A Stellar Explosion
Stella Matutes, the controversial politician from the Popular Party who was the face behind the new roads on the island, announced on Monday she is to retire from public office to concentrate on the family business. The short political career of the former minister for public highways came to an end on Monday, as she told reporters she had never intended to make politics her career, and felt the time was right to go. She added it was no secret that the family business, Fiesta Hotels, was undergoing a change of strategy and beginning a new phase of growth. Her brother, Abel Jnr, was recently appointed general manager of the company, and he has asked Stella to join him as the group moves in a new direction with luxury hotels across the Caribbean and Americas.
The daughter of Abel Matutes, the former Foreign Minister at Government level, said she would no longer be answering any questions on political matters, and that her mind was made up. She spent the week giving interviews to all of the major newspapers and tv stations, in the hope she would then be left in peace.
Matutes added she did not regret any of the decisions she had made during her time in office, and that she would make the same ones again. She thanked members of her party for their support during her years in office, in particular the leader, Pere Palau. She is to be replaced as second in command in the Consell opposition by Josep Torres, the former minister for Tourism.
Matutes was the most prominent figure during the road building PR fiasco which eventually cost the party any chance of victory at last years Consell elections. She unfairly took the brunt of most of the criticism for her partys decisions, most of which were taken before she had even entered the political ring in 2003. However, she stood firm and remained loyal to the party, always believing she was doing what was right for the island and that the public would eventually see the great benefit the roads would bring. She rose above most of the criticism, and even managed to convince a few of the sceptics the new roads were a positive for the island. However, ultimately, she leaves with a tainted image, some would say unfairly so, given she was merely carrying out party policy.

AROUND THE ISLAND

State Handouts
The Consell Insular is hoping over the next few weeks to secure a total of 200 million of Government money it says is desperately needed on the island. The president, Xico Tarres, revealed he would be putting forward several projects which he hoped could be financed by the State.
The most expensive will be the second phase of the Conference and Event Centre in Santa Eulalie, which is set to cost a further 36 million. Tarres described this as an essential tool to try and increase winter tourism on the island.
The other big project set to benefit from the handout is that due to take place in Playa den Bossa. Tarres announced when first taking office, in May last year, that the area was his biggest concern and that he would be spending around 25 million in completely remodelling the area, once the envy of other tourist zones.
Further money will also be spent buying back ses Feixes, the land at the entrance to the capital. The area has caused much controversy in the last few months as the owners of the land are threatening legal action if they are prevented from building in the area, claiming they have the necessary permits. The Consell, keen to avoid growth in the area, has decided the best solution would be to buy back the land from the proprietors. However, this will mean big bucks, due to the lands proximity to the capital.
The Consell also want to remodel the military headquarters in Dalt Vila, which has been left abandoned for several years. Tarres said it would make an ideal investigation centre which he hoped would attract more scientists to the island, keen on studying local matters. This project is set to cost around 8 million.
Finally, the Consell would like to build a thalassotherapy centre close to San Antonio. Thalassotherapy is a therapeutic method based on the use of the marine environment (seawater, mud, seaweed and other substances extracted from the ocean) and the marine environment in general as a therapeutic agent. It is totally natural and involves water being collected from the shore, purified and then sterilized to ensure the absence of pathogens, before it is finally used in different treatments.
Tarres said every one of the projects would benefit the island greatly, and he remained confident he would be able to secure the extra finance for them. He urged the politicians in Mallorca to be sympathetic in their decisions, and to divide the money fairly between the four islands, something he has previously claimed rarely happens.

Cautious Optimism
The tourist season kicked off last weekend with hoteliers remaining cautious about the outcome over the next six months. The president of the Hotel Federation, Roberto Hortensius, claimed the British market had become the most worrying sector for most hoteliers, as the strong euro had meant price rises of around 20 per cent for most UK holidaymakers. He said this was completely out of their hands, but would affect the season to some degree, especially in the shoulder months. However, he said most of his members were confident they would enjoy a similar season to last year.
His statements came on the back of news that an early Easter had meant 15,500 less tourists over the holidays than the previous year. In 2007 a total of 35 hotels opened their doors for Easter, with 19,462 tourists visiting the island. This was down some 45 per cent on the 35,986 people who visited during Easter last year.

