Spaniards Ivan Valea and Julia Fernandez have been accused of smuggling an alleged 300kg of cocaine.

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Spaniards Ivan Valea and Julia Fernandez have been accused of smuggling an alleged 300kg of cocaine. 
ACCUSED drug smugglers Ivan Valea and Julia Fernandez were the life of a pirate party at Bundaberg marina only a few nights before they were arrested in one of Australia's biggest cocaine busts.

Fellow yachties say the fun-loving Spanish couple gave no hint that they were allegedly part of an international crime syndicate, with Gold Coast links, during their three-week stay at the marina on board their boat Friday Freedom.

Carousing with other boaties who had sailed alongside them from Port Vila to Bundaberg in the annual Port2Port Yacht Rally, Valea, 35, and Fernandez, 37, were hardly keeping a low profile for two people with an alleged cargo of 300kg of cocaine worth up to $120 million hidden in their hull.Hamming it up for the camera, Valea even won the award for best costume at the rally's pirate party last week.

"They were very, very nice people," Bundaberg Yacht Club president Lesley Grimminck told The Courier-Mail yesterday. "They came to just about all our functions and we never suspected a thing. Everyone was just blown away when we found out."


Ms Grimminck said Friday Freedom was one of 85 boats in the rally fleet which arrived in Bundaberg on October 20.

She said Ms Fernandez spoke no English and Mr Valea interpreted for her at functions held at Bundaberg marina.

"We didn't have a clue they were up to no good," Ms Grimminck said. "The first I knew about it was on Saturday morning when all hell broke loose at the marina. There were police and Customs officers everywhere and they turned the boat upside down."

The couple, along with alleged cocaine syndicate kingpin Jose Herrero-Calvo, 38, of Sydney, and Miguel Angel Sanchez Barrocal, 39, of the Gold Coast, were arrested in Bundaberg at the weekend over what Australian Federal Police said was the fifth biggest drugs bust in the nation's history.

The AFP said cocaine with a wholesale value of $78 million was seized in raids that also netted $3.5 million in cash, including almost $300,000 at a Surfers Paradise residence.

Ms Fernandez was in tears when the four Spanish nationals briefly faced Bundaberg Magistrates Court yesterday. All were remanded in custody until their next court appearance in January.

The Friday Freedom, a 17m steel ketch, had been under surveillance since September as part of a 10-month investigation. Codenamed Operation Avalon, the probe began as a money-laundering investigation in February after the AFP received intelligence on large amounts of cash being sent overseas.

Queensland police and Customs officials joined federal agents in the investigation and tracked the Friday Freedom after it left Port Vila for Bundaberg.

Authorities swooped on Bundaberg marina after Mr Herrero-Calvo and Mr Barrocal allegedly drove from the Gold Coast to Bundaberg last Friday and removed 100kg of cocaine from the vessel in two suitcases. They were arrested on Friday night after allegedly driving off in two hire cars with their huge stash.

Assistant Commissioner Kevin Zuccato, the AFP's national manager of serious and organised crime, said syndicate members had been "very patient", waiting three weeks to begin moving the cocaine after the Friday Freedom docked in Bundaberg.

Mr Valea and Ms Fernandez were arrested on Friday Freedom and the remaining drugs, believed to have originated from South America, were located in the boat's bilge, wrapped in black plastic and tape to keep them dry.

The four Spaniards face life imprisonment if convicted.

Spain's right is romping towards a record win in general elections on Sunday

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Spain's right is romping towards a record win in general elections on Sunday, polls agree, as voters lash the ruling Socialists for welfare cuts and a 22.5-percent jobless rate.

After more than seven years of Socialist government and three years of economic crisis, the 36-million-strong electorate has turned.

The opposition conservative Popular Party, led by 56-year-old Mariano Rajoy, seems headed for victory on a scale unprecedented since Spain returned to democracy after the death of General Francisco Franco in 1975.

A total 45.4 percent of voters back the Popular Party compared to just 30.9 percent for the Socialists, said a survey of 9 675 people by Metroscopia in the centre-left daily El Pais.

