Discontent is very widespread in Morocco.News from King Mohammed VI's stay at his luxury chalet in Betz has still not reached Moroccans and could cause further indignation.

Discontent is ample in Morocco, the poorest, least developed North African nation, and many are inspired by developments in Egypt. Meanwhile, Morocco's King Mohammed VI rests in his French luxury chalet.

Morocco so far has been spared from larger protesting groups as those in Tunisia and Egypt, much thanks to the King's quick reversal of boosting prices for basic foods. The same move proved a good assurance for authorities in neighbouring Algeria.

But discontent is very widespread in Morocco. Despite an economic boom over the last years and some careful reforms ordered by King Mohammed VI - most prominently regarding gender equality and education - Morocco remains the poorest country in North Africa, with least employment opportunities and the lowest literacy rate.

The King, claiming to descend from the Prophet Mohammed, has an almost divine role in Morocco. Very few dare to criticise him, even in the mildest form.

Among the Arab majority, loyalty to the King is great, while the government - appointed by the King - and age-old ruling "Makhzen" class - controlling the administration, police, army and much of business - are the popular focus of hatred. In the streets of Casablanca, it is often said that the King is honest and wants to rule the country well, but the Makhzen is corrupting everything.

Minorities, however, to a wider degree dare to blame the King for their mischief. This includes large parts of the indigenous and disadvantaged Berber people. Estimates of the Berber population wary from 20 to 60 percent of the Moroccan total, with official estimates being the lowest. Unemployment is highest among Berber youths, of which many view the Arab King as a foreign imposer.

A growing Islamist movement in Morocco, which faces the same repression as the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, also is loosening its loyalty to the King, which they see as a marionette of US and Israeli interests. Moroccan Islamists however are split in their view of the monarchy.

Moroccan youths are still struggling with poor education and employment possibilities. Official unemployment figures are only set at between 9 and 10 percent - although believed to be much higher - while the youth unemployment rate is set as closer to 20 percent, officially. Great masses, now mostly barred from migrating to Europe, are building up a similar rage as youths in Tunisia and Egypt.

As the tourist market in all North Africa now is crumbling - many travellers fear Morocco could be next - the kingdom's greatest growth and employment sector could soon be strongly impacted. A sudden growth in unemployment due to falling tourist arrivals could spark revolt.

The most united resistance to the King is found in occupied W

Property and palace of Morocco's King Mohammed VI in Betz, France

© Google Earth/IGN-France
estern Sahara, where the indigenous Saharawis are denied most basic human rights. Rebellion is almost continuous in Western Sahara, with the population only waiting for a situation when troops must be pulled out of the territory to fight a rebellion in Morocco-proper.

A revolution attempt in Morocco therefore could catch the kingdom's extensive police and military forces fighting at very many fronts at the same time. Unlike Egypt and Tunisia, urban protests would probably be quickly followed by rural Berber uprisings and a Saharawi attempt to oust the Moroccan occupiers.

Moroccans are following the developments in Tunisia and Egypt with great interest. The human rights, democracy and social conditions in the country are not very different from the revolutionising countries.

Some few events have already occurred. At least four Moroccans have so far set themselves on fire in an attempt to spark unrests similar to Tunisia. Minor protest marches have been held.

But the population majority is watching what is happening in Egypt, which due to its large armed forces is more comparable to Morocco than Tunisia. If the people succeed in Egypt, many will be encouraged to try the same in Morocco.

King in his chalet in France
Meanwhile, the 47-year-old King seems assured that the situation in Morocco is in firm control. There are confirmed reports that Mohammed VI on Friday arrived at the private Paris airport Le Bourget in his luxury jet.

From Le Bourget, he was driven to his extensive private property in Betz, 70 kilometres north-east of Paris. The luxury chalet, often referred to as a palace, on a 70 hectares property, was bought by his father, King Hassan II, in the 1970s and is only one among a large list of luxury palaces owned privately by the Moroccan King.

The King's luxury spending is not reported by the Moroccan press, which is heavily censored on all issues regarding the King and his family.

According to reports from the Moroccan newspaper 'Hespress' and Spanish Morocco specialist Ignacio Cembrero, Mohammed VI was accompanied on his trip to France by "a delegation of high officials from the security and military forces." Mr Cembrero says he has information that "the situation in the Maghreb since the fall of [Tunisian Dictator Zine] Ben Ali" was to be discussed together with officials from the King's allied French government.

News from King Mohammed VI's stay at his luxury chalet in Betz has still not reached Moroccans and could cause further indignation.
Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Spain's Muslim population to rise 82% by 2030

 Spain's Muslim population to rise 82% by 2030: "Currently, Muslims make up just over 1 million of the country's population, which is expected to increase to about 1.9 million in the next two decades.

Immigration is cited as the main reason behind the increase, as just this past year Muslims made up 13% of all newly arrived migrants. A flow that helped Spain reaching an incredible economic growth especially in the construction sector that accounts for 18% of the GDP.

The world's Muslim population is expected to increase by about 35% in the next 20 years, according to new population projections by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life. The Islamic population is growing at a much higher rate than the rest of the world.

The increase in Spain is not only due to the arrival of new Muslims in the peninsula but also from the newly converted who accounted for around 20,000 in the last 7 years."

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Underage marriages increase in Morocco (Magharebia.com)

Underage marriages increase in Morocco (Magharebia.com): "3,000 more child brides in 2009 than during the previous year, the Social Development Ministry reported.

Even though the practice is sustained by long-standing traditions, it is time for the government to take responsibility and bring an end to the phenomenon, MP Farida Naimi said at a November 23rd plenary session at the Chamber of Councillors.

Justice Minister Mohamed Naciri acknowledged that the reality speaks for itself in a number of Moroccan regions where parents marry their daughters off at traditional weddings (through the ritual of fatiha).

'In some places, girls aged 13 or 14 who are still single are regarded as old maids. Worse still, some parents pledge their underage daughters in exchange for 60,000 or 100,000 dirhams until they reach marriageable age,' Naciri said."

DISCLAIMER:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Silvio Berlusconi 'paid TV weather girl £100k' after attending sex party | Mail Online

Silvio Berlusconi 'paid TV weather girl £100k' after attending sex party | Mail Online: "A glamorous TV weather girl was paid more than £100,000 by Silvio Berlusconi after attending his infamous sex parties, it is claimed.

Prosecutors have discovered bank records which show that he gave Alessandra Sorcinelli money last Monday – three days after the latest sex scandal surrounding him broke.

But despite the constant flow of lurid stories surrounding the Italian Prime Minister, polls show he is more popular than ever among voters.

