A British man was among the 15 people who died in a bomb attack on a cafe in Marrakesh,

A British man was among the 15 people who died in a bomb attack on a cafe in Marrakesh, Morocco on Thursday, the Foreign Office has said.

While it has yet to officially confirm the man's identity, he has been named by Moroccan officials as Peter Moss.

The website of the UK's Jewish Chronicle newspaper said Mr Moss, 59, was one of its former writers.

The Foreign Office said that next of kin have been informed and his family has been given consulate assistance.

No group has so far said it carried out the attack in the major tourist spot.

The Foreign Office is advising Britons to stay away from the area of the attack.

Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt said: "An FCO [Foreign and Commonwealth Office] rapid deployment team arrived this morning to supplement our team in Marrakech.

"They are co-ordinating closely with the Moroccan authorities, including to determine whether other British nationals could be amongst the victims.

"The UK stands with Morocco during this difficult time. We stand ready to provide whatever support may be needed in forthcoming investigations, and will continue to support Morocco's important reform agenda."

The Jewish Chronicle said Mr Moss was an award-winning broadcaster, comedian and journalist; and the author of novels including The Singing Tree and The Age of Elephants.

It added that he was educated in north London, and a father of two.

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attempts to tax telephone lines used by offshore betting companies which pass through La Linea

The mayor has infuriated Gibraltar by attempting to introduce a toll for visitors to the Rock as well as attempts to tax telephone lines used by offshore betting companies which pass through his town.
Sanchez claims the socialist government in Madrid has sacrificed La Linea’s interests in favour of Gibraltar, in order to maintain good relations with the UK.

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Residents ran illegal gambling ring

Two men from Howard Beach, one from Maspeth and another from Long Island were indicted last week on charges they raked in more than $8 million over the past two and a half years running a sports gambling operation in Queens and on the web, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.
   Michael Palmaccio, 39, of Howard Beach; Ronald Salerno, 33, of Howard Beach; Cono Natale, 46, of Maspeth; and Gerry Gullotti, 45, of Oceanside, LI allegedly ran a betting ring that used offshore accounts based on a gambling website to pocket massive amounts of money and would threaten to harm any gamblers who did not fork over owed funds.


   “Illegal gambling is not a victimless crime,” Brown said in a prepared statement. “Those who participate in these criminal operations often use threats, intimidation and even physical force to collect debts and oftentimes charge usurious rates on outstanding debts. Today’s indictments will send a clear signal that when it comes to illegal gambling in Queens County, all bets are off.”
   The four defendants were arraigned at Queens Supreme Court on April 6 on an indictment variously charging them with promoting gambling, conspiracy to commit criminal usury, and grand larceny by extortion.
   Bail was set at $35,000 for Palmaccio and Gullotti and $2,500 for Natale and Salerno.
   Palmaccio was charged with being the leader of the operation, while Gullotti allegedly loaned money to gamblers, charged extraordinarily high interest on the loans and threatened physical harm to get individuals to pay, Brown said. Gullotti also was charged with managing the offshore accounts based on the gambling website, arrowaction.net.
   Salerno allegedly collected and distributed money from borrowers and bettors, while Natale was charged with recruiting bettors.
   “It is alleged that this small operation was able to effectively compete for the illegal gambling dollars of bettors by availing themselves of modern technology,” Brown said in a statement. “By utilizing an offshore-based gambling website that possessed automated bookkeeping software that acted as ‘bookkeeper’ and ‘clerk,’ the defendants allegedly were able to reap huge profits through their unlawful gambling operation.”
   Each of the four faces a list of charges, included 64 counts apiece of promoting gambling.
   The men will return to Queens Supreme Court on May 4

 

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Interpol Suspects Founders of Indicted Online Poker Companies Are In Costa Rica

Senior executives from online betting companies like PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Abolute Poker indicted by the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York in U.S. for bank fraud, money laundering, illegal gambling and other crimes.

Three defendants were arraigned in federal courts in New York and Utah on Monday and Tuesday, and eight other defendants remain at large outside the U.S., said an official from the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York.

According to U.S. authorities, the companies violated U.S. laws relating to internet gambling and the eight defendants are believed to be either in Costa Rica, Ireland and the Isle of Man.

In connection with this case, the deputy director of the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) - Judicial Investigation Organization - Francisco Segura said he did not know there was an arrest warrant but said it submitted they will act on such.

Interpol in Costa Rica says that even if they are able to locate the suspects, they cannot detain them, that that is the job of the local law enforcement.

Costa Rica has longtime been considered a Mecca of online gambling in poker and sports books employing thousands of bilingual staff who serviced and solicited gamblers in the United States and around the world.

In addition to indicting the owners and financiers of the websites and seizing their Internet addresses, prosecutors are seeking $3 billion in assets from the three companies and have seized or frozen 76 bank accounts they are suspected of using in 14 countries.

The U.S. government has blocked U.S. gamblers from logging on to the offshore sites, which are accused of tricking and bribing banks into processing billions of dollars in illegal profits. Now gamblers who dreamed of enormous prizes in Las Vegas, or even used online poker to make a living, can't access online bankrolls that in some cases reach six figures.

Some predict the American online poker industry, estimated to be worth up to $6 billion, may fold under the weight of the investigations

“Our 1.2 million members are shocked and outraged,” said John Pappas, executive director of the Poker Players’ Alliance. Mr. Pappas said although the sites were up and running again, many U.S. users were unable to access their funds.

“Many players cannot get access to their money,” he said, “It is a confusing and concerning time for our members.”

“We think the government’s assertion that Internet poker is illegal is wrong,” Mr. Pappas added, noting that the law under which some of the charges were filed — the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act — made it a crime to accept or process payments in connection with unlawful Internet gambling, but did not define such gambling. He called this “a legal gray area that Congress needs to address.”

The U.S. attorney’s office official said it was the second prosecution the office had launched under the act, the first being last year.

 

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Under federal law, Internet poker is illegal.

California lawmakers are scrambling for ways to alleviate the $15.4 billion budget deficit. In their desperation, they should not bet the house on the false promise of riches from Internet gambling.

It wasn't all that long ago that California sanctioned a few poker parlors and horse racing. That changed when Californians approved the lottery in 1984. Next came high-stakes Indian bingo, which led to the 2000 ballot measure legalizing slot machines and other gambling on dozens of Indian reservations in California.

There is no turning back. The industry has become too wealthy and politically powerful. Forces within that industry no doubt will succeed in their effort to legalize Internet poker and other gambling at some point.

But there are many unanswered questions, and there is no need to rush.

Under federal law, Internet poker is illegal. But authorities in California and other states believe federal law permits states to regulate and tax on-line poker within state boundaries.

In Sacramento, Sen. Rod Wright, D-Inglewood, and Sen. Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana, are pushing competing bills. Of the two, Wright's proposal is more thoughtful and probably would be fairer to prospective bidders and to the state.

Correa's bill is stacked in favor of a few Southern California casino tribes and commercial card rooms. That is unacceptable.

The bidding process should be open to all companies. Key employees of the entities that win the privilege to operate what should be multiple hubs in the state must be willing to submit to full background checks.

Internet poker advocates contend that there will be safeguards to ensure that minors won't gamble away their parents' money, that criminals won't infiltrate the industry, and that problem gamblers won't fritter away their rent checks.

But California lawmakers have not shown a willingness to spend much money to regulate the influential gambling industry.

The Morongo Band of Mission Indians, among the biggest advocates of legalized Internet gambling, spent more on political campaigns in California, $82 million, than lawmakers spent on the Gambling Control Commission between 2000 and 2010.

The Internet doesn't recognize borders. So while the federal government banned Internet gambling, numerous sites flourished offshore, catering to U.S. residents.
Underscoring the shady nature of the business, the U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan earlier this month unsealed indictments naming top executives of three offshore sites on fraud and money-laundering charges.

Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass, one of the leading proponents of legalization, attacked the Justice Department for prosecuting the case, saying agents' time would be better spent focused on mortgage fraud.

But while he and others accuse the feds of acting like a nanny, the charges are not trivial. Prosecutors accuse the operators of laundering billions of dollars through U.S. banks, including one in Utah that they purchased.

As it operated on the outer edges of the law, the Internet gambling industry sought to influence the political process. Some executives who were indicted are among the donors to the Poker Players Alliance, a Washington, D.C.-based lobbying organization and political action committee that has pushed for legalization.

Poker Players Alliance has a branch in Sacramento, retaining the law-lobbying firm Greenberg Traurig LLP, and spending almost $250,000 last year lobbying for legalization in the state.

Thanks to a provision slipped into a recent federal budget measure, the District of Columbia has become the first U.S. jurisdiction to allow such Internet gambling, and betting could start by this summer.

The nation's capital faces two challenges, however. It may not have enough players to make Internet poker viable. It also must demonstrate that it can confine access to D.C. residents – to avoid falling afoul of federal law – a hurdle California would also face.

Whatever your view of the wisdom or morality of gambling, it is here to stay. Indian casinos and card rooms in California will continue to rake in billions each year. For better or worse, Congress and some states in time will legalize Internet gambling.

But California, on this issue, does not need to lead the way.

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ROW has broken out over the docking of nuclear subs in Gibraltar.

The American vessels – which have been involved in the Libya campaign – have been slammed by the PSOE representative for Cadiz province, insisting they should use the US base in Rota.
“My opinion is the vessels should go to Rota because it is a joint Spanish – US base,” said Jose Carracao. “It has the necessary security conditions to house nuclear propelled vessels.
“The quays of Gibraltar do not comply with the minimum requirements of security.”
It was a clear reference to the docking of the USS Florida at the weekend and the USS Providence last month.
The docking of the Providence led to an incident, when a Guardia Civil boat got too close.
The Royal Navy was forced to issue a radio warning and block the passage of the craft, which appeared to be filming the sub.
The Providence spent a weekend in Gibraltar after being involved in military action against Libya.

