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.

The Press Association: Weak pound sees expats struggling: "increasing number of people living overseas are struggling to keep up with their debts due to the weak pound, a debt charity said.
The Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS) said it has seen a 33% jump in the number of people who lived abroad who were contacting it for help because they were having problems repaying UK debts.
The charity said more than 500 people based overseas had contacted it so far this year, compared with 375 during the same period of 2009.
It said the increase was being driven by people who live in Eurozone countries, who have seen sharp falls in their incomes because of the weakness of the pound.
It said people in Europe who received their incomes in sterling and then had to convert it into euros, were having to use a higher proportion of their money to meet their day-to-day living costs, leaving them with less cash to repay their debts.
Pensioners living abroad have been hit particularly hard by the weakness of sterling, as not only do their incomes tend to be fixed, but they also typically spend more of it on daily living expenses.
The CCCS said 18% of the people living abroad who contacted it for help were aged over 60, while 44% were aged between 40 to 59, which the group thought reflected people who had retired early.
It added that the majority of calls it received were from people living in Spain, particularly the Costa del Sol.
Laura Carver, CCCS helpline manager, said: 'The decreasing value of the pound is the main reason that those living abroad are struggling to repay their debts.'"

Benjamin Marrache, the firm’s Managing Partner said "we intend to appeal the decision of the FSC. If there are any issues involving any of these companies these will be resolved."A fortnight of frantic activity to establish whether or not client account funds had been compromised followed weeks of rumours that Marrache & Co were in financial difficulty. It is understood the RGP Financial Crime Unit is monitoring developments. The financial hole is believed to run into millions.It was the FSC which yesterday evening formally burst the bubble when it announced that it had cancelled a series of licences mostly related to their trustee services.
The timing was driven by law and came immediately after urgent legislation was Gazetted by the Gibraltar Government creating the power of an authorised administrator. In a separate move related to the crisis, lawyers acting for an Irish based client last Friday sought an injunction against Marraches and at a further hearing today will be seeking to secure property assets valued at over £2m.
The FSC yesterday cancelled nine licences that had been granted to firms and persons operating under the Marrache umbrella.

It was a week earlier on Monday February 1 that, following earlier FSC intervention, Freddie White of Grant Thornton’s, a leading figure in liquidations and administration work, was authorised by the Chief Justice to investigate and then take control of the firm’s finances.

Gibraltar’s Financial Services Commission has cancelled nine licences of Marrache & Co, the well-known Gibraltar-based international law firm.The Gibraltar FSC said the decision followed an investigation that had disclosed “serious and persistent breaches of Gibraltar’s financial services legislation.”
Gibraltar’s chief justice is understood to be expected to rule today whether the firm may be permitted to continue to practice.A phone call to Marrache seeking comment was not immediately returned. However, managing partner Benjamin Marrache was quoted by the Gibraltar Chronicle as saying: “We intend to appeal the decision of the FSC. If there are any issues involving any of these companies these will be resolved.”
In a statement on its website The FSC said it had “taken immediate measures to safeguard the interests of the existing clients” of Marrache, and had named Grant Thornton (Gibraltar) managing director Frederick White authorised administrator of the seven companies in accordance with its regulations.It said White would “work closely with [Marrache’s] clients in assisting them to transfer their business to other licenced entities at the earliest opportunity, having regard to the particular needs of individual clients.”
Marrache is well known in financial legal circles, particularly in Gibraltar, where it identifies itself as the only Gibraltarian law firm with offices in London, Spain, Lisbon, Prague and Luxembourg.According to the Gibraltar Chronicle, the FSC's announcement that it was cancelling nine of Marrache's licenses came after "weeks of rumours" of difficulties at Marrache, and "a fortnight of frantic activity to establish whether or not client account funds hand been compromised".

A partner in the London office of Marrache & Co has reacted angrily to news that the firm’s Gibraltar-based founding partners have had their Financial Services Commission (FSC) licenses cancelled, claiming the City base’s reputation is suffering by association.Benjamin Marrache
Founding partners Benjamin and Solomon Marrache were arrested on Tuesday and charged with falsely accounting €1.8m (£1.58m) of client money. They spent the night in police cells before appearing in Gibraltar Magistrates Court on Wednesday, when they were granted bail at £300,000 each.The court also required the brothers to pledge £150,000 each, as a recognisance, to hand in their travel documents and report to police twice a week. The case has been adjourned until April.Steven Daultrey, a partner in Marrache & Co’s London office, which is linked to Gibraltar only through the brand, said he felt “anger, rage and incandescence at certain names working in the firm’s Gibraltar office”.

“I have an office here with people whose livelihoods I have to consider,” he said. “I’m utterly speechless. The Gibraltar firm has nothing to do with the London office; [Benjamin and Solomon Marrache] aren’t signatories here. We do English-law work only.

“I’m concerned for the London office clients too, but at the moment those clients have been nothing but 1,000 per cent supportive. We haven’t had one client complain, they’re saying they’ll do anything to help. They receive a good level of advice here but, in terms of reputation, the situation is awful.”The Marrache brothers are alleged to have falsified documents to hide €1.8m of missing money belonging to shipping company Portino Comercio Internacional.
Gibraltar’s FSC cancelled nine licenses held by Marrache & Co, which also has offices in London, Spain, Lisbon, Prague and Luxembourg.According to a statement issued by the FSC the decision to cancel the brothers’ licenses was taken “following an investigation into the affairs of the licensed entities and persons which in the opinion of the Commission have disclosed serious and persistent breaches of Gibraltar’s financial services legislation”.
The Lawyer was unable to reach anyone at Marrach & Co’s Gibraltar office, which is understood to be under police guard, but Benjamin Marrache was quoted in the Gibraltar press as saying: “We intend to appeal the decision of the FSC. If there are any issues involving any of these companies these will be resolved.”
The firm’s Spain, Lisbon, Prague and Luxembourg offices are understood to be linked to the firm by name only.Frederick White, managing director of Grant Thornton, has been appointed by the FSC as authorised administrator for the firm, in which capacity he will help clients of the Gibraltar office transfer their business to other licensed entities.

Martin Anthony Smith, 44, of North Shields, is wanted in connection with the rape of a child under 16, gross indecency with a girl under the age of 16, indecent assault of a girl under 16 and the attempted rape of a girl under 16. He may be on the run with his wife and five-year-old daughter.