Beach Paradise
If you are reading this newspaper, congratulations you have found yourself in the worlds´ number one beach resort, and thats official! The confirmation came last week with the release of the latest blue flag awards from around the world. Spain once again came out on top and offers holidaymakers the cleanest and safest beaches on the planet having been awarded an incredible 499 Blue Flags, in addition to a further 77 for its marinas.
A total of 61 beaches across the Balearics have been granted the prestigious flag including 18 in Ibiza. The award is an international symbol of quality, and has been bestowed on over 3,300 beaches and marinas in 36 countries across Europe, South Africa, Morocco, New Zealand, Canada and the Caribbean. However, Spain remains the number one recipient, followed by Greece (430), and France (235). The Blue Flag Programme is owned and run by the independent non-profit organisation, Foundation for Environmental Education, (FEE), and was introduced in 1987. The programme has since evolved, introducing stricter criteria and safety standards each year to ensure the safety and enjoyment of tourists holidaying around the world.
Beaches are awarded the flag through strict criteria dealing with water quality, environmental education and information, environmental management, and safety and other services.
San Jose again has the most blue-flag beaches on the island with a total of six Cala Tarida, Cala Conta, Cala Bassa, Cala D´Hort, Cala Migjorn (Salinas) and lastly, Cala Vadella, which is new to the list this year. This is followed by Santa Eulalia which can this year boast Cala Llenya, es Canar, Cala Llonga, Santa Eulalia beach and es Figueral. San Juan will have four San Miguel, Cala San Vicent, Portinax and Benirras, whilst San Antonio is proud to have three Cala Gracio, es Calo des Moro and es Pouet. Surprisingly the capital and the world renowned Formentera do not boast any.
A total of 93 beaches in Great Britain were awarded the prestigious honour this year.

AROUND THE ISLAND
Privileged Information
The mayor of San Antonio, Jose Sala, and the former minister for roads, Stella Matutes, have both been accused of using privileged information for their own benefit. The magistrate studying the case into the re-classification of ses Variades in the new PTI plans, which have yet to be formally approved, stopped short of accusing them both of corruption but claimed they would need to appear before him to answer questions concerning information they received about the area of land close to sunset strip in San Antonio.
Matutes is accused of the trafficking of information which she used to the benefit of a new company which had been formed by several other Matutes-run businesses. This newly formed company purchased land in the ses Variades area on which building was not permitted at that time, knowing the legislation was about to change. They were planning to building a marina in the area, which may have got the go-ahead had the Balearic Government not changed at last years elections.
The case of Sala is similar, and involves information which was fed to a company called Realia Business, with whom the mayor signed a building project even before the land was formally changed. The company plans to build 469 apartments in the complex which they hope they can get approved by the end of the year.
Both vehemently deny the claims, with Matutes reminding reporters she has merely been called to testify in the case, and had not yet been sentenced. She was said to be relaxed about the judges decision, and added she had not even read the PTI document which changed ses Variades classification.
Sala was similarly calm about the news, and added that he wanted to testify as soon as possible to clear his name and remove any doubt about his actions in the matter.

Cancer Treatment
The chief doctor at the private hospital, Policlinica del Rosario, Alberto Torres Balanzat, revealed last week they were ready to install a radiotherapy unit on the island, if the public health service did not do so soon. He claimed that, at the moment, they were looking for guarantees from the public sector that it not going to install such a facility in the near future, so that any investment they made in the area would be cost-effective. He said the entire unit, plus staff, would cost the hospital around 3 million, and assurances would have to be given before such an investment was made.
The president of the Cancer Association in Ibiza and Formentera, Jose Colomar, said such treatment was now a necessity on the island. He added that around 2-4 cases of cancer were being discovered every week, and that last year alone over 800 people had to travel to Mallorca to receive the necessary radiotherapy treatment, a figure which would continue to rise in the coming years.
Balanzat said that if they were assured a new unit would not be installed in the new hospital, which is due to begin next year, then they would go ahead with their plans.

