The pound surged after the U.K. economy grew at double the pace forecast by economists

The pound surged after the U.K. economy grew at double the pace forecast by economists in the third quarter and the nation’s credit outlook was raised at Standard & Poor’s.

Sterling rose against all 16 of its most-traded peers, appreciating 1.1 percent against the euro. Gross domestic product rose 0.8 percent in the three months through September, the Office for National Statistics said in London today. Economists forecast a 0.4 percent gain, according to the median of 35 predictions in a Bloomberg News survey. Gilts slumped.

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Police arrest Lithuanians for 58 burglaries across Costa del Sol | LISTAndalucia

Police arrest Lithuanians for 58 burglaries across Costa del Sol | LISTAndalucia: "gang of thieves thought to be responsible for at least 58 burglaries has been broken up.
Dubbed ‘The Corkscrew Gang’ by Málaga police, the gang of three Lithuanians were arrested in Fuengirola after extensive investigations into a string of burglaries across the Costa del Sol.
The trio used an unusual technique to gain entry to properties by removing the door lock in the same way a cork might be popped from a wine bottle.
The gang also used micro-cameras to check that owners were asleep or away and that the property held valuables to make it worth breaking into.
Burgled items recovered by police were reportedly small and easy to carry, especially laptops and jewellery.
The operation to make the arrests came after thorough detective work following break-ins in Torremolinos, Marbella and Estepona."

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16 businesses closed each day in Malaga | LISTAndalucia

16 businesses closed each day in Malaga | LISTAndalucia: "Confederation of Malaga Employers (CEM) said today that during 2009 an average of 16 companies closed each day in the province of Malaga. Some shut down voluntarily, some declared bankrupt.
With more than 6.000 businesses closed in 2009, a more modest number of 2.000 – 2.500 is thought to be closing down through 2010.
It was also claimed that the GDP of Malaga was to decrease by some 0,5 % this year, and was down a staggering 4,1 % last year."

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Alleged drug queen Angie Sanselmente Valencia arrested in Argentina | Entertainment | People | The First Post

Alleged drug queen Angie Sanselmente Valencia arrested in Argentina | Entertainment | People | The First Post: "Angie Sanselmente Valencia, 30, won the popular title of Colombia's Coffee Queen in 2000, but had become known as the 'Narco Queen' by the Argentine press. She was discovered on Wednesday hiding out in the K-Lodges youth hostel in the Palermo district of Buenos Aires. She was registered under the name 'Annie' and had dyed her brown hair blonde.
Sanselmente had been sought by Argentine police ever since December when a 21-year-old woman known only as 'Maria' was caught with 55 kilos of cocaine in her baggage boarding a flight from Buenos Aires to the Mexican resort of Cancun.
The woman's arrest led to six other alleged gang members being picked up, who apparently fingered Sanselmente as their ringleader.
During her period in hiding, Sanselmente declared her innocence on Facebook. Her mother, Jeannette Valencia, flew in from Colombia some weeks ago to protest her innocence too. 'She is no drug trafficker, nor is she the queen of cocaine,' she said. 'There are bad intentions - a plot against her.'"

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Irish mafia on the Costa del Sol put in connection with 20 murders | LISTAndalucia

Irish mafia on the Costa del Sol put in connection with 20 murders | LISTAndalucia: "The police operation started yesterday, who targets an Irish crime syndicate on the Costa del Sol with branches all over Europe, has linked the group to 20 different murders across Europe.
The operation saw a total of 31 arrests, 17 of them in Estepona, Marbella and Fuengirola. Police forces also intervened property owned by the gangsters worth 150 million euros only on the Costa del Sol. In addition to that comes property in Brazil and elsewhere.
It is believed that the murder of an Irish citizen in Estepona back in 2008 put police forces on the trail of the group. The investigation since was co-ordinated by Europol and saw the co-operation of police forces from several different countries.
Several police sources say this is among the biggest blows to organized crime in the last few years. The criminal gang is thought to be led by a 53-year-old British citizen who was detained yesterday together with his two sons."

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Irish mafia on the Costa del Sol linked to 20 murders across Europe. Surinenglish.com - Costa Bandidos

Irish mafia on the Costa del Sol linked to 20 murders across Europe. Surinenglish.com - Costa Bandidos: "Marbella, Fuengirola and Mijas. In total, searches were carried out in 122 houses, lawyers' offices and other private establishments. 500 police officers participated in the raid that was carried out simultaneously in Spain, Ireland and the United Kingdom, coordinated by Europol.
This group, whose connections extend to at least 20 countries worldwide, is considered one of the largest criminal organisations on an international scale, although predominantly in the British Isles. According to Europol, the group is suspected of being involved in more than 20 murders committed in various different countries. It was the investigation of one of these murders that gave birth to 'Operation Shovel', as the raid has been named. In February 2008 Paddy Doyle, a 28-year-old Irish citizen, who was known to the police for his involvement in organised crime, died from numerous gunshot wounds in an ambush attack in a housing estate in Estepona."

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Nicola Whittaker, 35, narrowly avoided jail after admitting leading a lavish life with gun-running ex-partner Paul Wilson.

Nicola Whittaker, 35, narrowly avoided jail after admitting leading a lavish life with gun-running ex-partner Paul Wilson.
But prosecutors believe she benefited from Wilson’s ill gotten gains to the tune of £426,030 – cash they claim was splashed on a posh house, jewellery and a boob job.
They want the money back from the mum-of-one who contested their Proceeds of Crime Act application at Liverpool crown court on Wednesday.
Most of the cash is tied up in the couple’s £250,000 home in Liverpool Road, Ainsdale – now worth up to £1m.
Prosecutors also want £82,000 spent on jewellery and £5,000 they claimed Whittaker spent on cosmetic surgery.
Whittaker, of Coronation Drive, Crosby, denied the jewels were ever hers and said her dad, Ronald Whittaker, paid for her surgery after she split from Wilson in 2006.
She said although Wilson initially bought her a boob job, she needed a second operation in 2008 because he hit her and split her implant.
Whittaker previously admitted money laundering and eight counts of concealing criminal property.
Her 12-month sentence was suspended for two years after Judge James Roberts accepted she had endured “extreme violence”.
She was given 300 hours unpaid work after the judge accepted she tried – but failed – to leave Wilson several times.
Prosecutors said the £30,000 deposit on the couple’s home and the £1,400 monthly mortgage payments from her bank account came from Wilson.

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Alan Wilson (pictured) was handed a confiscation order of £919,482 by Stafford Crown Court.

Stafford company director Alan Wilson (pictured) was handed a confiscation order of £919,482 by Stafford Crown Court. The 57-year-old, from Chapel-en-le Frith, in Derbyshire, was jailed for 44 months in January after admitting theft, false accounting and fraud offences.The director of a company which designed and rented portable refrigerated units, his fraud centred on falsifying rental agreement documents, misappropriation of company funds and disposal of equipment.Wilson’s criminality funded a luxury lifestyle in the UK and Spain which included the purchase of a villa in Marbella, currently on the market at 850,000 Euros, a 47ft yacht with a list price of £490,000, a luxury home in Derbyshire and Mercedes cars.
The court directed that £764,012 of the order should be used to pay creditors of the failed company to compensate the victims of the fraud.Detective Sergeant Nick Jones, who works in the force’s economic crime unit, said: “Over the last three years the force has obtained 281 confiscation orders with a total value of £9.8 million.
We’ve also obtained cash forfeiture orders amounting to £1.3 million.
“These significant figures reflect that we are taking every opportunity to hit criminals in the pocket. Wherever possible, assets that are recovered are used to ensure crime victims are compensated.“We continue to work with the Crown Prosecution Service and the courts to make sure offenders are stripped of their assets. This includes monitoring ‘old’ cases to identify if further assets are available for confiscation.” District Crown prosecutor Mark Forster, said: “Our continuing success in the field of asset recovery is testament to the dedication and hard work put in by both police officers and Crown Prosecution Service lawyers alike.“Those engaged in crime should be aware that, working in close partnership with the police and courts, the specialist prosecutors within Staffordshire Crown Prosecution Service will be proactive in employing the powers contained in the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 to ensure criminals do not benefit financially from any illegal activity.
“Monies and property acquired by those engaged in crime will be taken back and used to compensate the victims.
“Those convicted can expect to face more than the prospect of simply being punished for the offence itself. “

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James Walter Tomkins, 60, is hiding out on the Costa del Sol

