Flaming bull festivals backed by Spanish lawmakers

Lawmakers in Catalonia have voted to endorse flaming bull festivals, angering animal right's activists.

The Catalonian parliament banned bullfighting in the region this summer, but have now passed a bill that will protect other traditions that have been criticised as cruel to bulls.

The traditions, known in Catalan and 'correbous' include attaching burning sticks to the animals' horns as they chase human thrill seekers.

In July, Catalonia banned bullfighting on grounds of cruelty, becoming only the second Spanish region to do away with the centuries-old custom, after the Canary Islands.

The bill - approved in parliament by a 114-14 vote, with five abstentions - protects other bull-related traditions in Catalonia that activists find repulsive.

Speaking after the vote, Paco Sancho, a Catalan member of parliament, said they were reluctant to outlaw certain activities that had been enjoyed for centuries.

However, around a dozen people who protested outside the parliament disagreed, with one demonstrator labelling the vote as "both surreal and contradictory".