That would give the Popular Party 192-196 lawmakers, an absolute majority of the 350-seat lower house Congress of Deputies.

A poll by Sigma for centre-right daily El Mundo gave 47.6 percent to the Popular Party and 29.8 percent to the Socialists. Such a result would deliver a historic 198 seats to the Popular Party.

The Socialists' 60-year-old standard bearer Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba has put on a brave face but for months there has been little doubt in Spain about the election outcome.

After coming to power in 2004 in the midst of a property boom, the Socialists presided over the 2008 housing bubble collapse, which plunged Spain into recession and destroyed millions of jobs.

In the third quarter of 2011 the jobless rate was 21.52 percent overall, and 45.8 percent for under 25s. A total of nearly five million people were out of work.

After the eurozone storm swept aside the Italian and Greek governments, the Spanish Socialists are all but certain to be next to fall, said politics professor Anton Losada of Santiago de Compostela University.

"This crisis devours whoever governs, right or left, because governing in these past four years in Europe has meant giving bad news, every day, to everyone," he added.

"The simple fact of being in government transforms you into a candidate for defeat."

Austerity measures announced since May 2010, such as a five-percent salary cut for civil servants, a pension freeze and raising the retirement age from 65 to 67, fed widespread discontent.

The result was the "indignant" protest movement denouncing poverty, political corruption and the power of bankers.

A week ahead of the election, the movement that mobilised tens of thousands of people in spring mounted only a modest demonstration on Sunday in Madrid, perhaps a sign of voters' resignation.

"Whoever we vote for, the markets will come in afterwards and do what they did in Italy and Greece, put in who they choose," said Concepcion Gomez, a 57-year-old female protester.

The grim outlook has eclipsed all other electoral debate, with the economy showing no growth in the third quarter and threatening to slip back into recession.

Under the slogan "Join the Change", Rajoy has denounced the economic credentials of the government of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who has decided not to run again.

The Socialists' Rubalcaba has tried to paint himself as the defender of public services such as health and education, already subject to cuts in regions run by the right.

"The key, fundamental factor is the crisis, which has let to a complete loss of confidence in Zapatero," said political analyst Josep Ramoneda, pointing to the first austerity plan of May 2010 as the start of the slide.

Besides the Socialist Party and the Popular Party, about 20 other regional and national parties contest Sunday's vote. But many of them stand no chance because of a complex system favouring big and regional parties

Spain's debt risk premium shot to a record high Monday as financial markets turned their fire on the crisis-hit economy

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Spain's debt risk premium shot to a record high Monday as financial markets turned their fire on the crisis-hit economy six days before a general election.

Spain had appeared to have largely escaped the wrath of the markets, consumed by an unravelling Greek rescue plan and political chaos in debt-burdened Italy.

But less than a week before November 20 general elections, widely expected to deliver a landslide victory to the opposition conservative Popular Party, Spain's government bonds took a hit.

The risk premium, the extra return investors demand to buy Spanish 10-year government bonds over comparable safe-haven German debt, hit a euro era record of 4.30 percentage points.

The 10-year Spanish government bond yield broke the 6.0-percent barrier for the first time since August, bad timing for Spain which holds bond auctions this week to raise up to 7.5 billion euros ($10 billion).

The Spanish stock market's IBEX-35 index of leading shares dropped 2.15 percent to close at 8,372.2 points.

"In the past few weeks Spain got through these tensions with greater calm than other countries that were in the eye of cyclone such as Italy," said French bank Natixis' southern Europe analyst Jesus Castillo.

"It is because there is a real process of rebalancing of public finances that is going on," he said.

The eurozone crisis was clearly not confined to one or two countries, analysts said.

"We can see that we are not dealing just with Italy," said brokerage IG Markets's analyst Soledad Pellon.

"There is a massive contagion effect."

Swiss bank UBS had already warned in a report issued Friday that the market attitude to Spain was fairly optimistic when compared to Italy and could change "in the next months, or weeks".

Just a few days later, Spain's bonds were hammered.

Despite Greece and Italy installing new governments to fight debt and reassure investors, the latest attacks were a reminder that the fragile economies of the eurozone remained in the firing line.