Candy Dawson believes James Walter Tomkins, 60, is hiding out on the Costa del Sol after he allegedly slayed her son Rocky Dawson, 24, for no apparent reason in 2006.
Police have named Tomkins – also known as Jimbles – as one of the UK’s ‘Most Wanted’ criminals.But despite Crimestoppers insisting he has links to both Marbella and Fuengirola, as well as Benidorm, he has not yet been caught.Desperate mother Candy Dawson, from Essex, told of her determination to catch Tomkins.
“I have contacted you because I am desperate,” she said in an emotional interview.
“I cannot put my son to rest and I’m willing to do anything to catch this monster.
“As a mother I cannot let this person get away with what they have done to my family and his two children.”
Her son was shot in the back a number of times, in what police believe was a case of mistaken identity.Horrifically, his children watched as he was gunned down outside his mother’s house in Hornchurch, Essex.His mother explained: “My son had been visiting me and was putting his little boy, Rocky, into the back seat of his car when he was shot in the back.
“He came back into the house and said: ‘Mum I’ve been shot’, before collapsing.
“He died minutes later in my arms.”
A swift police investigation eventually led police to arrest of Christopher Pearman, 56, who was convicted of his murder in 2007.
However, his accomplice has never been found and police want to quiz Tomkins.
International director of the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), David Armond, said many criminals like Tomkins could be hiding in ex-pat communities.
He said: “Attention is the key to making sure they can’t escape justice to live a life in the sun.”
Tomkins has two scars one close to his left eye on his brow and another on the right side of his neck.Described as tall, medium to stocky build and sometimes wearing a close cut beard.
A 23,000 euro reward is available for any information regarding Tomkins whereabouts.
The fresh appeal follows Crimestoppers’ success in catching half of the criminals from their most recent appeal for criminals in Spain.Of the list issued six months ago, half of the ten most wanted have already been caught.The most recent capture was Jody Flynn, caught entering the UK from Spain.
Others, such as Stephen Henry Pitman, are also believed to be living on the Costa del Sol.Operation Captura has made 31 arrests since it began its series of ‘Most Wanted’ appeals in 2006.

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When her husband died, one British woman had to run down the street to the nearest translation service because she had no idea who to call.

Fortunately, for those Britons in Spain whose command of the language appears to stretch no further than hola or gracias and who are lost in Spanish bureaucracy, help is at hand: Spanish civil servants are to work at the British consulates in Malaga and Alicante to help expatriates to integrate with their neighbours.In a deal between Britain and Spain, the staff will offer advice on dealing with health services, registering with the local authorities and property problems.More than one million Britons are thought to live in Spain for at least part of the year. However, many of the thousands who headed there to retire in the sun never registered with local authorities or health services, preferring to pay taxes in Britain or rely on benefits paid back home.Because the pound has fallen against the euro and with Spain in a recession, many have found that the dream has soured. With a sparse command of Spanish and faced with trying to fathom their way through a labyrinthine bureaucracy, a rising number are struggling to cope. Expatriate aid agencies report that some have become dependent on handouts.Others bought holiday homes, putting their trust in estate agents or lawyers simply because they spoke some English. Only later did they discover that the dream homes were illegal and faced demolition.
Mary McKechnie, of the British Association of Marbella, said: “I lose patience with some people who can’t say more than gracias [thank you] and por favor [please] and don’t know how to do anything.”Karen O’Reilly, of Loughborough University, author of The British on the Costa del Sol, said: “The main point is that integration is linked to social exclusion. People who are not integrated can end up socially excluded.“I do not mean they have to learn the language and/or have Spanish friends, but they do need to understand the rules and regulations and be legal residents in order to claim rights and to have responsibilities.”
In an interview with The Times, Chris Bryant, the Europe Minister who visited Spain last weekend to meet British expatriates, said: “I would appeal to British people living in Spain to register with the authorities and with the health services.”

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Spanish authorities in the port at Valencia have seized 1,200 kilos of pure cocaine

Spanish authorities in the port at Valencia have seized 1,200 kilos of pure cocaine, hidden in the false floor of a container on a freighter whose last port of call was Dominican Republic, consigned to a company in Madrid.Sources close to the ongoing investigation said two people were arrested, one in Valencia and another in Barcelona, who apparently awaited the drug.They said the container with the drug, which had been placed aboard the Cyprus-registry ship "Nordsea," had arrived in Valencia on February 23, from the Dominican Republic.
A previous discovery of a cocaine shipment in containers sent trough’s Valencia’s port prompted a probe of boats which had weighed anchor in Dominican Republic

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Donald Southall ran the UK side of a smuggling network which brought in cigarettes from Eastern Europe, evading at least £1.7 million of tax.

Homes in Spain, a yacht, red E-type Jaguar and a classic Norton motorbike were all bought by Donald Southall from Sedgley who was making a mint out of his part in an international tobacco smuggling plot.He ran the UK side of a smuggling network which brought in cigarettes from Eastern Europe, evading at least £1.7 million of tax.
Customs officials believe that although they seized 11 million cigarettes, many more cigarettes would have gone into the UK black market.Gang member Robert Horton, aged 43, of Church Road, Norton Canes, controlled the European end of the operation from his base in Hungary, Northampton Crown Court heard yesterday.He would meet potential suppliers and arrange for the bulk transportation of the smuggled cigarettes by the lorry load. Southall, of Gospel End Road, Sedgley, operated the UK side of the criminal network and oversaw the arrival and distribution of the cigarettes.Horton’s partner Julie Henworth, aged 42, was said to be “at the heart” of the organised crime gang. She was said to have acted as an administrator and travel agent” by arranging and paying for flights for numerous covert meetings between Horton and Southall in Europe and beyond.Sentencing the defendants, Judge Ian Alexander said: “This was a highly professional operation. You (Southall and Horton) joined together for the mutual benefits you derived from tobacco smuggling.” Southall and Horton were sentenced to four years and eight months in prison after pleading guilty to charges of tobacco smuggling.
Henworth, of Church Road, Norton Canes, was jailed for two years after pleading guilty to charges of money laundering.Southall and Henworth were arrested in March 2007 following a series of dawn raids across the Midlands after a two-year operation.Cash, computers and paperwork including bank account details were seized from their home addresses. Horton was arrested in May 2008 when he surrendered to UK authorities.Adrian Farley, Assistant Director of Criminal Investigation for Customs, said today: “This was a large-scale international tobacco smuggling plot which took our investigations all over Europe.“With the support of law enforcement colleagues in Hungary, Portugal, Spain, Slovakia, Austria and France, we have broken up this gang and are now working to take away the proceeds of their crime.” The gang operated between 2005 and 2006.

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In Spain, Russian criminal groups control 90 percent of the drugs and illegal arms flows

In Spain, Russian criminal groups control 90 percent of the drugs and illegal arms flows and have been involved in the murder of Paddy Doyle, a leading Irish criminal who was operating there. His death and the ensuing trial led to the publication of numerous articles about Russian organized crime.

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Ciro Figaro was detained along with two aides in the southern town of San Pedro de Alcantara on the Costa del Sol

Spanish police on Friday arrested a senior member of southern Italy's Camorra mafia, the interior ministry said, the latest in a string of arrests of Italian crime bosses in the country.
Ciro Figaro was detained along with two aides in the southern town of San Pedro de Alcantara on the Costa del Sol, the ministry said in a statement.
It said he is wanted for drug trafficking, murder and weapons possession, and is also suspected of kidnapping the son of a rival in the Camorra, the organised crime syndicate of the Naples region.
Figaro "is considered one of the leaders of the Camorra and included in the list of the most dangerous fugitives" in Italy, the statement said.
It said Spanish police also suspected him of trafficking drugs between Spain and Italy from the Costa del Sol.
His arrest follows that of two other leaders of the Camorra who were detained in the northeastern city of Barcelona on January 27.
Spanish police last week also arrested an "important member" of Sicily's Cosa Nostra mafia.
Spain, with its historical and cultural links to Latin America, is the main entry point into Europe for South American cocaine and hashish from its southern neighbour Morocco.

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He's the main man in Spain, and if he can keep all the gangs sweet with boxing matches and foreign holidays he'll continue to rake in a fortune.

