PERMIT REVOKED
The councillor for urban planning at the Town Hall of San Jose, Josep Antoni Prats, has put a stop to the biggest construction site within the municipality, if just for the moment. The Mirador de Cala Tarida is a project which plans to build 186 town houses in the area, with a total of ten swimming pools. The project was granted a licence in 2003, but is currently working according to a changed plan, which was supposedly given the green light by the previous PP-run Town Hall in 2006.
However, Prats claims the plans are not being carried out in compliance to the 2003 licence, and revealed he believed the 2006 modifications had not been properly authorised by the previous administration. He said the 2006 licence does not comply with PTI legislation, which tightened up building regulations in 2004.
This led the councillor to order an immediate stop to the construction, although, as all the parties involved have not yet been contacted, work continues for the moment. He added that the promoters of the urbanisation, Madrid based company Telisa Central, now have two months in which to present additional papers which back up the change to the project.
The construction is taking place in various stages with stage one, which will see the first fifty houses built, currently underway. Just two houses have so far been completed, although it was revealed 23 had been put on sale for a price in excess of 300,000.
The urbanisation marked a significant de-forestation in the area and was heavily criticised by neighbours in the area, when it got the go-ahead.
The news came just a day after the Supreme Court of Justice within the Balearics upheld the decision made by the previous administration at the Town Hall to stop the work on an urbanisation in Cala Moli. The promoters were in the process of building 12 apartments, 16 studios, two houses and a total of 15 swimming pools when the work was stopped.
The environmentalist group, GEN, claimed part of the urbanisation encroached on land which had been declared a protected area under legislation brought out in 1991. When the Town Hall was made aware of this error to the licence issued in 2002, it immediately stopped the work. The promoters of the project took court action and won the first round. However, this latest decision by the Supreme Court will ensure no further work takes place. What still needs to be resolved is if any compensation will need to be paid to the promoters, as they claim they were working from a licence which had been legally issued by the Town Hall. They made a claim for compensation back in 2005 which is still to be settled.

AROUND THE ISLAND

Purifier Improvements
The ministry for the environment at the Govern Balear is to spend a total of 23.7 million during 2008 on rebuilding and improving several of the islands water purifiers. The most controversial is the one in Ibiza Town, which is still some way from being approved. The Consell and the Town Hall have both agreed a new purifier is needed for the capital. However, neither has yet been able to find a suitable location for the new installation. Sa Coma is the preferred choice of both parties, but for that to come off they will need permission from the Ministry of Defence who own some of the neighbouring land. The solution, in the meantime, will involve spending between 3-5 million during 2008 on improving the existing facility within the capital.
Other areas set to benefit this year will include Cala Tarida, where the existing purifier, according to neighbours, has been responsible for the yellow slick which has appeared annually for the last five years. 3.9 million will be spent building a new purifier in the area. This water purifier controversially got the nod ahead of the facility in Santa Eulalie, which will have to wait another year in order to be replaced.
The most costly will be the remodelling work set to take place on the purifier in Playa den Bossa, which is set to cost a whopping 7.6 million. This is closely followed by the 6.6 million which is going to be spent on improvements to the facility in San Antonio, also due to take place this year.

More Promises
Lawyer, Sofia Hernanz, has promised to keep up the good work of her predecessor after taking up the role as the Spanish Governments Island representative. She was sworn into the post on Wednesday in front of the Governments delegate to the Balearics, Ramon Socias, and her predecessor, Jose Manuel Bar. Her role includes anything to do with the National Government, which includes heading up all of the police forces on the island.
In her first speech since taking the job she promised to ensure that residents continued to feel safe on the island. She said she understood the importance of security during the summer months, but added she wanted a similar security all-year around. She also promised to ensure the new Guardia Civil headquarters in Can Sifre were inaugurated as soon as possible.
Hernanz added, it was an honour and privilege to be given the post and she would do her utmost to ensure there was an open and responsible dialogue between all the Town Halls and her office. She also claimed she was looking forward to working together with the major clubs on the island, to try and tighten security even further, and fight the increasing drug problem on the island.

