Two Spanish nationals have been sentenced to a total of 90 years after been found guilty of carrying out burglaries across the Axarquia area of Malaga

costadelsol.st - News - Costa del Sol: "two Spanish nationals have been sentenced to a total of 90 years after been found guilty of carrying out burglaries across the Axarquia area of Malaga Province

It is understood that the Provincial Court sentenced ibe of them . to almost 50 years and another to just over 40 years

The two carried out a 12 robberies between February and June 2009."

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Person who was found guilty of fraud and falsifying documents has been sent to prison for one year and also fined

costadelsol.st - News - Costa del Sol: "According to reports in the press a man who was found guilty of fraud and falsifying documents has been sent to prison for one year and also fined

It is understood from the reports that the man changed the name to his and the amount on a cheque issued by an insurance company for payment of a broken rear view mirror of a car in 2005

It is reported that the man changed the amount from 201.91 to 28000.91

The man was also fined 2,160 euros for the two crimes and pay the the insurance group in the amount of 28,000 euros."

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young British man has been identified as the person who allegedly set fire to a bar in Benalmadena on August 13th.

costadelsol.st - News - Costa del Sol: "According to reports in the press a young British man has been identified as the person who allegedly set fire to a bar in Benalmadena on August 13th.

It is understood however that the person remains at large as he returned to the UK the day after the fire

It is reported that the National Police believe the fire was started in connection with drug trafficking .

According to reports a international search for the alleged arsonist has been started"

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woman has died after falling from the sixth floor of an apartment bock in Malaga

costadelsol.st - News - Costa del Sol: "According to reports in the press a woman has died after falling from the sixth floor of an apartment bock in Malaga

It is understood that the 56 year old woman fell at around 17.35 today

It is reported that despite efforts by the emergency services the woman was declared dead at the scene."

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Spain minimum wage to rise, says Zapatero

 Spain minimum wage to rise, says Zapatero: "Spain's minimum wage will rise by 1.3% in 2011, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has announced.

The increase will take monthly minimum pay to 641.50 euros (£551; $851).

Mr Zapatero said state pensions would go up by at least the same percentage - and more in the case of those receiving the smallest pensions.

He told a news conference the government was making 'a special effort at solidarity' despite Spain's economic crisis.

The proposed rise in the minimum wage is well below inflation, which is currently 2.3% a year in Spain"

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Pensioner waits 'two hours' for an ambulance after falling in Sevilla Health Centre

Pensioner waits 'two hours' for an ambulance after falling in Sevilla Health Centre: "pensioner had to wait ‘two hours’ for an ambulance after falling over in his local health centre and breaking his hip. The Junta de Andalucía disputes the waiting time claimed by the family, saying that was 50 minutes. A statement from the Health Department lamented what had happened and described it as ‘a punctual and isolated event’."

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76 Civil War communal graves found in Malaga province | Costa del Sol |

Euro Weekly News | 76 Civil War communal graves found in Malaga province | Costa del Sol |  "communal grave at the San Rafael cemetery in Malaga is considered to be the largest in Spain, with 4,461 bodies believed to have been dumped there during and after the Civil War. After seven years of work, the Junta de Andalucia has presented a map which shows the existence of 76 communal graves in more than 50 towns throughout the province.

The grim prediction is that there are 7,471 victims of the Civil War buried in them.

Alora, Casares, Jimera de Libar, Valle de Abdalajis and Villanueva del Rosario have three graves each, and there are two in Almogia, Alfarnatejo, Estepona, Fuengirola, Marbella and Torremolinos.

The work carried out by the Association for Historical Memory in Malaga has identified 2,800 of the 4,461 victims who were executed between 1937 and 1954 and whose remains are at the San Rafael Cemetery.

Throughout Andalucia, 614 graves sites have been found in 359 towns, and the estimated number of victims is 47,399, of which half have been identified."

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Spain Goes on Mosque-Building Spree: Churches Forced to Close :: Hudson New York

Spain Goes on Mosque-Building Spree: Churches Forced to Close :: Hudson New York: "The city of Barcelona, widely known as a European Mecca of anti-clerical postmodernism, has agreed to build an official mega-mosque with a capacity for thousands of Muslim worshipers. The new structure would rival the massive Islamic Cultural Center in Madrid, currently the biggest mosque in Spain. An official in the office of the Mayor of Barcelona says the objective is to increase the visibility of Muslims in Spain, as well as to promote the 'common values between Islam and Europe.'

The Barcelona mosque project is just one of dozens of new mosques that are in various stages of construction across Spain. Overall, there are now thirteen mega-mosques in Spain, and more than 1000 smaller mosques and prayer centers scattered across the country, the majority of which are located in Catalonia in northeastern Spain.

The Muslim building spree reflects the rising influence of Islam in Spain, where the Muslim population has jumped to an estimated 1.5 million in 2010, up from just 100,000 in 1990, thanks to massive immigration. The construction of new mosques comes at a time when municipalities linked to the Socialist Party have closed dozens of Christian churches across Spain by way of new zoning laws that several courts have now ruled discriminatory and unconstitutional. It also comes at a time of growing anti-Semitism in Spain."

