21/05/2013 00:00
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by MONITOR
The G8 summit meeting of leading industrial nations took place in Japan; the crisis in rising food and fuel prices, measures to control climate change, trade talks and aid to Africa were among the matters discussed. A strongly-worded statement on the unsatisfactory situation in Zimbabwe, calling on the United Nations to impose a range of sanctions, was unanimously approved by all eight G8 members. Later in the week, when the Security Council met to discuss a United States resolution on Zimbabwe, Russia appeared to have changed its mind and vetoed the resolution in the company of China, claiming that negotiations between
President Mugabe and the opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai should be given more time. Iran put on a display of its latest rockets, including one said to bring Israel into range. Some Western experts discounted the Iranian claim but Israel said that any attack would be answered in kind. The Iraqi government said it wanted the United States to provide a time-table for withdrawal of its troops before it would sign an extension of the existing agreement on their presence which ends in December.

Bulletin Headlines of the Week
SUNDAY/MONDAY: D-Day For Real Mallorca (Freddy Shepherd, former chairman of UK Premiership football club Newcastle United, was expected to open negotiations for the purchase of Real Mallorca with a sum of 40 to 50 million euros in prospect).

TUESDAY: Welcome Home Wimbledon Hero (Rafael Nadal returned home to Majorca after his thrilling Wimbledon Mens' Championship victory in five sets over Roger Federer).

WEDNESDAY: Turkey Gains Ground On Balearics (Although demand for Spanish holidays was still strong among the British, there were signs that non-euro countries such as Turkey and Egypt were catching up).

THURSDAY: Beach Alert (The Guardia Civil reported a 20 per cent increase in complaints from bathers about jet-skis, jet-ribs and other small recreational craft too close to shore).

FRIDAY: Extra Police For Balearics ( An additional 300 police were being drafted to the Balearics for the summer season; some of them will be engaged in security duties for the Spanish Royal family during the time they spend on Majorca).

SATURDAY: Warning Over Fake Euro Notes (The European Central Bank warned that large numbers of counterfeit euro notes were in circulation, especially of the 50 and 20 euro denominations).