MAJORCA DAILY BULLETIN FOUNDER BECOMES ADOPTIVE SON OF FORNALUTX

SUPERMARKET GANG ROBBERY ARRESTED

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MADRID
ACTIVITY in Spain’s dominant service sector unexpectedly fell in August after five months of positive momentum, hit by a hike in value-added tax from July, a key survey showed yesterday.

Markit’s service Purchasing Managers’ Index fell in August to 49.2 from 51.3 in July and below economists’ forecasts for 51.0. It is the first time the index has slipped below the 50.0 line that separates growth from contraction since February.

Economists fear Spain will suffer a slowdown in the final half of the year, or could even tip back into a recession that it only managed to escape in the first quarter.

The Spanish economy grew 0.1 percent in the first quarter and 0.2 percent in the second, some way below the 1.0 percent quarterly growth registered in the euro zone as a whole.

In the survey, the new business index fell to 49.8 from 50.4, while a steady slowdown in outstanding business grew deeper, nearing three years of contraction. “It looks increasingly likely that the anaemic GDP growth seen in the second quarter of the year marks the high point of the recovery for the time being,” said Andrew Harker, economist at data provider Markit.

He said that a 2 percentage point rise in VAT from the start of July to 18 percent had added to problems for service providers as weak demand has largely forced firms to absorb cost increases.

Indeed, while input prices jumped to their highest since November 2008 on the back of the VAT hike, the output price index remained well below 50.0, showing prices were being cut to stimulate demand.

SPANISH Labour Minister Celestino Corbacho will quit his post to help the ruling Socialist party’s (PSOE) campaign in regional elections in the eastern region of Catalonia, his ministry said yesterday.

The increasingly unpopular prime minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, faces tough challenges in regional elections across the country this year and next, seen as a test of support for the PSOE whose popularity has also plunged. “The PSOE electoral commmittee will possibly name Corbacho in the candidate lists for the Catalonian elections and he will leave the ministry,” a ministry spokesman said.

No replacement has been named for Corbacho.
Zapatero, whose term ends in 2012, has imposed deep spending cuts and a labour reform this year in an attempt to cut the soaring cost of government borrowing and reassure nervous investors Spain will not suffer a similar debt crisis to Greece.

Catalonia, Spain’s most populous autonomous region and home to Spain’s second city Barcelona, will probably hold elections in November, though a date has not yet been set.

The Labour Ministry would not say when Corbacho will stand down, but El Pais newspaper said it would probably be in October, after a general strike against wage and pension cuts set for Sept. 29. In a recent poll commissioned by Instituto Opina on behalf of Cadena Ser radio, the opposition People’s Party had an eight point lead over the Socialists.

PALMA
THE National Police Robbery Squad have broken up a gang of criminals in Palma for carrying out raids on three banks, an office and a private property - the latter belonging to businessmen who were assaulted and tied up, Avelino Brañas, the Squad Deputy Inspector said yesterday.

The thieves apparently made off with booty of some 55'000 euros which they later shared out and tried to send out of the country through an international money transfer service.

Brañas confirmed that five people in total have been arrested, four men and a woman, all allegedly involved in the gang’s activities. The police operation, however, remains ongoing and further arrests are not discounted.

The Deputy Inspector yesterday described the gang as “well-established and organised, with a clear idea of the responsibility of each member.” The criminals were originally from Tenerife and came to Majorca two months ago with an outline plan in mind on raiding businesses and private property.

The banks were specifically targeted for their only having women staff. The gang chose their moment of attack at a time when there were few people using the premises - one would enter armed with a starter’s pistol, capable of doing great damage if fired at close range, whilst another waited outside on guard.

Meanwhile, a businessman was attacked on leaving his office, assaulted and tied up whilst the gang members made off with 55'000 euros. At a private property, the owner was assaulted, bound, gagged and threatened whilst the thieves went in search of valuables.

TODAY, a wounded member of REME, the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, will be flying into Majorca for a week’s holiday thanks to the goodwill of a local British resident and next month, another group of Light Dragoons wounded in Afghanistan will also be coming out to Majorca courtesy of some good hearted British residents.

Robyn Dyche was caught up in a RPG (Rocket propelled grenade) blast in Afghanistan last year but is still recovering with a number of operations still pending.

REME Corps Welfare Warrant Officer Cliff Johnson contacted the Bulletin after having seen what former Irish Guard Stan Bowles did last year for the seriously wounded Marine Andy Grant and the Light Dragoons and Johnson hopes that Dyche will be the first of a number of wounded soldiers, from Afghanistan and Iraq, who will be coming out to Majorca.

The response to Johnson’s initial plea through the Bulletin was positive and a number of people came forward offering their services.
Having previously been a Welfare Officer at the Headley Court Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre he not only knew Andy Grant and also saw the difference his Majorcan break did as he battled along his arduous road to recovery.

Not only do these holidays give the wounded a chance to get away from the routine of rehabilitation, which can sometimes be extremely frustrating, especially for the younger victims, it also boosts their spirits and gives them the extra motivation to continue with their fight to recovery when they return to either Headley Court of their regiments.

Johnson’s role is to provide both medium and long term support to wounded personnel and their families, in addition to providing long term support to the bereaved families.

THE four sopranos, DIV4S, Desireè, Isabella, Vittoria and Sofia, who will be accompanying Andrea Bocelli in tonight’s concert of the year were in Palma rehearsing with the Balearic Symphony Orchestra and the Balearic University Choir last night.

The four sopranos, who started off with Bocelli two years ago said that they are really looking forward to tonight’s concert and that it is a double honour to be accompanying Bocelli and sharing the line up with Sir Elton John. “We started with Bocelli, he’s like our godfather and we have sung with him regularly over the past two years,” the four sopranos said.

“Apart from performing to such a huge crowd in a stadium, it’s also going to be very exciting for us because apart from accompanying Bocelli, we will also be singing one song alone,” they added.

All four are classically trained singers but they are working on an opera/pop album however, they stressed there is a very fine line they are being careful not to cross and that is from classical to pop. “At the heart of the album we’re classical singers and we want to stay true to that,” they said.
And, having worked with Bocelli, they know they have to set the bar high. “He’s such a wonderful singer and each time we work together, we try and step up to his level but it’s very hard,” they said.
It will also be different performing in a stadium than a theatre. “In a theater we only have our voice, so we have to work very hard to project it, in a stadium concert we’ve got microphones so it’s a little bit easier,” they added.

Are they nervous? “No, we have our musical repertoire with Bocelli so we all know what we have to do. “That said, every concert is different so there could be some surprises,” they said.
Over 25'000 people are expected to attend tonight’s mega concert which will begin with Andrea Bocelli, DIV4S, Heather Headley and Saoia Hernandez and then finishes with Sir Elton John’s Rocket Man show of his greatest hits.

Yesterday, the final touches were being put to the giant stage with the first sound and light checks due to have taken place later last night.
The rest of the performers are due to arrive in Palma this morning and rehearsals with the Balearic Symphony Orchestra and the Balearic University Choir will be taking place at the Son Moix stadium early this afternoon.