YOUNG Irishman based in Belgium has become the biggest supplier of drugs and credit to Dublin's gangs.The 25-year-old, who works out of five star hotels in the capital is acting as trafficker Christy Kinahan's eyes and ears here as he serves a prison sentence in mainland Europe.All of the city's main gangs, including deadly rivals are dealing with the young associate of Kinahan.Gardai also have intelligence that Kinahan is working closely to end the feuds between the gangs and create one major drugs organisation in Dublin.
Kinahan is the main drug supplier to the 'Fat' Freddie Thompson gang and a revered figure among all members of Ireland's criminal underworld.Kinahan (53) is currently serving a jail sentence for money laundering in Belgium and as well as running his operations in Dublin, his new commander-in-chief has also been charged with resolving the bloody feuds in the city that are proving "bad for business."The deputy is a younger associate of Kinahan, who is on first name terms with a dozen or so major criminals, who head drug supply gangs across the city.Kinahan has convictions for smuggling heroin and ecstasy in Ireland, and he has based in Belgium, Holland and the favourite haunt of Irish gangland figures, the Costa Del Sol, ever since he was released from jail in Ireland.He arranges massive shipments of guns and drugs from Russian, Turkish and north African cartels into Ireland.He had served a lengthy prison sentence at Ireland's highest security prison in Portlaoise after being convicted of fraud but has been operating actively for the past decade.As part of his attempts to heal the rifts in Dublin's underworld, Kinahan reportedly recently arranged an all expenses paid trip to Puerto Banus for Dublin's major crime bosses.
The summit has been arranged to organise a major shipment of drugs and arms for Ireland, sources say.'Fat' Freddie Thompson is reported to be attending, along with members of Limerick's gangs, as well as Finglas-based crime godfather 'The Don'.
The Mediterranean love-in is Kinahan's latest attempt to cool tensions on the streets of Dublin after he organised a night out for his gangland associates at a boxing bout in Dublin last year.Crime figures like 'Fat' Freddie and 'The Don' were in attendance along with other leading figures."Kinahan's boxing treat was just the start of his charm offensive," a senior Garda source revealed."He knows people like The Don have been killing rivals because they're convinced they're going to be wiped out."But Kinahan is cute enough to realise more violence on the streets brings more detectives on to the streets which is bad for business."He's the main man in Spain, and if he can keep all the gangs sweet with boxing matches and foreign holidays he'll continue to rake in a fortune."Kinahan is a major target of Europol, based in The Hague, Holland and any meeting between the gang bosses would be monitored closely.

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Police wanted to interview Eddie Lyons Jnr over the gangland hit

Police wanted to interview Eddie Lyons Jnr over the gangland hit - and claims that he had been shot by Carroll just days before the murder.
Cops swooped on his mother-in-law's home when it was claimed he had returned to Glasgow and his BMW X5 was seen outside the house.
But there was no trace of Lyons Jnr, who was reported to have fled to Spain after Carroll was killed.
And his wife Joanne, who was visiting her mother, claimed not to know where her husband was.
Underworld sources say Carroll, an enforcer for the rival Daniel crime clan, had shot Lyons days before he was gunned down in an Asda car park.
It is claimed two shots hit Lyons Jnr's bulletproof vest while a third struck him on the arm.
And gangland insiders say that was the trigger for Lyons Jnr to order Carroll's execution.
Cops also want to quiz Lyons Jnr's brother, Stephen, 29, who is based in Spain.
On Friday afternoon, rumours began to circulate that Lyons Jnr had returned to Glasgow to see a close family member who is seriously ill.
Cops were tipped off that a black BMW believed to belong to Lyons Jnr was outside his mother-in-law's home in Milton, north Glasgow.
Members of Strathclyde Police's Gangs Task Force were scrambled to the scene and were joined by detectives probing Carroll's murder.
An underworld source said: "The police were at the house within minutes of being tipped off about the X5 but Eddie was nowhere to be seen.
"There were a number of people in the house, including his wife, but they all pleaded dumb as to his whereabouts.
"Everything points to the Lyons family having a hand in Gerbil's murder and the word on the street is that Eddie Jnr sanctioned the hit.
"The cops are desperate to catch up with him."
Last week, we revealed another leading member of the crime clan, David Lyons, has not been seen at his garage since Carroll, 29, was gunned down outside Asda in Robroyston on January 13.
David Lyons's garage in Lambhill, north Glasgow, has already witnessed a triple shooting which left his nephew, Michael Lyons, dead.
Stephen Lyons and a third man, Robert Pickett, were also shot but survived.
Sources told us David is taking no chances of a repeat of the December 2006 attack, which was likened in court to a scene from The Godfather.
David's son Mark has also not been spotted at Applerow Motors in north Glasgow since Carroll was murdered.
The garage remains operational and sources claim it has been busy in recent weeks.
David has always claimed he is a legitimate businessman but police intelligence revealed in 2007 that he was "involved in serious and organised crime, including the trafficking and supply of Class A drugs".
More than 10 shots were fired at Carroll as he sat in the back of a black Audi outside the supermarket.
The three-man hit squad then sped off in a dark blue Volkswagen Golf, which was found burnt out.
A fortnight after the hit, two guns were found dumped in Coatbridge and tests confirmed they were the murder weapons.

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Sir Geoff Hurst yesterday told of his remorse after his name was "abused" to promote Spanish flats that were never built.

The England football hero told the High Court he was "taken in completely" in a deal that saw him lose £600,000.Sir Geoff, 68, and six others claim they are owed £2million after investing in property near Marbella on the Costa del Sol.They are suing businessman Mark Cordner, claiming he pocketed a large slice of the cash.
Sir Geoff, who scored a hat trick at the 1966 World Cup final, told the High Court: "I feel remorse, allowing my name to be used and abused in this way."The seven thought they were investing in property company Royal Marbella Group, which never owned the land where flats were built by another firm.

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Detectives on the Costa del Sol have charged John White over an alleged scam to defraud dozens of people of their valuable antiques.

Detectives on the Costa del Sol have charged John White over an alleged scam to defraud dozens of people of their valuable antiques.They are probing whether White, 58, set up a sting which saw dozens of expatriates hand him rare coins and other items, worth an estimated one million euros.Greying White – described as “someone straight off the Antiques Roadshow” – allegedly hoodwinked up to 100 clients over a three-month period.But his game was rumbled in a clever heist after clients were informed by email that Mr White had “suddenly died of cancer” in the US.Far from convinced and fearing the loss of up to 100,000 euros of valuables, two of his victims posed as a potential new client to flush him out.In a clever sting, the pair met White at a Fuengirola cafe, before bundling him into a car insisting they went to get their property.But White still refused to be outdone and, despite his age, pulled a knife on his clients at the luxury 500,000 euro home he was renting in Marbella.
“I was stabbed several times after being kidnapped, tied up and thrown into the boot of a car.”After a scuffle, in which both parties were wounded, his clients, who are from South Africa, fled before police arrived to arrest White.Marbella police had already been investigating White over the auction fraud after a series of reports were filed.But in a cunning twist, White claimed to be the innocent party and insisted he had become the victim of a vicious attack, in which his clients kidnapped him and stole the items scheduled for auction.In a frantic late night phone call from Marbella police station he told an Olive Press reporter: “I was stabbed several times after being kidnapped, tied up and thrown into the boot of a car.“They pretended to be antique sellers at first, but then they bundled me into their car, took me to my home and stole 25,000 dollars and all the antiques.”This claim is completely denied by his clients, a pair of South African businessmen, living on the Costa del Sol.

While they were arrested the following day and accused of ‘illegal detention” and robbery, their lawyer insisted they were completely innocent.
Carlos Vee, of firm GA Lawyers, said: “They were simply trying to get their property back and worked out a clever sting to catch him out.“Where they went wrong was not to get the police involved in advance.”He continued: “It is a case of the conman getting conned. He is a very credible bookish sort of bloke, straight out of the Antiques Roadshow.“He took a lot of people in a plot reminiscent of a Tom Clancy novel. He had apparently done it a few times before and is a seasoned sociopath.”While police confirmed they were investigating a “fracas” outside his home, they also confirmed they were probing the suspected antiques fraud.Police started investigating after two reports were filed against White last week.
This week detectives scoured his three-storey townhouse, which he rented on the outskirts of the celebrated Spanish tourist resort.Cordoning off the house, they eventually emerged with a number of items, including an unidentifiable machine about a metre in length.The auctioneer, who had apparently been renting the home for six months, had arranged a series of ‘bogus’ auctions of rare and historic antiques, which never took place.Advertising the event in local newspapers and through posters, he was inundated with sellers – mostly elderly Britons – keen to cash in on their valuables.
However, after one high profile auction at Marbella’s prestigious Hotel el Fuerte was cancelled twice, his clients grew suspicious.After failing to get through to his phone number or address, they heard he had moved to America, and was “recovering from cancer”.

One concerned client Maria Weldon Weightman, 60, from Glasgow – whose valuables were estimated to be worth over 20,000 euros – has filed an official police report.

