¡Ole! Spain drives legality into mobile services with Sybase 365

<blockquote><p> </p>Spain was one of the first countries to start to lay down laws relating to old non-registered pay-as-you-go SIM cards for anti-terrorism reasons i.e. you MUST tell the authorities your name and address and get a new SIM if you had one of the old anonymous ones. Following on from this "mobile legality" theme, news this week bubbles of Sybase subsidiary company Sybase 365 working with Spanish mobile operator Yoigo. The two firms have joined forces to offer registered SMS, a new service allowing companies to send customers confirmation text messages with the same legal standing as registered mail. According to Sybase, "Officially certified by the Spanish Real Casa de la Moneda (The Royal Mint of Spain) the Sybase 365 and Yoigo service recognises an SMS confirmation as legal proof of delivery of important documents and information. These certificates can then be used as evidence in judicial proceedings in Spain for enterprises wishing to demonstrate correspondence with their customers. This will enable companies and their customers to resolve disputes in a timely manner, avoiding the cost of court proceedings." With registered SMS, financial institutions, utility companies and enterprises will be able to use SMS where previously they would have used registered mail. Developers working to build in legally approved services into mobile (or desktop for that matter) applications should perhaps take note of Sybase 365's suggestion that an SMS provides a number of advantages over registered mail including five times better response rate over traditional mail and is read 288 times faster than email. "No other communication medium has the ability to reach more people than SMS, said Howard Stevens, senior vice president, global telco and international operations, Sybase 365. "Consumer acceptance and enterprise adoption of the mobile channel is fuelling the growth in volume, availability and sophistication of mobile services and the registered SMS services we're launching confirms this trend."</blockquote>

¡Ole! Spain drives legality into mobile services with Sybase 365

  Spain was one of the first countries to start to lay down laws relating to old non-registered pay-as-you-go SIM cards for anti-terrorism r...

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Catholic Church Child Trafficking Network

<p> </p><p>Spain is reeling from an avalanche of allegations of baby theft and baby trafficking. The trade began at the end of the Spanish civil war and continued for 50 years – hundreds of thousands of babies are thought to have been traded by nuns, priests and doctors up to the 1990s. This World reveals the impact of Spain’s stolen baby scandal through the eyes of the children and parents who were separated at birth, and who are now desperate to find their relatives. Exhumations of the supposed graves of babies and positive DNA tests are proof that baby theft has happened. Across Spain, people are queuing up to take a DNA test and thousands of Spaniards are asking ‘Who am I?’ Katya Adler has been meeting the heartbroken mothers who are searching for the children whom they were told died at birth, as well as the stolen and trafficked babies who are now grown up and searching for their biological relatives and their true identities.</p>

Catholic Church Child Trafficking Network

  Spain is reeling from an avalanche of allegations of baby theft and baby trafficking. The trade began at the end of the Spanish civil war ...

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Spain’s property bust is only getting worse.

<p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 10px; background-color: #ffffff;"><div class="mceTemp" style="font-size: 1em; text-align: left; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><dl class="wp-caption alignleft caption-alignleft " style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 27px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 8px; float: left; width: 359px; padding: 0px;"><dt class="wp-caption-dt" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-5" height="239" src="http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-QD672_Scaffo_E_20111018054319.jpg" style="margin-top: 8px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border: 0px none initial;" width="359" /></dt><dd class="wp-caption-dd wp-cite-dd" style="margin-top: 2px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 2px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 1.1em/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #666666; font-size: 1em; text-align: right;">AFP</dd><dd class="wp-caption-dd" style="padding-top: 2px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 1.1em/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #333333; text-align: left; margin: 0px;">Cranes erecting the Pelly tower under construction in Seville.</dd></dl></div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; padding: 0px;">Spain’s property bust is only getting worse. The wonder is that the country’s economy and banks are still this resilient.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; padding: 0px;">The Spanish government said Tuesday that housing prices remained in free-fall in the third quarter, dropping 5.5% from a year earlier, the biggest decline since 2009.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; padding: 0px;">This makes Spain, in many senses, the worst case of a property bust in the developed world—the country is already deep in its third consecutive year of falling prices, with no rebounds.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; padding: 0px;">Last year, the pace of decline slowed significantly, signalling some light at the end of the tunnel, but another metaphor is called for instead: that last year’s respite was nothing more than a dead cat’s bounce.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; padding: 0px;">The good news should be the overall amount of the decline, since Spain’s government says prices are only down 18%, in nominal terms, since their peak in early 2008.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; padding: 0px;">But that doesn’t include the effect of Spain’s persistent inflation, one of the highest in the euro zone, which makes the real drop closer to 30%—Spain’s government didn’t provide real price data in today’s release.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; padding: 0px;">After earlier predictions of a short-term correction have been smashed, some analysts now say prices may keep falling for the next two years, eroding Spain’s household wealth and banking balance sheets.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; padding: 0px;">Meanwhile, banks are struggling to keep up with the loss in value of the collateral against €400 billion worth of loans to construction and real estate firms, an amount that remains unchanged since 2008.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; padding: 0px;">For Luis Garicano, a professor of economics and strategy at the London School of Economics, this number is perhaps the most dangerous of those related to the bust, since it indicates the banking sector exposure to such loans hasn’t diminished.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; padding: 0px;">He estimates that a possible explanation is that banks have exchanged some non-performing loans for property that they now own, but not enough to offset the rising interest on the loans.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; padding: 0px;">Many, if not most of these loans, are being rolled over to keep zombie developers in business, in the hope that the market will recover.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; padding: 0px;">All the same, banks have also turned into property developers now.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 8px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5em; display: block; padding: 0px;">Walk into any Spanish bank branch, looking for a mortgage, and you will see that is much easier to get it if you’ll just take one of the many, many houses the bank acquired from a bankrupt developer. But many will say why worry? The same house will be even cheaper next month.</p></span></p>

Spain’s property bust is only getting worse.

AFP Cranes erecting the Pelly tower under construction in Seville. Spain’s property bust is only getting worse. The wonder is that the count...

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MAN ARRESTED FOR ASSAULTING POLICE OFFICER

<p> </p><p>Police have arrested a man identified as DFM, accused of assaulting a police officer and of driving his car whilst under the influence of alcohol in Roquetas de Mar. Command sources indicated to Europa Press that the incident occurred on Sunday when, at around 20.00hrs the 27 year-old man came by car to the Guardia Civil headquarters in Roquetas de Mar in an evident state of drunkenness to formulate a complaint against his former partner. At that time, and as a result of the attitude displayed by the man, agents requested the presence of local police officers who, once arrived at the barracks, were asked to carry out a breath test to the individual, yielding a rate of 0.83 milligrams of blood alcohol per litre of air breathed. As a result the man was arrested. He tried to fight of the agents and the arrest, struggling to get free of the police and came to attack one of them causing a bruise to the officer's head, resulting in the man being charged with assaulting an officer. The detainee, whose steps were performed at the same time, has also made a complaint to the Court for an alleged crime of abuse of authority. He is due in Court of Instruction No. 1 of Roquetas de Mar.</p>

MAN ARRESTED FOR ASSAULTING POLICE OFFICER

  Police have arrested a man identified as DFM, accused of assaulting a police officer and of driving his car whilst under the influence of ...

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Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit has been moved from the Gaza Strip to Egyp

<p> </p><p>Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit has been moved from the Gaza Strip to Egypt, Palestinian officials in Gaza said. The move begins an elaborate prisoner swap deal in which hundreds of Palestinian inmates are to be freed in return for the captured tank crewman. The officials said buses of Palestinian prisoners are now moving from Israel into Egypt en route to Gaza. Israel's Army Radio station, citing anonymous Israeli officials, confirmed the report. In all, Israel is slated to release 1,027 prisoners for Schalit, now 25, who had been held in Gaza since he was captured more than five years ago by Palestinian militants in a cross-border raid. Before dawn, convoys of white vans and trucks transported hundreds of Palestinian prisoners to the locations in the West Bank and on the Israel-Egypt border where they were to be freed. In Gaza, the Red Cross confirmed that the prisoners slated for release had arrived at the nearby border crossing. The exchange, negotiated through Egyptian mediators because Israel and Hamas will not talk directly to each other, is going ahead despite criticism and court appeals in Israel against the release of the prisoners. Nearly 300 of them were serving lengthy sentences for involvement in deadly attacks. The exchange involves a delicate series of staged releases, each one triggering the next. The Red Cross and Egyptian officials are involved in facilitating the movement of prisoners. A Gaza militant leader said the Palestinians were waiting until all 477 prisoners were moved into Palestinian territory before turning Schalit over to the Egyptians. In the meantime, he said armed men would remain with him in Egypt. When Tuesday's exchange is complete, 477 Palestinians held in Israeli jails, including 27 women, will have been released, several of them after decades behind bars. The other 550 are set to be released in two months. Schalit will be brought to an Israeli military base along the Egypt border, where he will be issued a new military uniform and given another medical examination, according to the Israeli military. Schalit will then be flown by helicopter to an air force base in central Israel, where he will meet his parents, as well as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the defence minister and military chief of staff.</p>

Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit has been moved from the Gaza Strip to Egyp

  Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit has been moved from the Gaza Strip to Egypt, Palestinian officials in Gaza said. The move begins an elaborat...

