Mercadona Rocked As Own Label Linked To Canine Deaths

 Mercadona is in the middle of a public relations disaster after its ‘Compy’ own label dog food brand was linked to the deaths of several pets across Spain, after having caused kidney failure in the animals. . The deaths were initially recorded by pet owners in Andalucia, Murcia and Alicante, but new reports have claimed that similar cases have been found along the Costa del Sol. Several pet owners insisted that the deaths were caused after their pets ate the own label product, and following intense pressure, Mercadona has removed two variants of the ‘Compy’ range from select stores. The chain said it is now studying whether there indeed is a connection between the product and the deaths. It would not comment on whether the problem was caused by a recent shift in packaging of the...

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Spanish government will try and secure the 'gold on the Rock'

 With the Odyssey gold back in Spain, the Spanish keep referring to more gold that remained in Gibraltar. It is being reported in Spain that the Spanish government will try and secure the 'gold on the Rock' through what they term a European order. They say that although Gibraltar likes to play a dual role, it is in fact part of the UK and thus Madrid is knocking on the UK's door to get them to urge Gibraltar to hand over the gold. Bilateral talks are said to be taking place. It is said that there are 59 artefacts still in Gibraltar, apparently stored by Odyssey. A Spanish heritage official was critical of the way the Oddysey gold left for the USA via Gibraltar,which is a joint sovereignty airport, adding that it was far from being dignified. This happened in 2007, a year after the...

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Tarragona village wants to grow marihuana to get out of the recession

 village in Tarragona has come up with a way to beat the recession. They propose to plant marihuana. A smokers’ club in the village of Rasquera and say the plantation would create jobs. They say they will not sell it, rather it will be for the use of the club members and also for ‘therapeutic ends’. A cannabis association in Barcelona that uses the drug for therapeutic reasons has offered to pay 36,000 € to the club and sign a deal with the Town Hall, and then promises to pay 550,000 € a year each July for the land rental, legal and judicial costs, and security which make up the project, noting the Town Hall won’t have to pay a penny. For now the local Town Hall is to hold a meeting and vote on Wednesday to decide on what to do; they have requested a report to see if the idea is legal...

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Renounce your British Citizenship?

Britain ignores its citizens who live abroad. James Preston, a businessman in Spain angrily declares he will renounce his British citizenship. Yet he feels sick at feeling forced to do so. Why does he do it? He is denied representation at Westminster (the vote!) because he has lived outside of Britain for more than 15 years. He has fought before the High Court his demand to be represented as a Citizen in the British seat of power – the Parliament at Westminster. His case and his appeal have been rejected. James Preston resents having the door slammed in his face. Britain denies him the basic democratic right of representation. He writes “We have concluded, therefore, that the contract between the State and my wife and I – the citizens – has been broken. We moved to Spain, an EU country,...

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UK warned over Gibraltar employment law

 The UK could be taken to the European Court of Justice for failing to introduce EU-wide rules on employment in Gibraltar, the European Commission said today. The Commission announced that the UK had two months to bring its legislation into line with the European Union's directive on European works councils or face possible court action. Commission officials said that although the UK introduced appropriate legislation in 2010, it did not cover Gibraltar.   British authorities said that this would be corrected in November 2011 but the Commission says it has received no notification that this has occurred.   EU member states had to bring in laws complying with the works councils directive by 5 June 2011 and send notification to that effect to the Commission.   The...

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Gibraltar and La Linea address common issues that “concern the real people”

 “It has been a great pleasure welcoming Sra Araujo and her team to talk about all the things that concern real people and where we may be able to make a difference” said Picardo underlining the optimum personal relationship, which he said, was facilitated by the fact that they were both leaders of Socialist organisations. “This is not essential but it makes it easier,” they declared, while conveying a desire to further cultural, educational and sporting exchanges as a means to enhance cross-border friendly relations. Sra Araujo noted that this was the first official meeting with the new Chief Minister and that they had dealt with matters affecting citizens on both sides motivated by a constructive spirit of dialogue. She was also grateful at the “sensitivity shown by Picardo” toward...