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Airport confiscate 10lb turkey | The Sun |News

Airport confiscate 10lb turkey | The Sun |News: "AIRPORT security staff confiscated a 10lb turkey when a passenger tried to smuggle it out of Britain in hand luggage.
The man claimed he couldn't get a good turkey for Christmas in Spain and asked: 'Why are you making a fuss - will it thaw at 30,000ft?'

He was told it was illegal to take perishable foodstuffs abroad without permission.

It was among a bizarre spate of smuggling stunts at Cardiff Airport."

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Spain prepares for anti-smoking laws

Spain prepares for anti-smoking laws: "Spaniards will wake up on Sunday to find that what many consider an inalienable right - puffing on a cigarette with a drink at their local bar - has overnight become illegal.

On January 2, one of the laxest anti-smoking laws in Europe will have become one of the strictest, along with that of Ireland.

Spanish smokers will no longer be able to light up in bars, restaurants and cafes as new legislation takes effect that bans smoking in all enclosed public spaces.

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It will also be illegal to smoke in children's playgrounds and on school or hospital grounds, according to the law, which received final approval from parliament on December 21."

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ACS close to reaching a 30 percent stake in Hochtief < German news | Expatica Germany

ACS close to reaching a 30 percent stake in Hochtief < German news | Expatica Germany: "Spain's leading construction company ACS said Monday it now had a 29.27 percent stake in Hochtief as part of its bid to take control of the German group.
The offer for Hochtief, which will remain open until midnight Wednesday, would -- if successful -- make ACS the largest public works company in Europe and the third largest worldwide.
The ACS initiative, which initially failed to attract much support from Hochtief shareholders, got a boost in mid-December when Southeast Asset Management of the United States, which has a 4.84 percent stake in Hochtief, agreed to sell two million shares to ACS.
ACS earlier this month raised its offer by 12.5 percent, proposing 1.8 of its shares for one Hochtief share rather than 1.6.
But management at the German group continues to maintain that the bid undervalues the company.
ACS, already the leading shareholder in Hochtief, has said its initial target is to secure a 30 percent stake in its German rival on its way to full control."

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Spanish Household Power Prices to Jump - WSJ.com

Spanish Household Power Prices to Jump - WSJ.com: "Spanish government's move to raise household electricity prices by 9.8% from Jan. 1 could stoke inflationary pressures as the higher prices pass through households and into the larger economy.

The increase will affect around 17 million Spanish households that rely on the so-called 'price of last resort,' the only one still set by the government after the sector was liberalized in recent years, Spain's industry ministry said late Monday. This price is available only to households using less than 10 kilowatt hours that decline to negotiate directly with power companies.

The increase adds to inflationary pressures facing consumers. Spain's consumer-price index rose 2.3% in November from a year earlier, a pace that is among fastest in the euro zone and above the European Central Bank's 2% ceiling for the region."

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James Lindsay, 51, and Englishmen David Tricks, 64, and John Hughes, 40, were lifted in the Catral area of the Costa Blanca.

Marbella Times: "James Lindsay, 51, and Englishmen David Tricks, 64, and John Hughes, 40, were lifted in the Catral area of the Costa Blanca.
The three suspects are alleged to have used guns to hold up a rival British gang who had smuggled 1.2 tons of cannabis on to the Spanish coast.
Half of the drugs haul was still missing yesterday.
Police said a group of Brits had been buying huge amounts of cannabis from north African traffickers.
A shipment arrived by boat on a beach at Denia, near Alicante, on the Costa Blanca, on December 13. But the gang were allegedly surprised by five Brits armed with pistols and a rifle, who stole the cannabis.
In a statement released by officials at the Court of Instruction in Denia, a spokesman said: 'After a long investigation, officers from the National Police discovered that the robbers planned to sell the drug to some Britons living in the Catral area.'
The statement added: 'The officers intercepted a vehicle with a British man inside, who was carrying in the boot five large bags which had been used to carry drugs.'"

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Dermot McArdle Wife-killer finally face prison in Spain as European arrest warrant issued

Dermot McArdle Wife-killer finally face prison in Spain as European arrest warrant issued: "WIFE-killer Dermot McArdle may be arrested and brought back to Spain after a judge threw out his latest bid to escape jail.

A court in Malaga has issued a European arrest warrant instructing gardai to detain the father-of-three at his home in Heynestown, Dundalk.

Spanish officials said the arrest was being delayed by Irish bureaucrats, who have insisted the Department of Justice becomes involved in the execution of the warrant."

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Julian Assange: The Twenty First Century ‘Mick Jagger’ of Data: El Mundo, Spain | The Moderate Voice

Julian Assange: The Twenty First Century ‘Mick Jagger’ of Data: El Mundo, Spain | The Moderate Voice: "Besides starring in a tale not to be topped in the world and having exposed more than a few of the mysteries of power – which will not soon be forgotten, Julian Assange has acquired something even more potent: the power to polarize, shake things up, and leave no one indifferent to his visage, just as skanky and provocative as the Rolling Stones’ famous tongue. His groupies demand a tell-all.

As much as we whine about the constant media diet of WikiLeaks, Assange is clearly the ultimate Mick Jagger of the digital age. He’s done it all: blown the whistle on the truth of Yankee diplomacy; outlined a map of the web woven by the world’s economic and political powers; revealed widespread journalistic apathy; and sounded the death knell for today’s information business, thereby scaring the hell out of the old ladies of the news world."

