After the success of the simultaneous protests across three cities last week, in which a total of 200,000 people are believed to have taken to the streets to protest against cuts in the public education system, unions representing teachers, students and parents have announced their next batch of protests.

The extended action has come about following a lack of acknowledgement by the President of the Valencia government, Alberto Fabra, and the announcement of a further 1,000 million euro of cuts, as well as the introduction of private management models in the public sector.

There will be a number of meetings in the near future which will aim to raise awareness of the issues and the action intended to highlight this.

There will be protests every Thursday from 10:00 in the morning until 11:00, outside every educational establishment in the area, before students enter classes at noon.

On Saturday 11th February, there will be mass protests in four cities, Valencia, Alicante, Benidorm and Castellón. In Valencia it will focus on the City of Arts and Sciences, in Alicante around the City of Light, in Benidorm towards Terra Mitica and in Castellón it will be in the airport vicinity.

The following Saturday, 18th February, there are calls for a General Strike, but in addition to that, union leaders are asking that nobody purchases anything from shops and that everybody avoids attending shows, bars, restaurants and other entertainment venues.

On Thursday 23rd February at 7pm, there will be a mass protest in Valencia, for which unions are hoping every worker in the public sector will attend, showing a united front those sectors such as transport, health, administration, education and justice, amongst others.

On Friday 24th, there will be a petition of signatures presented to the government offices in Valencia.

Finally, there will be a repeat of the protests in Alicante, Valencia and Catellón on Saturday 25th February at 6 in the evening, culminating this campaign. Unions also plan to provide information points in various key locations in the build up to this date, to offer advice and information as well as gaining support for their cause.

BENIDORM RECEIVES NEW POLICE VEHICLES

The Local Police in Benidorm have received three new vehicles this week, two Ford cars and a Land Rover which is fitted with water based equipment to facilitate rescues.

The three vehicles have been leased by the city council and replace five which have now expired, resulting in a saving of nearly 36 thousand euro per year.

BLOOD RUNNING SHORT

The Valencia blood transfusion service is warning that they only have 3 to 4 days supply of blood left, whereas they normally like to keep a minimum of seven days worth of stock to match demand.

Every day, around 800 packs of blood are used across the community and this figure has increased in line with the growth in transfusions and an overall reduction in donations. Expectations are that the health network will require 40,000 units of blood every year.

BBVA BANKS ON THE CLOUD

Spanish bank BBVA has signed a deal with Google, that will see their 110,000 staff use online software rather than that installed on local computers.

This is the biggest move by any financial institution to commit to use so called “cloud computing� techniques, which should improve internal communications within the bank´s network.

COUNCIL SPEAKS YOUR LANGUAGE

Following the success of a recent talk in Dutch, English and German relating to “The Notary in Spain�, the Spanish town of La Nucía is now proposing a new series of talks that will explain various public functions of the town hall to the residents.

The talks will be offered for free to those residents who are registered in the town and will cover a variety of topics from the law to health, in which the town hopes to provide a resource of information before problems may become apparent.

MC DONALDS OFFERING FAMILY DISCOUNTS

The Fast food chain Mc Donald´s has signed a deal with the Federación Española de Familias Numerosas (FEFN), which will allow families covered by the scheme to receive 10% discount in their restaurants.

FEFN is a non profit family based association set up in 2003 with an intention of providing better services and facilities to families in Spain. With around 80 companies already registered on the scheme, the latest addition will no doubt offer some small assistance to families during difficult financial times.

 

PHARMACISTS TO CLOSE IN PROTEST

In a meeting on Wednesday, pharmacists across Alicante have agreed to close their doors and provide the most minimum of service on the 19^th, 20^th and 21^st December.

The action has been brought about by claims that they have not been paid for their services and there is a debt of some 210 million euro being shouldered by the 400 or so stores involved.

