the Virgin Mary into the cave and broke it into a thousand pieces with a sword after it kept reappear‐ ing after being discarded.

Later, the Christians recov‐ ered the pieces and took them to Toledo for repair, but the Virgin miraculously returned to Tíscar, and a chapel was built to worship her.

Today the cave hosts mu‐ sic concerts on the second Saturday of August, which take advantage of the mag‐ nificent acoustics.

www.euroweeklynews.com • 23 - 29 December 2021

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IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO WAIT UNTIL NEXT WEEK GO TO WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM FOR THIS WEEK’S ANSWERS

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

23 - 29 December 2021

EWN 27

CHRISTMAS FALLING VICTIM TO POLITICALLY CORRECT OBSESSION eryone has to have an A‐list role. I mere‐ ly appeared as slave to one of the Three Kings!

Another year comes to a close ‐ TWELVE years of this column every single week and well over 600 articles later!

Many thanks to all readers for all the great comments to my website about both my column and novels. Pleased the jokes cheer you up in these challenging times and always nice to be appreciated (and praised!) by you. After all, you’re the ones who count ‐ enjoying ‘Breaking Views’ and purchasing my novels (all profits to Costa del Sol Cudeca cancer charity as you know).

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

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

PARENTS have repeatedly been told by ‘academics’ to stop pretending Father Christmas is real in case the ‘lie’ dam‐ ages relations with their kids who might then question what else Mum and Dad are lying about.

What! No Father Christmas? Next they’ll be telling us politicians tell the truth and do their ‘underpaid’ job for the love of serving their country!

Why do these academics want to sweep away the myths and legends un‐ derpinning our cultural heritage, child‐ hood and growing up? What would kids do without them? Obsess about video games, sexting, selfies?

There are far more obvious ways to get children adjusted to the harsh reali‐ ties of life than to take away their bit of Christmas ‘magic’. Why not start reintro‐ ducing a sense of competition in schools, competition they’ll face soon enough in business and job applications?

Nora Johnson’s opinions

FATHER CHRISTMAS: Parents have been told to stop pretending he is real.

Nora Johnson’s psychological crime thrillers ‘The Sentinel’, ‘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 on‐ line as eBook (€0.99; £0.99), Apple Books, paperback and audiobook.

I’m reminded here of recent reports When my friend’s daughter was at pri‐ that political correctness is crippling mary school, she never painted a fire‐ British culture with Christmas itself at works picture in November, made Hal‐ risk. Christmas trees have already been loween lanterns or took in contributions renamed ‘festive trees’, Christmas ‘the for Harvest Festival. All things I did at winter holidays’ and a Bournemouth school. Oh, but she did act in a nativity To read more articles from our columnists church called St Michael’s now calls itself play. However, gone are the days of get‐ and to have your say in the comments go St Mike’s to attract younger generations ting the part of third camel, apprentice to www.euroweeklynews.com to festive services. angel or inn keeper’s dog. Nowadays ev‐ are her own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.

Volcano update, migrants landing and Covid LETTER FROM

CANARIES DEAR reader, December’s missive will try to cover other Canarian news than La Palma’s volcano. Reporting for USA and Eire radio and EWN from there, it’s been difficult to forget how dreadful it is. Feeling earth tremors here when at home, 167 kms away on La Gomera, doesn’t help either.

A TV newsflash gets forgotten: an‐ other disaster, amongst the many.

Being there, senses affected, talk‐ ing to stressed and depleted is‐ landers, going inside devasted exclu‐ sion zones and witnessing this natural disaster, has longer term ef‐ fects than the sore eyes and sketchy breathing I’ve come back with each time and I don’t live there, have lost nothing.

Some 20 psychologists from the Grupo de Intervención Psicológica en Emergencias y Catástrofes are there.

More arrive soon. Their brief is pro‐

Volcano continues to cause damage.

viding ‘emotional ventilation’ for a tough community, whose jokes and apparent insouciance mask increas‐ ing stress.

Over 7,000 people are evacuated.

Lots have lost everything. Recent predictions that, far from stopping, this eruption will be the longest on record since Tehuya lasted for 84 days in 1585, provide little comfort.

As I write, new volcanic mouths and lava flows cause further damage and evacuation.

Sailing into this, incredibly, are in‐

creasing numbers of mostly sub‐Saharan Africans, flee‐ ing their own disaster. Use of the so‐ called Canarian Route to Europe brought 9,255 migrants to our coasts between January and August, some 135 per cent more than last year.

Politics exacerbates the situation.

Relations between Spain and Moroc‐ co are still precarious, although both Spain’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Jose Albares, and his Moroccan counter‐

part, Nasser Bourita, are supposedly ‘working towards a new spirit of un‐ derstanding’. Bourita’s failure to at‐ tend a Barcelona meeting with Al‐ bares on 29/11 indicates otherwise.

Meanwhile, the unchecked role of Moroccans continues in organising and charging €3,000‐€6,000 a head for the privilege of boarding small boats to come here. Last year 1,851 migrants paid, on‐ ly to die in the attempt.