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Celebrities and millionaires living on one of Britain’s most exclusive estates have become the targets of a crime wave.

<p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; background-color: #ffffff;"><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>Celebrities and millionaires living on one of Britain’s most exclusive estates have become the targets of a crime wave.</span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>A diplomat’s wife and son became the latest victims after they were tied up and held at gunpoint during a £100,000 robbery.</span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>St George’s Hill in Surrey has been dubbed the British ‘Beverly Hills’ and is home to Russian oil tycoons, hedge fund managers and City financiers.</span></span></p><div class="thinCenter" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; min-height: 1px; width: 470px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="Exclusive: The St George's Hill estate in Surrey has been hit by a crime wave in recent months. It lists oil tycoons and hedge fund managers among its residents" class="blkBorder" height="312" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/10/17/article-2049936-0D2332AF000005DC-549_468x312.jpg" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 1px solid black;" width="468" /></span><p class="imageCaption" style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Exclusive: The St George's Hill estate in Surrey has been hit by a crime wave in recent months. It lists oil tycoons and hedge fund managers among its residents</span></p></div><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty and Chelsea footballer Didier Drogba are also residents.</span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>The estate is hidden behind security gates and guarded around the clock by security guards and CCTV cameras.</span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>But that has failed to protect the residents from falling foul of a string of crimes since April.</span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>Police have warned them to be on their guard after the latest incident last month was a gunpoint £100,000 robbery in which a diplomat’s wife and son were tied up.</span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>One resident said homeowners, who paid up to £10million for the privilege, are ‘living in fear’ of becoming the next victim.</span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>The neighbourhood, a favourite with Russian oil tycoons, hedge fund traders and City financiers, has been dubbed the British ‘Beverley Hills’.</span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>Among the high-profile names to own a home there are Dragons’ Den star Theo Paphitis, Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty and Chelsea footballer Didier Drogba.</span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>Other include Scottish TV actress Hannah Gordon, former Chelsea player Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and the BSkyB chief executive Jeremy Darroch.</span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>While former residents on the 420-home estate include Ringo Starr, Kate Winslet, Cliff Richard, Jenson Button and Sir Elton John.</span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>Surrey Police admitted the tranquil Weybridge neighbourhood, known as ‘The Hill’ to locals, has been hit by a string of crimes since April.</span></span></p><div class="thinCenter" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; min-height: 1px; width: 470px; padding: 0px;"><div class="thinArtSplitter" style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div class="splitLeft" style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="Celebrity residents: Shilpa Shetty" class="blkBorder" height="423" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/10/17/article-2049936-0539E8BB000005DC-589_224x423.jpg" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 1px solid black;" width="224" /></span></div><div class="splitRight" style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="Chelsea's Didier Drogba" class="blkBorder" height="423" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/10/17/article-2049936-0C974C32000005DC-465_224x423.jpg" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 1px solid black;" width="224" /></span></div></div><p class="imageCaption" style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Celebrity residents: Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty and Chelsea striker Didier Drogba are among the people who live in St George's Hill, Surrey</span></p></div><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>They included two violent robberies, a burglary, two thefts, the theft of a car, vandalism and a violent attack.</span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>Detectives are still hunting the masked gunman behind the terrifying robbery where the victims were tied up and threatened with a sawn-off shotgun.</span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>The woman, aged in her 30s, and her teenage son escaped unhurt as he made off with cash and jewellery worth £100,000.</span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>Police suspect their attacker may have had an accomplice in a car outside but the pair managed to dodge security on the estate.</span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>One local, who did not want to be named, said all householders had been warned about the recent crimes and been told to ‘be vigilant’.</span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>He said: ‘There has been a lot of talk about the crime rate in the past six months.</span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>‘Although it might not seem particularly high compared to most of the country, the simple fact is that people pay a lot of money to live here and do not expect to be living in fear.</span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>‘There are private security guards, CCTV cameras, barriers and all sorts, so this kind of thing is very out of the ordinary for people who live here.</span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>‘We have been told to be vigilant and to report any suspicious behaviour to the police and to the security team here.’</span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>Elmbridge councillor Peter Harman said: ‘They’ve got their own security on the estate and they have cameras that monitor traffic going in and out, and all the cars are recorded, so it should be easy to trace people.’</span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>The residents’ association boasts it is a ‘unique location’ for successful high achievers looking for a ‘secure and private location.’</span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>Each house is required to have ‘at least’ one acre of land and boundaries cannot be marked by fences or walls, only hedges and bushes.</span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>The 964-acre estate boasts its own golf club and 15 tennis courts, four squash courts, state-of-the-art gym, 20m swimming pool and sauna, bar and restaurants and its own beauty spa.</span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>According to estate agents Savills, the the area is ‘internationally renowned as one of the most sought-after private estates in England.’</span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>But it is not the first time the estate has had problems with unwanted intruders and people ignoring the law.</span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>In May, peace at the gated community was punctured when squatters moved into an empty property 200 yards from the members-only tennis club that forms its social hub.</span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>Residents were sent a letter saying those responsible were ‘known to police’ and they should be on their guard.</span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>But the unwelcome neighbours managed to stay for several weeks at the £3million empty property which was at the centre of a long-running legal dispute.</span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>A Surrey Police spokesman confirmed the crimes took and said officers continue to appeal for witnesses over the armed robbery.</span></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>A spokesman for St George’s Hill Residents’ Association declined to comment.</span></span></p><span><br /><br /><br /></span></span></p>

Celebrities and millionaires living on one of Britain’s most exclusive estates have become the targets of a crime wave.

Celebrities and millionaires living on one of Britain’s most exclusive estates have become the targets of a crime wave. A diplomat’s wife an...

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RBS staff told to pay for their own Christmas party

<p> </p><p>Another day, another downgrade. Reduced to surviving on two pints of lager and pack of crisps at recent Christmas parties, misery was heaped on Royal Bank of Scotland's highly-paid investment bankers on Friday as they were told that they would have to fund this year's bash entirely out of their own pocket.</p>

RBS staff told to pay for their own Christmas party

  Another day, another downgrade. Reduced to surviving on two pints of lager and pack of crisps at recent Christmas parties, misery was heap...

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HMRC clamps down on Swiss account holders

<p> </p><p>6,000 Britons who hold money in the Swiss arm of HSBC will soon receive a letter telling them that they need to own up to unpaid tax. The bank is acting on information received last year under a tax treaty. This revealed that more than 6,000 individuals, companies, trusts and other bodies held accounts and investments with HSBC Geneva. HMRC has already begun criminal and serious fraud investigations into more than 500 individuals and organisations holding these accounts. HMRC will shortly be writing to those who have not yet come forward, or are not under investigation. They will be offered a chance to contact HMRC and disclose all their tax liabilities, HMRC said. Fines of up to 200 per cent of any tax may, in certain circumstances, be imposed on people not coming forwards during this window for disclosure. "This is not an amnesty. There are no special rates of penalty or interest for those who come forward voluntarily," said HMRC's Dave Hartnett. "This is an opportunity for those who have made errors in past returns to correct them. The net is closing on offshore evaders. Don't wait for HMRC to contact you."</p>

HMRC clamps down on Swiss account holders

  6,000 Britons who hold money in the Swiss arm of HSBC will soon receive a letter telling them that they need to own up to unpaid tax. The...

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FORMER policeman lived the high life in Marbella by running a £300million VAT fraud

<p> </p><p> – the biggest ever uncovered in the UK. Nigel Cranswick, 47, tried to cheat the taxman by claiming back tax on £2billion worth of bogus sales made by his mobile phone firm I2G. The “phenomenal” turnover was generated in eight months, HMRC said. Advertisement >> Meanwhile Cranswick lived it up in his rented villa in Marbella. “Despite this phenomenal turnover... I2G operated from a small office in Sheffield,” HMRC said. The scam was smashed after a five-year police probe, Newcastle crown court was told. Cranswick, from Sheffield, admitted conspiracy to cheat HMRC, as did accomplices Brian Olive, 56, of Doncaster, and Darren Smyth, 42, from Rotherham. Claire Reid, 45, also from Rotherham, admitted false accounting. The four will be sentenced next month</p>

FORMER policeman lived the high life in Marbella by running a £300million VAT fraud

   – the biggest ever uncovered in the UK. Nigel Cranswick, 47, tried to cheat the taxman by claiming back tax on £2billion worth of bogus ...

