Gibraltar Port 'training exercise' included paint-ball shooting in Spain

The Opposition say they now understand that the Government decided a few weeks ago to close down the administration offices of the port of Gibraltar, on a busy day, in order to allow the management and some staff to go paint-ball shooting in Spain. Quite apart from potential safety considerations, this caused considerable inconvenience to port users and local businesses who have dealings with the port on a regular basis.

Shadow Minister with responsibility for the Port Dr Joseph Garcia asked Minister Joe Holliday at the recent meeting of Parliament to say what the reason was for the closure of the Port Authority administration office in the afternoon of Friday 13th May and what notice was given to port operators of the closure. The Minister replied that the office closed “earlier than normal” on that day so that the staff could attend a “team building” exercise.

When Dr Garcia probed this further, the Minister could not say what the nature of the exercise was or whether it had taken place in Gibraltar. He said that operators had been given notice “by word of mouth” and that there was personnel available to attend to any urgent business.

NOTICE ON DOOR

However, the Opposition has been informed that on Friday 13th May the Gibraltar Port Authority administration offices closed at 1pm, according to a notice stuck on the door. Persons who went to transact business with the port were informed that the offices were closed “for training purposes”. The Opposition understands that some “training” had actually ended in the early afternoon and that the rest consisted of a paint-ball shooting excursion in Spain which the Minister referred to as “team-building”.

A list had previously been published in the port in which those persons interested in going paint-ball shooting on that day were asked to put down their names.

This was a very busy day for the port to have had a reduced staff complement. There were three cruise ships calling at Gibraltar on that day. The Grandeur of the Seas, the Star Princess and the Saga Ruby were all scheduled to make planned calls at Gibraltar. The first did not depart until 6pm, the second until 4pm and the third until 7.50pm. In addition to this, there were other maritime movements which took place for other purposes in the port and territorial waters of Gibraltar.

SAFETY AND SECURITY CONCERNS

It is obvious that if the Government wanted to pick a day for management and staff bonding at the port department they clearly picked the wrong day. Those left behind to man the port included the duty Port Officer, an operative and the marine crew while everyone else went to the paint-ball shooting. This situation has given rise to serious safety and security concerns given that the port was undermanned for a period of time that Friday afternoon when there were three cruise liners present. The administration offices normally close at 5.30pm. On this particular day they closed at 1pm.

Commenting on the matter, Shadow Minister with responsibility for the Port Dr Joseph Garcia said:

“It is not known whether Government policy now extends to organising social functions of this kind on working days during working hours. However, the Government must understand that this kind of thing gives a very poor impression to the maritime and business community. It is also frightening to think what could have happened in the event of an accident such as the fire that took place a couple of weeks later. The Government must review its policy in this regard as a matter of urgency.”

 

Spanish protesters launch anti-austerity marches

Spain's "indignant" activists launched Monday protest marches culminating in a major Madrid rally July 24, showing no let-up just a day after rallying an estimated 200,000 protesters.
Seething over the destruction of millions of jobs, welfare cuts and corruption, the first of at least three nationwide marches set off from eastern Spain's Mediterranean city of Valencia.
Activists from Valencia will march and cycle on a 35-day, 500-kilometre (300-mile) route winding through 29 cities and villages in eastern Spain before arriving in Madrid.
On the route they will hold meetings "to bring the indignation to the interior of the Peninsula just as the movement is growing at the international level", said a statement by the group, Acampada Valencia.
Other "indignant" marches were scheduled to leave Cadiz in Spain's south on June 23 and Barcelona in the northeast on June 25, all converging in the capital on the eve of the rally, organisers said.
On Sunday, about 200,000 protesters packed the streets of Madrid, Barcelona and other major cities to vent their anger, according to estimates by the Spanish media and some regional authorities.
In Madrid, an estimated 40,000 people converged from six points around the city to the central square of Plaza de Neptuno, near the Spanish parliament.
In Barcelona, another 50,000-75,000 demonstrators rallied, according to police and the city hall. Tens of thousands of others activists gathered in other regional capitals.
Activists pointed their fury at the weekend against the "Euro Pact" agreed in March by countries using the euro country.
Drawn up under pressure from France and Germany, the pact foresaw greater budgetary discipline and economic policy convergence to ensure that countries stabilise their finances and reduce debt.
The protesters, who have won broad support in Spain, also targeted corruption-tainted politicians, poverty, their lack of voice in Spain's democracy, and a 21.29-percent unemployment rate.
The protest movement started in Madrid on May 15 and fanned out nationwide as word spread by Twitter and Facebook, bringing tens of thousands of people into city squares around Spain ahead of May 22 local elections.
The protesters had set up a camp in Madrid's Puerta del Sol square, which was dismantled on June 12 although the group said that did not signal the end of their movement.
The "indignants" have inspired similar offshoot movements in other European countries, notably Greece, where the government is also trying to implement a strict austerity programme to avoid defaulting on its loans.
The Spanish central bank said last week the recovery in Spain's beleaguered economy would likely remain slow, and that unemployment could remain high for the foreseable future.