The payments started last year and averaged £8,500 a month – a figure Miss Sorcinelli, 26, refers to in a text message to Mr Berlusconi’s aide, Giuseppe Spinelli, which read: ‘May I urgently remind you of the 10,000 euro bank transfer.’

The documents then detail a payment from Mr Berlusconi’s account at Segrate near Milan into one in Miss Sorcinelli’s name at the Bank of Sardinia in the city.

According to the paperwork, the money was called a ‘non interest-earning loan’."

Fourth self-immolation attempt in Morocco - People's Daily Online

Fourth self-immolation attempt in Morocco - People's Daily Online: "A Moroccan man set himself on fire Tuesday, the fourth suicide attempt in the North African country within a week.

The man, who suffers from mental illness, set himself ablaze in his home and was taken to a hospital, state-run MAP news agency reported.

At least three Moroccans attempted suicide by setting themselves on fire last Friday.

The incidents were inspired by an act of self-immolation by Tunisian Mohamed Bouaziz, which sparked protests across the country and forced president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to step aside and fled the country on Jan. 14."

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Online shoppers poised to get EU-wide rights

 Online shoppers poised to get EU-wide rights: "Consumers are poised to get one set of pan-European rights when shopping online in the European Union, after ministers backed draft rules on Monday.

The proposed rules, which will have significant implications for any traders or companies selling goods online in the 27-country bloc, set out details of the information which has to be given to consumers, including taxes and freight charges.

They will also introduce a 14-day, EU-wide “cooling off” period during which consumers can change their mind about purchases; set out terms for withdrawing from them; and clarify delivery rules, making traders bear the risk of damage until consumers take possession of the goods.

Even so, the new proposed regime is a sharply scaled-down version of Brussels’ original plans. These were unveiled over two years ago and originally sought to harmonise consumer rights on all purchases in the EU."

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

King Abdullah recovers in Morocco

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah Bin Abdulazi will convalesce in Morocco while he is recovering from back surgery.

The elderly monarch had spent two months in New York where he underwent two operations on his back to have slipped discs repaired and a blood clot removed from his spine.

The 87-year-old king is now set to spend time recovering in Casablanca before returning home to Riyadh.

The king was spotted smiling despite walking with a stick as he was welcomed to the country on Saturday (22.01.11) by Morocco's King Mohammed."

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Arrested for stealing three Legionnaires 16,000 euros in lottery office - ABC.es - News Agencies

Arrested for stealing three Legionnaires 16,000 euros in lottery office - ABC.es - News Agencies: "Three professional soldiers, members of the Legion, have been arrested for their alleged connection with the theft of nearly 16,000 euros in a lottery office in Ceuta, said today the National Police.

The robbery occurred in the early hours of last January 14 in the administration of lotteries Bayton Ensign Street.

That day a student police watched some individuals quickly left the establishment and mounted on a vehicle that awaited them.

Research found that the doors of the premises had been broken and the owner filed a complaint."

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

North Africa-focused oil and gas group Circle Oil has confirmed a gas discovery at the ADD-1 exploration well in the Sebou Permit, Rharb Basin, Morocco."

North Africa-focused oil and gas group Circle Oil has confirmed a gas discovery at the ADD-1 exploration well in the Sebou Permit, Rharb Basin, Morocco."

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

£5.5m lottery winner flees Spain penniless as bank seizes villa and bar

£5.5m lottery winner flees Spain penniless as bank seizes villa and bar | Mail Online: "When Lawrence Candlish won £5.5million on the National Lottery in 1997 it promised to make his dreams come true, including buying himself the double hip replacement he needed.


The generous factory worker immediately shared his fortune with his many relatives, splashing out £370,000 to buy seven houses in the same street in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear so that they could be close together. Since the hard-drinking Geordie's's win, which put him at 61 on the Sunday Times rich list, fortune has not been kind to him.

His best friend died, and in 2000 he and his family fled Tyneside after thugs torched his house and his sister's car.

Then, in 2009, his beloved father was found hanged in the home his son bought him.

Before Lawrence returned home from Spain, he told friends on Facebook: 'I won the lottery 13 years ago and blew the lot so I have plenty of stories to tell.'

He added, worryingy, 'Mite have 6 grams of coke so I can chew me ear off watching Emmerdale.'

Lawrence's story echoes that of former binman Michael Carroll who turned up to collect his £9.7million win wearing an electronic offender's tag.

Nine years on, the self-styled King of Chavs, is back to where he started - on the dole after squandering his fortune on drugs, gambling and thousands of prostitutes.

But last year he insisted he is just as happy getting £42 a week in jobseeker's allowance.

Carroll said: 'The party has ended and it's back to reality. I haven't got two pennies to rub together and that's the way I like it. I find it easier to live off £42 dole than a million."

'It's a bit strange going on the dole again because that's what I was doing before I won. 

Eventually he moved with his family to Benidorm on Spain's Costa Blanca to make a new life."


DISCLAIMER:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

'Obama Robber' being hunted in Austria - Telegraph

'Obama Robber' being hunted in Austria - Telegraph: "'Obama Robber' is wanted for six heists since 2008, according to authorities. The most recent took place on Thursday in the hamlet of Handenberg
Police believe he stole 10,000 euros (£8,000) in Handenberg, although his biggest haul so far was 40,000 euros in July 2009, according to reports.
It is thought he carried out his first robbery in November 2008, in Weilbach, but it was not until December 2009 that he donned the mask of Mr Obama, to rob a bank in Kirchheim.
Police official Markus Mitloehner said on Friday that the man is thought to be a local since he speaks the regional dialect – with nary a trace of Obama's more professorial accent.
The Obama Robber is reminiscent of the 1991 Point Break, starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze, and directed by Kathryn Bigelow.
Reeves' character Johnny Utah investigates a series of bank robberies by a gang known as the Ex-Presidents, who disguise themselves with masks of Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, Lyndon B Johnson and Jimmy Carter."

DISCLAIMER:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Steven Zaillian to Rewrite American Remake of Spanish Time-Traveling Thriller Timecrimes

Steven Zaillian to Rewrite American Remake of Spanish Time-Traveling Thriller Timecrimes: "Yet another successful foreign genre movie is getting an American remake. Deadline reports that screenwriter Steven Zaillian (American Gangster) is rewriting the remake of Timecrimes, the inventive 2007 thriller by Spanish writer-director Nacho Vigalondo. Zaillian has become the screenwriter de rigueur of American remakes of late, penning the script for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (though Zaillian relied more on the original Stieg Larsson novel for inspiration) with a deal to write the sequel as well. Zaillian also wrote the script for the mob drama The Irishman for director Martin Scorsese and starring Robert Deniro and Al Pacino.

