Seven Days

Spanish outrage at Ebola    
The Ebola virus came to Spain this week and it appears that  Spain wasn´t prepared. A Spanish nurse, who had treated two  Spanish missionaries who had been diagnosed with the disease  and brought  back to Spain,  had contracted the disease. Bulletin reports throughout the week quoted medical staff as saying that they did not have the necessary training and resources to cope with the disease. Scores of people,  who had been in contact with the nurse, were placed in quarantine and even her pet dog was sacrificed.  The Spanish government blamed human error after reports that the nurse had touched her face with contaminated gloves after treating one of the patients. But a Spanish doctor said that his safety equipment was not up to standard. Protests broke out at the hospital were the nurse was being treated. In a Viewpoint article Jason Moore slammed the Spanish government and called for the Minister of Health to resign.

Education    
Gerry Mulligan interviewed the new  Minister of Education, Nuria Riera, who has been charged with keeping the government´s three language teaching plan in place despite a High Court ruling which said that it was not fit for purpose. “Promoting education in different languages is no longer an option. It´s a basic requirement...” She said that she would continue to fight for teaching in English, Spanish and Catalan.

Bulletin on the ball    
The Bulletin was on the road and promoting Majorca. Humphrey Carter travelled to Holland where the intern ational police and armed forces football tournament was taking place.  This tournament will be staged in Santa Ponsa next spring and Humphrey travelled to Holland armed with copies of the Bulletin, which included a special supplement which underlined the joys of Majorca. The event proved a huge success and next stop Santa Ponsa.

Politics    
The Conservative party took a hammering in two by-elections in Britain but they are anxious for the expat vote on the island. Visiting MP Geoffrey Clifton Brown said that if the Conservatives won the next general election they would abolish the 15 year rule on overseas voting. Expats will also be allowed to vote in the referendum on European Union membership which Prime Minister David Cameron has promised.

And staying with politics
It will be a two horse race in Calvia after two candidates announced their intention to stand for the post of candidate for Mayor for the Partido Popular in Calvia ahead of the next local elections. Jose Manuel Ruiz and Idoia Ribas are the people who have presented themselves.  “Whilst they are both very different, with their own skill sets and approaches, there is still a decision to be made. I already know who my horse is, and I am hopeful for a win,” said Angela Guerrero in her weekly Bulletin column.  

Real problems    
It was another difficult week for Real Mallorca Football Club. The off-the-pitch problems continued with the boardroom battle reaching new highs and on the pitch the club at at the bottom of the Second Division. Monro Bryce said in his column that it was a sad time.

Europe today
The Bulletin showed its European credentials this week when it launched a new section dedicated to news from across the continent.

Catalan referendum    
15 October  is the D-Day for the Catalan referendum. A Bulletin report said that on this day that Catalan government will decide whether to go ahead with their referendum which the Spanish government says is illegal.

Expats going “home”    
The Bulletin reported that 63 percent of British expats on the European continent had considered moving back home.  In his weekly Bulletin Confidential column, Frank Leavers, quoted the report and said:  “put crudely; a low cost life in the sun has been turned into a high cost life in the sun in just a few short years.”

Gardening
Dorothy Loeffler in her weekly gardening column said that now is the time to “get rid of those weeds and start planting vegetables. Dorothy said that it was a perfect time to enjoy your garden  and start planting. Dorothy´s column appears in the Bulletin on Saturday.