Spain's general elections were brought forward from March 2012 partly as a response to the market pressure against the ruling Socialist government, Pellon said.

The right, which has promised a new austerity programme, is expected to storm to victory by a record margin, with an absolute majority in parliament and the ability to ram through reforms almost at will.

But first investors want to see if Spain really wants to change its situation, and they are putting on the pressure early, Pellon said.

Confronted by Greece, Italy and now Spain, "the markets don't want any of these three countries to go to sleep, they want them to carry on along the road they have taken," she said.

Those concerns may be felt this week when the Spanish Treasury seeks to auction up to 3.5 billion euros in 12- and 18-month bills Tuesday and up to 4.0 billion euros in 10-year bonds on Thursday.

UBS analysts said there were three good reasons to be worried about the Spanish economy:

- The concern that Spain, struggling with weak economic growth, may miss its targets of cutting the public deficit from 9.3 percent of gross domestic product last year to 6.0 percent this year, and 4.4 percent in 2012;

-- The widely cited risk that Spain's stalled economy may fall into recession next year;

-- And the prospect of more state money being needed to help Spain's banks, which still carry on their books masses of bad loans from the 2008 property bubble collapse

I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! contestant Freddie Starr has been taken to hospital after suffering a severe allergic reaction in the jungle

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I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! contestant Freddie Starr has been taken to hospital after suffering a severe allergic reaction in the jungle. According to the Daily Mail, Starr started feeling sick after completing the Greasy Spoon Bushtucker trial with The Only Way Is Essex star Mark Wright and doctors were called to assess the 68-year old's condition. An ITV spokesman has since confirmed the comedian's illness, stating: "Freddie Starr was taken unwell in the jungle. He was immediately attended to by on-site medics and taken to hospital where he was assessed by doctors." They added: "He will remain in hospital overnight as a precaution, and further tests continue. However, Freddie is in great spirits and keeping nursing staff entertained." A show-insider Down Under also explained to the newspaper that Starr's bout of ill-health has nothing to do with his well-documented heart problems, explaining: "Doctors have told us that it’s highly unlikely that what’s happened is related to any pre-existing condition, cardiac or otherwise." "They think he’s had a severe allergic reaction, but they may not be able to pinpoint the cause. The reaction could be due to a spider bite, he might have reacted badly to a leech or a tic, or even a snake he hadn’t noticed." They continued: "He might have reacted badly to the bark of a tree he leant on, or a leaf he touched in passing. Doctors are testing all of these things. The jungle is an alien environment for most of us, but the show is always prepared for all eventualities and this is no exception." "The unpredictability of the jungle is what sets this programme apart from other shows. The element of jeopardy is always there. However, the  celebs are watched 24-hours a day by a huge team of people." The Mail's source added: "There are dozens of cameras on the celebs, as well as 24-hour security in the camp and a huge crew around them. There are also on-site medics around the clock." As for weather the gruesome bug eating task was to blame, the mole claimed: "The foods are all tested on people before they reach the celebrities." "Extreme precautions are taken and bush tucker like the cockroaches are all bred hygienically. It’s unlikely that this is the cause of his reaction, but tests are continuing and we can't rule out anything."