Timecrimes has a complex story that begins simply with a man who sees a girl assaulted by a man whose face is covered in reddish bandages and evolves into a complicated thriller involving time travel as the means for the man to stop the heinous crime. The early drafts of the remake script were handled by Tim Sexton, but with Zaillian rewriting the script and set to produce, the project is now gestating with Dreamworks, who will likely distribute."

DISCLAIMER:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Michaela Harte McAreavey: Fifth hotel worker held over honeymoon bride murder - Northern Ireland, Local & National - Belfasttelegraph.co.uk

Michaela Harte McAreavey: Fifth hotel worker held over honeymoon bride murder - Northern Ireland, Local & National - Belfasttelegraph.co.uk: "Police investigating the murder of honeymooner Michaela Harte McAreavey on the idyllic island of Mauritius have arrested another security worker at the hotel where she was killed.

The fifth member of staff at Legends Hotel to be arrested is Seenarain Mungoo (39), with an address at Petit-Raffray, Mauritius.

He was last night being questioned by investigators in relation to the death of Michaela (27), who was found dead in the bathroom of their hotel room by her new husband John McAreavey (26).

Police are probing Mr Mungoo's involvement with the key card used to access her room."

DISCLAIMER:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Ryanair's boarding pass fee ruled 'abusive' - CNN.com

Ryanair's boarding pass fee ruled 'abusive' - CNN.com: "Ryanair, the Irish airline famous for its low fares and an extensive menu of fees, is vowing to fight a court ruling that calls one of its extra charges 'abusive.'
A judge in Barcelona, Spain, ruled that the carrier's 40 euro (about $54) boarding card reissue fee is illegal. Passengers must pay it if they arrive for their flight without a pre-printed boarding pass.
'I declare abusive and, therefore, null, the clause in the contract by which Ryanair obliges the passenger to take a boarding pass to the airport,' Judge Barbara Cordoba said, according to The Guardian.
'The customary practice over the years has been that the obligation to provide the boarding pass has always fallen on the airline.'"

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

total cancer incidence rate in Gibraltar

"Ask anyone if he or she thinks cancer is high in Gibraltar, and the answer is bound to be unanimous: Yes, it is high, too high.

Now, along comes a Study which says that Gibraltar is not a high risk community for cancer.

Many people will obviously find such an assertion difficult to believe.

And why? Because for a lifetime everyone has been hearing that cancer in Gibraltar is high; there have been reports about pollution in this area which have been classed as the highest in Europe; many families seem to have someone that has suffered or is suffering from this problem; lots of people have been sent to London for treatment...the story about cancer is endless.

The Study says that the total cancer incidence rate in Gibraltar for the whole population is at the EU average.

Now then, is that good or bad? We must not think that being at the EU average is good - do we know if it is good?

The cancer rate for men only is in the lower of the EU range with only four EU countries having a lower rate than Gibraltar. That's what the report says, and presumably we have to believe it."

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

body of Isabel Boyd, 45, a cousin of gangster Stewart ‘Speccy’ Boyd, who died in a car crash in Spain in 2003, was discovered by a jogger in the early hours of Monday morning

Cold caused victim to undress - Evening Times | News: "woman who was found dead and half-dressed in a country lane is thought to have died of hypothermia.

The body of Isabel Boyd, 45, a cousin of gangster Stewart ‘Speccy’ Boyd, who died in a car crash in Spain in 2003, was discovered by a jogger in the early hours of Monday morning on the outskirts of Barrhead.

As reported in last night’s Evening Times, the death was originally treated as unexplained but Strathclyde Police said last night that they would not be launching an inquiry after a post mortem founds signs of hypothermia.

It is known that victims of hypothermia can succumb to a state of “paradoxical undress”, where they take their clothes off in the belief that they are overheating."

DISCLAIMER:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Dewani ‘wants to clear his name’

Dewani ‘wants to clear his name’ - Crime & Courts - IOL | Breaking News | South Africa News | World News | Sport | Business | Entertainment | IOL.co.za: "Shrien Dewani, the English millionaire accused of ordering his wife Anni’s “honeymoon murder” in Cape Town last November, may return to South Africa voluntarily if he is granted bail “up to the date of his final appeal”.

In an interview to be broadcast on BBC Radio One’s Inside Out West at 7.30pm tonight (9.30pm South African time), friend of the family Hasmukh Velji Shah, who said he was speaking on behalf of the Dewanis, explained that Shrien, 31, might fly back to Cape Town “to clear his name” without the need for the much-hyped extradition hearing scheduled for the City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.

Shah, who has known Dewani since he was a student at Manchester University, told the BBC: “There are certain issues and questions and guarantees which must be answered and given, such as, if Shrien were to go to South Africa, would he be given bail?

“It is for Shrien’s legal team and the South African authorities to discuss this and agree (on a) programme."

Tunisia riots: Latest travel news as BA criticised for flying Britons into war zone | Mail Online

Tunisia riots: Latest travel news as BA criticised for flying Britons into war zone | Mail Online: "UK holidaymakers were flown into Tunisia by British Airways on Friday, when the violence was at its height and the Foreign Office was warning Britons to leave, it has emerged.

The passengers included two groups of four who found themselves the only guests in their hotels as bullets flew outside.

One woman stranded in Hammamet said: ‘Before we left we called British Airways and said, “We have just seen there has been rioting in Tunisia, is it safe?” and they said it was no problem and not to worry."

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Tunisia riots: What comes next could be even worse | Mail Online

Tunisia riots: What comes next could be even worse | Mail Online: "Until last week, Tunisia seemed an oasis of stability in the increasingly volatile row of states along North Africa’s Mediterranean coast. But it was a deceptive calm.

The speed at which the country’s autocratic regime fell, after a storm of popular protest against long-term dictator Zine Ben-Ali, has terrified thousands of Western tourists and sent them scrambling to escape the mobs.

It has also shocked other governments in the region. Regimes from Morocco and Algeria along the coast to Egypt, Jordan, Syria and the Gulf will look at events with a deepening sense of foreboding."

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Santander chief faces Spanish banking ban | Business | The Guardian

Santander chief faces Spanish banking ban | Business | The Guardian: "The banker who runs the parent company of high street bank Santander may soon be banned from the sector in his home country, as Spain's supreme court prepares to deliver judgment in a case involving false accusations against debtors.