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BRITS ABROAD

<p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px; background-color: #ffffff;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.2; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://blogs.independent.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/35074501.jpg" style="color: #333333; text-decoration: underline;"><img alt="35074501 Today from i: Brits abroad" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-17325" height="567" src="http://blogs.independent.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/35074501.jpg" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px !important; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 2px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; display: inline; padding: 4px !important; border: initial none initial;" title="Today from i: Brits abroad photo" width="630" /></a></p>T</span></p>

BRITS ABROAD

T

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Rich Brits plot escape to France

<p> </p><p> wealthy Britons are planning to flee what they believe to be an over-taxed and crime-ridden UK, with France the most favoured destination, according to a survey published by British bank Lloyds TSB. The survey, published on Monday, found that 17 percent of those with more than £250,000 ($391,025) in savings and investments wanted to move abroad in the next two years, up from 14 percent six months earlier. The most popular destination for the rich exiles was France (21 percent), followed by Spain (15 percent) and the US (11 percent).  Three-quarters of those questioned (73 percent) thought that crime was a bigger problem in Britain than other developed countries. "Sadly, it seems August's riots, tax increases and a rising cost of living have cast a pall over life in the UK for some wealthy people," said Nicholas Boys-Smith, managing director of Lloyds TSB International Wealth in a statement. "It may reignite fears of a 'wealth drain' from our economy as rich people seek pastures new," he said. 42 percent of those questioned named tax as a reason for leaving, up from 35 percent six months ago. Cost of living was a factor for 52 percent, up from 31 percent. Research in January 2011 suggested that 4.6 percent of the UK population have over £250,000 in savings and investments, which equals around 2.8 million people.</p>

Rich Brits plot escape to France

   wealthy Britons are planning to flee what they believe to be an over-taxed and crime-ridden UK, with France the most favoured destination...

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FSA broke its own rules in Keydata probe, judge rules

<p> </p><p>High Court judge found that the Financial Services Authority (FSA) had wrongfully used privileged emails to bring its case against Keydata. A further "relief hearing" will now determine the impact of the ruling, which could de-rail the case altogether. It is the latest in a line of setbacks for the regulator, which has been investigating regulatory breaches at Keydata and millions of pounds of missing retail funds for two years. Keydata invested in "life settlement funds", which buy and sell US life insurance and generate high returns. In June 2009 the FSA applied for Keydata's closure "to protect investors", saying it was concerned about "potentially missing assets". The business was fast-tracked into administration and referred to the Serious Fraud Office (SFO). It emerged that £103m of life insurance policies managed by a Luxembourg business, SLS Capital, and sold to Keydata investors as low-risk bonds might have been "misappropriated".</p>

FSA broke its own rules in Keydata probe, judge rules

  High Court judge found that the Financial Services Authority (FSA) had wrongfully used privileged emails to bring its case against Keydata...

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US to pressure Iran over 'plot to kill Saudi envoy'

<p> </p><p>US Attorney General Eric Holder says the alleged conspiracy was "conceived, sponsored and directed from Iran" Continue reading the main story Related Stories Clinton hails break-up of 'plot' Middle East rivalries play out in US The US secretary of state has called for a "very strong message" to be sent to Iran, after allegations of a plot to kill the Saudi ambassador to the US. Hillary Clinton said Washington was preparing new penalties against Iran, which is already subject to a variety of international sanctions. Two Iranians were charged over the plot which US officials said implicated Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps. Meanwhile the US issued a worldwide alert about possible anti-US actions. "The US government assesses that this Iranian-backed plan to assassinate the Saudi ambassador may indicate a more aggressive focus by the Iranian government on terrorist activity against diplomats from certain countries, to include possible attacks in the United States," the alert said. It urged Americans residing and travelling abroad to review the information available when making travel plans. Iran has dismissed the allegations as false and baseless. Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote The idea that they would attempt to go to a Mexican drug cartel to solicit murder-for-hire to kill the Saudi ambassador, nobody could make that up, right?” Hillary Clinton US secretary of state 'Well-grounded suspicions' Mrs Clinton praised those involved in the operation to uncover the plot. "It was a terrific achievement by our law enforcement and intelligence communities, and we will be consulting with our friends and partners around the world about how we can send a very strong message that this kind of action, which violates international norms, must be ended," she said at a news conference. "This case will, I think, reinforce the well-grounded suspicions of many countries about what they're up to." Mrs Clinton said the suspected plotters had been trying to involve hired killers from Mexican drug cartels. "The idea that they would attempt to go to a Mexican drug cartel to solicit murder-for-hire to kill the Saudi ambassador, nobody could make that up, right?" she said. US Attorney General Eric Holder said Iran's involvement in the plot was "a flagrant violation of US and international law". Continue reading the main story Analysis Mohammad Manzarpour BBC Persian There is a long history of animosity between Iran and Saudi Arabia which stretches back to before the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Religiously, the Wahhabi rulers of Saudi Arabia and the Shia clerics of Iran reject each other's interpretation of Islam. Geopolitically, the two are staunch rivals, engaged in a seemingly never-ending battle for greater regional influence. They have also been engaged in proxy wars for decades, taking different sides in the Iran-Iraq war, Afghanistan, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. But it is the Saudis' military intervention in Bahrain which may have prompted the alleged plot. It was little criticised in the West but was seen in Iran as a blatant assault on the Shia majority in Bahrain. In a statement, UK Prime Minister David Cameron's office said: "Indications that this plot was directed by elements of the Iranian regime are shocking... We will support measures to hold Iran accountable for its actions." US officials have said military action was not being considered. The US Treasury Department placed five Iranians, including the two men charged, under sanctions on Tuesday for their alleged involvement in the plot. The two accused were named as Manssor Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old naturalised US citizen with dual Iranian and US passports, and Gholam Shakuri, based in Iran and said to be a member of Iran's Quds Force, a unit of the Revolutionary Guard Corps. The other three were described as high-ranking members of the Quds force. Mr Arbabsiar, who was arrested at New York's John F Kennedy airport on 29 September, has confessed to his involvement in the alleged plot, Mr Holder said. A lawyer for Mr Arbabsiar said he would plead not guilty when he was officially indicted. 'Shocking' Mr Shakuri was said to be in Iran. US officials said that on 24 May 2011, Mr Arbabsiar made contact with an informant for the US Drug Enforcement Agency, who was posing as a Mexican drug cartel member. Manssor Arbabsiar appeared at a court in New York City on Tuesday Over a series of meetings, it is said that details emerged of a conspiracy involving members of the Iranian government paying $1.5m (£960,000) for the assassination of Saudi ambassador Adel al-Jubeir on US soil. Justice department officials said the initial envisaged target was the Saudi embassy. But in conversations secretly recorded for the US authorities, Mr Arbabsiar also allegedly considered having the ambassador killed at a purported favourite restaurant, despite the possibility of mass casualties. The plot would have been carried out with explosives, Mr Holder said. But he added that no explosives were ever put in place and the public was not in danger. Mr Holder said Mr Arbabsiar, with approval from Mr Shakuri, wired $100,000 to a US bank account for the informant as a downpayment. Mr Arbabsiar and Mr Shakuri have been charged with conspiracy to murder a foreign official, weapons conspiracy, and conspiracy to commit international terrorism charges. Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote The choice of ambassadorial target is a direct expression of the acerbic tensions in the Middle East between Saudi Arabia, a key US ally, and Iran” Kim Ghattas BBC News, Washington Alleged plot reflects Middle East rivalries Unnamed US officials also told journalists that the Israeli embassy in Washington was also to have been attacked. Iran's official Islamic Republic News Agency called the charges a "propaganda campaign" by the US government against Tehran. The allegations were "a comedy show fabricated by America", Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told the semi-official Iranian news agency, Fars. Mr Arbabsiar appeared briefly at a New York City court on Tuesday. He did not enter a plea and was held without bail. He could face a life prison sentence if convicted on all charges, the Department of Justice said.</p>

US to pressure Iran over 'plot to kill Saudi envoy'

  US Attorney General Eric Holder says the alleged conspiracy was "conceived, sponsored and directed from Iran" Continue reading t...

