British and German tourists, have been evacuated from homes and hotels because of the worst forest fire ever recorded on the Mediterranean resort island.

Spanish official in Ibiza says some 800 people, including British and German tourists, have been evacuated from homes and hotels because of the worst forest fire ever recorded on the Mediterranean resort island.Regional government emergency situations spokeswoman Asuncion Saiz says the fire that started Wednesday has now burned about 2,000 hectares (5,000 acres) of pine forest in the north of the island.No one has been hurt. Some 300 local people were evacuated from their homes, and tour operators moved about 500 tourists from their hotels to other lodgings, although Saiz insisted that at no time were they were in danger from the fire.Saiz said from Ibiza that 500 firefighters and 15 water-dumping planes are battling the bla...

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Five hundred scheduled flights were expected to be canceled Tuesday due to clouds of volcanic ash drifting toward the Continent

, Europe's air-traffic management agency said, amid fears that the disruption could spread.Weather forecasters at the Volcanic Ash Advisory Center in London on Tuesday repeated warnings that there was a risk that some ash clouds may reach parts of northern Europe in the next 48 hours. Iceland and Scotland already are affected.Dublin, Ireland-based Ryanair Holdings PLC (RYA.DB), a stern critic of the handling of last year's ash cloud crisis, challenged the restrictions, calling on air-traffic controllers to reopen airspace over Scotland after it operated a one-hour verification flight up to 41,000 feet in Scottish airspace."There was no visible volcanic ash cloud or any other presence of volcanic ash and the post-flight inspection revealed no evidence of volcanic ash on the airframe, wings...

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Ash from an erupting Icelandic volcano could reach northern Scotland by Tuesday and parts of Britain, France and Spain by Thursday or Friday

Ash from an erupting Icelandic volcano could reach northern Scotland by Tuesday and parts of Britain, France and Spain by Thursday or Friday if the eruption continues at the same rate, airlines were warned on Sunday. The warning is based on latest 5-day weather forecasts, but must be treated with c aution because of the forecast period and the presence of different air currents from those prevailing at the time of last year's ash crisis, weather officials said.European authorities said on Sunday no disruption was expected to European or transatlantic airspace over the next 24 hours from the eruption of Iceland's most active volcano on Saturd...

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The counterfeit golf club operation was the biggest of its kind ever to be investigated

The counterfeit golf club operation was the biggest of its kind ever to be investigated by a council Trading Standards team and the largest counterfeit group uncovered on eBay. Four members of a seven-strong gang in Rainham were ordered to pay back the cash following a hearing under the Proceeds Of Crime Act at Snaresbrook Crown Court last week. The confiscation orders totalled £513,000 - of which Havering Council will receive a large amount. The four were also told to pay the Council a total of £130,000 in prosecution costs. The conclusion of the hearing on Friday came the day after Havering Council’s Trading Standards team were named as the best department in the country at the Anti-Counterfeiting Group’s annual awards. The scammers sold millions of pounds worth of counterfeit golf clubs...

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Dean Rice who fled to Spain more than three years ago to avoid serving an indeterminate jail term has finally been put behind bars

businessman who fled to Spain more than three years ago to avoid serving an indeterminate jail term has finally been put behind bars.Dean Rice was arrested on the Costa del Sol in February and then did "everything in his power" to avoid returning to the UK, Maidstone Crown Court heard.The 49-year-old has now started serving the sentence which will keep him in prison for a minimum of five years or until the parole board considers it is safe to release him.Rice, who ran Erith Storage, was also jailed for nine months for jumping bail, ordered to be served at the end of the minimum term.He was on trial in October 2007 with others, including his wife, over the brutal kidnap of a former employee. He fled the country while the jury was out considering verdicts.Rice ordered the kidnap of former employee...

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Britons planning to own or invest in a property in Spain will be interested to hear that BA CityFLyer,

Britons planning to own or invest in a property in Spain will be interested to hear that BA CityFLyer, a British Airways subsidiary, is opening a new flight route between London City Airport and Malaga in the Costa del Sol.The airline decided to run a new route from London to the Spanish property hotspot after an increase in demand from travellers at the airport.BA CityFLyer has also announced an increase in the frequency of its flights to Palma on the island of Mallorca.Ignacio Osle, sales and marketing director at Taylor Wimpey de Espana, said: "This is another positive step for Spain welcoming increased passenger numbers from London and the south-east of Englan...

