'New' Eta political wing rejects violence

'New' Eta political wing rejects violence | World news | The Guardian: "The banned political wing of the armed Basque separatist movement Eta has announced the launch of a new party that renounces the use of violence.

After 40 years in which more than 800 deaths have been linked to Eta, Batasuna said it does not consider the violence as legitimate.

Rufi Etxeberria, the leader of the new political grouping, told a meeting in Bilbao that it rejects 'violence and threats' from any source. He appealed to the government and the international community to legalise the as yet unnamed party. Batasuna has been illegal since 2003. The group hopes to be able to stand in the May local elections.

Marcelino Iglesias, general secretary of the ruling Socialist party, gave the announcement a cautious welcome. 'It's better to condemn Eta than support it,' he said. 'Of course this is a great improvement, but democracy has to make stringent demands of these groups.'"

Paramedic works amid gangland shootings in Guatemala City

"Angie Dymott spent two gruelling weeks swapping the streets of Cardiff to work with bomberos, who carry out paramedic and fire fighting duties in Guatemala City.

Angie has been a paramedic in the Welsh capital for six years. There, a typical Friday night involves dealing with lots of drunk people, patient transfers and minor injuries.

But in the Central American nation, shifts are more likely to deal with gang violence and multiple shootings.

In Cardiff, she shows the cameras around her ambulance packed with state-of- the-art kit, before heading off into the city where she is seen comforting the mother of a man who has been attacked and reassuring a drunk teenager.

On arriving in Guatemala City, Angie is handed a bulletproof vest as part of her uniform."

Ger Dundon (23), Weston, Limerick; and David McCormack (26),Gangland figures handed five-year sentences

"Ger Dundon (23), of Hyde Avenue, Ballinacurra Weston, Limerick; and David McCormack (26), of Crecora Avenue, Ballinacurra Weston, pleaded guilty to committing violent disorder at Sarsfield Avenue, Garryowen, Limerick, on February 17 last year.

The cases were not sent forward to the three-judge non-jury court under new anti-gangland laws, but were forwarded under existing legislation that allows the Director of Public Prosecutions to send non-terrorist cases for trial at the court.

Chief Supt of the Limerick garda division David Sheahan told the court the charges against the pair arose following attempts by others to collect €20,000 they believed they were owed by nightclub promoter Mark Heffernan (27).

He said that although the two accused were not involved in earlier attempts to get the money, there was 'linkage' between events that eventually culminated in a group of men chasing Mr Heffernan across Limerick city on February 17.

Dundon, a father of three, has 99 previous convictions."

World Health Organisation tells Spain first 6 months of new smoking law will be key

World Health Organisation tells Spain first 6 months of new smoking law will be key: "The World Health Organisation has warned Spain that the first six months of the new anti-smoking legislation will be key in the application of the law.

Armando Peruga, who is coordinator for the WHO’s Tobacco-Free Iniative, was speaking at a conference on Tuesday entitled, ‘The law for smoke-free spaces has been approved. And now what?’ He said that simply approving the law is not sufficient, stressing that it is vital that the public sees that the Spanish government is prepared to enforce it.

EFE quotes him saying, ‘It is just as important that people believe the law is being complied with, as is actual compliance’.

Peruga also warned, as had happened in other countries, that the government must expect strong opposition from the tobacco industry. They should be prepared for legal challenges in the courts, he said.

He had some critical words for some of the media in Spain. ‘Reading the headlines,’ he said, ‘could make you think that the country is up in arms’. In Peruga’s view, compliance with the law is very good, with a marked contrast between what is reflected in the media and the reality of the situation."

Police swoops across Europe on marijuana network which laundered money on the Costa Brava

Police swoops across Europe on marijuana network which laundered money on the Costa Brava: "Simultaneous searches were taking place in a number of European countries on Tuesday, in police swoops on an international network which is believed to have laundered up to 3 million € of drugs money.

The network was based in Holland and had been in operation since 2002, providing supplies from a grow shop in Wijchen to set up marijuana plantations, not only in the Netherlands, but also in other countries in Europe.