Strike Halted
After a three hour meeting between all of the groups involved, the taxi strike planned for Saturday was called off at the last minute, as progress was finally made. The meeting which took place at the Consell Insular ended with both the Transport Minister, Albert Prats, and the president of the Taxi Association, Jose Serafin, admitting some progress had been made. Neither party wanted to discuss the latest developments, preferring to wait until after a second meeting which is due to take place this week. However, it is believed concessions have been made on both sides, and the mere fact they were both in a meeting for three hours shows progress is clearly being made.
The problem revolves around the 135 temporary licences which the transport minister wants to hand out this summer. Prats believes they should be handed out equally between those who currently own licences, and those currently working on salary, some of whom have been working many years in the trade. However, the licence owners believe they should have the right to all of the new licences, and in the latest twist, the salary-earners are also now claiming they should be granted all of the licences.
A representative of the workers on salary was also at the meeting, and explained there was a great deal of tension between the drivers. He claimed some of the drivers working on salaries had been coerced into joining the strike action after receiving threats they would be sacked if they did not support it. He said he commended Prats for the stance he was taking, and agreed it was the only fair way of distributing the licences.

Radar Help
The coastal waters off Ibiza were made slightly safer last week, after a mobile radar unit arrived from the mainland. The machine is able to detect vessels of around ten metres from 30 nautical miles. The moves followed talks last year that a permanent contraption would be built on the island within a year. However, the arrival of a boat laden with immigrants from Algeria has forced the Govern to bring in the mobile unit to ensure instant control. There are two similar machines in Majorca, which have both been in operation for the last six months. It is hoped the apparatus can also be used in the fight against drug smuggling.
Meanwhile the last of the remaining immigrants was taken to Valencia on Thursday. Of the three that were left after last weekend, two were taken to the mainland on Monday while the last remaining immigrant remained in hospital. However, he was discharged from hospital on Wednesday and was taken to Valencia the following day. It is still not clear if they will be a taken back to their country of origin.

Brits Remain Loyal
Despite being among the most numerous of the foreign populations within the Balearics, the British are one of the least likely groups to seek Spanish nationalisation according to new statistics. During 2007 a total of 2,887 non-Spanish residents managed to secure Spanish citizenship. The converts were headed by those from Ecuador (809), with Columbians (632) and Argentines (398) in second and third place respectively. Of this total just eleven people were British. In total there were 78 countries represented.
In Ibiza, 286 foreigners managed to gain citizenship, with just one Britain deciding to give up his allegiance to the Queen.
Citizenship can be applied for after you have been a resident in Spain for between two and ten years (depending on the circumstances under which you got your residency). Once your application is approved, you swear allegiance to the King and to the Spanish Constitution. The public body in charge of citizenship is the Ministerio de Justicia; and anyone interested can apply at the Registro Civil. However, the advantages are few and although you will obtain a Spanish passport, you will have to renounce your British passport unless you are from Latin America, Portugal, Philippines, Ecuatorial Guinea, Andorra, or bizarrely a Sephardic Jew.

Construction Decline
The president of the construction side of Pimeef (the association for small and medium-sized businesses), Juan Andres Roig, remained uncertain about the long-term future of the industry on the island. He claimed the immediate scenario was positive and the workload remained steady. However he continued, saying within the next six months business would slow down significantly and the market would go into a period of stabilisation. He revealed the number of projects being drawn up had dropped considerably, and that this would start to take effect when the current workload had been finished.
His opinions were backed up by the president of the College of Architects and Surveyors, Vicente Joan Serra, who said the market was slowly grinding to a standstill. He put the blame very firmly on the banking sector, saying they were now being very cautious about who they were lending money to, and obtaining a mortgage had become far more difficult. He said homebuyers were thinking far more before making a purchase and were very much more price orientated. However, he claimed Ibiza and Formentera were special cases, and the problems being faced in many areas of the mainland would not occur here due to the limited space available for housing.
Their warnings were backed up by statistics produced later in the week, which showed the construction of houses on the island had fallen by 19 per cent from the previous year. Considering the figures for last year were up 5.2 per cent, this is the first year-on-year fall for 13 years.
In response to the crisis the president of the Govern Balear, Francesc Antich, has ordered public investment due to take place over the next few years to be hurried through, in an attempt to support the industry.

Average Year
2007 was officially the 16th warmest year since records first started back in 1970. However, at an average temperature of 15o, 2007 bucked the trend of recent years and officially became the coldest since 1996. However a spokesman for the Meteorological Department said it was too early to talk about significant climate change and that 2007 had been, on the whole, quite average.

Winter Investment
On Wednesday the Govern Balear announced they would be investing 300,000 to try and enhance the image of Ibiza during the winter months. Most of the money will be spent on organising activities to try and encourage more winter tourism. They will also be publishing a monthly guide to what is going on during the off-season. Activities organised will include musical concerts, excursions and exhibitions. Although nothing has yet been planned, the director general of the promotion of tourism at the Govern, Joan Sastre, said he hoped the first activities would begin in March.