COUNTERFEIT NOTE GANG ARRESTED

Nine people have been arrested accused of being part of the biggest money counterfeit operation in Spain, thought to be responsible for introducing 2 million euro worth of counterfeit currency into Europe already and being in possession of another million and a half, ready to be distributed.

The arrests were made in Alicante, El Campello, Guardamar del Segura and Villena, and at least 50,000 euro fake notes confiscated.

ELECTRIC BLANKET CAUSES FIRE

An electric blanket is thought to have caused a house fire in an apartment block in Benidorm on Wednesday, though the owners were able to alert the fire service and vacate the building before anybody was injured.

The fire was quickly brought under control without the need to evacuate the rest of the building. Fire safety experts remind everyone to check the wiring on such appliances and also to check the batteries in your smoke alarms.

ENGLISH FILMS TO HELP LANGUAGE LEARNING

A cinema in Alicante will be showing original language films in English, to help language learners hear real dialogue to further their grasp of the language.

Taking place at the Salón de Actos del Centro 14, the students will be given notes to accompany the films and will then be able to participate in a discussion forum to talk about the language in use.

NOUGAT PASSES THE TEST

The National Institute for Consumer affairs has stated that all samples of turrón that they took from supermarkets for testing has proven “satisfactory” and therefore suitable and safe to grace our Christmas stockings.

In total, a selection of 30 different samples were tested, varying in size, flavour and company name and sampled by an excited group of technicians in the laboratory of the institute. No irregularities in taste, quality or labelling were found.

PHARMACISTS TO CLOSE IN PROTEST

In a meeting on Wednesday, pharmacists across Alicante have agreed to close their doors and provide the most minimum of service on the 19^th, 20^th and 21^st December.

The action has been brought about by claims that they have not been paid for their services and there is a debt of some 210 million euro being shouldered by the 400 or so stores involved.

COUNTERFEIT NOTE GANG ARRESTED

Nine people have been arrested accused of being part of the biggest money counterfeit operation in Spain, thought to be responsible for introducing 2 million euro worth of counterfeit currency into Europe already and being in possession of another million and a half, ready to be distributed.

The arrests were made in Alicante, El Campello, Guardamar del Segura and Villena, and at least 50,000 euro fake notes confiscated.

ELECTRIC BLANKET CAUSES FIRE

An electric blanket is thought to have caused a house fire in an apartment block in Benidorm on Wednesday, though the owners were able to alert the fire service and vacate the building before anybody was injured.

The fire was quickly brought under control without the need to evacuate the rest of the building. Fire safety experts remind everyone to check the wiring on such appliances and also to check the batteries in your smoke alarms.

ENGLISH FILMS TO HELP LANGUAGE LEARNING

A cinema in Alicante will be showing original language films in English, to help language learners hear real dialogue to further their grasp of the language.

Taking place at the Salón de Actos del Centro 14, the students will be given notes to accompany the films and will then be able to participate in a discussion forum to talk about the language in use.

NOUGAT PASSES THE TEST

The National Institute for Consumer affairs has stated that all samples of turrón that they took from supermarkets for testing has proven “satisfactory” and therefore suitable and safe to grace our Christmas stockings.

In total, a selection of 30 different samples were tested, varying in size, flavour and company name and sampled by an excited group of technicians in the laboratory of the institute. No irregularities in taste, quality or labelling were found.

PHARMACISTS TO CLOSE IN PROTEST

In a meeting on Wednesday, pharmacists across Alicante have agreed to close their doors and provide the most minimum of service on the 19^th, 20^th and 21^st December.

The action has been brought about by claims that they have not been paid for their services and there is a debt of some 210 million euro being shouldered by the 400 or so stores involved.

COUNTERFEIT NOTE GANG ARRESTED

Nine people have been arrested accused of being part of the biggest money counterfeit operation in Spain, thought to be responsible for introducing 2 million euro worth of counterfeit currency into Europe already and being in possession of another million and a half, ready to be distributed.

The arrests were made in Alicante, El Campello, Guardamar del Segura and Villena, and at least 50,000 euro fake notes confiscated.