 

18-year-old Swedish woman who survived a knife attack in which her friend was killed in Malaga

18-year-old Swedish woman who survived a knife attack in which her friend was killed in Malaga, Spain Friday night is lucky to be alive, doctors have said.

The injured Swede, who had been stabbed at her hotel in Figuerola del Camp and taken to a nearby hospital, was treated for cuts on her hands and neck.

She was released from the hospital Saturday and taken to the local police station, according to Spanish authorities.

“The doctor told her that she had been very lucky because she had an injury to her neck that could have been fatal,” a source close to the investigation told local newspaper El Pais.

Her friend was murdered during the attack.

Police arrested a 30-year-old North African man with a resident permit in Spain, confirmed a spokesperson for the Spanish authorities to the TT news agency.

The murder took place between 3:30 and 3:50am at the hotel El Cid, when the suspected killer, also a guest at the hotel, broke into the girls’ room with the intent to rape them, reported the TT.

A fight then broke out.

A series of screams alarmed both the receptionist and a Spanish police officer, who was also vacationing at the hotel.

Both fled to the fifth floor to intervene.

Investigators believe the suspect attempted to rape them, and failing his mission, attacked with a kitchen knife.

The young women, both 18-years-old, were on vacation, celebrating their recent graduation.

They had arrived in the resort area of Malaga three days ago and were staying at the hotel El Cid, located in the heart of town, reported El Pais.

According to the owner of the hotel, the primary suspect arrived at the hotel earlier Friday and met the girls at a discothèque that night. The girls returned to their room at 2:30am, he added.

The surviving victim and the assailant were both treated for cuts sustained during the attack.

The Swedish Foreign Ministry confirmed the information about the deceased.

UD spokesperson, Cecilia Julin, said the victims are both from central Sweden, but not the same cities.

Relatives of the two young women have been informed of the incident.

Investigators are now working to clarify the manner in which the suspect, who remains in custody, entered the womens’ room. Authorities have no information if the man has been previously convicted of violent crimes.

Local police now have 72 hours to formally charge the main suspect.

Kerry Katona 'dropped due to parties in Spain

Kerry Katona was reportedly dropped by her management company because of recent wild parties in Marbella, according to News of the World.

Katona was dropped from CAN Associates last week after allegedly missing a regular doping test requested by her agent Claire Powell.

A friend of the reality TV star said: "It's as if there's a monster inside her which leads her towards self-destruction. And that monster seems to be back."

The newspaper has printed photos of Katona dancing on tables with Mel B's sister Danielle Brown in Marbella earlier this month.

The management split may lose Katona her OK! magazine column and £1 million in other deals. Since Katona breached her contract, CAN are also reportedly demanding that the reality TV star gives back the rent payments and school fees they paid on her behalf.

The friend added: "It is so tragic. She'd just turned her life around. She got off drugs and she was getting closer to clearing her bankruptcy. She now owes Claire thousands and thousands of pounds but has nobody lining up any work.

"And all she wants to do is go out and get trashed."

Speaking about the nights out in Spain, an insider revealed: "She was clearly out of control. She was trying to grope everyone and even went to the toilet with the door wide open."

"It wasn't comfortable to watch her in that sort of state. At one point Kerry ended up vomiting. She did the same thing on a night out back in London this week.

"For a long time Claire had been drug testing Kerry on a fortnightly basis to ensure she was off drugs. But they both gave up because all Kerry wanted to do was go out and party."

Katona denied rumours that she had been dropped because she had returned to using drugs, adding that she left on her own accord.

 

Marbella's seedy underbelly.

sun-kissed party paradise for the filthy-rich and famous.

But beneath all the glitz and glamour of Marbella there still lies a seedy underbelly.

If you thought the Costa del Crime was washed up, think again. Welcome to Marbella Vice.

The Spanish resort is a millionaires’ playground for celebs including Jordan, Kerry Katona and the TOWIES.

Thousands of pleasure-seeking Brit tourists also jet in on cheap flights.

We hit the streets of Marbella and found them riddled with crime.

It’s a town where drugs are easy to find and conmen rip off tourists.

Mafia mobs are pumping dirty cash into the clubs and strip bars they rule with an iron fist.

Hookers and pimps are fleecing boozed-up Brits and Marbella remains a bolthole for UK villains on the run.

