Experts have said that the forgeries could have resulted in economic losses of over half a million euros.

Five people have been arrested in association with the operation , one Spaniard and four Chinese.There were raids in Monovar , Elche and Santa Pola.

The police were tipped off a few weeks ago that counterfeit clothing and accessories were being sold , imitating famous brands . The police seized 1700 handbags which imitated a well known Italian brand.

Taxi drivers want prospective passengers to do what they always have done and that is to choose the taxi at the front of the queue.They feel that this is a fairer way to ensure that all drivers get a fair spread of fares. It also helps to prevent taxi drivers from arguing and helps to stop illegal taxi drivers from operating.

Another issue is that of advertising on taxis , which is another stream of income for the companies.The new rules only want advertising to be on the roof and not as part of the vehicles livery.Changing would involve cost to the companies as vehicles would need to be resprayed.

Taxi drivers , who are legal are not happy that such stringent rules are applied to them when illegal taxi drivers seem to get away with everything.

The mayor of Benissa has warned the public that the situation is a direct threat to the general public and also to the environment.It is not yet known who did this and the mayor has requested that people be extra vigilant and has reassured the public that the police are making extra patrols.

There have been reported deaths of dogs and wildlife and it was Calpe town hall that contacted Seprona , the environmental wing of the Guardia Civil.They are now investigating the case.Should there be more cases of poisoning then people must get in touch with either town halls or the police.

One local vet has reported 20 cases of affected dogs and it is thought that three dogs in Benissa have died as a result of drinking the water. Signs have now been put up to warn the public of the dangers.

He has gone to school in Spain and is now studying law at Alicante university.Heis now 20 years old and applied for  residency card recently.However his application has been rejected and a deportation order has been placed on him. The reasoning is that he is an adult and he doesn´t have employment.

The young man has appealed the decision and is being backed by a lawyer from Alicante university. After writing an open letter to a newspaper recently two companies have offered to support him . One has even offered him a scholarship.

The mayor of Altea is also the provincial PP president and he has spoken to the sub-delegate in Alicante about the plight that this young man is facing after 13 years of living in Spain. It was indicated to the mayor that there could be a happy ending to the story.

In Javea they have just refurbished the Lidl supermarket and it opened again on May 10.The old store has been totally remodelled and the floor space increased to just over 1000 square metres. They have installed up to the minute equipment and it is hoped , will be supplying the shopper with a “complete ” shopping experience.

As an introductory offer the supermarket has been giving away incentives to spend over 20 euros with gifts of free meals and a chance to win on the wheel of fortune.They are also providing free entertainment for children

There has been some criticism of Lidl stores for having very little in the way of security for shoppers and there have been a number of mugging cases in Lidl stores in the past.

Now it appears this was part of a nationwide scam and that the umbilical cords were just thrown away and the money was pocketed. It seems that up to 800 people might have been duped in this way.They have hit people in the provinces of Alicante , Murcia , Albacete and Valencia

A support group has now been set up for the victims of this scam and it is hoped that the police will eventually catch up with these fraudsters and place them behind bars.

It is a good opportunity for AENA to make some money from what is a largely unused space.Since the new terminal has opened , it has its own parking facilities.

The idea has not been welcomed by the CCOO union which is opposed to the running of the facility by a private company. They think that the running of the car park should stay in public hands to save the jobs of the six people who work there.

They have since been told that theses people will not lose their jobs but would be designated to other jobs within the airport.

The cost of using this long stay car park has yet to be established but it will have to be commercially viable. If the current prices for parking your car in the new car park are anything to go by then the charges will be high.

At the moment leaving your car for a week costs 102 euros as compared with 28 euros in one on the perimeter of the airport.These are therefore 70% more economical.

Now the mayors of Denia , Gandia and Oliva are getting together to work out just how they can get the much awaited line between Denia and Gandia. Central government has left the project out of its budget , once again.

This time they have been told that there “may ” be money in the State budget for 2024! The three mayors have requested a meeting with the Minister for Transport and the Regional government president Alberto Fabra.

In October 2011 it was agreed that the work would begin fairly soon but now central government has gone back on its word.

A direct link between Alicante and Valencia would be an enormous boost for the economy in the region as it would permit a much larger degree of mobility of labour. It would also be a huge asset for tourism , especially when there was a link to El Altet and Manisses airports.

Many areas of Javea are having roads resurfaced and heavy machinery is being used . In this particular case the machinery broke a water pipe in three places. The weight of the machinery led to the underground water supply channels cracking open,

The water board AMJASA assured that the residents had water by that night though the damage to the roads is still very visible. To repair the breaks AMJASA had to dig trenches in streets that had already been repaired and resurfaced.

Many of the pipes were failing due to age and wear and tear, meaning that there could be even more leaks in the future. AMJASA realises that there are many areas where they need to extend their re-piping policy.

Normally there are two doctors and two nurses on duty each night and they find it difficult to cope with the number of patients that they see.

Now there will be only one doctor and one nurse on duty each night.Doctors are often called out at night to emergency calls and this would leave just a nurse.This means that all incoming patients cannot be treated because the nurse cannot make a diagnosis.

Denia hospital encourages people to make their first port of call their local health centre so that they cut down on the use of the casualty department at the hospital , which is really only for real emergencies.

The lack of staff at this  night centre means that it is possible that more patients will now attend casualty and so clog up the system even more.

People called the Guardia Civil and Local Police and came out of their homes because of the noise being made.The man was caught red handed by the police , who had quite a difficult job to pin him down.He was in a very high state of anger at the time.

It appears that the man has been suffering from depression and was thought to have behaved out of sheer anger and impulse.

The suspect has been remanded in custody pending a medical report.

They were all in civvy uniform , both men and women , and in normal circumstances they would be protecting the town hall but they actually stormed into the building and issued threats. It is then alleged that they marauded around the building , entering offices and verbally abusing staff.All of this has been denied by the officers who say that in the main the protest was a quiet one.

Eventually the mayor , Agustin Navarro , agreed to meet with them and listen to their grievances.

It all began when around 150 officers congregated in the square near the town hall.They carried placards with very aggressive wording. It was when town hall staff thought that the demonstration had ended that the 50 officers stormed into the building.

At the moment the average wage is 1600 euros a month and this has been cut to 1200 euro a month.The officers presented an open letter to the mayor explaining their actions.

The town hall has stated that if such a thing happens again then they will be left with no alternative but to call on the National Police to restore order.

In the past such acts of cruelty were not considered to be criminal under article 337 of the criminal law. Now this has all changed and these animal rights activists have brought a successful prosecution  against this person.It has taken three years to do it .

The case was heard in Villajoyosa , on the Costa Blanca , and the prosecution were asking for a 9 month custodial sentence plus the prohibition of working with animals for more than 2 years.They were also seeking compensation for the animal rights group.

The accused admitted to what he had done and consequently he received a six month suspended sentence and a 500 euro fine. This is the sort of thing that required someone to make an example of the accused to send a message to other people.However it was a step in the right direction.

In the Valencia region alone about 15% of towns are at risk of going bankrupt.They have debts of 5.4 billion euros. Benidorm , on the Costa Blanca ,  is struggling to pay for basic utilities yet they have spent almost a million euros on a soccer pitch in one area of the town.

In Alto Palencia , a small town with a population of less that 1000 , each resident has a debt of over 3000 euros.Yet this tiny village has a concert hall and a sports complex , two totally non-essentials for a small community.

These types of excesses are to be found across Spain and they have to stop.Debt has been running out of control for many years and now it has come up to bite them.Governments have allowed this spending spree even when corruption was very obvious. Borrowing has exceeded legal limits and has been allowed to do so. Now the man in the street is paying off debts for things that they didn´t need in the first place.