Property Doom
The sale of properties on the island has fallen by up to 60 per cent according to the president of the Realtors Association (API), Ramon Arnau. He claims the fall is due to three main causes the over-saturation of the market, a rise in unemployment levels, and a tightening of the lending policies of most of the banks. He said the situation was becoming dire and would affect all of the main estate agents in Ibiza.
Unemployment levels have risen sharply over the past six months, led by a collapse in the construction sector, and although all of these factors would begin to takes its affect on price, Arnau maintained the main cause of the decline was due to the tightening borrowing policies of the financial institutions. He added that although price was still not too much of an issue, it would also start to feel the effects of the slump. He said that depending on the circumstances falls of around 15 per cent were not out of the question over the next year or so. Commission rates were also being affected, with agents dropping as low as 2 per cent to try and secure a minimum of sales.
Rafael Girona, owner of Fincas Eivissa, confessed the good times had well and truly come to an end. Although he again underlined the three same causes, he highlighted the current over saturation of the market, especially in the bay of San Antonio and Santa Eulalia.
Despite all the doom and gloom, it was argued the following day that the crisis was less acute on the island when compared to the mainland. A nationwide estimate carried out by El Pais suggested the Balearics had the second lowest stock of property still to sell, only being beaten by the Canaries.

Presidential Approval
As the PSOE-ExC prepare to celebrate their first anniversary in office of the Island Council, a survey carried out by the newspaper, Ultima Hora, claimed the majority of residents were happy with their work so far. A total of 43 per cent of those questioned said they fully supported the new administration and the way in which they had governed so far, while 18 per cent said they were unhappy, with 39 per cent undecided. Most said they were also happy with new president, Xico Tarres, who received 6.04/10 for his leadership so far, way above his rival and opposition leader, Pere Palau, (4.34/10)
The Island Council president has so far been very busy in his first twelve months of office. Whilst stepping back from many of the more controversial subjects which have surfaced over the past year, including the taxi crisis, as well as Land Reform problems in the capital, he has been at the forefront of many positive moves. These include the Mayors Council, an innovative idea designed to show continuity across the five municipalities. He has also ensured many of the macro-projects planned for the island have been put on hold, while also attempting to solve the ever growing problem of after-hour clubbing.
In the Balearic-wide survey, Formentera president, Jaume Ferrer, scored the most points across the four islands (6.53/10), with his party also receiving the largest number of positive votes from residents (62 per cent).
Inside the autonomous region as a whole, the president of the Balearic Government, Francesc Antich, also received the backing of the general public a year after his surprise win. Just over 52 per cent of those questioned gave his administration the thumbs up, while the PP opposition party, led by Rosa Estaras, continued to suffer, and once again received a pounding at the polls, with the poll indicating that if an election was held tomorrow, the party would lose a further two Councillors in the Government.

Bribery Case Underway
The extortion case against two former Guardia Civil officers and two ex-members of the armed forces began on Monday. The events date back to 2000-2001, days after three of the men had set up a protection and security company. Several people are supposed to have been blackmailed by the men during the two year period, including the son of Teodoro Obiang, the president of Equatorial Guinea.
The four men face varying prison sentences, the longest for the supposed leader of the gang who, if found guilty, will face up to 12 years in prison.
The case involving the then Government minister of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Ngema Obiang, occurred in 2000, whilst the forestry minister was staying at a house owned by the former Spanish foreign minister, Abel Matutes. Three of the accused went to the house and offered their services as bodyguards as part of their recently formed company, Atiss. Two of the men entered the house, while the third waited outside in a car. After the meeting with the ministers private secretary their offer was rejected. They then contacted the intermediary who had first put them in contact with the minister, and said they wanted one and a half million pesetas each to cover expenses, or they would release compromising photos of the minister to the press. It was at that time the ministers private secretary contacted the Guardia Civil to report what had taken place.
The three men are also accused of benefiting from information passed on by a fourth man, who used his position as an officer in the Guardia Civil to reveal confidential information about residents on the island.
Two of the men are also accused of pretending to be police officers in order to pressure people into renouncing insurance payments which they were due after incidents.
Some of this leaked information led the three defendants to contact a German man, whom they tried to blackmail, claiming they were police officers. They also made several references to the Russian mafia to try and further scare the victim. The man contacted police, which was when they finally launched the investigation.
All deny the charges, with the main culprit claiming he is the victim of a complot after he himself was about to release an eight page document about corruption inside the Guardia Civil.
Teodoro Nguema Obiang is a controversial figure in his country, where his father remains president. He is currently the minister for the Environment and Housing, and is the favourite to succeed his father, who is suffering from prostate cancer. He is much feared and reviled, but exercises power through his domination of Equatoguinean media, being the owner of the only private radio station, Rario Asonga and the director of state owned TV, Asonga.
The minister has houses in Paris, London, Rio de Janeiro and Malibu, where he recently purchased a property. He drew criticism from the international media after spending 1.25 million during a champagne filled weekend in Cape Town, South Africa, which included property renovations, a black 2004 Bentley Arnage, a cream 2005 Bentley Continental R and a 2005 Lamborghini, all this while over 50 per cent of the population of Equatorial Guinea remain deep in poverty.