ELECTRIC BLANKET CAUSES FIRE

An electric blanket is thought to have caused a house fire in an apartment block in Benidorm on Wednesday, though the owners were able to alert the fire service and vacate the building before anybody was injured.

The fire was quickly brought under control without the need to evacuate the rest of the building. Fire safety experts remind everyone to check the wiring on such appliances and also to check the batteries in your smoke alarms.

ENGLISH FILMS TO HELP LANGUAGE LEARNING

A cinema in Alicante will be showing original language films in English, to help language learners hear real dialogue to further their grasp of the language.

Taking place at the Salón de Actos del Centro 14, the students will be given notes to accompany the films and will then be able to participate in a discussion forum to talk about the language in use.

NOUGAT PASSES THE TEST

The National Institute for Consumer affairs has stated that all samples of turrón that they took from supermarkets for testing has proven “satisfactory” and therefore suitable and safe to grace our Christmas stockings.

In total, a selection of 30 different samples were tested, varying in size, flavour and company name and sampled by an excited group of technicians in the laboratory of the institute. No irregularities in taste, quality or labelling were found.

BENIDORM ICE RINK COMPLAINTS

Benidorm city council have been criticized this week over the installation of the festive ice rink and the fact that it is costing 21,240 euro, 3,000 euro more than last year, partly because it is covered by a roof this year.

Opposition parties claim that this is a waste of municipal funds, especially in a time of crisis, and that the money could be better spent on more beneficial and long term projects.

AKI DONATE CHRISTMAS TREE

The Do-it-Yourself retail store Aki has donated a Christmas tree and decorations to the paediatric unit of Torrevieja hospital.

The delight on the faces of the hospitalised children was clear as the decorations were carefully placed on the branches of their gift.

MULTI CAR PILEUP AT SAN JUAN

Four cars were involved in a pile up on the N-332 in San Juan on Friday evening resulting in a 25 year old El Campello resident being rushed to hospital in a serious but stable condition.

The crash happened at around 7pm on Friday and forced the road to be closed whilst the large amount of debris was cleared.

AP7 MOTORWAY REOPENED

The AP7 motorway near Catral has reopened on Friday evening after traffic was stopped for two hours because a truck had shed its load.

The vehicle, which was heading in the Cartagena direction, was carrying concrete beams when a number of them came loose and fell into the carriageway. Diversions were in place whilst the Guardia Civil investigated and cleared the road of the potentially deadly cargo.

MURCIA GETS THE CHRISTMAS GLOW

The festive lights in Murcia have been switched on but, for cost cutting reasons, they will only glow from 18:30 until 23:00, apart from on Christmas Eve when they will be lit until 2 in the morning.

The lights are also made from low energy L.E.D. bulbs, which the city has adopted to save energy since 2008.

The Specsavers Benidorm Open Day event saw two presidents from local charity Emaus celebrate the collaboration of the store with their charity.

The event was a success following which Specsavers said that they want to help raise as much as possible for the charity in the next 12 months.

The newly opened store in Benidorm will now focus their efforts on supporting this excellent charity and helping them raise money for children over Christmas and in the following months.

CYCLIST DIES IN DOLORES

A 71 year old man, of Belgian nationality, died on Thursday after suffering a heart attack whilst riding his bike through the town.

A car driver noticed the man lay in the road at km 9 of the CV-855 and alerted the emergency services.

An ambulance attended and transferred the man to hospital, but he was pronounced dead on arrival.

READY FOR THE SNOW

The Alicante government has announced that “everything is ready” for the onset of winter and the possibility of heavy snow in the province.

There are 17 snowploughs on stand-by, 7 fixed weather stations, 2 mobile weather stations, eight bulldozers and a variety of other machinery all set as per the contingency plan set up for the cold season.

RUNNING THE STREETS IN TORREVIEJA

More than 400 runners will descend on Torrevieja on Sunday for a race through the city´s streets.