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US issues travel alert linked to Iran plot

<p> </p><p>The US State Department late on Tuesday issued a worldwide travel alert for US citizens, warning of the potential for anti-US action after the United States accused Iran of backing a plot to kill Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Washington.   Murder Plot Iranians charged over assassination plot / Reuters American authorities uncover plot to bomb Israeli, Saudi embassies in Washington, assassinate Saudi ambassador Full story "The US government assesses that this Iranian-backed plan to assassinate the Saudi ambassador may indicate a more aggressive focus by the Iranian government on terrorist activity against diplomats from certain countries, to include possible attacks in the United States," it said in a statement on its website.   The alert expires January 11, 2012, it said.</p>

US issues travel alert linked to Iran plot

  The US State Department late on Tuesday issued a worldwide travel alert for US citizens, warning of the potential for anti-US action after...

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Roman Abramovich is a "gangster", court told

<p> </p><p>Boris Berezovsky said Mr Abramovich was part of “black ops” by the Russian security service designed to force him to give up his business interests in the country. Mr Berezovsky, the so-called “godfather” of the Russian oligarchs, says he met Vladimir Putin, the Russian leader, at the Kremlin “eye to eye” and was told to give up his control of a television station that had criticised the president over his handling of the sinking of the nuclear submarine the Kursk. When he refused, he was threatened with arrest and policemen in balaclavas, dubbed “maski” stormed the TV station ORT to remove documents. Mr Berezovsky says he fled the country and Mr Abramovich, his former protegee took advantage of the situation to pressure him into selling both ORT and the oil conglomerate Sibneft they had created together. Mr Abramovich is then said to have sold his minority stake in the aluminium giant Rusal, massively devaluing Mr Berezovsky’s stake.</p>

Roman Abramovich is a "gangster", court told

  Boris Berezovsky said Mr Abramovich was part of “black ops” by the Russian security service designed to force him to give up his business ...

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Michael Jackson's heartbroken daughter lashed out at Dr Conrad Murray for failing to save her father's life, jurors heard today as they again saw a photo of the pop stars dead body.

<p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; background-color: #ffffff;"><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span><br /></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span>The King of Pop's three children 'cried and cried and cried' after being told their father was dead.</span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span>His daughter, Paris, now 13, told Murray, her father's personal doctor: 'I will wake up in the morning and I won't be able to see my daddy.'</span></p><div class="thinCenter" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; min-height: 1px; width: 470px; padding: 0px;"><img alt="On Tuesday a court in Los Angeles heard recordings of Conrad Murray saying Michael Jackson's children sobbed when they learned their father died " class="blkBorder" height="312" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/10/11/article-2047963-0E5546B500000578-629_468x312.jpg" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 1px solid black;" width="468" /><p class="imageCaption" style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;">On Tuesday a court in Los Angeles heard recordings of Conrad Murray saying Michael Jackson's children sobbed when they learned their father died and saw a photo of the singer's dead body</p></div><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span>According to the 58-year-old cardiologist, she said: 'Dr Murray, you said you save a lot of patients. You know, you save people with heart attacks, and you couldn't save my dad.'</span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span>Paris's anguish was revealed in an interview Murray gave to detectives two days after Jackson's death on June 25, 2009.</span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span>The court saw a photograph of the painfully thin star taken before an autopsy was carried out on his body the day after his death. It was the second time the jury has seen a photo of the dead star after a picture was displayed on the opening day of the trial.</span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span> Jackson's mother, Katherine, who flew back to Los Angeles from the weekend tribute to her son in Wales, left the courtroom before the disturbing image was shown on a screen.</span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span>Dr Christopher Rogers, Los Angeles Deputy Medical Examiner, said the 5 ft 9 ins tall singer was comparatively fit when he died.</span></p><div class="thinCenter" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; min-height: 1px; width: 470px; padding: 0px;"><div class="thinCenter" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; min-height: 1px; width: 470px; padding: 0px;"><div class="thinCenter" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; min-height: 1px; width: 470px; padding: 0px;"><a class="lightboxPopupLink" href="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/10/11/article-2047963-0E5577D700000578-437_468x328_popup.jpg" style="min-height: 1px; text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer; color: #003580; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span class="clickToEnlargeTop" style="position: absolute; z-index: 11; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.1em; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; color: #ffffff; width: 52px; height: 13px; bottom: 0px; right: 0px; padding: 2px; margin: 0px;">Enlarge</span><span class="clickToEnlarge"> </span><span class="clickToEnlargeButton" style="z-index: 12; position: absolute; background-image: url(http://f.dailymail.co.uk/i/furniture/spt_icons_misc_2.png); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; bottom: 3px; right: 3px; height: 11px; width: 11px; zoom: 1; background-position: -90px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;"> </span><img alt="A coroner's photo of Jackson's naked body, with his genitals blacked out, was shown to jurors as they heard he was relatively fit for his age, despite appearing abnormally thin" class="blkBorder" height="328" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/10/11/article-2047963-0E5577D700000578-437_468x328.jpg" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 1px solid black;" width="468" /></a><p class="imageCaption" style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;">A coroner's photo of Jackson's naked body, with his genitals blacked out, was shown to jurors as they heard he was relatively fit for his age, but had many puncture wounds on his arms and legs from injections</p></div></div></div><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span>'He was healthier than the average person of his age,' said Dr Rogers, who added there was no sign of any fat or cholesterol on the walls of Jackson's heart.</span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span>He ruled the cause of death was homicide as a result of acute Propofol intoxication, the court heard.</span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span>Dr Rogers dismissed Murray's claims that the singer took a deadly dose of Propofol himself while the doctor left his bedside for two minutes to go to the toilet. <br /></span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span>He suggested it was too short a time for Jackson to be able to self-administer the drug and for it take sufficient effect to stop his breathing.</span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span>He said Murray had no equipment to help deliver the correct amount of Propofol to help Jackson sleep.</span></p><div class="thinCenter" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; min-height: 1px; width: 470px; padding: 0px;"><a class="lightboxPopupLink" href="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/10/11/article-2047963-0E55789A00000578-139_468x357_popup.jpg" style="min-height: 1px; text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer; color: #003580; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span class="clickToEnlargeTop" style="position: absolute; z-index: 11; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.1em; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; color: #ffffff; width: 52px; height: 13px; bottom: 0px; right: 0px; padding: 2px; margin: 0px;">Enlarge</span><span class="clickToEnlarge"> </span><span class="clickToEnlargeButton" style="z-index: 12; position: absolute; background-image: url(http://f.dailymail.co.uk/i/furniture/spt_icons_misc_2.png); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; bottom: 3px; right: 3px; height: 11px; width: 11px; zoom: 1; background-position: -90px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;"> </span><img alt="A close up of Jackson's wrist shows his date of death, June 25, 2009" class="blkBorder" height="357" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/10/11/article-2047963-0E55789A00000578-139_468x357.jpg" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 1px solid black;" width="468" /></a><p class="imageCaption" style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;">A close up of Jackson's wrist shows his date of death, which was actually June 25, 2009 but mis-labelled as August, and Coroner Case Number 2009-04415</p></div><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span>'It would be easy for the doctor to estimate wrongly and give too much Propofol,' he added.</span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span>Murray, who has pleaded not guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter, is not expected to testify at the trial at Los Angeles Superior Court, but the recording means jurors at least got to hear his side of the story.</span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span>Before Rogers the last 45 minutes of the two-hour tape was played in the hushed courtroom on Tuesday.</span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span>Murray told police Jackson's children 'really were weeping, really weeping' when they were told that doctors at UCLA Medical Centre in Los Angeles had been unable to revive their 50-year-old father.</span></p><p style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span>'I hugged them all, gave comfort to Paris, comfort to Prince, comfort to Blanket, which is the last little guy, because whenever they were sick, they would always ask for Dr Conrad,' he said.</span></p><span><br /><br /><br /></span></span></p>

Michael Jackson's heartbroken daughter lashed out at Dr Conrad Murray for failing to save her father's life, jurors heard today as they again saw a photo of the pop stars dead body.

The King of Pop's three children 'cried and cried and cried' after being told their father was dead. His daughter, Paris, now 13...