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Portugal's drug policy pays off; US eyes lessons - FoxNews.com

Portugal's drug policy pays off; US eyes lessons - FoxNews.com: " These days, Casal Ventoso is an ordinary blue-collar community — mothers push baby strollers, men smoke outside cafes, buses chug up and down the cobbled main street.

Ten years ago, the Lisbon neighborhood was a hellhole, a 'drug supermarket' where some 5,000 users lined up every day to buy heroin and sneak into a hillside honeycomb of derelict housing to shoot up. In dark, stinking corners, addicts — some with maggots squirming under track marks — staggered between the occasional corpse, scavenging used, bloody needles.

At that time, Portugal, like the junkies of Casal Ventoso, had hit rock bottom: An estimated 100,000 people — an astonishing 1 percent of its population — were addicted to illegal drugs. So, like anyone with little to lose, the Portuguese took a risky leap: They decriminalized the use of all drugs in a groundbreaking law in 2000."

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Overseas benefit cheats face new crackdown - Telegraph

Overseas benefit cheats face new crackdown - Telegraph: "Officials at the Department for Work and Pensions will work with their counterparts in countries where the most fraud is carried out by British benefit claimants.
Top scams are said by the department to include claimants not informing the authorities that they have moved abroad, and those on benefits working overseas while being funded by the taxpayer.
In some cases, relatives failed to inform the state when a claimant died overseas in order to continue collecting their money.
Cheats claimed benefits without declaring that they owned substantial assets, including property and even yachts.
Others exaggerated illness or disability and claimed sick pay while enjoying an energetic lifestyle in the sun."

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WikiLeaks: British Outreach to Muslim Community Fails | FrontPage Magazine

WikiLeaks: British Outreach to Muslim Community Fails | FrontPage Magazine: "According to one of the cables released by WikiLeaks, the U.S. believes that the British have made “little progress” in winning over its Muslim community. The author is right to be alarmed but shouldn’t be surprised. The U.K., like the U.S., has been courting extremists in moderate clothing as part of its outreach and has failed to stop Islamist trends in the country as a result.
The August 2006 document says that although the British government invested “considerable time and resources” into reaching out to the Muslim community after the terrorist attacks in London on July 7, 2005, a productive relationship has not been established. As an example, the cable mentioned “The Muslim community’s reaction to the arrests of 24 of its own sons—a kneejerk reaction blaming [the government]—shows that its leaders too have far to go.” It complained about how Muslim leaders attributed homegrown extremism to British foreign policy, using the problem to vindicate their political views."

WikiLeaks' Julian Assange Now Making $86k/year - World Watch - CBS News

WikiLeaks' Julian Assange Now Making $86k/year - World Watch - CBS News: "WikiLeaks' main financial arm, the Germany-based Wau Holland Foundation says it has collected about 1 million Euro ($1.3 million) in donations in 2010, the year in which WikiLeaks exploded into public prominence thanks to its release of thousands of classified U.S. documents, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal.

Wau Holland is the primary but not sole financial provider for WikiLeaks, the Journal reports.

From those donations, Wau Holland has established a Greenpeace-like system of salary payments, as WikiLeaks attempts to legitimize its organization by moving away from purely volunteer-based work, the Journal reports. The move to make salaried employees allegedly comes after a year-long intense internal debate about whether to do so."

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Seven hanged on Christmas day; Kurdish political prisoner Habibollah Latifi scheduled to be executed Dec. 26

Seven hanged on Christmas day; Kurdish political prisoner Habibollah Latifi scheduled to be executed Dec. 26: "According to the news from Iran, three men were hanged in two different Iranian towns on Christmas day.

According to the state run Iranian news agency ISNA, two men were hanged in the prison of Saveh (southwest of Tehran). The men were identified as 'Ahmad Amini Sangar' convicted of keeping 552 grams of heroin, 40 grams of crack and 20 grams of opium; and 'Hassan Davtalab' (50 years old) convicted of keeping 2 kilos and 250 grams of heroin; according to the report. The men were executed in the prison of Saveh early this morning.

According to ISNA, another man, who wasn’t identified by name, was hanged in the prison of Sari, north of Iran, convicted of keeping and trafficking of crack."

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Wikileaks: Governments 'sought US wiretapping help'

Wikileaks: Governments 'sought US wiretapping help': "Fresh US diplomatic cables released via Wikileaks suggest governments have pressed the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to extend wiretapping services.

Publishing the secret cables, the New York Times said governments wanted information on political adversaries.

Panama and Paraguay are two of the nations cited.

Panama's government says President Ricardo Martinelli's request on wiretaps had been 'misinterpreted' by the US envoy.

In a cable from August 2009, President Martinelli is reported to have 'sent the ambassador a cryptic Blackberry message that said: 'I need help with tapping phones''."

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Banks And WikiLeaks

Banks And WikiLeaks: "The whistle-blowing Web site WikiLeaks has not been convicted of a crime. The Justice Department has not even pressed charges over its disclosure of confidential State Department communications. Nonetheless, the financial industry is trying to shut it down.

Visa, MasterCard and PayPal announced in the past few weeks that they would not process any transaction intended for WikiLeaks. Earlier this month, Bank of America decided to join the group, arguing that WikiLeaks may be doing things that are 'inconsistent with our internal policies for processing payments.'"

