Spanish Crown Prince stirs Gibraltar controversy with Prince of Wales

Spanish heir to throne waded into the centuries old row over the disputed territory at the foot of the Iberian Peninsula at a gala dinner to welcome the Prince and the Duchess of Cornwall on their first official visit together to Spain."I express my hope that our authorities make progress towards a solution to our historic bilateral dispute which is yet to be resolved," said the 43-year-old Prince of Asturias in a speech at the Palacio Real in Madrid.Although he did not mention Gibraltar by name it was clear he was referring to the tiny peninsula on Spain's southwestern tip, which Madrid ceded to London under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713.Spain still claims sovereignty over the Rock, home to 28,000 Gibraltarians, who in a 2002 referendum overwhelmingly rejected a deal to shared sovereignty...

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Thomas Cook (TCG.L), Europe's second biggest travel firm, said UK bookings had slowed as cash-strapped Britons, grappling with the government's fiscal squeeze, sacrifice their annual two weeks in the sun.

Thomas Cook (TCG.L), Europe's second biggest travel firm, said UK bookings had slowed as cash-strapped Britons, grappling with the government's fiscal squeeze, sacrifice their annual two weeks in the sun."Cumulative (summer) bookings remain ahead in most markets, although the rate of booking intake has slowed noticeably in the UK as a result of continued economic uncertainty," the company said on Tuesday.Thomas Cook said cumulative summer bookings in Britain were 1 percent ahead of last year, sharply down from growth of 6 percent when the group last updated the market.British consumers have been increasingly unwilling to spend as muted earnings growth and higher inflation, fuelled by January's rise in VAT (sales tax) and hikes in oil and food prices, bite into real incomes.They are also worried...

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Spanish Guardia Civil have wasted no time in deploying the largest patrol boat in their history to the Bay of Gibraltar,

GSLP/Libs has said that it received an eye-witness report last week of an incursion into local waters by a Guardia Civil patrol boat. It has also reiterated its position on Spain upgrade's of its maritime assets which, they say, "contrasts sharply with the failure of the Gibraltar Government to upgrade its own assets despite a pledge to do so."An Opposition spokesman said: "In an obvious show of strength, the Spanish Guardia Civil have wasted no time in deploying the largest patrol boat in their history to the Bay of Gibraltar, where it was seen last week, even though the vessel is supposed to be based in the port of Cad...

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British submarine has fired a number of Tomahawk missiles at Libyan air defence targets.

. British submarine has fired a number of Tomahawk missiles at Libyan air defence targets.Mr Cameron said the action was "legal, necessary and right".France, US, Canada and Italy are also involved in the operation to protect civilians from attacks by Col Gaddafi's forces.US officials said it was a "carefully coordinated" joint operation known as Odyssey Dawn.French planes destroyed Libyan vehicles earlier on Saturday, and US media say the US has fired missiles at Libya from a warsh...

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arrested four drug traffickers, during an operation led, on Friday, in the Straits of Gibraltar.

A patrol of the Royal navy seized 1.6 tons of chira (cannabis resin) and arrested four drug traffickers, during an operation led, on Friday, in the Straits of Gibraltar.    The drug were packed in 55 parcels and carried onboard a rubber dinghy, caught off the province of Fahs-Anjra, said a source from local authorities, adding that the boat's four passengers were Moroccans heading for the northern shore of the Straits of Gibraltar.    Following the operation, the Moroccan Royal Gendarmerie in Tanger-Med Port opened an investigation, the same source add...

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The new 73 metre Guardia Civil boat spotted yesterday in the Bay. It has a crew of 32.

The new 73 metre Guardia Civil boat spotted yesterday in the Bay. It has a crew of ...

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Workers in La Línea de la Concepción Town Hall decided to down tools on Monday in protest at the lack of payment of their wages.

Some 450 council employees said they were protesting at the difficult economic circumstances they have been suffering for months, and held a sit-in in the provisional offices of the Town Hall in the Palacio de Congresos in the town.The unpaid council wage bill in the town has now reached 7.5 million € which consists of four months wages and extra payments.UGT union spokesman, José Porras Naranjo, said the workers had hit bottom, and that there was a ‘situation of no return’ just two months ahead of the local elections. ‘It’s incredible’, he said, how 800 workers had been abandoned to their luck and the Mayor is not worried about absolutely anything’.The P.P. Mayor, Alejandro Sánchez, has been in Madrid in an attempt to find financing, trying to find a four million € loan from a bank, and said...

