Costa Blanca
Benidorm makes history with Europe’s first drone air taxi flight

Twelve drones and an air taxi, an unmanned aerial vehicle that can carry two passengers, flew simultaneously in an urban setting for the first time in Europe in the city of Benidorm. As a component of the European U-ELCOME project, this groundbreaking event was held on Poniente beach.
Several operational scenarios, such as the delivery and transportation of goods, surveillance, and rescue operations, were conducted during the demonstration. The European unmanned airspace management system (U-space) provided digital and automated platforms for flight supervision, ensuring every operation was safe and effective.
Israel Quintanilla, who is the coordinator of the project in the Valencian Community and the director of the Polytechnic University of Valencia’s (UPV) Official Drone Commission said that once the tests required to ensure their safety are finished, the use of these aerial vehicles for passenger and cargo transportation may become a reality within the next four to five years.
“These are validation tests, but the law does not yet authorise it. Quintanilla emphasised that operational safety is the top priority in civil aviation.
Drones are not just used for transportation. They are also essential to surveillance and rescue operations. As an illustration, consider the Benidorm Local Police, who were the first in the nation to use drones for security and rescue missions in 2016.
“Now this integration of drones in urban environments for emergencies and civil applications is a reality and is carried out naturally,” said the coordinator of the project.
Because of its distinctive skyline and urban design, which includes tall buildings, natural parks, an island, and a variety of urbanised locations, Benidorm was selected as the location for this first aerial demonstration in Europe by the U-ELCOME project, which consists of 51 partners from Spain, France, and Italy. Because of this, the city is a scalable model that may be used to other cities like New York or Dubai.
Quintanilla emphasised Benidorm City Council’s readiness to work with the project, which has enabled the city to establish itself as the standard in Spain for the most drone flights in R&D initiatives.
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Costa Blanca
Hospitality and recreation establishments in Elche receive 36 infringement reports from local police

The Elche Local Police conducted an operation that involved inspecting thirteen hospitality and leisure outlets in various neighbourhoods, resulting in one arrest and 36 violations. The data was made public on Friday, 28th March, mainly as a reminder of the work that is being done. Councilman Juan de Dios Navarro gave the police top for their efforts.
According to local police inspector José Antonio Corrales, the majority of the infractions included drug usage and possession, including four for cocaine possession and seven for hashish, as well as improper company documentation. Additionally, there were two reports for disturbing the peace or disrespecting law enforcement, four for not following the minimum hygienic standards for food storage, one serious infraction for conducting the activity after hours and behind closed doors, and seven for irregularities found on the property, including improper documentation.
Additionally, officers found six infractions for permitting smoking in unapproved indoor locations, three for type “B” slot machine identification guide deficiencies, and one major infraction for emergency escape and door flaws. Additionally, a report was made about the selling of illegal tobacco at a pub, where 20 packets were confiscated and one individual was detained on court order and imprisoned.
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Visitor to Catral cemetery locked inside

As nightfall approached on one of these soggy spring days in March, a young man decided it would be a good idea to visit a cousin or acquaintance’s grave and take a walk through the cemetery. Because the cemetery still closes its (automatic) gates at six o’clock at this time of year, but without the winter gloom that may discourage anyone from going.
However, the door was locked when he attempted to exit. The visitor didn’t seem to want to spend any more time among the cemeteries, despite the cemetery’s reputation as a particularly tranquil spot. Unaware of the placard bearing the mobile phone number for anyone needing help, he dashed out the gate. It was all on camera.
Joaquín Lucas, the mayor of Catral, maintains that this occurrence is unrelated to the privatisation of the cemetery works and feels that management by an outside company is an efficient approach to provide this service in a municipal office. He went on to say that the young man who who was locked in is from the nearby municipality of Dolores rather than Catral.
The local police took to social media and atacked the man’s “reckless” behaviour. He has been named in connection with “criminal proceedings for a crime against another’s property.” Nonetheless, the business will be liable for any damages brought on by the damaged door anchors.
In addition to clarifying that the business employs two workers—a gravedigger and a labourer who maintains the communal areas and restrooms—the Councillor for Services, Daniel Escudero, reaffirmed that the automatic door is an option offered by the company itself.
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Five arrested in Alicante and Murcia for shoplifting

Five individuals involved in grocery theft have been taken into custody by the Guardia Civil. In the regions of Alicante and Murcia, the thieves were stealing in a number of locations for a well-known supermarket company. The things that were stolen are worth over 8,000 euros in total.
The investigation started after the retail chain representative filed a complaint. The pattern was consistent across all cases: three or four people went into the store, and one of them loaded up a cart with expensive things like canned goods, extra virgin olive oil, sausages, or alcoholic drinks. The last one hurried out of the grocery without paying, and another diverted the attention of the staff.
It was discovered that the same people were responsible for the crimes in multiple towns in Alicante and Murcia after examining the security footage from the impacted businesses. Since the suspects did not live in the residences where they were registered and lacked a stable address, it was very difficult to find them.
Shortly after committing another theft at a store in a suburban neighbourhood of Rojales (Alicante), officers caught two of the suspects off guard and took them into custody. Many of the stolen goods were found at that time and brought back to the impacted business.
The other three were later taken into custody in the cities of Almoradí (Alicante) and Guardamar del Segura. The majority of the pilfered items were sold on. Additionally, the two cars that were utilised in the crimes were taken.
Eleven thefts have been resolved as a consequence of the investigation conducted by the Novelda Civil Guard’s investigation section. The cities of Novelda, Torrevieja, Almoradí, Catral, and Rojales in Alicante as well as the municipalities of San Javier, Jumilla, San Pedro del Pinatar, Cartagena, Archena, and Caravaca de la Cruz in Murcia were the sites of these crimes.
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