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Gambling legend Curley forces Gibraltar climbdown over bet

Legendary gambler Barney Curley has forced the Gibraltar government into a climbdown that will see a group of his relatives collect more than €852,000 from a betting coup. Mr Curley had masterminded an estimated £4m (€4.7m) betting coup on January 10, 2010, when four horses, two of which he trained himself, were backed at huge odds to win races at Brighton, Wolverhampton (two horses running) and Towchester in England. Three of them went on to win with money pouring on to the horses both online and in betting shops. But the Gibraltar Regulator ordered the locally regulated online gambling company -- Betfred.com -- to withhold more than €800,000 in winnings. Regulator Phil Brear insisted on the move, saying that Mr Curley and his associates had opened 20 online accounts "and operated those...

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European court rules against Italy for expelling migrants

European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Thursday ruled that Italy had violated it human rights obligations when it deported a group of African migrants intercepted in the Mediterranean Sea to Libya in 2009. The decision delivered in Strasbourg by 17 judges of the court was described as a 'landmark' by the United Nation's Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and was also welcomed by several rights groups in Italy and elsewhere. Italy's International Cooperation Minister, Andrea Riccardi, said that the ruling would force Italy to 'think and rethink our policies towards migration.' The case concerned 24 Somalis and Eritreans who were in a group of 200 migrants intercepted by the Italian Coast Guard 35 nautical miles from the Italian island of Lampedu...

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Belarus fights Europe to retain death penalty

Belarusian MPs have blasted a recent resolution of the European Parliament on death penalty in Belarus as an attempt to interfere in the country’s internal affairs. The Belarusian parliamentary commission on international affairs has issued an official statement saying that the European Parliament’s resolution on the death penalty in Belarus was a continuation of the practice of pressuring Belarusian authorities and meddling with the country’s internal affairs. Additionally, the Belarusian side noted that from the text of the resolution they could draw a conclusion that the European side did not pay much attention to the credibility of facts and the logic of conclusions. In particular, the Belarusian parliamentarians criticized the fact that the case of Metro bombers Konovalov and Kovalyov,...

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Fishing skippers fined £720,000

 Seventeen skippers behind one of Scotland's biggest fishing scams have been fined a total of £720,000. The group admitted making illegal landings of mackerel and herring worth £47.5 million between January 1 2002 and March 19 2005. The "black fish" scam, which broke sea fishing laws, was carried out at fish processing factory Shetland Catch in Lerwick, Shetland. Judge Lord Turnbull said the scam is "an episode of shame" for the pelagic fishing industry. He said it was a "cynical and sophisticated" operation which had the "connivance of a number of different interested parties". Hamish Slater, 53, and Alexander Masson, 66, both from Fraserburgh, were fined a respective £80,000 and £50,000, while Alexander Wiseman, 60, from Banff, was also fined £50,000....

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ENVELOPES full of cash, drug habits funded by EU grants and police taking payments to legalise prostitutes – you name it, it has happened in Spain.

  Add to those a snail-paced justice system and, a law society in Malaga that fails to scrutinize bent lawyers, and things start to look distinctly cloudy. Consider too that last week Spain’s top anti-corruption lawyer, Baltasar Garzon, was suspended from his post for illegally tapping the phones of lawyers, and most will come to the same conclusion. “Yes, corruption is certainly endemic in Spain,” says Gwilym Rhys-Jones, an Estepona-based financial expert. “Sadly there is a tradition of it and it became institutionalised since the late 1980s as nobody was dealing with it from the top down.” There is certainly nowhere better to highlight the problem than here on the Costa del Sol, where in Marbella for over two decades you could only get anything done if you were prepared to pay...