Many of them were children and babies.

Deaths will be higher this year.

As for Covid, well... everything was good on the islands for a few months, with few cases and no deaths. Covid‐free and with restric‐ tions lifted, we nevertheless exer‐ cised caution.

It’s all different now. Record num‐ bers of foreign tourists arrived to en‐ joy October and November here, many of them German.

Germany’s dramatic rise in cases, with more vaccinations, has pro‐

duced a 67 per cent vaccinated pop‐ ulation. According to German Im‐ munology Society President, Dr Christine Falk: “This is insufficient and, together with lack of contact restric‐ tions, allows the virus to spread al‐ most exclusively among the unvacci‐ nated.” Are stories of false test and vaccination certificates available there true?

Cruise ship Vasco de Gama’s 1,000 passengers strolled unmasked into local bars and shops recently, causing concern, despite ‘all passengers are vaccinated’ assurances.

Surprise! An ill, unvaccinated pas‐ senger had Covid. Passengers were quarantined, too late for all of us who live here of course.

It seems that Tourism = Covid.

So, what do you think? Do we sell our safety or get serious?

Merry Christmas everyone.

Barbara Belt. barbarabelt@gmail.com

Barbara Belt’s opinions are her own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.

To read more articles from our columnists and to have your say in the comments go to www.euroweeklynews.com

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.

RESCUED CATS Two four-month-old kittens were left at the bins in a box with a scrappy note saying ‘Sorry can’t take to UK’. They were so very lucky to have been found by a caring lady who decided to take them to Maz’s Canine Rescue shop (Almeria) which isn’t geared up for receiving poorly animals. However they were taken to Maz’s home and she took them in, even though the house is bursting at the seams.

Named Dasher and Dancer as it’s Christmas they were taken to the vet as they were quite poorly. Their eyes were closed with weepy eye syndrome, a dreadful case of worms, mites etc… thankfully have been given treatment and are improving.

The point is how sad is it that people can do this… it is left to the generosity of good-hearted people to stump up for the costs incurred… there is literally no room at the inn… as it’s the festive season… are there any of your readers that could possibly help out the Reindeer Kittens… I was really hoping that this might be newsworthy and that you could make a feature out of this very sad story … yours sincerely…

Pam

Anyone else?

Please can you highlight the lack of urgency in administering booster vaccinations at OCMC, residents are having to queue for up to two hours to book an appointment for a booster and are currently being given dates for April 2022. This means some re-

WOMEN’S SPORTS: Have they been left out in the cold?

Lucy Francesca REINDEER KITTENS: Dasher and Dancer are looking for a new home.

sidents will have waited 12 months between their second vaccination and their booster.

We in Orihuela Costa feel like we are being forgotten about and being pushed to the back of a very long queue for services.

The health service has deteriorated so much over the years which is mostly due to the constant building of new properties along the coast without the infrastructure in place to co-

THANK YOU TO ALL THIS is the last edition of Euro Weekly News before Christmas and we would like to take the opportunity to thank all of our wonderful readers and advertisers for their support during the pandemic.

We know how hard it has been for everyone, especially as whenever we appear to be climbing out of the problem, something new appears and Omicron is the latest problem to be tackled.

Despite the fact that so many advertisers had to temporarily withdraw their adverts at the height of

CORRECTIONS

From our Facebook

pe.

Slowly but surely Orihuela Costa is being starved of money and services.

Yours hopefully Jane

Peter John Colin Why - don’t even get enough spectators at the moment, when it becomes more popular then yes ok.

Sheree Ruiz

Beware!

A warning to anyone buying and eating Turron this Christmas. Anyone know a good dentist?

Freddie

OUR VIEW

the pandemic and the lockdown, we have continued to issue Euro Weekly News every week without fail, albeit with a reduced number of pages.

In addition, we have continued to populate our website with local and international stories and kept readers alert to both major breaking news and a number of heartwarming stories closer to home and have never asked a single reader to contribute to keep us going.

Readers will have noticed that

Yes of course they should! The women’s teams do so much better than the men’s and the women are hard as nails when it comes down to sports. We go hard or go home and we take injuries and tackles! We don’t just fall on the floor and fake it.

the size of the papers has been growing on a regular basis and that is thanks to the fact that so many advertisers have either returned or started advertising for the first time and we wish them every success with their diverse businesses despite the constant problems.

It remains only to wish everyone who reads EWN either in paper form or online (as we have so many overseas readers) all the very best to you and your loved ones in 2022 and to hope that it will be a better year for us all.

To command a prime time slot it has to draw the sponsors’ money, and get the viewing numbers/ratings, so advertisers will buy advertising slots. There are many sports, both men’s and women’s that for purely commercial reasons never make it to prime time viewing or make it into the exclusive sports channels.

Dawn Giddings They simply won’t get the viewing figures!

James Golt Only if they take their tops off when they score.

Joe Pritchard Nah, and while we’re on about it, hoy them off commentating as well.

Janet Murray Yes, it’s time you show women’s footie on prime TV, we have been left out in the cold long enough.

