Spanish police have arrested nine people accused of belonging to Islamic State and having links to the Brussels terror attacks.
Eight Moroccans and one Spaniard living in Catalonia were detained in a series of 12 raids in five towns, including Barcelona.
The men were aged between 30 and 40 years old and most had previous criminal records for drug trafficking.
The arrests followed an eight-month investigation by Spanish officers, working with their Belgian counterparts.
Four of the detainees are suspected of having links to people arrested in connection with the Brussels attacks.
Islamic State claimed responsibility for the atrocities at Brussels airport and on a train on the city's subway that killed 32 people and wounded 300 more.
The assaults in March 2016 are thought to have been carried out by some of the same individuals responsible for the Paris attacks the previous November.
Documents, computers and memory drives were seized in the raids as well as at least three guns and drugs including marijuana.
Moroccan police are now searching several properties with connections to the men.
Police said they started tracking the gang as a result of a tip from a member of the public reportedly concerned about drug trafficking.
Spain raised its national security alert to one level below the maximum in 2015 and has arrested around 200 suspected jihadists since then.
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
Mirror Group settles dozens of celebrity phone-hacking claims
Dozens of celebrities have received damages and an apology from Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) over phone-hacking.
Lord Jeffrey Archer, Dame Mary Archer, ex-footballer Kevin Keegan, actress Patsy Kensit and former home secretary Charles Clarke were among 44 people whose cases were settled at London's High Court.
It took more than two hours for the agreed statements settling their actions for misuse of private information to be read out.
It is understood some of the settlements exceed the £260,250 record damages awarded to actress and businesswoman Sadie Frost following a High Court trial in 2015.
None of the well-known names involved - which also included singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, actor Colin Salmon and actress Gillian Taylforth - attended the hearing.
Solicitor Gerald Shamash told the court that "significant damage and distress" had been caused to Lord Archer and Dame Mary, while Mr Keegan's solicitor said the former England manager had suffered a "devastating intrusion".
Callum Galbraith, representing Patsy Kensit, said MGN's actions caused the actress distress during "difficult times" when her marriage to Liam Gallagher was breaking down, when her wedding to Jeremy Healey was cancelled and during health scares suffered by her and her son.
Meanwhile, barrister David Sherborne said the activities of MGN were a source of "enormous stress" for Mr Clarke and his family and caused them to "drastically adapt" their way of life.
MGN has reportedly put aside £52.5m to pay damages and legal costs relating to phone hacking.
In December, its parent company Trinity Mirror said it had made "good progress" on settling civil claims.
It said: "Although there still remains uncertainty as to how these matters will progress, the board remains confident that the exposures arising from these historic events are manageable and do not undermine the delivery of the group's strategy."
Lord Jeffrey Archer, Dame Mary Archer, ex-footballer Kevin Keegan, actress Patsy Kensit and former home secretary Charles Clarke were among 44 people whose cases were settled at London's High Court.
It took more than two hours for the agreed statements settling their actions for misuse of private information to be read out.
It is understood some of the settlements exceed the £260,250 record damages awarded to actress and businesswoman Sadie Frost following a High Court trial in 2015.
None of the well-known names involved - which also included singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, actor Colin Salmon and actress Gillian Taylforth - attended the hearing.
Solicitor Gerald Shamash told the court that "significant damage and distress" had been caused to Lord Archer and Dame Mary, while Mr Keegan's solicitor said the former England manager had suffered a "devastating intrusion".
Callum Galbraith, representing Patsy Kensit, said MGN's actions caused the actress distress during "difficult times" when her marriage to Liam Gallagher was breaking down, when her wedding to Jeremy Healey was cancelled and during health scares suffered by her and her son.
Meanwhile, barrister David Sherborne said the activities of MGN were a source of "enormous stress" for Mr Clarke and his family and caused them to "drastically adapt" their way of life.
MGN has reportedly put aside £52.5m to pay damages and legal costs relating to phone hacking.
In December, its parent company Trinity Mirror said it had made "good progress" on settling civil claims.
It said: "Although there still remains uncertainty as to how these matters will progress, the board remains confident that the exposures arising from these historic events are manageable and do not undermine the delivery of the group's strategy."
Sky Views: Macron's victory masks France's distaste for EU
The nightmare is over. The surge of anti-establishment feeling that produced the Brexit vote and propelled Donald Trump to the White House is in retreat.