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MP Eric Joyce charged with assault

MP Eric Joyce has been charged with three counts of common assault after a disturbance at a House of Commons bar. The MP for Falkirk, who has been suspended by the Parliamentary Labour Party, was arrested on Wednesday evening after police were called. Mr Joyce, 51, of Bo'ness, near Falkirk, has been bailed and will appear at West London Magistrates' Court on 7 March. The allegations relate to Conservative MP for Pudsey, Stuart Andrew, a second Tory MP and a Labour whip. Mr Andrew had been in the bar on Wednesday following a Commons event organised by his Conservative colleague MP Andrew Percy, for the Speaker of the Canadian Parliament. Having spent nearly 24 hours in custody, Mr Joyce was seen being driven away from the rear of Belgravia police station, in central London, late on Thursday...

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Spain's banking sector set to shrink to about 10 lenders

This year, Spain’s banking sector looks set to shrink to about 10 lenders from more than 40 before the economic crisis, as the government forces banks to recognise steep losses from a housing crash. Small and medium-sized banks will scramble to join forces to meet capital requirements implicit in a new law demanding lenders write down up to 80 per cent of the book value of real estate assets on their balance sheets.  Click here for Cloud Computing     Also Read   Related Stories News Now - 24-hr deadline for Kingfisher to submit revised schedule - Kingfisher assures to restore normal schedule in 5-7 days - Indian banks eye assets of European counterparts - It is time to take money off the table: Jim Walker - Swiss solicits tourists from India amidst EU crisis...

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The prison population in Gibraltar last year was the largest in a decade

The prison population in Gibraltar last year was the largest in a decade, according to the latest annual report from the Gibraltar Prison Board. The average number of prisoners on any given day last year stood at 71, compared to 54 in 2010.   Just ten years ago, the daily average inmate population was less than 20 and did not rise above 40 until 2009. Since then, it has climbed steadily year on year. At the end of 2011 there were 77 people in HMP Windmill Hill serving custodial sentences or remanded in custody pending trial. According to the report, the total number of receptions at Gibraltar’s prison – a figure that could include multiple admissions by one or more individuals - last year was 327, compared to 276 for 2010. WOMEN The report by the Gibraltar Prison Board highlighted...

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Odyssey, however, has so far opposed any attempt to return the objects that remained in Gibraltar, whose fate falls outside the U.S. rulings in favor of Spain.

 Spanish officials Tuesday started inspecting 595,000 gold and silver coins and other objects plucked from a 19th-century shipwreck and stored in a Florida warehouse. The examination began after a lengthy legal battle with the American treasure hunting company that recovered the trove. Connect With Us on Twitter Follow @nytimesworld for international breaking news and headlines. Twitter List: Reporters and Editors On the orders of a U.S. district court, experts from the Spanish Culture Ministry gained access to the warehouse, which is in Sarasota and where the company, Odyssey Marine Exploration, had stored the objects. Meanwhile, two Hercules transport planes from the Spanish Air Force left Tuesday morning for Florida, paving the way for the repatriation to Spain of a treasure weighing...

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The Gibraltar Government is launching an extension to the Gibraltar Laws website

 The Gibraltar Government is launching an extension to the Gibraltar Laws website that will provide access to electronic copies of Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and Privy Council judgments. The new information can be found at the Gibraltar Laws website www.gibraltarlaws.gov.gi 543 judgments have been put on the system initially and additional judgments will continue to be added as they become available. The earliest judgment available dates back to 1812 concerning a Privy Council ruling on land tenure. The website contains all reports of decisions by the Privy Council pertaining to Gibraltar; all judgments published by Law Reports International and contained in their Gibraltar Law Reports volumes commencing 1988 relating to the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court; all judgments published...

