The Basque Separatist Terrorist Organisation ETA announced that it would be abandoning the “permanent” ceasefire agreement made on 22nd March from midnight on June 6th.

ETA justified the sudden decision to take up arms once again less than three months after making the historic agreement explaining that it is clear that the Government of socialist Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero does not intend to keep its word and treat the political wing of the organisation as part of the democratic make up of Spain .

Zapatero, who was strongly criticised by the leader of the opposition Mariano Rajoy for “giving in” to the pressure of ETA at the beginning of the year has now been accused of showing a different face by the terrorists themselves. The group accuse Spanish premier of fascist policies alleging that the politician showed his true colours when his party refused to allow the Basque separatist parties to take any part in the Municipal and autonomous elections held on May 27th

The too good to be true ceasefire would therefore seem to have been a simple stop gap measure to obtain a more favourable treatment for the likes of terrorist de Juana Chaos who was admitted to a hospital when he was on death's door after a long hunger strike instead of being kept in prison thanks to the socialists even though ETA had gone against the ceasefire to carry out the bombing of Terminal 4 in Barajas airport only weeks after making their promise.

Since the announcement de Juana Chaos has of course been returned to prison.

In response to the announcement Zapatero underlined that Spain is a strong country that has fought to overcome its problems in the past and will fight to stand up to the terrorists in the future. Referring to the accusations of not allowing thousands of Basque country residents the freedom of choosing their future Zapatero explained that the future of the region was already in the hands of the Basque people but would never be in the hands of the violent minority

Lewis Hamilton of McClaren-Mercedes clinches his first ever Formula 1 Race in Montreal, with perfect weather conditions with temperatures around 23 centigrade. His first year and already leading the world championship with phenomenal achievement.

There was at one point high drama with an unbelievable crash that looked fatal, when Robert Kubica left the track on lap 27 at high speed down the hairpin after making contact with the rear of a Toyota, the BMW Sauber became airborne hit a wall then rolled coming to a halt. He was airlifted to hospital, and on arrival had no serious injuries.

The race was 70 laps (305 kms or 190 miles) which was a sensational win for the 22 yr old Brit, and now 8 points clear a great win for the Mclaren team. Fernando Alonso crossed the line at 7 th. At the first corner he ran wide as well as other various errors, left him trailing behind Hamilton .

The next race is in Indianapolis - USA on the 17 th June – watch out Alonso!

The Tourist Department of Fuerteventura has come up with an innovative idea to capture the attention of the younger visitors to the island.

The Cabildo, together with the Baku water park and La Lajita Ocean Park, has produced an attractive info rmation pack specially aimed at primary school children which will be handed over to the tourists as soon as they set foot in the arrivals section of the airport or in Puerto Rosario if they have reached Fuerteventura by cruise liner or ferry.

The pack which will also be available at the Baku water park and the Las Lajitas Ocean Park will include typical colouring books full of typical Fuerteventura characters, sun caps, soft toys and colourful info rmation on the museums and children's parks of the island.

In this way the Cabildo aims to keep the children entertained while they learn something about the place their parents have chosen to spend their holiday break and at the same time promote the leisure activities to the captive audience.

To attract the attention of the adults the Cabildo has published a guide to the rural hotels and accommodation of Fuerteventura . A lot of work has gone into the production of the booklet which includes a great deal of detail such as the exact location of the hotel, how to get there, the facilities and service offered and contact numbers to make direct booking an easier matter.

Cabildo president Mario Cabrera explained that by distributing the info rmation packs the island government hopes to improve the services offered to the tourists creating a favourable impression and so encouraging them to return to the island in the future.

Island minister for Tourism Olivia Estevez added that two more info rmative packs are being planned by the Cabildo, one aimed at professionals who will use the island for conferences and conventions and the other aimed at sports enthusiasts containing info rmation on the golf courses and water sports facilities of the island.

