Morocco arrests recruiters for Iraq-Syria fighting

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Morocco's Interior Ministry says it has dismantled a cell recruiting Moroccans to fight for extremist groups in Iraq and Syria. Wednesday's statement said six men were arrested in the central city of Fez, including one who had previously been detained under the terrorism law. While Morocco has been largely spared the terrorist attacks striking elsewhere in North Africa, police frequently report dismantling cells sending fighters to hotspots like Mali and Syria. The statement warned that many of the fighters hope to return after being trained, to carry out attacks in Morocco. Police say 900 Moroccans are fighting in Syria and 100 have been arrested upon their return. Other recruitment cells were dismantled last May in the Spanish enclave of Melilla and in Fez.

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Two men captured in a joint operation by Gibraltar police and the Guardia Civil have been sentenced in court with a series of offences

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Two men captured in a joint operation by Gibraltar police and the Guardia Civil have been sentenced in court with a series of offences. In a rare instance of cross-border co-operation both forces worked together to capture a suspected drug smuggling operation. Spanish authorities requested help intercepting a suspicious vessel, 10 metre long and powered by twin 250 horsepower outboard engines, heading towards Europa Point. The Guardia Civil had challenged the high performance sports vessel off the coast of Morocco and suspected that bales of cannabis resin had been thrown overboard. A Gibraltar police vessel then intercepted the boat in British waters off Eastern Beach.

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Three years for Competa killing

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A MAN, who threw British man Stephen Mallon to his death in Competa in 2009, has been sentenced to three years in prison. Jose Jimenez Martin, 28, was convicted of manslaughter sparing him a 15-year sentence for murder. Mallon, 49, died after being beaten and pushed off a four-metre high ledge by a group of up to 40 men in a fight. Jimenez has also been ordered to pay €120,000 to Mr. Mallon’s widow, and €90,000 each to his three children.

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Marbella has steadily climbed the tourism rankings and is now one of Europe’s top holiday spots

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Marbella has steadily climbed the tourism rankings and is now one of Europe’s top holiday spots – and has of course become a celebrity magnet, attracting everyone from Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly to Princess Diana and the Goldsmiths - to more recently, Roman Abramovich and Michelle Obama and of course we have to mention the cast of The Only Way is Essex (TOWIE) – from where the phrase “[no carbs before] Marbs” originated.   TripAdvisor rated the resort among one of the ten best destinations in Spain this year and Marbella is one of the only two Spanish resorts nominated for best European beach destination in the 2014 World Travel Awards. Confirming its popularity, winter tourism was the busiest for several years and Easter visitors reached figures not seen since 2007. On the back of the huge influx of tourists so far this year, city businesses are expecting the best summer on record. But Marbella isn’t just about holidays – it’s also one of the most popular places in Spain for relocation. Nearly 40,000 of the 142,000 inhabitants are foreigners (from 137 different nationalities with a British majority) and this number gets bigger every year. What has this southern Spanish resort got that makes it so popular?   Top of everyone’s list has to be the weather – 320 plus days of sunshine a year appeal to anyone – and of course, the outdoor lifestyle that goes with it. But there’s much more to Marbella than just a great climate. Plenty to do is another attraction and importantly for residents, this happens all year round. “It’s the only resort city on the Mediterranean with a true 12-month season where they don’t roll up the sidewalks in the winter,” says Christopher Clover of Panorama (panorama.es), Savills’ new associate. Bar the beach clubs, you’ll find practically everything in Marbella open all year. And for everything, read one of Spain’s largest shopping centres, 15 golf courses, four marinas, over 600 restaurants (three with Michelin stars to their name), numerous clinics and hospitals, 10 international schools, 16 miles of beaches…

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THOUSANDS of homes could be at risk of demolition for being illegally built. Malaga provincial government has calculated that there are more than 90,000 homes in Andalucia that are incorrectly registered

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THOUSANDS of homes could be at risk of demolition for being illegally built. Malaga provincial government has calculated that there are more than 90,000 homes in Andalucia that are incorrectly registered or that could not be registered due to being built illegally on land which was not for construction purposes. Mayors from 10 of Malaga’s municipalities, among them Marbella and Fuengirola, have been given a list of buildings which should not have been built. It is now up to each individual council to decide what to do about the situation. Just in the province of Malaga there are 3,101 constructions which may be deemed illegal and knocked down, as happened to the pictured house in the Andalucian town of Cantoria. Elias bendodo, president of the Diputacion, commented that there were a lot more than he was expecting but added that many of them, up to 80 per cent in his opinion, could be “regularised” and would only have to pay a fine instead of being knocked down. Others, commented Bendodo, were on land that was too close to the beach or in contrast with planning regulations and would have to go altogether. Bendodo promised that each case would be studied individually by the councils and a decision would be reached with the help of the Diputacion.

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Spain's Princess Cristina moves closer to corruption trial

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After her brother was proclaimed king, a Spanish judge upheld fraud and money-laundering charges against Princess Cristina on Wednesday, paving the way for a historic trial that could further damage the royal family's reputation. If convicted, Infanta Cristina could face 11 years behind bars. She and her husband, Iñaki Urdangarin, have been under investigation for years on suspicion of embezzling public money through charitable foundations they ran. Cristina testified before a judge on the Spanish island of Mallorca in February. CAPTION Spain's new king Andres Kudacki / Associated Press King Felipe VI waves as the royal family arrives at parliament in Madrid. With the king are Queen Letizia and princesses Leonor, bottom left, and Sofia. At far left is Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. CAPTION Spain's new king Christopher Furlong / Getty Images Supporters of the new king show their colors in Madrid. CAPTION Spain's new king Christopher Furlong / Getty Images Wellwishers gather at the Royal Palace in Madrid. CAPTION Spain's new king Gerard Julien / AFP/ Getty Images King Juan Carlos and Crown Prince Felipe talk at the Royal Palace in Madrid during enactment of a law bringing about Juan Carlos' abdication. CAPTION Spain's new king Christopher Furlong / Getty Images Wellwishers gather at the Royal Palace in Madrid before the new king's official swearing-in ceremony. On Wednesday, that same court formalized charges of money laundering and tax fraud against the princess and nine other counts against her husband, and recommended they go on trial. Lawyers for the couple can still appeal those charges. No trial date has been set. Cristina, 49, is one of King Felipe VI's two older sisters. She was conspicuously absent last week from the ceremonies celebrating her brother's formal accession to the throne that their father, Juan Carlos, occupied for nearly four decades. lRelated EUROPE Felipe VI proclaimed king of Spain in a no-frills ceremony SEE ALL RELATED 8 Last year, Cristina was cut from the royal household's budget, and any mention of her husband was removed from the Royal Palace's website. The couple lives in Geneva with their four children. Cristina remains sixth in line to the Spanish throne. Any trial is likely to add to the negative publicity surrounding the royal family, which has been hit by scandals that have tarnished its image. Polls show that more than half of Spaniards say they are in favor of a referendum on whether to scrap the monarchy and become a republic. Related story: Princess testifies in first criminal case against Spanish royalty Lauren Frayer

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