IBIZA TOWN

Capital Condemnation
A damning report has been unveiled showing the complete inadequacy of the capital for residents or visitors with any type of physical handicap. The report was published shortly after the Town Hall of Ibiza produced a pamphlet unveiling the places which were most adequate for physically handicapped visitors. The brochure admits there is no hotel within the capital which is completely adaptable to all types of disability. None were therefore granted accessible status. The closest any hotel came was being recognised as practicable, meaning access was available but physically handicapped guests would need some type of help somewhere in the hotel.
The president of the Hotel Federation, Roberto Hortensius, claimed he was surprised by the results, and added that most hotels which had undergone recent reforms had been forced to adapt their establishments to disabled guests. He claimed that while there would be a high majority that ensured accessibility for wheelchair users, including specially adapted rooms, most would not cater for the blind or the deaf. There are just two restaurants within the whole of the capital that have their menus available in braile.
Public places do not rate much better with very few allowing complete autonomous access. The Museum of Contemporary Art, the Archaeological Museum and the Diocesno Museum all have restricted access. It is only parts of Can Botino, the Maina Yabisa Performance Centre and the two cinemas within the capital that are totally adapted to the visits of the physically handicapped.
The administration in the capital have taken the subject far more seriously ever since a report was released towards the end of 2006 which completely condemned the state of Ibiza Town in relation to those with physically handicaps. The stinging report was seized upon by opposition parties, forcing the current administration to act in order to reduce the barriers which those with mental handicaps encounter everyday.
The help-guide produced by the Town Hall is available in Catalan, Spanish, English and German and can be picked up from any one of the tourist information kiosks throughout the capital.

High Price
The various proprietors who own the area at the entrance to Ibiza Town known as ses Feixes are to ask the Govern Balear for compensation in excess of 68 million, it was announced on Monday. The 25,000 square metre piece of land is split into 13 different sections, owned by a variety of people. They have decided to stand together and fight a decision made by the Govern last month which will ensure the area cannot be used for construction of any kind.
Ses Feixes is at the entrance to the capital and runs from the round-about close to Pacha down towards the urban centre. The land was a highly sort after area before the new legislation was announced, and was seen as the next area of growth for the expanding capital. This ensured experts working for the disgruntled land-owners valued the land at 2,700 per square metre.
The area had previously been protected by legislation as an area of cultural interest. This legislation was annulled two years ago. Immediately, several land-owners tried to gain building permission, but all their requests were denied by the Town Hall.
The Environment Ministry had initially spoken of its willingness to buy the land; however nothing more has been said on the subject and it seems the high price tag slapped on the land by the owners will deter any further approaches.

SAN ANTONIO

No Go!
On Tuesday the Govern Balear announced they would not, at the moment, be finishing off the second half of the promenade in San Antonio, despite the scheme already having been given the go-ahead. The project was first agreed back in 2002 but was not started until four years later. The total cost of the work was estimated at 7 million, which was to be paid by the Govern Balear.
The first part of the project, from ses Variades to Cala des Moro, got underway in 2006 and cost a total of 2.8 million. It was duly opened to the public in March 2007. Work on the second part, which was supposed to continue the promenade until Cala Gracio, was due to start this winter.
The councillor for town planning, Josefa Costa, said she had made enquiries earlier in the week as to why work had not already started, and was informed by officials at the Govern that the project would not be going ahead at the moment and the Town Hall would have to wait until there was more money available for such projects.
The mayor, Jose Sala, did not try to hide his anger at the decision, and promised he would make the necessary enquiries to ensure the money became available soon. However, his was not the only bad news for Sala, as it appears the Govern has also backed out of several other projects which it had promised to undertake, including a complete remodelling of the port area within the municipality.
For the moment there was no word from the Govern on the subject, but it appears finances are stretched and many projects may face the chop over the coming months.

Variades Plan
The mayor of San Antonio, Jose Sala, expressed his surprise last week at comments made by the minister, Miquel Ramon, about the intended building project in ses Variades. The mayor confirmed he had talked to senior officials at the Consell Insular who had given him their blessing for the project to go ahead without the need for any modifications to the original plan. This was in contrast to recent comments made by Ramon, which cast doubt over the venture.
The project was universally supported by both PP and PSOE party officials when it was first discussed. This, according to Sala, makes the PSOE´s sudden opposition to the project all the more baffling. The leader of the opposition, Laura Carrascosa, claimed her party were totally against the project and would fight to ensure it did not get the necessary licences.
The project signed last year by the mayor proposes the building of 469 apartments on the 90,000 square metre piece of land. The area, which is situated next to the Cervantes school, close to the fruit and veg market, has been a hot topic of debate for several years. The owners of the land made a deal with the Town Hall back in 1994 by which they gave the institution 10,000 m2 of land to build the primary school in exchange for building permission.