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

23 - 29 December 2021 • www.euroweeklynews.com

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IF you are planning a trip later this year you still need to plan early for pet and house‐sitters.

Perhaps you are already mak‐ ing plans for a staycation get away. Even if you are planning just a short trip, you’ll know that you simply can’t travel with some pets. Young pets in particular may benefit from staying behind so they can fol‐ low their routines at home. So, plan ahead.

Take a moment to plan ahead for pet and house‐sit‐ ters, if you have trips planned later this year.

Now is the time to get ready.

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HouseSitMatch can help you find suitable sitters. Join our network for a small annual fee.

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Our chatty feathered friends PERHAPS not the best choice for anyone with a feline prowl‐ ing the house, a bird can be a fantastic, life‐long companion.

With their cheerful and inquisitive na‐ tures, many people don’t realise how much a bird can add to the home. They are incredibly social animals, often com‐ pared to human tod‐ dlers in terms of their big personali‐ ties.

The most popular feathered pet is the common parakeet, or budgie, and it makes a wonderful compan‐ ion for anyone new to keeping birds.

They are gentle, docile, and quieter than other parrots, b u t c a n l e a r n t o m i m‐ ic speech.

The budgie is also budget friendly, their diets extending to fresh fruits and veg‐

etables. Their smaller size also makes them a little easier to clean up after than their larger cousins.

For those that don’t mind a noisier home environment, a

curious Cockatiel is ideal.

Caring for a bird is a life‐long responsi‐ bility, with average life expectancies spanning from 10 to 20 years.

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SPORT AN emergency meeting was called on Monday December 20, among the executives of all 20 English Premier League clubs. It was held in order to decide whether to continue playing football matches, in view of the recent upsurge in Covid cases that has seen sev‐ eral games postponed.

As a result, it was voted by a majority decision to contin‐ ue playing the scheduled matches after Christmas. Al‐

32

23 - 29 December 2021

to read more visit www.euroweeklynews.com

Football to continue though it may yet be decided to play the matches behind closed doors once again, as a precautionary health mea‐ sure.

Included in the meeting were discussions to cancel this season’s fixtures completely, but this was reportedly voted

against unanimously. Liver‐ pool had also suggested rescheduling blocks of fix‐ tures. While this proposal gathered the support of some clubs, it was eventually voted down, due to the complexi‐ ties involved.

Cancelling the full season

Raducanu wins SPOTY EMMA RADUCANU’S sen‐ sational win at the US Open catapulted her to fame and also landed her the 2021 BBC sports personality of the year award ahead of many strong candidates.

The highly publicised straight sets win in New York, made her one of the most marketable names in the sport. It came after she fought back following her withdrawal with Wimble‐ don due to illness.

Radacanu (19) was un‐ able to attend the BBC cer‐

Emma receiving her award.

emony after a positive Covid‐19 test and instead received a replica of the trophy in Abu Dhabi where she is in self‐isolation.

Olympic diver Tom Daley came second, with swim‐ ming star Adam Peaty in third.

Clearly overjoyed she said it was “such an honour just to be among these nominees.

“Thanks to all the fans and voters, this year has been insane,” she added.

“The energy this year play‐ ing at Wimbledon in front of my home crowd was something I’ve never felt before.”

The young star entered the US Open as a qualifier and became Britain’s first female Grand Slam winner since 1977.

would bring huge financial complications due to the new deal brokered with Amazon Prime Video. The quarter‐fi‐ nals of the League Cup are be‐ ing played midweek, and then the next scheduled Pre‐ mier League matches are not until December 26 and 27.

The meeting was held on the same day a report was re‐ leased claiming that 16 per cent of Premiership players are unvaccinated, meaning they have not had even the first jab.

Meanwhile, 92 per cent of players and staff have had ei‐ ther two, or three doses al‐ ready.

This pales in comparison to clubs in Europe, where it is re‐ ported that in Italy, 98 per cent of all Serie club players and staff have been fully vac‐ cinated.

In Germany’s Bundesliga, it is a similar situation, with 94 per cent fully jabbed, as re‐ ported.

Lewis Hamilton knighted F1 legend Sir Lewis Hamilton finally received his knight‐ hood. His sporting achievements were recognised at Windsor Castle on Wednesday December 15.

The knighthood, given by the Prince of Wales, comes just three days after he controversially missed out on a record eighth world title to Max Verstappen.

Hamilton, 36, was given the knighthood in the 2020 New Year Honours list and was also awarded an MBE in 2008 following his first championship win.

Having claimed a further six world championships and a record 103 race wins since, he becomes the fourth F1 driver to be knighted, after Jack Brabham, Stir‐ ling Moss and Jackie Stewart.

He not only leads by example on the track, but also uses his platform to raise aware‐ ness for equal rights, anti‐racism, and environmental causes.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff praised his driver saying: “Lewis is one of the very greatest racing drivers of all time and the most successful British sportsper‐ son of his era.

“The UK can be very proud to have a cham‐ pion and ambassador of the calibre of Sir Lewis Hamilton.”

Sir Lewis Hamilton.