“I have been trying to call him for more than two weeks and I have heard nothing,” explained Weightman, who has lived in Estepona for a number of years.
“It is very strange, he guaranteed me that my items would be sold by the New Year.”
Another client Elizabeth Davies, from Birmingham, handed over a priceless Roman broach with three extremely rare Roman coins inside, plus numerous other items.
She said: “I took him at face value, I believed that he as he was older he would be more trustworthy.
“I just feel like such an idiot for having originally agreed to this.”
Our investigators also failed to get hold of White, who eventually sent a string of bizarre emails via a third party, claiming he was in the US recovering from cancer.
At first they claimed he was close to death, but later said he was making a recovery.
They also insisted the terms of the auction had been clearly explained.
The third party, who gave his name as David Harris, insisted that sellers would be paid 60 days after the auction and that clients were made aware of this.
In a spelling-mistake spewed email, he said: “It doesn’t matter what you say or do, we have tried to explain to a few clients here in Marbella but it seems to go in one ear and out of the other,” read the email..”We don’t just sit in an office doing nothing all day.”
However, clients have since refuted the claims, insisting that no sure assurances were ever made.Judy Rosevear, 60, from Cornwall, explained: They didn’t explain any of this to us, he actually never made it clear about how or when he would pay.
“The biggest problem is the very fact you cannot get hold of them.”
While police scoured his home neighbours alleged that he has not paid his rent for several months.A Marbella national police detective confirmed that White had been charged and bailed.He said: “We are still looking into this case but I would hesitate to add much more at this stage.”

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Albanian and Moroccan-led drug smuggling ring

The gang had reportedly smuggled cannabis from Morocco, cocaine from the Netherlands and heroin from the Balkans to Italy and worked closely with Apulia's Sacra Corona Unita mafia. and Moroccan-led drug smuggling ring, media reports said on Friday. Suspected gang members had also been arrested in Spain, France and Belgium.
Raids in northern and southern Italy had uncovered 700 kilograms of cannabis and large amounts of heroin and cocaine.The police had 57 arrest warrants, and at least 13 people were put behind bars.

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Captured Lidl supermarket staff in Spain discovered millions of dollars worth of cocaine

Colombia's Prosecutor General's Office dismantled a drug-trafficking organization that had been smuggling cocaine to Europe, arresting two serving members of the army and five banana company employees, reported W Radio.According to police reports the organization had been hiding quantities of the illegal drug amongst banana exports to various European countries, a process which involved members of the armed forces.
Interception and arrest of the seven narco-traffickers by Colombian authorities took place in the municipalities of Apartado, Turbo, and Cartagena. Authorities have identified all the detained men.In January Lidl supermarket staff in Spain discovered millions of dollars worth of cocaine, thought to have been shipped from Colombia via Africa, hidden in boxes of bananas.

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Banana Beach complex home to some 300 Spanish and expats is in line to be pulled down.

And resident John Toomey has vowed to fight on after branding the latest decision a “huge injustice” as well as “discrimination”.
The retired lawyer, 63, explained: “Our case is identical to a number of properties which have now been legalised.
“They want to reclaim the seafront, but there is no basis for this in law or reality.”
“A top Spanish architect (Angel Dias del Rio) put forward a case in Sevilla to show we were being discriminated against.
“But it was simply swept under the carpet by the Junta.”
Toomey, from London, also criticised the folly of trying to make an example of Banana Beach.
“They want to reclaim the seafront, but there is no basis for this in law or reality,” he added.
“If they really wanted to do this then they would have to demolish half of Marbella.”
On agreeing the new PGOU last week Marbella mayor Angeles Munoz previously declared that “16,000 families will now sleep in peace”.
Spare a thought for those Marbella homes still fighting for their own reconciliation.

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We certainly don’t want the English who come over on their cheap flights and do nothing apart from drink all day long

JEREZ councillor has told English tourists to stay home.
In an astonishing rant tourism councillor Juan Manuel Garcia Bermudez blasted the English who do “nothing apart from drink all day long”.
Bermudes, 53, also raged that he was only interested in tourism that “enriched the area”.

“We certainly don’t want the English who come over on their cheap flights and do nothing apart from drink all day long.”

The PSOE politician’s bewildering outburst will come as a blow to Andalucia tourist chiefs who have identified English tourism as crucial in overcoming the downturn.
“We certainly don’t want the English who come over on their cheap flights and do nothing apart from drink all day long,” criticised Bermudez.
“I want to make it clear that we only want tourism that will enrich the area.”
Bermudez had earlier been speaking about the need to further support local tourism so that “this economic motor can create jobs by 2011”.
The PSOE politician’s English wish could be granted after it emerged that pay talks between air traffic controllers and the Spanish airport authority broke down.
The failure to reach an agreement before March 31 – when the current pay deal expires – could throw the travel plans of Britons heading to Spain into chaos.
Spain is still recovering from a 16 per cent drop in tourism last yea

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Three youths have been arrested in Marbella on suspicion of sexual abuse of a sixteen year old girl.

Three youths have been arrested in Marbella on suspicion of sexual abuse of a sixteen year old girl. All were friends of the girl.The victim at the apartment of a girlfriend when they were joined by three youths, one of whom was a former boyfriend with whom she had maintained an intimate relationship.The three youths then tied up the girl using computer cables and proceeded to sexually abuse her. The girl had to be treated at the Hospital Costa del Sol for injuries sustained in the attack.The girlfriend of the victim was also charged with the crime of failing to provide assistance.

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Benjamin and Solomon Marrache, appeared before the Magistrates Court yesterday charged with false accounting in respect of E1.8m of client money.

Gibraltar bank account supposed to hold the company’s cash in fact had a balance of less than nine Euros and no credit facility.
Two senior executives at a prominent Gibraltar law firm, brothers Benjamin and Solomon Marrache, appeared before the Magistrates Court yesterday charged with false accounting in respect of E1.8m of client money.The two men were arrested on Tuesday and spent the night in police cells before being ferried to court in a police van.
The two Marrache brothers were ushered by police through a side entrance to Central Police station just before 10am and appeared before the magistrate in a crowded courthouse a short while later.Attorney General Ricky Rhoda, appearing for the Crown, urged the magistrate to impose stringent bail conditions for fear that the two men might flee the jurisdiction.Keith Azopardi, the defence lawyer representing the Marrache brothers together with Samantha Sacramento, said there was no risk of them leaving Gibraltar because both were of previous good character and had strong family ties here.Stipendiary Magistrate Charles Pitto granted bail but set tough conditions on each defendant, in the form of two sureties to the value of £300,000 for each brother. The court also set a further financial condition of £150,000 in their own recognizance for each defendant.In simple terms, failure to appear at future court hearings could cost the defendants and their guarantors up to £900,000 in total.
Both men also had to hand in their travel documents and agree to reside at their respective family homes, as well as report twice weekly to police.By the end of the day yesterday, a number of persons had stepped up to provide £600,000 in sureties for the release of the two men.At an hour-long hearing in the evening, Mr Pitto questioned the guarantors closely but accepted the sureties. The two brothers were released from custody later that evening.Yesterday’s developments in court were the opening shots in what will undoubtedly develop into a lengthy and complex case.

Mr Rhoda said the sums of money involved “could be quite substantial”.
He said the two men were currently facing “holding charges” and that more charges could follow at a later stage. The Attorney General also said there could be further arrests as a result of an ongoing police investigation.Earlier this week police raided several commercial and residential properties linked to Marrache & Co and seized documents and computers.Prosecutors allege that in January this year, the brothers falsified documents to conceal a shortfall of E1.8m of funds belonging to a company called Portino Comercio Internacional. One document, a letter signed by Solomon Marrache, purported to show that the money was held by the brothers on the client’s behalf. Another document, a letter signed by Benjamin Marrache, purported to give authority to Natwest bank to transfer the client’s money to a bank in Ireland.
But prosecutors said that the Gibraltar bank account supposed to hold the company’s cash in fact had a balance of less than nine Euros and no credit facility.

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2,000 people working without a contract last year, and nearly 500 of them were also collecting unemployment pay.

Work inspectors in the province of Málaga found some 2,000 people working without a contract last year, and nearly 500 of them were also collecting unemployment pay.
Shops and the hostelry business were most controlled by the inspectors in the province last year, and their work recovered 12 million € additional income for Social Security.The numbers are four times higher than those seen in 2008 as the number of work inspections is stepped up.

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900 foreign criminals were expelled from the country last year

Spanish Ministry of the Interior has announced plans to reduce the number of foreign prisoners being held in Spanish jails. They want to try to get prisoners to serve their time in the jails of their country of origin.In Spain there are 27,091 foreigner prisoners from 110 countries currently, 242% more than in 2000. The numbers include Cataluña where responsibility for prisons has been devolved to the region.A statement from the Ministry for the Interior said that ‘foreigners are not to blame for the overcrowding in Spanish jails’ noting that the number of foreign prisoners only increased by 3% last year, but even so Spain has one of the highest percentages of foreign prisoners in Europe at 35%.The law already allows for a foreign prisoner to apply to be transferred to his or her home country if he or she wishes, and last year 580 made the application of which 249 have been repatriated. However many do not make the application as conditions in Spanish jails are generally good.If the prison sentence is less than six years and the criminal has not legal residence in Spain he can be extradited instead of going to prison, and under that rule more than 900 foreign criminals were expelled from the country last year.