They invested some of their funds in luxury properties on the Costa Brava, and it’s understood that two properties belonging to the group’s leaders in Calonge, Girona province, were searched early on Tuesday morning. Others in the area have also been sealed off.

Twenty five searches, co-ordinated by Dutch police, took place in total in Spain, Holland, Belgium, Germany, the UK, the Czech Republic and on the Caribbean island of Aruba.

In a separate case, Spain’s Civil Guard released details on Tuesday of ‘Operation Pizzo’, a drugs operation which has seen the arrest of 18 suspects in Cádiz, Barcelona, Pontevedra, Sevilla, Málaga and the Canary Islands.

Officers seized 1.4 tons of cannabis, 5 vehicles and 16,000 € in forged notes."

Illegal Houses – Court overrules the Junta

Illegal Houses – Court overrules the Junta: "According to the ruling the house was constructed several years ago on non urban land without a building permit and any administrative action against it was proscribed as out of time. After satisfying several requirements, Albox Town council granted a license of first occupation to this property under a special ‘ordenanza’ or regulation which was created specifically to deal with this type of housing classified as ‘fuera de ordenacion’; that is to say constructed without a building permit but untouchable by the administration.

The Junta challenged the license of first occupation on the grounds that there was no building permit for the property and that these houses should be regulated by an urban plan. Alfredo Najas de la Cruz, representing Albox Council and Pedro Maldonado Ruiz acting for the homeowners, argued against the Juntas’ interpretation."

El País faces swingeing job cuts | Media | The Guardian

Sweeping job cuts will hit Spain's premier daily newspaper, El País, and all outlets of its owner, the country's mighty Prisa media group, following the sale of a majority stake to a group of US-based investors led by Briton Martin Franklin.

The company will cut 2,500 employees, or 18% of its workforce, over the coming year, it said in a statement today. The cuts will fall 'in all countries and all areas', meaning workers at venerable left-wing daily El País will take their share of the pain.

The cuts mark a definitive end to more than three decades of comparatively benign and paternalistic ownership by the Prisa group's founding Polanco family. Among the new faces on the committee that approved the cuts on Friday was Franklin, a serial entrepreneur based in New York.

The Polanco family ceded a controlling share in Prisa to investors in cash shell Liberty Acquisitions Holdings, formed by Franklin and the so-called 'homeless billionaire' Nicolas Berggruen, in December."

Briton arrested for drug smuggling at Málaga Airport

Briton arrested for drug smuggling at Málaga Airport: "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."

Three British drug traffickers arrested in Alicante

Three British drug traffickers arrested in Alicante: "Three Britons were arrested with half a ton of the drug which was to be sent on to Britain.

The operation was carried out last weekend, according to sources close to the case.

The three Britons were in court in Dénia on Monday, where the judge is coordinating the investigation.

The National Police arrested another three British men in Catral at the end of December, again impounding more than half a ton of hashish, and it seems that case led to the discovery of the warehouse at Las Atalayas."

Spanish soldier tries to swim to Ceuta after losing his passport in Morocco

Spanish soldier tries to swim to Ceuta after losing his passport in Morocco: "soldier based in Ceuta has been arrested by the Civil Guard after trying to swim over to the North African enclave from Morocco.

He was picked up after security alarms were triggered in the Benzú area of the autonomous city early on Monday by an unidentified person attempting to gain illegal entry by swimming across to the city.

On being questioned by officers however, he turned out to be a soldier who had lost his passport while on leave in Morocco"

Christy Kinahan has lost his appeal against a four-year sentence for money laundering offences

Gang boss loses laundering appeal - National News, Frontpage - Independent.ie: "Christy Kinahan has lost his appeal against a four-year sentence for money laundering offences.

Dubliner Kinahan (53) was convicted in a Belgian court earlier this year but granted bail to appeal the sentence.

In the meantime, he was arrested by Spanish police for allegedly masterminding a massive drug trafficking and money laundering empire, with an assets portfolio conservatively valued at €250m.

Kinahan's appeal was heard and rejected by a judge in a court in Brussels on Tuesday.