 

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Royal Gibraltar Police (RGP) boat collided with a Guardia Civil vessel injuring a Spanish officer just off the Rock

Royal Gibraltar Police (RGP) boat collided with a Guardia Civil vessel injuring a Spanish officer just off the Rock on Sunday during attempts by both forces to apprehend suspected drug dealers smuggling hashish across the Straits from Morocco.
After a four mile chase through international waters the Spanish patrol intercepted the smugglers boat off Gibraltar's southernmost tip, when the RGP vessel allegedly collided with the Spanish vessel.
The Unified Association of the Guardia Civil (AUGC) has made a formal complaint over the incident, claiming its officers were subjected to "serious insults, harassment and threats".
"The (British) Royal Navy and RGP acted like pirates as in other times in the past," said a statement from the police organisation.
A spokesman for the RGP confirmed that an incident had occurred in Gibraltar waters but declined to add any further detail.

"We are conducting inquiries and a full statement will be made on Tuesday," he told the local Gibraltar Chronicle.
It is the latest in a series of rows to have occurred over the thorny issue of territorial waters surrounding the tiny British colony.
Gibraltar was ceded to the British under the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht but Spain has never relinquished its claim of sovereignty and disputes Britain's jurisdiction of the waters that surround it.
In December 2009 Spain was forced to apologise after Spanish maritime officers strayed into British territory waters while in pursuit of smugglers.
That incident came only weeks after the Royal Navy was accused of using a Spanish flag for target practice during a military exercise in international waters off Gibraltar.
Britain's ambassador to Spain, Giles Paxman, was forced to explain that the target had in fact been a Nato flag bearing the same colours as the Spanish flag. But he apologised for the incident.
Earlier this month the issue of Gibraltar was raised by Spain's Crown Prince Felipe at an official dinner to welcome The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall on their first tour of Spain together

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It seems almost everyone wants to talk to Scott Rothstein about his Ponzi scheme these days. However, Gibraltar Private Bank & Trust is seeking to narrow the scope of any depositions of Rothstein.

It seems almost everyone wants to talk to Scott Rothstein about his Ponzi scheme these days.
However, Gibraltar Private Bank & Trust is seeking to narrow the scope of any depositions of Rothstein.
Gibraltar is the Coral Gables-based bank where Rothstein laundered dirty money. The bank recently filed a motion in bankruptcy court that opposes a request from investors in Rothstein’s Ponzi scheme to question him.
Gibraltar says it wants to see Rothstein deposed, but is objecting to the manner and timing of the recent request. The bank is the only party that has expressed a problem with the request.
Gibraltar is facing two lawsuits over Rothstein’s $1.2 billion scheme: one from the so-called Razorback investors in state court and one from the trustee for Rothstein’s former law firm in bankruptcy court. Gibraltar is fighting both suits and has stated emphatically that it had no actual knowledge of Rothstein’s fraud.
But there’s a problem: No one knows where Rothstein is, as he serves out his 50-year prison sentence. The Federal Bureau of Prisons hasn’t revealed his location and hasn’t provided any reason for the lack of information.
So, it would seem a federal judge’s order is necessary to produce Rothstein. And that’s exactly what the trustee and investors are asking U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Raymond Ray for.
In the interests of full disclosure, I also would like to question Scott Rothstein. He hasn’t granted many interviews, so I’d like to attend any depositions that occur, and I’ve asked Ray for permission to do that.
A bunch of other people have also filed motions in favor of the deposition, including Stuart Rosenfeldt, Rothstein’s former law partner.
In a tiny footnote in its motion, Gibraltar said the questions should be asked under Rules 7026 and 7030 of the bankruptcy code, not under Rule 2004. I’m not a lawyer, but the code says that certain rules should apply if there’s a contested lawsuit in a case, and there is in this case.
Gibraltar wants any deposition of Rothstein to be conducted under Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, not under the broader guideline that exists under Rule 2004 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.
Due to the broad powers of a bankruptcy court to gather evidence of a failed business, the Rule 2004 process is described as “unfettered and broad,” so bankruptcy attorneys would have greater latitude to question Rothstein if Ray grants the requests under that rule.

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Pirate fighter Max Hardberger plans to tackle Somalia's hijack gangs

When Max comes sailing over the horizon, his foes have good reason to start quaking with fear.
In a story that could be lifted straight from a Hollywood script, the bearded 62-year-old is the only man in the world who steals ships from pirates.
The high seas repo man has recovered ‘around 15’ hijacked vessels in the last 25 years.

He had taken on everyone from Russian mobsters to real-life pirates of the Caribbean.
His latest mission is to tackle the heavily armed gangs working off the coast of Somalia, where four Americans were shot dead on a yacht last month and British couple Paul and Rachel Chandler were kidnapped and held for a year.
‘There is a strong possibility we will go out there in the next couple of weeks,’ said the Louisiana-based captain, whose company is called Vessel Extractions.
‘It would work by boarding the pirate ships and taking control one man at a time. If there are hostages, we have stun grenades. We are not looking to kill anyone and if we catch a pirate, they have the option right there to go free, so long as they have a boat of their own or don’t mind swimming to shore.
‘My team is ex-special forces and Swat and most of them are veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.’
With ransom demands running up to £20million, shipping companies pay him big bucks to retrieve their ships.
‘The US Navy are saying there can be up to 100 pirates on some of these boats in Somalia. It has to be meticulously planned,’ he added.

 

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United States nuclear submarines were transferred from Gibraltar to Rota

Wikileaks report carried by 20minutos today shows that Spain offered the use of the Rota military base in Cádiz to hide the passage of United States nuclear submarines into the Mediterranean.

The reports indicate that it is very difficult for ecologist groups to detect the presence of nuclear subs in the Cádiz Naval base.
Documents indicate that indeed the United States used Rota in preference to Gibraltar at the express request of the Zapatero Government, so as not to alarm the civil population and to avoid clashes with environmental groups.

Spain showed sensitivity over the presence of nuclear submarines on the rock following the Tireless incident in 200/2001 when a British sub had to be repaired while in Gibraltar, attracting widespread protests from the Spanish side of the border.

Documents indicate that only 7% of United States ships have used Gibraltar, while the rest, 93%, all used Spanish ports.
There has been coverage of the story also in the Norwegian paper Aftenposten.

 

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European Gambling Shares Surge

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment PLC and Playtech Ltd. shares rose sharply Monday morning with expectations the latest crackdown on Internet gambling by U.S. authorities will benefit European online-gaming groups.

European online-gaming companies that pulled out of the U.S. a few years ago because of the government's ban on online gaming have since been less competitive than those still accepting money from U.S. residents as their betting pool is smaller. But the U.S. crackdown on online poker could turn the tables in favor of the European operators.

"All in all, we think the newsflow is good to very good news for the operators of non-US facing poker operations, most notably the market leaders in B2B poker, Playtech and Bwin.Party," Evolutions Securities analyst James Hollins said.

Bwin.Party shares rose 31%, making it the top riser on a broadly flat FTSE 250 Index. Playtech shares increased by 12% while 888 Holdings PLC shares gained 15% in London.

Playtech was upbeat about the recent developments in the U.S. "Whilst none of our licensees accept online poker bets from the U.S., we expect to see a migration of international poker players to our leading iPoker network, which is the largest poker liquidity pool in the world," a Playtech spokesman said. Playtech will report first-quarter numbers on April 28.

888, which last week announced the termination of merger talks with Ladbrokes PLC and the departure of its Chief Executive Gigi Levy, has seen the number of first-time players to their site double over the weekend, a person familiar with the situation said Monday. Bwin.Party wasn't immediately available to comment on the likely benefits of the latest move in the U.S.

 

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Online Poker Player Accounts Frozen

Online poker accounts of individual players have been frozen following the indictment of Web gambling companies on charges of fraud, money-laundering and running illegal casino operations.

About 76 bank accounts in 14 countries have been frozen, preventing players from accessing balances held by the online betting companies, said Kelly Langmesser, a spokeswoman for the FBI’s New York office. Eleven people were charged last week.

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in Manhattan announced on April 15 a revised indictment against the founders of PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker. PokerStars, based on the Isle of Man, Ireland’s Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker of Costa Rica are the leading online poker sites doing business with U.S. customers, according to prosecutors. Five sites displayed notices today that the FBI had seized the domain names.

“These funds are currently being reviewed by the U.S. as part of an ongoing criminal investigation, and we are looking at the funds and accounts to determine if they are the profits of an illegal enterprise,” Langmesser said. “The funds won’t be available until a determination has been made.”

The investigation is focused on “the larger criminal enterprise of those who operate online Internet gambling sites and the individuals behind these sites,” Langmesser said.

Prosecutors allege that after the U.S. enacted a law in 2006 barring banks from processing payments to offshore gambling websites, PokerStars, Full Tilt and Absolute worked around the ban to continue operating in the U.S.

Circumventing Laws

The poker companies named in the indictment are accused of using fraudulent means to circumvent federal laws and “trick” banks into processing payments on their behalf. The government seeks at least $3 billion in forfeitures and penalties.

The indictment names two principals from each company and others who allegedly worked with them to illegally process payments. A total of five domains were seized, according to Carly Sullivan, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney in Manhattan. They are: Pokerstars.com, Fulltiltpoker.com, Absolutepoker.com, Ultimatebet.com and UB.com.

