Gibraltar: UK Mulls Legal Action Against Spain

The diplomatic row between Britain and Spain over extra checks at the border with Gibraltar has intensified after the UK government said it was considering taking legal action.

Downing Street said it was looking at the "unprecedented step" after the Spanish government failed to lift the additional controls over the weekend.

Spain later said it would not abandon the checks, saying they were "legal and proportionate".

The European Commission plans to send a team of investigators to the border next month, who will observe the controls, following complaints from several MEPs and EU citizens about long waits there.

It comes as three Royal Navy warships set sail for the Mediterranean in what defence officials stressed was a long-scheduled deployment.

The vessels included the flagship HMS Bulwark, helicopter carrier HMS Illustrious and frigate HMS Montrose.

As part of the operation, a fourth warship, the frigate HMS Westminster, will dock in the UK overseas territory of Gibraltar for a routine visit for three days this month, while other ships in the task group are expected to go to Spanish ports.

HMS Westminster will visit Gibraltar for three days

A No 10 spokesman said: "Clearly the prime minister is disappointed by the failure of Spain to remove the additional border checks this weekend. We are now considering what legal action is open to us."

The diplomatic spat between the UK and Spain was sparked by the creation of an artificial reef by the Gibraltarian authorities, which the Spanish claim will destroy fishing in the area.

Madrid responded by beefing up border controls, leading to lengthy queues, and suggesting that a 50 euro (£43.30) fee could be imposed on every vehicle entering or leaving the Rock through the fenced border with Spain.

The Royal Gibraltar Police tweeted on Sunday that Guardia Civil checks had caused queues of up to two hours at the border, with Spanish officers checking "every car" going into the Rock.

Reports in the Spanish media suggested that the diplomatic row could escalate to the United Nations, with Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's government receiving support from Argentina.

There have been queues of up to two hours at the border

Spanish foreign minister Jose Garcia-Margallo is expected to propose that the two countries present a "united front" over Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands, the El Pais newspaper reported.

Mr Garcia-Margallo will sound out his Argentinian counterpart, Hector Timerman, during a meeting in Buenos Aires next month as he prepares for a "180-degree turn in policy towards the colony", the newspaper said.

Meanwhile, Spanish defence minister Pedro Morenes has said it is "totally normal" for British warships to dock in Gibraltar in what is a "routine visit", according to reports.

Mr Morenes reportedly told the Europa Press news agency: "Neither the British nor the Spanish government have an interest in there being bad relations."

He also said that aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious had requested and been granted permission to stop off at the southern Spanish naval base of Rota on August 18, proving that there was no military escalation between the two countries.

The MOD's operation in the Mediterranean, Adriatic and Gulf - codenamed Cougar 13 - is due to last around four months and will include a series of exercises as well as escort duties and counter-piracy operations.

Four Royal Navy warships, the lead commando group from 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines and elements of naval air squadrons will be supported by five vessels from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

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Sinkhole Near Disney World Topples Building

A sinkhole has caused a building in a Florida resort near Disney World to partially collapse, with another section of the building also slowly dropping.

About a third of the three-storey structure collapsed at around 3am on Monday, according to Lake County Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Tony Cuellar.

The villa at the Summer Bay Resort in Clermont had already been evacuated and no injuries were reported.

Emergency teams had arrived at the scene about 10 miles west of Disney World late on Sunday night to find the the building was making popping sounds and windows were breaking.

Homes around the damaged building were also evacuated

The sinkhole, which is in the middle of the villa, is said to be about 40 to 50ft (12m to 15m) in diameter. 

The authorities think it may be getting deeper, but it is not clear if it is also growing outward.

The building houses 24 units and about 20 people were staying in it at the time. A nearby villa was also evacuated as a precaution.

Luis Perez, who was staying at a villa near the sinking one, said he was in his room when the lights went off at around 11.30pm. He said he was on his way to the front desk to report the power cut when he saw firefighters and police outside.

"I started walking toward where they were at and you could see the building leaning and you could see a big crack at the base of the building," he said.