Shark Spotted
A small blue shark caused alarm in Cala Conta on Monday after being spotted in the water by two bathers. The incident occurred just after 1p.m. in the sea located off the popular beach. Silvia Gomez de la Mata and Saad Lahjouji first noticed the animal whilst they were filming the crystal blue waters which have made the beach a favourite with tourists and locals. They immediately raised the alarm, and lifeguards quickly evacuated the water. There were around 50 people on both of the beaches at the time.
The one and a half metre shark swam close to the shore at high speeds, darting from one direction to another, obviously nervous from the noise being made by the lifeguards. It then made one final turn before darting out to sea as onlookers gawked on in surprise. The water remained empty for the next hour, after which normal service was resumed as some brave members of the public slowly began to wade in.
The unmistakable, gracefully-proportioned, slender-bodied shark with a long snout can be found in sea-temperatures of 7C to 25C and normally swims in the deeper, isothermal Southern Mediterranean waters during the high summer. Blue sharks also make inshore incursions, particularly at night, with babies also inhabiting waters less than 50m deep, such as off Portugal and within Northern Adriatic waters (both areas are nursery-zones for this species) during the summer months. This species also inhabits areas close to the shore off Mediterranean islands adjacent to deep water (e.g., Isola Ponza and Aeolian Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea), although they are very rarely seen in the Balearics. Blue sharks are gracefully, efficient slow cruisers, who average around 0.8km/h groundspeed over their long-distance meandering. They are often seen near the surface but are capable of deep, gliding dives (using their long pectoral fins for minimum effort in controlling their descent) in search of deep-ranging or vertically-migrating prey such as squid.
They are not considered dangerous to humans and the average blue shark would much prefer a dinner comprising of mackerel, scad, or bullet tuna than juicy, tanned swimmers!

Rainy May
Although it may be hard to convince some of the tourists who visited in May, the rain during most of last month was much needed and helped Ibiza to recover some of the islands water reserves. Ibiza had officially been in a drought since early last year after a dryer than usual winter. However, the 52 litres that fell in May have helped to ease the situation somewhat, and the official drought status was lifted last week.
The wettest May on record was that in 1992, when an incredible 99 litres fell during 31 days. Recently 2002, 2003 and 2004 have also all been wetter. The normal rainfall during an average May is just 25 litres. Check out the 5-day forecast on page 13 to see if things are set to improve.

No More Chances
The minister for Tourism at the Balearic Government, Francesc Buils, confirmed on Tuesday there would not be a further chance to legalise private tourist accommodation this year, after the deadline closed last month. He revealed that his department had received a total 2,262 requests, 1,350 of whom had already received their permission, after 1,765 inspections had been carried out.
The Government claimed towards the end of last year it would be clamping down on the abundance of unlicensed accommodation across the four islands, and has already carried out a number of inspections.