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Socialist Mayor of Cártama, José Garrido, has been indicted on charges of perversion of the course of justice.

Socialist Mayor of Cártama, José Garrido, has been indicted on charges of perversion of the course of justice. He is accused by the Prosecutors’ Office of having deliberately let an order expire against a local resident who had built a home on non-buildable land.The case is being investigated by Instruction Court 5 in Málaga and refers to December 2005 when the Town Hall inspectors noted the house being built on rustic land. There was an initial fine and the site was taped up, but the citizen continued to build despite several visits from municipal technicians in January, March, April and May 2006. Work was still continuing in February 2007, and in October 2008 , SEPRONA, the Environmental Division of the Guardia Civil asked the Ayuntamiento for details of the sanction imposed. That sanction expired in December of that year, and now the Mayor faces charges.The Mayor contends that competences in the case are unclear, and said he has done nothing wrong as no irregular licence was issued by the council. He also noted the lack of resources to carry out any demolitions saying that there are more than 2,000 similar cases currently outstanding. The house concerned in the case currently remains standing.

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Date for the start of the court cases for the ‘Malaya’ corruption scandal and the ‘Ballena Blanca’ money laundering affair could coincide

Date for the start of the court cases for the ‘Malaya’ corruption scandal and the ‘Ballena Blanca’ money laundering affair could coincide and that it causing differences between the Málaga Provincial Court and the Anti Corruption Prosecutor’s Office. Final start dates for both cases are still to be set, but they could coincide according to the President of the Provincial Court, Francisco Javier Arroyo. That would cause serious problems for the prosecutor, Juan Carlos López Caballero, who has instructed both cases, and the Chief Prosecutor, Antonio Morales, has concluded that ‘in common sense both cases cannot coincide’.Ballena Blanca was set to start at the end of March, while Malaya could start at the end of May, but with the first expected to last six months and the second a year an overlap is likely. Ballena Blanca has to deal with 19 accused and some 80,000 sheets of evidence, while Malaya has 103 accused and the court summary is 90,000 sheets long.
Antonio Morales considers that the Malaya case should wait until after Ballena Blanca has been completed and has told Diario Sur that he does not understand the hurry.To add to the problems there is a third case, ‘Minutas’ which already has a fixed date of April 6 to June 4 where here the prosecutor, Francisco Jiménez Villarejo, also belongs to the same anti-corruption department.

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Two Latin American boys aged 14 and 16 have been charged with the murder of the 71 year old British pensioner Peter Cockshutt

Two Latin American boys aged 14 and 16 have been charged with the murder of the 71 year old British pensioner Peter Cockshutt who was found dead in his home in Arona on the Costa del Silencio, on Tenerife, after what is thought to have been a burglary gone wrong. One of the boys was arrested on Tuesday afternoon, the other on
Tuesday night.The British man, who comes from Brandesburton, near Beverley in East Yorkshire was stabbed twice in the chest and once in the leg. His body was found by a friend on Monday.The two boys are also accused or robbery and both will appear before the judge shortly, and are being held in Guardia Civil custody. An autopsy has been carried out on the victim, but the results have not yet been made public.
It’s understood the two boys have confessed to the crime, and reporting restrictions have been introduced in the case.

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Torrevieja Brits are the largest group, making up 16 percent of the total number of operations being carried out

Brits are the largest group, making up 16 percent of the total number of operations being carried outForeign patients now make up 42% of the activity in the operating theatres at the District Hospital in Torrevieja. The largest group is the British, who made up 16% of the 22,640 operations carried out in the hospital in 2009. It shows the high numbers of British tourists in the area, and the number who live in the town for at least part of the year, many of them aged over 65. Britons make up 10% of the padron census in the 12 municipalities serviced by the hospital.
Next group, but with no more than 5% of the total, come the Germans, then the Norwegians and Moroccans.The numbers come amid increasing concerns in the Spanish press about the costs of providing care to ‘health tourists’, and claims that Spain is not getting all the costs of such operations reimbursed in full.

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price of resale property in Spain increased in January

price of resale property in Spain increased in January for the first time in 24 months, according to the real estate portal fotocasa.es. Prices rose by 0.6% on average, with the regions of Cataluña, and La Rioja seeing the greatest recovery in price at 4.6% and 4.5%. Prices also rose in the regions of Comunidad Valenciana (2,2%), Asturias (2%), Baleares (1,9%), Aragón (1,4%), Galicia (0,9%) and Madrid (0,7%).It takes the average price of per square metre for resale property to 2,366 €.

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Baltasar Garzón, is to appeal against the Supreme Court case which accused him of adopting resolutions

Baltasar Garzón, is to appeal against the Supreme Court case which accused him of adopting resolutions which were allegedly a perversion of the course of justice, by starting to investigate the disappearances of people during the Franco years in Spain.Garzón has said that the Supreme Court case is ‘unsustainable and incomprehensible’ and he has accused the Judge Luciano Varela of using ‘depreciatory arguments’ with no legal base. Garzón has called for international experts who have judged similar crimes to be brought in. Garzón says that Varela has ‘a preconceived idea which stops him analysing the facts objectively’.Garzón also faces a second case where he is accused of not declaring additional income obtained allegedly from the Banco Santander when he was on a sabbatical year in New York.
Meanwhile the Prosecutors Office has said it does not support the accusations being made against the judge and they will be sending their considerations to the CGPJ, despite the fact that the General Council for Judicial Power, the body which oversees the judiciary, started the procedures on Tuesday to suspend the judge.
The Attorney General, Cándido Conde-Pumpido, has said that, in principle, he can see no criminal behaviour which will allow the accusations being made against the judge to be justified.The group ‘Judges for Democracy’ has also expressed its ‘deepest concern’ about the decision of Varela to proceed against Garzón who they do not consider at fault.

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woman was reported missing last November, and her chopped up body was found on waste land in Campos, Mallorca

Five Ecuadorians have been arrested on Mallorca in connection with the discovery of the body of a 35 year old Bolivian woman.The woman was reported missing last November, and her chopped up body was found on waste land in Campos, Mallorca, the day after the first three people were arrested this week. Paul Gregory R.C., aged 41; Norma del Rocio V.S., aged 39, and Luis Rodrigo Q.Q. who is said to have been the main author of the killing and who is aged 43. Two further arrests were made on Wednesday and further detentions have not been ruled out in the case.

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Guardia Civil has arrested six people of Spanish, Swedish and Bulgarian nationalities, aged between 26 and 54,

Guardia Civil has arrested six people of Spanish, Swedish and Bulgarian nationalities, aged between 26 and 54, in connection with a planned express kidnapping of two businessmen on the Costa del Sol. They had rented a van with tinted windows and a house where they planned to hold their victims.The Civil Guard operation was codenamed ‘Golub’ and based in Benalmádena, Mijas and Marbella and six homes were searched as part of the operation. Items such as balaclava helmets and a latex mask complete with hair and ears were found, as well as three pistols and a quantity of ammunition, false number plates and photocopies of 500 € notes.The two businessmen who were the projected targets had already been told so by the gang, but their names have not been released.

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arrested two Moroccan men, aged 32 and 38, who were found to be carrying 350 pellets containing 2.7 kilos of hashish in their insides

arrested two Moroccan men, aged 32 and 38, who were found to be carrying 350 pellets containing 2.7 kilos of hashish in their insides. They were arrested during a routine control of passengers disembarking from the ferry from Nador, Morocco, and have been charged with a crime against public health.According to the officers, the men showed signs of nervousness and they were taken to a separate area to be searched. When nothing was found on their person, they were asked to take a voluntary x-ray, during which foreign bodies were detected in their colon, which they evacuated during the following days.During the month of January, 26 people were arrested at Almeria Port after they were found to be carrying different quantities of hashish in their anal cavities, which is a very dangerous practice and can have fatal consequences if the capsules break inside the body and the drugs are absorbed into the system.

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Guardia Civil in Girona have arrested three of their own number in connection with drugs missing from the frontier post at La Jonquera

Guardia Civil in Girona have arrested three of their own number in connection with drugs missing from the frontier post at La Jonquera. Reports indicate that the third man was arrested some days after his two companions who were imprisoned last week.
20minutos quotes sources close to the case as saying that a man has also been arrested in Figueras, accused of buying the cocaine and hashish from the officers who now face charges of drug trafficking and abuse of power. They graduated from the Guardia Civil academy just a few months ago. Investigations started last November when two kilos of cocaine among other substances went missing.