Three months after the experimental cloud catching unit was installed in Morro Veloso in the “Macizo de Betancuria” with the purpose of studying how to put the clouds which form over the island of Fuerteventura to a good use ,scientific experts from the Cabildo's environmental department have decided to set up two more “atrapanubes” stations ,one in Montaña de la Muda, Puerto del Rosarion and the other in Pico de La Zarza, Morro Jable.

The project forms part of the European “Dysdera” (Desarrollo y Seguimiento de Estaciones de Recolecta de Agua) project Interreg III-B in which the three macronesian regions of the EU, the Azores , Madeira and The Canary Islands are taking part with the aim of discovering how to obtain useful water from the clouds.

The system for collecting the water consists in the installation of a series of screens which channel the water from the clouds into pipes to supply remote areas of the island and high agricultural areas with a surprising amount of the valuable liquid.

The project is not the first to be carried out in the islands but hopes to follow in the success of the cloud catchers in La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro which collect no less than 1,700 litres of water a day. The Fuerteventura cloud catchers will not be able to collect so much water, explained the experts, but it must be remembered that the agricultural needs of the island are somewhat less then the greener islands.

Montaña de La Muda and Pico de La Zarza have been chosen to house the “atrapanubes” because of the wind currents which characterise the area and the ideal altitude of each point.

La Oliva town council's Department of Public Health and the Environment, which is headed by councillor Genaro Saavedra, has announced its latest campaign to clean up the streets of Corralejo. This time the campaign will concentrate on encouraging dog owners to clean up after their animals by installing special collection bins.

The bins are equipped with a supply of small plastic bags, which will be topped up on a daily basis, to facilitate the task and will be clearly labelled with a picture so as not to be mistaken for ordinary waste bins.

The Department has announced that it will be installing twenty of the bins in the children's play parks and public squares of the town where dog owners tend to exercise their animals.

Councillor Saavedra explained that the dog owners must take a more responsible attitude to disposing of the waste if the problem caused by dog excrement littering the streets is to be solved and as such the image of Corralejo as a clean presentable town improved.

At the same time as the bins are installed the council will be distributing info rmation leaflets and special pooper scoopers for dog owners to use.

Puerto del Rosario town council called a press conference in the Fuerteventura Playa Blanca Hotel to present the latest promotional initiative for the borough; the web site www.turismo-puertodelrosario.org

Iñaki Alvaro Lavandera, local councillor for Tourism, explained that the idea behind the site is to provide a quick, easy and practical way for tourists to obtain info rmation about the borough without having to go to the travel Agency.

The Island Minister for Tourism Olivia Estevez added that the profile of the typical tourist who visits Fuerteventura has changed with the times. Due to a lack of time during working hours it is rarely possible to attend the travel specialists to obtain the info rmation necessary to make an unrushed selection of the appropriate holiday destination and it is becoming more and more popular to either find info rmation on the Internet before going to the Agency to book or to find the info rmation and make the booking directly online. Estevez commented that Puerto del Rosario is leading the island in this respect and urged the other borough to follow suite and update their promotional methods.

The mayor of Puerto del Rosario Marcial Morales expressed his satisfaction with the venture adding that the layout of the site will undoubtedly attract the attention of the users enticing them to click on links and banners to investigate further.

The site includes info rmation on the accommodation available in and around Puerto del Rosario, the local cuisine, leisure activities and the island public transport service and will complement other town council initiatives such as the new posters which have been made to promote the borough, the promotional CD and DVD of Puerto del Rosario, the new tourist guide, the street maps, multimedia info rmation points and info rmation boards which are situated at various points of the borough.

Fuerteventura is in fashion and increasing numbers of tourists are arriving every year to discover the delights of the island on board the traditional charter flights.

The Island Cabildo has however announced that the number of visitors to Fuerteventura could balloon beyond belief this year due to the fact that it is predicted that low cost airline Ryan air will not only bring in 950 tourists a week on the three flights the company operates from Gerona on the mainland and the Fuerteventura- Dublin weekly link but will be bringing even more visitors when the three Gerona-Fuerteventura flights become seven and as many as 3,000 visitors a week could be visiting the island on board Ryanair once the Winter season gets underway.

