The association of relatives and cancer patients of Torrevieja (AFECÁNCER) has commemorated World Day Against Breast Cancer by reading a manifesto and displaying a panel with messages of solidarity in support of the many women, and some men, who have overcome or are surpassing this disease. The rally, held in the Plaza de la Constitución, had municipal support and assistance …

The theft of a motor vehicle is one of the most distressing and costly losses that an owner can suffer, not only because of the fact it can affect anybody, but because it can happen at any time and at any place. Like most countries, the theft of a vehicle is not considered a priority …

Hospital Quirónsalud Torrevieja has introduced virtual reality headsets in the care provided to children by its paediatric emergency service. The use of these devices, personalised for each child, plays a role in the reduction of their perception of pain and anxiety when undergoing procedures such as taking blood samples or reducing fractures and luxations, among others. These devices work by keeping …

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 …

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.

I am sure that those of you who are former members of the armed forces will look back on operational military rations with mixed emotions. Most popular were the 24 hour packs which were required to provide one man with enough food to last for up to on...

The National Union of Air Traffic Controllers called a 4 day strike last week which will take place on 8, 10, 12 and 14 June across the whole of Spain, affecting at the very least, 800 flights carrying in excess of 30,000 passengers in Alicante alone. ...

In the UK, a warning has been issued by vehicle history check experts HPI, about the hidden administrative risks when buying a used car. The latest survey reveals that a staggering 42% of used car buyers don't know who legally owns a car that has fina...

Elche General Hospital is one of the Valencian centers with the highest number of organ donations in the Region, 24 in the last year, leading to the center quickly establishing itself, particularly in the areas of kidney and cornea surgery

The hospital first began performing kidney transplants three years ago in 2012, since when it has successful completed a total of 64, of which 23 were performed in the last year.

The coordinator of the Transplant Unit, Maria Angeles Casillas, said “This is a particularly high number, considering that we only began the procedure recently. Indeed in the first year the hospital only managed to complete four interventions.”

“This type of operation allows patients to recover a quality of life that many of them had previously lost when they became dependant on dialysis treatment. I have spoken to many patients about their daily life ‘before and after' the procedure and they all give a very emotional testimony to the vast improvement in their lifestyles.”

Cornea transplants are another practice that the General Hospital carries out, the implementation of which provides very good results and currently enjoys a healthy rate of donors, which is encouraging news for both those who have lost their vision and the surgeons.

Of course there are always significantly more people waiting for an organ transplant than there are suitable donors and one of the roles of the staff in the Transplant Unit is making members of the public aware. In the environment in which they work they regularly come into contact with the families of deceased or dying patients who in such dramatic moments, are reminded that they are able to offer the possibility to other people of a second chance to live.

Indeed the success of organ transplants in Spain is attributed mainly to the sensitive way in which these transplant coordinators approach the bereaved families.

One member of the unit said that only about 15 percent of families approached in Spain refuse consent for organ donation, a huge drop from the 40 percent who refused in the 1980s and at many hospitals the refusal rate is nearly zero percent.

Spain currently boasts 36 donors per million people — equal to 1,682 donors — "far superior" to the European Union figure of 19, health authorities said of figures released from 2014.

In a pioneering procedure developed using the facilities at Elche's Rio Safari, forty women affected by breast cancer have been benefitting from therapy with sea lions.

The beneficiaries are all members of the Elche Association of Women Affected by Breast Cancer (Amacmec) and so far they have attended the centre's therapeutic baths on seven occasions, with each of the visits supervised by therapists and trainers.

A spokesperson for the project said that the main objective is to reduce the negative psychological symptoms, such as depression and anxiety, from which those affected by the disease inevitably suffer.
It also aims to improve other lifestyle aspects such as self-esteem and image as well as quality of life and emotional well-being.

Participants were divided into small groups of five to six women per session. On many occasions they were accompanied by their children or their partners who were also able to benefit from the treatment.

Each session was divided into three phases: socialization, relaxation and interaction with the sea lions, allowing the participants to play and carry out relaxation exercises with the mammals, either individually or as a group.

The therapies are adjusted to meet the needs of the individual patients. To enable this to happen the therapist receives information on the characteristics of each participant which allows them to focus the therapy on their individual needs

According to a Rio Safari occupational therapist with the Maria Galvañ Foundation, the sea lion is a "docile" animal that responds very well to interaction with humans. "It is a very motivating and innovative therapeutic tool that gets extremely beneficial results" all of which help these women to "improve their emotional well-being while they are having fun and by also raising lots of smiles."

Spain like many European countries uses the D'Hondt voting system. If any party receives less than 5% of the total votes cast then their votes are not taken into account and are discarded. In Orihuela's 2007 local elections Claro received 800 votes w...

Spangles Ladies' Harmony Chorus has done it again: for the third time in succession, they have become barbershop champions of Spain, gaining their third gold medal. Led by Musical Director, Gail Grainger, the chorus travelled to Benalmádena, M&a...