Cracks first appeared on Sunday night. Pics: Lake County Fire Rescue

Florida has a well-documented problem with large sinkholes. Last February, a giant pit opened underneath a house in a suburb of Tampa, swallowing up 36-year-old Jeff Bush who was in bed at the time. His body was never recovered.

But such fatalities and injuries are rare, and most sinkholes are small. They can develop quickly or slowly over time.

The state sits on limestone, a porous rock that easily dissolves in water, with a layer of clay on top. The clay is thicker in some locations, making them even more prone to sinkholes.

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Dutch Prince Dies After Avalanche Tragedy

Dutch Prince Johan Friso, who has been in a coma since he was buried in an avalanche last year, has died at the age of 44.

The brother of King Willem-Alexander died in The Hague from complications resulting from the brain damage he suffered after his skiing accident 18 months ago.

The prince had been off-piste in Lech, Austria when the avalanche struck in February 2012.

He was initially treated in a London hospital and was brought back to The Hague last month.

In a statement, the Dutch royal house said Prince Friso had never regained more than "minimal consciousness" after the tragedy.

The government said he died "from complications that arose as a consequence of the brain damage caused by oxygen deprivation following his skiing accident".

He passed away at the Palace Huis ten Bosch, where he was being cared for

More follows...

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Missing Erika Kacicova: Police 'Closing In'

Police searching for a missing 13-year-old have admitted "we still don't have Erika" despite making a second arrest over her disappearance.

In the latest police update on the search, Detective Inspector Helen Tate said she believed that Erika is still alive.

"Although he we made a second arrest, unfortunately we still don't have Erika," she said.

But she added that police were "closing in" as they investigate what has happened to the teenager.

Earlier, South Yorkshire Police said they had arrested a 37-year-old man on suspicion of child abduction.

Erika's disappearance has been described as 'out of character'

The arrest came as the 13-year-old's father told Sky News he has not been eating or sleeping since his daughter went missing.

Detectives have said they "will not stop" until they find Erika.

Police have appealed to the teenager to contact them so they can visit her to make sure she is safe and well.

They have stressed "she is not in trouble", but have called on her to return to her "distraught" family.

Erika was last seen leaving her home in the Darnall area of Sheffield at around 4pm on Monday, August 5.

Police have been conducting house-to-house inquiries there, and have expanded their search to Bradford, where the suspect was arrested.

He is being taken to Sheffield where he will be questioned by officers from South Yorkshire Police.

There have been a number of unconfirmed sightings of the youngster and police say they have some "really positive" lines of enquiry.

But they are still asking the public for any information they have about the missing child.

Her disappearance has been described as "out of character".

Erika is described as being slim and around 4ft 11ins tall. She has long, dark-brown, straight hair and brown eyes.

She was last seen wearing blue jeans, a pink polo-style shirt and a silvery-grey coloured jacket.

A 22-year-old man from Bradford was released on police bail on Sunday after being arrested on suspicion of child abduction.

He approached police on Friday, the day officers made an urgent appeal for information about Erika's whereabouts.

:: Anyone with information about missing Erika is asked to call police on 101.

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Perseids Meteor Shower To Shimmer Over UK

This year's Perseids meteor shower promises up to 60 shooting stars an hour being visible in the skies over the UK.

The spectacle is expected to peak between late Monday evening and early Tuesday morning.

And the prospects for this year's showing are deemed to be particularly good, especially for stargazers in the UK, according to the Royal Astronomical Society.

The natural phenomenon - the result of the cosmic pollution created by the comet Swift-Tuttle which last passed near the Earth in 1992 - is expected to be visible to the unaided eye.

"Comet Swift-Tuttle won't be visiting our neck of the woods again until the year 2125, but every year we get this beautiful reminder as the Earth ploughs through the debris it leaves in its orbit" said Professor Alan Fitzsimmons of Queen's University Belfast.

The Perseids meteor shower in the Republic of Macedonia, August 2011

"Every meteor is a speck of comet dust vaporising as it enters our atmosphere at 36 miles per second. What a glorious way to go."

Meteors, commonly known as shooting stars, are the result of small particles entering the Earth's atmosphere at high speed.

These heat the air around them, causing the characteristic streak of light seen from the ground.