The charges followed his arrest by Belgian federal police in May 2008 following extensive inquiries into a laundering scam and after assets worth €2.5m were seized.

A warrant will be prepared by the Belgian police for his arrest but will not be activated until Kinahan has been processed through the Spanish courts.

Kinahan has already served a jail sentence in the Netherlands for handling stolen property."

Basque trawler escapes attempted hijacking in Indian Ocean

Basque trawler escapes attempted hijacking in Indian Ocean: "r trawler hijacked last week with 2 Spaniards on board has been spotted 260 miles off SomaliaPrivate security on board a trawler.
The Basque tuna trawler the ‘Albatun Dos’ managed to escape an attempted a pirate attack in the Indian Ocean this Thursday morning, by taking evasive manoeuvres to avoid capture by the skiff which was in pursuit.

No shots were exchanged, but the crew of the Albatun Dos said they could see at least five armed men on board the skiff. The trawler carries private security personnel on board to protect it from pirate attacks.

It happened at around 9am in Somali waters.

The EFE news agency contacted the Albatun Dos later on Thursday morning, and was informed that the trawler was leaving the area where the skiff had been seen.

Also on Thursday, there was news from Europa Press on the Vega 5, the Mozambique trawler which was captured by pirates last week with two Spanish crew on board. The news agency reports that Paddy O’Kennedy, from the EU anti-piracy mission Operation Atlanta, said the ship had been spotted 260 miles from the coast of Somalia."

Hindu guru Antonio Javier R.P charged with sexual abuse | Olive Press Newspaper | News

Hindu guru Antonio Javier R.P charged with sexual abuse | Olive Press Newspaper | News: "HINDU sect leader is being prosecuted for abusing his followers for personal, financial and sexual gain.


Guru Antonio Javier R.P., 51, of the Vaidika Partisana Sangha community in Granada was charged with illicit associations and crimes against moral integrity.
At least 22 former disciples have come forward with accusations.
According to the prosecutor, the guru used yoga and massage classes to lure psychologically vulnerable people with ‘coercive persuasion techniques’."

Inquest in UK into death of British woman on Ibiza

Inquest in UK into death of British woman on Ibiza: "An inquest was due to start in the UK this Thursday into the death of Francesca Foulkes, a 21 year old from Kent who was knocked down and killed while on holiday in Ibiza.

It happened in July last year outside a nightclub in San Antonio, on the west of the island.

The driver who killed her fled the scene but was later arrested by police. He is understood to have tested positive for both alcohol and drugs.

The website ‘KentOnline’ said it’s thought the 24 year old has been charged in Spain with manslaughter with a vehicle and with driving while under the influence of alcohol and drugs."

More Spanish bars join the smoking rebellion

More Spanish bars join the smoking rebellion: "Marbella restaurant owner says that smoking will continue in his establishment until a judge tells him otherwisePhoto EFE
There are more cases emerging of bars which are refusing to enforce the Government’s new anti-smoking legislation which bans smoking in all closed public spaces, including bars and restaurants.

The owner of a bar in Castellón is defending his ‘private business’ and that if any of his customers is bothered by the smoke he will make a table available for them on the terrace.
‘It’s either that or we are ruined’, says the owner, Fernando Tegedor, who has already received a denuncia from the police. He claims that 90% of his clients are smokers and that his takings fell by 80% on the first day of the prohibition. Fernando made a call for other bars and restaurants across the country to boycott the law.
‘If we unite one by one and another and another they cannot do anything’, he told Canal 9 TV."

Big cocaine haul at Barcelona airport

Big cocaine haul at Barcelona airport: "Civil Guard officers based at Barcelona’s El Prat Airport have seized almost one ton of cocaine from a private medevac plane which recently landed at the airport, on a flight from Cabo Verde.

The plane was found to be carrying a cargo of more than 900 kilos of cocaine, which is believed to have been loaded on board the aircraft in Cabo Verde itself. The plane is owned by the Argentinean company ‘Medical Jet’."

Marbella restaurant owner starts petition against Spain's anti-smoking law

Marbella restaurant owner starts petition against Spain's anti-smoking law: "Marbella restaurant owner who is refusing to accept the new law and is allowing smoking on the premises says he has received messages of support from across the country.