5-Star Irish
The mayor of San Antonio, Jose Sala, returned from the Irish Tourist Fair, Holiday World, on Saturday with a firm offer from an Irish company to build a 5-star hotel within the municipality. The company, LM Developments, is in the process of negotiating the purchase of the necessary land at the moment, land which will be appropriate for building which should enable them to get the necessary licence very easily. The mayor was worried the present blanket-ban on all new building would discourage the company, but they reasserted their interest to Sala at The Fair, and said they were prepared to wait until new building legislation is introduced by the Consell Insular.
The planned hotel will have 150 bedrooms and 70 suites and would be the first 5-star hotel within the municipality. Last year there were a total of 30,000 Irish visitors to the island, but that is set to soar this year after the low-cost airline, Air Lingus, announced they would be scheduling around three flights a week from Dublin to Ibiza. The flights are due to get underway in June. Spain is, at the moment, the second most popular holiday destination for the Irish after the United Kingdom.

SAN JOSE

No Stopping
On Wednesday the Consell Insular confirmed they saw the possibilities of halting the planned housing project in Cala Conta, as slim. The ses Roques Males project aims to build a total of 120 chalets in the area. The project was criticised by both neighbours and environmentalist groups when it first came to light. Even the minister at the Consell, Miquel Ramon, described the project as absurd. However he said there was very little they would be able to do to stop the licence being granted, as it is all being built in accordance to all of the current building legislation in the area. At most, he added, the Consell might be able to reduce the size of the project slightly.

SANTA EULALIA

Underground Rubbish
The Town Hall of Santa Eulalia announced on Monday it is to start to prepare the infrastructure to bury rubbish containers underground. Representatives said they would ensure any future housing projects were built with the facility for the underground containers. They also insisted they would change the present facilities whilst undergoing any public work. The example used was Santa Gertrudis, where the Town Hall has taken advantage of the work being done on the village square to install the underground system.
The municipality came under heavy criticism recently from the environment minister at the Consell Insular, Albert Prats, for having just 18 re-cycling containers when in fact it should have closer to 160. A spokesman for the administration claimed they would begin to install new containers around the municipality immediately and hoped, through an advertising campaign, to ensure more people used the facilities.

Holiday World
Both the mayor of Santa Eulalia, Vicent Mari, and the councillor for tourism, Carmen Ferrer, took a trip to Ireland last weekend to take part in the annual Holiday World exhibition. Many businesses in Santa Eulalia are regular visitors to the four-day fair in Dublin, and this year they were joined by members of the Town Hall who wanted to show their support.
Holiday World is a specialist show for private companies and public organizations whose activities are related to the holiday industry, caravanning, camping and associated services and activities.
The Town Hall issued a circular several weeks ago, encouraging hoteliers and other businesses to advertise as part of its stand. The response was described as very positive.
The mayor will take the chance to meet his counterpart, the mayor of Dublin, Paddy Bourke, whilst in the Irish capital.
The PP´s representative at the Consell, Pere Palau, also made the trip along with the mayor of San Antonio, Jose Sala.

FORMENTERA

Surgical Breakthrough
New ground was again broken in Formentera Hospital last week, as the first arthroscopic operation was carried out. The patient was a 31 year old male who underwent an operation on his menisci.
Arthroscopy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure in which the examination and sometimes treatment of the interior of a damaged joint is performed using an arthroscope, a type of endoscope that is inserted into the joint through a small incision. Arthroscopic procedures can be performed either to evaluate or to treat many orthopaedic conditions including torn cartilage, ACL reconstruction, and trimming damaged cartilage.
The advantage of arthroscopy over traditional, open surgery is that the joint does not have to be opened up fully. Instead, just two small incisions are made - one for the arthroscope and one for the surgical instruments. This reduces recovery time and may increase the rate of surgical success due to far less trauma being inflicted to the connective tissue. It is especially useful for professional athletes, who frequently injure knee joints, and require fast healing time. There is also less scarring, because of the smaller incisions.
The surgical instruments used are smaller than traditional instruments. Surgeons view the joint area on a video monitor, and can diagnose and repair torn joint tissue, such as ligaments and menisci.
The operation was carried out thanks to the incorporation in the surgical ranks of Miguel Pastor, a leading expert in the field. In the upcoming weeks 12 more similar operations are planned.