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Prime Minister David Cameron Evades Gibraltar Issue

 British Prime Minister David Cameron recognized Tuesday that he agreed with Spain regarding the international campaign against the legitimate governments of Iran and Syria but he refused to talk about the situation of the Rock of Gibraltar.   After a meeting with Spanish government President Mariano Rajoy, the British Prime Minister said the oil embargo against Iran is for Tehran to change its policies and abandon what Cameron called "nuclear weapons plans." However, the Iranian government stated it is developing a civilian atomic energy project with peaceful objectives, despite recent provocations from western countries, which included the murder of Iranian nuclear scientists, as part of the actions against Tehran. Cameron also said that the United Kingdom and Spain share the...

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Gibraltar to Decide Its Own Future, Britain Tells Spain

Britain will not negotiate with Spain on the question of sovereignty over Gibraltar without the approval of the colony’s residents, Premier David Cameron said on Tuesday during a visit by Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. The British leader spoke at a joint press conference with Rajoy after the two men met for the first time since the Spaniard took office in December. “We have spoken about Gibraltar and the foreign ministers will continue talking in the future. We have different positions, but we will keep talking,” Rajoy said. Cameron, however, was more categorical, stressing that Britain’s position in favor of self-determination for Gibraltarians “has not changed.” “It’s important to understand” that London will not enter into talks on Gibraltar without consulting the wishes of the...

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Thousands turnout for Morocco anniversary protests

 A few thousand people gathered Sunday in Morocco's cities to mark the one year anniversary of the North African kingdom's local version of the Arab Spring uprisings. The modest turnout was in sharp contrast to the tens of thousands that once flocked to the February 20th movement's banner early last year. About 1,000 people turned out for a sit-in at Casablanca's main square. In the capital Rabat, at least 1,500 marched through the center of town chanting slogans and singing songs. The demonstrations last year prompted the king to amend the constitution to curtail is powers and hold early elections, which were won by an Islamist opposition party promising reforms. Since then, demonstrations petered out. Activists say many of their demands remain unmet, including fighting corruption, releasing...

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Gibraltar heats up Spanish PM UK visit

 Britain and Spain can find themselves at each other’s throats over the strategic Strait of Gibraltar during Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s British visit. Rajoy is to meet British PM David Cameron in London on Tuesday and Spanish cabinet sources have revealed that he is going to call for a “constructive dialogue” on the subject of Gibraltar. Britain is refusing to hold talks on Gibraltar’s sovereignty using the same excuses it has used to avoid negotiations with Argentina on Las Malvinas (Falklands). The United Nations records show Britain has illegally occupied both territories, which are among the ten territories on the UN Special Committee on Decolonization list of areas waiting for liberation from British rule. Madrid has said Cameron’s comments earlier this month...

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Betfred finally pays out £4m to Newmarket trainer Barney Curley coup

 Betfred.com decided to void bets placed by five punters, four of whom were related to Mr Curley, which showed profits of more than £823,000. Its decision, which attracted criticism from rival bookmaker William Hill, followed an intervention by the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority but was in contrast to Betfred's UK business, which paid out on accumulator wagers placed through its betting shops. Mr Curley, who has a reputation for outwitting bookies, pulled off an ambitious gamble on four horses in May 2010, which almost triggered a payout of £20m but still resulted in a £4m windfall. In a statement on Monday, the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner, who was investigating the affair, said the matter was now at a close. "Following conclusion of the investigation the operators have paid the bets...

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non-government sanctioned Private Members’ Bill to amend the Gambling Act 2005 and to bring offshore gambling operators within the UK’s fiscal and regulatory regime.

Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) Matthew Hancock has used the UK Parliament’s ten-minute rule to introduce a non-government sanctioned Private Members’ Bill to amend the Gambling Act 2005 and to bring offshore gambling operators within the UK’s fiscal and regulatory regi...

