... was former king, Juan Carlos, whose stock dropped even lower when the Supreme Court public prosecutor announced that it will be investigating him in connection with suspected kickback payments for the contract to build the high-speed train to Mecca. Three months ago, when plenty of publicity was being given to alleged financial irregularities, Swiss bank accounts and supposed Saudi multimillion donations, King Felipe sought to distance himself from his father by renouncing any inheritance and stripping the ex-king of his annual stipend. The affair has returned to the front pages, and is now potentially more damaging for the monarchy.
Three cheers...
For Palma town hall having made the decision to keep the beaches closed on Sant Joan Eve. The state of alarm will have ended by then and the new normal will have begun, but no one can start kidding themselves that it is safe to be gathering in large numbers, and what would be uncontrolled numbers. Sant Joan Eve is a major occasion, and not just in Palma, but as the mayor has said - there will be other Sant Joan Eves. And Alberto Jarabo, the councillor with responsibility for fiestas, would certainly not have wanted another possible fiestas’ fiasco, given what happened in January for Sant Sebastià when Storm Gloria struck.
A big boo...
For the killing of dozens of tortoises. The Son Real finca near to Can Picafort is known for having large numbers of tortoises. Over the winter, the state company Tragsa was involved in forest management work at Son Real. It would seem that this work was being done when there was the exceptionally warm weather in February. The regional environment ministry, which hasn’t denied that the tortoises were killed, says that this weather brought the tortoises out of hibernation and exposed them to the work. Environmentalists GOB are insisting that there should be a change to the management and protection of Son Real. They are almost certainly right.