The French, of all people, pioneers of revolution, have seen off their pitchforked populists and brought the world to its senses.
As if.
The sighs of relief in Brussels are almost audible across the channel. Emmanuel Macron, their man, is almost certain to prevail in the French elections.
EU officials like Michel Barnier could not contain themselves, despite their professed commitment never to interfere in elections.
The man who will negotiate Brexit, tweeting this soon after Macron's victory seemed likely: "A European and patriot I have confidence in Emmanuel Macron for 7th of May. France must remain European."
But if the EU reacts to the French vote as it has so far to Brexit, it may well be doomed.
Barring something very unexpected, Marine Le Pen is almost certain to lose the second round runoff.
That, though, is not the point. Look at the number of French voters supporting extreme eurosceptic positions.
Add her support to that for hard leftist Jean-Luc Melenchon and another minor candidate and almost half of France voted for candidates promising a Frexit referendum.
The French are deeply worried. Whole swathes of the North East's industrial heartlands are hollowed out. Once thriving towns and villages across the country are empty and void of people or economic life.
There are multiple reasons for the malaise, but many blame the EU and its commitment to globalisation, open economies and the free movement of people and goods washing through open borders.
Polling has revealed the same fears behind Brexit have helped Le Pen in France. The fear of losing something precious. The country the French once knew and held dear is disappearing, they say.
Rightly or wrongly, economic failure and the EU's inability to reverse it are unleashing powerful and extreme political forces across Europe.
The French, of all people, pioneers of revolution, have seen off their pitchforked populists and brought the world to its senses.
As if.
The sighs of relief in Brussels are almost audible across the channel. Emmanuel Macron, their man, is almost certain to prevail in the French elections.
EU officials like Michel Barnier could not contain themselves, despite their professed commitment never to interfere in elections.
The man who will negotiate Brexit, tweeting this soon after Macron's victory seemed likely: "A European and patriot I have confidence in Emmanuel Macron for 7th of May. France must remain European."
But if the EU reacts to the French vote as it has so far to Brexit, it may well be doomed.
Barring something very unexpected, Marine Le Pen is almost certain to lose the second round runoff.
That, though, is not the point. Look at the number of French voters supporting extreme eurosceptic positions.
Add her support to that for hard leftist Jean-Luc Melenchon and another minor candidate and almost half of France voted for candidates promising a Frexit referendum.
The French are deeply worried. Whole swathes of the North East's industrial heartlands are hollowed out. Once thriving towns and villages across the country are empty and void of people or economic life.
There are multiple reasons for the malaise, but many blame the EU and its commitment to globalisation, open economies and the free movement of people and goods washing through open borders.
Polling has revealed the same fears behind Brexit have helped Le Pen in France. The fear of losing something precious. The country the French once knew and held dear is disappearing, they say.
Rightly or wrongly, economic failure and the EU's inability to reverse it are unleashing powerful and extreme political forces across Europe.
Man in Thailand broadcasts himself killing his baby daughter live on Facebook
A man in Thailand filmed himself killing his 11-month-old daughter and posted the footage on Facebook before committing suicide.
Two video clips showing the child's murder were accessible on the father's Facebook page for around 24 hours before they were taken down.
In the disturbing footage Wuttisan Wongtalay can be seen tying a rope around his daughter's neck before dropping her from the roof of a building in Phuket.
His body was found next to his daughter but his suicide was not broadcast, said Thai police.
Officers said Wongtalay was paranoid about his wife leaving him.
Local television images later showed the child's mother weeping and holding her dead baby.
Shortly before they were taken down the first video was viewed 112,000 times and the second had been watched 258,000 times.
A Thai police spokesman said the incident was the first known killing to be broadcast on Facebook.
"It could be influenced by behaviour from abroad, most recently in Cleveland", he said.
Internet users in Thailand were outraged by the video, with one user calling it the "most evil clip I've seen in my life".
"How can he watch his own child stop breathing? He should have just died alone," said another.
A Singapore-based Facebook spokesman said: "This is an appalling incident and our hearts go out to the family of the victim. There is absolutely no place for content of this kind on Facebook and it has now been removed."
The social media company announced it was reviewing how violent footage was monitored after a video of a man shooting an elderly man in Cleveland, Ohio was visible on the site for two hours.
Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said the company would do all it could to prevent such content ending up on the site in the future.
Two video clips showing the child's murder were accessible on the father's Facebook page for around 24 hours before they were taken down.
In the disturbing footage Wuttisan Wongtalay can be seen tying a rope around his daughter's neck before dropping her from the roof of a building in Phuket.
His body was found next to his daughter but his suicide was not broadcast, said Thai police.
Officers said Wongtalay was paranoid about his wife leaving him.
Local television images later showed the child's mother weeping and holding her dead baby.
Shortly before they were taken down the first video was viewed 112,000 times and the second had been watched 258,000 times.
A Thai police spokesman said the incident was the first known killing to be broadcast on Facebook.
"It could be influenced by behaviour from abroad, most recently in Cleveland", he said.
Internet users in Thailand were outraged by the video, with one user calling it the "most evil clip I've seen in my life".
"How can he watch his own child stop breathing? He should have just died alone," said another.
A Singapore-based Facebook spokesman said: "This is an appalling incident and our hearts go out to the family of the victim. There is absolutely no place for content of this kind on Facebook and it has now been removed."
The social media company announced it was reviewing how violent footage was monitored after a video of a man shooting an elderly man in Cleveland, Ohio was visible on the site for two hours.
Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said the company would do all it could to prevent such content ending up on the site in the future.
Ceremony for police officer Xavier Jugele killed in Paris
A ceremony has been held in Paris for the police officer shot dead by an Islamist extremist on the Champs-Elysees last week.
The two remaining French presidential candidates, Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen, were among the politicians and officials paying their respects in a courtyard at police headquarters.
The capital's mayor, Anne Hidalgo, and former President Nicolas Sarkozy were also there.
Xavier Jugele, 37, was hit by two bullets to the head after a Frenchman born in the Paris suburbs, Karim Cheurfi, opened fire on the crowded boulevard with a Kalashnikov assault rifle.
Cheurfi, who was shot dead by police, also wounded two other officers.
More than 50,000 police and soldiers were "fully mobilised" afterwards.
The attack came just three days before the first round of voting in the French presidential elections.
Islamic State said it was to blame.
In his eulogy at the ceremony, Mr Jugele's partner Etienne Cardiles said: "I suffer without hatred."
The two remaining French presidential candidates, Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen, were among the politicians and officials paying their respects in a courtyard at police headquarters.
The capital's mayor, Anne Hidalgo, and former President Nicolas Sarkozy were also there.
Xavier Jugele, 37, was hit by two bullets to the head after a Frenchman born in the Paris suburbs, Karim Cheurfi, opened fire on the crowded boulevard with a Kalashnikov assault rifle.
Cheurfi, who was shot dead by police, also wounded two other officers.
More than 50,000 police and soldiers were "fully mobilised" afterwards.
The attack came just three days before the first round of voting in the French presidential elections.
Islamic State said it was to blame.
In his eulogy at the ceremony, Mr Jugele's partner Etienne Cardiles said: "I suffer without hatred."
General Election: Theresa May targets historic win for Tories in Wales
Theresa May is parking her tanks directly on Labour's lawn today as a shock poll suggests the Tories could take a majority of votes cast in Wales for the first time in more than 150 years.
The Prime Minister's arrival in South Wales follows her trip to Labour-held Bolton North East - the sort of constituency that, if it changed hands, would be indicative of a Tory landslide and a nightmare for Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
In both cases, while Labour is leaking some votes to the Conservatives (and to the Liberal Democrats), it is the boost to the Tories from former UKIP voters which has meant a further setback for the Opposition.
Mrs May's visit comes on the back of a surprise poll from YouGov suggesting the Conservatives could be set to gain the majority of votes in Wales for the first time since 1859 - and not by a slight margin, but a full 10 percentage points.
If that came to pass, it would be a crisis for Labour.
But what is new is not the weakness of Labour, but a peak for the Conservatives - with UKIP working as a waypoint between the parties.
Pollsters often caution to watch the vote share in a poll, not the lead. Labour's vote share is low - the lowest it has been since the nadir of Gordon Brown's premiership in 2009.
But it is not much down on where it was in January, when the company last polled Wales.
Rather, it is UKIP that has borne the brunt of the Conservative surge, down seven percentage points with the Tories up 12.
This is a very large swing from when they last asked the question just three months ago; you shouldn't read too much into any individual poll.
