costadelsol.st - News - Costa del Sol: "The two accused were just 18 when the crime was committed
According to press reports the two young men accused of killing a man and throwing his body over a bridge were convicted on charges of murder by the Court of Malaga

It is understood from the reports that they were sentenced to 15 years in prison for the crime of murder and steeling a vehicle in which they escaped from the scene.

The case relates to the killing of a man in 2005 . In the case the victim was strangled with a cord and then had a plastic bag put over his head before been thrown onto the A-7 motorway in Arroyo Vaquero of the town of Estepona"

Man arrested in Spain after death of British mother | Olive Press Newspaper: "Spanish police apprehended David Baxendale, 39, in Fuengirola after Surrey police issued an appeal for information regarding the death of Sarah Thomas.
A post-mortem enquiry found that mother-of-three Thomas had suffered a number of injuries, including a stab wound to her neck.
Baxendale – who has links with Redhill and Tadworth is now being held in custody by the Spanish authorities"

19 New Flights for Andalucia | Olive Press Newspaper: "Ryanair has announced an incredible 19 new routes from Malaga airport, bringing the airline’s total to 39 routes out of the Costa del Sol.
The new routes begin this week and go to 15 different countries.
New destinations include Berlin, Oslo, Paris, Venice, Bratislava, and Stockholm.
Ryanair customers can also take advantage of new domestic flights to Santander, Valencia, Santiago de Compostela, Valladolid and Zaragoza."

Spanish Economic Crisis Threatens to Sink Euro Currency | Economy | English: "Spain is among the latest European countries to introduce tough austerity measures that may not be popular at home, but are deemed necessary to keep the country afloat. Spain, alongside Greece, is among those European countries with massive public debts and economies widely deemed vulnerable to a crash that could drag the euro with it."

Costa Del Sol – an Exotic Location in Spain | Freelance Blogging: "Spaniards have 2-3 years longer life expectancy than the North Europeans. Whether it is the sun, siesta, red wine or olive oil it is hard to say. However some of the Scandinavian countries send patients to Spain for rehabilitation as experience has shown that it is easier to recover in the sun."

ESSEX gangsters tried to smuggle enough cannabis into Britain to make joints stretching from John O' Groats to Land's End.: "12-strong gang were foiled by the Serious Organised Crime Agency, who tracked the shipments from Spain in a covert sting operation last summer.
The gangsters were jailed for a total of 66 years at Basildon Crown Court on Thursday.
Investigators mounted surveillance operations at the mob's drop-off points – a depot in Orsett and an industrial site in nearby Dagenham.
The first wave of arrests were made as the gang tried to process nearly two tonnes of cannabis at the Orsett site, on June 27, last year.
Driver Gary Burns, of Roding Hall Cottages, High Roding, was caught with a tonne of drugs in his vehicle, while fellow gang member Stephen Ely, of Southall, was tackled on a central reservation as he tried to flee.
Just a fortnight later on July 12, ringleader Paul Gurr tried to import another two tonnes, but his gang were caught unloading from a lorry in Hounslow, west London.
Gurr was arrested in a Brentwood restaurant later that day."

Man arrested in Spain after death of British mother | Olive Press Newspaper: "MAN has been arrested on the Costa del Sol in connection with the murder of a woman in Surrey.
Spanish police apprehended David Baxendale, 39, in Fuengirola after Surrey police issued an appeal for information regarding the death of Sarah Thomas.
A post-mortem enquiry found that mother-of-three Thomas had suffered a number of injuries, including a stab wound to her neck.
Baxendale – who has links with Redhill and Tadworth is now being held in custody by the Spanish authorities."

Unruly behaviour by Gibraltar's iconic monkeys could drive tourists away from the Rock, two local hoteliers have warned.

A string of recent incidents has intensified concerns that some groups of Barbary Macaques are out of control.


It is a problem that has long affected locals in some parts of the Upper Town, but it is now hitting the tourist trade too.

At the Caleta Hotel on the east side and The Rock Hotel on the west, balconies have become primate playgrounds. Many visitors feel intimidated by the animals.

And where once the monkeys stayed outside, tourists often now find them rummaging for sweet food inside hotel rooms.

For the hoteliers, the situation poses an uncomfortable dilemma: while the monkeys attract visitors to the Rock and therefore business for hotels, they say the present situation is unsustainable.

"It's now become problematic and we are worried for the safety of the guests," said Stephen Davenport, general manager at The Rock Hotel.

Essex fugitive gunned down on Costa del Sol - Telegraph: "six shots were fired and the victim was declared dead at the scene.
Spanish authorities have identified that target as Daniel Smith, a man wanted by Essex police for an attempted murder near Billericay in July 2007.
Smith, who was sought on a European arrest warrant and appeared on a Crimestoppers 'most wanted' list, is thought to have fled to Spain after shooting businessman Doug Turner, then 52, in what police said at the time was a case of mistaken identity.
Mr Turner lost three fingers and was blasted in the arm and stomach in the shotgun attack on the driveway of his home.
Smith, who was 6ft 5 inches tall, had worked as roof tiler in Mijas, and according to local reports had been seen arguing with another drinker earlier in the evening."

Another mafia head goes down in Marbella SpanishNews.es: "leader of the Russian-Georgian mafia was arrested Sunday in Marbella. Zakhar Kniazevich Kalashov will be extradited to Georgia where he has a pending prison sentence.
Kalashov was arrested at 13:45 in Marbella by agents of the Organized Crime and Drugs Unit (UDYCO). Kalashov was sentenced to seven and a half years prison this past Tuesday by the National Court. The court also ordered Zakhar Kniazevich Kalashov to pay a fine of 20 million euros."

The 26 year old has not been named in reports

A 26 year old man, reported to be British, has died after being shot while on a street terrace, from a passing large cylinder motorbike carrying two riders in Mijas. The victim has not yet been named.

Diario de Sevilla reports that it happened at 10,10pm on Saturday night at the British-run Lounge Bar, Terraza de Miraflores, in the Riviera del Sol Urbanisation, an area popular with drinkers. Reports say that at least six shots were fired in total, and that three of them hit the victim.

Health workers could do nothing to save the life of the victim who died at the scene from gunshot wounds to the head.
The judicial police of the Guardia Civil have opened a full investigation, with the first hypothesis considering the killing was part of a settling of scores.

This latest Costa del Sol killing comes just over a week after the so-called Irish Mafia , led by Christopher Kinahan, was broken up. His organisation was allegedly involved in drug and firearms trafficking and money laundering. Possible links to this new killing are being investigated.

Saturday’s shooting is the sixth homicide on the Costa del Sol this year. The latest came to light on May 6 when a fishing boat caught a body in its nets near the Calaburras lighthouse in Mijas. The body, which was wrapped in plastic, is still to be identified.