PIMECO has listed a range of ways in which the government can support small commercial units. Yesterday, PIMECO said that it has chosen this moment to make the request to the ministry for Commerce and Industry as the Balearic government is drafting its budget for the next year.

In an official publication, PIMECO has warned all of its members that over that past few months, the economic indicators of the region show that it is suffering due to the world-wide credit crunch.

Last week, the local council in Alcudia set up stringent measures and penalities for those caught violating a set of new antisocial conduct laws. But in Palma, the council has decided to launch a special awareness programme. A special unit will be allotted the task of talking to young party goers and try to explains them the problems they cause by partying into early hours and leaving heaps of waste behind.

This campaign will start this weekend and go on for the next 7 weeks. A special van will be on patrol on Friday and Saturday nights informing young revelers about the disturbance and commotion they cause and the problems involved in clearing up the waste to encourage them to stop gathering at the seafront in the weekends.

Around 16 million Euros will be allotted for such measures. In addition to the regular aid from the State, the Balearic government would offer 350 Euros each month to those who aren’t receiving dole money.

At a meeting of the Majorcan Council yesterday Joana Barcelo, the Employment minister and government spokesman, said that in addition to boosting the funding for those who are not receiving unemployment benefit, the local authorities would establish a job network in which new positions will be created to offer these workers jobs on contract basis.

Vicente Grande, the chairman, signed a contract on Thursday night to sell 91.2% of his 93% share in the club for thirty eight million Euros to Paul Davidson.

Paul Davidson’s purchase agreement was already submitted to the judge overseeing the Vicente Grande’s bankruptcy case but yesterday, he was given the completedsale or the purchase agreement after being given all clear by three administrators on behalf of Grande’s creditors who are to be paid around 700 million Euros.

At Porto Pi in Palma, winds at 70 kmph raged along with heavy rainfall which measured 11.5 litres.

Over 7 litres of rainfall was registered at the airport.

Agusti Jansa, head of Balearics Meteorological Centre said that many areas suffered localised flooding. He added that 5 litres rain fell in just 10 minutes which is very heavy.

Sierra de Tramuntana and areas around Andratx were among the parts that were worst affected.

In the last few years, taxi driver safety has become a serious issue. The taxi associations say that this latest episode indicates the growing risks of the cabbies.

The national police reported yesterday that three men got into the taxi at Plaza Carlos I on September 9 at around 10pm and asked to go to Son Llatzer Hospital. But, they did not complete their journey. Instead they stopped mid-way and assaulted the driver violently.

They grabbed him around the neck fiercely before they stole his gold chain and watch. They told him to stop the vehicle and get out of it. The taxi was later found in the Son Banya shanty town. After investigation, those men, all three known criminals, were arrested.

This move had been taken after Spanair came to an agreement with over 1,200 of the staff losing their jobs. Margarita Najera, the Employment minister, said that this agreement costs twenty million Euros to Scandinavian airlines SAS which owns Spanair. Najera added that the government sees this as the right time to talk about Spanair continuing their operations in Palma.

Heavy showers hit some parts of Minorca and Majorca in the afternoon and temperatures reduced suddenly by 8ºC within four hours. The temperature at 12.30a.m. in Majorca was 30ºC maximum but fell to 21.8ºC by 5pm. This summer had been warmer and drier so far and Agustin Jansa, head of Balearic Meteorological Office, said that the rains will be welcomed. Jansa added that the 1.5ºC rise of temperature on an average this month is in keeping with the climate change and also that the while the average rainfall had been low.

Though there had been the usual storms that occur at the end of summer, only four litres of rainfall has been registered during some weeks in the past. At Porto Pi. Palma, 10 litres rain was recorded this month which is 17 litres below the normal rainfall.

Because of the unusual wet spring this year, the water supplies were not much affected by the dry and hot summer. Moreover, the short torrential showers which are expected to come shortly would help to replenish the water reservoirs.

About 20 litres of rain flooded in just 1 hour in a number of parts of Majorca and 27 litres of rain fell in just ten minutes in Porreres yesterday causing flash flooding.

Yesterday, the ministry said that they will be taking steps to recapture the mentioned sites to the benefit of people under a maintenance programme. The sun terrace and the swimming pool together cover an area of 236 square metres. It was ceded to the owner for 25 years in 1970. Now, sisnce the lease is now over, the state will demolish these installations.

The demolition of the wire fencing in Soller includes a fine of 18,000 Euros to the owner. Though he had removed all tiling and posts, that fencing still obstructs people to walk from Alconasser to Bens s’Avall. Coastal department would rip up any of the remaining barrier.

Mesquida said that 85% of this budget would be used for written publicity including emphasis on ease of access of Ibiza from local airports and the rest for online promotion.

The promotion campaign in Germany has been allotted around 180’000 Euros of budget. Advertisements on Ibiza will be published in the daily newspaper “Bild” and also in local papers in Frankfurt, Düsseldorf, Cologne, Stuttgart, Berlin and Munich.

The promotion campaign in Great Britain has been allotted 150’000 Euros with the publicity being made in Scottish daily newspapers and also newspapers in Manchester and Liverpool.

Similarly, the campaign in Italy has been allotted 120’000 Euros where the target newspapers are the daily papers in Turin, Bologna, Milan, Padua and Bergamo.

Mesquida said that of the people coming to visit Ibiza 92 percent are from the European countries, of which, 70 percent come from Great Britain, Germany and Italy. He also said that this campaign aims at merging and reinforcing other such drives which have been carried out throughout the year. He added that the tourism industry is quite resilient and now it needs to find a solution to came out of the current economic crisis.