There are four different circuits for different categories, from 350 metres to nearly 3 kilometres, with an awards ceremony being held after the race.

LIBRARY BOOKS IN ENGLISH

The councillor for education for Torrevieja, María Dolores Martínez, showed off over 1,100 English language books that had been donated to the municipal library to help in both language learning and for those who would simply like to enjoy a good read in English.

The books, covering a variety of subjects, are available within the library to those interested in reading them.

GOING TO WORK WITH A GLOW

As the cold weather starts to creep in, keepers at the Terra Natura animal park in Benidorm have taken to feeding some of the animals with a hot hearty meal to keep them warm.

The primates, gibbons, marmosets and cappuccino monkeys are being fed hot porridge and milk, accompanied by fresh orange juice, stacked with vitamin ‘C' to help prevent colds.

They are also being given low powered heaters and some of the other animals are having music played to them whilst they gather round their heaters.

Sophisticattzz's ladies club , had a fabulous weekend in Benidorm. Twenty Two ladies enjoyed ‘The Rich Bitch show' and partied to the early hours during a fun packed weekend organised for them by Debbie the founder of ‘Sophisticattzz‘.

Pictured are some of ladies that are now very busy rehearsing some for The ‘Pads Fashion show' as ‘models' and others as ‘ancers' at The Charity Variety night.

Sophistcattzz would like to invite you to the their ‘Christmas Gala' On Sunday 20th November at The Olympia in Mil Palmares. Between 11am -5pm. Admission is Free, and there are many different stalls, craft , xmas cards and gifts , jewellery, crystals, hairdressing, cakes, a medium, clothes , gel fires, raffle stall, art and much more ! The highlight of the day as always is ‘The PADS Charity Fashion show' where the ‘Sophisicattzz Models' strut their stuff! This is usually around 1pm. Please come along and join in the fun! Why not make a day of it ! You can purchase food and drink on the day! We do have a few spaces left for stalls if you are interested contact Debbie on 966 762 931.

Not too be missed is ‘The Sophisticattzz Christmas Party Charity Variety Night ‘ at La Gruta, Pilar de la Horadada , On Sunday 27th November at 8pm. Entrance is only 6.50 euros and everyone is welcome. Just come along and support us. We will be raising money for 'The Family Grewer charity '. The Dance Troupe are busy practising for the TWO NEW Dances. ‘River Dance and The boy does nothing' The ladies will definitely put a smile on your faces. Throughout the evening you will be entertained by the' very funny ‘Shelia Blige' Drag Queen, The Fantastic Smithy ‘Guitarist and Vocalist' , Smooth soul sounds of 'Eddie' , and the beautiful voice of ‘ Louise' and the amazing Karen Carpenter singer ‘Jackie' During the evening there will be a raffle and time for dancing to our fabulous DJ! . All the Artists are offering their services for FREE. A evening full of entertainment not to be missed at an amazing price! If you need further information please contact

sophisticatz@live.com www.sophisticattzz.com or call Debbie on 966 762 931.

Following the announcement that the Grupo de Amigos Gay de Benidorm has filed a complaint through the courts for fraud, as they believe that money raised in the recent Gay Pride event has been given to a commercial entity that they didn´t support, rather than a charitable one benefitting the gay community of Benidorm, the organisers of Expogays have now said that they will sue the president of the organisation for libel, counteracting the claims made.

According to a spokesperson for Expogays, "the image of the International Fair has been tarnished by unfounded statements” made by Juan Luis San Nicolás.

The organisers of Expogays wanted to "make it clear that the only existing link with the city of Benidorm and the Association of ALGTB is as exhibitor at the International Fair in 2011" and that "there have been no direct or indirect contact with the Benidorm based gay business association or anybody else involved in the gay pride festival.

Claims are also made that due to the size and administration of the event, it would be impossible for the group to quantify a financial claim in such a short space of time.

Currently, the official beneficiary of funds raised, the Fundación 26 de diciembre, has played down any wrong doing from any side.