A video attributed to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, seen posted on the Internet, included a threat to Morocco three days before a deadly bombing in Marrakesh.

Al Qaeda linked to Marrakesh bombing The video which was put on video-sharing site YouTube on Monday shows five armed youths, one of them masked and announcing that they would defend prisoners detained in Morocco."I am speaking to the Muslim world in general and Morocco in particular which is waging a war without mercy against Muslims," said the young man, going by the name of Abou Abderrahmane Al-Maghribi, and a Moroccan member of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Magh...

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Posted in: Al Qaeda linked to Marrakesh bombing

Newly solo Georgia leads gang of model pals on girly trip to Marbella

NEWLY single Georgia Salpa is jetting off on a sun holiday along with her fellow models as they celebrate their new solo status.The Herald can reveal that Georgia Salpa (26), Nadia Forde (21) and Vogue Williams (24) will be joining pals Daniella Moyles (22), Michele McGrath (25), Leah O'Reilly (25) and Emily MacKeogh (24) for a sun-soaked getaway in Marbella.And their impromptu trip was booked at the exact same time as their various different splits hit the headlines in recent days.SHATTEREDAlthough a source revealed that it wasn't originally intended to be a trip to mend their respective broken hearts, it is now being deemed the perfect outlet for their shattered love lives, and give them the chance to let their hair down."Everyone has been so busy that it's actually taken a while to organise...

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Posted in: Newly solo Georgia leads gang of model pals on girly trip to Marbella

Foreign Office said it was urgently checking reports that a Briton was among those killed

Foreign Office said it was urgently checking reports that a Briton was among those killed – the majority were reported to have been French and Moroccan.William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, said he was "shocked and saddened" by the attack.“British officials are in contact with the Moroccan authorities to establish the facts and to provide consular support to any British nationals who may have been caught up in the blast."The explosion went off just before midday and tore the facade off the two-storey Argana café in Jema el Fna square, a UNESCO World Heritage site at the heart of Marrakesh's old town.Witnesses at the scene described seeing a man enter the café and order an orange juice before "blowing himself up". Another said the bomber entered the café, dropped a suitcase and walked straight...

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Posted in: Foreign Office said it was urgently checking reports that a Briton was among those killed

British national among 14 dead in Morocco suicide attack

Evidence collected from the scene of an explosion on Thursday in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh confirms it was a bomb attack, the interior ministry said. "Analysis of the early evidence collected at the site of the blast that occurred on Thursday at a cafe in Marrakesh confirms the theory of an attack," the ministry said in a statement carried by the official MAP news agency. The blast in the iconic Jamaa el-Fna square is Morocco's deadliest bombing in eight years. Earlier reports suggested that the blast may have been caused by a gas canister catching fire. Witnesses reported rescue services pulling casualties from the cafe. "There was a huge bang, and lots of smoke went up, there was debris raining down from the sky. Hundreds of people were...

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Posted in: British national among 14 dead in Morocco suicide attack

One of the biggest celebrations will take place in the Costa Del Sol in southern Spain where officially lives about 120,000 Brits. Unofficial sources estimate the number of British expats in Costa Del Sol around 500,000,

All major television stations in the world will broadcast the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, which will be held on Friday 29 April. The ceremony will be also transmitted on the Internet channel (The Royal Channel), YouTube. The British Government estimates that the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton will watched by about 2 billion people worldwide, one-third of global population.  The Brits all over the world are planning parties and functions galore to celebrate the biggest Royal wedding since Prince Charles wed the late Lady Diana back in 1981. One of the biggest celebrations will take place in the Costa Del Sol in southern Spain where officially lives about 120,000 Brits. Unofficial sources estimate the...

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Posted in: Celebrations of the Royal Wedding in Costa Del Sol Spain

American WWII spy's jewels to go under the hammer at Sotheby's auction

Sotheby's says it will auction jewels belonging to a former American World War II spy who married into Spanish aristocracy and rubbed shoulders with world leaders and Hollywood celebrities. The auction house says the collection of necklaces, brooches and earrings featuring emeralds, diamonds and rubies belong to New York-born Marie Aline Griffith. Griffith worked for the CIA's predecessor OSS in Madrid during World War II before marrying a Spanish nobleman to become Countess Alina de Romanones. Sotheby's says the jewels go under the hammer in Geneva on May 17 along with others once belonging to the Duchess of Windsor Wallis Simpson, a $10 million-emerald tiara and an 11-carat pink diamond valued at up to $16 milli...

