Costa Blanca
Alicante’s Half Marathon is run by thousands

The 10K Aguas de Alicante Half Marathon took place yesterday, and thousands took part. The race happened at the same time as the last stage of the 9th Women’s Cycling Week-Volta of the Valencian Community. Mayor Luis Barcala and Councillor for Sports Toni Gallego went to the start of the athletics event together. Mayor Barcala said, “Sporting events like these two events support the goal of de-seasonalizing the tourism sector.” This is supported by the fact that 80% of hotels are full this weekend in mid-February and that it has a big effect on other parts of the city’s economy, like bars and hotels.
The mayor also talked about how important it is for both events to promote Alicante: “It is very important that about 8,000 people from 43 countries or different provinces of Spain come to Alicante to compete in or watch the Half Marathon. This includes athletes and their families.” Also, that pictures of Alicante can be sent abroad now that La Volta is here, which is good for tourism.
Moroccan Youness Belyamna won the men’s division of the International Half Marathon with a time of 1h 08′ and Welsh Sioned Howells won the women’s division with a time of 1h 20′. People from Poland, Bartolomé J. Falkowski and Natalia Gasnk, were the first to cross the finish line at Pier 12 in the Port of Alicante for the 10 km race. Their times were 31 minutes and 57 seconds and 38 minutes and 55 seconds.
A singer named Mario González played the “Hymn of Alicante” before the 5,300 people who signed up for the race. Before getting to the Explanada promenade, the first few miles of the course were the same for both the Half Marathon and the 10k. People who had signed up for the 10 km race turned left at this point to go back to the finish line at Muelle 12. People who had signed up for the 21.095 km race went through different streets in the city centre until they reached Avenida de Lóring, Paseo de los Mártires de la Libertad, and then continued to the finish line.
At one of the Runner’s Fair stands near the finish line, people who wanted to could have their names and times engraved on race medals after the race. The Plaza de los Luceros pond can be seen in front of them. A few weeks ago, people who used the race organization’s social networks voted on whether to copy this famous spot in Alicante.
The Volta for Women
After that, Gallego went to the awards event for the 9th Setmana Ciclista-Volta Feminina de la Comunitat Valenciana. The council member said, “The City Council has made clear its support for cycling, and in this case, women’s cycling.” In 2024, Alicante was the site of a stage start for the same event. This year, it is being touted as the finish of La Volta. Cycling is a good way to get people to visit the city. The category of a race on the calendar of the International Cycling Union (UCI) also helps spread the word about Alicante as a tourist location at this time of year.
More than 300 local police and Civil Guard officers have been on duty to keep everyone safe on this “super sporting Sunday.” Along the coast and in the city centre, traffic had to be shut down at different times and places to make sure both events ran smoothly. More than 200 helpers have joined them. Also, more than sixty physiotherapy students from CEU San Pablo, Elche, and the European University were stationed at the finish line to touch athletes who needed it.
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Costa Blanca
Missing man’s body found in Crevillente

The man who went missing in Crevillent has been found. His body was discovered by the Guardia Civil this week, and an autopsy has verified his identity.
An alert was sent out on Tuesday, March 18th. The SOS Missing Persons Association was in charge of distributing the case notice and alerting people to the man’s vulnerability via its social media accounts.
No one has been able to discover him alive despite searching for them. His body was discovered on Wednesday, March 25th, at approximately 9 a.m.
Identification has not been done at the scene of the body, which was discovered in some bushes in the municipality of Crevillent. The body of the man who vanished eight days prior was identified by the autopsy conducted on Wednesday, March 26th. According to this report, natural causes were the cause of death.
The first 72 hours after a disappearance are “important as they allow for extreme measures to be taken to find the missing person,” according to the group.
There are a number of reasons for this, including the possibility that the individual may still be in the vicinity of the residence or location where they vanished, particularly in the case of youngsters and the elderly, and the possibility of obtaining evidence that will provide light on the circumstances surrounding the disappearance.
“As soon as all necessary steps have been taken and it is certain that a family member has disappeared, the State Security Forces (National Police, Guardia Civil, Local Police, or Regional Security Forces) must be immediately contacted to report the disappearance,” they say.
There, they remind us that, in contrast to what many people think, “it is not necessary to wait 24 or 48 hours” to make these complaints. “The 24-hour thing is a legend,” say National Police Alicante.
“If you suspect the disappearance of a family member or friend who has not done so voluntarily, you should let us know from the very first minute because the first minute is crucial for investigators to have the most relevant and important information,” these same sources stress, repeating the association’s message.
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Firefighters in Alicante try to storm the plenary hall

“We don’t know what would have happened if they had gotten in .” When firefighters tried to attack the plenary hall of Alicante City Hall yesterday, Thursday 27th March, one eyewitness characterised their level of anxiety as follows. In the end, local police officers stopped them from going inside.
The plenary session in March has turned into one of the bloodiest in recent memory. An attack attempt by municipal firefighters who were protesting their working conditions was the cause.
During the plenary session, the demonstrators yelled, “Barcala, comply,” “Barcala, take off your tie and come to the park,” and “Come here and talk to us.”
They tried to push their way in, and their anger erupted because they weren’t being heard. They were also halted by officers from the Rapid Intervention Task Force of the Local Police. Eventually, they were forced to leave.
The demands for the promised improvements—first, the state of the city’s fire station facilities, and second, compensation for the unusual services required for their work—were the foundation of the violent protest.
Barcala bemoaned the manner in which these demands were implemented, calling it a “disgrace to the plenary session,” according to Europa Press. Rafa Mas, a spokesman for Compromís, was summoned to order “stirring up the protests.” Mas bemoaned the “precarious situation” and “lack of resources” faced by the city firefighters during his remarks.
PSPV, Vox, EU-Podem, and the rest of the opposition concur that while they do not agree with the “forms” of the firefighters’ protests, they do agree with the “demands” and the “substance.”
Although Silvia Castell, a socialist councillor, has urged the mayor to “listen to them” and “fulfil his promises,” Manolo Copé, a spokesman for EU-Podem, feels that “their demands must be heard” because the mayor “is not up to the task.”
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Moldovan mobster arrested in Torrevieja

A 37-year-old Moldovan male has been taken into custody by the Guardia Civil in accordance with an Italian European Arrest Warrant (EAW). Known as “thieves in law,” the detainee belonged to the Russian-Soviet criminal organisation VOR V ZAKONE, which was committed to committing significant crimes.
The arrest happened on February 28th in Torrevieja while Guardia Civil officers were performing a public safety duty. While on patrol, they spotted three people on a restaurant terrace and saw one of them attempting to hide after spotting them. The officers became suspicious of this behaviour and went on to identify him.
After doing technical examinations, the authorities concluded that the person’s Romanian passport, which was of excellent quality, was a fake. After being detained and brought to government facilities, his fingerprints were recognised, proving his identity.
On March 2th, 2022, the Verona Criminal Court sentenced the detainee to 11 years in prison for international criminal conspiracy offences of a mafia nature. The detainee was a member of the VOR V ZAKONE organisation, which was committed to committing crimes against people and property using mafia-style intimidation, threats, and violence.
The man had been hiding in Spain since the sentencing, using fictitious paperwork to evade discovery. To ascertain whether the fugitive has committed crimes in Spain, the Guardia Civil is still looking into the matter.
The detainee was taken to the Court of First Instance in Torrevieja, where he was ordered to be detained until his extradition to Italy.
The Guardia Civil underlines its commitment to combating international crime and deals another blow to organised crime with this operation.
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