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74% of British property owners in Spain want to go ‘home’ because of the economic crisis.

I find that number hard to believe as my personal experience is that a similar percentage would never go back. While the Telegraph research, carried out by Moneycorp, looks at things like the weak pound, fears over job security, and so on, it is more basic items such as the weather which keeps many here, and I would also contend that most who do return do so for family, and not other reasons.
I think the research would be far more interesting if somehow those who are considering moving to Spain are the ones questioned. Here, who could blame people for deciding not to make the move, given the tabloid headlines about the country which have been appearing of late. The problems in the Spanish economy are largely a result of the bursting of the real estate bubble, and many of the four million unemployed come from the construction and related industries. The scary thing about the situation now is all the debt which remains outstanding and owed to the banks across the country. Debt from bust builders and real estate promoters on the one hand, and from struggling families who are unable to meet the mortgage payments on the other, even in these times of low interest rates.It remains to be seen how the banking system survives as this debt inevitably comes out into the open, and as interest rates inevitably rise.
Leaving economic circumstances aside, the other reason keeping the Brits and any other foreigner investors away is the legal uncertainty highlighted by those who find their properties declared illegal and therefore practically worthless. Threats of demolition issued to retired foreign property owners over Christmas smack of rude short-sightedness by some faceless Spanish bureaucrat, unaware that he or she was at the same time writing the tabloid headlines in the U.K. or Germany, and setting up an even larger fall in foreign investment.New and quick legislation is needed to draw a line somewhere, so those who did buy dodgy property in good faith can be properly and quickly compensated, and all the new PGOU Urban Plans currently being passed across the country must be strictly enforced to stop anything similar happening in the future.Zapatero dreams and speaks of wide and impressive concepts, his ‘Alliance of Civilisations’ for example, but the sad reality for this Socialist leader is that despite his fierce defence of social policy not suffering at home in times of high unemployment, that many in Spain are already suffering as a consequence of corrupt officials and disregarded legislation. He should worry more about the future of Helen and Ken Prior, and all the other foreign residents who find themselves in trouble, than when his next photo with Barack Obama will be.
If he doesn’t set Spain’s house in order and quickly he could lose the tourism goose which has been laying all the golden eggs over recent years.
The problem for Spain is not the Brits who want to go home, as the Telegraph may say, it is about the Brits who no longer want to come here.

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More demolition orders have been issued in Albox

More demolition orders have been issued in Albox despite confusing statements by the Town Hall and the Mayor, Sr. José GarcíaIn an interview published on the English language Arboleasnow website , Sr. Garcia is reported to have denied the rumour that nine houses are affected, saying that only eight demolition orders have been issued "by the courts".This statement belies the fact that on the 15th December another of our members was issued with an order not by the courts, but by Albox Town Council itself!And on January 20th, the Official Bulletin board carried an instruction to demolish a building on a plot of land near Alcantarilla, Albox. However, the plot referred to has two homes on it as well as an uncompleted structure.We notified the owners and met with the Town Hall Secretary, who agreed to review the case file and advise us whether the order referred to one, or all, of the structures on the plot. In spite of repeated attempts we are still waiting for a response. The owners have only fifteen days to lodge an appeal and are very worried. They need this information from the Town Hall, and they need it now.We have been trying to set up a meeting with Sr. Garcia for three weeks. Having cancelled two previous appointments with us, we are now told we cannot speak to him until the middle of February. This, despite the fact that we represent eight of the affected families.It has been because of delays and lack of communication that the legal process in these cases is so advanced it has resulted in people being deprived of their right to defend themselves.Avoiding difficult questions is not an option for the authorities. In order to solve the problem we need ongoing, open and co-operative dialogue to reach a consensual solution involving public bodies, interested associations and all the political parties.

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stabbing to death of a 27 year old in the town on Monday night.

unidentified man has been arrested in La Linea de la Concepción, Cádiz in connection with the stabbing to death of a 27 year old in the town on Monday night.
Local residents say that the stabbing happened at around 11pm and an injured man was found in the area of Calle Sócrates. El País reports that the victim was able to tell local police the name of his attacker before he died.

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one million Britons living in Spain some 74 per cent revealed that repatriation is now a distinct possibility

one million Britons living in Spain some 74 per cent revealed that repatriation is now a distinct possibility, according to a study undertaken by Moneycorp.Some 37 per cent of those surveyed admitted that they were already looking into returning to the British Isles.The house market crash has seen the value of homes on the Costa del Sol crash to below 65 per cent their original asking price.

“Brits living in Spain are particularly affected by the struggling property market with many owning holiday homes and letting out their Spanish properties.”
Add the plummeting pound and limited job opportunities, the survey has fuelled fears that there could be a widespread exodus.
“Brits living in Europe are feeling the effects of the weak pound as they are more likely to be reliant on income from their British property, UK pension and other regular sources of funds,” said David Kerns, Head of Private Clients at Moneycorp.
“Brits living in Spain are particularly affected by the struggling property market with many owning holiday homes and letting out their Spanish properties.”

Meanwhile, the survey also revealed that more than a third of expatriates in Italy, Germany and France are also mulling over moving back to the UK.Kerns added: “Our research shows that British expats have had a tough time and the findings reveal that no country has escaped unharmed from the economic downturn.”
The survey interviewed 250 Europe-based UK expatriates and was conducted from October to November 2009.

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Paul Lyons,born in 1961 ,was detained at Alicante airport last week and will be extradited to Scotland

Paul Lyons,born in 1961 ,was detained at Alicante airport last week and will be extradited to Scotland for an alleged crime committed there.He was allegedly involved in a fatal crash which is thought to have involved road rage.It is said that Lyons drove at a van on the M-74 near Larkhall in Scotland,causing the other vehicle to go off the road.The 32 year old driver was killed and his passenger was seriously injured.Mr Lyons faces a number of charges including causing death by dangerous driving.According to the police he was speeding,over the alcohol limit and driving dangerously.He was also serving a driving ban .Since his extradition he has appeared in court and has been remanded in custody.He had fled to Spain after the incident in Scotland and has been subject to a European arrest warrant.
The Spanish police have been working with the British Serious Organised Crime squad and they were on the look out for the person who was bringing the 2 year old son of Lyons out to Spain to see him.The Lyon family has been linked to organised crime in Glasgow it is alleged.

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"Auken Report", which recommended EU sanctions against Spain if it did not act on illegal building and urban abuse

Margarite Auken, Danish MEP for the Green party and author of the controversial "Auken Report", which recommended EU sanctions against Spain if it did not act on illegal building and urban abuse, demanded yesterday in open parliamentary session that the EU ask for an official report from Madrid on how it will protected property rights for people who have purchased illegal homes.
The question, directed to the President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek, coincided with the appearance in front of the EU Parliament of Spanish President Zapatero, who was in Brussels to explain the six month Spanish programme for the EU. Spain took over the rotating presidency of the EU on the 1st of January 2010.
During her question, Ms Auken referred to the "worrying facts" revealed by her report. The Auken Report was approved by the EU in March 2009. "Spain has permitted a culture of endemic corruption to build up around construction" she said.It revealed to the EU the wide range of issues in Spain that has permitted the construction of hundreds of thousands of homes without any permits whatsoever.President Buzek did not reply immediately to the question, but is expected to give a response in the next few days."Many Spanish citizens feel that they must quietly accept fraud and corruption from building companies who can expel them from their homes without any compensation" said Ms Auken.Ms Auken pointed out that the Spanish government has so far refused to give an official reply to the Auken report and so she believes the time has come for the EU to officially demand a reply to the report.The report recommends EU sanctions against Spain if it does not act to tackle urban abuse and property instability in the region.

Willie Meyers, the Izquierda Unida MEP for Andalucia, also used the opportunity to attack the Spanish government for urban abuse.

The Reader recently had an exclusive interview with Mr Meyers when he visited Almeria during a fact finding mission on urban abuse in the province (An interview with MEP Willie Meyers ) where he explained his horror at what he had discovered.Mr Meyers's office has sent an official request to a number of Spanish departments within the Junta de Andalucia and the Spanish government to ask what, if any, notice they have taken of the Auken report.Mr Meyers has also bought the specific example of the Almanzora Valley to the attention of interested parliamentary groups within the EU.Meyer's office released a statement saying "he condemned the many examples of urban abuse produced by rampant and uncontrolled development over the last few years" and saying that innocent home owners must be protected at all costs.Meanwhile, Michael Cashman MEP, has written an open letter to Prime Minister Zapatero. Mr Cashman was one of the MEPs who asked for a European Parliamentary resolution to get Spain to put its house in order given the enormous number of petitions and complaints about building, environmental and urban abuses it had received. According to Mr Cashman there have been over 15,000 petitions as well as a daily flood of letters on this matter.