I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! contestant Freddie Starr has been taken to hospital after suffering a severe allergic reaction in the jungle. According to the Daily Mail, Starr started feeling sick after completing the Greasy Spoon Bushtucker trial with The Only Way Is Essex star Mark Wright and doctors were called to assess the 68-year old's condition. An ITV spokesman has since confirmed the comedian's illness, stating: "Freddie Starr was taken unwell in the jungle. He was immediately attended to by on-site medics and taken to hospital where he was assessed by doctors." They added: "He will remain in hospital overnight as a precaution, and further tests continue. However, Freddie is in great spirits and keeping nursing staff entertained." A show-insider Down Under also explained to the newspaper that Starr's bout of ill-health has nothing to do with his well-documented heart problems, explaining: "Doctors have told us that it’s highly unlikely that what’s happened is related to any pre-existing condition, cardiac or otherwise." "They think he’s had a severe allergic reaction, but they may not be able to pinpoint the cause. The reaction could be due to a spider bite, he might have reacted badly to a leech or a tic, or even a snake he hadn’t noticed." They continued: "He might have reacted badly to the bark of a tree he leant on, or a leaf he touched in passing. Doctors are testing all of these things. The jungle is an alien environment for most of us, but the show is always prepared for all eventualities and this is no exception." "The unpredictability of the jungle is what sets this programme apart from other shows. The element of jeopardy is always there. However, the  celebs are watched 24-hours a day by a huge team of people." The Mail's source added: "There are dozens of cameras on the celebs, as well as 24-hour security in the camp and a huge crew around them. There are also on-site medics around the clock." As for weather the gruesome bug eating task was to blame, the mole claimed: "The foods are all tested on people before they reach the celebrities." "Extreme precautions are taken and bush tucker like the cockroaches are all bred hygienically. It’s unlikely that this is the cause of his reaction, but tests are continuing and we can't rule out anything."

Phone hacking: the names of nearly 30 News International staff appear in Glenn Mulcaire's notebooks

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Phone hacking: the names of nearly 30 News International staff appear in Glenn Mulcaire's notebooks, the Leveson inquiry has heard. Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

investigations taking place across the country have questioned possible suspects, taken DNA samples and, in some cases, have exhumed the graves of the babies whose parents were told they had died.

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Many of the alleged crimes took place decades ago and will The Attorney General, Cándido Conde-Pumpido - EFE archive

however have to be archived for lack of evidence.

The Attorney General, Cándido Conde-Pumpido, confirmed on Monday that state prosecutors are investigating more than one thousand cases of stolen babies, children who were taken from their mothers at birth and given to other families to bring up.

The biological parents were told that their new-born child had died.

Speaking in Palma on Monday, the Attorney General said that, given how far back in time the investigations must go, it is a complicated process to unearth any evidence in many of the cases and some will however have to be archived for lack of proof.

The investigations taking place across the country have questioned possible suspects, taken DNA samples and, in some cases, have exhumed the graves of the babies whose parents were told they had died.

Waiter found guilty of killing Ukrainian call-girl in Mijas

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THE man charged with killing and dismembering a Ukrainian call-girl in Mijas in April last year has been found guilty. The public prosecution was asking for 14 years for manslaughter and five months for desecration of the body. Alla Mefodova, 36, disappeared in Fuengirola, and police only recovered the remains of her hands. DNA tests confirmed they belonged to her. The man confessed that he had been out drinking on the night of April 5, 2010, and enlisted the services of a call-girl who identified herself as Bianca. It was the six calls he made to her phone which led police to him. He told the police they were together at his house for several hours during which they drunk a bottle of whisky and took cocaine. He claimed they began to argue, probably about money. He says that he fell asleep and doesn’t remember how the woman died, but admitted that when he saw she was dead, he went into shock, considering calling the police or committing suicide, but that instead, he took her personal belongings and clothes and burned them. Later, he bought a saw, cut her body into pieces and put them into bags which he dumped in rubbish containers in the area. He claimed to have fainted several times in the process. The waiter from Castilla-La Mancha had no criminal record and had never been accused of violent behaviour. Just a month earlier, Alla had managed to bring her 17-year-old son to Spain, after leaving him with her mother in the Ukraine when he was just seven years old. He and a close friend reported her missing.

London’s newest and most fashionable hotel bling is Whitehall’s Corinthia Hotel

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Hotels have become the newest and most luxurious of flaunt-able accessories.

Fashion houses, celebrities and the anonymous super rich want to own them and the rest of us just want to say we’ve stayed there.

London’s newest and most fashionable hotel bling is Whitehall’s Corinthia Hotel: a shiny new bauble of a five star property ensconced in a hallowed vintage building that once housed the UFO wing of MI6 (it’s true, I heard it from the hotel’s concierge). The heart of the hotel is the dome-covered lobby lounge, dressed to the 9′s with a “Full Moon” chandelier by Parisian designer Chafik Gasmi. You want to talk bling; this baby has over 1,001 twinkling crystals winking seductively as government officials, embassy big wigs and arm candy girlfriends sip gin and tonics or take afternoon tea with cucumber sandwiches below.