Germany has been concerned about their unemployment rate of 5.6% , while Spain has an unemployment rate of 24.1% .There is no comparison in the two. There has to be a mega shift in attitude towards working and a massive shift in the morals of those who run the country too.

Initially the Spanish government had made it quite clear that they would not use public money to rescue banks.Then the prime minister , Mariano Rajoy conceded on Monday that he would not he would change his mind and would use public money if it was to save the Spanish financial  system. He did say that it was a last resort but it was something that other governments had done. All funds loaned to Bankia would be seen as a public debt.

The Bank of Spain and the Economy Ministry are developing a plan where Bankia could receive an injection of public funds in the form of convertible bonds that would carry commercial interest rates of around 8%.

To clear up its balance sheets it has been calculated that the bank will require between 5 and 10 billion euros.

Bankia has admitted that it has problematic loans and other assets relating to the real estate sector of 31.8 billion euros for which it has already provisioned 8.3 billion.

Last year Bankia made 309 million profit and closed down 800 branches as part of a “slimming down ” process.It laid off a quarter of its workforce.

Rodrigo Rato has a very good pedigree as he was a finance minister in a former PP government , he has been managing director of the International Monetary Fund and was appointed Chairman of Caja Madrid in 2010.Caja Madrid went on to merge with six other savings banks to form BFA and its commercial arm Bankia.

Since the smoking ban many bars and restaurants have found that it has had a detrimental effect on their trade.

The rules about smoking were initially brought in in 2006 but they were often so vague and difficult to interpret.The ban was very much left up to individual bar owners themselves. In 2011 it became much tighter and more stringent.

Smoking is a common pastime in Spain and the cafe society where people have a drink and a smoke has been a difficult one to change.  It is difficult to understand why they have not taken to using good quality electronic cigarettes such as those made by Inlife.You can smoke these where you please , there is no tobacco involved and so no smoke or smell or ash, the perfect solution to the problem and you still get your nicotine.

In Benidorm , on the Spanish Costa Blanca , the town council has tried to help bar owners by making streets for pedestrians only and allowing bars and cafes to place their tables on the street pavements, so that people can smoke outside and still have a drink.

Now it seems that Alfaz del Pi is about to do the same.They have placed bollards on the road in front of a number of bars , allowing the same as in Benidorm.Many have now made these areas more attractive with awnings and flowers.

The old fish market is a listed building and it has just undergone structural integrity tests have been carried out on the woodwork and now it is the turn of the walls and floors.

If all of these tests are satisfactory and permission from the Directorate General of Ports is forthcoming  then work will begin very quickly.

Once completed the building will house the new tourist office and become a cultural area for such things as exhibitions.

The work will be carried out by 24 students of stone masonry, electrics and plumbing. These students are aged between 38 and 50 years and are participating in these activities to improve their skills and provide them with a job opportunity.

This building has always been a landmark of the Denia “front ” and it is intended to retain its special character when it has been restored.

At the moment they have a new tiger which they are attempting to introduce to the other tigers that are there.

The 18 month old tiger was rejected by its mother at birth in November 2010 and has never been integrated into the park´s tiger population.

The young tiger is quite small for his age and the first thing that they have done is to get the animal to make eye contact with one of the other three adult tigers.It is then hoped that this tiger will introduce the younger one to the other two.

If this doesn´t work then Kali could be seen as an intruder and would be attacked.At the moment they are getting the tigers used to the scent of the new tiger by alternating them in outside areas.

Kali is an Asian tiger and is endangered and protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora ( CITES ).

The adults can reach 250 kilos in weight and they are the second largest predators on the planet after the grizzle bears .They are animals that have short fur which is well adapted to the heat and humidity of the jungles of Asia where they usually live.

The improvements to the port have cost around 10 million euros and is aimed at allowing passengers to pass through the port more efficiently.

The town hall in Denia has stated that the passenger traffic from Denia to the Balearic islands has increased and so the new terminal is meeting these increasing needs and it will also be part of long term planning for the increasing development of the services.

The works have covered a 14,000 square metre plot and comprises a three storey building housing state of the art passenger services including a new footbridge and two merchandising loading ramps.The running of the new terminal has been passed to a concession company.

It is possible that thousands of international clients purchased these bonds which the CAM promised were 100% refundable.The bank invested millions if not billions of euros in these bonds.

The bonds had a small rate of return on them but investors were later told that they could not get their money back.In March CAM was integrated into Sabadell Bank and the CEO of Sabadell stated that they would be contacting customers individually “before the summer “.

One expat who purchased bonds has been waiting seven months for the money to be paid into his current account. Many others have returned to their country of origin because of this problem and others have lost their businesses.One man lost his business because clients could not pay him because they were unable to access their bonds.

Many think that they won´t see their money but will be offered their value in Sabadell shares.

The proposals were published last week and cover 2012 to 2015 and they were presented to the EU.The document went through ways in which to control public debt.

It is not yet clear how many town halls of the 8000 , will be affected.In the coming weeks and months the implications will become clearer for individual municipalities.

The Spanish government intends to reform the Bases de Regimen Local which defines which government entities provide which services and the role of the provincial authorities.

Each town hall will be reviewed and the services they offer at the moment will be assessed and it will be decided whether another authority could provide some of them.This of course will require a change in the funding of town halls.The money could be passed to more central authorities.

Spain it appears , has more town halls than any other country and this needs to be rationalised , to achieve greater efficiency.

The installation has been accompanied by the training of staff in its use . Sudden Cardiac Death accounts for about 25,000 deaths a year in Spain . The device can assess the condition of the person and apply the electric shock necessary to get the heart beating again. Also installed is a direct line to Telefonica so that the emergency services can be called.

The company which installed the column is called Gentalia and their aim is to lead the fight against cardiac arrest deaths in Spain. So far they have installed columns in shopping malls in San Sebastian , Elche , Alicante and Ribera del Xuquer Carcaixent.

SCD is caused by the heart going into a chaotic set of rhythms and if these rhythms are not rectified withing 10 minutes then the patient can die or suffer irreversible damage to the heart. These columns give a victim immediate attention.

There is a call across Europe to have this equipment installed in all public places plus schools and colleges.

It was discovered that the man was never ordained as a priest and in fact presented false credentials to the parish in order to carry out a number of sacraments such as baptism , holy communion and marriage ceremonies.

This was a man who was very popular in the parish and the local community has commented on just how “human ” he was. They , of course , didn´t realise that he was an imposter.

The fake priest disappeared just before an investigation was about to take place , according to a spokesperson for the Archbishop of Seville. Now they also have to investigate the validity of the sacraments carried out by this  man.

The Society of Management Information Systems in Health HIMSS Analytics Europe has awarded six new European hospitals for leadership in the implementation of electronic medical history.

Denia hospital manages medical records with exemplary efficiency in the Marina Alta and it has achieved the highest score at level 7.

The hospital is the first in Spain and the second in Europe to reach the maximum score on the EMRAM scale.This scale assesses the level of digitisation of a hospital.Level 7 is only granted when an environment has been fully implemented for electronic medical records.

Denia hospital uses the Millenium software , a tool available on-line patient clinical data and analysis for management decisions.

The Directors of educational institutions have warned about the drastic fall in educational standards which will ensue as a result.They warn that many educational establishments will not be able to weather these cuts and they also warn that students are going to suffer.

Statements were made at the “XXV Congress of the Federation of Managers of Public Schools “.They are warning that the future of the country can be seriously compromised by jeopardizing the training and qualifications of citizens.

The congress took place over three days and at a huge variety of meetings it was agreed that there will be a loss of quality in education.

One issue that they discussed was the new dictat about teachers who become ill. The new legislation says that teachers already on the staff must cover for them up to 10 days of illness. This could leave students without certain classes for 2 weeks. Even if teachers are assigned to cover classes then it will be a massive lack of continuity.Increased class sizes and longer working hours are also going to take its toll on the profession.