We should also bear in mind that the strength of UKIP was slightly over-represented in the polls ahead of the Welsh Assembly in 2016.
But the findings are remarkable. Even if they are as far out as the general election polls of 2015, it would still indicate the best result in Wales for the Tories in living memory.
And a similar phenomenon is consistently reflected in polls across the country.
If the Conservatives can repeat the trick nationwide - claiming a chunk of the vote from Labour, and a large slice of the diminishing UKIP vote - it could spell disaster for Labour on both sides of Offa's Dyke.
The Prime Minister's arrival in South Wales follows her trip to Labour-held Bolton North East - the sort of constituency that, if it changed hands, would be indicative of a Tory landslide and a nightmare for Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
In both cases, while Labour is leaking some votes to the Conservatives (and to the Liberal Democrats), it is the boost to the Tories from former UKIP voters which has meant a further setback for the Opposition.
Mrs May's visit comes on the back of a surprise poll from YouGov suggesting the Conservatives could be set to gain the majority of votes in Wales for the first time since 1859 - and not by a slight margin, but a full 10 percentage points.
If that came to pass, it would be a crisis for Labour.
But what is new is not the weakness of Labour, but a peak for the Conservatives - with UKIP working as a waypoint between the parties.
Pollsters often caution to watch the vote share in a poll, not the lead. Labour's vote share is low - the lowest it has been since the nadir of Gordon Brown's premiership in 2009.
But it is not much down on where it was in January, when the company last polled Wales.
Rather, it is UKIP that has borne the brunt of the Conservative surge, down seven percentage points with the Tories up 12.
This is a very large swing from when they last asked the question just three months ago; you shouldn't read too much into any individual poll.
We should also bear in mind that the strength of UKIP was slightly over-represented in the polls ahead of the Welsh Assembly in 2016.
But the findings are remarkable. Even if they are as far out as the general election polls of 2015, it would still indicate the best result in Wales for the Tories in living memory.
And a similar phenomenon is consistently reflected in polls across the country.
If the Conservatives can repeat the trick nationwide - claiming a chunk of the vote from Labour, and a large slice of the diminishing UKIP vote - it could spell disaster for Labour on both sides of Offa's Dyke.
Cutting immigration not a priority for Labour in Brexit talks
Cutting immigration would not be the main priority for a Labour government as it plans Britain's future outside the European Union.
Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said the party would put retaining the benefits of the single market and customs union at the centre of its negotiations with Brussels, and bin Theresa May's "reckless" exit strategy.
Sir Keir said EU nationals would have their right to remain in the UK guaranteed on day one of Jeremy Corbyn taking power, and Mr Corbyn would then "seek" reciprocal measures for Britons living in the rest of the bloc.
He said there was "no clearer signal" that Labour wanted to build a close and collaborative future relationship with Brussels.
Sir Keir conceded that in seeking a "reformed" relationship with the single market, or customs union, Labour accepted that rules on free movement of workers could not go on as immigration had been a major factor in the Brexit vote.
In a speech in central London, he said Labour would like Parliament to have a "meaningful" vote on any withdrawal deal late next year, adding that a Labour government would then have time to renegotiate with Brussels if MPs rejected what was on offer.
Labour also wants to ditch the Government's Great Repeal Bill, which Sir Keir claimed would harm protections for workers and hit environmental safeguards.
"We all know that for many Brexiteers in the Tory Party, this was why they wanted to Leave," he said.
Sir Keir said EU nationals would have their right to remain in the UK guaranteed on day one of Jeremy Corbyn taking power, and Mr Corbyn would then "seek" reciprocal measures for Britons living in the rest of the bloc.
He said there was "no clearer signal" that Labour wanted to build a close and collaborative future relationship with Brussels.
Sir Keir conceded that in seeking a "reformed" relationship with the single market, or customs union, Labour accepted that rules on free movement of workers could not go on as immigration had been a major factor in the Brexit vote.
In a speech in central London, he said Labour would like Parliament to have a "meaningful" vote on any withdrawal deal late next year, adding that a Labour government would then have time to renegotiate with Brussels if MPs rejected what was on offer.
Labour also wants to ditch the Government's Great Repeal Bill, which Sir Keir claimed would harm protections for workers and hit environmental safeguards.
"We all know that for many Brexiteers in the Tory Party, this was why they wanted to Leave," he said.
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