Iratxe Sorzabal, a former ETA commander, will be tried by the National Court today, Monday 17th March, for the placement of a bomb at the Alicante-Elche Airport in July 1995. The Tedax (Tedax) was used to defuse the bomb, which was discovered in a bin by a cleaner. No damage was inflicted. The Prosecutor’s Office is requesting a six-year prison sentence for Sorzabal, who was apprehended in France in 2015 alongside former ETA leader David Pla. Additionally, the office is seeking a five-year prohibition on Sorzabal’s return to the location of the crime.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office in its indictment alleges that the former ETA leader deposited an explosive device at the airport on July 29th, 1995. The device was discovered by a cleaner at approximately 12:45 p.m. while she was emptying the bins.

The Tedax deactivated the device, which was composed of a digital timepiece, a 9-volt battery, 500 grammes of explosive material, an electric detonator, and several cables, after the State Security Forces cordoned off the area. The statement states that no personal or material damage occurred, despite the fact that the incendiary device was placed with the intention of causing the most damage to people and public and private property.

These events are classified as a terrorism offence under the 1973 Penal Code, which was in effect at the time of the events. This classification corresponds to one of terrorist attacks under the current legal framework, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.

For the first time in Spain, Iratxe Sorzabal was sentenced to 24 and a half years in prison in 2022 for a double attack that occurred in November 1996 in Gijón, targeting the Palace of Justice and a pharmacy. She was detained in Hernani (Guipúzcoa) prior to her arrest in France and subsequently released. Subsequently, she fled to France to join ETA, where she was apprehended once more in 2015.

The Basque Autonomous Police have attributed the crime of the murder of Ertzaintza non-commissioned officer Montxo Doral in 1996 to a commando under the supervision of Sorzabal. Recently, a court of the National Court has reopened the investigation into the matter.

In order to circumvent the prosecution, her defence has maintained that the Civil Guard coerced her into confessing her involvement in the attacks during her initial arrest in 2001, much like they did when she was tried for the double attack in Gijón.

In June 2006, the Paris Correctional Court sentenced her in absentia to three years in prison for her involvement in ETA’s political apparatus. In 2013, she was once again sentenced in absentia in the trial in which her daughter’s father, former ETA leader Mikel Carrera Sarobe, Ata, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of two Civil Guards in Capbreton in 2007.

The retirement pensions of Alicante residents will be increased this year in order to address inflation. In 2025, the average annual Consumer Price Index (CPI) will be used to revalue contributory pensions by 2.8%.

As a consequence of an agreement between the government and social partners, Law 20/2021, which was enacted in 2021, pensions are annually amended to maintain their purchasing power in accordance with the increase in prices.

The revaluation will result in an annual increase of approximately 600 euros for individuals with an average retirement pension, according to the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration. The average pension in the system will increase by approximately 500 euros per year.

As a result, a pensioner who currently receives a monthly pension of €1,441 (which is equivalent to the average retirement pension in 2024) will receive a monthly pension of €1,481.35 in 2025, which is an annual increase of €564.87.

In 2024, the average pension in Alicante was approximately 1,249 euros, which is the lowest in the Autonomous Community and the country. The disparity is even more pronounced when contrasted with other provinces. The territories of Bizkaia, Álava, Asturias, and Gipuzkoa receive over 1,750 euros, which is a difference of over 400 euros from those of Alicante.

The Alicante residents received an annual salary of 14,988 euros last year, which will increase to 15,407 euros, representing a 419-euro increase.

The increase is nearly 200 euros less than the Spanish average and will result in an additional 35 euros per month in pension contributions. According to January 2025 social security data, the average monthly income for residents of Alicante is 1,280 euros.

In addition to the 720,148 pensions that correspond to the State Pension Scheme, which will also be revalued using the same index, this increase will benefit the approximately 9.3 million individuals who receive 10.3 million contributory pensions in Spain.

The formula utilised to determine the revaluation for the upcoming fiscal year is the one established by Law 21/2021, which was enacted on December 28th. This law also established the guarantee of the purchasing power of pensions and other measures to enhance the financial and social sustainability of the public pension system.

In the absence of bees, there would be no honey, no blossoms, and, as a result, no nougat at Christmas. Between Monday, March 10th, and April 15th, over 2,800 schoolchildren from 50 educational centres, organised into 86 groups of preschool, primary, and secondary school, will engage in an awareness campaign regarding the significance and protection of pollinating insects. This initiative is motivated by the significance of these small animals. Urban Environment Observatory of the Department of Environmental Sustainability, led by Manuel Villar, is responsible for the organisation of this initiative.

This activity will provide children with an understanding of the significance of these species, particularly bees, in maintaining the equilibrium of the environment. They guarantee the production of fruits, vegetables, and seeds by facilitating the growth of numerous plants and crops through pollination. Biodiversity and food security would be significantly compromised in their absence. Consequently, the city council is of the opinion that it is “fundamental to convey this message to schools, thereby raising awareness of their significance and the necessary measures to safeguard them.”

The El Rincón de la Abeja Association’s team of educators implemented the campaign, which was organised by the Municipal Department of Environmental Education of the Environmental Service. In order to ascertain which activities are most appropriate for each grade level, this organisation reached out to each school. The activity can be arranged in either one hour or one and a half hours, with the option of combining multiple activities or restricting it to the one that was initially selected by the target group, depending on our requirements.

Activities customised for preschool, primary, and secondary education

One of the Early Childhood Education activities is the narrative activity “Bees and Flowers,” which is a delightful activity that features music and scenery and depicts the life of a bee as it searches for a honey flower. Crafts, relaxation activities, and other activities, such as “The Bee Dance,” which entails the performance of the unique dance that bees perform to communicate information to the rest of the hive, are also available at this level.

In addition to educational content with audiovisual support, the “observation hive” is utilised for primary and secondary school groups. This experience provides a unique opportunity to interact with bees, including the ability to feel the vibrations, observe the bees’ movements, and observe their communication. Additionally, there is the “insect hotel,” which is constructed using recycled materials and features observation of its inhabitants.

The campaign was initiated as a result of the “Pollinators in the City of Alicante” workshop, which concluded with its fourth and final session in December at the Urban Environment Observatory, as well as its educational and environmental value. The objective of this event is to establish a connection between society and urban biodiversity.

This initiative was the outcome of a partnership between the University of Alicante, the Alicante City Council, and the El Rincón de la Abeja Association, and it was in accordance with the European 2030 objectives for sustainability and conservation. The symposium was instrumental in the future preservation of these urban species by providing information on pollinator mapping in various regions of Alicante. The opportunity to participate in a collaborative initiative that emphasises the significance of environmental preservation allowed participants to broaden their understanding of the identification and protection of urban pollinators.