They mostly appear as fleeting flashes lasting less than a second, but the brightest ones leave behind trails of vaporised gases and glowing air molecules that may take a few seconds to fade.

The Perseids meteor shower is active each year from around mid-July to late-August, but for most of that period only a few meteors an hour will be visible.

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Labour Attacks Tesco Over Foreign Staff

Labour has ignited a row with supermarket giant Tesco by planning to attack the chain for employing foreign workers.

Shadow immigration minister Chris Bryant is due to condemn Tesco and other leading companies for being "unscrupulous" and pursuing cheap labour from Eastern Europe.

In a speech on Monday, he is expected to claim Tesco moved its distribution centre to Kent where a "large percentage" of the staff are from the eastern bloc.

The firm has already hit back, denying having a distribution centre in the county and insisting it does not actively seek to recruit abroad.

A spokesman said: "It is wrong to accuse Tesco of this. We work incredibly hard to recruit from the local area and have just recruited 350 local people to work in our Dagenham site."

The company is also understood to be writing to Labour to complain about the "unfair" slight.

Controversial: Frontbencher Chris Bryant

Mr Bryant's speech appears to be the Opposition's latest attempt to wrestle back the initiative on immigration, which is a top concern for British voters.

The party is also battling to get on the front foot after a quiet summer which has seen their poll lead slip and Ed Miliband face internal criticism for failing to set the agenda.

Mr Bryant will admit immigration can have a negative effect on labour markets, according to extracts from the draft speech reported in The Sunday Telegraph.

"The biggest complaint I have heard, from migrants and settled communities alike, is about the negative effects migration can have on the UK labour market. And I agree," he is due to say.

"It is unfair that unscrupulous employers whose only interest seems to be finding labour as cheaply as possible will recruit workers in large numbers in low-wage countries in the EU, bring them to the UK, charge the costs of their travel and their substandard accommodation against their wages and still not even meet the national minimum wage.

"That is unfair. It exploits migrant workers and it makes it impossible for settled workers with mortgages and a family to support at British prices to compete."

He will claim Tesco had recently decided to move its distribution centre in Kent but slashed pay for existing staff, penalising Britons.

"The new centre is larger and employs more people, but the staff at the original site, most of them British, were told that they could only move to the new centre if they took a cut in pay," he will say.

"The result? A large percentage of the staff at the new centre are from [the] Eastern bloc."

As well as highlighting the recruitment of hundreds of local staff, Tesco made clear that the distribution centre is in the east London borough of Barking and Dagenham and was formerly in Essex, not Kent.

Next is also criticised for allegedly seeking out Polish staff

Mr Bryant's address is also set to target high street chain Next, who he accused of printing leaflets in Polish to attract workers from the country.

Extracts from his speech say: "Look at Next Plc, who last year brought 500 Polish workers to work in their South Elmsall warehouse for their summer sale and another 300 this summer.

"They were recruited in Poland and charged £50 to find them accommodation. The advantage to Next? They get to avoid Agency Workers Regulations, which apply after a candidate has been employed for over 12 weeks, so Polish temps end up considerably cheaper than the local workforce, which includes many former Next employees."

The MP's speech will make clear that neither firm has broken the law.

After the extracts emerged, Next admitted using Polish agency workers to help fill slots during the summer sale but vehemently denied it was done to cut costs.

A spokesman said: "We are deeply disappointed Mr Bryant did not bother to check his facts with the company before releasing his speech.

"In fact agency workers from Poland cost us exactly the same as local agency workers, and our existing employees.

"The only reason we seek the help of people from Poland is that we simply can't recruit enough local people to satisfy these spikes in demand for temporary work."

The firm also made clear the nationality of workers had no effect on their rights under Agency Workers Regulations.

"We very much hope that Mr Bryant, being apprised of the facts, will reconsider his claims when he comes to make his speech," it said.

Tesco, which is the third largest retailer in the world, has 3,146 stores in the UK and employs more than 300,000 staff here.

Next has more than 500 shops across the country, employing around 54,000 people.

Tory MP for Harlow Robert Halfon attacked Labour for allowing "uncontrolled immigration" during its time in office, but also joined the row against Tesco.

