Holiday concerts

THE Department of Culture in Altea is holding its traditional Route of the Chapels series of concerts. The free Easter concerts will take place from April 7 to 16 in Altea’s chapels and churches of Altea.

The 10 concerts will feature a varied programme of soloists and groups performing religious music, classical music, baroque music, and traditional music, among other genres. The musicians participating in the concerts will include many talented local musicians and famous figures and voices.

On April 7 at 7.30, the Brass Quintet of the SRM will perform in the Church of Santa Ana de Altea la Vella, then on April 8 at 7.30pm there will be a performance of Musicaltea ­ Scherzo Strings in Villa Gadea. This will be followed by Camerata Ars Cantica from Benidorm in the Santa Bárbara Chapel.

For details of all the musical performances, see www.alteracultural.com.

EMMANUEL MACRON’S government faces several motions of no confidence in the National Assembly this week after his government forced through a deeply unpopular pensions reform bill.

Protesters took to the streets in major cities over the weekend, after the government invoked a controversial constitutional manouevre to pass its pensions reform bill in what was widely seen as a move likely to inflame social unrest.

The major reform is to increase the retirement age form 62 to 64 years.

Industrial action is expected to disrupt