The group of people who were making a complaint had just completed a long haul flight from the Far East .They have formally written a letter of complaint to British Airways.

The newest Spanish airline has been quick to refute these complaints and maintains that safety regulations are maintained on all flights.

Iberia Express say that the complaints have been fully investigated and that at all times the crew complied with current safety procedures.They wanted to underline the total professionalism of all Iberia Express personnel for whom safety is a top priority.

Another British traveller , returning from New York has made similar comments to those made by the travellers from the Far East and stated that they also had concerns about safety while travelling from Madrid to Alicante´s El Altet airport.

The Russian fashion house Bosco di Ciliegi has made the designs and the kindest comments from Spanish designers has come from ACME ( The Association of Spanish Design ) where they politely pointed out that there are many excellent Spanish designers , an excellent manufacturing industry and great outlets for sales , so why go to a Russian company?

In the current economic climate the Spanish industry would have liked a chance to have competed for the contracts.Another design specialist felt “saddened ” that the opportunity had been taken from Spanish designers.

The designs have also been likened to “Thunderbird “puppets and airline hostesses uniforms.

It appears that Bosco is a sponsor of the Spanish team and so this just might have had something to do with their being chosen to design.

The royal family did celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary but this one is to pass unnoticed.There was to be a commemorative stamp but the idea has been scrapped.

The reasons being put forward are the state of the Spanish economy and the royal family attempting to save some money.However money didn´t seem to be a problem when the king visited Botswana to hunt recently.During that visit he hunted elephant and also broke his hip.He made a public apology to the nation because his visit  caused so much outrage both at home and abroad.

Many feel that this is really about Queen Sofia at last making a stand and not being prepared to pretend any longer.They say that the queen is showing her feelings about the long term friendship between her husband and a 48 year old German woman ,known to the Spanish as “The German Princess ” and the constant companion of the king since 2006. It was she who organised the disastrous trip to Botswana.She has suddenly made a sojourn to Monaco since that debacle and will not speak to the press.

The last 12 months have not been good for the royals in many ways and this is the culmination of an annus horibilis , a “horrible year “.

All of this is to happen to show Brussels that it can be done and who is to make these savings for the government ? The consumer , who did nothing to create the Spanish economic crisis in the first place.It appears that the IMF actually suggested these tax increases.It is all part of a “Financial Stability Plan ” for 2013 and was presented to the EU last week.

Naturally the Spanish opposition parties have come out with all guns blazing against raising all of these taxes and have reminded Mariano Rajoy that this is yet another election promise that they have reneged on. During the general election the PP party promised that IVA would not be increased.It was also stated by Sr Rajoy directly after the elections.He is now saying that it has to be done for the ” greater good of Spain “.

The economy is already in recession and many economists say that putting up consumer taxes is not the way forward for the country.

Ironically it was the former PSOE government that raised IVA from 16 to 18% and then the PP president of Madrid Esperanza Aguirre was the first to make protests to the then prime minister Zapatero. Other PP ministers also violently opposed the increases and now here they are increasing it even more.

The 16 year old was seriously injured and taken to the hospital at Villajoyosa where he was placed in intensive care and is now in a stable but serious condition.The 18 year old was not seriously injured and was treated at the scene of the accident , as was the driver of the vehicle which hit them.He was arrested after receiving treatment.

Other accidents in the region took place near Valencia when a 19 year old hit a tree and was killed.The accident happened on Sunday morning  and the cause of the accident isn´t known.

Another man was injured when his car left the road on the Carresqueta mountain and careered down a ravine.He is in a stable but serious condition in Alicante hospital.The driver seems to have lost control of the car but the actual reason for the accident is not yet known.Fire crews were called to help release the man from his car.He was trapped for some time.

They included the ophthalmologist Elie Dahan who is known for promoting non.incisional techniques which try to reduce pressure in the condition called glaucoma.These techniques cause minimal damage.

These new techniques can prevent the degenerative progression of glaucoma and could reduce by 80% the use of medication to control the pressure build up.A small metal structure is fitted into the eye to allow a small quantity of aqueous humour to escape and so reduce internal ocular pressure.

The stents are designed on those used in cardiovascular surgery to open up blocked arteries but are modified greatly to fit an eye.

Glaucoma is the second most common form of blindness in developed countries and shows no symptoms until quite advanced. High blood pressure and the use of certain drugs , inhalers and creams made of corticosteroids for the eyes can also be a factor.

There is great concern for the health and general well being of the man as he has a mental age of 10 years , a result of brain damage from meningitis as a child.

He was on holiday with his mother at an hotel in Benidorm when a fire broke out on the fourth floor and the hotel had to be evacuated and some people suffered smoke inhalation.

The man had been out with friends and the hotel says that CCTV footage saw him on the fourth floor .His mother says that he was confused and may have got out on the wrong floor but at the time the smoke alarm went off he was in his room and asleep.

His mother is 77 and has always cared for her son.She is now , understandably very concerned for his welfare as he is not coping well with the prison conditions.He has lost five stone in weight.He has even attempted suicide.

Fair Trials International has now taken up his case in a bid to get a quick trial.They are communicating with the Spanish authorities and hope to get the matter resolved.

One hears so much these days about the “human rights ” of people who truly need to be punished because of their known bad deeds and here is a man who seems to have no “rights ” and is still only a suspect in a case. Surely , even in Spain it doesn´t require 17 months to bring such a case in front of a judge.

In all 2000 native species of plant grow here , more than in many a European country and double the number found in the UK.According to the statisticians a quarter of all the flora in Europe can be found in the Valencia region.

A regional spokesperson for the environment has quite rightly said that these statistics are phenomenal as the region only makes up 0.005% of the total land mass of Europe.

There are 350 species of plant which can only be found in the region.This compares with 133 for the whole of France and just 16 for the UK.

It has been revealed that 32.5% of fungi , 43.3% of mosses and 47.8% of ferns in Spain , grow in the Valencia region.

In terms of animals , 338 vertebrates can be found in the region, representing 53% of the total in Spain.It also has 63.7% of all birds and 53% of mammals and it has only 4.6% of the land mass.

The woman never received a copy of this agreement and now she has won her case against the bank for non-disclosure of contract terms after she overpaid in interest charges by about 10,000 euros.

She claimed that she never signed a contract with the bank which justified such high charges. Now a Denia judge has found that the contract , entitled ” financial risk management” was very complex and would need expert knowledge to understand it and its full implications.

Full explanations had not been given to the woman meaning that she could not be expected to make an informed decision.

The bank was found to be in breach of their duty to provide complete information when selling a product to a customer.The compensation made to the plaintiff is thought to be in the region of 10,000 euros.

The general secretary for the CCOO union has stated that the reforms have in fact had a negative effect and that there are 6000 more people out of work along the Costa Blanca.

Working hours in Alicante have been reduced by 50% and the total number of people unemployed in Alicante Province was registered at 225,000.

The CCOO claims that the right that an employer now has to sack someone without any authority has caused more people to lose their jobs.There are now 44,000 young people unemployed in Alicante province at the present time.The prospect of them gaining employment is remote.More and more companies are reducing the sizes of their workforce and others are cutting back on working hours.Many workers are having their hours cut by 50%.

Other companies are doing temporary lay-offs and once again in Alicante Province this practice rose by 137%.

This plan will permit 2,260 million euros to be saved from the 2012 budget. This is the prediction of the PP run government.

Healthcare and education cuts have already been announced and the government see this as a whole change in the “concept of government “.

Mariano Rajoy , the Spanish Prime Minister , has set a deficit target of 1.5% and the Valencia government say that they will reach this target with the strategies they are using.

A wealth tax is certainly back in the frame for 2013 and is hoped to generate 70 million euros.It is hoped that this will create new jobs in the region.

