MALIBU is a 50m motor yacht delivered by the world renowned Amels Shipyard in Holland

 21-5 Million.

 

BUILDER                    Amels                                 LOA                 50.00m / 164’

 

YEAR                           2001                                   BEAM              9.00m / 29’1’’

 

FLAG                           Cayman Islands                DRAFT            3.10m / 10’

 

NAVAL ARCH           Terence Disdale                 SPEED             12 knots cruising

 

HULL                           Steel                                    ACCOM          12 guests

 

LYING                         Genoa                                 ENGINES       2 x 1,200hp Cummins

MALIBU is a 50m motor yacht delivered by the world renowned Amels Shipyard in Holland with an original interior design by Terence Disdale and a complete refit in 2006 including new interiors by Reymond Langton. The yacht was built to Lloyds +100 A1 SSC G6 LMC, MCA.

This yacht has to be seen to experience the exceptional level of quality craftsmanship onboard.

MALIBU’S placement of the tenders on the bow leaves every deck clear for enjoying a lifestyle oriented by the sea.  Alfresco dining options abound with cocktail tables on the main deck, and dining for 12 offered on both the bridge and sun decks.  The sun deck has a built in sun pad and bar.  For serious sun bathing, the forward area of the sun deck furnishes privacy, full sun and a sensational Jacuzzi.

  

 

MAIN CHARACTERISTICS

 

Type:                                                Displacement Hull

Builder:                                           Amels Shipyard (Holland)

Hull no.:                                          437

Naval Architect:                             Amels Shipyard (Holland)/ Terence Disdale

Interior Designer:                          Reymond Langton

Construction Year:                         2001

Refitted:                                          2006

Classification:                                Lloyds +100 A1 55C G6 LMC, MCA

Construction:                                  Welded Steel

Crew:                                               12

Flag:                                                 George Town – Cayman Islands

Engines:                                           2 x Cummins 1200 hp

Transmission:                                 2 x Reintjes WAF 541

GRT:                                                610 tons

 

 

DIMENSIONS

 

LOA                                                 50.00 m / 164’

Beam                                                9.00 m / 29’7”

Draft                                                3.10m / 10

 

 

SPEED & RANGE UNDER POWER

 

Maximum Speed (knots)              15 knots

Cruising Speed (knots)                 13 knots

Economical Speed (knots)            12 knots

Fuel Consumption                         448 litres per hour @ 15 knots 1800 rpm

                                                         370 litres per hour @ 13 knots, 1400 rpm

                                                         206 litres per hour @ 12 knots, 1400 rpm

Range                                              2955 nm @ 15 knots

                                                         3185 nm @ 13 knots

                                                         5016 nm @ 12 knots

 

 

CAPACITIES

 

Accommodation                             12 in 1 x Master, 2 x Double, 2 x Twin, 2 x Pullman

Crew                                                11-12 Crew members in 5 cabins + Captain

Fuel                                                  95,000 litres/25,096 US gallons

Fresh Water                                    17,400 litres/4,596 US gallons

Lube Oil                                          2,200 litres/581 US gallons

Dirty Oil                                         2,000 litres/528 US gallons

Grey/Black Water                          5,300 litres/1,400 US gallons

Waste Water                                   21,400 litres/5,653 US gallons

Jacuzzi                                            3,200 litres/845 US gallons

 

 

ACCOMMODATION

 

Master Stateroom

On Main Deck the full width owner’s stateroom with en-suite bathroom, private office and salon. It is awash in natural light streaming through floor-to-ceiling windows port and starboard.  Enhancing the suite’s contemporary style is the Reymond Langton designed furniture finished in high-gloss macassar ebony.

 

VIP Cabin

On Lower Deck 2 x VIP double cabins wit en-suite bathrooms accommodate 4 guests. The contemporary theme of the whole interior of the yacht is evident in these staterooms

 

Guest Staterooms

On Lower Deck 2 x Twin cabins with 2x Pullmans with en-suite shower accommodating up to 6 guests. The contemporary theme of the whole interior of the yacht is evident in these staterooms.

 

Captain’s Cabin

Captain’s double bedded cabin with shower on the upper deck aft of the wheelhouse.

 

Crew

The Crew are accommodated in 5 twin cabins with en suite shower rooms on the lower deck forward.