Island councillor for Tourism Olivia Estevez also assured that Ryanair will be adding a further two connections with the island for the Winter season .The first flight will join the islands with the German city of Dusseldorf and will therefore re info rce one of the most important sources of tourism for Fuerteventura . The Germans explained Estevez, form 45% of the tourists who visit the island and another connection with Germany will encourage even more to take their break in Fuerteventura . The second flight will connect Shannon airport in Ireland with Fuerteventura .

There is no need for the island to be wary of the low cost airlines, explained Estevez, since the kind of tourists who make the most of an economical flight tend to spend their money in the local bars and restaurants and usually books accommodation directly with the local hotels . There is no loss in income; in fact the income generated by those who choose Ryanair could even be greater than those who opt for a traditional more expensive flight.

Cabildo president Mario Cabrera who also supports the inclusion of the low cost airlines in the list of lines flying to Fuerteventura expressed his satisfaction with the developments adding that the Cabildo will be working towards increasing the number of low cost companies operating in the islands in the near future.

Three tortugas bobas (caretta caretta) and one very rare tortuga verde (Chelonia Mydas) were returned to the sea off Morro Jable recently after having received three months of care and attention at the Tafira Wildlife Rescue centre in Gran Canaria.

The release of the turtles caused a great deal of interest among the local people, the tourists who were spending a day in Morro Jable and the groups of local school children who are always invited to witness the release of the recovered animals, which are often injured by boats and floating rubbish in the waters off the coasts of the islands.

Island councillor for the environment Lazaro Cabrera explained that the monitors from the Rescue Centres make the most of these occasions to highlight the importance of caring for the turtles and other marine wildlife and as such the children were taught what to do if they find a turtle stranded on the beach and of course the hands on real experience approach ensures that the lesson is never forgotten.

Although the tortuga boba is the most common turtle in the Mediterranean area the wildlife rescue centres of the Islands are frequently inundated with creatures that have been injured in someway. The turtles which have been present in Canarian waters for thousands of years suddenly have to cope with living in the middle of a tourist region. Furthermore the name “boba” meaning stupid comes from the fact that the animal has the strange habit of lying on the surface of the water as if it were sunbathing making it not only an easy target for predators but also placing it within dangerous reach of the powerful propellers of the ferries and recreational craft moving between the islands. Furthermore the lack of care of the fishermen and island residents who dispose of pieces of plastic netting, plastic bags, ring pulls, hessian sacks, fishing hooks and other floating objects by throwing them into the sea place the lives of the creatures in danger despite the fact that they have managed to adapt themselves to the changes in the climatic conditions of the area over the last 240 million years.

The Cabildo Environmental Department gives the following guidelines:

If a turtle is sighted on the sand or floating without moving you should:

Approach the animal quietly so as not to distress it to check that it is still alive.

Call 112 to info rm the authorities of the situation.

Place a wet cloth over the turtle's shell to avoid it drying out.

Remove any netting or wires the turtle may have around its neck.

Remove any pieces of plastic the turtle may have in its mouth.

The Cabildo of Fuerteventura is at present setting up two parks in the borough of Pajara. The parks are not on this occasion for the children living in the area but are for intended for their grandparents!

Natividad Cano, island councillor for Social Services explained that the construction of the two new parks forms part of an island wide initiative to create spaces in each of the main towns of Fuerteventura for the older residents to meet and exercise in the open air using specially designed equipment.

The venture has been one of cooperation between the island government and the local town councils. The Cabildo has provided the apparatus and the personnel for its installation while each town council has been required to cede an adequate plot of land for the construction of each park .The Caja de Canarias bank has also made a sizeable contribution to the project.

