Balearia the Denia based ferry company is studying plans to see if it can operate out of Alicante and provide new routes to Africa and Italy.They feel that these are options well worth exploring.The company feels that Alicante port is strategically a very important and attractive port of economic interest to the company.

If the company were to operate out of Alicante it would not run a service to Ibiza because the current service out of denia is more efficient and covers the demand for transport to the island.One of the main objectives is to develop routes to Italy which do not exist at the moment.They want to expand the services to North Africa which at the moment is only served by two routes.

The company is also planning to increase its commercial transport links with Alicante and is considering a route to the canary islands too.Negotiations are taking place but it isn´t known just when all of this might happen.

More visitors than ever before visited the Alicante Archaeological Museum last year.More than 250,000 people went through the turnstiles in 2009.Last week the museum opened its new exhibition.”Seramon,the Enigma of the Mummy” examines ancient Egypts funeral rites.it will run until October.There has been close collaboration between the MARQ and museums in France,including the Louvre.

The exhibition contains 30 Egyptian objects actually discovered in Alicante Province.Museums in Villajoyosa ,Guardamar de Segura ,LÁlcudia de Elche ,Creveillente and the MARQ itself.The staging of the exhibition is spectacular and it is also interactive.It is conceived in the form of a detective story,showing the latest forensic technology used to construct the history,very similar to a CSI story.

There are 260 exhibits and there are complete mummies of Seramon and Ankhpakhered ,along with their wonderful tombs.The exhibition is hoping to answer many of the questions which people ask about the mysteries behind the rituals practised by the Egyptians at that time.

The Spanish Senate,the upper house of parliament,passed the legislation to make the government´s controversial abortion bill,law.This bill has been very strongly opposed by the Catholic Church and also the Partido Popular opposition.

The law was tabled by the Prime Minister Sr Zapatero´s government with 132 votes for and 126 votes against.There was also one abstention.The law will now come into being in 4 months.The PP has threatened to take the law to the Constitutional Court to have it overturned.

In December Congress approved the bill which will permit abortion on demand up to the 14th week of pregnancy and up to 22 weeks if there is any danger to the health of the mother or if the foetus has serious health problems.This will bring Spain into line with the rest of the EU.The most controversial part of the law was allowing girls as young as 16 to have an abortion without the knowledge of their parents.This has been ammended and now 16 to 17 year olds have to inform their families.The exclusion to this is if they fear some extreme violence against them from their families.

There have been many demonstrations in Madrid against this law from the Church and also from lay people.That is the right of people in a democracy but these people have no need to use the scheme if they so choose.however it needs to be in place for those who do not think in the same way and who choose to have an abortion.

The Catholic Church has threatened excommunication for those who voted for the law.Surely there are not people around these days who believe such things,but then maybe there are.The King Juan carlos has to sign the bill and it seems that he will not be excommunicated for doing so .They say that his position is unique and that he also has to follow the law.