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ex Partido Popular Mayor of La Línea de la Concepción, Juan Carlos Juárez, has been sentenced to a seven and a half year ban from public employment

ex Partido Popular Mayor of La Línea de la Concepción, Juan Carlos Juárez, has been sentenced to a seven and a half year ban from public employment or office after being found guilty of perversion of the course of justice in the Roseworld case.The case relates to irregularities in the sale of four plots of municipal land to Roseworld in 2005, during the time that Juárez was Mayor of La Línea. The EFE news agency reports that he had faced a possible four years in prison and a fine of half a million €, but escaped prison after his acquittal of the crime of bribery.The former tax and planning councillor, Carlos Ruiz Calama, received a two year prison term and a ban from office for the same period. He’s also been fined more than 680,000 €. Roseworld’s administrator, Anil Thakurdas, received a...

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Jobless protesters rioted at the offices of state-run phosphate monopoly OCP in the central city of Khouribga

Jobless protesters rioted at the offices of state-run phosphate monopoly OCP in the central city of Khouribga, injuring about ten members of Morocco's security forces, the official MAP news agency said on Tuesday.The unemployed men invaded OCP's administrative offices and damaged the building's facade with stones, destroyed 11 vehicles and company documentation.Khouribga is home to the country's biggest phosphate mine.MAP said several protests have taken place in front of OCP's offices there since Feb 21 to demand jobs. Local officials have promised them jobs, MAP added.The riots were led "by some individuals who have no link whatsoever with those (job) demands," MAP said.An OCP spokesman could not immediately comment. Morocco is the world's top phosphate reserves holder and a key supplier...

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Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall are to pay an official visit to Morocco

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall are to pay an official visit to Morocco early next month, despite unrest in north African states.The long-planned three day visit is going ahead on Foreign Office advice in a bid to improve trade and cultural links. Britain exports £300m of goods to the country each year.Although there have been demonstrations in Rabat, diplomats say they have not been aimed at overthrowing the Moroccan monarchy. The visit, following a trip to Portugal and Spain, will include engagements in Fez, where the prince will discuss inter-faith dialogue, Rabat and an environmental project at the Errachidia oas...

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Rock's chief minister Peter Caruana and his wife will be attending the wedding in London next month of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Prince Charles and his wife Camilla will not be coming to Gibraltar, but the Rock's chief minister Peter Caruana and his wife will be attending the wedding in London next month of Prince William and Kate Middleton.Following Spanish press reports as to whether or not Prince Charles and Camilla would be going across to Gibraltar during a visit to Spain, an official statement in Gibraltar today was headed: "Chief Minister at Royal Wedding/No Royal visit."The brief statement from the chief minister's office said: "The Chief Minister and Mrs Caruana will attend the Royal Wedding at Westminster Abbey on Friday 29th April 2011 representing Gibraltar. The Gibraltar Government is not aware of any proposal for His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall to visit Gibraltar at this...

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MURDER suspect Shrien Dewani was told to live at the Priory Hospital as a condition of his on-going freedom today.

He still faces a battle to avoid extradition after the South African authorities accused him of arranging the murder of his new bride Anni, 28, last year.The pair were on honeymoon in South Africa when their taxi was hijacked and she was later found shot dead.After taking an overdose of pills last month Dewani, 31, appeared in court today and was sent to the hospital.He had been on bail at his family home in Bristol but the South African authorities said he should be taken into custody after what was thought to be a suicide attempt.Smiles ... Shrien with AnniHowever, lawyers for both sides agreed today the care home owner should be admitted to the Priory Hospital Bristol instead.Dewani is said to be suffering from severe post-traumatic stress syndrome and remains subject to £250,000 bail.Strict...

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PRINCE William and Kate Middleton were told yesterday to find a seat at their wedding for an extra guest to settle a diplomatic row between ­Britain and Gibraltar.