Bradley Franzen, one of 11 people charged last week, pleaded not guilty today before a U.S. magistrate in New York. Franzen, 41, of Illinois and Costa Rica, is accused of lying to banks about the nature of the transactions they were processing, and of creating fake companies and websites to disguise payments to poker companies.

Alliances Derailed

Wynn Resorts Ltd., owner of Wynn and Encore casinos in Las Vegas and Macau, announced on March 25 an alliance with PokerStars, the world’s biggest online poker business, to seek U.S. legalization of Internet gambling. Wynn terminated the accord on April 15, said Michael Weaver, the company’s senior vice president of marketing strategy.

Fertitta Interactive, controlled by the owners of Station Casinos Inc., had been negotiating an alliance with Full Tilt Poker, Fertitta Interactive said in response to questions. The Wall Street Journal reported the talks last month.

“The deal between Full Tilt Poker and Fertitta Interactive was contingent upon pending federal poker legislation, our own internal due diligence, and gaming license approvals,” Fertitta Interactive said in an e-mail today. “There is currently not a deal in place as the exclusive negotiating period has expired.”

Caesars Entertainment Corp., the world’s biggest casino company, has led industry lobbying to legalize online poker in the U.S. Gary Thompson, a Caesars spokesman, declined to comment on the indictments.

Seth Palansky, spokesman for Caesars’ World Series of Poker and interactive units, said in an e-mail the company had “never offered any real online gaming in the United States.”

Units of Caesars, formerly Harrah’s, operate real online gambling in the U.K. with partners who aren’t involved in the indictment, and recently reached licensing deals in Italy and France. The company also operates play-for-fun Internet poker elsewhere, including the U.S., according to Palansky.

 

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Full Tilt Poker issued a statement yesterday saying, "Unfortunately, as a result of this action, Full Tilt Poker has decided that it must suspend real money play in the United States until this case is resolved. However, Full Tilt Poker will continue to provide peer-to-peer online poker services outside of the United States.”

Full Tilt Poker issued a statement yesterday saying, "Unfortunately, as a result of this action, Full Tilt Poker has decided that it must suspend real money play in the United States until this case is resolved. However, Full Tilt Poker will continue to provide peer-to-peer online poker services outside of the United States.”
The statement contained a link to the Full Tilt Poker website, now sporting a notice from the F.B.I., complete with official seals, saying, "This domain name has been seized by the F.B.I. pursuant to an Arrest Warrant in rem obtained by the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York and issued by the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York."
In a statement issued Saturday, representatives from Global Betting and Gaming Consultants (GBGC) sounded resigned to the repercussions from today's action. "The arrests in the USA are a game changer—no question," wrote GBGC's Warwick Bartlett and Lorien Pilling. "We are moving toward a global high tax, lower profit, and high regulatory regime. Some countries will be slow to join but as markets close down competition in countries such as Italy, France, Germany operators will target those that remain giving rise to complaints from land based operators who will see market share fall. As government tax revenues decline those countries will act and join the high tax high regulation club.
"The so called gray market where a lack of law prevents the closure of Internet gambling companies will eventually disappear," they continued. "The market will be black or white. It was not so long ago that e-gaming executives were sitting on CEO panels at conferences saying, 'We want to come on shore,'  and, 'Yes, please tax us and let us apply for licenses.' They could not have imagined in their wildest dreams (nightmares?) it would have been like this.
"The irony," they added, "is that the U.S. federal government has been planning to introduce poker legislation and various states such as Nevada, California, New Jersey and Florida have been planning to jump the gun with intrastate legislation." Concerned players, they said, were tweeting furiously, scared their funds would be frozen, a legitimate worry considering the feds previous actions doing just that.
But members of the domain community are telling domain owners not to panic, because, as the DomainNameWise.com headline put it, "Poker Domain Seizures Show Futility of Nabbing Domain Names."
"You can take away a domain name, but you can’t stop people from visiting a web site," the article stated. "Yesterday’s seizure of five poker company domain names is another case in point. Still want to get your fix of Poker Stars? Just go to PokerStars.eu."
Unclear is what, if anything, this coordinated take down of Big Internet Poker and its alleged 'middle man' payment processors means for the porn industry, which is increasingly global in every way, and more, that online gaming is global. One big difference, of course, is that there is no UIGEA for online porn, which is precisely how the adult industry would like to keep it. At the moment, there also is no indication that Tzvetkoff's experience in the processing end of the adult online industry will come into play here, but with as many twists and turns as this story has already had that's a bet that few may be willing to make.

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UP to eight high-profile arrests are expected as the US Government continues its assault on online gambling websites linked to fallen Gold Coast tycoon Daniel Tzvetkoff.

The owners of the three largest sites Full Tilt Poker, Absolute Poker and PokerStars were charged with bank fraud, money laundering and other gambling offences. Authorities are seeking penalties upward of $US3 billion.

As The Courier-Mail print edition reported on Saturday, 28-year-old Tzvetkoff is believed to have cut a deal with US authorities after he was arrested a year ago for allegedly laundering up to $534 million in illegal online gambling earnings.

He faced 75 years in prison but was bailed last August and it is believed the FBI is mining his inside knowledge of online gambling transactions.

The FBI is negotiating with foreign governments to serve arrest warrants. Restraining orders have been served on 76 bank accounts in 14 countries.

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Online Poker Site Crackdown puts the Industry in Jeopardy

The news about the FBI crackdown against Full Tilt, PokerStars and Cereus (Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet) still has the gambling community reeling.  In a somewhat surprising move on Friday the FBI charged management and former owners of the 3 poker networks with money laundering and bank fraud. According to the claim by the DoJ, the poker companies were working with payment processors and a bank in Utah to conceal the true identity of transactions. The claim suggests that Raymond Bitar, the CEO of the software and marketing company that runs Full Tilt Poker worked to create fictitious companies, including phony online flower shops and pet supply stores to ensure credit card transactions would go through unabated. The government also suggests that Isai Scheinberg, the founder of Pokerstars.com created pre-paid debit cards and phone cards for the sole purpose of skirting the rules of the UIGEA.  According to U.S. law all gambling transactions have to be marked with code 7995 to identify them as gambling transactions and for the most part online companies complied. However, after the passage of the UIGEA regulations in 2007 many companies started looking for ways around the rule since banks started looking for those transactions and evidently these companies did just that. Coincidentally, PokerStars has always maintained that they never disguised transactions, which makes the allegations against them surprising. If arrested and charged the sentence carries a maximum of 30 years in prison. The government is also seeking $3 billion in civil damages.

As is the prerogative of the U.S. government where a company is operating illegally (at least in their eyes), the DoJ seized the domain names for all 4  dot com companies and replaced it with a warning that the FBI seized the domain pursuant to an arrest warrant. Consequently all the .com domains are now unavailable. It appears that the FBI went straight to the .com registry, VeriSign to take the domains as compared to going to the registrars like GoDaddy or Network Solutions as they have in the past when they attempted to seize domain names in other instances. Pokestars.eu along with other foreign domains are still available as they are off limits to U.S. law enforcement but all affected sites have indicated they will not be allowing wagers from Americans, at least for the time being.  John Pappas, Executive Director of the Poker Player’s Alliance issued a statement on their website castigating the actions of the government:

“Millions of Americans across the country today are outraged over the U.S. Department of Justice’s clear attack on internet poker. While the government’s focus may be on the companies who operate these games, this is plain and simple a declaration of war on poker players and poker players’ freedoms. Not only are the over 10 million online poker players left without a place to play the game they enjoy, and from which many earn their livelihood, but they also have concerns over the availability of their funds. The PPA believes that no players’ money should be jeopardized by this prosecution.

Let me be clear, online poker is not a crime and the honest poker players across the country will not stand to be restricted from one of America’s greatest pastimes. On behalf of over one million members, the PPA is working hard to protect the interests of our players and is committed to U.S. citizens’ right to play online poker.”

I asked Martin Owens, a California Attorney specializing in Interactive gaming what he made of the situation and his comments reflected what many in the gambling industry have been thinking; namely the timing of the seizure is suspect:

“The first thing that I noticed was the timing. To strike at the three biggest independent I-poker operators, just as Nevada is moving an online poker bill forward. How far can coincidence be stretched? You see, it's not enough to simply show up in the marketplace. The operators like Absolute and Stars have been building a loyal clientele for years and years. That counts big in Internet gambling. So how do you win the race when the other fella has a head start? The sure and certain way is break the other guy's legs.

In any case, the debate about whether to allow Full Tilt or PokerStars to compete for state issued system licenses is now at an end. They are not merely under a cloud, not just on the bad boy list- they have been formally indicted. From the regulatory point of view that makes them radioactive until further notice. So that would seem to leave the field clear for vested state-level gambling interests and their new offshore strategic allies. But ironically, it is by no means certain that they will avail themselves of this opportunity.  After all, this is the fourth year of trying.

Is this the end of Internet poker as we know it? Internet poker as we know it is always ending. It is always changing; new operators, new payment solution, new formats, new possibilities. It's what makes this line of work so interesting.

(Here are) possible outcomes: first that the accused come to one of those expensive "settlements" just like Neteller. Another possibility is that they dig in their heels and fight this to a standstill. I think that is much less likely, for these are primarily businessmen, after all and what they want to do is get past the problem and get back to making money. But if they do decide to fight, it should be very interesting- there are massive holes in the DoJ's theory of prosecution and of recovery, not to mention flaws in the UIGEA which may in fact serve to make it unenforceable.”

I called spokespeople in Kahnawake and the EU but they both said at this time they were unavailable for comment.