José Eugenio Arias, owner of the Asador Guadalmina in San Pedro de Alcántara, still has signs up at the entrance to the restaurant which say that the extended smoking ban which came into force on January 2 will not be applied in his restaurant."

Local Police arrest man after attempted theft in Cuidad Quesada

RTN The Favourite Free Newspaper For The Costa Blanca, Costa Calida - Local Police arrest man after attempted theft in Cuidad Quesada: "While patrolling the local area and the golf club of La Marquesa, police noticed a disturbance at The Bull Flanagan in the town of Quesada.  A waitress of the establishment was trying to detain the man with difficulty when the police intervened to prevent injury to the employee and to stop the man taking the money for charitable causes which had been donated by clients and local residents.
 
According to the first report by the police, the arrested man had a companion who tried to take advantage of an oversight by the waitress by trying to remove a bottle which had been gathering donations.  At the first given chance the man broke free and jumped into a nearby car forcing a chase to ensue. 

The pursuit resulted in a three kilometer chase which ended when the car crashed into the terrace of a nearby house, where the man was detained immediately.  Later it was announced that the arrested was not a resident of Spain and had been implicated in such scandals before, including €15,000 in 2009, also a charity collection."

Spain has complained to Britain after police from its territory Gibraltar entered Spain illegally to raid a house

Spain has complained to Britain after police from its territory Gibraltar entered Spain illegally to raid a house, Spanish and Gibraltar authorities said on Saturday.

Gibraltar has apologised to Spain for the actions of the two policemen, who searched a house just over the border in Spain without permission from the local authorities and seized evidence relating to a crime committed in the territory.

"This is a regrettable incident in which Gibraltar police have acted improperly and I have not hesitated in apologising to the Spanish government," Gibraltar's Chief Minister Peter Caruana said.

Four Spanish policemen were arrested in December 2009 after they pursued suspected smugglers into Gibraltar, prompting an apology from Spanish Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba.

"The foreign secretary has spoken to the UK ambassador and the chief minister of Gibraltar to express his deep displeasure," Spain's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Britain seized Gibraltar, at the southern tip of the Iberian peninsula, in 1704 and it was formally ceded to Britain in the Treaty of Utrecht nine years later.

British villains have been joined by their Irish counterparts

You can run – but you can't hide from the gunmen on Spain's Costa del Crime | UK news | The Observer: "British villains have been joined by their Irish counterparts, partly as a result of the Irish authorities' increased activity in hunting down criminal assets. Last month Christy Kinahan, from Dublin, named by the Garda as a major player in drugs and arms, was arrested at his apartment near Marbella, in a co-ordinated series of raids across Europe that saw 11 properties in Spain turned over. There is also a powerful eastern European criminal presence: Russian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Albanian. Simultaneously, the Galician coast in the north-west of the country became the European gateway for the Latin American cocaine trade. Spain now has the highest percentage of cocaine use in Europe.
The 2001 film Sexy Beast epitomises the tanned and complacent British villain in Spain. It was preceded on the screen in 1984 by Stephen Frears's The Hit, in which Terence Stamp played a supergrass on the run from his former colleagues, and followed in 2005 by the less celebrated The Business. Danny Smith, remembered now with flowers to 'Tall Dan' outside the lounge, may have had only a walk-on part in the latest Costa drama, but he will not be the last young Briton to slump to a barroom floor with a bullet in his head."

You can run – but you can't hide from the gunmen on Spain's Costa del Crime | UK news | The Observer

You can run – but you can't hide from the gunmen on Spain's Costa del Crime | UK news | The Observer: "Ronnie Knight, wide-boy former husband of the actress Barbara Windsor, acted as the underworld's ambassador to the area. He had property in the hills outside Fuengirola which he described in his autobiography, Black Knight, as 'paradise found', missing only a decent Indian restaurant to make it perfection. When he went back to stand trial at the Old Bailey in 1995 on charges of handling stolen money, his barrister, the late Richard Ferguson QC, told the judge that his client's image as a 'swashbuckling figure basking in the sun in Spain' was an exaggeration."