PRINCE William and Kate Middleton were told yesterday to find a seat at their wedding for an extra guest to settle a diplomatic row between ­Britain and Gibraltar.In an extraordinary oversight, they had failed to invite a representative from Gibraltar, a British overseas ­territory captured from Spain in 1704, to the ceremony in ­Westminster Abbey on April 29.They were forced into an embarrassing U-turn to calm a simmering row over Foreign Secretary William Hague’s decision to send Prince Charles and Camilla on an official tour to Spain – but not Gibraltar – at the end of this month.Gibraltarians were up in arms after it emerged that during the 10-day tour of Portugal, Spain and Morocco, Charles and Camilla will be on official business in Seville, an hour-and-a-half’s drive from the British...

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The marriage of Prince William to Kate Middleton will take place on April 29.

This Friday is the last chance to apply for a road closure permit for a royal wedding street party.The marriage of Prince William to Kate Middleton will take place on April 29.Many communities across our region are expected to hold street parties to celebrate the occasion, although current interest is low.East Riding of Yorkshire Council has received just 12 applications. Hull City Council none.The lack of interest is put down to the uncertainty about the weather in April.East Riding of Yorkshire Council has waived the usual £500 fee in an attempt to simplify the process.Councillor Matthew Grove is responsible for highways in East Riding. He said the authority saw street parties as a positive thing:Everyone I have spoken to thinks it is a fantastic idea”Susan JohnsonNorth Frodingham organiser"It's...

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Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are to visit Morocco, Clarence House has announced.

Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are to visit Morocco, Clarence House has announced.They will also visit Portugal and Spain in a ten-day tour later this month.The main themes of the tour will be trade and investment promotion, as well as climate change and the construction of low carbon economies.With protests still ongoing in much of the Arab world, Clarence House has said security arrangements for the royal couple would be monitored "closely".The trip is due to begin on March 28th, and will be the first they have made to any of the countries as a couple.The Prince of Wales has made numerous official journeys to all three countries in the past.The itinerary is due to include the Moroccan capital Rabat where the couple will be the guest of King Mohammed VI.Clarence House stressed...

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The downfall of Kaupthing cost the UK Treasury £2.5bn, after it bailed out 160,000 UK customers in its deposit arm Edge. Councils are thought to be still owed around £750m from the bank's demise.

Tony Shearer, who was leading the 100-year-old Singer & Friedlander when it was acquired in 2005, said the UK Government has "learnt none of the lessons" from the failure of Kaupthing and Landsbanki.His comments, made in a letter to The Daily Telegraph, come days after property tycoons Robert and Vincent Tchenguiz were arrested by the Serious Fraud Office as part of their investigations into the collapse of Kaupthing.The SFO arrested nine men, including two in Iceland, in an operation that involved 135 police officers in London.The downfall of Kaupthing cost the UK Treasury £2.5bn, after it bailed out 160,000 UK customers in its deposit arm Edge. Councils are thought to be still owed around £750m from the bank's demise.Mr Shearer said: "It is time the FSA publishes a report into the collapse...

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Riot police have broken up an unauthorized protest in Casablanca

Riot police have broken up an unauthorized protest in Casablanca by several hundred people, including many supporters of Morocco's best-known Islamist movement.The state-run MAP news agency says members of the banned Islamist group, the Justice and Spirituality movement, gathered on a Casablanca square and "tried to start their march with violence" on Sunday.An Interior Ministry official told The Associated Press that about 50 protesters were arrested and four officers injured.A movement spokesman couldn't be immediately reached for comment via mobile phone.King Mohammed VI said Wednesday that Morocco will revise its constitution for the first time in 15 years - part of steps to build greater democracy amid a push for it across the Arab wor...

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Evacuation operations of Moroccan citizens from Libya continued on Sunday with a new Moroccan ferry embarking from Misratah carrying 912 citizens.