Of course the timing issue also leads one to believe that California and Nevada may be closer to initiating a poker network than one thought. No doubt when Wynn casinos announced a partnership with PokerStars and Station Casinos announced a partnership with Full Tilt, many in the federal government became nervous. The government views Wynn and Station as U.S. gambling success stories and the offshore poker sites as pariahs. This move was a way to ensure that the partnerships would never succeed. As well, there have been rumours surfacing that California is ready to move forward with their poker network any time now but the companies they are planning on partnering with want “the street cleaned up” to ensure they are the only online game in town. And it has been made clear that offshore poker sites that cater to the U.S. like Stars and Full Tilt are barred from applying from a license in California.

Regardless of the reason, the actions of the DoJ have already had some major consequences. Pokerscout.com shows cash game traffic at all 3 sites way down and major tournaments like the Full Tilt Poker sponsored Onyx cup have been cancelled. It’s also expected that other tournaments like the North American Poker Tour will be scrapped as well. Moreover, ESPN removed the Poker Stars sponsored inside deal from their site and some are wondering if any of the major poker magazines can survive without advertisements from PokerStars, Full Tilt or Cereus. Even though the magazines only advertise the .net play sites, they defeat the purpose if Americans can’t join the real money sites. Sponsorships with poker players for wearing the .net clothing certainly are in jeopardy.

An insider who spoke on anonymity also wondered if there will be major fallout if and when the books of the major sites fall into the hands of the DoJ. Just as Hollywood actors sweated it out when there was belief that Heidi Fleiss would reveal the names of all her famous clients, some suspect that there may have been deals and cash exchanged between PokerStars and Full Tilt with major business owners and poker players that no one wants disclosed.

Perhaps the mood in the gambling industry was expressed best by a poster at an online poker forum. “People who were running legitimate online poker games have been charged by the FBI. These games were played by people on their own volition and with their own money and harmed no one. Yet not one Wall Street scam artist who played with the public’s money and harmed numerous people has been charged with sending the world into a global recession. It’s nice to know where the government’s priorities lay

 

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Honorary President of the Partido Popular has criticised the current military action in Libya

José María Aznar, the previous Partido Popular Prime Minister and Honorary President of the party, has described Gaddafi as a ‘friend of the west’, and has criticised the on-going military action against him, action which is supported by Spain’s contribution of four F-18 bombers and a mid-air refuelling tanker. Aznar said Gaddafi was a very strange and extravagant man, but he is was not stupid.

Speaking to the University of Columbia in the United States, Aznar said the attack on Libya will lead of other countries in the Middle East developing nuclear weapons. He said the foreign policy of the United States was to support the rebels, without knowing even who they are.

Aznar said Spain was in a very very complicated situation to pay the debt, noting that the increase in interest rates from the European Central Bank would make the recovery even harder.
He also supported the prohibition of the full face veil and burka, as has been established in France.

The Socialist Party has commented on Aznar’s speech saying he doesn’t mind being ridiculed internationally, as that is how he damages the Government.
‘There is not a single(other) example of a democratic ex Prime Minister who takes on the job of wearing away the image of his country’, said Elena Valenciano, the International Relations Secretary of the PSOE.

Later on Saturday José Blanco, the Development Minister, called on PP leader Mariano Rajoy to rectify Aznar’s ‘support’ for Gadaffi, saying not doing so would make him an accomplice. Blanco said the PP ex Prime Minister was not on the side of those fighting for democracy, was the only European leader not to support what the Spanish Government was doing in Libya, and said PP Patriotism consisted in sending out the Number One Anti-Spanish ambassador.

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EU sets radiation threshold for Japanese ships

European ports should check radiation levels on all ships coming from Japan to see if they exceed a new limit after last month's nuclear accident, the European Union's executive said on Friday.

"We want to exclude any risk, even if it is a very small one, for the safety of the workers in the harbors and the citizens," EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said in a statement.

The European Commission suggested a new EU-wide limit of 0.2 microsievert-per-hour above normal levels.

The proposal was not binding and individual countries will have to decide whether to comply.

The announcement came a day after the first ship to leave Japan following the accident at Fukushima nuclear plant docked at Rotterdam port in the Netherlands.

More ships are expected to arrive in Europe from Japan in the coming days a spokeswoman for Oettinger told journalists.

If port authorities detect radiation levels above the threshold, governments should notify the Commission and the ship in question should be thoroughly washed, she added.

The EU has separate radiation limits for food and other goods imported from Japan, which it has tightened several times in recent weeks.

"So far, we have not detected one single case where we can say there was food (or) other products which had higher levels (that) would give rise to health concerns," the spokeswoman said.

 

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Eleven charged in illegal online gambling scheme

U.S. charges poker sites arranged for gambling proceeds to be disguised as "payments to hundreds of non-existent online merchants purporting to sell merchandise such as jewelry and golf balls

Authorities in New York City unsealed an indictment charging eleven people with bank fraud and online gambling, including John Campos of St. George.

The federal prosecutors said they've issued restraining orders against more than 75 bank accounts used by the poker companies that have interrupted the flow of billions of dollars.

"As charged, these defendants concocted an elaborate criminal fraud scheme, alternately tricking some U.S. banks and effectively bribing others to assure the continued flow of billions in illegal gambling profits," said U.S. attorney Preet Bharara of the Southern District of New York, "Moreover, as we allege, in their zeal to circumvent the gambling laws, the defendants also engaged in massive money laundering and bank fraud."

U.S. banks and financial institutions detected and shut down multiple fraudulent bank accounts used by PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker in late 2009. Federal prosecutors say Isai Scheinberg of PokerStars and Raymond Bitar of Full Tilt Poker then developed a new processing strategy that would not involve manipulation of banks.  PokerStars, FullTilt Poker and their payment processors persuaded the principals of a few small, local banks facing financial difficulties to engage in such processing in return for multi-million dollar investments in the banks. 

The indictment alleges in September 2009, several other defendants in the case approached Campos, part-owner of SunFirst bank based in St. George, about internet poker transactions processes through his bank. Campos allegedly agreed to process the transactions in exchange for a $10 million investment in SunFirst. Campos also received a $20,000 bonus for his assistance as he requested.

Campos was arrested Friday morning in St. George, and will appear before a U.S. Magistrate Court Judge in St. George on April 18, 2011.

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Death of the internet gambling industry.FBI officers are working with Interpol and other agencies to apprehend the eight men who are currently abroad

Three of the largest online poker sites have been taken over by the FBI in a probe that could bring about the death of the internet gambling industry.

The websites of Full Title Poker, Absolute Poker and PokerStars have all been shut down and replaced with warning messages after the owners were charged with bank fraud and money laundering.

The messages explain that ‘this domain name has been seized by the F.B.I. pursuant to an Arrest Warrant.’


Seized: Three of the poker sites display a warning message from the FBI

In 2006, Congress passed a law prohibiting online gambling, but most of the leading sites found ways to work around the law using foreign banks. Prosecutors allege that in doing so they broke the law.

FBI assistant director Janice Fedarcyk said: ‘These defendants, knowing full well that their business with U.S. customers and U.S. banks was illegal, tried to stack the deck.


‘They lied to banks about the true nature of their business. Then, some of the defendants found banks willing to flout the law for a fee.

‘The defendants bet the house that they could continue their scheme, and they lost.’

According to the indictment, the companies arranged for money received from U.S. gamblers to be disguised as payments to non-existent websites purporting to sell merchandise such as jewellery and golf balls.

The indictment said the poker companies tricked U.S. banks into processing billions of dollars but some banks were conspirators in the scheme to bypass U.S. laws that make it illegal to handle gambling proceeds.


Charges: Eleven people were charged with bank fraud and money laundering


Banned: Congress passed a law prohibiting online gambling in 2006, but most of the leading sites found ways to work around the law using foreign banks

The latest crackdown could finally bring the end of the online gambling industry, which has taken off over the last decade, drawing an estimated 15 million Americans to bet online.

Three of the 11 executives were arrested on Friday morning in Las Vegas and Utah. Officers are searching for the others, who are all understood to be abroad.

The indictment, filed in New York, seeks $3 billion in money laundering penalties and forfeiture from the defendants.

In addition to the charges, restraining orders were issued against 76 bank accounts in 14 countries used by the poker firms and their payment processors.

Five Internet domain names used by the companies to host their games were also seized by the authorities, who filed a complaint seeking $3 billion in money laundering penalties and forfeiture from the poker companies.


Shutdown: According to the prosecutor, the companies arranged for money to be disguised as payments to non-existent websites

Prosecutor Preet Bharara said: ‘These defendants concocted an elaborate criminal fraud scheme, alternately tricking some U.S. banks and effectively bribing others to assure the continued flow of billions in illegal gambling profits.’

Among those arrested was John Campos, the part owner of SunFirst Bank, a small private bank in Saint George, Utah, who agreed to process online poker transactions.

U.S. authorities are seeking the assistance of Interpol and foreign law enforcement to apprehend the eight men who are currently abroad.

Three of the defendants are Canadians. One of them, Isai Scheinberg, 64, the founder of PokerStars, who has dual Israeli-Canadian citizenship and lives in the Isle of Man.


Manhunt: FBI officers are working with Interpol and other agencies to apprehend the eight men who are currently abroad

All of the others are U.S. citizens. Most of them live outside the United States, in the Isle of Man, Ireland and Costa Rica.

If convicted, the defendants could face up to five years in prison for illegal Internet gambling, 20 years for money laundering and 30 years for bank and wire fraud.

U.S. law prohibits U.S. financial institutions from knowingly accepting payments for online gambling made through credit cards, electronic funds transfers, and checks.