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Bookmakers should be forced to pay tax on bets placed in the UK

Bookmakers should be forced to pay tax on bets placed in the UK , a Tory MP has urged. Matthew Hancock, a former aide to Chancellor George Osborne, warned that the move offshore by big bookmakers taking advantage of internet betting was depriving horseracing of vital funding and also hitting the Exchequer. He called for all bets placed in the UK to be subject to tax and the horseracing levy on a “point of consumption” basis. The call comes as Chief Minister Fabian Picardo warned of this threat to the gaming industry. It is also strongly opposed by gaming companied.  Mr Picardo last week signalled a major battle ahead for Gibraltar with London over its plans to introduce gaming transaction taxation in UK on online gaming provided from abroad including the Rock. London is taking a...

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When bookies are more common than post offices

I've just won tenfold on the horses, but I can’t get out of Ladbrokes. It’s 10pm and the floor  is covered with crumpled slips recording the day’s losing bets. A group of men are blocking the door. These punters want to know if I’ll lend them some winnings. One says he’ll pay me back as soon as he’s won, but I just want to get home. They look desperate.I was lucky that night. But there are eight bookies within ten minutes’ walk of my South London home – I can’t avoid them. I’m not against gambling but when betting shops are more common than post offices and corner shops, we have a problem...

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12-partner Gibraltar firm Triay & Triay is the next biggest.

firms that disclosed their equity partnerships, nine are all-­equity. Mourant Ozannes is the largest of these, while 12-partner Gibraltar firm Triay & Triay is the next biggest. In contrast, the tightest equity partnership is found at the other Gibraltar practice in the survey, Isolas, where the equity is held by two out of seven partners (28.6 per cent).Isolas and Harneys were two firms to reveal their equity numbers for the first time this year, in contrast with Channel Islands firm Carey Olsen. The latter said 28 out of 37 ­partners in 2010 were equity, but declined to reveal figures for 20...

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The crew of a Gibraltar-flag cargo ship Phantom abandoned the vessel

The crew of a Gibraltar-flag cargo ship Phantom abandoned the vessel after it began listing heavily in rough weather during a voyage in the Baltic Sea on Wednesday.The six-man crew was safely airlifted by a rescue helicopter from Sweden, which also despatched salvage tugs to the scene. The incident is believed to have happened after cargo on the vessel shifted because of the waves. By Thursday a Swedish coastguard tug had managed to attach a line to the stricken vessel and began towing it at slow speed toward the port of Oskarshmn, in Sweden. It arrived in port yesterday and there was no pollution as a result. The incident is being investigated by the Gibraltar Maritime Administration, which was closely involved throughout the salvage operation. The small 2,329 gross tonne ship is operated...

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Parliamentary sessions in Gibraltar could be televised live before the summer

Parliamentary sessions in Gibraltar could be televised live before the summer, according to Chief Minister Fabian Picardo. The Government plans to provide a live stream of proceedings on a dedicated Parliament website. “That live stream will also be made available to GBC or to any other interested party,” he told Parliament in response to Opposition questions.  According to Mr Picardo the proceedings will be filmed using high definition cameras that record broadcast-quality images. Broadcasters will be able to tap into the raw feed before it is streamed in lower definition on the internet. “The government IT department has already started working on the specification of the cameras and systems required in order to facilitate the webcasting of the work of this Parliament,” he said. The...

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Gibtelecom will radically upgrade its broadband speeds this year

Gibtelecom will radically upgrade its broadband speeds this year, in a move that will be welcomed by customers who have long complained of Gibraltar’s slow internet connections. The company said it will quadruple its most popular broadband speeds during 2012, a step that will benefit some 11,000 Gibtelecom customers.  In contrast to download speeds, the price of the connection will not increase. The top broadband speed will almost triple from 8Mbps to 20Mbps, while the speeds of the current Standard (1Mbps), Standard Plus (2Mbps) and Enhanced (8Mbps) broadband packages will be increased to 4Mbps, 8Mbps and 20Mbps respectively by September 2012. As a first step Gibtelecom’s Standard and Standard Plus speeds will double in March to 2 Mbps and 4 Mbps respectively, whilst its Enhanced...

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Investors in listed UK gambling groups were warned by at least one analyst this week that the industry is facing a tough year due to plans by the government to introduce a damning tax hike.