No End in Sight
The medical strike continued this week after further meetings between the unions and the Health Department failed to draw the sides any closer together. Last Monday saw a total of 720 visits to the local GP cancelled, taking the total to over 3,000 in the first fortnight of strike action. Whilst only around 30 per cent of staff observed the strike, this was enough to cause mass cancellations, with patients once again not being pre-warned about the situation.
Ib-Salut, the local health authority, revealed they had received around 20 letters of complaint. Two of these were from patients who had flown to Palma for a consultancy, which they were told, on arrival at the hospital in Palma, had been cancelled, a situation described by the head of Can Misses, Jose Antonio Cunat, as unacceptable.
The managing director of Ib-Salut, Josep Pomar, for his part promised that all those who had had an operation cancelled due to the strike would be operated on within the next three weeks. If this time period elapsed, they would be given the option of operating via the private sector.
The entire situation became even more alarming as Ib-Salut public sector workers threatened their own strike after it was revealed the Govern was trying to renege on an agreement signed by the previous administration. Non-medical staff in Ibiza make up around 2/3rds of Ib-Salut.
The medical union confirmed the previous administration had signed an agreement back in 2006 promising staff better pay conditions. However, the rise in salary was to be put on hold until 2009, when the delayed payments would also be made. However, the medical union claimed the Govern was now trying to avoid paying the back-dated rises. Around 100 workers protested at the threatened moves, in front of Can Misses hospital last week. Although the rumours were later denied by Ib-Salut, a strike by this sector would cripple an already damaged health sector.
The agreement signed two years ago approved pay increases in direct correlation to experience and the number of further education courses taken. Any back-tracking by the health authority would mean a loss in arrears of between 3,500 and 18,000 depending on the experience of the individual staff member. Almost 1,000 of the 1,500 workers employed by Ib-Salut would be affected.
The general secretary of the local health authority, Javier Clavero, said later in the week that they would be honouring the agreement made by the previous Govern. However he predicted tough times ahead, especially during 2009 where the purse strings would have to be reigned in, and pleaded with the workers to accept a delay in the back-payment for twelve months.

Drug Consumption
Emergency staff, the company which regularly attends emergencies inside some of the more popular discos on the island, revealed it treated a total of 1,319 people last year. During the summer season they attended an average of 6.25 people per night, one every ninety minutes.
Of the total cases tended, 601 admitted to having consumed some type of drug in the few hours previous to the problem. In 427 cases there was a direct link between the consumption of a drug and the problem. An alarming 60 per cent of the 601 cases admitted to having mixed two separate drugs, with the most popular combination being ecstasy and alcohol. However, they reported just 30 of these cases required further medical treatment at a medical centre.

A&E Extension
Whilst the Govern continued with their plans to ensure the building work on the new hospital could begin next year, the health minister, Vicent Thomas, showed the current crisis has not been forgotten. Thomas visited the island last week to check up on the latest re-construction being undertaken on the A&E department, which is set to enlarge the floor space by 300 m2. The work, which began in March, is set to be completed by June and will take the department from its current 770m2 to 1,080 m2. He added that the design would also make much better use of the space available. Can Misses hit the headlines once again this winter after doctors reported the hospital was close to maximum occupancy, and they were struggling to cope.

Price Reduction
As from yesterday the airline, Air Nostrum, is to offer a total of 35,000 flight seats at a reduced price according to a press release from the company. The promotion will consist of 20,000 places every year for their Ibiza-Mallorca route being offered at the knockdown price of just 19.58 for residents and 37.58 for non-residents per flight. The company confirmed it will offer a total of 20,000 tickets per year at this rate, with the only conditions that the ticket is bought a minimum of ten days in advance and the passenger spends Saturday night in the destination or two other nights during the week. These rates are a reduction of 56 per cent on the normal tariff.
The company will also offer a further 15,000 seats at a 30 per cent discounted rate. These will have to be bought at least seven days in advance.