Why therefore , when everyone else is going down the “austerity ” route , is it that owners of gaming establishments and gaming machines are being given tax concessions which will amount to about 45 million euros.This understandably , has angered many people who are seeing their taxes going up directly and indirectly. Bingo parlours have also been given special concessions which reduces the amount of tax that they pay.This is something that requires explaining to the man in the street.

The man was in charge of the public toilets on Paseo de Colon when he was filmed sleeping in his car rather than doing the job that he is paid to do.

He has been asked to give an explanation about just why he was in his car asleep but the evidence against him is very damning.

This is not the only complaint against him according to the beach councillor.He has been told off about parking his car in front of the toilets , watching films inside his car when he ought to have been working  and also asking for tips from those who use the toilets , which is expressly forbidden.

The man has been removed from his post and will face a disciplinary hearing.

British tourists to the Valencia region increased by almost 20% in March .The top tourist influx came from the Norwegians with a massive increase of 34.2 %. Almost half a million tourists came to the region in March.

According to the statistics the average spend per person was about 88 euros a day.The average length of a stay was 10 days .During March it has been calculated that 296 million euros was spent. This means that the tourists have stayed longer and spent more than during March 2011.

The first quarter of the year also gives cause for optimism and again it has been calculated that almost 700 million euros were spent which is a 1.6% increase on last year.

Tourism in the Murcia region also rose by 29.5% during the first quarter of the year and their spending rate also increased.It has been said that the average spend for a stay was just over 1000 euros.

The Spanish Institute for Statistics says that the Valencia Region had the busiest and most popular campsites in Spain during March.

When the route was first published there was a period of time given for everyone to comment , should they wish to do so.They were promised that all objections and complaints would be answered by March but that has not happened.

Last October the regional government moved quickly to reserve land that it needed for the rail link.This involved properties between Benidorm , Monforte del Cid , Campello, Muchamiel , San Vicente del Raspeig and Alcoy.

At the moment the land is only being reserved for 10 years and expropriation is not expected for the immediate future.

The 49 year old already had a criminal record and now it is wondered if he was responsible for a similar crime at the vegetable company in 2007.

The vegetables were distributed to a number of countries in the European Union and the company owners had already been warned that glass had been found but luckily the products had not been sent out to supermarkets.Many customers have cancelled orders though and the company estimates that it has lost 200,000 euros in lost custom.

The 49 year old has been charged with a crime against public health security and remains under the jurisdiction of the San Javier court.

Recently the Denia U3A paid a visit to Denia hospital , but they went behind the scenes.They were met by a councillor and the hospital press officer and they were given a brief history of the hospital , which opened in 2009.The hospital is a state hospital but it is run by a private company Marina Salud.

They were then given a tour of the hospital and shown the wards which are designed for two patients but generally there is only one patient using a room at a time.Family members are encouraged to stay with the patient each night to help with basic needs.This is one of the more unusual aspects for a British person.

The Accident and Emergency Department uses a method called the “Manchester Triage System ” which means that as soon as a patient enters the department they are assessed and given a colour coded tag which indicates just how long they will have to wait for attention.Red means urgent and straight away and green means that you could be there for hours.

The dispensing of drugs is state of the art to attempt to eliminate someone being given the wrong drugs.Nurses and doctors are identified by their unique finger print.Once the name of the patient is put in then the medication for that patient will be dispensed , assuming the correct information has been put in to the machine in the first place.

The group was also taken to the children’s ward which is a very welcoming environment for what must be a very scary experience for any child.The tour ended with a visit to the “Call Centre ” which is manned between 8am and 9pm each day and it offers information and appointment details.

The burglaries have taken place in Alicante , Murcia and Albacete provinces. They tended to focus on holiday homes or country houses and generally worked at night. They were based in Caudete a small town in Albacete province close to the border with Murcia and Alicante provinces.

They stole jewellery , electronic equipment and also firearms.They generally left the properties badly damaged. The goods were then sold at street markets , illegally. The investigation was launched in February and there was a great deal of cooperation between a number of professional associations before the arrests were made. The gang was also involved in drug trafficking.

During searches of the homes of the five men the Guardia Civil discovered a whole range of items stolen from homes , from flat screen televisions to guns and bullets plus plants and equipment for growing marijuana.Some items have been returned to their owners.

It appears that the 58 year old partner of the woman called the National Police to tell them what had happened and confessed to the killing.

The neighbours of the couple heard a very heated argument at 7am in the morning , which disturbed everyone.The victim was heard shouting for help and then everything went quiet.

Police found the knife which killed the woman by the side of the body, she had been stabbed twice in her side.Paramedics were unable to do anything to save the woman and she was pronounced dead at the scene.

The association which helps women involved in domestic violence called for a silent demonstration of support for the victim and that was held the day after the murder.

This week the man attacked the woman again but this time with a knife.He stabbed her in the side.Luckily passers by saw what was happening and called the police.The man ran off into the derelict Hotel Fontanella.

Police searched the building and discovered him on the top floor where he resisted arrest violently.The British woman was taken to hospital in Villajoyosa where she underwent surgery.She was later said to be in a stable but delicate position.

The Romanian man was taken to the police station in Benidorm and hopefully detained.There are big questions hanging over the usefulness of restraining orders as the sort of man who attacks a woman is generally the sort of man who will ignore such orders.If this man had been detained then this woman would not have been stabbed.

Again , last weekend a man was stopped in the middle of attacking his partner in the street.The man was not arrested as the woman would not press charges.

Women can often be their own worst enemies in cases such as this .When are women going to realise that it is not acceptable for anyone to violently attack you.

The budget was made available to the public before it was approved , as is standard practice.This allows people to comment and put in formal complaints if they so choose.

Members of the opposition plus almost 300 residents protested that the Denia council had increased the property tax by the full 10% suggested by central government.Not one of the complaints was upheld.

The town has a budget deficit of 4 million euros.Some of this is caused by reduced funds from both central and regional governments .This amounts to 2 million euros and the rest has been caused by an inability to obtain finance from banks.Consequently it is the innocent man in the street who has to come to the rescue by having to pay more taxes.

The council has set up CCTV cameras all over the town to deter these vandals from committing this sort of damage. At a time when all councils are struggling , this type of damage is the last straw.

Last Monday morning there were a number of businesses sprayed with paint and some public buildings also.

The handwriting has been analysed and it is thought that all of the damage has been carried out by the same person or group of people.Last year there were almost 300 incidents of vandalism in the town.If caught they could receive fines of up to 750 euros. It would be an apt punishment to make them clean some of the buildings that they have damaged.

Denia market was only moved to its present location about two months ago for a trial period.Previously it had been in the Torrecremada area , near Mercadona ,  and there was enough space for 200 stalls.The new site is more central but the 172 stalls is just too many for the space and so they have to be reduced. Traders are happy with the new location but whether they will be happy with having to reduce their numbers is another story.

In Javea there is an increasing demand for stalls and the Thursday market is going to extend to the Placa del Mercat and the Plaza de la Iglesia.These extra sites are only temporary until the council is able to work a new set up for the new traders.

Most of Spain does not have to pay to travel on the motorways and Valencia region and Cataluña are two regions that do have to pay.

The protesters targeted Algamesi , Sagunto and Castellon toll booths.The only booths with any significant disruption was at Sagunto where there was a 200 metre tail-back.

The law relating to toll booths and fines is a strange one as it appears that people cannot be fined for not paying at the tolls.The law does not specify that you have to pay , only that you must not obstruct the tolls.If a toll booth attendant does not allow a driver to pass through then the driver can ask for the help of the police and report the employee for illegal detention.At the toll booths there were Guardia Civil officers but they were unable to stop or fine anyone.The green and red lights are not traffic lights , they just indicate whether a driver has paid the toll charge or not.