Upstairs the rooms are lush, Frette linen-wrapped and full of fab extras like Hi Definition TV in the marble bathroom, super sleek electronic hook ups and my favorite: ESPA soaps, scrubs and shampoos in the walk in shower. ESPA fans will want to make a pilgrimage to the hotel just for the new ESPA Life SPA that covers four floors and includes an indoor pool, a vitality pool and–wait for it–an ice fountain.

Downstairs, the hotel’s two restaurants: Northhall and Massimo and the Bassoon Bar are abuzz with London’s Yummy Mummies, MP’s who work nearby and “Dragon’s Den”-like entrepreneurs who clearly feel the Corinthia is the fashion accessory of the moment. Dinining in Northhall is like a trip back in time to the glory days of the Empire with dishes on hand like Goosnargh Duck with Dauphinoise and Buttered Beans and St. Ives Seamed Lemon Sole with Cockles and Clams.

Notwithstanding all the shiny toys to play with, the Corinthia is grounded in luxe hotel 101: spot on service, quality product and a graciousness that reminds one of the old saying attributed to old school Ritz-Carlton staff: “We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen.”

Casares actually inherited its name from Julius Caesar, who is said to have ridden himself of a nasty skin complaint thanks to his visit to the Hedionda baths

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For here, in this sleepy, undeveloped valley is the still-standing Roman bathhouse, where it is said Caesar himself once bathed around 60 BC.

Having survived for over 2000 years, it is a privileged place to spend an hour and the perfect reminder of the rich heritage that has been left on the Andalucian coastline by a succession of marauding cultures.

Casares actually inherited its name from Julius Caesar, who is said to have ridden himself of a nasty skin complaint thanks to his visit to the Hedionda baths, which literally translate as ‘foul-smelling woman’.

But these days there is nothing foul about the classic ‘white town’, which was first shaped by the Romans and later the Moors, who inhabited the region for over 700 years.

Perched on a rocky outcrop and pouring down two sides of a ridge, this most spectacular of Spanish towns looks impressive from every side.

A photographer’s dream, few towns can compare in terms of subject matter.

Backed by the soaring peaks of the Sierra Crestellina, and views towards the Med and Africa, Casares is also blessed with fabulous walks and wildlife, including a colony of vultures and other rare birds, including eagles.

An enterprising company has recently produced an excellent map of the nearby walks, one of which ascends straight out of the village on a steep path into the verdent hills.

Up here the views stretch all the way to Gibraltar and Africa and you will find yourself completely on your own. Well apart from the odd sheep or goat.

In fact, the town is fast becoming known for its excellent goats cheese and yoghurts. Award-winning Quesos Crestellina produces a fantastic range of organic cheeses from its herd of 400 goats that spend the day up on the peaks.

A family-run affair which dates back over a century, owners Ana and Juan run a tight ship aided by their son Juan, who does all the marketing.

“We sell the cheese all over Spain and yoghurts to the local school, as well as the five star Finca Cortesin hotel,” explains Ana, whose shop also stocks some of the region’s best quality local produce.

Head up into the village for a general wander, in particular admiring the labyrinthine Arabic quarter, with its narrow streets and low rise houses. The most impressive part is the Alcazar (or fortress) at the top of the town, first built by the Romans and later strengthened by the Moors.

From here you have spectacular views and an attractive 16th century church that has been recently renovated.

On your way down take a look out for the street Calle Carrera, where one of Andalucia’s heroes Blas Infante was born. Infante, who was shot during the Civil War, was the man who planned, forged and declared Andalucian independence (in nearby Ronda, for history buffs), before being killed at the age of 41.

Nearby Manilva also has its fair share of history. This is clear from the huge expanse of ruins – much of them Roman – that lie, largely ignored, next to the fortress at Manilva port, known as Duquesa.

It is an interesting area, including a bath house, villas and a necropolis, most of which was discovered in the late 1980s, and which one hopes will be properly excavated in the near future.