gunmen on Spain's Costa del Crime | UK news | The Observer

You can run – but you can't hide from the gunmen on Spain's Costa del Crime | UK news | The Observer: "shooting at the Lounge Bar in Mijas, near Marbella on the Costa del Sol, last Saturday night belongs in the non-fiction section. The death of Danny Smith, 26, from Billericay in Essex, is the latest murder of a foreigner to be investigated by Spanish police in what has become a world of expat mayhem and one that reinforces the image of this once magical part of the Iberian peninsula as the Costa del Crime, a nickname acquired nearly 30 years ago."

body of a woman, said to be Latin American and in her 30’s, was found in a Málaga street

body of a woman, said to be Latin American and in her 30’s, was found in a Málaga street on Friday. National Police say the body, which was found in Calle Alcalde José María Carmona, showed signs of violence. They were called to the scene by a passerby at 0650am on Friday.

Police later arrested a Spanish man in his 20’s at his workplace in the city. He has not yet been named in reports, and sources close to the investigation quoted by 20minutos say the relationship between him and the victim was ‘minimal’.

An autopsy has determined that the cause of death was asphyxia.

Paul Charleston, from Leigh, was taken into custody on Mallorca in November 2008, along with another Briton, 38 year old Donna Maria Messe, of Seisdon

court case in Palma de Mallorca into a fraud where at least 35 Britons were defrauded of 6.8 million € has got underway.

The Britons were convinced to invest in a project to build 18,000 luxury flats in Bulgaria, brought into the scam by webpages and a phone campaign in 2007 and 2008. The calls were made from an office in Palma were a company was created with a legal capital of 3,000 €, and the callers used false names.

On the opening of the case on Friday, Prosecutor Pedro Horrach, asked ‘where is the money?’, saying it had ‘vanished into smoke’ in a web of companies set up in Bulgaria and Morocco, and ‘including Gibraltar and other financial havens’.

Horrach is demanding a 14 year prison sentence for the two accused, the 45 year old Briton, Paul Charleston, and the Canadian, Brian Geifing, both of whom were in court ‘elegantly dressed and handcuffed’, according to El País. Both men live on the island, drive top of the range cars, and send their children to the most expensive school in Mallorca.

Paul Charleston, from Leigh, was taken into custody on Mallorca in November 2008, along with another Briton, 38 year old Donna Maria Messe, of Seisdon, Staffordshire.

Euro Weekly News | Mijas shooting was not gang related, say family | Costa del Sol | News | The Largest English Language Newspapers in Spain

Euro Weekly News | Mijas shooting was not gang related, say family | Costa del Sol | News | The Largest English Language Newspapers in Spain: "distraught parents of 26-year-old Briton Daniel Smith who was killed last Saturday at the The Lounge bar in Riviera del Sol have criticised the media for suggesting the murder of their son was gangland related.
Today, June 11, they told this newspaper their son was killed after he intervened to help a young woman who was being bothered by the alleged murderer, and in no way was related to anything else. They say the man that was bothering the woman threatened to return, which he did, and shot their son. They also explained that Daniel tried to help customers who were at the bar at the time by clearing them out of harm’s way.
Yesterday, June 10, government minister in Malaga Hilario Lopez was reported in by Europa Press as dismissing the speculation that the incident was a settling of scores as the motive.
On Monday an Irish national was arrested in Coin suspected of being involved in the brutal attack."

Weapons found in house where Irish murder suspect arrested - The Irish Times - Thu, Jun 10, 2010

Weapons found in house where Irish murder suspect arrested - The Irish Times - Thu, Jun 10, 2010: "weapons cache during a search of the house where they arrested an Irishman suspected of shooting a man outside a Costa del Sol bar.
Detectives discovered hand grenades, detonators, ammunition and packages believed to contain explosives including dynamite, after a search of the house in Coin, southern Spain, and called in police bomb disposal experts.
Daniel Smith (24), was shot by a gunman on a motorbike on Saturday evening. The British citizen died at the scene after being shot in the head, chest and neck.
Spanish authorities yesterday said that the shooting was not believed to be linked to organised crime.
The suspect, aged 27, was arrested on Monday evening"

