Singer campaign sets Palma alight - literally

Palma city council launched its help the local singer win Spain's answer to Pop Idol yesterday. A marquee was set up along the Borne with 20 telephones available free of charge to the public to cast their vote for Chenoa, a singer from the Casino, who is one of the last six going in to Monday night's final of “Operación Triunfo”. However, with the Insular Council of Majorca's campaign causing controversy as public funding is being used to help Chenoa, the city council tent was set on fire by a group of youth on Friday night. While the council is not using public money to cover the costs of the telephone calls, two private companies are sponsoring the campaign, it did not stop the arsonists. City council sources said that fire fighters were called to the scene within minutes and managed to extinguish the blaze before it destroyed the entire plastic marquee. However, as groups of children and adults trickled through the tent yesterday to cast the votes, the damage was clear to see. Council workmen spent most of the early morning trying to repair the marquee as best as possible ahead of phone lines opening at 10am. The marquee will be operational over the weekend and tomorrow (Monday) for the final votes to be cast before the polls close. The programme, which last Monday was watched by 12 million people, goes to air on TVE1 at 10pm and each of the six finalists have be practising hard all week for the grand finale. However, while three of the six will be voted out, the remaining trio will then, over the next two weeks, have to compete for the prize of representing Spain at the Eurovision song contest.