CRIME & INCIDENTS

First Fatality
Thursday saw the first death on the roads of Ibiza as an 18 year old Spanish teenager collided with a tree on a secondary road in Santa Eulalia. The accident occurred at just after 4p.m. as the car came racing down the road in Can Fornet, which links Santa Eulalia and Ibiza. Although police were still investigating the incident it appears the driver lost control of the vehicle, a Ford Focus which was just weeks old, probably due to high speeds, as he approached a bend in the road. The vehicle then appears to have done a somersault before finally colliding with a tree. The car was completely wrapped around the tree and fire services were needed to help emergency services gain access to the victim. The official speed limit on this road is just 30 kmph. It appears the driver was going considerably faster.
Neighbours alerted the emergency services who arrived in just eight minutes. However, they were unable to gain access to the driver due to its mangled state. The fire service was there just minutes later, but there was nothing either could do and the teenager was officially declared dead at the scene.
Neighbours in the area claimed they had been asking for sleeping policeman to be put on the road for several years, saying the road is constantly used by cars being driven at extremely high speeds.

NEWS FROM THE MAINLAND

Terror Arrests
Spanish authorities went on the attack once again as 14 Islamist radicals were arrested last weekend. The terrorists, believed to have links with Islamist militant groups, were arrested and detained by officers in Barcelona on Saturday. Although the identities of the suspects have not yet been revealed, the Spanish Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba, said 12 were Pakistani nationals and two Indian.
The arrests in Barcelona were prompted by information from several unspecified European intelligence agencies, with evidence pointing to a planned terrorist attack in the city.
The arrests come as the Spanish Government continues its search for those responsible for the Madrid terrorist attacks back in March 2004, which killed 191 people and injured 1,755. After 21 months of investigation, Judge Juan del Olmo ruled Moroccan national, Jamal Zougam, guilty of physically carrying out the attack, however the masterminds behind the strike are still to be brought to justice.

AVE Promise
The three day conference held last weekend between the Governments of Portugal and Spain ended with the Portuguese prime minister, Jose Socrates, promising his country´s section of the Lisbon-Madrid high speed train (AVE) would be finished, on time and according to the deadline, in 2013. The statement eased worries on the Spanish side that the Portuguese Government were about to pull out of the project, or at least not give it a high-priority on their national agenda. Zapatero assured sceptics the Spanish side of the venture would be finished by 2010, as planned. Economic problems have meant the delay in the Portuguese finishing their part at the same time.
Socrates also announced a change to national legislation which will allow Spanish citizens working in Portugal to drive cars with Spanish licence plates. This had previously been forbidden.
The delegations from both countries have also been discussing a number of other issues at the 21st summit between the two countries including education, innovation, forest fire prevention, illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and cooperation in case of a possible avian flu pandemic.

HEADLINE UK

Young Stars Death Shocks Hollywood
Australian movie star Heath Ledger was found dead in his home in Manhattan on Tuesday 22nd January. His body was discovered by his housekeeper and the cause of death is thought to be a drugs overdose. It has emerged that the 28-year-old star of the film Brokeback Mountain had trouble sleeping and had to take several sleeping pills at a time. In one of his last interviews, the Australian said he suffered from insomnia due to the stress of work. He confessed to taking one Ambien sleeping pill after another while filming the new Batman movie The Dark Knight. Mara Buxbaum, Ledger's publicist, said: "We are all deeply saddened and shocked by this accident." This is an extremely difficult time for his loved ones and we are asking the media to please respect the family's privacy and avoid speculation until the facts are known." Ledger's father Kim spoke of his family's grief and said the actor's death was accidental. "We, Heath's family, can confirm the very tragic, untimely and accidental passing of our dearly loved son, brother and doting father of Matilda," Mr Ledger said in Perth. "He was a down to earth, generous, kind hearted, life loving, unselfish individual, extremely inspirational to many." Tributes to the young actor were led by Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who said he was greatly saddened by Ledger's death. Fellow Australian Nicole Kidman said it was a "terrible tragedy" and sent her condolences to Ledger's family while Mel Gibson, who played Ledger's vengeful father in The Patriot, said: "I had such great hope for him: "He was just taking off and to lose his life at such a young age is a tragic loss." Ledger was last spotted publicly in London in January on the set of Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus. Most recently, he appeared as the singer Bob Dylan in I'm Not There and was due to appear as the Joker this year in The Dark Night, a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins. Before his relationship with Michelle Williams, with whom he had daughter Matilda, he also dated actresses Heather Graham and Naomi Watts. Police suggested the actor may have died from a drugs overdose, prescription drugs, including sleeping pills, were found in close proximity to the body.