The new parks, which are situated in Pajara town centre and La Lajita, are now open for use and bring the number of parks on the island to nine. There are other parks in Antigua , Corralejo, Morro Jable, Tuineje, La Oliva , Gran Tarajal and Puerto del Rosario.

A life guard service will be operating between June 5th and September 30 th. On a Monday to Thursday there will be three life guards on beach duty all the time, this will increase to four at the weekends. At the hottest time of day between twelve and three o'clock there will be five life guards looking out over the borough's popular beach.

Two special vigilance seats, two life guard towers, showers and wooden decking giving access to the beach area will complete the safety preparations for this year's summer season in Playa Blanca.

As far as the sea is concerned the area just off the coast will be cordoned off in different colours to indicate what section can be used for surfers, bathers or other beach users.

Four glass fibre cases have been erected to provide info rmation on the state of the sea together with ten “puntos limpios” clean points with bins for separating different kinds of rubbish.

Canarian wrestling (La Lucha Canaria) is one of the most popular indigenous sports in the islands. The wrestlers must show strength and skill in each hold they use. The winner is the wrestler that makes the opponent touch the floor first with any part of their body aside from the feet. To this end the wrestlers use a variety of moves or holds with either their hands or feet or both. After the fight, the winner holds the beaten person's hand and helps him to stand up. Then, the person beaten raises the winners hand in front of the referee admitting his defeat.

A legacy from the Guanche culture before the conquest of the island by the Spanish, Canarian wrestling has a great following of fans. The competitions are held in modern covered “terreros” (stadiums) and are often broadcast on television. Although there are individual competitions, it is mainly a team sport where skill can be more important than strength.

Nobody really knows were the wrestling originated from; however there is some evidence to show that the Guanche people sailed over to the Canaries from North Africa .

The first reference to the sport was made as early as the 1400's in a chronicle which describes a visit made by the recently conquered Guanche wrestlers to the court of King Juan II of Castilla in Mainland Spain . The sport soon caught on with the Spanish conquerors. By the 1600's the sport had gained in popularity and there are many literary references describing the many tactical manoeuvres practiced by the wrestler which have similar characteristics still seen today.

By the 19 th Century, although frowned upon by the middle classes who thought the sport vulgar, La Lucha Canaria was firmly established and popular. Matches were often played during celebrations and fiestas – a tradition still practiced today. There were still no standard rules to the game; instead these were usually decided before each bout.

Immigrating Canarians took their culture and La Lucha to the Americas and soon the game began appearing in Cuba and Argentina , resulting in the first written rules being established outside the Canary Islands .

It wasn't until the 1940's that the game became regulated. During this decade, the first Federation of the Lucha Canaria was created throughout the Hispanic world. La Lucha Canaria evolved from an indigenous past time practiced during fiestas to a regulated sport with international recognition.

Today there are many clubs and teams including a women's category that take part in different competitions that are organised throughout the year all over the island.

Cabildo president Mario Cabrera accompanied by the island councillor for the Environment Lazaro Cabrera and the Mayor of Puerto del Rosario Marcial Morales visited the village of Ampuyenta (LEFT) earlier this month to see how the work on the creation of the new recreational picnic area, which is being carried out in the area known as Los Pocitos, was progressing. The Los Pocitos is an area with seven natural water sources one of which is 20 metres deep.

Mario Cabrera explained that the Department of the Environment has invested the sum of 30,000 euros in the construction of the area which will include four barbecue areas and five wooden tables for everyone to enjoy adding that in this way the island's Government hopes to meet the demands not only of the local residents who needed an adequate place to spend their free time out in the open air enjoying the beauty of the countryside around them that is an alternative to the usual sun and sand activities but also of tourists who visit the area.

The Los Pocitos picnic area is only one of the projects being carried out by the Cabildo with the aim of creating more useful space. Similar initiatives are being undertaken in the Vallebron viewpoint in La Oliva and in the La Degollada de Cofete viewpoint in Pajara as well as the renovation of the Gran Valle Guanche village, which is also in the borough of Pajara.