Mini-Bus Service
The Consell began last week to take their first steps in setting up a mini-bus service which it hopes will ease some of the congestion problems at the airport, and ensure the long taxi queues become a thing of the past. The new system will be set up via the Consell and organised by travel agents, according to a source involved in the meeting. Hotels will then be able to offer the service on their websites at the same time the client is booking accommodation. The facility will also be offered via the Hotel Federation website at www.ibizahotelsguide.com.
The plans are very much in their early stages, but it is hoped the system can be set up by next summer.

Poverty Warning
Caritas, the charitable organisation which helps the most needy on the island, has issued a warning that the situation in Ibiza is beginning to spiral out of control. The charity now regularly feeds around 40 people every day at their headquarters in the capital. However, the delegate in Ibiza has warned there are between 200-300 people on the island living in extreme poverty. He claimed the figures had tripled over the last few months as a direct consequence to the growing economical problems encountered across the country. He called for all the administrations to unite in an attempt to help the dire situation, and he warned the worse was still to come and that after summer he expected the figures to rise once again.
He continued by agreeing with the main workers unions on the island, UGT and CCOO, who warned last week that the group under most threat was the newly arrived immigrants. He said they had come to the island during the economic boom, and work had been easy to find on the site of one of the numerous constructions taking place. However, this was all coming to a shuddering halt and they would soon find themselves out of work and with few qualifications and skills to find employment in other sectors.
He urged people to seek training in other skills whilst they were still working, to ensure they had a better chance of finding alternative employment when their job in the construction industry eventually came to an end.

Doctor Wins Case
A doctor has won her case for wrongful dismissal against Can Misses after she was suspended from the hospital, accused of malpractice. The victim had to eventually leave the island to find work, after she was unable to continue to support herself. Lawyers for the doctor claimed she had a run-in with one of her colleagues in the intensive care unit where they both worked back in 2004. She claimed that from that moment on she was the victim of psychological abuse and false accusations by other staff members, including the accusation she had turned off the life support machine of two patients without consulting her colleagues. She denied all of the claims, but an internal investigation by the hospital found her guilty of five serious cases of misconduct and two very serious cases. She was suspended from her job and eventually had to leave the island to find work in another area.
The Supreme Court, after hearing all of the evidence, found in favour of the doctor and said she had been wrongly suspended. Lawyers for the victim confirmed she would now be seeking damages for wrongful dismissal.

IBIZA TOWN
Japanese Invasion
The two biggest tour operators in Tokyo will begin to bring tourists to the capital from next Autumn, attracted by the capitals title as a World Cultural Heritage Site. Both Global and Saahi Sun Tour work at the upper end of the market, with clients spending an average of 8,000-10,000 on each trip. Although both companies have worked with the island previously, this will be the first time they will promote the island specifically. The package will include several other Heritage sites across the country, like Taragona and Salamanca, with tourists spending several days in each.
A third operator, Island Japan Travel, is set to promote the nightlife of Ibiza, and capitalise on the fascination of techno and dance music amongst the Japanese youth.
The packages will be as a direct result of a marketing campaign carried out jointly by the Consell and the Town Hall, which culminated in the capitals mayor, Lurdes Costa, visiting Japan last year and meeting with over 130 travel agents.

SAN JOSE
ses Roques Complaints
After more than six weeks without an answer, neighbours in the Cala Conta area have asked the Consell Insular to remove the mountains of soil and general rubbish in the area of ses Roques Males. A spokesman for the association of neighbours said they were yet to hear back from the Town Hall, despite demanding action be taken over a month and a half ago. He continued that their silence was deplorable and the association would now look towards the Consell to take the appropriate steps.
The association claims the area is being used as a dumping ground by the owners of the land, who are currently undertaking building work across the island. They said that after their original complaint the company removed some of the material, but there still remains large mounds of soil, they believe is also mixed in with asphalt and other toxic waste.