Mother of Balcony Death Boy- Lost a Son for Nothing
The mother of the boy who died after being thrown from a fourth floor balcony in Greece says she has "lost a son for nothing" after her ex-husband, on trial for the murder of their six-year-old boy was cleared in a Greek court. John Hogan hurled Liam from the fourth floor room before jumping himself with his two-year-old daughter Mia. The court ruled that Hogan was incapable of deliberately killing Liam but he will receive psychiatric treatment in Athens while his eventual fate is decided.
The 33-year-old, from Bristol, had described himself as a "beautiful" father, and said he "felt no guilt" about the 50ft plunge from a Crete hotel balcony. His ex-wife Natasha, who was in court in Crete, condemned the judging panel's decision and said what Hogan had done was "unforgivable". The 35-year-old nurse, who now lives with her new husband Richard Visser in Newport, Gwent, said the trial had been an ordeal. She was rushed out of court in tears after the verdict was interpreted to her.
Mrs Hogan said: "This result, albeit somewhat unexpected, has left me feeling that Liam lost his young life for nothing. I accept that an act in a moment of complete madness was uncharacteristic of John but to have done this to our children was unforgivable. I know that we all miss Liam but it is Mia and I that are left to rebuild our lives without a loving, caring son and brother." Liam died of head injuries but Hogan and Mia survived with broken limbs following the plunge on August 15, 2006.
Clearing Hogan of murder and attempted murder after a two-day hearing, Paraskeri Kiraleou, the senior judge at the trial, said: "His responsibility was diminished. He was incapable of murdering his son and he needs to be in a psychiatric unit for therapy." Hogan, whose two brothers committed suicide, had earlier said he believed he had been forgiven by his son and by God for his actions. Sobbing, and slumped in his chair, he told the court: "I loved my mother, I loved my two sisters but I loved my wife and children more than anything. They meant the world to me." He said: "Whatever you do to me in this court, no one can do to me what I have already done to myself. The court had heard that Hogan's relationship with his wife had been breaking down and their attempt to salvage their marriage during the holiday had failed. On the night he plunged from the hotel balcony with their children, she had just started packing her bags. Hogan's psychiatrist said his actions were caused by an "earthquake" of psychosis. Mrs Hogan had previously described the plunge as "selfish love" because he knew she was leaving him.

Mystery of Internet Suicide Pact
Thirteen young people are suspected to have committed suicide in the Bridgend County in the last year, causing rumours to spread of an internet "suicide pact".
Seven of the dead came from the town of Bridgend itself and were on the Bebo social networking website. However, South Wales Police who are looking at links between the deaths stressed that there was no evidence of a suicide pact. "We are not reinvestigating the deaths but we are looking at any possible links between them," a spokesman said. "We have no evidence to suggest there is any link between the deaths at this time. Meanwhile, the parents of a girl who tried to hang herself said they did not believe her attempt is linked to the suicides. Tina Phillips says she does not know why her daughter Leah tried to kill herself. Although Leah's friend Natasha had recently killed herself, her mother said she had not appeared to be unduly affected. "When she first woke up and we told her why she was in intensive care, (she said) 'It wasn't me, I didn't do it,'" Mrs Phillips said. "That's all she remembers."
"She wasn't upset before she went out. You know, still her old self, laughing and joking ... The next thing ... she was in the ambulance." Mrs Phillips said Leah had already taken an overdose a couple of months before, so she did not think her actions were linked to other suicides in the town. Nor did she think it was part of an internet pact, as she had no access to the internet at home, only at school and friends' house.

Two Killed In Tragic Helicopter Crash
Two people were killed after a helicopter crashed in the grounds of a luxury hotel near Harrogate on 26th January. The aircraft came down in the grounds of Rudding Park Golf Club, about a mile from the hotel. Emergency services were called to the site about 4.30pm. Police inspector Tad Nowakowski said a middle-aged man and woman were pronounced dead at the scene. He said that the helicopter was in the middle of a small wood, had caused damage to branches and was quite badly damaged. He added: "We understand they had just left Rudding Park Hotel. The two people are from the West Yorkshire area, the helicopter is a private helicopter. "My thoughts and prayers are with their family and friends. North Yorkshire Fire Services said three pumpers and a rescue unit attended the incident with cutting equipment.