Today's edition of the El Mundo newspaper reports that the judgment is ready and Banco Santander chief executive Alfredo Sáenz will be barred from banking. A suspended sentence already handed down to him by a lower court will be increased from six to eight months, the newspaper says.

The newspaper did not disclose its source and the court itself confirmed only that the sentence should be ready soon. Banco Santander president Emilio Botín, whose daughter Ana Patricia is chief executive of Santander in Britain, declined to comment. 'I have no comment on a sentence that I have not seen,' he said. The news sparked speculation about whether Sáenz would have to stand down."

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Unsuspecting customers flocked to buy tickets from Kofi Acheampong after rumours spread like 'wildfire' Man admits cut-price holidays scam

The Press Association: Man admits cut-price holidays scam: "Unsuspecting customers flocked to buy tickets from Kofi Acheampong after rumours spread like 'wildfire' that he was selling them for a third off the usual price.
Up to 100 email tickets were purchased and successfully used by holidaymakers to travel to destinations such as Spain and Egypt. Typically a two-week package in Sharm el-Sheikh costing £3,000 would be sold by Acheampong for £2,000.
Travellers were led to believe they were benefiting from discounts provided to travel company members of staff, the Old Bailey heard. But in fact the holidays were paid for using stolen credit card details, with £126,670-worth of tickets illegally purchased before the fraud was discovered.
When it was found out, a number of travellers who had bought tickets had to be intercepted by police at airports before they could board flights.
Acheampong, 28, of Harrow, north west London, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to defraud between February 2007 and November 2008. The judge, Recorder Mark Lucraft QC, said the father-of-two was a 'facilitator rather than organiser' in the scam and suspended his 12-month sentence."

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Former employee of Swiss bank documents to WikiLeaks delivery | La Voz de Houston | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Former employee of Swiss bank documents to WikiLeaks delivery | La Voz de Houston | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle: "former employee of a Swiss bank on Monday delivered to the founder of Wikileaks , Julian Assange , said documents detailing the attempts to evade taxes of prominent businessmen and legislators in various countries.
Rudolf Elmer, who worked for the Bank Julius Baer in Switzerland , said the documents include some 2,000 bank accounts, but declined to provide details about the companies and individuals involved.
Elmer, who had previously delivered WikiLeaks documents on financial activities in the Cayman Islands, will appear Wednesday before a tribunal in Zurich to respond to the charges of coercion and violation of strict bank secrecy laws in Switzerland."

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Is Tunisia the first domino to fall?

Is Tunisia the first domino to fall?: "'The reforms that are made on time do not weaken the ruling power, they strengthen it and reduce the potency of the revolutionary spirit'.
Former President Ben Ali would have probably benefited from this bit of wisdom from one of the fathers of the Italian union, Count Cavour. This nugget of political wisdom would have been much more helpful to the survival of Ben Ali's regime than any technical advice on security matters.
When the inertia is the only alternative to chaos and when contempt, lies, corruption, violence are they only answers to popular frustration, there is a greater risk of pushing people to despair. This despair leads to revolution when the walls of fear start falling.

Tunisia's fallen Regime has certainly encouraged the emergence of a middle class, however, it has not politically treated it as an adult.
Is Tunisia the first domino to fall? Will the Tunisian 'jasmine revolution ' spread through the Maghreb countries, and perhaps throughout the Middle East?
Yesterday, Algeria's 'civil war' during the 1990s had, by its barbarity, made a strong argument in favor of the status quo in Tunisia and in Morocco, along the line: 'And if political and social protests lead to an Algerian scenario? '"

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

US says citizens should consider leaving Tunisia

AFP: US says citizens should consider leaving Tunisia: "The State Department issued a new travel warning on Sunday saying it was withdrawing embassy families from Tunisia because of growing unrest and urging all US citizens to consider leaving.
The warning came after Tunisia's ousted president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled the country on Friday following weeks of massive protests that had turned violent, with dozens of people reportedly killed.
The State Department said it has 'authorized the departure of all family members' of embassy staff.
'US citizens in Tunisia should closely examine their security situation in light of this and other recent developments and consider departing Tunisia.'
It added that 'the civil unrest has recently spread to Tunis and all major cities, including popular tourist destinations.
'These spontaneous and unpredictable events have degenerated on several occasions into violent clashes between police and protesters, resulting in multiple deaths, injuries, and extensive property damage.'"

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Spain demands US clears earth from site of 1966 nuclear bomb mishap | World news | The Guardian

Spain demands US clears earth from site of 1966 nuclear bomb mishap | World news | The Guardian: "Spain is insisting that the United States removes tens of thousands of cubic metres of earth still contaminated by plutonium from unexploded US air force nuclear bombs that accidentally fell in the 1960s.

Spain sent a diplomatic note to the Obama administration shortly before Christmas saying that it was time the earth at Palomares, south-east Spain, containing up to half a tonne of plutonium, was removed 'without delay'', according to El País newspaper.

Some 50,000 cubic metres of contaminated soil remains at the site, despite efforts by the US to clear up the mess when four bombs fell near Palomares after a B-52 bomber collided with a refuelling aircraft in 1966.

US authorities initially buried equipment they had used to dig up the land after parts of two of the B28 bombs detonated, spreading plutonium across a wide area.

Spain has nowhere to store the contaminated soil, which will take thousands of years to lose its radioactivity."

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Gunfire reported in Tunisia cities - Africa - Al Jazeera English

Gunfire reported in Tunisia cities - Africa - Al Jazeera English: "Tunisian authorities are struggling to restore order and stop surging violence while politicians seek to cobble together a unity government, in the wake of the toppling of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's government.

A gun battle erupted on Sunday around the presidential palace in Carthage on the Mediterranean shore, while in the capital, Tunis, at least two major firefights erutped - one close to the central bank building, the other near the headquarters of the main opposition party, the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP).

In a statement, the PDP said that police and military stopped a car carrying of armed men, who it described as foreigners, after which shots were fired."

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

IMF Sends Special Unit to Evaluate Spain’s Solvency, Mundo Says - Bloomberg

IMF Sends Special Unit to Evaluate Spain’s Solvency, Mundo Says - Bloomberg: "The International Monetary Fund has sent a special unit to meet with the Bank of Spain, the Spanish Treasury and the nation’s largest banks to evaluate the country’s solvency, El Mundo reported, citing unidentified people familiar with the matter.

Once the evaluation is concluded, the IMF may offer Spain a flexible line of credit, an instrument offered to Mexico, Poland and Colombia in the past, the newspaper said.