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Councils on the Costa del Sol are urging foreign residents to register on the municipal electoral roll.

Many councils in Malaga fear tens of thousands of unregistered residents live in certain municipalities: in the case of Marbella, with an electoral roll of 140,000 people from 137 different nationalities, it is thought a further 100,000 people live without registering.
The failure to register means councils are losing money, as the Spanish state gives subsidies to each municipality based on the size of its electoral roll.
Marbella tourism councillor, José Luis Hernández, said: “The fact both Spanish and foreign residents fail to register on the electoral roll here helps to collapse our public services. It is because of this that we have half the police, hospitals, courts, schools and taxis that we really need for a town of this size.”

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snowy peaks of the Sierra Nevada 3 metres of snow cover over the ski terrain

2 hours from Spain’s Costa del Sol are the snowy peaks of the Sierra Nevada , Europe’s Southern-most ski resort.December saw the heaviest rain for 50 years fall on the Costa del Sol, officially ending five years of drought in the region and filling the reservoirs to capacity. Although it meant a wet Christmas for Costa del Sol residents, it has led to wonderful conditions in the nearby mountains with the resort management, Cetursa SA, announcing an impressive 3 metres of snow cover over the ski terrain. They are working hard to piste the new snow and hope to have all the runs open soon. To find out the latest information on the state of the pistes visit the British Ski Centre website.If you want to enjoy both the skiing and the warmth of the seaside, you should consider basing yourself on the Costa del Sol and taking a day trip up to the mountains. Alternatively, you could do a two centre holiday and stay in the mountains for one night (be warned the accommodation is expensive) and then move down to the Costa del Sol to relax before heading home.

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Treasure of incalculable value has lain just off La Manga.

Buried beneath shells, rocks and sand, for 2,600 years, while the construction boom has been completely changing the surrounding landscape, a treasure of incalculable value has lain just off La Manga. 26 centuries later, archaeologists from eleven countries are bringing these antique objects to the light of day once again. The find appears to be the cargo of a commercial ship carrying ivory from African elephants, amber and lots of ceramic objects. The find has been kept secret for the past three years by the team of divers led by the Spaniard Juan Pinedo Reyes and the American Mark Edward Polzer. The recovery project is being financed by National Geographic, who have reached an agreement with the Spanish Minister of Culture, the Institute of Nautical Archaeology and the University A&M of Texas. The recovery is taking place around Grosa Island and El Farallon Island, just off La Manga. Over the last three years 1,400 objects have been collected. Even some of the wood from the bottom of the ship has survived since the 7th Century before Christ (620 BC), and has been recovered. It is believed the vessel measured approximately 15 metres long.

The find has been described as one of the most important of all archaeological discoveries. The Ivory tusks measure between 70 and 150 centimetres, with Phoenician writing inscribed. They have come from a race of elephants which are now believed to be extinct. There are also copper ingots and stones containing silver and lead. Ceramic pots which were used for transporting fish and oil have been found too, as well as plates, bowls, combs, ivory knife handles, bronze needles and chandeliers.

It is believed the ship crashed into rocks off the island, which are just a metre and a half below the surface. The ship would have set sail from Cadiz, and was probably heading towards Guardamar to a factory there, or to deliver items to a prince living in the area.

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Spain is complaining" about the rule, "as more and more northern Europeans choose to retire along its Mediterranean coast."

"Most countries in the European Union offer universal health coverage for their citizens. And when a citizen from one EU country travels to, or lives in another one, they also are covered. But now Spain is complaining" about the rule, "as more and more northern Europeans choose to retire along its Mediterranean coast." NPR likens the situation along Spain's Costa del Sol to that of Florida, where many U.S. seniors with costly health problems retire (Socolovsky, 1/19). SiMAP union, representing public health doctors in Spain, said non-Spanish EU nationals in Alicante, which has a large British expat community, account for 15-20 per cent of hospital admissions. Criticism is not directed at those who register their residency status and pay taxes, but at expats in the black economy who expect to get treatment by producing a European Health Insurance Card (Ehic), which is designed for the emergency care of holidaymakers. many thousands of Britons who regularly flip between homes in Britain and Iberia are also thought to arrange trips according to where they may get the best treatment, or jump waiting lists. Politicians have been concerned about healthcare "freeloaders" for several years, but Spanish doctors have been more muted. They have to decide what is "emergency" treatment and what isn't and, according to anecdotal reports, have tended to take the patient's word.
But Spain's health budget is as much under pressure as the NHS and the SiMAP move reflects fears among Spanish doctors of further belt-tightening. Cutbacks are bound to raise questions about the availability of resources for patients. The Spanish regions – which are autonomous in matters of health provision – have moved to prevent foreign nationals exploiting "free" healthcare. The last to take this step was Valencia. Two months ago, it introduced measures by which expatriates below retirement age and not registered as employed would no longer get free access.
They are now paying a €90 (£80) monthly tax, which will cease once they reach retirement age. The move brings Valencia into line with the rest of Spain – and France, where President Sarkozy took similar steps in 2007. But thousands of British men under 65 and women under 60 are still thought to be working unregistered in Valencia, the Costa del Sol and other expat

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Anthony Kearney, 45, and Donna McCafferty, 43, were tracked down to the Costa Blanca

fraudster who appeared on Britain's most wanted list with his girlfriend after they fled to Spain was jailed on Friday.Anthony Kearney, 45, and Donna McCafferty, 43, were tracked down to the Costa Blanca in November 2008 within 24 hours of a Crimestoppers appeal.The couple, who illegally claimed thousands of pounds in housing benefit, admitted a string of charges at Glasgow Sheriff Court last month. Kearney was sentenced to a total of four years and four months after pleading guilty to three fraud charges and one under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

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1,000 cellophane wrapped balls of hashish

1,000 cellophane wrapped balls of hashish – enough for 28,000 “joints” – have been recovered from the intestines of seven young Moroccan men who arrived at Almeria port recently.

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Marbella planning office, counted a total of 38,194 buildings which do not comply with the current PGOU Urban Plan guidelines

The Marbella planning office, counted a total of 38,194 buildings which do not comply with the current PGOU Urban Plan guidelines, which was approved in 1986.The list of illegal properties includes homes, hotels, schools, gas stations, golf courses, shopping malls, industrial warehouses and a heliport.90 per cent of the buildings are homes.La Opinión de Málaga published the figures on Monday.

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Juan Antonio Roca and Julián Muñoz must return thousands spent on restaurants, hotels and bonuses claimed through a municipal company

Juan Antonio Roca and Julián Muñoz must return thousands spent on restaurants, hotels and bonuses claimed through a municipal companyTwo of the people accused in Marbella’s Malaya case have been ordered to pay back more than 300,000 € of ‘unjustified expenses’ claimed from Marbella Town Hall in a ruling from the Court of Auditors regarding the municipal company Planeamiento 2000. The Town Hall had claimed the much higher amount of 1.8 million €. It relates to company accounts between 1997 and 2001 when the man at the centre of the Malaya corruption, the former municipal real estate assessor, Juan Antonio Roca, was manager of Planeamiento 2000 and the town’s former Mayor, Julián Muñoz, was chairman of the board.Both must share the cost of paying back the money with two others seen to have been involved, former Marbella councillor, Esteban Guzmán, and the lawyer, Modesto Perodia. Diario Sur reports the four have also been charged the interest on the amount, more than 122,000 €.The paper notes that the expenses relate to thousands of euros spent in restaurants, plane tickets to Madrid, hotel bills and ‘unjustified bonuses’, in Roca’s case, amounting to almost 223,000 €. The court did not however accept a claim from Marbella Town Hall for 900,000 € which had been paid into the Planeamiento 2000 account by the Mancomunidad to purchase the land on which the desalination plant would later be built. The Tribunal de Cuentas considered it not proved that the funds had later been withdrawn from the account or had been ‘improperly used’.Diario Sur reports two other rulings from the Tribunal de Cuentas last year which, in addition to this latest, mean the ex Mayor, Julián Muñoz, now owes close to 17 million € in the repayments plus interest he must make to Marbella Town Hall.

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12 kilos of heroin were discovered in the fuel tank of a car intercepted in Tui, Pontevedra

Two people have been taken into custody by police after 12 kilos of heroin were discovered in the fuel tank of a car intercepted in Tui, Pontevedra, in Galicia. Officers found 21 packages of the drug floating in the tank when they inspected the vehicle.The drugs were transported to Galicia by a Madrid-based gang from Kosovo which had been under police surveillance for some time and which the Interior Ministry said supplied heroin to dealers across the country. The two suspects in custody are the car driver and another gang member who was arrested at the same time in Madrid.Detectives found more than 100,000 € in cash in a search of the flat the group used as their base in the Spanish capital, and also seized 18 mobile phones and a laptop computer. Further arrests have not been ruled out as investigations continue.