 

 

MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT

 

Engines                                           2 x Cummins 1200 hp @ 1,600rpm

Engine hours                                  Port: 8,301hrs; Starboard: 8,301hrs (Apr 2012)

Generators & Electricity              2 x 170 Kw Cummins @ 1500 rpm each

                                                         1 x 33kw Cummins @ 1500 rpm

Generator hours                            Port: 17,993 hours; Starboard: 18,326 hours (Apr 2012)

Electricity                                       380V volt/3-phase/50Hz

Stabilisers                                      1 x Vosper / Naiad, Zero Speed

Bowthruster                                   1 x HRP 200-60 Electric @ 140 hp

Air Conditioning                           1 x Heinman/Hopman 3 zones +chiller plant

Water Maker                                  2 x Idromar reverse osmosis

Fuel Centrifuge/Separator            1 x Alfa Laval MAB 103 B-24

Passerelle                                       1 x Electric Hydraulic AI 50

 

 

INTERIOR / GALLEY / LAUNDRY EQUIPMENT

 

Galley

1 x Lohberger Oven

1 x Lohberger grill

1 x Lohberger deep fryer

1 x Lohberger stove (4 x induction)

1 x foster Refrigerator

1 x foster freezer

1 x Scotsman AC 45 Icemaker

1 x Metro  Dishwasher

1 x miele microwave - oven

1 x Lohberger  Grill

1 x Foster Walk-ins on tank deck

 

Crew Quarters/Mess

1 x Panasonic combination oven Microwave

1 x Liebherr pro line Refrigerator

1 x GEC Domestic Dishwasher

3 x Miele Professional WS5425 Washing Machines

3 x Miele Professional T5205C Clothes Dryers

1 x Miele Rotating HM 21-100 Irons

 

 

NAVIGATION EQUIPMENT

 

Magnetic Compass                        1 x Cassens & Plath

Gyro Compass                               1 x C Plath Mk1

Automatic Pilot                              1 x C Plath Navi Pilot V hsc

Echo Sounder                                 1 x Furuno FCV 582 L

Radar                                              1 x Decca

Radar                                              1 x Furuno RCV 013

Transponder                                  1 x Furuno

DGPS                                              2 x Litton Marine

Charts                                             1 x Transas

Navtex                                            1 x ICS nav 5

AIS GPS                                         1 x Saab

Log                                                  1 x Seaplath Naviknot III

Wind Instruments                         1 x Walker P310

 

COMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT

 

SATCOM                                       1 x Sat TV Seatel

                                                         1 x Sat C Thrane & Thrane

                                                         1 x Sat Fleet 33

                                                         1 x Sat Fleet 77

                                                         1 x VSAT Seatel

VHF                                                2 x Sailor RT 4822

MF/HF                                             1 x Sailor HC 4500

Landline/Intercom                         1 x Panasonic System

Miscellaneous                               1 x Wi-Fi

 

 

DECK EQUIPMENT

 

1 x Anchor Windless System Steen

2 x Anchors 19-2-50

2 x Aft Capstans

1 x Marquipt Both, Port and Starboard

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT EQUIPMENT

 

Main Saloon

1 x Surround sound plasma television

2 x Denon DVD player

1 x Denon amplifier

1 x Sat decoder

1 x Ipad

 

Sky lounge

1 x Surround sound plasma TV

1 x DVD Players

1 x Denon amplifier

1 x Sat decoder

1 x Ipad

 

Sundeck

1 x CD player

1 x Marrantz amplifier

 

Master Stateroom

1 x Surround sound 50’’Plasma TV

1 x DVD Players

1 x Denon amplifier

1 x Sat decoder

1 x Ipad

 

VIP Cabin

2 x 23’’HD

2 x DVD Players

2 x Denon amplifier

2 x Sat decoder

 

Guest Cabins

2 x 23’’HD

2 x DVD Players

2 x Denon amplifier

2 x Sat decoder

 

Crew & Captain’s Cabin

1 x 27” Plasma TVs

6 x 20” Plasma TVs

7 x DVD Players

2 x Sat decoders

 

General

1 x Crestron Multi Media System

1 x X-boxes in the guest suites for the kids on board

1 x LINN Audi throughout yacht

IPod docking stations throughout the yacht

 

 

OFFICE EQUIPMENT

 

PC/Printer:                                1 x Asus , 1x Canon

Fax/Copier:                               1 x Panasonic

Monitors:                                  1 x Samsung

 

 

TENDERS & WATERSPORTS EQUIPMENT

 

Tenders

1 x Custom 22ft. Tender with FNM HTLP 250 hp

1 x Novurania 22ft. 660XL Equator with 250 hp Yanmar

1 x Rescue tender Canguro 420 gs

 

Water Sports

1 x Yamaha Waverunner XL700

1 x Yamaha Jet Ski SL 700A

Snorkel gear & fishing gear, water skis, towable toys

 

Diving Compressor

1 x BAUER

 

Crane

1 x 2000 kg Yacht Tec JA01001

1 x 2000 kg Yacht Tec JA00379

 

 

SECURITY & SAFETY EQUIPMENT

 

1 x Panasonic closed circuit television (CCTV) system with

4x Cameras and motion detectors (main deck) + 4 cameras in the engine room

3 x CCTV Monitor screens in wheelhouse, crew mess room and engine room

4 x Door alarms: stern /aft escape, engine room escape, fire escape.