Unlike a bailout, a flexible line of credit is a deposit that can be used by countries experiencing temporary financing problems, according to the newspaper."

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Weary Britons tell of Tunisia chaos

The Press Association: Weary Britons tell of Tunisia chaos: "Thousands of weary Britons are spending their first day home after returning from trouble-riven Tunisia.
The vast majority enjoying winter sun breaks in the north African country were flown home by their tour operators over the last two days.
On Saturday, Thomson and First Choice evacuated 1,437 holidaymakers on seven flights to airports around the country - and Thomas Cook flew 300 passengers to Manchester. The day before, Thomas Cook flew 1,500 passengers back.
It is thought there were approximately 1,000 expats living across Tunisia - famed for its beautiful climate and quality of life - before this week's political upheaval saw scores of nationals killed, buildings torched and businesses looted.
The Foreign Office said that between 150 and 200 independent travellers in the country had registered on its website to let the British authorities know where they were."

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Tunisia gripped by uncertainty - Africa - Al Jazeera English

Tunisia gripped by uncertainty - Africa - Al Jazeera English: "Armed militias have taken to the streets of Tunisia following the toppling of longtime ruler Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, sowing fear among the population as the country's new leadership attempts to bring order and form a coalition government.

Looting and deadly prison riots have erupted throughout the country after mass protests forced Ben Ali, who had been in power since 1987, to flee to Saudi Arabia.

'There is a real sense of fear right now on the streets,' said Al Jazeera's Nazanine Moshiri, reporting from Tunis, the capital.

Many residents, running out of bread, milk and petrol, have decided to arm themselves and barricade their homes, Moshiri said. Some are forming local groups to defend their own neighbourhoods.

Three different armed groups appear to be attempting to assert power, she said: Police, security forces from the interior ministry, and irregular militias allied with Ben Ali's former regime. Among Tunisia's population of roughly 10 million people, 250,000 are in the police force, she said.

'People are telling us right now they trust the army far more than they do the police,' Moshiri said."

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Bride Micheala Harte was murdered on her honeymoon for 'just a few rupees' | Mail Online

Bride Micheala Harte was murdered on her honeymoon for 'just a few rupees' | Mail Online: "Micheala Harte was murdered for less than a hundred pounds, according to information gathered by police officers investigating her death on the paradise island of Mauritius last week.

The thieves who targeted the newlywed’s room only planned to slip a few rupee notes out of her purse – hoping she and her husband John McAreavey would never even know they had been robbed.

The detective leading the probe into Michaela’s death told the Irish Mail on Sunday that confessions by the three suspects under arrest suggested they did not even plan to take any of her jewellery – or the sterling or euro notes that were also in her purse.

Having slipped a few notes from her purse, the thieves would have been gone from her room at the Legends Hotel had she arrived just a minute or two later.

Instead, Michaela came in to get biscuits to go with her tea – almost certainly her favourite Rich Tea, brought all the way from Ireland – and surprised the robbers.

A struggle ensued and she was strangled and dumped in a half-filled bath, where she was discovered by John after he came to find o"

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Lose Weight... By Drinking Beer?

Lose Weight... By Drinking Beer?: "It may seem unlikely – but doctors believe drinking up to one pint of beer each day could help you lose weight.

The experts from Spain said that by eating a Mediterranean diet, and drinking moderately, you can be healthier than those who don’t. This combination could also cut your risk of suffering high blood pressure.

Dr Ramon Estruch, lead researcher at Barcelona University, said: “Moderate beer consumption is associated with nutritional and health benefits. It does not necessarily mean weight gain since it has no fat and calorie content is low.”"

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Spain Air Traffic Control Takeover Ends - Fox News Latino

Spain Air Traffic Control Takeover Ends - Fox News Latino: "Spain's government is getting out of the air traffic control business.

This on Saturday, after Spain's government ended an emergency measure that had placed the country's air traffic control under military authority to prevent strike action over the busy Christmas holiday period, announcing steps to prepare for future strikes.

The 'state of alarm' measure which came into force Dec. 4, and was later extended to 43 days by parliament, was revoked by a decree signed on Saturday by Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero."

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Andre confirms dating Spanish model

Andre confirms dating Spanish model: "Singer Peter Andre has confirmed Spanish model Elen Rivas is his girlfriend and they are 'happy' together.

'I can confirm that Elen Rivas and I are seeing each other, and everything is going well. I always said that when I found a girlfriend I would tell you all,' contactmusic.com quoted him as saying.

'I'm not going to speak about the relationship in detail - But I will say we're happy. We went out for dinner last week and then went to see 'Flashdance: The Musical'. We totally loved it and had a great night.'

Rivas, 35, has said she has a 'permanent smile at the moment' since she met Andre, 37."

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Jet.com Adds Extra Edinburgh Airport To Malaga Flight | FHR Travel News | BOOKFHR.com

Jet.com Adds Extra Edinburgh Airport To Malaga Flight | FHR Travel News | BOOKFHR.com: "As a result of strong customer demand, Jet2.com has added an extra flight to its Edinburgh Airport to Malaga service.

Travellers will soon be able to board the service three times a week as a result of the additional flight.

'We are delighted with the take up of the Edinburgh-Malaga flights and the demand has exceeded our expectations so we are providing additional capacity to enable more customers to enjoy flying with Jet2.com,' Philip Meeson, boss of Jet2.com said.

The new Monday morning flight will leave Edinburgh Airport at 09:00 BST and land in the Costa Del Sol at 13:15 local time. The return flight leaves Spain at 13:50 local time and lands at the Scottish travel hub at 16:05 BST."

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Briton arrested for drug smuggling at Málaga Airport

Briton arrested for drug smuggling at Málaga Airport: "The Civil Guard have released details of the latest drug smuggling arrest at Málaga Airport, a 31 year old man who is named as D.J.R., who was caught trying to bring 4 kilos of cocaine into the country.

He is understood from El Mundo to have been born in Málaga, but holds a British passport.

He was pulled over for searching last Wednesday evening after landing on a flight from Bogotá via Madrid when the x-ray machine showed up suspicious items in his luggage.

The first package of cocaine was discovered in a false bottom built into his laptop computer. Further searching revealed another eight packages hidden in his luggage, with a total weight of 3,992.4 grams."

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Marbella municipal lawyer implicates Juan Antonio Roca in real estate dealss

Marbella municipal lawyer implicates Juan Antonio Roca in real estate dealss: "The lawyer for the Marbella municipal company, Planeamientos 2000, María Castañón, was giving evidence in the Malaya corruption case in Málaga Provincial Court on Monday.