The Mini Thieves Who Could Be Travelling With Your Luggage
Gangs of criminals are hiding dwarves in sports bags and smuggling them onto buses to steal luggage. The vertically challenged thieves are placed in the luggage hold where they are free to rummage through personal belongings. Travellers in Sweden are now being advised not to leave valuables in their bags. Among the bus companies to be hit is Swebus, which operates services across the country. A spokeswoman for the firm said: "It is very possible that a small person is being placed in a bag in order to search through the other bags. We are taking extra security measures and are thinking of installing video surveillance cameras." Police have received similar reports from other parts of the country. As well as dwarves, children are allegedly being used in the scam.

FINANCIAL NEWS

Market Rollercoaster
The see-sawing of world markets continued last week after fears the United States was slowly slipping into an economic recession. The week began disconcertingly as the leading stock markets across Europe and Asia plunged on fears that President Bush's emergency economic stimulus plan would fail to ward off recession.
Financial markets in the USA were closed for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, so most of the losses came on speculation about the spill-over effect a US recession would cause. Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei was the first to be hit falling 4.4 per cent to a two-year low. The FTSE-100 was also heavily affected slumping 5.5 per cent to 5,578.20, France's CAC-40 Index tumbled 6.8 per cent to 4,744.15, and Germany's blue-chip DAX 30 plunged 7.2 per cent to 6,790.19.
Investors began dumping shares due to scepticism that an economic plan by American President, George Bush, announced on Friday would shore up the economy that has been battered by problems in its housing and credit markets. Bush told lawmakers on Thursday he wants tax rebates for families and businesses in a rescue plan that could total $150 billion.
However, the doom did not seem to last for too long and most of the markets around the world recovered at least some of their losses the following day, encouraged by the biggest rate cut for 25 years from the US Federal Reserve, which they hoped would stoke up growth and bolster markets.
However, the fear returned on Wednesday with the FTSE-100 down 2.2 per cent, wiping away all the gains made on Tuesday. Shares suffered after the European Central Bank hinted it would not follow the Fed by slashing rates, to which analysts added the Bank of England was also unlikely to accelerate rate cuts.
However, Thursday again brought positive results and by Friday Londons leading companies continued to drive a stock market recovery after better economic news from the US lifted global exchanges. A 4.8 per cent gain on Thursday was followed by a 1.4 per cent increase the following day, and remarkably the London Market was one of many to finish up on a week which had started so alarmingly.
The Spanish Ibex-35, again down at the beginning of the week, recorded its third highest single day rise in history on Thursday, encouraged by the recovery in the world market. It rose by 6.95 per cent on the news that recession in the States may be averted.