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Imogen Thomas brands Katie Price a "transvestite" as Danny-Gate continues

<p><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; background-color: #d3dce2;"><div class="list-head-colour cel" style="font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"></div></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; background-color: #d3dce2;"><div class="article-body" style="font-style: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">And in the latest salvo of what I’m ­calling ­Dannygate after the ex-model’s dalliance with rugby player Danny Cipriani, 23, furious Imogen has told pals: “Out of every woman in the world, her?! She’s such a slag.” Imogen, 28, has been with Danny since July. She thought they had a future.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">But now all Imogen’s plans are off after pictures showed him ­leaving his home barefoot with Katie the ­morning after an evening together.</p><div class="art-o art-align-left otm-59 article-image" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: #fcd8d8; background-image: url(http://images.mirror.co.uk/collections/m4_art2/imagegallery-bg.jpg); clear: both; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><img alt="Imogen Thomas (Pic: Getty Images)" border="0" height="396" src="http://images.mirror.co.uk/upl/m4/oct2011/1/8/imogen-thomas-pic-getty-images-512772371.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; float: none !important; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;" title="Imogen Thomas (Pic: Getty Images)" width="610" /></div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">Former Miss Wales Imogen fumed: “He’s such a liar. You don’t spend ages telling someone about your issues and how women have treated you then go do ­something like that.”</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">Imogen was putting on a brave face when she appeared at the Inspiration Awards For Women in London on Friday – but photos of Danny cosying up to mum-of-three Katie, 33, had her ­tweeting in fury on Thursday: “Danny Cipriani is the ­biggest bull******r out there.”</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">It’s not their first clash over guys – Katie dated Jermain Defoe after ­Imogen split with him in 2009.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">Now I can’t wait to hear what Katie has to say about all this.....</p></div><span style="font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><br /><br /><br /></span></span></p>

Imogen Thomas brands Katie Price a "transvestite" as Danny-Gate continues

And in the latest salvo of what I’m ­calling ­Dannygate after the ex-model’s dalliance with rugby player Danny Cipriani, 23, furious Imogen ...

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Sicily's tiny anti-Mafia TV channel

<p> </p><p>Sicilian TV station that campaigns against the Mafia, Telejato, is among hundreds of channels threatened with closure due to a change in the law. Partinico is a pretty nondescript little town - a handful of baroque churches, a couple of elegant palazzos and a lot of ugly concrete in between. If it were not for the fact that it is in the so-called "Mafia Bermuda Triangle", perhaps nobody outside the province of Palermo would have heard of it. As it is, like Corleone, it is a name that prompts Italians to raise an eyebrow and suck in their breath when you tell them you are planning to visit. Discreet entrance My point of departure is San Giuseppe Jato, another former Mafia stronghold. Continue reading the main story From Our Own Correspondent Broadcast on Saturdays at 1130 BST on BBC Radio 4 and weekdays on BBC World Service Listen to the BBC Radio 4 version Download the podcast Listen to the BBC World Service version Explore the archive Having just visited a vineyard on land confiscated from an infamous jailed boss, I decide to try my luck with the only direct bus of the day to Partinico. I do what the traffic warden advises and wave it down in the middle of the road, just in front of the toy shop. After a picturesque journey through the Jato Valley, I alight an hour later at my destination, a town where the mountains rise up above the church steeples and illegal attic extensions. I find the block of flats which is home to Telejato without too much difficulty. It is on a quiet side street away from the bustle of the main road. The building number seems right but there is no sign or any directions to the TV station inside. I conclude that the best way to find Pino Maniaci is to follow my nose. As I climb the staircase, the smell of cigarette smoke gets stronger. I follow the aroma up to the second floor, through an unlocked door and into the newsroom. Pino Maniaci's daughter Letizia is the station's main reporter It is 13:20 and they go live at 14:00. Pino, his daughter and a couple of volunteer journalists are putting together the bulletin. When I come in, he turns towards me, cigarette between his lips. After the briefest of greetings he says, "We're on air soon so sit down and don't break my balls." His daughter looks up and grins. "Don't worry, that's how he talks to everyone," she says. Indeed Pino Maniaci, when not inhaling smoke, is invariably exhaling expletives. Unable to sit still and not wishing to be a ball-breaker, I nose around the small converted apartment. You can tell by the pictures, tributes and cuttings on the walls, just how proud Pino is of Telejato. Courage He has turned a tiny local TV station into one of Sicily's most powerful anti-Mafia voices. Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote With his Groucho Marx-style moustache and Chico Marx-style accent, he boasts that even the Mafia watch Telejato” He says nearly all the locals watch it. In the heart of Cosa Nostra territory, he was the first journalist to dare to give the full names of arrested mafiosi. Before him, nobody published more than initials for fear of reprisals. Pino, his family and a small team of volunteers put together a daily news show, which is dominated by Mafia and corruption stories. "We're always first on the scene," he tells me. "Even international channels like CNN call and ask to use our footage." The station works closely with the various police forces, including the Catturandi di Palermo - a special squad that hunts mafiosi in hiding. "Wherever we show up, they're there. Wherever they show up, we're there." Pino's childlike bravado conceals his genuine courage. With his Groucho Marx-style moustache and Chico Marx-style accent, he boasts that even the Mafia watch Telejato. "We were the only ones to interview the brother of Bernardo Provenzano, one of the biggest Mafia bosses," he tells me. With a gleeful twinkle, Pino continues, "We even discovered that Provenzano himself had an aerial specially positioned to pick up our signal. If you listen to the police wire taps, you can hear our signature tune!" Murder attempt Telejato has a motto: "They consider themselves men of honour. For us, dishonouring them is a question of honour." Pino uses derision as both weapon and shield, but he admits he is scared, especially for his family. "I smoke three packets a day and always joke that it's just as well the biggest room in our tiny station is the bathroom!" Living under police escort, he has suffered countless attacks - slashed tyres, severed brake cables, burnt-out cars, windscreens shattered by gunshots. "They even tried to bump me off!" he chuckles, describing a failed attempt to strangle him, which left him with four fractured ribs, a broken leg, a black eye and several broken teeth. At 17:00, it is time for me to head for the station to catch a train up to Palermo. Pino refuses to let me go without showing me some true Sicilian hospitality. Police escort in tow, we go to a nearby coffee bar. Everyone, including the officers, gets an espresso and Pino insists I taste a cannolo, the island's famous ricotta-filled pastry. "I have to keep Telejato going," says Pino between mouthfuls, "so that one day Sicily will be more famous for these than for the Mafia."</p>

Sicily's tiny anti-Mafia TV channel

  Sicilian TV station that campaigns against the Mafia, Telejato, is among hundreds of channels threatened with closure due to a change in t...

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PM intervenes in Fox flatmate row

<p> </p><p>Beleaguered Defence Secretary Liam Fox is fighting for his political career after the row over his working relationship with a close friend deepened. Prime Minister David Cameron is poised to decide his fate on Monday after ordering the head of the civil service to urgently report back on an internal investigation into whether Dr Fox's links to Adam Werritty, a former flatmate, breached ministerial guidelines. A series of allegations have surfaced over the unusual involvement Mr Werritty had in brokering meetings for Dr Fox, as well as the access he enjoyed to Government despite having no formal parliamentary or Whitehall role. Dr Fox, who has been in Libya on what should have been a publicity coup as he met the country's interim government, was forced to issue an embarrassing statement clarifying comments he made earlier about how a meeting in Dubai in June with a businessman had been arranged. But he also insisted he has nothing to hide and indicated he is the victim of a smear campaign, telling The Sunday Telegraph: "I have absolutely no fear of complete transparency in these matters. I think there are underlying issues behind these claims and the motivation is deeply suspect." Further revelations emerged, however, that cast doubt on previous claims made by Dr Fox that Mr Werritty, best man at his wedding, had never attended formal meetings with overseas dignitaries. According to the Observer, footage has been uncovered that shows Mr Werritty meeting Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa with Dr Fox in a London hotel last year. During his visit to Libya, Dr Fox was asked to answer allegations that Mr Werritty arranged the Dubai hotel meeting, away from officials, with him and Harvey Boulter, chief executive of private equity company Porton Group. The Secretary of State said defence industry representatives asked for the meeting "when they happened to be sitting at a nearby table in a restaurant", but emails emerged later that appeared to confirm that Mr Werritty had been involved in setting up the discussions for some time - and Mr Boulter told the Guardian he first met Mr Werritty to arrange a meeting with Dr Fox in April. In a statement issued after the emails emerged, a spokeswoman for the minister said: "Dr Fox was referring to Mr Werritty, and not himself, bumping into Mr Boulter at a restaurant prior to the meeting."</p>

PM intervenes in Fox flatmate row

  Beleaguered Defence Secretary Liam Fox is fighting for his political career after the row over his working relationship with a close frien...