On Sky News, he accused the supermarket chain of behaving "disgracefully" towards staff when it closed its distribution centre in his constituency.

"They said they were building a new Dagenham plant and the Harlow plant in my own constituency would be alongside it," he said.

"The moment the plant was built it was suddenly announced the Harlow plant would close. They then said to the British Harlow workers yes, they could have jobs in Dagenham, but it would be at lower pay after transitional costs had been taken in.

"As a result the majority of them couldn't afford to work in Dagenham and had to take redundancy. Tesco in my view behaved quite disgracefully and quite ruthlessly."

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Zanzibar Acid Attack: Suspect Preacher On Run

Police are hunting a radical Muslim preacher wanted in connection with an acid attack on two British teenagers in Zanzibar.

Sheikh Issa Ponda Issa was cornered by officers near Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, but managed to escape and is now on the run.

He was hit in the shoulder with a tear-gas canister during the altercation, according to local police in Morogoro - the scene of the clash.

Police commander Faustine Shilogile said: "He has not been arrested. He has been shot at. We have been looking for him in all corners of the country."

He added: "We are no closer to finding who was responsible for this. But this is a serious police investigation, and we are doing everything we can."

Five men are also being questioned by officers, according to the authorities.

Kirstie Trup (L) and Katie Gee are being treated in London

Victims Katie Gee, and Kirstie Trup, both 18 and from London, are still being treated for burns at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital after arriving home on Friday.

They are said to be "well rested and comfortable".

A hospital spokesman said: "They have been with their families all day. Doctors are continuing to assess treatment options for both patients."

The pair were attacked by men on a motorbike as they walked across a road on Wednesday night.

They had been nearing the end of a trip working as volunteer teachers on Zanzibar, a predominantly Muslim island in the Indian Ocean.

Witnesses have spoken of their desperate attempts to wash the acid off the two girls before they were rushed to hospital.

A picture released by the teenagers' families shows one appears to have extensive acid burns on her chin, neck and upper chest.

The street on the island where the attack took place

It is thought one of the girls is not as badly injured as the other because she was helped into the sea immediately after the attack.

They had apparently been due to return to the UK to collect their A-level results next week.

Miss Trup is hoping to study history at the University of Bristol and Miss Gee is considering the University of Leeds, according to reports.

Meanwhile, Tory MP Bill Cash, who sits on the all-party parliamentary group for Tanzania, has urged the Foreign Office to further upgrade its travel warning for tourists visiting both Zanzibar and Tanzania because it was "more than just an ordinary criminal event".

The Foreign Office updated its Tanzania travel advice page on Friday with details of the attack and warns British nationals to "take care" and read its travel advice.

Mr Cash said: "People need to be extra vigilant and the Foreign Office and High Commission need to make a very thorough evaluation of the threat, as these latest attacks would seem to be on religious grounds.

"The threat to tourists going to Tanzania and Zanzibar needs to be upgraded without doubt."

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Missing Teen Erika Kacicova: Suspect Bailed

Detectives looking for a 13-year-old schoolgirl who vanished from her home have received a number of reports of possible sightings.

Police, who believe Erika Kacicova is with people she knows, made a direct appeal to the teenager on Sunday afternoon, calling on her to return to her "distraught" family.

She was last seen leaving her home in the Darnall area of Sheffield at around 4pm on Monday, August 4.

Police have been conducting house-to-house inquiries there, and have expanded their search to Bradford.

A 22-year-old man from Bradford was released on police bail earlier after being arrested on suspicion of child abduction.

He approached police on Friday, the day officers made an urgent appeal for information about Erika's whereabouts.

Detective Inspector Helen Tate said: "Please remember she is a young girl who has never been away from home for this long before and we want her to return safe and well."

Erika's home in Poole Road, Darnall, in Sheffield

She added: "Erika, if you are reading this, please let us know you are okay. You're not in any trouble."

She said members of the public had come forward with information and reports of sightings but that "time was of the essence" as they search for the teenager.

Her disappearance was described as "out of character".

Erika is described as being slim and around 4ft 11ins tall. She has long, dark-brown, straight hair and brown eyes.