Investors in listed UK gambling groups were warned by at least one analyst this week that the industry is facing a tough year due to plans by the government to introduce a damning tax hike.Oriel, the analyst group, said that while "there are always risks for betting and gaming stocks ahead of the budget," the risks are "greater this year."In March, Chancellor George Osborne will unveil his budget, and it is expected that it will include higher taxes on internet gambling companies that operate offshore, including William Hill, Betfair and Ladbrokes.As a result, analysts have downgraded share ratings of some online gambling companies and are urging caution in what it calls UK gambling investment risks.In 2011, the UK government announced that it would be re-examining the way it taxed companies...

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Federal prosecutors are moving to seize $22 million in betting proceeds and a luxury helicopter they claim were ill-gotten perks of an offshore gambling empire

Federal prosecutors are moving to seize $22 million in betting proceeds and a luxury helicopter they claim were ill-gotten perks of an offshore gambling empire run by the brothers-in-law of U.S. Rep. John F. Tierney.The eye-popping bankroll of profits from American bettors and the 1980 Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm chopper that was registered to Tierney kin Daniel Eremian top the properties that prosecutors want U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris to order forfeited by Eremian and Todd Lyons, a stateside debt collector for Antigua-based Sports Off Shore.Daniel Eremian, 62, of Boca Raton, Fla., and Lyons, 38, of Beverly, were convicted last year of racketeering, conspiracy and operating an illegal gambling busine...

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major battle ahead for Gibraltar with London over its plans to introduce gaming transaction taxation in UK on online gaming provided from abroad including the Rock.

Matthew Hancock, a former aide to Chancellor George Osborne, warned that the move offshore by big bookmakers taking advantage of internet betting was depriving horseracing of vital funding and also hitting the Exchequer. He called for all bets placed in the UK to be subject to tax and the horseracing levy on a “point of consumption” basis. The call comes as Chief Minister Fabian Picardo warned of this threat to the gaming industry. It is also strongly opposed by gaming companied.  Mr Picardo last week signalled a major battle ahead for Gibraltar with London over its plans to introduce gaming transaction taxation in UK on online gaming provided from abroad including the Rock. London is taking a protectionist stance and wants to take a cut of from profits of companies that fled the...

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CUSTOMER of a private bank in Gibraltar is fighting for the return of 40,000 euros that was wrongly sent to a third party on the strength of one rogue fax.

Diane Taylor appealed to the Olive Press after Jyske Bank transferred the money to a random bank account in Thailand.The former Formula 1 marketing executive was in Morocco when the request for the money arrived in her name.Incredibly, she insists the bank failed to check the payment with her and wired it to the Far East as requested.Even worse, when the discrepancy was realised, she claims the bank failed to return the money immediately.She is still fighting to get it all back two months later.“They are an absolute disgrace and they ought to be exposed,” Taylor told the Olive Press.“While I have managed to get most it back, they have not yet paid everything back.”Now, the mother of one in her 40s revealed that she had been forced to bring in lawyers to deal with the matter.She is particularly...

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DECADES of financial secrecy may soon be over after Gibraltar began negotiations with Spain to increase its fiscal transparency.

DECADES of financial secrecy may soon be over after Gibraltar began negotiations with Spain to increase its fiscal transparency. Tax evaders could be forced to look elsewhere after the countries agreed in principle to an unprecedented exchange of monetary information.It came after the world’s most powerful countries – the G-20 – threatened offshore tax havens with sanctions if they refused to share financial information.“The proposals have been agreed in principle and, as far as Gibraltar is concerned, we could sign a deal tomorrow,” said Gibraltar Chief Minister Peter Caruana.“We don’t want to be seen as a threat to Spain’s treasury.”Gibraltar’s status as a tax haven has earned it a reputation for as a popular haunt for millionaires wanting to hide illicit funds.“The proposals have been agreed...

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