The U.S. ban on Internet gambling has been challenged as an unfair trade restriction at the World Trade Organization.

The CEO of Full Tilt Poker has defended his site as providing a 'legal and harmless' game. 

Raymond Bitar, who with employee Nelson Burtnick was charged in New York with bank fraud and money laundering, said they merely provided 'a game of skill enjoyed by millions of people' around the world.

Messrs Bitar and Burtnick are outside the country and have yet to be arrested.

But in a press release Full Tilt Poker said: 'Mr Bitar and Full Tilt Poker believe online poker is legal - a position also taken by some of the best legal minds in the United States.

Mr Bitar added in the statement: 'I am surprised and disappointed by the government's decision to bring these charges. I look forward to Mr Burtnick's and my exoneration.'

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Foreign paedophiles could be banned from entering Gibraltar

Foreign paedophiles could be banned from entering Gibraltar under new draft legislation published yesterday.

The Crimes Bill consolidates criminal offences into one legislative text that modernises and streamlines the existing framework, toughening up sentences and introducing new offences and powers to close gaps.

 
 One of those new powers will enable the government to apply to the Magistrates Court for an “entry prohibition order” to stop non-Gibraltarian child sex offenders from entering Gibraltar.

“We don’t want these people here in Gibraltar but at the moment we can’t prevent them from coming,” Justice Minister Daniel Feetham said.

Police here are alerted through Interpol on the extremely rare occasions when convicted paedophiles are known to be heading to the area, but while efforts are made to keep tabs on them the system is not failsafe.

The new power would enable officials to carry out a risk assessment on each individual case and, if necessary, apply to the court to bar entry.

“We try and keep our eyes focused on such people whilst they’re in Gibraltar but it struck me that we needed a better, more streamlined procedure and protection, and the power to bar somebody from coming to Gibraltar if we felt that they were a danger,” Mr Feetham said.

“Our concern is to protect children here in Gibraltar from foreign paedophiles and I think the vast majority of the community will accept that this is the correct decision.”

While the UK keeps a register of sexual offenders and alerts other countries when they are travelling, many EU jurisdictions – including Spain - do not keep a register.

Mr Feetham said the Tripartite Forum, which is already considering law enforcement and judicial cooperation, would look closely at this specific issue to assess the possibility of establishing a framework for Gibraltar, the UK and Spain to share information on child sex offenders.

In any event, this is not a serious problem here and the presence of known convicted paedophiles on the Rock is extremely rare.

One veteran policeman said he knew of only two cases during his many years as an officer.

Mr Feetham was speaking to reporters during a press conference at which he presented the new Bill, a massive text that runs to 588 pages and is a key element of a wider reform of Gibraltar’s criminal legislation.

The Bill reflects and draws from current UK, European and international law.

“The aim of the Crimes Bill is not only to consolidate all our criminal offences but to modernise them, to add to them and to also revise sentences,” Mr Feetham said.

“It provides a comprehensive code of all our criminal offences in Gibraltar, save for those that relate to traffic and financial services.”

“It will provide Gibraltar with a modern, fair and balanced regime which seeks to deter criminality where it is contemplated, punish it when it occurs and rehabilitate an offender who has paid his or her debt to society.”

The Bill revises sentences that have in some cases remained static for five decades.

Under current legislation, for example, indecent assault on a child is punishable by a maximum of two years in prison. Under the new law, the maximum will be lifted to 14 years.

The Bill is completely gender neutral and makes no distinction between men, women or sexual orientation. The protection it affords – and the punishment - is thus equal for everyone.

Mr Feetham noted that the recent debate over the gay age of consent did not reflect the fact that existing law discriminates against heterosexual males in many cases.

While the law protects teenage girls from adult men, it is not a crime for an adult woman to have sex with a boy aged over 14.

The Crimes Bill addresses that discrimination.

“There is no over-focus, as is the current position, on protecting girls against men and the Bill affords the same protection to boys against predatory men and women,” Mr Feetham said.

“We’ve treated boys and girls, men and women, in exactly the same way.”

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Ex-Rothstein law firm COO ‘totally stonewalls’ Gibraltar in deposition

One of the key figures in Scott Rothstein’s Ponzi scheme, former Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler COO Debra Villegas, refused to answer questions in a recent civil deposition by attorneys for Gibraltar Private Bank & Trust.
Villegas took the Fifth Amendment in response to 260 questions, much to the anger of Gibraltar’s attorneys.
Her refusal to answer questions is notable because she has already pleaded guilty in the Ponzi scheme, and the start of her jail sentence has been delayed so she can cooperate with federal authorities.

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Internet Poker Companies Indicted for Fraud, Money Laundering

The owners and founders of the three largest online gambling sites in the United States have been indicted and charged with bank fraud, money laundering and illegal gambling offenses.

Eleven individuals were charged over their involvement running PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker for violating the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.

According to a federal indictment, the owners of the companies sought ways to get around restrictions placed on U.S. banks that prohibited them from handling financial transactions connected to online gambling.


Isai Scheinber and Paul Tate of PokerStars, Scott Tom and Brent Beckley of Absolute Poker, and Raymond Bitar and Nelson Burtnick of Full Tilt Poker, the indictment claims, engaged in a scheme "to deceive United States banks and financial institutions into processing billions of dollars in payments for the poker companies, by, among other things, arranging for the money received from United States gamblers to be disguised as payments to hundreds of non-existent online merchants and other non-gambling businesses." The indictment alleges the poker-company owners "relied on highly compensated third party payment processors ... who lied to United States banks about the nature of the financial transactions they were processing and covered up those lies through the creation of phony corporations and websites to disguise payments to the poker companies."

The indictment identifies four individuals as the payment processors -- Ryan Lang, Ira Rubin, Bradley Franzen and Chad Elie.

The allegedly phony websites included on-line flower delivery shops and pet supply stores that would handle credit card payments to get funds from U.S. customers.

The 52-page indictment also alleges that conspirators used electronic checks to try and disguise their payments.

 

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BA cabin crew call off strike over Easter and royal wedding

The prospect of peace has not only prevented damaging strikes over the Easter and Royal Wedding bank holiday weekends but also raised hopes that disruption could be avoided during the peak summer season.
In a conciliatory move Unite has held off announcing further stoppages, despite majority support for further industrial action in the latest ballot.
At the same time BA granted the union a 28-day extension to the current strike mandate, which was due to expire on Monday.
In doing so the airline gave Unite breathing space to carry on talks rather than leaving the union facing the stark choice of calling a strike just to avoid the expense of another ballot.
The move reflects an improvement in the negotiating climate in recent weeks following the appointment of Keith Williams as BA’s chief executive and Len McCluskey as Unite’s general secretary.

 

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The British man suspected of murdering his wife was reportedly kicked out of a rehabilitation clinic after he shut himself in his room and threatened to hit a nurse.

Shrien Dewani was moved from the exclusive Priory clinic after his 'unmanageable' behaviour saw him barricade himself in his room, intimidate other patients and threaten to punch a nurse, a court heard today.

Both his lawyers and the South African Authorities, who seek his extradition to face charges of murdering his bride Anni on their honeymoon, agree he should be sent to secure psychiatric unit Kewstoke where his violent outbursts can be managed.

Dewani, 31, complained that he would be better off in Wandsworth prison and regularly screamed at staff and fellow in patients, it was said.

He was staying there as part of his bail conditions but it was requested by his psychiatrist Dr Paul Dedman and staff that he be moved after numerous volatile outbursts.

Hugo Keith QC, representing the South African authorities, said Dewani's behaviour had become so unmanageable that the police were called on April 10 in after two days of aggressive behaviour.

'Staff nurse Miriam Andrews made a statement to police,' he told Westminster Magistrates Court today.

'She said his behaviour is volatile. He has never been fully compliant and complains a lot.

'He has shouted at staff before and been very aggressive toward them. He has observations every 30 minutes and sometimes he will shout or give staff a scowl and sometimes he will say nothing at all.

'On April 10 just after 7am he went into an office leaving the door open to use the phone in order to ring a health care agency and make a complaint. The member of staff went in and ended the call and he said "How dare you put the phone down?" and shouted at her.'

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GUARDIA CIVIL IGNORE ROYAL NAVY WARNING

The Guardia Civil are going to provoke a serious incident if they continue to interfere with military movements by sea in and out of Gibraltar in such a carefree and cavalier fashion. Their continuing incursions make it all the more important that the territorial waters of Gibraltar are fully protected and our jurisdiction enforced at all times, says the Opposition.

 Adding that the latest reported incident between a Guardia Civil launch and the Royal Navy happened recently during the call of the Los Angeles class United States Submarine Providence. It will be recalled that the US vessel was in Gibraltar just days after being involved in the military operations off Lybia. When it was leaving Gibraltar, it was shadowed by a Guardia Civil launch which appeared to be photographing or filming it. The Royal Navy warned the Guardia Civil by radio that they were too close to the submarine. The Guardia Civil continued in their approach and when they moved closer to the submarine, their path had to be physically blocked by the Royal Navy vessels.

  The Opposition consider that it is dangerous and irresponsible for the Guardia Civil to behave in this way. Incidents of this nature and very serious and they raise safety concerns as well as issues of sovereignty, jurisdiction and control over Gibraltar’s territorial sea.

  This is not the first time that this kind of situation has happened. It will be recalled that during an exercise near Gibraltar, a British Royal Navy frigate nearly fired on an oncoming Guardia Civil launch after the latter refused to identify itself or to answer radio communications. It was only when one of the Gibraltar Squadron vessels which accompanied the warship recognised the Guardia Civil that the incident was defused. More recently, the Guardia Civil also interfered with a military exercise inside Gibraltar waters when they entered the exercise area where parachutists jumping from an RAF plane into the sea.