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Marbella It's part euro, part trash.'

'Puerto Banus is like Soho,' he told me at his house. 'You can come out of a theatre in the West End and go to a beautiful restaurant, or go into a side street and find hookers and drug addicts. It's the same here.'
Max, only half-jokingly, suggested that he'd like to be mayor and sort it out. 'I'd clean it up,' he said. 'Someone needs to, because the prostitutes are getting younger and drugs are being sold more brazenly. It's getting rougher.'
One of the main culprits locals blame for the disintegration of Marbella's image is Gary Lineker's brother, Wayne, a cheeky-chappie character with a big grin and even bigger bank balance. His chain of Lineker's bars have become hugely popular throughout Southern Europe. I interviewed him in his main Puerto Banus bar and he was totally unrepentant.
'Marbella's a high-profile place,' he chortled, 'and fortunately for Lineker's, it's turning towards the crowd we want, the working-class British man and woman. We go through 15,000 bottles of beer a weekend now. And the more mucky stories that people write about the place back in Britain, the better business gets. Where there's muck there's money!'
Asked what his message to the rich and famous of Marbella was, Wayne smirked and pronounced: 'Do one.' Which I believe is Lineker's speak for 'Go forth and multiply.'
In the great old days of the town, Ava Gardner and Audrey Hepburn would dine with the likes of Cary Grant and Laurence Olivier at the fashionable Marbella Club.
Today, the cast list of luminaries is a little lower down the celebrity ladder. I ventured down to the coast again to meet up with Bianca Gascoigne, stepdaughter of footballer Gazza, at the infamous Nikki Beach bar. As we spoke, hundreds of half-naked young people began spraying vintage champagne on each other in a four-hourly exercise called, naturally, Champagne Spray Party.
'Do you think this is a sensible thing to be doing in the middle of a recession?' I asked Bianca. 'Absolutely not,' the cheeky minx replied, 'but it's definitely a fun thing to do!'
And that is the attitude of most of the revellers in Marbella. 'Having fun' is the order of the day, and as much of it as you can possibly cram into 24 hours.
'I'm meeting up with Calum Best later,' Bianca giggled, conjuring up the mind-boggling prospect of a Best and a Gascoigne getting drunk together.
One reason the celebrities at each end of the ladder love it so much is that nobody in Marbella, outside of the expats like Max Clifford, seems to care very much what you get up to or what you did in your past.
I found one legendary old rogue, Princess Diana's cad James Hewitt, running a smart new restaurant called the Polo House in Marbella's most exclusive street.
'I had to get away from Britain,' he admitted, 'and this has been the perfect refuge for me. There are no paparazzi, nobody bothers me except when I am happy to be bothered in the restaurant, and I've found the peace and privacy that I could never have back home.
'It's also a very comfortable lifestyle here. But there are two very different worlds. Since the cheap easyJet flights came in, all the hen and stag parties have started flooding into Puerto Banus, and that's changed the character a little from the quite smart, glamorous place it used to be.
'It's also driven the really rich people out a bit, tucked away in the secluded areas on the outskirts.'
That's indisputably true. But the rich still head down to the port occasionally to hit their credit cards in one of the world's most expensive shopping precincts.
I went shopping with former Birmingham City soccer boss Karren Brady. She's about to join Lord Alan Sugar as his new Apprentice sidekick, so should know a thing or two about business. But watching her sweep through Gucci, Prada and Fendi like a human vacuum cleaner was a terrifying spectacle.
Her eyes alighted on a rather plain-looking handbag. 'Oooh, that's lovely,' she cooed. 'You can never have enough handbags.' This one boasted a price tag of £15,000.
'Who the hell buys this kind of thing?' I gasped.
'Oh, there's a lot of serious wealth in Marbella,' she chuckled. 'And they come down to Puerto Banus for the glamour, the yachts, the celebrities, the shops. There are two sides to this place. But both sides are quite fun. It's part euro, part trash.'
And that, at its heart, is Marbella. A place to retire to, party in, make a fortune, spend a fortune, drink shots, get shot --whatever takes your fancy.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1242085/Piers-Morgan-heads-Marbella-Spains-Butlins-billionaires.html#ixzz0cUYOMKHk

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Marbella was the best in the 80s, Freddie Foreman was cool.

Marbella was the best in the 80s, Freddie Foreman was cool.'Puerto Banus is like Soho,' he told me at his house. 'You can come out of a theatre in the West End and go to a beautiful restaurant, or go into a side street and find hookers and drug addicts. It's the same here.'
Max, only half-jokingly, suggested that he'd like to be mayor and sort it out. 'I'd clean it up,' he said. 'Someone needs to, because the prostitutes are getting younger and drugs are being sold more brazenly. It's getting rougher.'
One of the main culprits locals blame for the disintegration of Marbella's image is Gary Lineker's brother, Wayne, a cheeky-chappie character with a big grin and even bigger bank balance. His chain of Lineker's bars have become hugely popular throughout Southern Europe. I interviewed him in his main Puerto Banus bar and he was totally unrepentant.
'Marbella's a high-profile place,' he chortled, 'and fortunately for Lineker's, it's turning towards the crowd we want, the working-class British man and woman. We go through 15,000 bottles of beer a weekend now. And the more mucky stories that people write about the place back in Britain, the better business gets. Where there's muck there's money!'
Asked what his message to the rich and famous of Marbella was, Wayne smirked and pronounced: 'Do one.' Which I believe is Lineker's speak for 'Go forth and multiply.'
In the great old days of the town, Ava Gardner and Audrey Hepburn would dine with the likes of Cary Grant and Laurence Olivier at the fashionable Marbella Club.
Today, the cast list of luminaries is a little lower down the celebrity ladder. I ventured down to the coast again to meet up with Bianca Gascoigne, stepdaughter of footballer Gazza, at the infamous Nikki Beach bar. As we spoke, hundreds of half-naked young people began spraying vintage champagne on each other in a four-hourly exercise called, naturally, Champagne Spray Party.
'Do you think this is a sensible thing to be doing in the middle of a recession?' I asked Bianca. 'Absolutely not,' the cheeky minx replied, 'but it's definitely a fun thing to do!'
And that is the attitude of most of the revellers in Marbella. 'Having fun' is the order of the day, and as much of it as you can possibly cram into 24 hours.
'I'm meeting up with Calum Best later,' Bianca giggled, conjuring up the mind-boggling prospect of a Best and a Gascoigne getting drunk together.
One reason the celebrities at each end of the ladder love it so much is that nobody in Marbella, outside of the expats like Max Clifford, seems to care very much what you get up to or what you did in your past.
I found one legendary old rogue, Princess Diana's cad James Hewitt, running a smart new restaurant called the Polo House in Marbella's most exclusive street.
'I had to get away from Britain,' he admitted, 'and this has been the perfect refuge for me. There are no paparazzi, nobody bothers me except when I am happy to be bothered in the restaurant, and I've found the peace and privacy that I could never have back home.
'It's also a very comfortable lifestyle here. But there are two very different worlds. Since the cheap easyJet flights came in, all the hen and stag parties have started flooding into Puerto Banus, and that's changed the character a little from the quite smart, glamorous place it used to be.
'It's also driven the really rich people out a bit, tucked away in the secluded areas on the outskirts.'
That's indisputably true. But the rich still head down to the port occasionally to hit their credit cards in one of the world's most expensive shopping precincts.
I went shopping with former Birmingham City soccer boss Karren Brady. She's about to join Lord Alan Sugar as his new Apprentice sidekick, so should know a thing or two about business. But watching her sweep through Gucci, Prada and Fendi like a human vacuum cleaner was a terrifying spectacle.
Her eyes alighted on a rather plain-looking handbag. 'Oooh, that's lovely,' she cooed. 'You can never have enough handbags.' This one boasted a price tag of £15,000.
'Who the hell buys this kind of thing?' I gasped.
'Oh, there's a lot of serious wealth in Marbella,' she chuckled. 'And they come down to Puerto Banus for the glamour, the yachts, the celebrities, the shops. There are two sides to this place. But both sides are quite fun. It's part euro, part trash.'
And that, at its heart, is Marbella. A place to retire to, party in, make a fortune, spend a fortune, drink shots, get shot --whatever takes your fancy.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1242085/Piers-Morgan-heads-Marbella-Spains-Butlins-billionaires.html#ixzz0cUYOMKHk

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