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Spanish banks in €6bn merger talks

<p> </p><p>Banco Popular, Spain’s fifth-biggest listed bank by assets, has offered to buy its smaller listed rival Banco Pastor in a merger that marks a new stage in the restructuring of the country’s financial sector. In filings published on Friday by the Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores (CNMV), the market regulator, the banks said they were proposing a friendly all-share deal in which Popular would offer to buy 100 per cent of Pastor. More ON THIS STORY Dismay at Spanish bank restructuring Spain nationalises three more savings banks In depth European banks Santander predicts return to big profits Global Insight Italy and Spain The CNMV had earlier suspended trading in shares of Popular, with a total market value of €4.99bn, and of Pastor, valued at €827m, apparently after news of the discussions leaked before the planned announcement on Monday. At Friday’s share prices, the Popular offer represented a one-third premium for Pastor and valued the target bank at 0.75 times book value, according to the Pastor camp, although Popular’s share price could fall once the suspensions are lifted. CaixaBank, the banking arm of the Barcelona-based La Caixa savings bank, was valued at 0.8 times book value at its flotation earlier this year, but Bankia, comprising Caja Madrid and six others, managed only 0.4 times when it was listed. Three savings banks seized by the official bank rescue fund last month were valued at between zero and 0.12 times book. Until now, the Bank of Spain and the Spanish government have focused on forcing unlisted savings banks to recapitalise themselves and merge with each other to reduce costs and improve efficiency after the collapse of the Spanish housing and construction bubble. Listed banks have been seen as potential buyers rather than takeover targets. “This is only the start,” said one person aware of the talks as the boards of the two companies held separate meetings. “There is going to be a huge shake-out in the banking sector.” Popular is a national Spanish bank that has focused on retail banking and lending to small and medium-sized businesses, while Pastor’s activities are concentrated in the north-western region of Galicia. Pastor – along with four Spanish cajas or savings banks – was one of the nine European banks that failed Europe-wide stress tests in July.</p>

Spanish banks in €6bn merger talks

  Banco Popular, Spain’s fifth-biggest listed bank by assets, has offered to buy its smaller listed rival Banco Pastor in a merger that mark...

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Kelly Hoppen accepts £60,000 damages in hacking case

<p> </p><p>Interior designer Kelly Hoppen has accepted £60,000 in damages over the News of the World phone-hacking case. Her lawyer told the High Court the settlement was for "misuse of private information and breach of confidence". Ms Hoppen is the former stepmother of Sienna Miller, whose relationship with fellow actor Jude Law was of huge interest to the now defunct tabloid. News International and News Group Newspapers agreed to pay the money as well as her costs. Numerous articles published in the News of the World between 2004 and 2006 contained "intrusive and private information" relating to Ms Hoppen, her lawyer Mark Thomson told the court. "The claimant did not know the source of this information at the time of publication and often could not understand how it was possible for the News of the World to obtain such private information," he said. New evidence "In 2009, as a result of the claimant's long held concerns, her solicitors, Atkins Thomson, wrote to the Metropolitan Police Service asking whether they had any evidence that the claimant had been targeted by News Group Newspapers Limited in 2004-2006." He said his client was at first told the police had no evidence to suggest she had been a target, but that changed in February 2011 after further evidence emerged. The court heard that News Group Newspapers admitted liability in April. Michael Silverleaf QC, counsel for the newspaper group, told Mr Justice Vos that he wanted to repeat the "sincere and unreserved apology" made to Ms Hoppen in April. Ms Hoppen is one of a number of celebrities and public figures pursuing civil cases against Rupert Murdoch's media group. In January, the High Court is due to hear claims from a handful of test cases involving those who say their phones were hacked into. They include former footballer Paul Gascoigne, Jude Law, sports agent Sky Andrew, and MP Chris Bryant. The mother of a 7/7 bombing victim will also pursue a separate civil case against News International. Sheila Henry's son, Christian Small, was killed in the 2005 Russell Square explosion.</p>

Kelly Hoppen accepts £60,000 damages in hacking case

  Interior designer Kelly Hoppen has accepted £60,000 in damages over the News of the World phone-hacking case. Her lawyer told the High Co...

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Three post offices targeted in spate of raids over 12 hours

<p> </p><p>POST OFFICES were targeted in raids in Waterford, Kilkenny and north Dublin yesterday – one of which involved the kidnapping of a man and woman. The three incidents took place within 12 hours of each other and come on the back of a spate of thefts and attempted robberies at post offices which have been linked to organised crime gangs involved in the drugs trade. The worst of the incidents began on Tuesday night in Swords, Co Dublin, when three armed men forced their way into the home of an An Post worker employed at the Balbriggan branch. The female postmaster and her husband were held hostage by the gang for several hours at their home in St Andrew’s Park. The husband was then taken to another location yesterday morning while the woman was ordered to go to work as usual and withdraw a substantial sum of money and await instructions. The woman’s husband was left tied to a tree by the gang in a field off Kettles Lane in Swords, from which he managed to free himself shortly after 10am. At about the same time gardaí became aware of the incident and responded to a call from the post office, forcing the gang to abort their plans. Supt Kevin Gilligan said: “This was a very traumatic experience for the people taken hostage overnight and for post office staff in Balbriggan.” He appealed to anyone who may have witnessed suspicious activity at the three locations associated with this incident to contact gardaí. Gardaí were yesterday also investigating an armed raid on a post office in Kill, Co Waterford. Two men, one armed with what appeared to be a shotgun, entered the post office shortly after 11.30am when staff and a number of customers were present. The men escaped with an undisclosed sum of money in a black car in the direction of Carroll’s Cross. There were no injuries and no shots were discharged. Earlier in the day, a stolen JCB was used by raiders to smash a wall and steal a safe at a post office in Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny. The vehicle was used to gain entry to the post office shortly after 6am. The safe stolen is understood to have been empty, however. Gardaí said the JCB had been stolen in Carlow overnight. He appealed to anyone who may have witnessed the vehicle being driven or transported to Castlecomer to contact them. A spokesman for An Post yesterday declined to discuss the incidents, saying they were a matter for gardaí. General secretary of the Irish Postmasters’ Union Brian McGann expressed his sympathies to the family involved in the Swords incident. “Unfortunately, postmasters and their staff face the threat of this type of attack every day in their working lives,” he said. The vast majority of raids on post offices were unsuccessful, as postmasters and their staff did not have access to cash and all safes were time-locked, he added. The union and An Post had worked together to develop and improve security at post offices, which he described as “robust”. He urged An Post staff to remain vigilant and to follow security protocols.</p>

Three post offices targeted in spate of raids over 12 hours

  POST OFFICES were targeted in raids in Waterford, Kilkenny and north Dublin yesterday – one of which involved the kidnapping of a man and ...

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Local Police in Nerja crackdown on pavement ‘invasions’

<p> </p><p>LOCAL POLICE in Nerja are to crack down on bar and restaurants which take up too much space on pavements. Over the past month, complaints from Nerja residents have risen regarding bars and restaurants putting their tables out on pavements, preventing people from passing. Nerja is a tourist area, and most local cafeterias, bars and restaurants have their tables, chairs and signs out on the pavements, something which is allowed as long as they pay a fee to do so. However, there are limits to how much space they can take up, and it appears that in over this summer, some of them have decided to ignore the rules, making it difficult for pedestrians and vehicles to pass. This also affects shops which put their goods out on the pavement. One shop in particular has had its goods confiscated after doing so on several occasions. The owner was cautioned, but failed to keep within the limits set for his shop. This does not necessarily lead to a fine, but the owner will have to pay to get his merchandise back. “It’s not permissible to allow any business to obstruct walkways used by tourists and local residents, nor to endanger others” sources from the town hall said.</p>

Local Police in Nerja crackdown on pavement ‘invasions’

  LOCAL POLICE in Nerja are to crack down on bar and restaurants which take up too much space on pavements. Over the past month, complaints...

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Ronda police accused of prostitution allege witnesses were coerced

<p> </p><p>Four National Police and a Guardia Civil are accused of accepting the presence of local whorehouses in exchange for sexual favours. The defence teams for the four Ronda National Policemen and the Guardia Civil who are accused of looking the other way regarding the opening of whorehouses in the town, in exchange for sexual favours, called on Monday for the case against the accused to be declared null and void. They claimed that the witnesses who had declared against their clients had been forced by the investigators, with some of them being told they would not be expelled from Spain if they cooperated. The lawyers allege therefore that their statements are contaminated, and that would mean the process would have to stop. One of the defence lawyers, José Luis Ortega, said witness protection had not been enabled and even spoke of ‘tortures’. ‘This will end up in the Supreme Court’, he said. The Prosecutor, Valentín Bueno, noted that one of the protected witnesses in the case had been expelled from Spain after she had changed her statement and cleared the policemen. He spoke of pressures from those implicated in the case, and said the witnesses had been threatened using mafia tactics. The case got underway in the Provincial Court in Málaga on Monday, despite the fact that one of the accused failed to show. The agents face a total request from the prosecutor of 39 years in prison for bribery, sexual abuse, and influence peddling among other crimes. The Guardia Civil is accused of extortion, and the owners of three ‘clubes de alterne’ are also on the accused bench.</p>

Ronda police accused of prostitution allege witnesses were coerced

  Four National Police and a Guardia Civil are accused of accepting the presence of local whorehouses in exchange for sexual favours. The de...