  It is obvious that the behaviour of the Guardia Civil is in line with the policy of the Spanish Government which is designed to make life as difficult as possible for any military units that want to make use of Gibraltar. The Opposition considers that it is only a matter of time before there is another serious incident. It is incredible that they should behave in such a reckless manner in the presence of an American nuclear submarine and its escorts when heightened security measures mean that they risk being shot at. They have no right to interfere with military or any other vessels inside Gibraltar’s territorial sea.

 

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local man has been arrested and 30000 cigarettes have been seized

As a result of certain observations being carried out by officers of the Royal Gibraltar Police into the illicit exportation of tobacco in the area of British Lines Road, a local man has been arrested and 30000 cigarettes have been seized

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Peter Caruana, has given an interview to the Catalan regional television station TV3.

The Gibraltar First Minister, Peter Caruana, has given an interview to the Catalan regional television station TV3.
He told the peak time morning audience that the 30,000 Gibraltarians could not be the only citizens on the planet who, according to Spain, were not and would never be entitled to exercise the right to self-determination, to have beaches that had no right to even receive water or to have its airspace recognised.

He also told the audience that Gibraltar ‘does not live with its back to Spain’ and does not wish to do so, ‘which does not mean that we would be prepared to be absorbed by Spain or integrated into it’.

He said he did not want to see tension with Madrid, and that the Gibraltar Government had always sought ‘the maximum degree of normality, stability and good relations with Spain at all levels’.

Asked about the recent comments by the Prince of Asturias regarding Gibraltar during the recent visit of Prince Charles, Caruana said Prince Felipe had put his viewpoint ‘with a certain degree of sensitivity and diplomacy’, but Gibraltar was not in agreement with what he said and there was no way forward with just bilateral talks. He said that Gibraltar had not blocked the diplomatic progress of the Tripartite Forum created in 2004.

Caruana thought it was possible that Madrid was ‘psychologically influenced’ in its reactions towards Gibraltar by concerns about wider political implications of the Spanish state’s relations with the Catalans and Basques.

He also denied claims that Gibraltar was a financial haven, describing it instead it had transformed over the past 15 years as a financial centre, where there was no longer any opacity.

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The British Frigate ‘H.M.S. Cumberland’ arrives in Gibraltar Monday for her last port of call before moving in a few days to Plymouth where she will be scrapped

 

She left Devonport last September and has since then been touring the gulfs of Aden and Omán, fighting pirates, and has taken part in an exercise, ‘Air Khandjar’, in collaboration with the United Arab Emirates armed forces.

She has also supported the French aircraft carrier, ‘Charles de Gaulle’, while she was carrying out combat operations in Afghanistan, and has also helped with the evacuation of Britons from Libya.

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SAILOR Ryan Donovan was last night charged with murdering one of his senior officers on nuclear submarine HMS Astute.

The 22-year-old allegedly shot dead Lieutenant Commander Ian Molyneux with an SA80 assault rifle on Friday afternoon.

Donovan, who changed his name to Reggie Moondog by deed poll, was also charged with three counts of attempted murder.

The Able Seaman, from Dartford, Kent, will appear before magistrates in Southampton today.

His alleged victim, 36-year-old weapons engineering officer Lt. Cmdr Molyneux, was married with four children. Donovan was also charged with the attempted murder of Petty Officer Chris Brown, 36, Chief Petty Officer David McCoy, 37, and Lt Cmdr Chris Hodge, 45.

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200 attendees for the KPMG e-Gaming Summit. Both reinforce Gibraltar's status as a premier gaming jurisdiction.

Last week the fourth floor of Leisure Island Business Centre at Ocean Village was transformed into an exhibition-style space to host two significant e-gaming events. On Wednesday 400 delegates from newly formed Bwin.party descended on the marina-front commercial centre whilst Thursday saw 200 attendees for the KPMG e-Gaming Summit. Both reinforce Gibraltar's status as a premier gaming jurisdiction.

Brian Stevendale, Business and Development Director for Ocean Village, comments, "e-Gaming has contributed massively to Gibraltar's economy over recent years and creates considerable employment for local Gibraltarians. However, there have been many changes in the way that the industry is regulated, both on a national and international level, and the events of the past few days have provided a vital forum for debate. As a massive growth industry we expect e-Gaming to continue to have a huge impact on the Rock and will be providing office space for major players in World Trade Center Gibraltar when we open for business."

For Bwin-party, 31 March was a day to remember as the merger of Bwin and Party Gaming became official and the new entity traded for the first time on the London Stock Exchange. Now officially the world's biggest listed online gambling company, Bwin.party is licensed and headquartered in Gibraltar and makes a positive impact on the local economy.

For KPMG, Thursday's e-Gaming Summit kicked off with a rousing speech by Chief Minister Peter Caruana followed by an official KPMG welcome. Throughout the packed day's programme invited guest speakers from the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority, international law firm Hassans, eCOGRA (e-Commerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance), RBS, worldwide iGaming payment processing company Counting House, venture capital firm The Lydia Group, Jackpot Games, Passoker, 3d casino designers Digital Strip, Gaming Sports Marketing and of course KPMG themselves, were able to provide their viewpoints on Gibraltar's potential in a global marketplace. The day rounded off with a panel session entitled 'Looking to the Future' and some well-earned post-event drinks in the company of the Passoker Interactive Experience.

Mike Harvey, Director for KPMG Gibraltar, said, "It is crucially important that Gibraltar continues to make itself an attractive jurisdiction for the licensing and operation of online gaming companies. This involves input from the Government, key industry players and service providers in finance, IT and a variety of other key sectors. This summit brought those key players together to discuss the needs of the industry as it grows and develops."

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Shares in UK gambling companies Betfair PLC and the newly listed bwin.party digital entertainment group are losing value fast

Shares in UK gambling companies Betfair PLC and the newly listed bwin.party digital entertainment group are losing value fast thanks to the German government’s announcement that it will adjudicate a 16% tax on sports betting turnover. Both Betfair and bwin.party say that paying such high taxes will make it impossible for them to remain competitive in the German gambling market.
 
Germany’s web gaming market is, at present, unregulated, which means that UK operators that are based in Gibraltar do not pay any taxes.
 
A tarriff on sports betting turnover would mean that both stakes and winnings would be taxed. English bookmakers like Betfair and bwin.party are crossing their fingers that the resulting legislation will be a gross profits tax, wherein the stake less the winnings are the only amount included. Similar models are already used in the UK, Spain and Greece.
 
For companies like the newly listed bwin.party, which generates almost a quarter of its revenue from the German market, a 16% tax on total turnover could be financially devastating. Its shares fell to 142 p last week.
 
But bwin.party isn’t rolling over and playing dead yet. The company is arguing that the proposed 16% tax revisions are not in accordance with European Union law.
 
Said bwin.party Co-Chief Executive, Norbert Teufelberger: "We trust that these proposals will undergo the necessary corrections so that the new regulations will govern the entire German market in a coherent and consistent manner in line with EU law."

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City University London has became the latest to declare its tuition fees for 2012, announcing it will charge students the maximum £9,000.

The university's vice-chancellor, Professor Paul Curran, said the institution is planning new schemes to ensure poorer students gain access to degree places, including maths tutoring in schools, master-classes and summer schools.
More than 30 universities have already declared their intended fee levels for next year, with the majority planning to charge £9,000.
Those planning to charge the maximum are Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial College London, University College London, Manchester, Warwick, Essex, Leeds, Durham, Lancaster, Bath, Birmingham, Loughborough, Exeter, Sussex, Surrey, Liverpool, Aston, Liverpool John Moores, Reading, Kent, Central Lancashire, Leicester, Nottingham, Oxford Brookes and City.
All universities planning to charge more than £6,000 will have to have their fees approved by the Office for Fair Access (Offa), and sign access agreements showing how they plan to ensure poorer students are not priced out.
MPs voted to raise tuition fees to £6,000 from 2012 at the end of last year, with institutions allowed to charge up to £9,000 only in "exceptional circumstances".
But so far, most universities are clustering around the £9,000 mark, with the elite institutions leading the way.
This is causing problems for the Government, which has based its future funding of universities on the assumption that most institutions will charge £7,500.
Ministers have warned universities that if the majority set fees at or close to the maximum £9,000 then they will face cuts to funding and student places.

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Royal Navy officer has been killed and a second seriously injured after they were shot by a colleague on board a nuclear-powered submarine.

Local civic dignitaries, including the mayor and council leader were on board HMS Astute, which is visiting Southampton, Hampshire, at the time of the incident.
The Ministry of Defence said the shooting was not terrorist-related and there was no threat to the wider public.
An MoD spokesman said: "Two Royal Navy personnel have been involved in a firearms incident at Southampton docks where HMS Astute is alongside. Sadly, one has now died as a result of his injuries. The Royal Navy is now attempting to inform their families as a matter of urgency.
"A third Royal Navy serviceman has been arrested by Hampshire Constabulary and is now in custody. This incident was not terrorist-related and there is no threat to the wider public."
Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox said: "I am greatly saddened to hear of this tragic incident and of the death of a Royal Navy serviceman. It is right and proper that a full police investigation is carried out and allowed to take its course. My thoughts and sympathies are with those who have been affected and their families."
It is understood that the two victims were male officers and the shooting was carried out with an SA80 service rifle. The gunman is thought to have been on sentry duty and the shooting happened during a weapons changeover between shifts.
After the shooting, it is understood the gunman was grabbed by other navy personnel who handed him over to Ministry of Defence Police who were there as part of the civic visit. He was then transferred to Hampshire police officers when they arrived minutes later.
Southampton City Council's leader Royston Smith, mayor Carol Cunio and chief executive Alistair Neill were among a group of six local dignitaries on board HMS Astute at the time of the shooting. They were not hurt.
The seriously injured navy crew member was taken to Southampton General Hospital, South Central Ambulance Service said. Chief Superintendent David Thomas, of Hampshire Police, said the injured man was now in a "stable condition".