SANTA EULALIA
Public Vote
As the work in the centre of Santa Gertrudis comes to an end, the Town Hall announced they had received a total of nine projects to redesign the rest of the village. Santa Gertrudis XXI is an ambitious plan by the Town Hall of Santa Eulalia to completely reshape the area, and will include a football pitch with seating for five hundred spectators, two smaller all-weather pitches, a tennis court, a car park, a kindergarten for up to 60 toddlers and finally a civic building with a floor space of 1,200 m2.
The nine projects will first be studied by municipal technicians to ensure they meet the strict entry requirements. They will then be put on public display and locals will be able to vote for their favourite designs and suggest any modifications they feel are appropriate. The winner will then be decided by a panel of experts appointed by the Town Hall.

Little Growth Ahead
The mayor, Vicent Mari, said the new Land Use Plan for the municipal was only weeks away from being approved and only the environmental impact of the plans needed to be evaluated.
The mayor, however, insisted the proposals were extremely restrictive and that the population cap had been reduced down to 60,000 inhabitants, including the 17,000 tourist beds located within the town. He claimed the new plans would avoid any construction outside the main towns, and any new building projects would only be allowed close to the urban centre.
The current population within the municipal is around 30,000, with the extra 17,000 tourists meaning there will only be room for another 13,000 people if Mari is to keep his promise.
The mayor added the new plans would improve the public services offered within the municipality, and highlighted the work being undertaken in Santa Gertrudis.

SAN JUAN
Carraca Calls for Ambulance
The mayor of San Juan, Antoni Mari Mari, announced on Tuesday he would be asking the Govern, and in particular the health minister, for a 24-hour ambulance service and A&E department to be located in the municipality. He revealed that the remoteness of the municipality meant that those who needed an ambulance urgently would have to wait until the emergency vehicle arrived from Ibiza. Due to the distance this sometimes could take up to half an hour and may, one day, prove fatal. He said the need for a 24-hour emergency service within the municipality was a basic one and especially important during the busier summer months.

Talks Breakdown
After months of negotiations the Govern Balear has been unable to reach an agreement with landowners in the Benirras area, and so will now try and push through their original plans. The administration gave owners already with building licences in their hand, the option to construct on 30 per cent of their land, with the other 70 per cent becoming a protected zone. However, the socialist minister Joan Boned confirmed last week a consensus could not be reached, and the Govern would now look to protect the entire area, as they had originally intended.
Boneds newest proposal was made after pressure was exerted by the PP municipal mayor, Antoni Mari Mari, and would have meant the eleven permit holders already granted in the area being allowed to build on at least some of their land. However, this is now unlikely to be the case as the area looks set to become an official area of natural beauty, despite the permits having already been issued.
The lawyer representing the owners said in a statement that the proposal of the Govern was unacceptable, and it now looks likely they will seek damages through the courts, due to the change in legislation which means they are now unable to build on their land. This compensation could rise to as much as 50 million according to the lawyer, who said the Govern would be liable as soon as the legislation came into affect.
However, later in the week another source at the Govern claimed it could prove difficult to stop the licences already granted, including the six controversial express permits which were issued to some land owners. These permits were approved in record time after the announcement by the new Govern that they would be protecting several areas of the island, including Benirras. In between this announcement and a ban on the issuing of licences, the Town Hall of San Juan issued the six licences, something which raised suspicion amongst some people at the Govern.
A final attempt will be made this week to come to some kind of compromise, as the mayor once again brings all of the groups together.

FORMENTERA
Eco-Rally in Formentera
Formentera played host this weekend to the second annual car rally for vehicles with zero-emissions. After the success of last years event, the eco-rally returned to the island, with more than ninety vehicles involved, making it the largest such gathering to take place in Southern Europe. The show, which started on Friday and ran through until Sunday, included a varied selection of vehicles from bicycles and cars, to electrically run buses.
The transport minister on the island, Josep Mayans, hailed the event as a great success, and said it was apt that the largest such gathering of its kind was held within the natural beauty of the island, a perfect example about why investment needs to be made into eco-friendly transport.