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H10 Andalucia Plaza in Puerto Banus who are set to soon become an adult resort.

Costa del Sol is set to become the home of several adult only hotels as owners look for new initiatives to drive additional business.Hotels catering for adults only have become a hit with many holidaymakers that are looking for accommodation that are aimed exclusively at adults and offer less family based activities. Following this success it appears that more hotels will look to move into this market which is already proving to be a popular seller with European tourists booking through travel agencies.The concept would not ban children completely as Antonio Aranda, manager of the Costa del Sol Hoteliers Association, was keen to clarify stating that the aim was “not to ban children from the hotels, but to organize the hotels as a place with activities to be enjoyed exclusively by adults”.It...

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THE Spanish government has agreed on over 100 amendments to the framework of its policies with regard to granting licenses to operators wishing to offer online gaming to customers in Spain.

THE Spanish government has agreed on over 100 amendments to the framework of its policies with regard to granting licenses to operators wishing to offer online gaming to customers in Spain. The legal establishment of a tax regime and a licensing system for operators in the Spanish jurisdiction will also include measures to ensure problems associated with online gambling such as underage usage and addiction are addressed.The amendments provide the gambling sector with regulatory bodies such as a Council for Gaming Policy and a National Gaming Commission representing every region in Spain.The licensing system now proposed by the amended and approved bill, will require all online gambling companies wanting to offer their services in Spain to apply and receive a license that remains valid...

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Tunisian police used tear gas on Sunday to break up a fourth day of anti-government protests by scores of youths.

Chanting protesters called for the departure of the government and Prime Minister Beji Caid Sebsi, whistling at black-clad riot police in central Tunis.Police fired teargas to push the protesters into streets off the central Avenue Bourguiba.Tunisia has struggled to restore stability since leader Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was ousted earlier this year in a revolution which inspired uprisings across the Arab world."The police reaction is too extreme against the people. It's true there are criminals among the protesters, but the reaction is still too cruel. It is a return to the days of Ben Ali," said Chaqib, a civil servant who did not want to give his family name.Tension is growing in Tunisia in the countdown to a July election for an assembly that will draw up a new constitution.A moderate Islamist...

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Thousands of protesters marched in Morocco

Thousands of protesters marched in Morocco on Sunday to demand reform in the Arab world's longest-serving dynasty and to oppose militant violence after a deadly bomb attack.The rally in Marrakesh is the latest in a series organised by the February 20 youth movement and presents a challenge to the government of King Mohammed, which is wary that the protests could build into an Egypt-style revolt.The march began at the Bab Doukkala gate and will go past a cafe where 17 people including eight French nationals died in a bomb attack on April 28. Authorities last week arrested three suspects and said the ringleader is loyal to al-Qaeda.The group's north African wing, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, said on Saturday it was not responsible for the bombing that raised tension in Morocco, in part because...

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GUARDIA CIVIL prevented a 24-year-old man from committing suicide in Puerto de la Duquesa, Manilva.

GUARDIA CIVIL prevented a 24-year-old man from committing suicide in Puerto de la Duquesa, Manilva. The man claimed he had cut his mother’s throat and killed her, which was not true, and was standing on the balcony of their home with two kitchen knives in his hands, threatening to kill himself.His mother was located inside the house and told the police that her son had thrown her out of the house where they lived with his younger brother. She also said that he had taken a large amount of pills.The firemen were called to knock down the door to the house, several Guardia Civil officers entered and managed to restrain the young man who was taken to the Costa del Sol Hospit...

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Royal Navy issued two radio warnings to the Spanish patrol boat "Atalaya" to leave after it entered the area on Tuesday morning.

The Gibraltar government condemned as "provocative and unlawful" an incident on Tuesday in which it said a Spanish naval vessel incurred into its territorial waters and then called on commercial ships to leave the area.Tensions in the disputed waters off the tiny British territory were already high since an incident on April 23 involving Spanish and Gibraltar police vessels.A British military spokesman in the rocky promontory off southern Spain said the Royal Navy issued two radio warnings to the Spanish patrol boat "Atalaya" to leave after it entered the area on Tuesday morning.The Royal Navy then dispatched a fast inflatable boat followed by a bigger, armed vessel, HMS Scimitar, the spokesman said. He said the Atalaya left about 90 minutes after it arrived.The Gibraltar government also charged...

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