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WikiLeaks: How U.S. tried to stop Spain's torture probe | Don't indict former President George W. Bush's

WikiLeaks: How U.S. tried to stop Spain's torture probe | McClatchy: "Don't indict former President George W. Bush's legal brain trust for alleged torture in the treatment of war on terror detainees, warned Mel Martinez on one of his frequent trips to Madrid. Doing so would chill U.S.-Spanish relations.

Rather than a resolution, though, a senior Spanish diplomat gave the former GOP chairman and housing secretary a lesson in Spain's separation of powers. 'The independence of the judiciary and the process must be respected,'' then-acting Foreign Minister Angel Lossada replied on April 15, 2009. Then for emphasis, 'Lossada reiterated to Martinez that the executive branch of government could not close any judicial investigation and urged that this case not affect the overall relationship.''"

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Spain's auto sector, a key source of jobs, is wrapping up a disastrous year due to a slump Spanish auto sector sector wraps up bleak year

Spanish auto sector sector wraps up bleak year: "Spain's auto sector, a key source of jobs, is wrapping up a disastrous year due to a slump in demand from the rest of Europe and the end of a government trade-in bonus scheme at home.
Sales of new cars in the country plunged 25.5 percent in November over the same period last year to 64,515 units, the fifth monthly decline in a row, according to figures from manufacturers' association Anfac.
While total sales in the first 11 months of the year are up 5.9 percent to 913,073 units, this is due to strong sales during the beginning of the year before the government pulled the plug on the subsidies programme in June.
Under the trade-in scheme introduced in May 2009, the government offered subsidies of up to 2,000 euros to help boost car sales. The programme expired when the money set aside for it was exhausted.
For all of 2010 Anfac expects sales to total sales of around 950,000 units, levels last seen in the early 1990s. It said sales should average between 1.3 and 1.4 million units per year."

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Spain's stars are leaving the sunshine behind - The National

Spain's stars are leaving the sunshine behind - The National: "Spanish international sipping mineral water in a restaurant on Manchester's Deansgate explained his reasons for joining Manchester City.

'The English Premier League is very attractive to every footballer in the world,' said Albert Riera, who enjoyed going virtually unrecognised in one of the busiest places in the city.

'The clubs are very professional, too. There are some in Spain where you don't get paid on time. Here, that's never an issue. The clubs also help you adapt. I'm learning England and enjoying my career which has taken me to a new country.'

Riera moved on to Liverpool and he now plays in Athens for Olympiakos, a new breed of nomadic Spanish footballer who earns his living far from his homeland.

Spanish footballers have not always travelled well. The experience of Fernando Morientes in Liverpool after signing from Real Madrid was a chastening one, while the sojourns of internationals Asier del Horno at Chelsea and Javier de Pedro at Blackburn in the middle of the last decade were brief and unsuccessful.

Cultural differences were often blamed. In 1996, Jordi Cruyff, the Dutch winger who grew up in Catalonia, left Barcelona for Manchester United."

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Tourist areas such as the Costa Blanca could see price falls of up to 30%

Tourist areas such as the Costa Blanca could see price falls of up to 30%
Reports on Spain's ailing housing market show sales volumes are down almost 50% since the summer and prices may suffer further falls of up to 30% — with holiday homes in tourist areas likely to fare worst of all.

The Spanish market has collapsed since 2007, with prices of new coastal homes and older houses in inland 'white villages' popular with British buyers plummeting 50% or more.

Now Spain's housing ministry – which counts domestic properties as well as foreign holiday homes – reports a record-breaking 48% drop in sales between July and September 2010. This coincides with austerity measures being introduced in Spain, including the scrapping of mortgage tax relief.

In response to that, asking prices of homes on sale have plummeted as desperate sellers try to attract buyers. The property sales portal idealista.com reports that prices in 14 regions of the country fell in November, while rival website facilismo.com shows price falls across Spain for 39 months out of the last 40."

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Ballena Blanca money laundering case ready for sentencing

Ballena Blanca money laundering case ready for sentencing: "main suspect proclaimed his innocence on the last day of the trial

The hearings in the Ballena Blanca money laundering trial have now concluded and the case is ready for sentencing, nine months after it began.

The main accused is the Chilean lawyer based in Marbella, Fernando del Valle, who faces a possible 17 years in prison and a fine of 36 million € for the millions of Euros allegedly laundered.

Speaking in the court this Tuesday, del Valle said that in life, ‘I have committed many errors, but I have never committed any crimes’, and spoke of the thousands of hours which he said have been wasted on the case by hundreds of people"

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Briton arrested following Benidorm hotel fire

Briton arrested following Benidorm hotel fire: "50 year old is accused of setting his room on fire. Nine British people needed hospital treatment.

Police have arrested a 50 year old Briton, accused of setting fire to the hotel room where he was staying.

Thirteen people, all of them British tourists, had to be treated for smoke inhalation following the fire which also led to the evacuation of six of the ten floors of the Hotel Ambassador in Calle Girona in the town. El País reports nine people of the 200 evacuated were hurt and needed hospital treatment, taken to the district hospital in La Vila Joiosa. Two of the injured were allowed home shortly afterwards.

The fire is thought to have started at 0749 on Tuesday morning. Forensic police are now investigating the origin of the blaze.

The arrested man was celebrating his 50th birthday with his mother, and both are accused of abandoning the hotel without alerting that their room was on fire.