She was the first witness to declare in the case, and directly incriminated Juan Antonio Roca in the negotiation of real estate deals in Marbella. She said he took part in the talks during the years the PGOU was being revised, as well as meeting with some of the promoters."

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Spain: Smoking Ban Faces a Rebellion as Bars Flout the Law - TIME

Spain: Smoking Ban Faces a Rebellion as Bars Flout the Law - TIME: "Fernando Tejedor never considered himself a rebel. For the past several years, he has quietly run the Bar Restaurante Spirit in Castellón, and never had the slightest interest in politics. But just days after Spain's new antismoking law went into effect on Jan. 1, Tejedor, 43, has been catapulted to the head of a burgeoning movement. Pasting signs in his restaurant window, he has declared war: Smoking permitted.

On New Year's Day, Spain finally relinquished its status as one of Europe's last refuges for the smoker. A 2006 law had banned smoking in the workplace and required the creation of no-smoking sections in larger restaurants and bars, but because of ample loopholes and lax enforcement, it was largely ineffective. In fact, in the first three years of the law's existence, smoking among Spaniards actually increased 6.7%."

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Doping suspect in Spain's Greyhound probe found hanged | Reuters

Doping suspect in Spain's Greyhound probe found hanged | Reuters: "Alberto Leon, a suspect in Spain's Operation Greyhound probe into doping in sport, was found hanged on Monday at the home of a family member outside Madrid, Spanish police said on Tuesday.

The 37-year-old former mountain bike competitor was also implicated in the 2006 Operation Puerto investigation into doping in cycling which is still on-going.

Police were treating the death, in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, as a suicide and confirmed media reports that Leon had been suffering from marital problems."

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Police arrest suspected top computer programmer for ETA - CNN.com

Police arrest suspected top computer programmer for ETA - CNN.com: "Police arrested a suspected top computer programmer for the Basque separatist group ETA in France Tuesday, the Spanish Interior Ministry said.
The arrest comes a day after the separatist group's latest cease-fire announcement. Despite the group's declaration of a permanent general and verifiable cease-fire, police will not stop pressuring ETA, the Interior Ministry said.
The programmer is accused of playing a key role in the group's logistics by designing the computer codes that operatives used to secretly communicate, the ministry said.
Police have been on the trail of the programmer for months, the ministry said. And authorities in Spain arrested the programmer's girlfriend, also suspected of aiding ETA, according to the ministry."

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Analysis: EU hands tied ahead of Battle of Spain | Reuters

Analysis: EU hands tied ahead of Battle of Spain | Reuters: "In the euro zone's simmering debt crisis, the Battle of Spain will likely be decisive in 2011.

But the European Union is preparing to fight it with one hand tied behind its back because Germany is blocking any financial lifeline for a country until it is actually drowning.

Astonishingly ,  China pledged last week to buy Spanish government bonds, is doing more to help Madrid than Berlin.

After Greece and Ireland received EU-IMF bailouts last year to cope with their swollen public debts and deficits, Portugal is everyone's next candidate for a rescue despite efforts to put its public finances in order."

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Matadors and fans outraged as Spanish state TV bans live bullfights | World news | The Guardian

Matadors and fans outraged as Spanish state TV bans live bullfights | World news | The Guardian: "Spain's state broadcaster, TVE, has banned live bullfighting from its schedule, angering matadors and bullfighting fans who are already smarting over a ban in the eastern region of Catalonia.

The broadcaster has decided bullfighting contravenes its code of conduct for programmes before Spain's 10pm watershed hour, when children are no longer expected to be in front of the television.

Most bullfights start at 6pm or 7pm, and the TVE director general, Alberto Oliart, said that meant they fall into children's viewing hours – when violence to animals cannot be shown."

DISCLAIMER:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Bullfighting is violent? Who knew? | Off the Bench

is-violent-who-knew/">Bullfighting is violent? Who knew? | Off the Bench: "The country of Spain has decided to join the rest of the world (well, most of it) in the 21st century, as its National broadcaster has banned the controversial “sport” of bullfighting from the majestic country’s airwaves, specifically in an attempt to safeguard the children against viewing violence (Maude Flanders would be so pleased). While the halt comes a little too late for Julio Aparicio, it’s good news for the rest of us made more-than-a-little uneasy by the public and systematic ritual of animal sacrifice that the defenders of Spain’s traditions so glowingly adore"

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Marbella is one of the region’s most indebted towns.

Marbella is one of the region’s most indebted towns. The present local authority inherited a municipal debt that ran into the hundreds of millions of euros. Due to alleged corruption of previous administrations, Marbella did not reap all the potential financial benefits of the property boom. Yet the town’s Mayor, Ángeles Muñoz, announced in September last year that tax rises were not inevitable. In fact, the town hall confirmed it will freeze resident taxes this year and increase by thirty per cent investment in social welfare policies.
Ángeles Muñoz believes “that Marbella has changed a situation of absolutely abnormality in recent years to a situation that is the benchmark of normality and an example of good management.”
Óscar Fernández, Councillor and Secretary of the Municipal Socialist Group in the town hall recognises that the debt is one of the biggest issues facing Marbella. “Just like a business, to achieve debt reduction we need to reduce costs and increase revenue.” At a time of economic slowdown this is clearly a challenge, but Óscar believes it can be achieved through increasing the effectiveness of tax collection, so everyone pays their share of the community’s expenditure, and by reducing costs by “systematically analysing all the costs of the town hall and eliminating, simplifying and reducing all that is possible.”:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Cheeky Girl cautioned for shoplifting supermarket groceries | News | NME.COM

Cheeky Girl cautioned for shoplifting supermarket groceries | News | NME.COM: "The Cheeky Girls' Gabriela Irimia has received a police caution for shoplifting supermarket groceries.

The singer was detained by security staff at a Sainsbury's store in Wilmslow, Cheshire yesterday (January 7) before attending a local police station, reports the Manchester Evening News.

It is believed the Cheeky Girl was caught with a large bottle of water, a salad and skin moisturiser.

According to the newspaper, Irimia claims she felt unwell while queuing with the groceries and stepped outside, where she was stopped by a security guard.

Although she was not arrested, she attended a local police station, where she was interviewed and received a caution for theft."

