Southern Catalonia town holds bridge opening ceremony 100 years after royal snub
Amposta's 'Pont Penjant' was world's second reinforced concrete suspension system after Brooklyn Bridge
amposta
Catalonia remembers bloodiest battle in Civil War 80 years on
Events and reenactments of Battle of the Ebre mark date as government calls local councils to promote vestiges of conflict
TEDxAmposta 2018 showcases female talent
Some 70% of talks in Amposta’s annual ideas forum will feature top women in their fields
Concern in the Ebro Delta over a series of small earthquakes allegedly due to a gas offshore platform
A series of earthquakes measuring between 2 and 4.2 on the Richter scale have been affecting the coast of southernmost Catalonia and northernmost Valencia in the last few weeks but particularly since last weekend. All the evidence suggests that the Castor offshore gas reservoir is behind the earthquakes. In 2009, the Spanish Government approved the building of an underground gas reservoir located under the sea bed, some 20 kilometres offshore from the Ebro Delta and Vinarós, using the cavity in the rock from a former oil field. Madrid approved the project without an earthquake risk report, despite a formal petition from the Catalan Government. Now, geologists, the Spanish Industry Ministry and the company admit that the injection of gas into the rock could be triggering the earthquakes. Activities have been stopped and the Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the case.
Bull festivities in Catalonia revive debate between tradition and animal rights
After the Catalan Parliament’s ban on bullfighting approved in 2010, controversy between those in favour and those against bull festivities has been continuing for years now. The latest issue under discussion is the continuation of a specific bull event called the ‘correbous’ that takes place in the Ebro Delta area, in southern Catalonia. ‘Correbous’ are deeply rooted in the area’s tradition, organised to coincide with the towns’ patron saint parties, held during summertime. They are different from regular bullfighting and they have more similarities with Pamplona’s San Fermín festival, where people run in front of the bulls.
The Ebro water battle is back
Diverting the Ebro River to southern Spain was the aim of the National Water Plan that José María Aznar wanted to carry out during his term of office ten years ago. Now, Mariano Rajoy and Agriculture Minister Miguel Arias Cañete hope to bring it back. People from the Ebro Delta are ready to fight the battle again.