big bunny, named Minocarn King of the Rabbits or Nuralagus rex, likely weighed in at more than 25 pounds – about six times the size of modern European rabbits now inhabiting the area.

Researchers working off the coast of Spain have made a super-sized discovery, and just in time for Easter, too.Scientists studying the island of Minorca have uncovered approximately five-million-year-old fossils from a giant rabbit, according to the Society of Vertebrae Paleontology .This big bunny, named Minocarn King of the Rabbits or Nuralagus rex, likely weighed in at more than 25 pounds – about six times the size of modern European rabbits now inhabiting the area.Lead researcher Dr. Josep Quintana said the huge hare is a little different than other members of the rabbit family. Quintana told the Society of Vertebrae Paleontology that the Nuralagus rex had lost its ability to hop and compared the way the rabbit might move to "a beaver out of water." The rabbit also had smaller ears and...

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66-year-old man has been arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into the collapse of Crown Currency.

66-year-old man has been arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into the collapse of Crown Currency.Officers from the Devon & Cornwall Police Economic Crime Department made the arrest this morning at an address in Cornwall and the man is currently being detained at Camborne Police Station.The force has also executed a search warrant at a property in Bergerac, France with the assistance of local authorities, although no arrests have been made there.Cornwall-based Crown Currency, which allowed individuals and business customers to pre-order foreign exchange at a set price up to a year in advance, collapsed in October, owing customers more than £16m.Six people in Cornwall and Hertfordshire were arrested in February in connection with the company's collapse and released on bail until...

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Every day I see stray dogs. A good day is when I only see one

Stretching along the blue flag beaches, restaurants and bars of the Murcia region's Costa Blanca, past the Costa del Sol resorts to the Costa de la Luz and Malaga, capital of the Costa de Golf, there's something to cater for everyone, whether it's a family holiday, golf or sightseeing inland in Granada, Cordoba or Seville, capital of Andalucia.But there's a dark side to Andalucia and Murcia, which you won't find mentioned in the tourist guides or websites. If you've been to these places before, you'll have noticed the starving dogs lurking fearfully around restaurants, hoping to be thrown a bread crust; you'll have dodged the dog dirt on pavements or driven past dogs lying injured and ignored by the side of the road.It's especially bad at this time of year, now the Spanish hunting season has...

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amendment to the Social Economy Law, which was passed by the Senate last week against oil prospecting in the Mediterranean, was voted down by Congress on Wednesday,

An amendment to the Social Economy Law, which was passed by the Senate last week against oil prospecting in the Mediterranean, was voted down by Congress on Wednesday, meaning that the authorisations granted by central government in December remain in place.The permissions affect an area of the sea between Valencia and the Baleares, and, in Andalucía, the coasts of Málaga and Cádiz.The no vote from the Socialist Party against including the amendment in the law was supported by CiU and PNV.The amendment approved by the upper chamber was presented by a Baleares Senator who argued that going ahead with the prospecting would damage the environment and harm the tourist industry.It was passed in the Senate with the support of the Partido Popular, who also voted to keep the amendment in place in...

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Prosecutors’ Office has started action against the owner of a chiringuito beach bar in Málaga

The Prosecutors’ Office has started action against the owner of a chiringuito beach bar in Málaga in what is the first case of its type.The prosecutor is demanding a year and a half prison and a fine of 10,800 € for the owner of the Smile chiriguito in Rincón de la Victoria, for alleged crimes against territorial ordination. He claims that the owner, J.C.S.A. ‘with the intention of running a restaurant by day and a bar for drinking at night’ is occupying 249 square metres of the beach when he only has permission for 20.Inspectors from the coastal authority noted that the owner had erected a 196 square metre wooden platform, with pergola and windbreaks in June 20...

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Morocco attracts more and more Spanish enterprises involved mainly in the building and car industries

Morocco attracts more and more Spanish enterprises involved mainly in the building and car industries, Spanish daily "Foro de Vigo" said on Tuesday.Despite the slowdown that hit the world's economies, leading Spanish companies take interest in the large-scale development projects launched in Morocco, the paper said on its website.The daily, which has underscored the importance of incentives granted by the Kingdom to investors, added that Morocco is the only Maghreb country which engaged in a comprehensive strategy to develop its economy and boost its competitiveness.Foro de Vigo recalled major projects carried out by the Kingdom, notably Tanger-Med port, noting that Morocco has become a platform for investments thanks to the different commercial and economic agreements with the US and many...

