The jeweller was at the petrol station when a car containing five men pulled up and stopped right in front of him, preventing escape. The assailants smashed the window of the jeweller’s car with the butt of a gun and while the jeweller struggled to fend them off, one of the gang grabbed his briefcase containing €120,000.

The thieves then fled the scene at high speed and are now being sought by the National Police. It is thought that the gang tracked the jeweller in order to know when he was drawing out cash and when he was at his most vulnerable.

The inflatable boat with two engines was detected by the SIVE surveillance system and then intercepted near Caola Roche in Conil de la Frontera.

On board were two individuals, both Moroccan nationals, and around 60 bales of hashish weighing in the region of 2,000 kilos.

The investigation into the theft of the metals, valued at €20,000, began on February 8th after a break-in at a warehouse in Vélez-Málaga. According to the owner, the thieves took metal bars, beams, hydraulic cylinders and various other items.

Initial reports were that four people were seen in the area loading the metals into a large truck.

Police found some of the stolen materials in two junkyards in Campanillas and Málaga city and the lorry was found on the A-7 near La Cala del Moral.

The investigation led to the identification and arrest of the alleged thieves.

The new Andalucian corridor, incorporated under the Mediterranean corridor, would provide for a rail link between Almeria and Algeciras and passing through Málaga and the Costa del Sol. It also includes a link between Málaga city and the future logistics centre of Antequera.

This new Andalucian corridor will now be the subject of a study in preparation for submission to the EU  for consideration as an eligible project.

The incident occurred at 02:30 on the road to Bolonia, the victim suffering fatal injuries after being hit by a vehicle.

An autopsy is being carried out and police are trying to ascertain whether the incident was deliberate or an accident.

The organisation included a network of over 30 companies and proxies in Spain, Italy and Portugal as part of a scam to avoid payment of IVA. It is estimated that the Inland Revenue was defrauded of more than three million euros.

The product marketed as olive oil by the organisation was a mix of low quality oils such as palm, avocado and sunflower, and was produced at a factory set up to produce biodiesel fuel.

Nineteen people have been arrested in connection with the scam, 15 Spanish, 2 Ecuadorians, 1 Colombian and 1 Italian.

The fire began at around 02:40 and appears to have been caused by a heater in the lounge. An 82 year old man suffered severe burns and a 78 year old woman suffered lesser injuries to her hands and face.

The lounge was completely destroyed by the blaze. Both victims are now in the Virgen del Rocio hospital in Sevilla.

The first tremor occurred at 06:25 on Wednesday morning and measured 3.0 on the Richter scale. The epicentre was 56 kilometres southwest of Almeria at a depth of five kilometres and was felt as far as La Rábita in Gr4anada province.

The second quake was at 08:19 and measured 2.3 on the Richter scale. The epicentre was southwest of Monachil and the tremor was reported in Monachil,  Ogíjares and La Zubia.