COSTA BLANCA NORTH – NEWS IN BRIEF

PLAIN SPEAKING

BENISSA council has announced two twice-weekly language courses for adults and children in Chinese and Russian.  They are the languages of the future, said

Alejandro Angel of Interlingua Services.

GREEN MACHINES

SAN VICENTE’S free bicycle-sharing scheme prevented 5.2 tons of carbon dioxide emissions last year.  Over the last 12 months the bicycles were borrowed 16.864 times and ridden for 27,200 kilometres.

CLEAN SWEEP

A CLEANER and her mother allegedly took jewellery worth €100,000 from the shop where the former worked.  The younger woman was openly wearing a stolen necklace when arrested.

TOP MARKS

FIVE Calpe beaches monitored throughout last summer were pronounced “excellent,” by the regional government.  The town hall will continue to maintain the same high standards, the Tourism department pledged.

PINEAPPLE PLOT

TWELVE alleged drug smugglers are on trial in Alicante city accused of smuggling 203 kilos of cocaine in pineapple shipments from Costa Rica.  They each face a nine-year sentence if found guilty.