On its way to Morocco, the ferry, “Mistral Express”, docked in Tripoli on Sunday to carry another 1000 Moroccan nationals and is expected to leave late in the day.On Saturday, 89 Moroccans were repatriated on board a flight of Morocco’s flag carrier (RAM) from the city of Sebha (800 km south of Tripoli), a source from Morocco general consulate told MAP.Two ferries, Mistral Express and Berkane, had repatriated, last Thursday, around 4000 Moroccans.RAM had established an air lift linking the international airports of Tripoli and Casablanca to evacuate around 3,500 members of the Moroccan community living in Lib...

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Dozens of people were injured in Morocco's biggest city, Casablanca, on Sunday

Dozens of people were injured in Morocco's biggest city, Casablanca, on Sunday when riot police used truncheons to break up a rally by several hundred demonstrators demanding reforms, witnesses said."This was a peaceful rally, we don't know what made the police attack a peaceful protest," Ghizlaine Benameur, an opposition activist who took part in the rally, told Reuters by telephone from Casablanca."This has been their most violent intervention since the start of the protests last month," she said.Spokesmen at Morocco's interior ministry could not immediately be reached for comment.The demonstrators had gathered in Casablanca's main King Mohammed Square for the rally, which organisers said was no different from demonstrations they had held every week for the past month.Two Casablanca residents...

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holiday company sunshine.co.uk has revealed some of the most outrageous feedback they have received for the first time.

Taken aback by some of the unusual gripes they received from customers, holiday company sunshine.co.uk has revealed some of the most outrageous feedback they have received for the first time.They include whinges about foreign jaunts being too hot, being surrounded by too many fellow Britons and even include a complaint about the food being too appetising.One tourist on the Costa del Sol in Spain apparently complained about putting on five pounds during his holiday, blaming the amount of food on offer at the hotel buffet.Another man, in Majorca, claimed his marriage was put in jeopardy due to arguments with his wife on holiday. The rows had been caused by the number of pretty bikini-clad sunbathers catching his eye on the beach.While most of us look for a restful place to lay our weary heads...

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pay parking is necessary, says the government, to discourage long-term parkers from monopolising certain areas

Government's Integrated Traffic, Parking and Transport Plan includes the creation of parking schemes to make provision for the different kinds of parking needs of the various different categories of citizens at different times of the day and in the various different areas of Gibraltar. In other words,says the government, parking should accommodate the needs of people who live in a particular area and also citizens who go to that area when visiting family or friends or shopping or visiting other local businesses.The schemes will include pay parking by purchasing a ticket from a machine. There will also be free spaces. The pay parking is necessary, says the government, to discourage long-term parkers from monopolising certain areas.In a statement the government adds: Visitors to Gibraltar should...

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Betfair suffered a brief outage this morning

Betfair suffered a brief outage this morning – one of several glitches the site has suffered in recent weeks.The problems at the betting exchange have alarmed customers, who could get stuck with an open position which they cannot close.An unusually helpful spokeswoman at Betfair explained the problems were related to moving the site's data centres to Ireland earlier in the year.She said: "Because Betfair works 24 hours a day, seven days a week, we can't just put updates on at night. And because of the move to Dublin we had to put a freeze on upgrades to the site."We did anticipate some wrinkles as we dealt with the backlog of improvements after the move. We've had about 30 releases to push through – a really intense period of activity – and a short window to get them done before spring racing...

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Morocco is not able to organize successively a round of WTCC

Morocco is not able to organize successively a round of WTCC after the one of 2009 because the local organizers do not have enough financial resources to meet the expectations of the organization of the event. . Especially since no national institution has wanted to give them a helping hand to complete the construction of the circuit, public facilities and other infrastructure to meet the demands of a world circuit FIA.Therefore during a meeting held on March 8 in Paris, the world council of the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) announced Morocco is no longer part of the World Calendar because of lack of financial support for the event. "Morocco is the only country in Africa to host a world event of motorsport. After all the work and substantial investments in infrastructure,...

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Betfair is to move to operate under a Gibraltar licence

Betfair is to move to operate under a Gibraltar licence as part of changes that will allow it to avoid the UK's 15% tax on gross betting profits.The shift away from operating under a UK gaming licence is expected to save the online betting exchange £18.5m a year in tax.The company's 1,200 UK-based staff will not relocate to Gibraltar, though. Betfair also said it would still pay the British horse racing levy despite moving its licensing abroad."Betfair will continue to support British horse racing by committing the same amount of money to the sport that the company has been paying via the statutory levy for the remainder of the 49th Levy Scheme and on the terms set out for the 50th Levy Scheme," it said in its interim management statement on Tuesday morning. The horse racing levy is charged...