The protesting organisation has said that the Highway Code does not specify that you have to pay , only that you cannot obstruct the tolls.

This organisation feels that none of us should have to pay to use the infrastructure of the country as it goes against the Spanish social and economic interests. Most of Spain does not charge for the use of motorways.

The government in Spain is seeing things differently and is arranging to pass a law where charges are made on all motorways throughout the country.This is an attempt to help finance the high cost of the national road network.

The owners of one Javea villa were tied up and beaten by the burglars who then stole two safe deposit boxes, watches valued at 40,000 euros, 1500 euros in cash and their car.They were wearing balaclavas and carried walkie talkies to communicate with each other.

The Guardia Civil discovered a connection between someone who had been working at the property and it led to the gang.There have been months of investigation which included raids on villas in Benidorm , Villajoyosa, Altea and Almoines.

Eight men and two women have now been arrested , all are of Bulgarian nationality and they have been charged with aggravated burglary,fraud and forgery.

In their homes were found machinery designed to copy the magnetic bands on credit cards, forged identity documents and stolen luxury vehicles. All have been kept in custody.

The sewage works has had to seek permission from the Jucar Hydrographic Confederation to do so and all of the details have been made known to the public so that all those who wish to make a complaint can do so.

The plant is built to deal with sewage from the 7000 residents of El verger and its surrounding urbanisations as well as homes on Les Deveses beach , which are in Denia.

They are doing this to reduce the requirement for septic tanks and stop illegal linking to the sewage system.

The sewage effluent will be deposited at the mouth of the river and this area has already been given a purifying treatment involving disinfecting with chlorine and removing phosphorus.

Initially the Guardia Civil arrested three Romanians in connection with the stabbings and now they have arrested five more Romanians.

The victim was also a Romanian and was very seriously injured and needed intensive care treatment for his wounds. He almost died through loss of blood and shock.

The police have carried out some intensive work investigating the case and now feel that they have all of the culprits in custody. The final five were arrested in houses in La Nucia , Benidorm and Villajoyosa.

Not only did they arrest the men but they also discovered a hoard of other things stashed away , including cash, jewellery , knives and guns.There was also an undisclosed amount of cocaine and blood stained clothing.

All eight are in custody and are awaiting a hearing on charges of attempted murder , drug trafficking and illegal possession of firearms.

The first hurdle to overcome , is to convince the opposition parties that this is the way forward, particularly the PP and CDL parties.

The May holidays in Benidorm augured well for the town.The hotels had a 95% occupancy as many parts of Spain were suffering bad weather , people flocked to the Costa Blanca.It was Benidorm that did best , with other areas of the Costa Blanca only reaching 60% occupancy.This came as a much needed boost for businesses.

National tourism has increased in Benidorm and many people made really last minute bookings when they were faced with bad weather at home.Equally bad weather in the UK may have also added to the influx of visitors.Prices became very low and one wonders just how much profit was made as the margins must have been very tight.

Now Benidorm is looking forward to the summer more optimistically.However there has been a negative side from the police.They are having to cut back on patrols and they feel that this could have a negative effect for tourists.

The 10 proposals made by opposition parties gained 156 votes but the PP 182 were against and the motion was carried.

Once again the tax minister has blamed regional governments for the massive deficit in the national budget.She criticised regional government decision making and stated that it was time for “less nationalism and more protection “. It is thought that the Catalan party CiU deliberately went against the government because of these criticisms against regional governments.

After all of the amendments were turned down , partial amendments are still being discussed and there could be some minor agreements between the PP and the CiU.

The central government Cabinet has met to discuss a plan to simplify public administration.There is so much duplicity in many areas , many jobs are carried out repeatedly by central , regional and then local governments.Rationalising this could bring big savings.

A spokesperson for the environmental department has stated that 80% of these birds were birds of prey.They included a Eurasian Eagle Owl , a golden eagle and 8 Bonelli eagles.

The regional government says that the numbers are down because of the measures that they have already taken.They have worked with national government and electricity providers to make adjustments which would reduce these accidents.

Most electrocutions take place in the south of Alicante province and Fuenterrobles in Valencia.Out of the 263 that died 122 were in Alicante province , 115 in Valencia province and only 26 in Castellon.

It was thought that property prices were stabilising but then banks rushed to off load huge stocks of new and resale properties and this has forced values down once again. The fall in square meterage in Spain is about 3%.

The current cost per metre in Alicante province  is 1,301.4 euros while in the middle of 2008 it was 1,764 euros and this equates to a 25% drop since the crisis began.This is 4% higher than the national average.

The Secretary General of Promoters in Alicante province lays the blame for the drop at the door of the banks.They were releasing properties onto the market at ridiculous prices and it is possible now to buy somewhere for as little as 20,000 euros.

Getting rid of their stocks is still proving to be difficult and the Secretary General felt that it is going to take a long time before there is a recovery.Demand is not likely to increase for a while. Now promoters are putting their efforts into attracting foreign buyers.There was a 19% increase in sales to foreign buyers in Alicante province in 2011, over 2010. Russians , Norwegians , British and German are the main purchasers.

All of the vehicles were either Ford Focus´s or Ford Mondeo´s which had been used by regional government officials.

The starting price for the cars ranged between 1200 and 2000 euros. None of the cars was sold for less than these prices. Bids had already been received for the cars , in sealed envelopes.If the envelope bid exceeded the bid made at the auction then the envelope bid would win.The cost of transferring ownership was not included in the price. Around 150 people attended the auction.

This is the first of the auctions and there will be more, enabling the fleet to be reduced by 50%.The buyers have 15 days to pay for the car or forfeit it .These auctions form part of the regional government´s “rationalisation of resources ” plan.

The huge sign was advertising on-line sexual services and it has had to be taken down and re-designed.

It featured a topless blonde female and was telling about live-stripping. Gata de Gorgos town council insisted that the bill board be taken down or be made more “tasteful “.They said that it flouted regulations with regard to street publicity and went against the “public sense of decency ” .

Initially the company were going to block out the woman´s bare breasts but then they decided to change the picture and portray her in a black leather waistcoat , unzipped as far as they dare.

Many feel that they have changed the picture to within an inch of breaking the law and are still treading on thin ice.The mayor of Gata considered the advertisement to be in poor taste.

The rocky sea base close to the shores and the sea grass beds too , have the most abundant life and make up many micro habitats.

The sea grass is unique and it is thought that it is this which encourages such diversity.The shores around Peñon Ifach in Cape and the island of Tabarca near Alicante have two of the best preserved prairies along the coast.They are both designated places of interest in the region.

These areas contain at least 48 species of fish from 18 different fish families.Two of the most populous families include the sea bream , the dusky grouper , common dentex , sea bass and the brown meagre, mainly in the Tabarca area.

This new airline promises cheaper prices but promised no compromises with service and safety .However , recently a British man has complained to BA that when he was travelling on Iberia Express from Madrid to Alicante  , certain safety procedures were compromised in his opinion.

He says that passengers were allowed to board with overweight and over sized baggage and that this baggage was then stuffed in to the overhead lockers.He says that smaller pieces of luggage were allowed on laps and that mobile phones and games consoles were not switched off.

As a new airline , he felt that they were not setting a good example and a good standard.He felt that there was a lack of training.

During the flight the passenger did approach the head stewardess and state his case and there was an attempt at making amends but it was so half hearted that the passengers took no notice.A formal complaint has now been made to British Airways.

While along the Costa Blanca resorts are struggling to survive Benidorm has bucked the trend and has recently clocked 98% hotel occupancy rates . The rest of the Costa Blanca have been lucky if they achieved 60%.

Recently there was a “puente ” weekend and Benidorm was bursting at the seams and last minute deals brought many four and five star hotels almost 100% occupancy.

The president of Hosbec , the hotel and tourism association , has said that these last minute deals have become the norm for the Spanish holiday maker.

