First autopsy conclusions say Gary Moore died from natural causes

First autopsy conclusions say Gary Moore died from natural causes: "Belfast guitarist Gary Moore, who was found dead in his Estepona Hotel room in on Sunday, died from natural causes, possibly a heart attack which could have occurred because of a previous heart condition, according to the first conclusions from the autopsy carried out in Málaga on Sunday evening."

Marbella restaurant facing 145,000 € fine and closure for defying the no smoking law

Marbella restaurant facing 145,000 € fine and closure for defying the no smoking law: "The owner of the restaurant in San Pedro de Alcántara, Marbella, who has conspicuously been ignoring the ban on smoking in closed public areas from January 2, is being served a 145,000 € fine.

The fine comes from the Delegación de Salud and El Mundo newspaper reports that José Eugenio Arias of the Asador de Guadalmina restaurant will be informed about it in a few hours time. He will then have 15 days to present any arguments he may have in his defence.

The fine also considers the possibility of the closure of the restaurant given its failing to meet specific requirements placed by the health authority.

The owner erected signs saying that the new no-smoking law would not be enforced in his establishment.

José Eugenio Arias has however indicated to Europa Press that he will not pay the fine. He said he is currently waiting for an answer to the arguments he presented last month against the proceedings started against him by the regional government’s health department in Málaga."

Thin Lizzy Star Gary Moore Dies

Thin Lizzy Star Gary Moore Dies | Gigwise: "Gary Moore, the rock guitarist who performed with Thin Lizzy, has died at the age of 58.

Moore died on holiday in the Costa Del Sol, Spain in the early hours of Sunday morning (February 6).

A statement on his website said: 'It is with deep sorrow and regret, that we have to announce that Gary Moore passed away while on holiday in Spain last night.

'Our thoughts are with his children, family and friends at this sad time.'"

Morocco: an attack against a site to circumvent Egyptian censorship

Ennahar Online - Morocco: an attack against a site to circumvent Egyptian censorship: "a Maghreb site located in Morocco, offered to Egyptian users a program to circumvent censorship on the net, was the victim of a 'sophisticated' cyber attack that made it inaccessible,' said its manager to the AFP Friday.

'That night at 4 o'clock in the morning someone entered the site' and made it inoperative by 'overwhelming what allows it to access the worldwide web,' said Dr. Francesco Landogna, CEO of the site Wall5.com.
Wall5 proposed in recent days to Egyptian Internet application to bypass the cut internet set up by the authorities."

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Anti-government protests in Morocco planned on Facebook

Anti-government protests in Morocco planned on Facebook - The Economic Times: "Moroccan authorities have okayed an anti-government protest being planned on the popular social networking site Facebook, a media report said.

The media report said several Moroccan youth movements have announced on Facebook that they are planning to organise an Egypt-style anti-government protest Feb 20, a move apparently welcomed by the government.

'We intend to reassure those who are organising protests on the internet that this is an entirely normal thing and is part of the democratic life of Morocco ,' local newspaper Hespress quoted Telecommunications Minister Khaled al-Nasiri as saying.

The protest will counter a rally planned this Sunday by government supporters, which is also being organised on Facebook."

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Father-of-four dies on stag weekend in Spain

Father-of-four dies on stag weekend in Spain - Wales News - News - WalesOnline: "The family said the football fanatics flew to Barcelona for a stag weekend and to watch the city’s superstars in a match tonight.

Mr Brennan’s father, also David, 69, said: “It is just unbelievable to realise that one of the boys is dead after going to Spain for a fun weekend.

“They ran a local football team together and were really good friends and drinking buddies.

“David is a big Chelsea fan while Steve supported Liverpool. They always had a lot of banter about soccer.

“The lads flew out and were looking forward to a great weekend at the stag do of their friend, who is from Glasgow.

“We don’t know exactly what happened – we are only getting little bits of information. But we’ve heard something went on outside the hotel and in a room. But my understanding is that David will be released in a couple of days.”

Mr Brennan, a father of three, lives with wife Alison in a smart semi-detached house just a few hundred yards from Mr Storey’s home, which he shared with partner, Clare Brennan, 42, who is Mr Brennan’s sister."

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.
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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."

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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."

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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."

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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."

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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."

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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."

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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."

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£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."


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'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."

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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."

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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."

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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.'"

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