The fire also affected the terrace of a neighbouring bar."

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'Most wanted' suspect held in Spain

Dennis O'Brien, from Liverpool, is suspected of leading a gang which plotted to import £166 million of cocaine into the UK from Peru.
The 62-year-old was found at a Costa del Sol bar on Saturday after a joint operation by the British Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) and Spanish police.
He is one of the fugitives featured in Operation Captura - Crimestoppers' campaign to trace suspected British criminals who are on the run in Spain.
Police caught up with O'Brien at the Trafalgar Bar, in Calahonda, a coastal town between Marbella and Fuengirola."

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The ex Municipal Real Estate Assessor in Marbella is thought to have done a deal with the prosecutor, and appears to be 'spilling the beans'.

A week after first expected by the media, the man at the centre of the Malaya corruption case, the largest ever municipal corruption case ever seen in Spain, Juan Antonio Roca, finally took to the stand in the Málaga court on Monday.

Roca started his declaration after 1pm to the anti-corruption prosecutor, Juan Carlos López Caballero.
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Spanish unions protest retirement reform

AFP: Spanish unions protest retirement reform: "Tens of thousands of Spanish workers staged strikes in 40 cities Saturday to protest state plans to up the retirement age to slash public deficit, the highest in the eurozone after Greece and Ireland.
The strikers gathered in central Madrid carrying red flags and holding placards such as 'No to retirement at 67', police said giving the estimates, adding they were essentially from the main UGT and CCOO unions.
'It's a direct attack on the rights of workers, who have already suffered in the crisis for two years,' said Juan Carlos Caceres, a railway union leader.
Raising the retirement age 'makes no sense because there is a very high level of youth unemployment,' said Maria Eugenia Marcos, an unemployed telecommunications worker.
However, the 56-year-old said the protests against the reforms were 'weak' as many people realised that something needed to be done safeguard future pension pots."

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Spain becomes Europe's high-speed rail leader

AFP: Spain becomes Europe's high-speed rail leader: "Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and King Juan Carlos opened Saturday the country's fourth high-speed rail line, making the country the European leader in the technology.
The 438-kilometre (272-mile) route will slash travel time between the Spanish capital and the Mediterranean port of Valencia, Spain's third-biggest city, from four hours to just 90 minutes.
The project, built at a cost of 6.6 billion euros (8.8 billion dollars), brings cash-strapped Spain's high-speed rail network to 2,056 kilometres.
It places Spain ahead of the 1,896 kilometres of high speed rail in France and 1,285 kilometres in Germany, home to Siemens, the world's largest manufacturer of high-speed trains.
Zapatero says the new route, which will take paying passengers from Sunday, 'increases confidence and shows the world that Spain is a prosperous country.'
The king said that it enabled Spaniards 'to look beyond the crisis and economic difficulties.'"

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Spanish PM Insists on Raising Retirement Age to 67 - ABC News

Spanish PM Insists on Raising Retirement Age to 67 - ABC News: "Spain's prime minister said Friday the government is set on raising the retirement age to 67 from 65 in the new year, despite strong resistance from some opposition parties and labor unions who are threatening another general strike.
Spain's central bank and other financial institutions have urged Zapatero to make changes in the pension system as part of reforms crucial to helping the country slash its deficit to prepare for a coming wave of retirements and emerge from the economic crisis.
His comments came as the central bank issued more negative news about the shaky banking sector, a key factor in Europe's effort to keep its government debt crisis from spreading. The bad loans ratio for the country's banks and financial institutions had risen to its highest level in 14 years, it said."

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Head of Malaga's drug squad arrested for trafficking

Head of Malaga's drug squad arrested for trafficking: "head of the Guardia Civil's Anti Drug and Organised Crime Squad in Málaga has been arrested, along with another officer and an ex-officer in an investigation in drug trafficking.
The investigation, initiated in the spring by the Guardia Civil internal affairs branch, resulted in the arrest of the first officer and the ex-officer in Mijas (Málaga) on Wednesday, before the lieutenant was arrested in Benemérita today.
The Guardia Civil's internal affairs branch launched the investigation in spring, to look into an alleged gang embroiled in drugs trafficking.
Their enquiries led them to discover a consignment of drugs in September near a beach in Marbella (Málaga), where 1.4 tonnes of hash were confiscated.
Over the class lesson of the investigation, a number of other people have been arrested, including lawyers."

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Spain risks firestorm over pensions in an effort to impress the markets | City A.M.

Spain risks firestorm over pensions in an effort to impress the markets City A.M.: "THE Spanish government’s desperation to calm financial markets means it will risk a political firestorm to impose new pension rules that may not even help its budget for at least a decade.
Urged by Brussels and economists, the cabinet is bringing forward the reform, which raises the retirement age -- aiming to show it making the hard choices needed to secure public finances and deal with an ageing population in the long-term. The cabinet has already passed a record austere budget and taken tough steps to rationalise its small banks. Over the past week it has also rushed out other measures including state selloffs to ease its cashflow issues.
The pensions reform, however, is about convincing investors of its commitment to structural change; savings built up over the last decade mean it will have no impact before 2015 and bring only gradual benefits in the years that follow. That deals with none of the issues of banking, local government spending and growth which have driven a bond market sell-off that shows little sign of abating after engulfing Ireland and Greece."

