In Brief

Valeriano Allés out of European Cup
Despite beating their European Cup opponents 3-1 in the return match on home ground on Wednesday, Valeriano Allés are out of the competition, the fact that their rivals, Estrella Roja, won one set being enough to put the Serbian team through to the next round (the Menorcan volleyball team having failed to win a set in the first leg).However the team fared better in their league match in Murcia on Saturday, beating their opponents CAV Murcia 0-3 and retaining their third place in the Spanish Superliga. Their next league game will be away to the Universidad de Burgos on Saturday.New look for the Menorca's web site
The Feast of Sant Antoni on Sunday marked the inauguration of the new look for the "Menorca" newspaper's digital version, Menorca.info. The new design is clearer and less cluttered and information will be constantly updated throughout the day (or once a week in the case of the English Pages which can be found on the grey tool bar under the Menorca.info banner on the home page). The main items from the paper version are included together with a search engine for past articles.
The paper first introduced an on-line version in February 2002, since when it has grown in popularity, receiving nearly one million visits in 2009 from 154 countries, including the U.K.

Stash of hashish found on Maó polígono
Four people have been arrested and almost 2.5 tons of hashish seized as a result of a police anti-drugs operation carried out on Maó industrial estate last Friday. The drugs were destined mainly for Barcelona but also other northern European cities.

The investigation started on the Spanish mainland and ended in a rented warehouse in Calle Binimaimut on the Maó industrial estate where 2,400 kgs. of hashish were discovered.
It is assumed that the drugs arrived on the island by sea from North Africa and that they would be divided into smaller packages before being sent to Barcelona and then on to other European cities, particularly in the Netherlands. This modus operandi became apparent a few days earlier when a lorry carrying 1,700 kgs. of the drug was intercepted in the port of Barcelona.
No details have yet been released regarding the identity of the four people arrested but none of them were resident in Menorca, their only connection to the island believed to be the trafficking of drugs.

First prize in National Lottery comes to Maó
Fittingly enough, the National Lottery drawn on Saturday, the feast day of Sant Antoni patron saint of Menorca, saw the first prize come to the island.
The lottery shop in Calle Bonaire in Maó was one of four to sell the winning number, the others being in Ripoll (Girona), Martos (Jaén), and Málaga. Each "décimo" bought in the number 13,604 brought its lucky owner the sum of 100,000 euros.
Strangely enough, the same lottery shop sold tickets which won third prize in "El Niño" draw on 6th January, the holder of each "décimo" being rewarded with 1,400 euros.

Charity appeals for earthquake victims
With the death toll from the earthquake in Haiti rising by the day, there have been more appeals from local charities for funds to help the victims.
The Catholic organisation Càritas Diocesana de Menorca has opened various bank accounts for donations: Sa Nostra 2051.0035.61.1008196820; La Caixa 2100.0055.51.0103680278; and Caixa Colonya 2056.0012.23.4218000482.
Caja Mediterráneo (CAM) has also opened a current account, 2090.0001.78.0042422570, to raise much-needed funds for the disaster-torn area.