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British tour operator goes bust

<p>British tour operator, Fairway Golf Holidays, has closed. The company sold package golf holidays to Portugal, Turkey and to Spain where the Costa del Sol, Costa Brava, Costa de la Luz, Tenerife and Gran Canaria were its main destinations. The British Civil Aviation Authority reports that the company closed for business on September 28, but that it was still to inform clients on its webpage, which would be the normal practice. The company as ATOL financial protection, which means that the CAA will get clients home. Meanwhile in a separate story, the British low cost accommodation company, Travelodge, on Monday opened their first hotel in the Valencia region. The hotel at Manises, the Travelodge Valencia Airport, has cost 10 million €. The 116 room hotel gives employment to 16, and is 90% full in its first week of operation. The company says it intends to open 12 hotels in the Valencia region in the next ten years, starting in Torrent, El Saler, Valencia, Castellón and Alicante.</p><p> </p>

British tour operator goes bust

British tour operator, Fairway Golf Holidays, has closed. The company sold package golf holidays to Portugal, Turkey and to Spain where the ...

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British tour operator goes bust

<p>British tour operator, Fairway Golf Holidays, has closed. The company sold package golf holidays to Portugal, Turkey and to Spain where the Costa del Sol, Costa Brava, Costa de la Luz, Tenerife and Gran Canaria were its main destinations. The British Civil Aviation Authority reports that the company closed for business on September 28, but that it was still to inform clients on its webpage, which would be the normal practice. The company as ATOL financial protection, which means that the CAA will get clients home. Meanwhile in a separate story, the British low cost accommodation company, Travelodge, on Monday opened their first hotel in the Valencia region. The hotel at Manises, the Travelodge Valencia Airport, has cost 10 million €. The 116 room hotel gives employment to 16, and is 90% full in its first week of operation. The company says it intends to open 12 hotels in the Valencia region in the next ten years, starting in Torrent, El Saler, Valencia, Castellón and Alicante.</p><p> </p>

British tour operator goes bust

British tour operator, Fairway Golf Holidays, has closed. The company sold package golf holidays to Portugal, Turkey and to Spain where the ...

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Drug-dealing killer: Chicago cop stopped DEA investigation of me

<p> </p><p>high-level drug trafficker admits he was involved in three killings after a Chicago Police officer scuttled a federal investigation into his illegal activities in the mid-1990s, according to a recent court filing. Saul Rodriguez, who pleaded guilty last month to federal drug conspiracy charges, was an informant for Officer Glenn Lewellen for years. But Rodriguez told authorities he and Lewellen were also longtime partners in crime. They allegedly worked together to rip off other drug dealers, splitting millions of dollars in loot. Lewellen recruited Rodriguez as a police informant in early 1996. Rodriguez’s undercover name was “Bill Pager.” From 1996 to 2001, the Chicago Police Department paid him $807,000 for information that led to seizures of drugs and cash, prosecutors said. All the while Rodriguez was making cases for the police, however, he was committing crimes. And Lewellen repeatedly stepped in to keep Rodriguez out of jail, prosecutors said. Rodriguez’s statements to authorities are included in a 188-page document containing evidence prosecutors intend to present against Lewellen and other defendants who face trial in the same case. Rodriguez has agreed to testify against them. According to the document, Lewellen in mid-1996 persuaded the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to stop investigating Rodriguez after 154 pounds of marijuana were seized from a secret compartment in his Buick. Lewellen told the DEA its investigation would harm ongoing Chicago Police Department cases, prosecutors said. Lewellen, who joined the police force in 1986, retired in 2002 to become a homebuilder. But he still managed to obstruct a separate DEA investigation of Rodriguez, prosecutors said. In 2006, Lewellen warned Rodriguez not to speak to a drug courier whose phone was wiretapped, Rodriguez said. At the time, the DEA was investigating Rodriguez’s ties to a cocaine wholesaler, prosecutors said. Lewellen told Rodriguez he got the information from an “agent” who previously worked in Colombia, but didn’t say what agency was involved in the investigation, according to Rodriguez. As Lewellen was allegedly protecting Rodriguez from the DEA, Rodriguez was involved in the murders of three men, prosecutors said. Rodriguez has confessed to orchestrating the slayings in 2000, 2001 and 2002. Rodriguez has also told authorities he arranged for a friend to “escape” from a prison in Mexico in 2003. He said he met with the prison warden while on vacation in Mexico and promised to pay him a $250,000 bribe in exchange for his friend’s freedom. In addition to his career as a drug dealer, Rodriguez became involved in managing boxers and developing real-estate in Chicago and Nevada, records show. The document detailing Rodriguez’s statements to federal prosecutors, filed last month, provides new details about Rodriguez’s relationship with Lewellen. For example, Rodriguez said he bought Lewellen a Ford Crown Victoria equipped with a siren. Lewellen allegedly drove the car while posing as a legitimate cop during drug rip-offs, Rodriguez said. Rodriguez has told authorities that another Chicago Police officer participated in at least one rip-off, but he believes the officer is now deceased. The prosecution’s evidentiary document also provides more information about the three murders in which Rodriguez admits to having a role. Rodriguez said he persuaded Lewellen to frame Juan Luevano with a drug case in 1999. Luevano, who was dating Rodriguez’s former girlfriend, was released from jail after posting bond in the case. Rodriguez said he then met with a high-ranking Satan Disciples gang member who was in prison. The gang leader was angry Luevano was dating his wife, Rodriguez told authorities. The gang leader asked Rodriguez to find someone to “get” Luevano. So Rodriguez said he hired a high-school pal, Manuel Uriarte, to kill Luevano. Uriarte and Andres Flores allegedly shot Luevano to death in 2000 near his home in Cicero, prosecutors said. They’re charged with murder in the same federal drug conspiracy case. Rodriguez also admitted he arranged for the 2001 murder of Michael Garcia. Rodriguez said he acted at the request of a friend who suspected Garcia had killed his brother, prosecutors said. And Rodriguez said he was involved in the 2002 murder of Miguel De La Torre. Rodriguez said he arranged the kidnapping of De La Torre to scare him into providing information about the location of cocaine and money. Rodriguez said he hired Miguel Uriate and his brother Jorge Uriate to squeeze the information from De La Torre, a drug dealer. If De La Torre refused to talk, they agreed the Uriates would kill him, Rodriguez said. Rodriguez admitted he provided Uriate brothers with an electrical cord they used to strangle De La Torre in a garage. Jorge Uriate also faces murder charges in the same case. Lewellen, who is free on $1 million bail awaiting trial, is not charged with any of the killings.</p>

Drug-dealing killer: Chicago cop stopped DEA investigation of me

  high-level drug trafficker admits he was involved in three killings after a Chicago Police officer scuttled a federal investigation into h...

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Feds indict 23 Texas Syndicate gang members

<p> </p><p>Federal authorities Tuesday announced the indictment of 23 reputed Texas Syndicate gang members and associates on charges including four murders, drug trafficking and extortion. Those charged are primarily in the Uvalde and Hondo areas, but the prison-born criminal group has members throughout the state. Their alleged crimes were committed over the past nine years, according to the indictment, which details the structure and goals the gang, which is led by officers with ranks. The indictment also delves into the gang's strict rules and penalties, including being killed, for going against the organization or disobeying orders. "The (Texas Syndicate) will not hesitate to kill anyone who interferes with the business of the gang or who commits a violation of Texas Syndicate rules. Among those charges under RICO, the acronym for Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organization: Cristobal "Little Chris" Velasquez, 33, of Uvalde; Sotero Rodriguez Martinez "June", 41, of Uvalde; Chuco Mario "Mariachi" Martinez, 35, of Uvalde; Larry "Little Larry" Munoz, Jr.,36, of Uvalde; Brian "Tata" Esparza, 31, of Uvalde; Charles "Horse" Esparza, 32, of Uvalde; Ervey "Mad Max" Sanchez, 31, of Uvalde; Mark Anthony Vela, 35, of Hondo; Charles Olan Quintanilla, 32, of Hondo; George "Curious" Sanchez,36, of Uvalde; and, Inez "Bebito" Mata, 41, of Uvalde. Others charged in the case are not accused of violating the RICO law.</p>

Feds indict 23 Texas Syndicate gang members

  Federal authorities Tuesday announced the indictment of 23 reputed Texas Syndicate gang members and associates on charges including four m...