Express.co.uk - Home of the Daily and Sunday Express | Express Yourself :: Brits in Costa del Sol: Blood on the beaches

Express.co.uk - Home of the Daily and Sunday Express | Express Yourself :: Brits in Costa del Sol: Blood on the beaches: "Londoner Paul Feathers, 32, was stabbed to death in front of his girlfriend at his home in the down-market resort of Benalmadena. Police are still hunting two men. Then the naked body of a man was caught in offshore fishing nets on May 5. His killers cut off his hands and feet before putting a bag over his head and a heavy chain round his neck.

He was reported at the weekend to have been identified as a Brit – although the police officially say they are not sure who he was. The latest victim was British expat Daniel Smith. The 24-year-old died in a hail of bullets on Saturday night on the terrace of a bar in the popular holiday resort of Riviera del Sol, near Fuengirola.

Drinkers dived for cover as a gunman opened fire from a high-powered motorbike. The authorities said it had all the hallmarks of a gangland assassination. A 27-year-old Irishman is still being questioned about the killing and a local government spokesman has confirmed the discovery of explosives in a house where the chief suspect is believed to have been holed up.

He is also said to be linked to one of the passengers in a car which was targeted in a drive-by shooting two years ago near the resort of Estepona. Dublin gangster Paddy Doyle was shot dead in that attack. Police believe a Briton with strong contacts to the criminal underworld who is currently held in a Spanish jail is a key lynchpin linking many of these crimes."

Gambia police seize 2.5 tonnes of cocaine worth $1 billion, arrest 12 - Rest of World - World - The Times of India

Gambia police seize 2.5 tonnes of cocaine worth $1 billion, arrest 12 - Rest of World - World - The Times of India: "Gambian police seized 2.5 tonnes of cocaine bound for Europe and arrested a dozen suspected traffickers after a joint investigation with British detectives, a security source said on Tuesday.

West Africa has become a major transit point for Latin American narcotics as smugglers take advantage of generally weak surveillance in the vast region.

The cocaine, which has an estimated street value of around $1 billion, was found over the weekend hidden in a warehouse outside Gambia's capital Banjul, the source told Reuters.

He said a cache of guns and money was also seized. Gambian authorities began making arrests related to the case in mid-May and subsequently invited Britain's Serious Organised Crime Agency to help, the source said."

cryptogon.com » $1 Billion Cocaine Bust in Gambia

cryptogon.com » $1 Billion Cocaine Bust in Gambia: "Gambian and British police seized more than two tonnes of cocaine worth about one billion dollars in a small fishing village — a record haul for West Africa, officials said Wednesday.
The operation highlighted the growing popularity of West Africa for South American drug cartels.
Fifteen people — South Americans, Europeans and Africans — working under cover of a fishing company on a tiny island were arrested following raids at Bonto on the tiny island near the Gambian capital Banjul, police said.
The 2.1 tonnes of cocaine was found in an underground bunker concealed behind a false wall in a warehouse used by the fishing company.
A senior police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that four Nigerians, three Ghanaians, two Venezuelans, and three Dutch nationals were arrested on May 12 after residents of Bonto tipped off police.
The 12 suspects appeared in court on three charges of drug trafficking on Wednesday. They pleaded not guilty and were remanded in police custody, an AFP correspondent reported.
Two Gambians and a Nigerian were arrested late Tuesday and a senior police official told AFP more arrests were expected."

Jamie Daniel throws food over fellow con in rage at sentence. | News Of The World

Jamie Daniel throws food over fellow con in rage at sentence. News Of The World: "CRAZED crime boss Jamie Daniel's beef about being banged up boiled over when he threw a plate of steaming-hot stew at another inmate.
The hood's broth-chucking strop came only hours after he'd been given a year's porridge for a road-rage attack.
Last night a source revealed the 52-year-old hood was in a foul mood when he arrived back in Glasgow's tough Barlinnie nick.
'Daniel was a man possessed - swearing and snarling like a wildman"