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The chips are down for an online gambling rout

The chips are down for an online gambling rout : "Bright logos and promises of untold riches are everywhere to lure the gamblers. The adverts appear during the breaks on television, next to the rugby pitch, sponsoring horse races and even plastered over the shirts of football players. Millions of pounds every year are spent by companies such as Sportingbet, Party-Gaming, 888.com, William Hill and Ladbrokes on promoting their websites. Yet those millions of pounds are available only because of the highly generous tax breaks that these companies enjoy by virtue of being located in a variety of offshore tax havens - from the Channel Islands to...

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Christie Vetoes Online Gambling Bill - Metropolis - WSJ

Christie Vetoes Online Gambling Bill - Metropolis - WSJ: "New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie vetoed a bill that would have made his state the first in the U.S. to re-introduce online gambling. But he also suggested the state Legislature could revive the effort by asking voters to approve the measure by referendum. The bill would have allowed New Jersey residents to place bets through websites run by casino companies in Atlantic City, the only place gambling is allowed in New Jersey under the state constitution. State legislatures across the country have started work on similar bills in a bid to generate revenu...

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Anne Hathaway Paid $750,000 to Wear Gems at Oscars : Moviefone UK

Anne Hathaway Paid $750,000 to Wear Gems at Oscars : Moviefone UK: "It's a tough job but somebody's got to do it. According to tattle rag US Magazine, Oscars host Anne Hathaway was paid the eye watering sum of $750,000 to parade some Tiffany & Co gems throughout the awards ceremony. The Love and Other Drugs star, who co-hosted the Academy Awards with James Franco, earned the money by taking to the red carpet in a Valentino gown matched with a Tiffany Lucida Star diamond necklace, diamond earrings and ring - a combo worth over $10 million. It also turns out that Hathaway wasn't the only A-lister to use the Oscars as a way of making a bit of pocket money on the side. Apparently, actress and self-appointed lifestyle guru Gwyneth Paltrow, who also gave a musical performance at the awards,...

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Gibraltar's stars and national identity: John Galliano

Gibraltar's stars and national identity: John Galliano and Albert Hammond: "Gibraltar is a small community, some 30,000 souls all told. That includes Gibraltarians, Britons and other nationalities that have made the Rock their home. So on the international stage, it is not surprising to find there are only two Gibraltarians who have found fame and fortune. One is the singer Albert Hammond and the other the fashion designer John Galliano. Now Hammond was born in London, but his parents are Gibraltarian, having been evacuated during World War II. So Hammond is technically English, but was brought up in Gibraltar. His hit records include: 'It Never...

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another incursion by the Guardia Civil

"another incursion by the Guardia Civil, Gibraltar has got to know about it. The RGP, which chased them in our waters, has remained silent. Down-playing such a serious and important matter is not in the interests of Gibraltar. It is patently obvious that the Spanish are sending their vessels so close to Gibraltar to try and prove that our waters are theirs. By not challenging the Spanish incursions, all that we do is to give credence to the Spanish sovereignty claim of our British territorial waters. And when the local enforcement agencies challenge the Spanish vessels out of our waters, they ought to make a public statement about it - because that in itself helps create an awareness that the Spaniards are acting wrongly and in an unneighbourly manner, which can only help bolster rejection...

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Qorvis Loses Another Partner; McCormick to Gibraltar Associates - FishbowlDC

Qorvis Loses Another Partner; McCormick to Gibraltar Associates - FishbowlDC: "Five partners who have left Qorvis Communications in the past four months. The latest partner to exit the firm is Kelley McCormick. It was announced today that she has been named partner and chief operating officer of Gibraltar Associates. “I am thrilled to join the GA team. It is a fresh, nimble agency that is entering into a period of intense growth and success,” said McCormick in a press release. “I look forward to applying all that I have learned in my 20 years of agency life and putting it towards the continued success of GA...

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