The fort itself is well worth a poke around. Built in the 1760s to protect the town against continual incursions by pirates, it is incredibly solid and earnt its builder Francisco Paulino a title and the honour of commanding a cavalry company.

It is here where the town hall of Manilva has its archaeological team, which has recently been busy investigating an exciting Roman discovery in the town.

The substantial remains of a kiln dating back to 2AD are in a good condition and were found alongside a series of fragments of pottery.

It is thought the unique design may be the only existing example in Spain and could serve as further evidence of the town’s key role in exporting ‘garum’, one of the most popular products during Roman times.

Then known as Saltum, Manilva became famous for the delicacy, a pungent paste made from fish guts.

Exported to the Eternal City of Rome via boat, it needed to be stored in well-made pots, called amphoras. And it now seems likely that the recently discovered kiln may be where these were made on an almost industrial scale.

While the centre of Manilva is not of great interest, one of the things you cannot fail to miss is the large amount of vineyards clinging to the steep slopes that drop away from the town.

Mostly Moscatel, the vines are largely for growing grapes for raisins, although in recent years there has been an attempt to return to winemaking, with some astonishingly good dessert wine.

“We have seen a lot more people interested in buying the sweet wines over the last few years,” explains local shopkeeper Maria Esteban, who sells the wine, plus a lot more local produce from her unmissable shop Frutas Pascal y Hijos on a bend on the way into town.

Work to build the new terminal on the Gibraltar side of the border is practically complete

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The joint use of the airport was agreed back in 2006

The Gibraltar border - EFE

 

The Gibraltar Government has met its obligations under the Tripartite Agreement made with the UK and Spain in Córdoba in September 2006 regarding joint use of the airport.

Work to build the new terminal on the Gibraltar side of the border is practically complete with just a freight warehouse still under construction along with facilities for private planes.

But on the Spanish side there is still a lack of agreement between AENA, the Spanish Airports Authority, and the La Línea de la Concepción Town Hall on the concession of the land which will allow the construction of the Spanish terminal. 

The Gibraltar side has spent 67 million € according to El País which notes the budget for the Spanish side is just seven million.

Gibraltar First Minister, Peter Caruana, has said there will be a gradual move to the new facilities this month.

The Spanish side is awaiting a deal for the re-establishment of flights to Madrid, or even other Spanish airports. Caruana considers that new airlines and flights will be established when the facilities are completed, and the tunnel being built under the runway is completed so traffic no longer will have to be stopped for every take off or landing.

La Linea says they want to start building as soon as possible, with plans for a three story terminal over 2,000 m2, with parking for between 300 and 400 cars. The Town Hall plans to run the car park to generate income as part of the deal with AENA. Once that deal is agreed, it’s hoped in a few days, construction will take about 12 months, and only when completed will Spain have complied with the agreement made in Córdoba back in 2006.

Too many of our gangland criminals are sitting in places like Marbella and Amsterdam, leading the rich life.

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Too many of our gangland criminals are sitting in places like Marbella and Amsterdam, leading the rich life. An initiative I instigated at European level is to try and ensure the CAB model is replicated in every European country so we have a framework in place," he said. "Those engaged in gangland in Ireland who have used their assets to acquire properties abroad will discover there's no hiding place. We'll have sister organisations in every EU country who we can rely on to secure the assets of those who have gained from their criminality." And he pledged to continue to support the work of the Garda in continuing to tackle criminals who have ruined so many lives. COMPLACENT "They have no respect for human life and that lack of respect extends to the products they sell -- the drugs they bring to the street are destroying lives in our cities and towns," he continued. "They have done it over the decades, they continue to do it and they have no concern for the lives they're destroying. "It's my job to ensure that An Garda Siochana have the resources and the support from all political parties on all levels in the work they do." He was speaking at the launch of Paul Williams' new book Badfellas which was launched at the Harcourt Hotel last night. But he said he could "never be complacent" about the fight against organised criminality. "Unfortunately as one gang disappears and a group is sentenced to long terms of imprisonment, there always seems to be another group to fill their space," he added.