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nuclear-powered submarine is returning to its home port in Groton after participating in U.S.-led strikes against military forces in Libya.

The USS Providence was among American and British vessels that launched cruise missiles against Libyan air defense and other sites to halt efforts by Moammar Gadhafi to crush a rebellion in the North African country.

The fast-attack sub is returning to Naval Submarine Base New London on Friday following a six-month deployment. The vessel carrying 127 officers and enlisted crew also visited ports in Spain, Turkey and Gibraltar.

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HM Customs Gibraltar and Royal Gibraltar Police, a total of 26 bales of cannabis resin with an approximate gross weight of 800 kilos and a street value of £3,900,000 were seized on Wednesday.

anti-drug operation by HM Customs Gibraltar and Royal Gibraltar Police, a total of 26 bales of cannabis resin with an approximate gross weight of 800 kilos and a street value of £3,900,000 were seized on Wednesday.

A statement yesterday, adds that the drugs were found in a Spanish registered vehicle parked within an underground car park in Harbour Views Estate. The three car parks within the estate were searched by a team of officers and the customs drugs dogs.

The vehicle was towed away and together with the drugs is undergoing forensic examination by scenes of crime officers, said spokesman.

A local person has been arrested, is assisting with enquiries and is currently on bail.

Investigations are continuing and further arrests are not ruled out.

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One person has been killed and another is in a critical condition after a shooting on board a nuclear submarine, police said.

One person has been killed and another is in a critical condition after a shooting on board a nuclear submarine, police said.

One man has been arrested after the incident on HMS Astute, which is docked in Southampton, but Hampshire police are refusing to comment on reports that the three people involved are all service personnel.

They said the incident was not terrorist related and there was no risk to the public.

Several police vehicles were sent to the Eastern Docks and officers could be seen on the gangway of the £1bn submarine.

A police spokesman said: "Hampshire police were called by their Ministry of Defence colleagues at 12.12pm today and are currently liaising with them to establish the exact circumstances of the incident.

"It is believed two people have sustained injuries as a result of gun shots being discharged on the vessel. People should be reassured there is no risk to public safety.

"Hampshire Constabulary and the MoD are keen to stress this incident is not terrorist related. More information will be circulated as it becomes available," the police said.

The MoD referred all calls to Hampshire police.

HMS Astute is described by the Royal Navy as the first of a new class of vessel designed to be the largest and most powerful nuclear attack submarines ever built for it.

Built in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, and based at Faslane, in Scotland, this is Astute's first trip south.

The five-day visit to Southampton was billed as the first chance for people outside north-west England and Scotland to see the boat.

Astute was not open to the public while in Southampton, but civic leaders, sea cadets, scouts, and school and college parties were being invited on to the 7,500-tonne vessel.

Astute's commanding officer, Commander Iain Breckenridge, said before arriving in Southampton: "My ship's company and I are very much looking forward to the visit and meeting the people of the city. And I'm sure scouts, school pupils and other visitors will be impressed with the capabilities of this formidable vessel."

Since commissioning last August, the boat has had what the navy calls an interesting time, including running aground off the Isle of Skye. It is now in the middle of a "demanding" trials programme.

The submarine's Spearfish torpedoes and Tomahawk cruise missiles are capable of delivering pinpoint strikes from 1,240 miles with conventional weapons. Its nuclear reactor means it does not need refuelling and it makes its own air and water, enabling it to circumnavigate the globe without needing to surface.

It was the first in a fleet of six which will replace the Royal Navy's Trafalgar class submarines.

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Gibraltar's low corporate tax regime 'not unlawful'

An attempt by the European Commission to outlaw Gibraltar's low corporate tax regime should be rejected, a legal adviser to the European Court of Justice said today.

The Commission, backed by Spain, insists the tax system amounts to illegal state aid, because one "region" of an EU member state discriminates against the rest of the country - the UK.

But the European Court's Advocate General said in a legal "opinion" today that Gibraltar should be regarded as a territory in its own right for purposes of its tax regime - and therefore its low corporate tax regime could not be seen as discriminatory state aid.

"Harmful tax measures cannot be classified automatically as unlawful state aid," Advocate General Niilo Jaaskinen said.

Although the Advocate General's advice is not binding, it is followed in about 80% of cases when the final verdict is given by the full court.

Today's recommendation was hailed by British Conservative MEP for Gibraltar Giles Chichester as "a breath of fresh air" and a boost to Irish efforts to fend off pressure from Brussels to raise its corporate tax rate.

"This is good news for Gibraltar," he said.

"For years socialists have been trying to equate low corporate taxes with state aid and this opinion says they are wrong.

"There is no such thing as harmful tax competition in the EU, and Gibraltar must fight against any efforts to harmonise corporate tax regimes.

"Gibraltar, with its low corporate tax regime, is showing the rest of the EU the way forward. Tax competition is one of the best forms of competition in the Single Market and we should encourage it, not harmonise it out of existence."

In 2004 the Commission warned that Gibraltar's new low tax regime constituted regional aid and was thus an unlawful state aid to the region.

But the Advocate General said Gibraltar should be seen as its own "territorial framework" for taxation purposes. That meant its tax measures amounted to fiscal policy and not state aid.

"Where a tax measure is of a general character, it constitutes an adjustment to general fiscal policy and not state aid," he said.

A final decision is likely later this year.

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There is major speculation that Portugal will follow Greece and Ireland and have to be bailed out by the European Union (EU) and International Monetary Fund.

All five opposition parties voted against the minority Socialist Party government’s latest austerity program.

The Labour-like party then resigned from office, triggering a general election and throwing the state into further chaos. There is major speculation that Portugal will follow Greece and Ireland and have to be bailed out by the European Union (EU) and International Monetary Fund.

In return, Europe’s leaders will demand even deeper cuts to public spending.

The Socialists pushed through an austerity plan, with cuts in wages, pensions, services and benefits. Prime Minister Jose Sócrates wanted to reduce Portugal’s public spending deficit from 9.3 percent of gross domestic product in 2009 to 4.6 percent this year.

Portugal has loyally followed the consensus of European governments—that spending cuts will deal with the crisis. But, like Greece and Ireland, it its economy has continued to decline. Unemployment stands at 11.2 percent.

Chancellor George Osborne has sent the British economy down this rocky road with huge spending cuts. And Spain is the next country facing problems with speculation that its regional banks need 100 billion euros to continue.

Impact: The attacks in Portugal have seen serious resistance, with a powerful general strike by hundreds of thousands of workers in November and large protests.

It has even had an impact on Portugal’s Eurovision entry. The band Homens da Luta’s “A Luta é Alegria” (The Struggle is Joy) is a huge hit. They played at a “Desperate Generation” protest in Lisbon in March.

Its lyrics include, “There are plenty who’ll sell you the air itself/ Day or night, the struggle is joy/ And the people advance, it’s in the street shouting.”

The radical Left Bloc MPs voted against the austerity measures. Francisco Louçã, one of its leaders, said, “We need a left that has answers.

“Our vote of no confidence was in the name of the precarious youth and the long-term unemployed. It has an echo in Portuguese society and has mobilized so many people.”

The Bloc is putting forward an alternative economic program to deal with the crisis.

This includes increasing taxes on the financial sector, nationalizing the energy companies, a 35-hour week, an urban reform plan and changing the eurozone stability pact. But the designs of the international ruling class will mean more misery for the country’s people if they are implemented.

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MOD in Gibraltar has said that it can confirm that "we can expect a visit from two warships and a support vessel in the next few days. These ships are deploying as part of a long planned exercise.

Hundreds of marines are coming Gibraltar's way as part of a major British exercise. The exercise is called Operation Cougar and its first phase will be in the Mediterranean up to June.

The concentration of so many men and ships in this area of the world, with North Africa in a state of permanent upheaval, has led to speculation in British papers that it is all to do with the Libya uprising - and whatever happens next.

The MOD in Gibraltar has said that it can confirm that "we can expect a visit from two warships and a support vessel in the next few days. These ships are deploying as part of a long planned exercise. They will transit through the Mediterranean en toute for a subsequent exercise programme East of Suez and, during the course of their transit they are due to conduct exercises with Allies and partners."

The Royal Marines are deploying as part of the ships' complement to provide protection and to take part in multi-ship amphibious exercises. "We cannot confirm whether the Marines will arrive here by sea or by air," the MOD added.

Reports in the UK say that a task force of about 600 Royal Marines and at least six ships are about to leave for the Mediterranean region, massively enhancing the UK's military strength there.

Devonport-based assault ship HMS Albion is one of the ships.

Foreign Secretary William Hague denied the report that it is connected with Libya, insisting they were actually "preparing for an exercise elsewhere". That may be the case - but it must come in handy at this time of crisis in Libya to have such a task force so close to the trouble spot!

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Gibraltar Navy Base is becoming ever more busy as a logistical base for operations in Libya.

This weekend saw the arrival of two more British Navy ships, a destroyer and a frigate returning from the conflict zone. In both cases the vessels are on the Rock for new supplies and refuelling.