Our man bought a gram of cocaine in a plush waterfront bar in mega-rich Puerto Banus, on the outskirts of Marbella, in a daylight deal.

Taking e60 (£53) for the powder the dealer, Craig from Newcastle, said: “It’s about 60% pure and is knock-out gear.
“Some Venezuelans have brought a load over for the season.”

He added: “If you’re out later I’ll have some MDMA, the Spaniards love it.”

There’s another drugs craze sweeping the resort – steroids.

Muscle-bound posers are snapping up human growth hormones and gangs are cashing in on the demand by smuggling them to and from the UK.

Seven men living in Marbella were “leading members” of a crew of 26 arrested last month with 10,000 phials.

Just a stone’s throw from the harbour and its designer shops and billionaires’ yachts is a road the Spaniards call Calle del Infierno – Hell Street.

It is here Brits are fleeced by the vice girls. Russian, Hungarian, Ghanaian, Brazilian and Romanian sex workers line the street.

Anita, from Budapest, said: “For e150, I show you good sex time.

“You are English? I love the English, they are favourite customers.”

They also love money. In Sinatra’s bar on the seedy strip, Tony, from Southampton, told how a Russian street prostitute he slept with swiped e200 (£176) from his back pocket.

He said: “Apparently it’s happening a lot because there’s so many tourists.”

A Spanish policeman later told us: “The prostitutes will steal your money, stay away.”

Violent pimps are always close at hand. We saw one English lad try to leave a hooker and just escape being pummelled by two heavies.

Marbella is in the grip of organised crime. Brit gangs with members from Liverpool, Manchester, London and Newcastle are here.

So is an Irish heavy mob. But Eastern Europeans hold the biggest sway.

One underworld source said: “The Russians and Albanians are the ones to watch. They run most of the hookers and most of the clubs. Extortion is a big money maker but also drugs.

“The big hitters jumped ship for a while because Marbella died a bit of a death. But now it’s booming again.

“So a lot of the villains are back to make their millions.” Many of the Brit crooks are into protection rackets and extortion scams.

A Serious Organised Crime Agency source said: “One of the main rackets for Brits now is boiler room fraud.

“Criminals are pressing vulnerable businessmen into ploughing savings into shares that don’t exist. It’s costing people tens of thousands of pounds.”

Marbella is still a bolthole for ex-pat criminals. Last month suspected drug baron James Dempsey, 33, from Essex,was arrested over an alleged conspiracy to flood the UK with cocaine.

Other suspects on the run here include Kevin Thomas Parle, wanted over a fatal 2004 shooting in Liverpool.

Banger gets all the way to Spain

CHARITY rally has been hailed a success – despite malfunctioning sat navs and run-ins with Continental cops.

Teams of amateur rally drivers set out from Swindon on the Barcelona Bangers rally – 1,400-mile trip to Barcelona in beaten-up bargain basement cars.

And, although they are unlikely to raise all the money they wanted to combat muscular dystrophy, team leader Aaron Phull, a 26-year-old software worker, said it was a success.

The group travelled by ferry to Calais, through Paris, Le Mans, Tours, south across the Pyrenees and into northern Spain.

“We got a bit lost as we came out of Paris,” said Aaron, of Somerdale Close, Westlea.

“We had a sat nav, and while it was perfectly good in the UK, it wasn’t so good in France. It took us to a different Tours.

“I think we were a bit over reliant on technology.

“We got pulled over by police for speeding. They were really, really polite, really nice, they knew we were obviously lost.”

And the decorative missiles he put on the roof of the car didn’t help.

“We went into Calais on Thursday, and we thought we’d get into trouble. One of the guys stopped us but all he wanted was for his colleague to take a photo.”

On arrival in Barcelona, Aaron and the team gave the car away to a Spanish waiter.

“He seemed to like it,” he said. “But he did take the keys before he saw the car. It was in good state. The engine didn’t really skip a beat. We all got so attached to it we didn’t want to give it away.”

They had been aiming to raise £5,000, but Aaron said they had lowered their sights to a more modest £3,000.

He said: “We’re still counting the money. I think we’re up to about £1,100, and the target we aimed for was £5,000. We’re just going to keep on going.

“It doesn’t really matter whether its five grand or one grand. I’m really pleased we got the money we did.”

About 60 teams took part in the rally. Aaron was leading a team in a 14-year-old Volvo V40, which cost just under £500, and of which he was the sixth owner. His friend Carl Jackson travelled in a £215 bright pink Saab 9000.

The three-day rally was an attempt to raise thousands of pounds for research into muscular dystrophy, which affects Carl’s 28-year-old brother Ben.

They set off on May 19, and arrived back in England the following Wednesday.