National Police agents have broken up an organization dedicated to the sexual exploitation of Nigerian women in Almeria

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National Police agents have broken up an organization dedicated to the sexual exploitation of Nigerian women in Almeria. Girls were forced into prostitution by threats, which included alleged practices of voodoo or abduction of family members. Ten people have been arrested in the Andalusian village of Roquetas de Mar in a raid in which seizures also included 20,000 euros in cash, a large number of passports of women from sub-Saharan origin and documentation relating to their criminal activity on the site of the Yegua Verde. The investigation began in late 2010 when police discovered the existence of a group of victims who had all been sexually exploited by the organization. The network, now dismantled, had been bringing women from Nigeria since 2005 and then the introducing them illegally into Spain before forcing them into prostitution. The organization, members of which were all Nigerian nationals, recruited women in various towns in Nigeria. The recruitment was carried out by relatives of the leaders of the organization. They also formed an association to attract women, called "The Nigerian Women’s Progressive Movement", through which they had even applied for grants from the Junta de Andalucía, although this was not granted. The women arrived in Spain by boat having spent many days walking through African deserts.  The victims were transported by land with false documents from Nigeria to Morocco, crossing through many other African countries such as Benin, Niger, Mali and Algeria. Once on the Moroccan coast, the organization made contact with citizens of Morocco, who in exchange for large sums of money, provided them with places on a boat which made the journey across to the peninsula. During this journey which could often last several months, the girls suffered numerous tragedies. After crossing the strait, and once in Spain, the network took many of the victims to Roquetas de Mar (Almería) where they were forced into prostitution with constant beatings and threats. Among the forms used by the criminals to coerce the women were included alleged practices of voodoo by which method they were made toto submit their will to the control of the organization. They were also threatened with the kidnap of their families in Spain and Nigeria. Debts of up to 50,000 euros The women were forced to work for more than two years until they eventually obtained freedom having paid of debt which could easily amount to 50,000 euros, although, depending on how the victims might behave they would often find the cost of their living expenses, clothing or other support dramatically increased. As a result of painstaking research, carried out by a National Police operation in Roquetas de Mar ten members of the network, six men and four women, have now been arrested and charged. In addition, agents found four homes and a brothel located in the Paraje de la Yegua Verde where they also found involved 20,000 euros in cash, numerous sub-Saharan women's passports, a large amount of documentation relating to the sexual exploitation of the women and various instruments of voodoo. The Police were assisted in their investigation by members of the Central UCRIF led by the Commissioner General of Immigration and Borders at the Provincial Police Station UCRIF Almeria.

two Ferraris in one, with all the extra opportunities for enjoyment that brings

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Ricky Martin and Benicio del Toro now have Spanish nationality.

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The concessions were granted by the Spanish cabinet on Friday

Benicio del Toro and Ricky Martin - Archive photos EFE

Ricky Martin granted Spanish citizenship

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Puerto Rican pop singer Ricky Martin was given Spanish citizenship today, the country’s government said. The star, who came out in 2009 reportedly wants to take advantage of Spain’s gay marriage laws. Spokesman Jose Blanco told a news conference that ministers had agreed to grant him a “letter of naturalization”, issued in special circumstances, because of his “personal and professional links with Spain”. Spanish newspaper El Pais reported that Martin sought citizenship in order to marry boyfriend Carlos Gonzalez Abella, with whom he is bringing up his twin three-year-old sons. Spain passed legislation allowing same-sex marriages in 2005, only the third country to do so at the time, with 20,000 gay couples entering into marriage since. Appearing on the Larry King show last year, he had said: “I would get married… There are many countries around the world where same-sex marriage is a right. Not in Puerto Rico, unfortunately. And not in many states in America. “Yes, we could go to Spain and get married. We can go to Argentina and get married. But why do we have to go somewhere else? Why can’t I do it in my country where the laws are – you know, protecting me?” He added: “I can go to Spain. I have many friends in Spain. And get married. And make it very beautiful and symbolic. But… I [can't] do it in the backyard of my house. I want to have that option. I don’t want to be a second class citizen anymore. I pay my taxes. Why can’t I have that right?