DISCLAIMER:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Argentine pilots arrested in Spain for smuggling cocaine - Telegraph

Argentine pilots arrested in Spain for smuggling cocaine - Telegraph: "two men, both pilots, were named as Gustavo Julia, a main shareholder in the company Medical Jet, and Gaston Miret, his co-pilot.
Julia is the son of retired Brigadier Jose Julia who was head of Argentina's air force from 1989 to 1993, when Carlos Menem was president.
Jose Julia, who died four years ago, was questioned by the anti-mafia commission of Argentina's lower house of parliament in 1998 'for his suspected link with one of the biggest criminals in Argentina, Alfredo Yabran,' according to a report in Spanish newspaper El Pais.
Spanish police arrested the men after the aircraft landed at Barcelona's El Prat airport."

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Racy Catholic Calendar Angers Spain Church Leaders : NPR

Racy Catholic Calendar Angers Spain Church Leaders : NPR: "Seeking to raise money for their Roman Catholic youth group on the Spanish tourist destination island of Mallorca, members came up with a risque idea: Pose nearly nude for a calendar recreating scenes from the Passion of Christ.

The group has almost sold out of the 10-euro ($13) calendars for 2011 and is considering another print run because of high demand. But Mallorca's Bishop Jesus Murgui is blasting the effort as showing disrespect for the most important Catholic holiday.

'The calendar trivializes Easter,' the Bishop's office said"

Winners step forward in Spain's 'El Nino' lottery during time of recession - Winnipeg Free Press

Winners step forward in Spain's 'El Nino' lottery during time of recession - Winnipeg Free Press: "Spain's second most important lottery is dishing out €840 million ($1.1 billion) in new year joy across a country struggling to emerge from recession.
The top prize of €120 million ($158 million) in the draw known as the as 'El Nino' (The Child) was distributed Thursday among people holding tickets with the number 70013. The rest of the money goes to winners of smaller prizes in the lottery.
It is held each Jan. 6, the Feast of the Epiphany, a national holiday in Spain. The lottery's name is a reference to the baby Jesus."

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

reports in the press the bodies of two people have been discovered in a house in Ronda.

 reports in the press the bodies of two people have been discovered in a house in Ronda.

It is understood from the reports that it is thought an a faulty wood stove in the home could be responsible for the deaths.

It is reported that emergency services were called to the home located in Calle Chica in the town at 22.55 yesterday.

According to the reports the emergency services has to ventilate the property"

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Spain's most indebted town: 1,700 euros per inhabitant

Spain's most indebted town: 1,700 euros per inhabitant: "Authorities in the Spanish town of Teruel wanted to re-pave the streets, lure tourists and develop new technologies. Instead, they dug one of the country's deepest debt holes.

Lying 300 kilometres (190 miles) east of Madrid, Teruel's debt is equal to 1,700 euros (2,200 dollars) for each inhabitant.

'In Teruel, like other Spanish towns, we have lived well beyond our real means for the past 20 years,' confessed mayor Manuel Blasco of the conservative Popular Party. He replaced Miguel Ferror, a representative of a coalition between the Aragonese Party and Socialist Party, who unexpectedly resigned in November."

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Spanish smokers rebel against new year ban

Spanish smokers rebel against new year ban: "Spain's new year anti-smoking law has been encountering resistance, with hundreds of complaints by the public that it is being flouted.

The owner of a bowling alley in the western town of Montehermoso had 16 stitches in his forehead after a fight broke out on Sunday evening.

Three customers were also hurt in the fracas, which began when the owner asked a customer to stub out.

Elsewhere, police detained a man for lighting up on hospital premises."

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Spain's service sector shrinks, consumers lose heart | Reuters

Spain's service sector shrinks, consumers lose heart | Reuters: "Spain's key services sector --
more than 60 percent of the economy -- shrank at its fastest
pace in a year in December when consumer sentiment slid anew,
overshadowing an above-expectation rise in industrial output.
Since Spain's property bubble burst in 2008 unemployment has
soared and increasingly gloomy consumers have abandoned the high
streets and restaurants, hitting the key services sector and
reinforcing worries over the economy's ability to recovery.
'The headline PMI is consistent with stagnant growth. Our
view remains that Spain will fall back into recession this year
and, even if it doesn't, growth will be worse than government
forecasts,' Capital Economics economist Ben May said.
The euro zone debt crisis, which gained pace in November
after Ireland was forced to seek an EU/IMF backed bailout, has
stunted a recovery in the blocs' peripheral countries and
highlighted their disparity with the core economies.


DISCLAIMER:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Pope Benedict Blesses Anti-Gay Marriage Mass In Spain | On Top Magazine :: Gay & Lesbian News, Entertainment, Commentary & Travel

Pope Benedict Blesses Anti-Gay Marriage Mass In Spain | On Top Magazine :: Gay & Lesbian News, Entertainment, Commentary & Travel: "Pope Benedict XVI blessed an anti-gay marriage mass held Sunday in Madrid, Spain, Clarin.com reported.
Ten of thousands of people lined the city's downtown Plaza de Colon square to celebrate the mass conducted by Cardinal Atonio Ruoco Varela, the archbishop of Madrid.
Ruoco Varela attacked the reforms of the socialist government, which include gay marriage, fast-track divorce and easier access to abortions.
He talked about the truth of marriage, a veiled reference to the country's 5 year old gay marriage law.
“Anytime you deny the truth of marriage and family, in theory or practice, the negative consequences will come forward rapidly,” he said."

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Chinese vice premier visits Spain - Bloomberg

Chinese vice premier visits Spain - Bloomberg: "Spain says it hopes to sign several important business accords during a three-day visit by China's vice premier.

Li Keqiang is to arrive Tuesday and meet with Finance Minister Elena Salgado and Industry Minister Miguel Sebastian later in the day.

Full details of Li's schedule have not been made available, but he is due to meet King Juan Carlos and Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero on Wednesday and also have breakfast with Spanish and Chinese business representatives.

The Foreign Ministry says agreements regarding banking, energy, transport and telecommunications will be signed during the visit."

DISCLAIMER:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Man dies in Malaga home blaze | Costa del Sol | News | The Largest English Language Newspapers in Spain

Euro Weekly News | Man dies in Malaga home blaze | Costa del Sol | News | The Largest English Language Newspapers in Spain: "51-YEAR-OLD man was found dead after a fire broke out in his home in La Luz district of Malaga. Neighbours called the firemen when they saw smoke coming from the house. The door was broken down and the fire, which apparently started in the lounge, was extinguished within minutes.

The victim was found in the corridor and it appears he was attempting to escape but was overcome by the smoke. The rest of the building was not evacuated."