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Spanish banks face new reporting requirements - Fox News Latino

Spanish banks face new reporting requirements - Fox News Latino: "Spanish banks have been more candid about their balance sheets than their Irish counterparts and will now be required to publish quarterly reports on bad debt ratios and financing needs, the head of Spain's central bank said here Monday.
Miguel Angel Fernandez Ordoñez commented in a speech at the convention of the Financial Markets Association.
The governor of theBanco de España addressed the challenge of reassuring markets about the solidity of Spanish banks after the crisis that recently forced Dublin to accept aid from the European Union and International Monetary Fund to shore up Ireland's badly wounded financial institutions.
As both Ireland and Spain are suffering from the collapse of massive real estate bubbles, some investors fear Spanish banks with heavy exposure to property loans could suffer the same fate as their Irish counterparts.
Insisting that 'the recipe is more transparency,' Fernandez Ordoñez said Spanish banks will be required to report every three months in detail on bad debt ratios."

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Home sales fell 17.7 percent year-on-year to 27,198 units in Spain in October

Home sales fell 17.7 percent year-on-year to 27,198 units in Spain in October, hitting the lowest level since January 2007, when the National Statistics Institute, or INE, first began reporting figures on property closings.


The October figures indicate that the downward trend in sales that started in September, ending eight months of rising sales, has not changed, the INE said.

Of the 27,198 housing units sold in October, 13,400, or some 49.4 percent, were new and 13,798, or 50.7 percent, were existing homes.





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US Embassy in Madrid proposed setting up an intelligence hub in the northeastern region of Catalonia to counter a "major centre of radical Islamist activity"

The US Embassy in Madrid proposed setting up an intelligence hub in the northeastern region of Catalonia to counter a "major centre of radical Islamist activity", according to a US cable obtained by WikiLeaks and published on Saturday by the newspaper El Pais.

The cable, dated October 2, 2007, said US and Spanish authorities had identified Catalonia as having a "large Muslim Population Susceptible to Jihadist Recruitment" following increased surveillance after the 2004 Madrid train bombings, which killed 191 people.


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As Assange Indictment Looms, WikiLeaks Cables Tie Two Treasure Cases Together

As Assange Indictment Looms,WikiLeaks Cables Tie Two Treasure Cases Together: "British lawyers for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said Friday they are preparing for the possibility that their client will be indicted in they U.S.Jennifer Robinson, an attorney at London's Finers Stephens Innocent, said that Assange is entitled to First Amendment protection as a publisher and that any planned prosecution under the Espionage Act would 'in my view be unconstitutional and puts at risk all media organizations in the U.S.'While Assange and his lawyers prepare to fight extradition from the U.K.--whether to Sweden, where the WikiLeaks leader faced sex charges, or to the U.S.--confidential U.S. State Department cables released by the whistle-blowing website reveal that the federal government took sides in a pair of unrelated litigations in order to further bilateral relations with Spain.Citing cables published by The Guardian--one of five media organizations collaborating with WikiLeaks in its document dump--Tampa Bay Online reports that U.S. diplomats discussed a potentially lucrative shipwreck and a priceless French painting with their Spanish counterparts. The twist: both items are currently tied up in ongoing litigation in federal courts."

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WikiLeaks: Hindering Spain-Cuba Relations, a U.S. Priority

WikiLeaks: Hindering Spain-Cuba Relations, a U.S. Priority: "The United States took advantage of alleged disagreements among Spanish diplomats to hamper relations between Spain and Cuba, according to U.S. embassy cables released by the WikiLeaks website.

Preventing an improvement in relations between Spain and Cuba during 2006 and 2007 period was 'the priority' of Eduador Aguirre, the U.S. ambassador to Spain at the time, El Pais newspaper reported on Friday, based on the classified documents posted by WikiLeaks.

Aguirre and his subordinates focused on that goal shortly after learning that the Spanish foreign minister at that time, Miguel Angel Moratinos, was preparing a trip to Havana, the first by a Spanish foreign minister in nine years, El Pais reported.

In February 2007, the former Secretary of State for Ibero-America, Trinidad Jimenez (now Foreign Minister), confirmed to Hugo Llorens, Deputy Chief of Mission of the American embassy in Madrid, that the trip by Moratinos to Cuba was being considered, though without a date.

Llorens said the visit to Cuba would be useless and could be considered in Washington as a break with their common stance on Cuba, so he urged the Secretary of State to closely consult it with the American embassy.

Several secret cables sent by Aguirre to his superiors at the U.S. Department of State talked about a 'rivalry' between Moratinos and Jimenez, which started after Jimenez became a diplomat in 2006.

Llorens also reiterated to Rafael Dezcallar, Spanish general director of Foreign Policy, that a visit to Cuba by Moratinos could send 'the wrong message.'"

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Something to declare: Morocco’s Kasbah du Toubkal; partying overseas; London to Scotland for 2p a mile; Rome to Rio de Janeiro - News & Advice, Travel - The Independent

Something to declare: Morocco’s Kasbah du Toubkal; partying overseas; London to Scotland for 2p a mile; Rome to Rio de Janeiro - News & Advice, Travel - The Independent: "The luxurious mountain refuge of Kasbah du Toubkal – close to Marrakech and in shadow of North Africa's highest mountain, Toubkal – is a treat at any time of the year. But on two trips in 2011 its founder, Mike McHugo, is offering it as an element in fund-raising for educational projects.
From 26 March to 2 April, a charity bike ride starts by exploring Marrakech then builds up to some more vigorous cycling routes in the foothills of the High Atlas Mountains. The trip includes lunch on the terrace of the Kasbah."