IBIZA TOWN
Neighbourhood Complaints
The various neighbourhood associations in the capital have asked for stricter controls on the closing times of the various bars and clubs within the municipality. A plan of action for the coming summer was discussed in a meeting involving the police, the mayoress, Lurdes Costa, the Councillor for Security, Ricardo Albin and Madrids representative on the island, Sofia Hernandez, as well as a representative from one of the neighbourhood associations.
Albin revealed that the security cameras which are to be placed around the capital should be up and running by next week. He added that he understood the concern of the neighbours and would be clamping down on vandalism, the sale of drugs and prostitution, especially in the ses Figueretes area.

SAN JUAN
Benirras Breakdown
The Council sent another warning to the Town Hall of San Juan last week urging them to stop the building work currently taking place in Benirras. Earlier in the week the work in the area intensified, and a 2nd digger could be seen clearing land. Meanwhile the mayor, Antoni Mari Mari Carraca, stood his ground and repeated that he would not be stopping the work until he had received a report from his technical team about the legality of the project.
A total of eleven permits have been issued by the Town Hall over the last two years, each of which is now threatened by new legislation which has declared Benirras a protected area. The mayor caused some controversy last year after he issued several permits in the days leading up to the introduction of the legislation, many of which were authorised in specially called meetings in the Town Hall. The work in the area was originally stopped days after the new regulation was introduced, coincidentally on the same piece of land. Now, while the legitimacy of the law is debated, the owner of the land has decided to re-start the building work, confident he is not committing any misdemeanour.
The ecological group, GEN, for their part denounced the behaviour of the mayor and said he was close to becoming an accomplice, describing as suspicious the extra hours worked to issue some of the licences.

SAN JOSE
Tourist Information
The Councillor for Tourism in San Jose, Maria Angeles Mostazo, confirmed last week she hoped to install a tourist information office within the municipality to specifically promote the attractions within the borough. Her comments to Europa Press come in the aftermath of a study carried out last year which showed that over half of the most charismatic places on the island, as voted for by tourists, were in San Jose, although most did not even realise it. She promised this needed to change and that the tourist office would be the first step in achieving this. Its location is as yet unknown.

SANTA EULALIA
Seat Success
The mayor of Santa Eulalia, Vicent Mari, said the recent world unveiling of the new Seat Ibiza on the island proved the advantage of having the conference centre within the municipality, and underlined the importance of completing the second phase which is due to get underway next year after the finance has been put in place. The Island Council recently asked Central Government for 36 million to help finish the project, which was opened in March.
The event, which took place throughout the month of May, brought a total of 5,000 people to the island from 40 different countries, according to the general manager of Seat in Spain, Pedro Catena. He said it had been a complete success and the choice of Ibiza as host had been an inspirational one.
Seat was founded in 1950 by the Instituto Nacional de Industria (INI), with the assistance of Fiat. It is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Audi, part of the Volkswagen Group. The acronym "SEAT" stands for Sociedad Espanola de Automóviles de Turismo - Spanish Saloon Car Company.
The new model is said to be the safest yet and has ESP (Electronic Stability Program) installed as standard, and while the vehicle has grown somewhat in length and width, fuel consumption has been refined to make it even more economical.

Beach Regulation
The Town Hall of Santa Eulalia approved its new beach legislation on Thursday, which they hope will improve the quality for users. The new regulations prohibit, amongst other things, the practice of sports including petanca and beach tennis. Domestic animals have also been banned, legislation which is considered serious and could prove expensive for those breaking it. Fishing from the coast during the day will also now become illegal, as will not properly disposing of rubbish, including cigarette butts. Beach parties and other illegal gatherings are also set to become a thing of the past, as the Town Hall looks to clamp down on unsociable behaviour on the municipal beaches.
The new legislation is set to come into force in around six weeks, and could result in fines of up to 3,000 for those breaking the law.