A U.S. nuclear submarine, USS Providence, left the Rock last week heading into the Mediterranean.

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if Spain applied its reasons for claiming Gibraltar to the rest of its territory, it would have to give up land to Portugal.

Spanish Crown Prince Felipe said that Britain and Spain need to resolve their “historical bilateral dispute” over Gibraltar, as Prince Charles visited Madrid on March 30.

This comes two months after Spain banned American aircraft flying to or from Gibraltar from traveling in Spanish airspace.

“I express my wish that our authorities make progress towards a solution to our historic bilateral dispute which is yet to be resolved,” said Felipe at an official dinner with the prince.

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero also raised the issue, calling for “cooperation” to solve the dispute.

Panorama, a Gibraltar news service, points out that by describing the dispute over Gibraltar as “bilateral” the Spanish are trying to characterize the issue of Gibraltar sovereignty as something to be decided between the UK and Spain, while ignoring the wishes of the people of Gibraltar.

This is not surprising, as in 2002 Gibraltarians voted overwhelming to remain part of Britain.

Spain’s defense agreement with the United States says: “Aircraft departing from or heading to Gibraltar are forbidden to overfly Spanish airspace or to land in Spain. They cannot even file a flight plan which includes a Spanish airport as their alternative destination. The only exception are [sic] humanitarian missions which have been previously authorized and emergencies.”

These regulations entered into force on February 1, and were leaked to the Spanish press.

The regulations “once again serve to show that Madrid will use every conceivable opportunity to undermine and erode the position of Gibraltar internationally,” says Gibraltar’s Socialist Labor Party on its website.

“It is quite incredible that this no-fly zone should be formalized at a time when there is supposed to be a so-called improved climate in relations between Gibraltar and Spain,” it writes. “Indeed, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States are all supposed to be allies in nato, and yet the Spanish government continues to behave with a degree of hostility towards Gibraltar as if this were not the case. There is also the additional point that the military interests of nato and of the West in general could be put at risk by the continued Spanish obsession whenever it comes to Gibraltar.”

The Spanish have clearly not given up on Gibraltar, despite the fact that Gibraltarians don’t want to be part of Spain and, as British Member of the European Parliament Daniel Hannan pointed out a couple of years ago, if Spain applied its reasons for claiming Gibraltar to the rest of its territory, it would have to give up land to Portugal.

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E-gaming companies, PartyGaming and bwin have received shareholder approval to merge to create the world’s largest listed online gaming business, based in Gibraltar

E-gaming companies, PartyGaming and bwin have received shareholder approval to merge to create the world’s largest listed online gaming business, based in Gibraltar. Subject to approval from the Gibraltar Supreme Court, the merger is expected to be completed on March 31, 2011.

Under the proposed merger, the assets and liabilities of bwin will be transferred to PartyGaming thereby forming a Societas Europaea (European joint stock company) incorporated in Gibraltar. Upon completion of the proposed merger, Bwin shares will be de-listed from the Vienna Stock Exchange and the shares in the combined entity will be listed exclusively on the London Stock Exchange.

Following the approval of the merger in Germany by the Federal Cartel Office and in Austria by the Federal Competition Authority, bwin has now also received anti-trust approval from the relevant authorities in Romania.

Bwin co-Chief Executive Officer, Norbert Teufelberger and his counterpart at Party Gaming, Jim Ryan will continue to jointly hold their posts. Other key management positions will be occupied by the existing senior management of both companies.

Commenting, Teufelberger stated: "This business combination makes great strategic, operational and financial sense. We will be in pole position to capitalize on the wealth of opportunities that will flow from the continued evolution and expansion of the global online gaming industry."

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HMS Invincible diverted to Gibraltar use it to patrol British Gibraltar Waters against incursions by the Guardia Civil.

HMS Invincible, the decommissioned Royal Navy aircraft carrier which was being towed to Turkey to be scrapped, was late last night diverted to Gibraltar as it entered the Strait. A Greek high net worth resident has reportedly purchased the vessel and plans to convert it into a floating office complex for the gaming industry.

Lawyers for the unnamed billionaire said that the current shortage of office space and the added attraction of landing facilities for private jets and helicopters made this an ideal alternative in the style of floating hotels. Additionally he felt that the heritage value would be much appreciated and a boost to local tourism.

 
Government sources however last night denied reports that there were also plans to refurbish the vessel’s engines in a bid to additionally use it to patrol British Gibraltar Waters against incursions by the Guardia Civil.

“Coming as it does at the end of the financial year I think April 1 is the ideal date for an investment of this kind and clarifies to the public what is meant by an onshore offshore centre,” said the source.

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Gibraltar is quite clearly a part of Spain,

Gibraltar is quite clearly a part of Spain, just as surely as the Falkland Islands are a part of Argentina, and that it therefore should be governed by Spain. Sorted.
However, for Britain, fixing the Gibraltar problem is not that simple. And it isn’t because the British political and cultural elites hold a candle for the 30,000 inhabitants of this rock in the Mediterranean. On the contrary, these Union Jack-waving proud Brits are an eyesore for the modern, cosmopolitan rulers and opinion-formers here in Blighty, who snootily look at Gibraltarians as an ugly reminder of an old-world patriotism that we’re all supposed to have moved beyond.
There is a barely concealed contempt in the way modern British politicians and commentators discuss Gibraltar. Jack Straw, when he was foreign secretary, could hardly disguise his disdain for these rock-dwellers and their apparently weird desire to remain British. After all, New Labour was redefining Britishness as something pluralistic and open-ended, as a post-Union Jack, post-traditionalist “gathering of countless different races and communities”, in Robin Cook’s words – so who were these peculiar people hundreds of miles away so super-keen to be Officially British?
Journalists write about how strange it is that, at a time when “many Britons are unsure about what they have to feel patriotic about”, there exists this small community of “True Brits” overseas. The New Statesman once sneered about the “prejudices” of Gibraltarians, describing their struggle to remain part of Britain against Spain’s desire to win back the Rock as “the most idiotic conflict on the planet”. Apparently Gibraltar shows the extent to which “national pride contaminates the mental processes”.

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United States military aircraft that have Gibraltar airport as their origin or destination are prohibited from flying over Spanish airspace or make stops in its territory.

GIBRALTAR has been a sore point for Spain since it was muscled away by Britain nearly three centuries ago. One of the most recent examples of these tensions was the new agreement which came into force on February 1 and was published in the Official State Bulletin on Monday.

It states that United States military aircraft that have Gibraltar airport as their origin or destination are prohibited from flying over Spanish airspace or make stops in its territory.

Other stipulations include that "except in cases of express authorization," US aircraft flying over Spain cannot "carry dangerous goods, or passengers or cargo that might be controversial in Spain."

Dangerous goods include explosives, gases, flammable liquids or solids, oxidizing substances, organic peroxides, toxic and infectious substances and radioactive material.

Any US aircraft that is not “deployed” in Spain can stay more than 72 hours, except in case of extreme cases or those previously approved by Spanish authorities.

In-flight refuelling on national territory is also not allowed.

In special cases, authorization should be applied for no less than 48 hours in advance, although the recommendation is seven days, and should be accompanied by a memorandum explaining in detail the circumstances of the flight.

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The history of Gibraltar.

The Spanish arrived in 1502, only to be kicked out by the British in 1704 when the Treaty of Utrecht granted Gibraltar to the British crown "forever". Above, The raising of the siege of Gibraltar by Sir John Leake in 1704
711 - Moorish commander commander Tariq Ibn-Ziyad captures the “Rock”.
1462 - Spain takes back the territory as it drives out the Moors.
1501 - Queen Isabelle annexes Gibraltar to Spain, granting it its present-day coat of arms a year later.
1704 - Gibraltar is captured by English troops with Dutch help during the War of Spanish Succession.
1713 - The Treaty of Utrecht formally cedes Gibraltar to Britain from Spain.
1830 - Gibraltar becomes a British crown colony.
1939 - Civilians evacuated as World War II begins.
1954 - Spain cuts air links to protest at a visit to Gibraltar by Queen Elizabeth II.
1963 - Spain begins campaign at the United Nations to win Gibraltar's handover back to Spanish control.
1967 - A referendum on the Rock sees residents overwhelmingly vote to remain under British rule.
1969 - Britain draws up a constitution for Gibraltar, according internal self-government. The move prompts Franco-led Spain to withdraw its workforce and close the border.
1973 - Gibraltar joins the European Economic Community (now European Union) along with Britain.
1981 - Gibraltarians are granted full British citizenship. Prince Charles and Princess Diana visit on their honeymoon, a move that caused King Juan Carlos of Spain to reject invitation to their wedding.
1984 - Under the Brussels Process, both London and Madrid agree to seek an accord on links relating to Gibraltar.
1985 - Spain formally re-opens the border.
2002 - Referendum shows 99 percent of residents oppose British and Spanish plan to seek joint-sovereignty.
2004 - The Rock celebrates third centenary of British rule.
2006 - Ministerial delegations from Britain, Gibraltar and Spain sign the Cordoba Agreement on joint use of the airport, pension compensation for former Spanish workers on the Rock and upgraded telecoms links after Madrid targets cooperation while retaining sovereignty claim.
July 2009 - A Spanish cabinet minister visited Gibraltar for the first time in more than 300 years. Madrid insisted the trip by then Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos did not signify any change to its claim to the British territory.
November 2009 – British Ambassador to Spain, Giles Paxman called to answer over incident in which Royal Navy accused of using a Spanish flag for target practice during a military exercise in international waters. He explained that the target had in fact been a Nato flag bearing the same colours as the Spanish flag but apologised for the incident.

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