She was last seen wearing blue jeans, a pink polo-style shirt and a silvery-grey coloured jacket.

:: Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101.

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FA Boss: Summer World Cup In Qatar 'Impossible'

Fifa Boss: Move 2022 World Cup

Updated: 7:21am UK, Saturday 10 August 2013

Fifa's president says the organisation still has enough time to switch the 2022 World Cup to the winter to avoid Qatar's intense summer heat.

Sepp Blatter said he would discuss the plans with his executive committee in October.

The move would cause major disruption to various domestic leagues around the world.

But Mr Blatter insisted: "We still have enough time.

"The executive committee will certainly follow my proposal. Then we will have dealt with the topic for good."

Summer temperatures can reach 50C (122F) in Qatar, and there are currently plans for games to be played in air-conditioned stadiums.

But there is pressure for the tournament to be moved to the winter, when temperatures reach a high of 24C (75F).

Mr Blatter said: "The Fifa World Cup must be a festival of the people. But for it to be such a festival, you can't play football in the summer.

"You can cool down the stadiums, but you can't cool down the whole country - and you can't simply cool down the ambience of a World Cup. The players must be able to play in the best conditions to play a good World Cup."

Hassan al Thawadi, the head of Qatar's organising committee, said the country was open to the move "if it's the wish of the football community".

Mr Blatter said medical information about the effects of the heat on players led to his change of heart.

"There has been a fresh medical investigation into what it would be like to play football there in the summer and we have to take into account the health, not of the spectators, but of the players," he explained.

Qatar defeated bids from South Korea, Japan, Australia and the US for the right to host the 2022 World Cup.

Speaking to Sky Germany, Mr Blatter also said Brazil might have been the wrong choice to host the 2014 World Cup if the tournament is affected by the wave of protests seen at the Confederations Cup last month.

Hundreds of thousands of Brazilians took to the streets expressing their anger over the costs to stage the World Cup and demanding better public services.

"If this happens again we have to question whether we made the wrong decision awarding the hosting rights," Mr Blatter added.

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Chinese Human Trafficking Ring Bust In Europe

Spanish and French police have busted a human trafficking ring smuggling Chinese migrants into Europe and the US.

A total of 75 suspects, including two "main operatives" based in Barcelona, were arrested, the authorities said on Saturday.

Officers in Spain arrested 51 people and the other 24 were picked up in France, according to a police statement.

The string of arrests follows a two-year, joint investigation in the two countries.

Police said the traffickers charged 40-50,000 euros (£34-43,000) per person to provide "false identities and transport Chinese citizens to the United States and countries such as Spain, France, Greece, Italy, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Turkey".

Items including a handgun and fake passport paraphernalia were found

Spanish police seized 81 fake passports from Asian countries such as Taiwan, South Korea, Malaysia, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore.

They were found in two lodgings owned by the ring in Barcelona, whose airport was allegedly used as the gang's main European hub.

Some of the people trafficked ended up in the sex trade, Spain's Interior Ministry said.

The investigation into the trafficking ring, which police described as a "perfectly structured, hierarchical organisation", started in July 2011.

The "kingpin" remained in China and had independent cells working separately in different countries, according to the authorities.

A police officer holding cash discovered at the Barcelona property

The traffickers would accompany their clients to Spain, which served as a last stop or "trampoline" to the final destination - usually the UK or the US, they said.

Mainly from China and Malaysia, they were "thorough connoisseurs" of the European airports and cities along the route and had the "complete confidence" of the ringleaders.

They would return home as soon as they had completed each operation to make it harder to track them down.

Migrants were also given precise instructions on how to avoid detection at customs controls, for example by mixing in with a group of tourists.

Fake custom stamps were also taken from the safe house

The route from China was "changed constantly" according to how each trip unfolded to avoid discovery, the police statement said.

Once they arrived in Barcelona, they would be met by operatives and taken to safe houses before continuing their journeys.           

At the lodgings in the Spanish city, police found equipment for forging documents including portable computers, scanners, fake custom stamps and a magnifier.

A handgun, mobile phones and bundles of cash, both euros and yuan, were also seized in the operation.

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