Alicante has suffered its lowest occupancy rates of late while last year and possibly this year Benidorm can look forward to boosting their economy.Boost it they need to do as their local finances are in a dire state.

The EKA charity helps young people to achieve their full potential.The idea of the magazine was to get the group to create something from nothing and do it with as little help as possible.

They were sent out to acquire advertising , which was not easy in the present economic climate.By getting businesses involved in advertising it is also hoped that they will get involved in helping the young people too.

The first run was of 2000 copies and to achieve this there was an editorial team of 10 aged between 16 and 20.They met every week for three months to get it off the press.

There are sections with interviews , fashion,sport , music , health and the arts.

In the last three weeks two other British tourists have also fallen to their deaths , one from a fifth floor balcony on April 20.He was part of a stag party and fell as he was attempting to climb between balconies.

A week before that a man had fallen on a staircase when he lost his balance.It was alleged that he was very drunk at the time.Staff at the hospital in Palma failed to help him recover.

Last year more than 12 people fell in similar ways and three of those died. Many of these accidents have been caused by an activity which the Spanish have dubbed “balconing “.It seems that when you have had too much to drink and you are young , then there is a feeling that you are capable of doing anything.When are people going to be educated to understand that alcohol gives you such delusions and that in reality it would even be a difficult activity when sober.

These are companies which it is alleged , have produced very little except jobs.The vice -president has also said that these publicly financed companies have been “out of control ” for at least 17 years. Getting rid of them will save 400 million euros a year.This is six times more than the budget allocated for tourism.

Opposition parties have been questioning the viability of these companies for years and the Bank of Spain has also said that these companies have been one of the major downfalls of Valencia. One of the companies involves the City of Arts and Sciences , which is in debt to the tune of 2,500 million euros.

Consequently workforces have to be trimmed down to enable the government to operate in a more effective way.

After he was sacked the council appointed party members to run the water board.Two were from the Partido Popular , one from each of the Xabia Democratica,Ciudadanos por Javea and El Bloc.Also non -affiliated councillors and the mayor Jose Chulvi.

The council has said that Arribas was sacked because he not qualified to do the job and yet he had done the job for 10 years  and now it is taking seven people to do what he was doing.They also say that his wages were too high.That was something that had been negotiated initially , when he was appointed and could have been renegotiated.

Arribas was appointed just as the desalination plant was about to be constructed and which was one of the most important things ever done in Javea as the water was alost unusable back then.

Arribas is suing because he says that the council has “violated his freedom of expression ” and his “right to physical and moral integrity ” as grounds for unfair dismissal.He quotes Articles 16 and 20 of the Spanish Constitution.The case is due in court in July.

He wants his dismissal reversed , for back salary payments as well as a year´s salary in compensation.

In the private s4ector the IMED Levante in Benidorm won the top award in the Valencia region.This is the type of hospital that you would go to if you had private insurance or if you could pay in cash.

The public hospitals would provide free emergency services as long as you have your SIP card or the EHIC card which replaced the old E111

Last year the Villajoyosa hospital saw a total of over 12,000 admissions and almost 9000 of those required surgery, 400 more than the previous year. The obstetrics department delivered just over 1000 babies.The Accident and Emergency department had to deal with a massive 65,000 patients.

The average figure for Europe is 64.9 per 1000 and Sweden has the highest rate with 151.9 per 1000 persons in 2009. Eurostat provided the statistics. Italy , Greece and Portugal have lower crime rates than Spain.

The autonomous regions have higher than average rates generally with Valencia at 55.6 , Madrid ( 60.6) , Cueta at ( 76.4) and the lowest were Galicia ( 29.3 ) followed by Asturias ( 27 ) and Extramadura ( 26.6 ).

When individualising particular crimes , crimes of physical violence went up by  3.2% , common assault remained at the same level , crimes against property and such things as fraud dropped  as did common theft.This was the first time that the government had supplied statistics for the whole country.

Now the excavations in front of the gas station and  Plaza de la Generalista on Avenida del Pais Valenciano have been finished.

They were carried out to reconstruct the history of the ancient Roman city of Allon.It appears that this has been an incredibly difficult excavation.

However the team has been able to uncover very important aspects to enable them to understand the ancient city.

It was discovered to be a unique town of its period in that the homes of ordinary people had their own bathrooms at a time when the communal bathroom and toilet were the norm.

One has to remember that Spain was both Catholic and under the dictatorship of Franco and the Spanish people were very careful about the way in which they behaved and what they wore.

The tourist industry opened up Spain to people from all over Europe where there was a very different attitude to life and the swinging 60´s were about to explode.

In 1952 Benidorm became the first Spanish town to legalise the bikini.The bikini was created in 1946 by Louis Reard and it took 6 years to reach Spain.

It was the then mayor of Benidorm who saw the way in which Benidorm might develop and it was Pedro Zaragoza who embraced the northern culture being brought to the south.

In 1952 a woman decided to brave the beach in a bikini and was promptly fined a 240 euro equivalent by Guardia Civil officers. The mayor saw this as a public relations disaster and also saw the demise of Benidorm because of it .

It was the mayor who got an agreement to legalise the wearing of the two piece on the beaches.The law also threatened to deal with anyone , man or woman who insulted a woman wearing one .A year later some people denounced the mayor to the Archbishop of Valencia , who began excommunication proceedings against the mayor.Wherever he sought support he did not get it and eventually he took the problem to Franco himself and it was Franco who finally endorsed the law. The rest is , as they say , history.

The brand that is launching the new program is Nicmaxx although the other brands will also be available. The Standard inlife electronic cigarette, She Vapes and a Menthol variation are all rechargeable e-cigarettes. The Nicmaxx is to be offerred in a disposible format as well allowing customers to try the e-cig for the same price as a normal pack of tobacco cigarettes before deciding to purchase the rechargeable version for extended use.

After four years development, inLife research has shown that to match the nicotine satisfaction a smoker gets from tobacco it is necessary to have a higher percentage of nicotine than would normally be quoted on a tobacco cigarette. Tobacco contains harmful additives such as Acetone and Ammonia with facilitate higher absorbtion of nicotine through tobacco.

To reach a similar level of absorbtion the nicotine level in an e-cig needs to be higher as it has none of the harmful chemicals associated with tobacco.

Now that the ‘hit’ matches more closely that found by smokers, the take up of electronic over tobacco is a much easier transition.

The retail program is available to retailers in the USA and Europe by contacting the details below for a wholesale price list and further information.

Contact Neil Ebsworth

E-Mail: neil@myinlife.co.uk

Skype: inlifespain

He was driving through valencia city when a passenger asked him to drive faster as another female passenger was bleeding badly.

They contacted La Fe hospital to warn them and the driver speeded up to 80kph until he arrived at the hospital.Naturally he didn´t make any stops en route.

The driver had told his passengers that he wasn´t going to stop and that they must all seat themselves.He even overtook a colleague on the way.

The local paramedics contacted the Municipal Transport Service depot to congratulate the driver for his quick thinking and cool head in such an emergency.It is believed that he might have saved the life of the woman.

The water is mainly used for irrigation and street cleaning.The highest concentration of drugs were in areas fed by the River Besos, which receives effluent from waste water treatment plants.

An area around the affluent Calle Mallorca , whose nightlife attracts people with higher incomes , had the highest incidence of cocaine.More than anywhere in the city.

In a less affluent area where young people congregate , it was Ecstasy which was the predominant drug.Methadone was also high in the working class area.

The ground water also came from rain , snow etc and the study of this water showed a low content of drugs .Maybe an indicator of the soil´s filtering mechanism.It would be interesting to discover whether plants take up any of the drugs in their metabolism.

The Spanish government spends 236 euros per person per year for every man , woman and child.Only the USA uses more medication per capita.