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Why counterfeit Christmas presents aren’t such a bargain | The Sun |Features

Why counterfeit Christmas presents aren’t such a bargain The Sun Features: "Counterfeit goods - costing a fraction of the price of genuine versions - are more popular than ever in these tough times.
Hard-up shoppers, hungry for trendy brands yet desperate to save cash, are forking out to unlicensed traders.
But while fake gear can seem a relatively harmless way to cut back, it actually funds serious organised crime - and can be a severe safety risk. In some tragic cases people have paid with their LIFE."

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WikiLeaks: U.S. helped Spain fight treasure hunter - Local News - Tampa, FL - msnbc.com

WikiLeaks: U.S. helped Spain fight treasure hunter - Local News - Tampa, FL - msnbc.com: "Sunken treasure, WikiLeaks documents and a priceless French painting.
Suddenly, a great deal of international drama has touched down in Tampa and reads like a diplomatic thriller — with half a billion dollars in gold at stake.
For years, Tampa's Odyssey Marine treasure hunting company has been fighting with the Spanish government over a 17 tons of gold and silver coins that Odyssey discovered and brought up off the Atlantic Ocean floor.
Now, it turns out, Spain has been getting secret help since 2007 from an unlikely source: The U.S. government.
Among the thousands of documents released by WikiLeaks are several U.S. diplomatic cables describing how U.S. ambassadors were helping Spain in their cause — partly to help broker a deal to bring a famous painting in Spain to a U.S. citizen who claimed it was looted by the Nazis in World War II."

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Spain's Salgado says no VAT, fuel tax increases | Reuters

Spain's Salgado says no VAT, fuel tax increases Reuters: "Spain's Socialist government last week said it would raise taxes on tobacco as it seeks to reduce Spain's deficit.
But Salgado ruled out co-payment on medicines by patients to raise revenues.
Another of the measures announced last week, the partial privatisation of airports authority AENA, could raise 8 billion euros ($10.56 billion), Salgado said.
Salgado said Spain's deficit target was 'unconditional', and it would revise its budget if required to hit the target.
The economy minister said the yield on Spanish government debt was not alarming and did not rule out yields on bond auctions rising in the coming weeks.
She added that no rescue package for Spain had ever been contemplated. Market attention has turned to Spain following an aid package for Ireland."

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one in ten cars on Costa del Sol roads is not insured

one in ten cars on Costa del Sol roads is not insured, a Spanish Traffic Department report shows. With over 1 million vehicles registered in Malaga Province, 150,000 vehicles (14 per cent) are not insured. However, in at least 50 per cent of cases, the uninsured vehicles are not actually on the roads, experts say.

This means there are 74,000 vehicles on the road without insurance. Driving without insurance can lead to fines of up to €3,000 depending on the vehicle, and in some cases the vehicle can be impounded.

If no insurance is purchased within two months, it can be sent to the scrap yard.

In an attempt to prevent people from driving without insurance and damages caused having to be paid by taxpayers through the Insurance C

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BUILDING licenses in Marbella have seen a 40 per cent increase in the past six months

 BUILDING licenses inMarbella have seen a 40 per cent increase in the past six months, according to the town hall. This has been attributed the new urban plan or Plan General (PGOU).

Since the new PGOU came into effect on May 22, more than 100 major building licenses have been approved, as well as 1,375 reports of small building works.

The Town Hall as also processed almost 50 first occupation licenses.

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Spain PM allows army to take control of air space | Reuters

Spain PM allows army to take control of air space Reuters: "Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has allowed the army to take over control of Spanish air space following the mass walkout of air traffic controllers, a Public Works Ministry spokeswoman said on Friday."

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Spain: Military Could Take Over Air Traffic Control - WSJ.com

3rd UPDATE: Spain: Military Could Take Over Air Traffic Control - WSJ.com: "Spain's government on Friday said the military could take over the country's air traffic control after controllers throughout the country walked off the job and forced the closure of Spanish airspace, stranding thousands of travelers on the eve of a long weekend.
In a statement, the government called on the controllers to 'immediately return to their jobs,' warning that legislation passed earlier Friday allows the country's Defense Ministry to take over supervision of the country's air traffic.
A spokeswoman for airport authority AENA said that around 90% of the country's air-traffic controllers have walked off the job, forcing it to close airspace throughout the country except in the southern region of Andalucia. She said AENA was in touch with European Union and U.S. authorities over the closure.
Monday and Wednesday are national holidays in Spain.
The legislation approved earlier Friday also opens the door to the partial privatization of AENA, and the management of individual airports by private operators. The legislation also establishes new criteria for calculating the working hours of air traffic controllers.
Air traffic controllers say the new regulations will severely limit maternity and paternity leaves, among other things, and viewed them as the latest attempt by Public Works Minister Jose Blanco to shake up their sector.
'This was the last straw,' said Daniel Zamit, a representative of Spain's union of air traffic controllers, in an interview with Spain's CNN+ television station."

