Benissa is the latest Costa Blanca town to launch a campaign over the use of electric scooters. They have come under the spotlight as police seek to enforce rules covering their use in public. According to the local council, officers will focus firstly on educating rather than penalising. Full report in today’s Costa Blanca News ..read more

Following warnings that the Valencia region was not prepared to face what could be one of the worst ever summers for forest fires, president Carlos Mazón announced a ‘shock plan’ designed to plug shortfalls in the service. Sr Mazón met with forest firefighting service unions on Tuesday to strike a deal after they had threatened to take industrial action. The president noted that they had agreed to ‘stabilise the workforce’ and supply additional equipment. Full report in today’s Costa Blanca News ..read more

A man caught trying to smuggle drugs on the Denia to Ibiza ferry has been jailed on remand by a local court, according to the National Police. During a routine inspection of a vehicle heading for the island, officers noticed certain details which aroused their suspicion. A more detailed inspection revealed a homemade modification in the boot of the car. Full report in today’s Costa Blanca News ..read more

Almoradí town hall announced this week that very soon it will have ‘zero’ debt. In marked contrast to most other local authorities in Alicante province and the rest of the country, the council is managing to pay off all the loans which have been taken out with financial entities – and they will still have cash to spend on ‘large projects’ for the town. Full report in Friday’s Costa Blanca News ..read more

In a bombshell letter to the nation, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has cancelled his agenda and said he will spend the weekend deciding if he will remain in his post. The move comes after a judge opted to open a court investigation into his wife Begoña Gómez, following a complaint presented by ‘pseudo’ trade union Manos Limpias. Manos Limpias, who are linked to the far-right, have accused Sra Gómez of influence peddling and business malpractice. Full report in Friday’s Costa Blanca News ..read more

The cycle lane linking up Ciudad Quesada with Benijófar is nearing completion. The infrastructure has been on the ‘wanted list’ of both cyclists and pedestrians in recent years, as the path along the CV-905a road constructed by Benijófar town hall stopped halfway between the two destinations, at the out-of-town Mercadona supermarket. Full report in Friday’s Costa Blanca News   ..read more

The government has presented measures which it says will ‘recognise, prevent and redress’ sexual abuse which occurred in the Catholic Church in Spain. The Ombudsman’s in-depth investigation found that 440,000 people in Spain may have endured sexual abuse and that half of these victims could have suffered at the hands of the clergy, according to justice minister Félix Bolaños. Full report in Friday’s Costa Blanca News     ..read more

Denia local police reported on Monday that they have issued fines to 180 drivers in the last week for exceeding speed limits. A spokesperson for the force explained that they carried out a campaign using radar to measure the speeds of vehicles on roads around the municipality, which ran from April 15 to 21. Full report in Friday’s Costa Blanca News   ..read more

The contract to construct a third lane on one of the busiest stretches of the A-7 motorway in Alicante province has been awarded to the temporary joint company, Ferrovial-Acsa for €89.6 million. The ministry for transport announced that the project will be carried out on a 17km stretch of the highway between Crevillente, where the road meets the AP-7 motorway, and the Orihuela/Benferri junction. Full report in Friday’s Costa Blanca News     ..read more

The bust in Alicante port, commemorating the Welsh captain of the last boat to save exiles fleeing the end of the Spanish Civil War in 1939, has been vandalised with fascist graffiti. Archibald Dickson defied orders to take 2,638 Republicans aboard the British cargo ship Stanbrook to Algeria, just hours before Franco’s troops took the city. Full report in Friday’s Costa Blanca News ..read more