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Posted in: American WWII spy's jewels to go under the hammer at Sotheby's auction

Lady Gaga’s Twitter account hacked

The Born This Way singer took action after a number of mysterious Spanish tweets made their way onto her feed. She posted: 'Whoever is hacking my Twitter must answer to 10 million monsters and Twitter police. #Don'tMakeMeCallTheApostles' The messages appeared early this morning including links to Spanish YouTube-related sites, a mention of fellow pop diva Shakira, and a hashtag leading to a Spanish horoscope account. Gaga's last post before her account was hacked was about her next video message: 'Gagavision no.44 coming 2morrow night, commemorating the last American MonsterBall. Hurts to write this. The stage is my home. #BornThisWay.' The singer quickly deleted the tweets ten minutes later and reassured fans that it was back to business....

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lavish "James Bond" lifestyle of a drug smuggling gang,Eastgate had a very large house in Estepona (on Spain's Costa del Sol).

The lavish "James Bond" lifestyle of a drug smuggling gang first began to unravel in 2009 when police stopped and searched an uninsured BMW at Cullompton Services on the M5 in Devon. Inside the vehicle, driven by Christopher Leader, officers found 5kg (11lb) of cocaine, worth about £250,000. The drugs were wrapped up in a parcel made to look "like a present". The discovery was the start of Operation Stagshaw - in which detectives from Devon and Cornwall Police began work to track down the gang. Detectives found pictures of the gang's ringleader Timothy Eastgate, 31 and his deputy Paul Flisher, 38, "living a lavish lifestyle". "They drove around in Ferraris, Lamborghinis, they had a private box at the O2 Arena in London," said senior investigating...

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Posted in: Eastgate and Flisher even had mobile phones whose digits ended in 007

Actor Antonio Banderas, came to Marbella

Actor Antonio Banderas,  came to Marbella to present the new opening of the Coral Beach hotel which had  just purchased the hotel chain.  Malaga had time to praise the company's international character and family background: "For me it is a pleasure to open this hotel on my land. In a city like Marbella, which has gone through a difficult period Antonio did not stay to mingle with guests after the official presentation. Gone are the nineties, when a Nobel Prize for Literature was responsible for first opening the doors of this hotel. Camilo José Cela was elected the Coral Beach sponsor at the time , and memory still retains the sound of major festivals and events first television programs live from Marbella, from this...

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Anti-Corruption Prosecutor Francisco Jiménez Villarejo has made its final report of the trial of the case 'Minutes', on alleged irregularities in the commissions of the City of Marbella

Anti-Corruption Prosecutor Francisco Jiménez Villarejo has made its final report of the trial of the case 'Minutes', on alleged irregularities in the commissions of the City of Marbella (Málaga) the lawyer José María del Nido for the inspection process of the Court of Auditors and noted that counsel was "embedded in the core of government decision" in the town and settled in the Financial Club, where the former mayor Jesús Gil managed.Enlarge photoThus, he explained that he had legal advice and that Del Nido was "front", but added that it is undisputed that it was "not a mere counsel more, not a lawyer with an office open to the public in Seville attending Marbella City Council issues, no connection. " "It was the chief, the chief legal...

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Posted in: Anti-Corruption Prosecutor Francisco Jiménez Villarejo has made its final report of the trial of the case 'Minutes',on alleged irregularities in the commissions of the City of Marbella

Irish celebrity DJ Maurice Boland is returning to the airwaves for the first time following his inappropriate relationship with a 16-year-old teenager in Marbella.

DJ Maurice Boland: 'If people want to take a pot shot at me, I've an open line -- they can ask whatever they want...' Niamh Horan, talks to celebrity DJ Maurice Boland, back on the air after a scandal over his relationship with a teen Known as 'Mr Marbella', the former Irish nightclub boss, who has been married for 40 years, has been absent from public life for the past nine months since his close relationship with the teenager came to light. But speaking this weekend, Mr Boland said he is looking forward to re-launching himself on the airwaves and will not shy away from his outspoken views on "issues that need to be addressed". "Somebody asked me the other day, will I be more humble after everything that's happened, quieter, less controversial....

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