Prescriptions cost the state 11 billion euros in 2011 , this is 1% of the country´s GDP.This is why the Minister for Health has raised prescription charges based on age and income.It will help revenue but it will also , it is hoped , bring down usage.

It is also felt that the amount of medication which is prescribed and then wasted , is also very high and at the moment doctors are prescribing very exact amounts of medication to patients , to cut down on waste.

Last year pharmacies received 3700 tonnes of unused medications back from patients at 20,000 collecting points.700 tons of this were non-prescription products but the remaining 3000 tons were unwanted pharmaceuticals.Then one has to imagine the amount that is never returned .It is flushed down the toilet or put out in the bin , both of which are very dangerous.It might also just sit on a shelf for years.

Spanish banks have 175 billion euros of problem assets , unsellable property holdings and bad loans to property developers .These are the markets´principal concerns.

The Bank of Spain and the Spanish government are considering the dumping of these toxic debts into specially created building societies.

They do not view this as creating “bad banks ” and could feature in future government reforms due to be completed this year.

BBVA is Spain´s second largest bank and has announced first quarter results of 229 million for its Spanish operations, 52% lower than at the same period last year. Only 16% of the profits originate in Spain.The BBVA does not back the Bank of Spain or the government on its proposed plan.

The president of the BBVA is speaking for that bank and concedes that other banks might feel differently. Spain´s savings banks have gone from 45 to just nine and could shrink even further to just six. The president of the BBVA feels that his bank is “comfortable “.

The course will take the form of a holiday camp and will include swimming , hiking ,gymkhanas , drama . dance and art and craft plus five hours of language lessons a day.

This intensive course is aimed at youngsters between the ages of 12 and 17 years. They must be living within the Costa Blanca community of Javea.

The course will begin at the Youth Hostel in Moraira on July 15 and run until July 22.The cost is 165 euros. This includes everything from accommodation to food , tuition and activities.

The teachers are native speaking and they will ensure that the students experience a very steep learning curve of activities.

The Monjove offices are at the Casa de Cultura in Javea Old Town .The number of places is limited.

In Alicante City thousands of people took to the streets .The organisers always give an inflated number of participants and the police always give a lower figure.The organisers in Alicante reckon on over 20,000 people taking part and the police say 12,000.

Huge banners dominated the scene.The messages were that the government ought not to be messing about with health and education.Generations of young people are without any hope of work and they feel that the PP government is not addressing this issue.

Cuts to healthcare is another obvious concern and Spanish people have become used to a welfare system which is free to most people.Having to pay comes hard , especially when you feel that the people did not cause this economic problem.

In Barcelona on the Costa Blanca , an office worker in a steel firm complained about his workmates smoking in areas where they ought not to be smoking and then suddenly last March he was given notice to quit.

The company says that his dismissal was economic but he says that it was retaliation for his complaints.

It appears that he had asked colleagues to stop without success and then they began to bully him and deliberately smoked near him and would blow smoke in his face.It was at this point that he complained.

After the formal complaint was made to management things became even more unpleasant.He was banned from eating in the office, even this was common practice.it was a tit for tat situation where if they couldn´t smoke then he couldn´t eat.

The man had worked for the company for 14 years.He was given severance pay of 20 days for every year worked.He feels that he was dismissed unfairly and the case is now in the hands of the court.

Once again the use of Inlife electronic cigarettes would have alleviated all problems as they do not use tobacco, there is no smoke , there is no smell and there is no ash or health risk to fellow workers.They are the future of smoking in the workplace.

The World´s 50 Best Restaurants Awards were held in London.It is the only one from the Costa Blanca and it used to be called elPoblet when it opened in 1981.

In 1989 Quique Dacosta took over the kitchen and in 1999 he became the owner.As a reaction to the award he talked about the importance of his family and the team of people that he works with .He praised many chefs who were not on the list of winners and said that they were all “the best “.

The competition is organised by Britain´s “Restaurant ” magazine and each year they provide a snapshot of the opinions and experiences of over 800 international restaurant industry experts.

The top prize went to a restaurant in Denmark called Noma and five Spanish restaurants were among the 50.In fact two of the top three restaurants are in Spain .One in Girona and the other in San Sebastian.

Last Sunday morning in Benidorm , in the early hours , two teenagers were walking  along the N-332 from El Cisne near the junction with the road to Alfaz del Pi and they were hit by a passing motorist.

One of the young men was just 16 and he was seriously injured and was taken by ambulance to Villajoyosa hospital where doctors described his condition as serious.

The 18 year old young man was not so seriously injured and was treated at the scene of the accident by paramedics.The driver of the vehicle which hit them was also slightly injured. The driver was arrested at the scene.

This will permit the budget for 2012 to save over 2 billion euros, according to the PP run regional government.

Healthcare cuts and education cuts have already been announced plus the payment plan for services.

The previous regional government was also PP run and it is felt that the present regime is being quite critical at times , about the Francisco Camps “free-spending ” attitude.The present vice-president Jose Ciscar said that these cuts are designed to make regional spending “more sustainable “.

The couple made an emergency call at about 6.30pm as they were attempting to get down Puig Campana peak.

Rescue teams were sent out from Denia and Benidorm.They managed to find the couple but the rescue was not completed until 11pm because of bad weather.Heavy rain and low cloud hampered the rescue attempt.

The two were from Ciudad Real in Castille-La Mancha . They were unhurt.

The woman had been warned that she was standing in a dangerous position , but did not take the advice to move.She was momentarily distracted and a young bull came around the corner and charged into her.

She was pushed , with force , into a large palm tree and hit her head against the tree.She sustained a deep gash which was treated on the spot by paramedics.Later her family took her to the medical centre for stitching.

Each year there are people either injured in varying degrees or there are people killed during these bull running fiesta activities.Protection is provided but so many people feel that they are invincible , when they ought to know better.

The Guardia Civil were mobilised but they were unable to use the police launch and they had to ask for assistance from the yacht club in Calpe.

A staff member provided a zodiac and the man was quickly discovered and pulled to safety. He was exhausted , cold but otherwise unhurt. He was taken ashore at about 7.30 and was treated for hypothermia,

The Guardia Civil are investigating around 40 fires which they believe were started deliberately on the shores of La Mata lake and in the pine forests of Guardamar del Segura.Officers have been seeking the arsonist for more than 3 years.

Last Saturday three fires had been started in the reeds and brush at the edge of the lake .Firefighters were told at about 10am and aircraft were also used to put out the flames , together with a helicopter.The fire was put out by 12.30.Guardia Civil attempted to identify everyone who had been in the park during the morning.They are continuing their investigations.

The meter at the town hall had not been read for many years and the town hall always had an estimated bill which turned out to be vastly inflated from what they had actually used.

This has come as a pleasant surprise to Denia as it means that they have actually been saving on their fuel bill and can now put some money into the coffers.

They have chosen to stay with Iberdrola over the next year and this money will hopefully come off their next annual bill. As the cost of electricity have climbed so steeply in the last few years then at current rates there may not be too much of a saving.Over the past five years electricity has increased by 67%.

How many towns can keep on affording to light streets and use other illuminations is a very serious question these days.At some point it is possible that the safety of residents will have to come second to cost.

Now cases of illegal builds are to be referred to the prosecutors office in an effort to stamp out , what has been called a “blight “.In the first instance it will include builds from 2007 to 2010.

Only seven demolition orders have ever been issued but never carried out.The law has never been observed in any one case.

All utility suppliers should have been informed that these homes were illegal.The councillor feels that the PP were only interested in collecting taxes and fines.Almostthree million euros were collected through fines levied at these homes.

In October the council launched a scheme to legalise 8000 homes , most of them in rural districts.It was announced then that this was a last opportunity to legalise homes.

This has allowed SUMA to collect almost 88% of the taxes owed in 2011.The number of people asking to pay in this way , over the last five years , has increased by 100 times.