Robert Dawes was finally arrested in Dubai on an international warrant but is now living free on the Costa del Sol.

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Italy government hangs by thread as coalition crumbles

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Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's fate hung by a thread Friday and desertions from his crumbling centre-right coalition may have already robbed him of the parliamentary numbers he needs to survive. Berlusconi, caught in the crossfire from European powers and a party revolt at home, agreed at a G20 summit in France to IMF monitoring of economic reforms which he has long promised but failed to implement. But this may soon be irrelevant for the Italian leader, who will return to Rome later Friday to face what looks increasingly like a deadly rebellion by his own supporters. With financial markets in turmoil over the situation in Greece and Italy viewed as the next domino to fall in the euro zone crisis, calls are mounting for a new government to carry through reforms convincing enough to regain international confidence. Berlusconi has consistently rejected calls to resign and says the only alternative to him is an early election next spring, rather than the technocrat or national unity government urged by many politicians and commentators. Yields on 10-year Italian bonds reached 6.36 percent by early afternoon, creeping closer to 7 percent, a level which could trigger a so-called "buyers' strike" where investors take fright and refuse to buy the paper. Two deputies from Berlusconi's PDL party this week defected to the centrist UDC, taking his support in the 630-seat lower house of parliament to 314 compared with the 316 he needed to win a confidence vote last month. But at least seven other former loyalists have called for a new government and could vote against the 75-year-old media magnate. "The (ruling) majority seems to be dissolving like a snowman in spring," said respected commentator Stefano Folli in the financial daily Il Sole 24 Ore. Other commentators spoke of an "inexorable" revolt against Berlusconi. Even Defence Ministry undersecretary Guido Crosetto, a Berlusconi loyalist, said on television: "I don't know how many days or weeks the government has left. Certainly a majority relying on a few votes cannot continue for long." PATRONAGE Berlusconi, one of Italy's richest men, still has significant powers of patronage and he and his closest aides are expected to spend the weekend trying to win back support for a parliamentary showdown Tuesday. Some rebels have already threatened to vote against Berlusconi in the vote to sign off on the 2010 budget. Berlusconi faced concerted calls to resign when he lost a previous vote on this routine measure, which was almost unprecedented. Although it is not a confidence motion, he would come under huge pressure if he suffered a second defeat. "Unpopular prescriptions are necessary and this challenge cannot be faced with a 51 percent government," said UDC leader Pier Ferdinando Casini, in a reference to Berlusconi's weakness and a widespread feeling that the reforms can only be passed with a broad consensus. The premier has promised European leaders that he will call a formal confidence motion within 15 days to pass amendments to a budget bill incorporating new measures to stimulate growth and cut Italy's huge debt. That will be in the Senate where he has a more solid majority but it could still bring him down. Berlusconi, beset by a string of sex scandals and court cases, has consistently resisted pressure from groups ranging from a powerful business lobby to the Catholic Church to stand down.

The Sierra de la Nieves is surrounded by a belt of nine villages

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Numerically speaking, the invertebrates are the largest group to be found in one area. One such creature worthy of special mention by virtue of both its peculiarity and its heavy dependance on the Spanish fir for its survival is the small butterfly known as the Dioryctria.

Its geological complexity means that the area is home to a number of sharply contrasting landscapes. So, on the one hand we have the white limestone rock of the Sierras Blancas, karstic formations, teeming with canyons, caves, galleries and potholes, and on the other, the red of the Sierra Bermejas. The former is home to two of the deepest potholes in Andalusia which are also among the largest in Europe: GESM and El Aire.

The pinsapo, as it is known in Spanish, is a conifer belonging to the fir tree family whose origins date back to the end of the last glacier period and which is considered the oldest of all the indigenous Mediterranean firs. The Sierra de la Nieves is home to the largest concentration of this botanical treasure to be found anywhere in the world. This ancient tree, whose cross shaped branches were once carried as amulets during Corpus Christi processions, is notable for its characteristic pyramidal form, its greyish, slightly cracked bark and its smallm stiff leaves.