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Dancehall star Vybz Kartel has been charged with the murder of Jamaican promoter Barrington Burton

<p><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; background-color: #ffffff;"><div id="main-content-picture" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; display: block; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px;"><img alt="Vybz Kartel " height="276" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Music/Pix/pictures/2011/10/4/1317728058322/Vybz-Kartel--007.jpg" style="border-collapse: collapse; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;" width="460" /><div class="caption" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #666666; display: block; font-size: 12px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;">. Photograph: Scott Gries/Getty Images</div></div><div id="article-body-blocks" style="border-collapse: collapse; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px;">Jamaican dancehall star <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/artist/7cc385f3-333c-48de-b341-3d728de74973" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; text-decoration: none; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;">Vybz Kartel</a> has been charged with murder. A police statement issued in Kingston on Monday said that the 35-year-old artist was charged with murder, conspiracy to murder and illegal possession of a firearm. Investigators accuse the rapper, whose real name is Adijah Palmer, of conspiring with others to kill a 27-year-old promoter who was murdered earlier this year.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px;">"The allegation is that on Monday, July 11, 2011, Palmer, along with other men, conspired to murder Barrington Burton o/c 'Bossie', a 27-year-old businessman/promoter of a Gregory Park address in St Catherine. Burton was murdered while he was standing with friends along Walkers Avenue in Gregory Park," the police release said. A preliminary hearing is scheduled to take place on Tuesday.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px;">Kartel's defence attorney was reported to have said that his client was prepared to fight the charges. Kartel was initially arrested on Friday for marijuana possession.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px;">Kartel has previously been arrested on charges including assault and illegal gun possession. Those charges were later dropped. A long-running feud with fellow artist Mavado is alleged to have fuelled mob attacks in inner-city neighbourhoods of Kingston. In December 2009, <a href="http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20091209/ent/ent5.html" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; text-decoration: none; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;">the two met government ministers</a> in an attempt to calm the situation.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px;">Kartel has worked on collaborations and remixes with the likes of Jay-Z, Rihanna and MIA. His international hits include Ramping Shop, Dollar Sign and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORi4xwSwWlM" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; text-decoration: none; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;">Clarks</a>. The success of the latter song last year sent sales of the British shoes soaring in Jamaica. A businessman in his own right, Kartel also has his own brands of rum and condoms as well as his own<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/fashion/fashion-blog/2011/sep/07/skin-bleaching-whitening-vybz-kartel?INTCMP=SRCH" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; text-decoration: none; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;">controversial range of skin-lightening cosmetics</a>.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px;">Recently, the singer also became the star of locally produced reality TV show <a href="http://www.teachaspet.com/" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; text-decoration: none; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;">Teacha's Pet</a>. Officials from the telecommunications company that sponsors the show were said to be discussing the new charges levelled against Kartel last night.</p></div></span></p>

Dancehall star Vybz Kartel has been charged with the murder of Jamaican promoter Barrington Burton

. Photograph: Scott Gries/Getty Images Jamaican dancehall star  Vybz Kartel  has been charged with murder. A police statement issued in King...

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The Duchess of Alba with her new husband Alfonso Díez outside Dueñas Palace in Seville.

<p><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; background-color: #ffffff;"><div id="main-content-picture" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; display: block; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px;"><img alt="Duchess of Alba and Alfonso Diez" height="276" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/About/General/2011/10/5/1317827604228/Duchess-of-Alba-and-Alfon-007.jpg" style="border-collapse: collapse; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;" width="460" /><div class="caption" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #666666; display: block; font-size: 12px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"> Photograph: Javier Diaz/Reuters</div></div><div id="article-body-blocks" style="border-collapse: collapse; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px;">She is a frizzy-haired 85-year-old eccentric and hugely wealthy aristocrat with a squeaky voice and an impossibly long name. He is a lowly civil servant 25 years her junior. Today the two were married, prompting a frenzy of excitement in this southern Spanish city.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px;">Crowds formed outside Seville's Dueñas Palace – just one of several regal residences the Duchess of Alba owns around <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/spain" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; text-decoration: none; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;" title="More from guardian.co.uk on Spain">Spain</a> – as she, her family and a few friends gathered for a small ceremony for her marriage to Alfonso Díez in the palace's private chapel.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px;">The billionaire duchess, who has been known to ask the media for money in the past, allowed in just two news agencies – for free.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px;">"She is an amazing woman. She does whatever she wants and doesn't give a damn what people say," said 18-year-old tourism student Ana Trigo, as she fought for space on the pavement outside the Dueñas's imposing gates. "I know she's got lots of money, but that's just the luck of birth isn't it?"</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px;">A neatly groomed priest, a flamenco singing troupe, innumerable bunches of roses, sunflowers and carnations, and at least two bullfighter guests made their way into the palace complex as security guards pushed back the crowd of gawping, shouting <em style="border-collapse: collapse; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;">Sevillanos</em>.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px;">"I've written a paso doble and want to sing it for her," said composer Vicente Tarrancón, who travelled the 300 miles from Alicante with an electric piano and a violinist but who remained firmly outside the palace gates.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px;">Onlookers mostly were not disturbed by the duchess's inherited wealth, estimated at up to €3.5bn (£3bn), even though one in five Spaniards are currently unemployed and the economy is heading towards a double-dip recession.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px;">Apart from her palaces, the duchess owns huge tracts of land all over Spain and has a collection of paintings that include works by Goya and Velázquez.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px;">"She gives a lot of money to charity and employs a lot of people. And she repaired the church of the Christ of the Gypsies," said housewife Mari Luz González. "She's wonderful."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px;">Cries of "<em style="border-collapse: collapse; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;">Guapa</em>!" or "Good-looking!" welcomed the pallid duchess when she appeared dressed in a pink wedding dress with a green ribbon around her waist at the palace gates with her new husband. She responded by dancing a few flamenco steps.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px;">Most people, however, seemed to be taking a tongue-in-cheek attitude to the duchess's latest romance and using it as an excuse to indulge in Seville's favoured pastime of partying. At least one onlooker had dressed in a bridal gown. Another came disguised as Spain's monarch, King Juan Carlos, who was reportedly petitioned by the duchess's children to see if he could dissuade their mother from remarrying.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px;">"Let's face it, the scandal is not that he is younger, but that she is so old," said Margarita Ruibal. "It's not every day you hear of someone of that age getting married."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px;">An unemployed man who called himself Buti came dressed as a yoghurt carton to protest at the €40 a day paid to farmworkers. "Here they are, living it up in their palaces while 300 families a day lose their homes in Spain," he said.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px;">The duchess's attempts to stop her six children from squabbling with her husband-to-be over money – by making her will public before the marriage – failed to appease them all, prompting the duchess to call one daughter-in-law "lying, wicked and covetous" on a television gossip show.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px;">The daughter-in-law and her husband were among the few guests who turned down the wedding invitation. "Alfonso doesn't want anything. All he wants is me," the duchess said earlier this year.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px;">Newsstands, meanwhile, displayed the front cover of Interviú magazine – which showed topless pictures of the duchess taken three decades ago on an Ibiza beach. The publicity-loving aristocrat was said to be formally furious, but privately delighted, by the flattering figure she boasted when she was a mere fifty-something. The magazine said it had held on to the pictures for 30 years so as not to upset the duchess, but thought them now worth publishing.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px;">Local shops were selling duchess-themed "I love DQS" T-shirts featuring her trademark frizz of white hair. The regional CanalSur TV station beamed live coverage into the city's bars, where unemployed men sold postcards of the Virgin Mary statues that populate Seville's churches.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px;">The duchess, whose full name is María del Rosario Cayetana Victoria Alfonsa Fitz-James Stuart y de Silva, boasts 49 inherited aristocratic titles – at least 20 of which allow entry into the select club of Spanish Grandees. She also claims the title of Duchess of Berwick and boasts blood ties to the British royal family and Winston Churchill.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding: 0px;">Twice widowed, her last husband Jesús Aguirre, who had previously been a leftwing Catholic priest, died in 2001</p></div></span></p>

The Duchess of Alba with her new husband Alfonso Díez outside Dueñas Palace in Seville.

 Photograph: Javier Diaz/Reuters She is a frizzy-haired 85-year-old eccentric and hugely wealthy aristocrat with a squeaky voice and an impo...

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