As more and more councils are increasing taxes then it follows that more and more people will be asking to pay in this way.

In 2011 SUMA collected 483.6 million euros in voluntary payments and a further 86 million in backdated payments.

The summer is a busy time with tourists on holiday and those with second homes coming to the Costa Blanca for the summer too.Even so , it has always been the time for doctors to take their annual leave , between June and September.

Marina Salud who manages the health system has told staff that they need to spread their vacations throughout the year.If these holidays are managed correctly then there ought not to be a need to employ locum doctors.

Health workers are asking that a zero tolerance attitude should be taken towards this directive.

She is blaming the  previous PSOE government as she says that they failed to put many of the jobs out to tender and should never have given 2012 as the deadline.

The Socialist party deputy for Alicante is reading into this a cancellation of the project , rightly or wrongly.He called upon the PP party in Alicante to pressurise their government and do something worthwhile for Alicante.

What has gone well is the completion of an electrical substation in Sax , which will supply the Albacete-Alicante section of the AVE route.This was just one part of a whole complex of smaller substations and in total cost 28 million euros.They will supply electricity to the overhead contact cable which feeds the trains plus the signalling system and other communication installations.These substations allow the trains to reach a maximum of 350 kph.

The National Police became involved while the four were in the process of attempting to get a property owner to pay over 400 euros for a gas inspection and work that they had not done.

The owners of the property became suspicious when the men were carrying out the inspection and called the police.The police questioned two people who were sitting in a car , while the other two were inside the property.

The police found the other two in the process of trying to force the home owner to pay them.A check on the four individuals discovered that they did not work for any recognised gas company in Alicante and so were not registered gas inspectors.

A search of their car uncovered the fact that they had been carrying out work in Murcia and Alicante.

Eleven bodegas took part from across Spain including the local Sant Vicent Ferrer bodega in Teulada.

The Wine Fair took place over 2 days and entry was free.Those who attended were able to sample wine , cavas and mistellas from all over the country including Ribera del Duero , La Mancha , Jumilla , Utiel Requena , Rueda , Priorat , Valencia , Rioja , Somontano and Cariñena.

The president of the Teulada cooperative explained that these fairs are the perfect place to promote produce and permit residents to try the products.

This year there was also a raffle with the winner winning 60 bottles of wine, second prize was 42 and the third prize was a meal for two.

They are going to cut wages, suspend productivity payments and local police will not be paid overtime. The opposition parties ( the PP and CDL ) have rejected the 2012 budget and so in an effort to save another 8 million euros these measures have to be brought in.

The working hours of town hall staff have been increased from 35 hours to 37.5 hours a week while the Policia Local have had theirs increased to 40 hours.

At the moment the council rents properties for certain services and all of that renting will stop.The service will be transferred to a council owned property or it will be closed down.

One bombshell was the announcement that they were cutting payments to their maintenance and cleaning contractors by 25%,It appears that all of this has come about because of the failure of the PP and CDL to back the budget. Naturally these opposition parties do have their own version of events.

The reason for the discovery lay in the fact that the owner of the flat that they were searching was thought to have been involved in a burglary in Calpe.

The man , a Russian national was surprised by the owner of a property when he was in the act of stealing.He escaped in a car which had been parked nearby but a police patrol stopped him on the N-332 in Altea and arrested him.

Inside the car they discovered a number of tools which could be used for breaking and entering plus electronic devices to disable alarms.

When they were searching his home in Finestrat they came across the Ferrari and when they checked it out they discovered that it was in fact stolen in Portugal two years before and was worth a cool 240,000 euros.

All three men had been accused of making a profit out of purchasing non -development land and then using their influence within the Polop town hall to reclassify it and sell it on for big profits to a developer.

The then alleged urban development fraud came to light following the murder of the then mayor of Polop Alejandro Ponsoda.Sr Cano and others have been accused of plotting to murder the mayor and carrying out the murder.

However , this isn´t always the case and last week a Norwegian of Moroccan descent , stabbed two waiters when he was asked to go outside to smoke his cigarette.He has been remanded in prison until his case is heard.

One of the waters was stabbed seven times by the enraged man and the other was stabbed in the knee.The pair managed to restrain the man until the National Police arrived to make the arrest.

It appears that the man did go outside to smoke but on his return to the restaurant he was carrying a knife and made his initial frenzied attack on the first waiter. The waiter is still in hospital.

When the case comes to court the man will be facing charges of attempted murder. None of these issues would be necessary if people turned to Inlife electronic cigarettes.They permit people to smoke where they choose and those around are not subjected to any of the serious issues associated with tobacco smoking.The quality of electronic cigarettes varies but you generally get what you pay for and the quality of the nicotine in these is very high and not from tobacco.

At the club in Finestrat the manager reported how the two were bragging about what they had just done.The owner of the club where it all happened identified the the accused as the one who carried out the crime.

The case has now come to court and the man could be sentenced to 17 years in prison.When he entered the dock in the court he amazed everybody by admitting to the crime and exonerating his cousin.

However the cousin faces at least 2 years in prison for wasting the time of the police and lying to the authorities.

Complaints have poured in from residents about dangerous trenches and shoddy workmanship.People are trapped in their homes for days or they have been locked out of their homes because of the difficulties faced in returning. Wide trenches in the roads are left and are just an accident waiting to happen.

Now Denia council has issued an ultimatum to the Rivers and Water Authority , The Jucar Hydrographic Federation.They want the job done correctly or they can down tools.

The Local Police and the council have deplored the total disregard for public safety and the thoughtless behaviour of some of the workmen.There have been large holes left outside people´s front doors which have been too large to walk across.One woman could not access her home and had to stay with a friend.

The council has compiled a full report and has sent it to the water authority , giving them 2 weeks to rectify things. If they don´t then the council will withdraw planning permission for the project. The council also wants a reduction in costs to reflect this poor workmanship.

The council is understandably concerned as they are liable for any accidents which might occur because of the mains drainage project.

Another issue is whether or not the issuing of occupation licenses was legal.Now there is the controversy of the viewing points.This was put out to tender and there were 66 plans for the viewing points submitted.Five have been chosen from those 66.

Now these entries will go on display to the public so that they can have their say and then the final choice will be made.

Punta Llisera  “Gemelos 28 ” twin towers is situated in one of the best spots in Benidorm with its wonderful views over the bay and its proximity to the Sierra Helada and the Rincon de Loix. The money for the construction of the viewing points is being provided by the construction company.

The action is being taken because of the stringent cuts that are being made to education at all levels.The strikes are being staggered and will take place on May ,16, 17 ,23 , 24 , 30 and 31 .

Teachers were balloted about the times and it was decided that May would be less disruptive for pupils.It was also decided that it would be better for them to be intermittent rather than continuous.

Striking is a democratic right for workers to show their anger over government policy due to the dire state of the Spanish economy.

The delay in the work has come about because the owners of the apartments and Iberdrola cannot agree about who will pay for the resiting of an electrical transformer.The first phase of the demolition did start but then came to a halt.

The transformer provided power to many buildings in the area and the resiting is essential but neither side wants to pay.The owners of the apartment block also own the land where the transformer would be located.It would cost at least 130,000 euros to move the transformer. The council is holding back until the legal battles have been completed before they demolish any more of the buildings.The regional government has been asked to intervene in the matter.

Last week they began to work on the Thiviers district and are revamping all of the roads there first.Once they  have finished the roads in the Montgo area the workmen will be heading for the town centre.

After that it will be the Old Town and the Avenida del Pla.These will be followed by the Freginal district, the Arenal and the Portixol neighbourhood.

Where the work is taking place the residents are being asked to refrain from parking their cars to enable the work to move more speedily ahead.Where a road is free of vehicles the work is often finished in 4 days.