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constitutional reforms announced by HM King Mohammed VI

The constitutional reforms announced by HM King Mohammed VI, in his speech to the nation on March 9, are a "further step in the right direction toward democracy and a better life for all Moroccans," wrote Wednesday the US daily "The Huffington Post".    The constitutional reforms of HM King Mohammed VI, who already began a reform process more than ten years ago, are "a further step in the right direction toward democracy and a better life for all Moroccans," said the article's writer Kathryn Porter Cameron, president of Leadership Council for Human Rights, one of the main human rights NGO in the United States.    She recalled that the Sovereign had already brought about "positive change", "including a new Family Law that protects women and children along with...

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international crime gang that used a network of Spanish boiler rooms to target UK investors

Between 2004 and 2008 Richard Pope, from Hertfordshire, was one of the leaders of an international crime gang that used a network of Spanish boiler rooms to target UK investors, many of which were elderly and vulnerable.Detective Superintendent Bob Wishart, from City of London Police, said: "This is one of the worst crimes I have ever had to investigate and Richard Pope is on a par with some of the most unpleasant villains out there.”Pope, 53, has now pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in a Federal Court in Florida. He could now face up to 20-years in prison.City of London Police said they worked with their US counterparts to uncover how the conspirators stole the identities of dormant companies and used high-pressure sales tactics to sell millions of pounds of worthless...

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Jet2.com launches new summer Sunshine service from Belfast to Alicante

The Leading leisure airline with friendly low fares, Jet2.com, has just announced an exciting new route to Alicante, direct from Belfast International Airport. Alicante airport is in close proximity to the great holiday hot-spots of Benidorm, Torrevieja, Calpe and Denia.Families looking for great value package breaks during the peak school holiday period can book with sister company Jet2holidays and choose from a wide range of hotels and apartments on the famous ‘White Coast’. Jet2holidays combine Jet2.com flights, transfers, two to five star hotels, ATOL protection and 22kg baggage allowance – from just £369 per person for seven nights.The new Jet2.com flights and Jet2holidays breaks will depart every Monday for the peak summer period of 27 June to 29 August. Alicante will be the airline’s...

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15 Spanish billionaires on the latest Forbes rich list

15 Spanish billionaires on the latest Forbes rich list, led by Amancio Ortega, the owner of the Inditex/Zara textile empire. He has 9.1 billion € more now that at the worst part of the recession; in 2009 he had 18.3 billion dollars, and now it is put at 31 billion dollars. He occupies 7th place for the third consecutive year.Spain’s 15 on the list is two more than last year, despite the collapse of the real estate market here over recent years. President of Forbes editorial group, Steve Forbes, said that he hoped the Spanish Government would act to encourage businessmen, suggesting they place a flat tax, as seen in other European countries.Second placed Spaniard, also from the textile industry is Isak Andic, the founder of Mango who is 159th on the list with 6.1 billion dollars, and the ex...

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'Fantastic Value' Offered By Spanish Repossessed Property

'Fantastic Value' Offered By Spanish Repossessed Property: "Demand for property in Spain may be set to increase following comments from one leading property portal regarding the surplus of repossessed residential homes now on the market. Similar to a number of other Spanish property companies, Property-Spanish.com has seen an increase in the number of enquiries for real estate in Murcia - near the proposed new Paramount Film Studio Theme Park. Indeed, the firm explained that demand in 2011 is already up over 150 per cent on last year. 'With the banks keen to clear their property portfolios, the prices on bank repossession property in Spain offer fantastic value,' Mike Price, sales director, said. Reports suggest that there are more than a million unsold properties in Spain currently" :Text...

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Spanish TV actor José Conde has been found dead

Spanish TV actor José Conde has been found dead: "The well-known Spanish TV actor, José Conde, who had been missing for more than a month, has been found dead in an abandoned building in Madrid, it was revealed on Wednesday. National Police in Madrid have confirmed that his body was found last Friday in a building on a street in the Ciudad Lineal district of Madrid, near his home. It’s understood that there were no signs of violence and that his body was found by a group of young girls who were out drinking in the streets last Friday evening." :Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright hold...

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