FORMENTERA
Island Hopping
After several weeks of protests it was announced on Monday that the Balearic Government will subsidise the 39 per cent discount on ferry journeys to and from Formentera for non EU residents of the island. Since the law changed back in 2000, only Spanish and EU residents have been entitled to the discount. However, recent rallies called for a change in the current legislation. The protests seem to have paid off, and the Councillor for Transport, Josep Mayans, confirmed the law will be modified and the Balearic Government will subsidise the journey. However, this was just the first step in ensuring non EU residents enjoy the same 50 per cent discount as their EU counterparts.
Mayans also revealed vehicles belonging to residents would soon be able to qualify for a discounted rate, although this was still some time from becoming a reality.

Coastal Chaos
The minister for the Environment, Elena Espinosa, claimed during a meeting at the Senate last week that there was a strong possibility some people would have to be re-housed in Formentera, due to the Coastal Authorities report last year. The review carried out showed that many properties had been built on coastal land and were therefore trespassing on public property.
The problem dates back to 1997 when the reigning PP-run Government authorised the Coastal Authorities to carry out a study of the official coastline in various parts of the country. This resulted in a plan being produced which contradicted previous maps, and put in danger many privately owned properties.
In separate visits to the island in 2006 and 2007, both the Spanish president, Jose Luis Zapatero, and his deputy, Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega, promised to meet with those affected and that an amicable solution would be found. At the moment the trespassers face eviction, although all will be given an identical piece of land in another area and the necessary permits to build a similarly-sized property, although the cost of the building work will have to met by those affected. This solution was described as unthinkable by one of those residents whose property is under threat.

CRIME & INCIDENTS
Body Identified
On Thursday the official press office of the British Embassy confirmed that the body found by an excursionist back in October 2007 is that of Nigel Rees. The news brings to an end six months of torment for the mans family, who recently sent a letter to the Spanish authorities complaining about the length of time it was taking to identify the body. The official cause of death was not given, although sources confirmed there were no signs of foul play.
Rees sold all his possessions in his home town of Ammanford (Wales) back in September last year, and bought a caravan in which he intended to travel the world. His journey was to begin in Ibiza, although there were never any official sightings of the man on the island. His family contacted Spanish authorities after they had heard nothing from Rees in over a month. This was around the same time a body was discovered in a wooded area of San Antonio by a walker. The body was severely decomposed, and an initial autopsy confirmed it had been there for around 20 days.
Although all of the indications were that it was the body of the missing man, police did not confirm anything, and the body was kept on the island while samples were sent to the mainland. At first the authorities claimed evidence proved the body was not that of Rees, although doubt always remained, with police on the island continually confirming they believed the body to be that of the missing Welshman. His caravan has never been found.
Thankfully, the waiting is now over for the family, as last week preparations began to send the body back home.

Drink Driving
During the week police officers made a total of five arrests of drunk drivers as they continued their island clampdown. The most noteworthy was that of a man in es Canar, who was found naked in the passenger seat of a car he had just climbed into, to avoid passing through police controls. He was arrested along with all of the others, including a British man, who refused to take a breath test after causing a minor accident in Santa Eulalia.

Man Sentenced
A 41 year old German man was sentenced to five years in jail, after being surprised by police with half a kilo of heroin last August. Police also discovered 7,500 on the defendant at the time. He claimed he had won 18,000 in the casino that very night and had immediately gone to buy the drug, with a street value of 33,976, for his own personal consumption. He claimed he had been battling with the drug for over 15 years.
It happens that while on bail, police re-arrested the man after he was found with a small quantity of the drug just two weeks ago.
The public prosecutor had originally asked for a sentence of seven years, in addition to a fine of 40,000. However, the judicial sentence was later reduced to five years, a decrease which was accepted by the defendant.
In a separate case a 31 year old local man accepted a four and a half year sentence after he was arrested outside his home on the Ibiza-San Jose road with a total of 46 grams of ecstasy intended for sale to the general public.
The news came just two days before police arrested four people said to be part of the biggest heroin ring on the island. A Spanish couple, along with a Swiss woman and a German woman, were detained, the latter two at the airport in Ibiza, the couple in an apartment in the centre of Madrid, where four kilos of pure heroin were found. The four are accused of introducing the drug to the island in small quantities, usually strapped to the body of an air traveller, and then selling it on in smaller doses on the island.

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