Certificate of Registry
Non-Spanish EU residents living in Formentera were up in arms last week as the confusion continued into the new rules recently implemented which will affect marine travel.
The company, Trasmapi-Balearia, which runs the Ibiza-Formentera trajectory, are now informing customers they need to be in possession of a certificate of registry (the green form) to accompany their residency card. This means a trip to the police station in Ibiza for the 1,943 residents living on the island who fall into this category, a trip which will mean paying full price, as the passengers will no longer be valid for the 89 per cent discount rate available. However, on arrival at the station they are then told that the green form cannot be issued until the residency card has expired. Most, on desperation, have given up their card and opted for the new system.
Non-Spanish EU residents make up a total of 20 per cent of the population in Formentera. Each will now have to present the original and a copy of the certificate of registry. However, as this has no photo on it, it will also have to presented with the passport of the traveller.
Residents in Formentera are not the only ones who will need the certificate. The new rule applies to all resident discounts on sea travel, and will also affect those living in Ibiza. Strangely, the old residency card can be used for all other administrative matters, including air travel.
Mediterranea-Pitiusa, the other company which runs the route, announced last week they would also begin to apply the new legislation as of 1st June.
The only good news is that the certificate should be issued immediately, and will not mean a trip back to the police station.

Ibiza Sun We hope to have the latest information for you very soon, but brief investigation has shown the situation is more complicated than we first imagined and it was difficult to get a consensus from any of the parties involved. Balearia say they will be demanding the new certificate from anyone who wants the resident´s discount applied to their ticket price.
The police are saying they are unable to issue the new certificate (the green form) if the residents´ card of the person applying is still valid.
The wise folk down at Aesoria Muson have said that as far as they are concerned a valid residents´ card should be sufficient enough for all travel discounts and advised people against giving up their current card in order to obtain a new certificate.
It seems that the British Consul is set to come to the rescue and have promised to get to the bottom of what is, at present, a complete mess.

CRIME & INCIDENTS
Drugs Haul
Customs officers patrolling the coastal waters of the Mediterranean last week intercepted a boat bound for Ibiza with a total of seven tonnes of hashish aboard. The 16.5 metre vessel had to be forcibly stopped after they tried to escape the clutches of the officers. The five crew members were all arrested. Each denied having any direct responsibility with the haul of exactly 7.7 tonnes. The Spanish owner of the boat and another crew member, who is also Spanish, claimed they had been forced to carry the goods by a group of Moroccan gang members who had threatened them.
Meanwhile, the two Russian females on the boat claimed they had been invited on a cruise to Ibiza by the two men several weeks ago, and had no idea about the illegal cargo. Lastly, a Moroccan crew member declared he had paid the two men 2,000 to take him to Spain, and added he also knew nothing about the stash. A fine mess, and one the authorities will have to unravel during the coming months.
This operation was followed just two days later by six arrests in Madrid, including that of a 44 year old Ibicencan man. Police became aware of the ring several months ago, and were tracking a number of people they believed to be connected to bringing in large amounts of cocaine to the country. Eleven and a half kilos of cocaine were discovered inside the suitcase of one of the men they had been following, as he touched down at the capitals airport after a flight from the Dominican Republic. A second suspect was located at a nearby hotel as he made the handover of a further 12 kilos of cocaine to two other men, one of which was the Ibicencan man arrested. Two further men, both originally from the Dominican Republic, were also arrested at the hotel, both of whom were to said to be the final recipients.

Possible Medical Negligence
The judge studying the case into the death of William Hall, the 22-year old British tourist who died after receiving several blows to the head outside the club DC-10, is to investigate possible medical negligence. Hall was hit several times around the head and face by two Spanish youths after he mistakenly got into their car thinking it was an unlicensed taxi. When the owners of the vehicle arrived, he refused to get out of the car, and was punched several times by the youths. One of the blows caused an internal injury which eventually resulted in his death.
Hall made his way to Can Misses three days later but was released the same day. It is not clear if it was explained to medical staff what had actually happened. He returned at 8a.m. the following day but at 12p.m. he died of massive internal bleeding. The autopsy showed he had been swallowing blood for up to three or four days and a total of five litres were eventually found in his intestine.
The police made a total of three arrests and, while all are currently on bail, they could face jail sentences for the manslaughter of the victim.
However, the judge has also indicated that staff at Can Misses might also have a case to answer and has asked for more investigations to be made about the victims first visit to the hospital.

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