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22 suspects called to court in Baleares fraud case

22 suspects called to court in Baleares fraud case: "It’s been revealed that more than 20 suspects are to be questioned in court over the coming months in the tenth proceeding in the Balearic Islands’ Voltor case, the case which is investigating the alleged misuse of public funds. It centres on suspects linked to the Unió Mallorquina party and suspected fraud in subsidies paid from public funds.

Those appearing in court in the weeks up until March 7 include the UM ex councillor for tourism on the Balearic Islands, Francesc Buils, and the party’s former president, Miguel Ángel Flaquer.

It’s understood from EFE that the businessman, Jacinto Farrús, is one of the last to be called by Instruction Court No. 10 and will be in court on March 2."

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Spain and Portugal criticise the decision to hold 2018 World Cup in Russia

Spain and Portugal criticise the decision to hold 2018 World Cup in Russia: "Spanish and Portuguese bid team has criticised the FIFA decision to hold the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Russia won in the second round of voting, but the win had already been made public to the Russian media ahead of the announcement by FIFA Chairman Joseph Blatter.

The same thing happened with the 2022 decision which was also decided in Zurich today, with Al Jazeera in winning country Qatar again beating the official announcement. It’s led more than one observer to think the votes were already controlled well in advance."

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British man stops schoolgirl being snatched in Benalmádena

British man stops schoolgirl being snatched in Benalmádena: "Detectives from the National Police are investigating an attempted kidnapping in Benalmádena recently where the victim, an 11 year old schoolgirl, was saved from being snatched by a passerby. Reporting on the incident this Thursday, Diario Sur said the child’s rescuer is believed to have been British.

It happened near La Paloma school in Arroyo de la Miel, after the victim had left the building after out of school activities one afternoon and was approached by a man, aged around 25, who tried to force her into his car. She later told her parents that he was dark-skinned and spoke Spanish with a foreign accent.

She was saved by a passerby who heard her cries for help and pushed her assailant away, with the warning that he would call the police if the kidnapper refused to let the youngster go. Police are now looking for the suspect, together with two other men the 11 year old said were with him in the car."

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Spanish airport workers announce Christmas strike action

 Spanish airport workers announce Christmas strike action: "Employees of the Spanish Airports Authority, AENA, have announced strike action at Christmas against the Government’s plans for partial privatisation.
AENA say they are yet to decide on the exact dates and form of their protests, but these will be announced after the Constitution Bank Holiday on December 9.

Unions CCOO, UGT and USO will hold a coordinating meeting next week with members of the USCA air traffic controllers union, to decide on exact dates and action.

Members of the AENA board have described the announcement of the granting of concessions for the private management of Madrid and Barcelona airports as amounting to ‘bumping off AENA’."

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Fernando del Valle faces a possible 17 years in prison and a fine of 36 million €,

Defence lawyers acting for the Chilean lawyer based in Marbella, Fernando del Valle, the man at the centre of the Ballena Blanca money laundering case, have called for the case to be declared null and void.

Horacio Oliva said in his final comments to the judge that his client suffered ‘unjustified interference’ of his basic rights during the instruction stage of the case. He said the arrest warrant issued against his client by Judge Miguel Angel Torres had an erroneous motive, and was more appropriate to the fight against terrorism or organised crime. He said they entered the office, destroyed it, and then obtained rickety evidence.

The lawyer argued that Del Valle, accused of setting up companies which allowed the laundering of 12 million € of black money, with that of the taxi driver who drives a client to the shanty town on the outskirts.
‘The taxi driver may be convinced that his passenger is going to buy drugs, but that does not make him an accomplice to the drug traffickers’.

Fernando del Valle faces a possible 17 years in prison and a fine of 36 million €, accused of aiding the laundering of 31 million € from illicit activities.

Christopher Kinahan and his two sons, Christy Junior and Daniel walked out of the Albolote Prison in Granada on Friday

Christopher Kinahan - Archive Photo

Christopher Kinahan and his two sons, Christy Junior and Daniel walked out of the Albolote Prison in Granada on Friday

The alleged drug trafficker known as the ‘Irish Godfather’, Christopher Kinahan, has been granted bail by the judge, María del Carmen Gutiérrez Henares, in Court Number 3 in Estepona. She also authorised the release from prison for his two sons, Christy Junior and Daniel, with bail set at 60,000 € for each one of the three.
Reports indicate that they all left the Albolote prison in Granada on Friday

They have been held on remand since May when the police arrested them as part of an operation, codenamed Shovel, which extended across five countries.

Kinahan has been ordered to present himself to the court every Monday as part of the bail conditions, and has had his passport withdrawn. He is accused of heading a grand network of organised crime, which distributed drugs across Europe and offered money laundering services to other drug dealers.

Intelligence services from five countries took part in the Shovel operation, which saw some 30 arrests in Spain, Ireland and the UK. Most of the arrests were in Marbella, Estepona and Fuengirola. 60 properties worth 150 million € were impounded and the ownership of some 50 others in Brazil is being investigated.

Kinahan is also linked to the February 2008 shooting of a 28 year old in an Estepona urbanisation. 

Police consider him to be highly intelligent and say that is why he has managed to appear distant from the criminal activities, although he has been sentenced in Ireland for both drug trafficking and financial crimes. Irish police say he spent his time in jail perfecting his Dutch and Spanish languages.