ISSUE NO. 1673
27 Jul - 2 Aug 2017
Jet ski shark pursuit
MALLORCA
YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION
WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM
Bloodless fights now law Love Island rules
No more bull By Matthew Elliott
SWIMMERS at Colonia de Sant Jordi’s Estanys beach were ordered to leave the water when a two-metre long shark swam into the bathing area. One foreign tourist had his arm scratched when the rough skin of the shark grazed against it. A red flag was raised after the Saturday afternoon scare. A Guardia Civil patrol alerted the Palma Aquarium and tried to catch the shark, pursuing it on jet skis, but simply herded it back to the open sea. A few hours later swimmers were allowed back in the water. The blue shark rarely comes close to the shore and doesn’t attack people unless provoked. It is the third sighting in bathing waters this summer.
New bullfighting legislation allowing only bloodless fights on the islands was passed by the Balearic parliament on Monday. Within 24 hours of the news Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy announced that Madrid would appeal the decision in the courts, describing it as a ‘violation’ of the constitution. The governing PSOE and Mes coalition voted for the strict regulations with the support of Podemos. The conservative Popular Party and Ciudadanos voted against, claiming it contravened national laws protecting bullfighting’s cultural heritage. Under the new animal protection law bulls cannot be killed or harmed, and will be monitored by a vet. The Balearic government was forced to reverse its position and allow bullfights after Spain’s constitutional court struck down an outright ban in Cataluña. Instead strict controls have been imposed on the spectacle. Bulls are allowed in the arena
THIRD SEASON: Of the British reality TV show.
END OF ERA: Palma bullring facing major challenges. for just 10 minutes, spears, lances and horses are banned, no blood can be shed, no children are permitted to watch, alcohol is prohibited and fines for any violation can reach €100,000. The famous Fornalutx correbou (bull run) also goes ahead under sanitised conditions. The bull will no longer run through the streets, or be injured. Children are banned. Health and safety considerations are so strict the organisers are considering using an ox instead. The new law has firm support from more than a dozen animal rights groups on Mallorca and across Europe.
SINCE the beginning of the third season of British reality TV show Love Island, bookings by UK nationals to Mallorca have reportedly shot up by 31 per cent. The hit show, featuring singleton shenanigans in a Mallorcan villa, concluded over the weekend, having drawn in an estimated two million viewers per episode on ITV2. This year the love villa was near Sant Llorenc, while the show offered viewers in British living rooms a glimpse of some of Mallorca’s boutique hotels and luxury spas.