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Marbella Times UK view es una scandalo

:Text ma

Skip Links

• Skip to navigation
• Skip to primary content
• Skip to secondary content
• Skip to tertiary content
• Skip to footer

IOS CHRISTMAS APPEAL: INGENUITY AND A FEW RESOURCES CAN CHANGE A CHILD'S FUTURE

WORLD

2°LondonHi 5°C / Lo 2°C

Query:Popular Topics

Headlines NEW FROM ITreat yourself! i launches its iPad app|

Navigation

• News
  • UK
    • Home News
    • UK Politics
    • Crime
    • This Britain
  • World
    • Europe
    • Americas
    • Middle East
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Australasia
    • World Politics
  • Business
    • News
    • Comment
    • Analysis & Features
    • Sharewatch
    • SME
    • Market News
    • Market Epic
    • Market Heatmaps
    • Market Screener
    • Business directory
    • Headhunter Network
    • Business Energy
    • Business Wall
  • People
    • News
    • Profiles
    • Diary
    • People Wall
  • Science
  • Media
    • Opinion
    • TV & Radio
    • Press
    • Online
    • Advertising
  • Education
    • News
    • Schools
    • School Tables
    • Further
    • Higher
    • Training & Courses
  • Obituaries
  • Video
  • Appeals
    • Indy Appeal
    • IoS appeal
  • Corrections
  • News Wall
  • myIndependent
• Opinion
• Environment
• Sport
• Life & Style
• Arts & Ents
• Travel
• Money
• IndyBest
• Blogs
• Student
• Shopping
• from The Independent & The Independent on Sunday

Home > News > World > Europe

Marbella: sun, yachts, and the stench of corruption

A soap opera trial involving a stellar cast of defendants and claims of bribery worth £577m has gripped Spain

By Dale Fuchs

Tuesday, 4 January 2011

• SHARE
• PRINT
• EMAIL
• TEXT SIZE
  • NORMAL
  • LARGE
  • EXTRA LARGE

EPA

Flamenco singer Isabel Pantoja faces accusations of money laundering

•  MORE PICTURES

SPONSORED LINKS

Ads by Google

Tax on Property in Spain
Understand The Tax Implications ofOwning a Property in Spain
www.BlevinsFranks.com

Top Jobs in Spain
Only Jobs From 60.000 €.Access over 7,000 Headhunters!
www.Experteer.com

Shares, Indices, FX
spread bet on all the markets youyou love from one account.
www.GFTuk.com

Legal& Tax Pack. t.m.
solicitor abogado lawyer tax advicelegal tax pack
www.interteam.net

In the glitzy Spanish resort of Marbella, people are concerned with many things: the state of the golf greens or which spa performs the best liposuction. But for nearly two decades, nobody seemed to worry about what was going on inside the town hall.

Certainly the builders were not complaining as they clogged the former fishing village with multimillion-euro concrete villas. Northern European sun-seekers were not interested either as they put down deposits for thousands of illegally built holiday retreats. And resident celebrities and royals, such as the late Saudi King Fahd, were probably too busy docking their yachts at Puerto Banús.

That may help explain why Spain is now witnessing the largest corruption trial in its history. More than 90 people, including two former mayors, 15 town councillors and a legion of builders, have been accused of giving and taking a total of €670m (£577m) in bribes, kickbacks in exchange for construction permits that transformed the once-charming strip of coast into a clone of Miami Beach. The scope of the alleged graft was so great that the entire town council had to be dissolved in 2006, when the police swoop began. Testimony in the trial began in December and evidence by the alleged mastermind started at Christmas. Its most recent development: Marbella Town hall was forced to sell its €5m planning office to help pay its debts.

"Everyone knew what was going on in Marbella, but everyone was benefiting from it too," said Andrés Walliser, a sociologist specialising in urban studies at the Cirem research institute in Madrid. "There is corruption elsewhere along the coast, but in Marbella, there was really big money. It is a hot spot for foreign capital and organised crime with the specific urban fabric: a sprawl of second residences that blurs the local population."

The trial resembles a soap opera with a surreal cast of defendants, including a German aristocrat, a former football team captain and the popular Flamenco singer, Isabel Pantoja, the widow of the dashing bullfighter Paquirri. She is accused of money laundering.

A spin-off case, dubbed Operation Goldfinger, involved the former estate of the James Bond star Sean Connery, now cluttered with 72 luxury homes. Sir Sean was summoned to give evidence last year but told the court he was too ill to travel. He was named as a witness and there is no suggestion he committed any crime.

Looming in the background of the case: the late Mayor Jesús Gil y Gil, a thrice-jailed developer and former president of Madrid's Atlético football team, who governed the town for 15 years from his Jacuzzi, gold chains glittering above his flabby belly.

The alleged mastermind of the money-for-votes system, the former urban-planning advisor Juan Antonio Roca, offered his much-awaited version of the saga last week.

Cool and composed, the stout man with greying sideburns known at the town hall as "the Boss" or "JR", after the character on the television show Dallas, denied accusations that he amassed his €2.4bn fortune in kickbacks and shady property deals. He carried out his case projecting documents from his laptop to a courthouse screen.

On Thursday, he denied police and media depictions of his ostentatious wealth, which allegedly included vintage cars, 275 paintings, a bull ranch, 100 purebred Andalusian horses and a mansion decorated with stuffed lions, giraffes and other wild game. Mr Roca reportedly sold much of his estate to pay legal fees and debts. "They've portrayed me as an eccentric guy without scruples who kills animals, cuts their heads off and hangs them out to dry," Mr Roca said. He even addressed the butt of many jokes in Spain: a supposed painting by Miró that police found hanging above his steamy spa bath. It was only a copy, he told the court.

The trial is the most visible sign of the crackdown against corruption in the country's freewheeling coastal towns; common wisdom is that political corruption in the Costa del Sol is as inevitable as sunburn or a pesky insect that the justice system swats half-heartedly but mostly ignores.

One of the defendants is the former Marbella police chief and another is a judge found guilty in 2008 of taking bribes from Mr Roca. Since the Marbella arrests in 2006, police have launched smaller-scale corruption investigations in the resort towns of Mallorca and Valencia and in the Canary Islands.

Local environmentalists, among the lone voices against Marbella's unchecked building spree, hope the trial deters future graft, but they do not expect much to change. Nearly all of the 18,500 homes built with illegal permits have been "normalised" in exchange fees or donated land from their developers, said Javier de Luis, president of the Marbella branch of the national environmental group, Ecologists in Action. He does not expect to see most of the prominent defendants behind bars. "They've hired the best law firms in Spain – they'll eat the prosecution with potatoes," he said. "The damage that they caused with this development barbarity wouldn't be cured with a trial." The case continuesy be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.