Torrevieja’s councillor for culture, Domingo Perez, has presented the schedule for the autumn cultural calendar, offering a range of events which includes concerts, exhibitions and cultural and leisure events for the months of October , November and December. More events will be added to the calendar as the season progresses, but the schedule already includes such anticipated concerts like the …

The Department of Employment and Local Development in Torrevieja has launched a competition aimed at young entrepreneurs, “Premios Jóvenes Emprendedores 2018”. The contest is aimed at young people under 35, which aims to “reward people with entrepreneurial initiative, linked to the city, who have developed or launched a business project,” said Víctor Ferrández, the councillor responsible for launching the event. …

The councillor for young people in Torrevieja, Víctor Ferrández, has presented the 2018 autumn youth activity schedule, aimed at young people from 12 to 35,  and held mostly in the Centro de información y animación juvenil (CIAJ). The councilor explained that there are more than 25 activities available, which include leisure events, employment and training courses and workshops. The councillor …

For year, residents on one area of Torrevieja have had to put up with severe flooding, whilst the rest of the municipality has foot the bill through taxes. Now, it looks like both of the problems could have been avoided if the previous government had ensured that proper plans were in place, or at least listened to the opposition (now …

According to the councillor for finance on Torrevieja council, José Hurtado, there is “enough margin” so as to not raise the current property tax rate in the municipality, the IBI, known locally as the SUMA on account of that being the name of the collection agency employed to receive the funds. Therefore, the tax rate for 2019 will be the …

Initial plans and preparations are underway for an earthquake emergency drill, which is set to take place on November 14. Last week, the local coordination centre, CECOPAL, was the location where the first working meeting took place in order to start the formal preparations for the drill. The meeting, chaired by the mayor, José Manuel Dolón, is part of the …

The Mayor of Torrevieja, José Manuel Dolón of the Los Verdes green party , whose position also sees him sit as Chairman of the Board of the joint-owned water supply company Agamed, accompanied by the company’s manager, José Manuel Nadal, visited the new fleet of electric vehicles that the company has acquired, with the aim of reducing pollution. The company …

A consumer association, the Organización de Consumidores y Usuarios, or OCU, has released its annual study that looks at the prices of everyday products sold in supermarkets and hypermarkets across Spain. The aim of the report is to compare prices, partly to show an unfair balance towards the consumer, but more importantly perhaps for us, …

The councillor for tourism, Fanny Serrano, showed off a new booklet at a press conference this week, a guide that offers information about the various guided routes that can be enjoyed throughout the winter season. The guided routes have been more popular than ever this summer, resulting in an extension to their contract, and now, throughout the winter, Torrevieja is …

The councillor for tourism, Fanny Serrano, detailed various aspects relating to the data collection in a press conference, which, amongst other things, show how the tourist information offices have received a total of 11,265 visitors, and water consumption indicates a population equivalent to almost half a million people during the summer months. Serrano said that the number of inquiries that …

Torrevieja weather for Saturday 7 July 2018

Marisol Moreno, the new councillor for Animal Protection in Alicante, says that she supports a national ban of bullfighting in Spain, and calls for a referendum to ban the activity throughout the municipality.

She says that ban is supported by a large number of government councillors, members of the Guanyar Alicante, which is made up by EU, Podemos and politicians from plataformas Ciudadanas.

She also states that there is some support from members of the PSOE and Compromís parties and that a council vote would see the municipal government position itself clearly behind the veto.

Indeed the new Councillor for Youth and Animal Protection, was out protesting within hours of being sworn in, taking time to attend the protest at the Plaza de Toros in support of the Alliance Platform ‘Animals Feel'.

The organization is also calling for the closure of the Bullfighting School in Alicante which teaches the ‘sport' to children aged between 9 and 16. Moreno said that she believes many of the children are simply "victims" of bullfighting and pressured into attending the school by their parents.

And the protests are just beginning with the next demonstration scheduled for 20 June the first day of the San Juan bonfires in the city. The rally will be held in the Plaza de la Estrella under the title of ‘Bloodless Fires'.

Discussion surrounding bullfighting bans are not only being held in Alicante. The new Los Verdes government team in Villena has already said that they will no longer allow bullfights to take place in the town.

In Alicante a further motion was passed to ban circuses in the city that use live animals in their shows.

Last year, Spain's parliament bestowed cultural-heritage status on bullfighting, making it much harder for further bans beyond that of Catalonia in 2010, and the Canaries in the early 1990s, to take effect. Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, the former Socialist Party prime minister, has said that he is not in favour of prohibition, too, while the currently ruling Partido Popular party has rejected the notion completely.

Bullfighting is also enjoyed in some southern parts of France which added La Corrida, as it is known, to its list of “intangible heritage” back in 2011, but subsequently removed any mention of it from their website after outrage from animal rights activists

It seems hard to believe that in this so-called civilised age, such a cruel spectacle continues to flourish in Spain.

Bullfighting is yet another example of a barbaric ‘sport' and many people feel that it should have been banned several years ago.