SPORTS

Storm in a T.Cup
Sir Clive Woodward had an acronym which he used during his management of the England Rugby team during their World Cup campaign of 2003. His acronym for Thinking Clearly Under Pressure (TCUP) helped players focus on making the right decisions at the right time. It worked!
In fairness to all rugby players and sportsmen they process huge amounts of information every nano second of every game and have instincts and training to develop their ability to make choices. Last Saturday in Palma was no exception when Ibiza played against their main rivals Bahia for the Balearic title. It was a great occasion and the tension was palpable before and during the game. A slightly nervous start from Ibiza saw Bahia break two or three tackles and set up an early territorial advantage on Ibizas´ 22 metre line. The next play resulted in a penalty being awarded to Bahia in front of the posts it was duly converted with ease giving Bahia an early 3- 0 lead.
This moment seemed to be the stimulus Ibiza needed. They played sublime controlled rugby for next 15 mins taking the ball up the pitch deep into Bahia territory through controlled phases of rucking, mauling, scrummage and lineout, all of which created good early ball for their back line to use and gain solid ground. Ibiza held their shape and nerve, controlling the game. Bahia could only defend by committing a penalty which was converted beautifully by Danni Brunner 3- 3. Less than two mins later another penalty gave Ibiza the opportunity to take the lead, but they failed to convert. Ibiza hustled and scrapped for every once of possession and won a lineout on the Bahia 5 meter line. They lost the lineout and it culminated in a mid field scrum, a crooked feed from scrum half Alex Berisso gave Bahia a free kick, they took it quickly and challenged Ibizas´ line for the next 13 minutes.
The defensive resolve and organisation of Ibiza was magnificent. A series of 7 penalties allowed Bahia the opportunity to attack Ibizas´ line, they did so with great courage refusing to take an easy three points and opting to run on all 7 attempts. It was a clear statement of their intent to attack and win this game. Ibizas´ defence held with some valiant work from Captain Sebastian Tonga Brito, Nacho Sparrano, Ille Vacar and Valentine Venteo absorbing big hit after big hit and sending Bahia backwards. Indeed the whole organised unit held out wave after wave of attack. The outcome resulted in Bahia finally opting to take the three points and kick for goal.
This was a psychological victory for Ibiza. From here Ibiza stepped up the pressure. They challenged their opponents´ lineout and made it difficult for them to win ball. They scrummaged with a fierce intensity and sent the Bahia scrum hurtling backwards with scrappy ball, taking two against the head. Exceptional work by all eight in Ibizas´ pack created clean ball for the back line who used it wisely and managed to get behind Bahias defense through straight running and intelligent kicking. The pressure started to show in Bahias defence and a 5 metre scrum to Ibiza blasted their opponents backwards with Valintine Venteo bursting from the number 8 position and with all his power driving over the line for a magnificent try. Venteos name would appear on the team sheet but this was a fabulous team effort to gain field position and take the score. It was not converted 6 - 10 to Ibiza, which remained when both teams closed the half. Psychologically Ibiza were dominant and in control.
Bahia had it all to play for at this stage. The stakes were high. Only a major miracle could take away the league title if Bahia won this game and Ibiza had to win to stay in the race. If ever Ibiza needed TCUP it was now. Many players showed deep resolve (and TCUP). Alexis Cabria Uru destroyed his opposite number in the scrum and his open play in support was busy and workmanlike. The energetic, abrasive Nacho Sparanno probed and disrupted. Dan Darvey defended the ten channel courageously, also releasing his three quarters through the first 20 mins of the second half. With just 20 mins remaining an edgy Ibiza broke their discipline and allowed their opponents to get to them. One of Ibizas´ three quarters struck an opponent off the ball while the scrum was being set. Fortunately, the referee did not see the incident or it would have resulted in a red card and Ibiza playing with 14 men for the remainder of the game. It did however appear to act as a catalyst to unsettle the rest of team and within seconds Bahia were awarded a penalty which they took quickly and scored a well worked try wide on the left wing. They did not convert 11 - 10 Bahia. Ibiza battled but were losing their shape with both three quarters being drawn into mauls and rucks.
Play ebbed and flowed but the balance of control was slipping away from Ibiza. With five minutes to pay Ibiza were awarded a penalty in front of the post. This was a gift they deserved and would, if converted, put Bahia on the the back foot. If ever there was a time for TCUP it was now. Step up No.12 who, without consultation with his captain and with no support in place from the rest of his team-mates, decided to take a quick tap penalty. He took his eye off the ball for one second and fumbled resulting in a scrum to Bahia. It was a moment of selfish madness.
Ibiza should have walked away with three easy points and 11 - 13 in front with all the pressure on Bahia. Instead they lost the scrum and could not pull back from this position. Bahia must have thought the gods of rugby had handed them the biggest get out of jail card imaginable, their relief filled the air and they played with renewed vigour for the last five minutes.
In this one moment Ibiza lost the game and their title hopes for another season were just a storm in a tea cup!
In the meantime I pay tribute to all those team players who gave all of their honest endeavour and played throughout this game thinking clearly under pressure and maybe we should adopt a new team idiom based on the second law of Yorkshire communism..."Take all thou's given, always ask for more and never give nowt in return"

El Blackos

The San Antonio Tennis Tournament.

On a bright and sunny Sunday morning at the Sun Active Tennis club we witnessed the young, Cristian van Diemen win two Finals. The first was the Mens Singles against Daniel Mandler which Cristian won 6/2 6/1. And the second was the Mens Doubles where he partnered Marco Costa to beat Fernando Gomez and Jose Carlos Prats 6/1 6/3.
The other final on the day was for The Plate (1st Round losers) which was won by Toni Costa beating Juan Carlos Esteve 6/3 6/4.
Juan Linde Parra from the sports council came along to present the Trophies in front of a good crowd of tennis fans and some very proud parents.
All in all a very exciting weekend for the Van Diemen family. Apart from the two titles in the San Antonio tournament, Cristian won the Championship of Ibiza &
Formentera Cadets (ages 13-16) on Saturday. To win the title, Cristian (15
years of age and seeded 4) had to beat the number 2 seed Iago Dosantos and
the number 1 Marcos Tur, which he did in great style, playing a very focused and varied game which included many winners. With this title he qualifies for the Balearic Championship, which will be played between 30th of April and 4th of May in Sun Active San Antonio.

Ibiza News powered by Ibiza Sun

By modern day standards Ibiza is an extremely safe place to holiday. This is a weeks worth of news and so its effect is magnified. Please do not fret while you are here - you are quite safe!!

If you have any stories for our incidents section then call or fax 971-348-271 or e-mail on: editor@theibizasun.com