44 x Fire / heat / smoke detectors throughout yacht

2 x Fixed C) 2 Systems locates in Engine room and Galley

28 x Fire extinguishers in all places necessary

 

 

COMMENTS

 

MALIBU is a 50m motor yacht delivered by the world renowned Amels Shipyard in Holland with an original interior design by Terence Disdale and a complete refit in 2006 including new interiors by Reymond Langton. The yacht was built to Lloyds +100 A1 SSC G6 LMC, MCA.

This yacht has to be seen to experience the exceptional level of quality craftsmanship onboard.

MALIBU’S placement of the tenders on the bow leaves every deck clear for enjoying a lifestyle oriented by the sea.  Alfresco dining options abound with cocktail tables on the main deck, and dining for 12 offered on both the bridge and sun decks.  The sun deck has a built in sun pad and bar.  For serious sun bathing, the forward area of the sun deck furnishes privacy, full sun and a sensational Jacuzzi.

 

 

 

 

 

 

11 small.jpg 148K   View   Share

Superyachts@holmesandco-london.com Feadship – De Vries Design Todhunter Earle Naval Architect

 

 

 

 

 

 

PRICE: EUR 44,950,000

 

 

MAIN CHARACTERISTICS

Type                                          Full Displacement Motor Yacht

Hull                                   669

Builder                                      Feadship – De Vries Design                                       Todhunter Earle Naval Architect                         De Voogt

Exterior Design                         De Voogt

Interior Design                          Redman Whitely Dixon, Todhunter Earle

Year                                           2005

Refit                                           2009

Classification                            Lloyd´s 100A1 SSC YachtLMC UMS MCA compliant

Construction                             Steel Hull & Aluminium Superstructure

Crew                                          14

Flag                                            Cayman Islands Engines                                      2 x 1,520 Hp CAT GRT                                           782 tons

Net Tons                                   234 tons

Displacement                            800 tons

 

DIMENSIONS

LOA                                           55.50m / 182’1’’ LWL                                           49.10m/161’1’’ BEAM                                        10.40m /32’9’’DRAFT                                      3.23m / 10’4’’

 

SPEED & RANGE UNDER POWER

 

Maximum Speed                      14.5 knots

Cruising Speed                         12.5 knots

Fuel Consumption                    520 litres @ 15.5 knots

350 litres @ 13.5 knots

220 litres @ 12.5 knots

Range                                        4,500 nm @ Eco  Speed

3,500 nm @ Max Speed

CAPACITIES

9

Accommodation                        10 x Guests in 5 cabins

Crew                                          14 x Crew in 6 cabins

3 x Double, 2 x Double with PullmanFuel                                            99,880 litres / 26,386 US gallons FreshWater                               24,160 litres / 6,382 US gallons

 

ACCOMMODATION

Guests’ Accommodation

1 x Master cabin

..  

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The UK is praying Spain sorts out its banking crisis

There was an eerie calm about the plight of Spain at the International Monetary Fund’s spring meetings in mid-April. The country’s borrowing costs may have been inching perilously higher on news that Spanish banks had tapped the European Central Bank for around €200bn (£160bn) of a €530bn round of emergency funding, but officials gathered in the warm Washington sunshine were confident that Madrid would soon win back the markets. “Mariano Rajoy could have asked for a bail-out after winning the election,” one central banker at the meeting said about Spain’s new prime minister, who was sworn in only last December. “But the country is well ahead on its funding needs this year and can pay up for debt in the short term, even if it is uneconomic. It is moving forward with structural reforms.” Spain would not be seeking a bail-out. The message was clear. Six weeks later, the country’s banking crisis is threatening to sink the nation. Around €100bn was pulled out of Spanish banks in the first three months of the year, €66bn in March alone, on concerns about the solvency of the institutions. At about 5pc of deposits, the “bank jog” – as some wags have billed it – is in danger of turning into a full-blown “bank run” that would send Rajoy back to Washington – this time cap in hand. “We are in a situation of total emergency, the worst crisis we have ever lived through,” Felipe Gonzalez, Spain’s former prime minister, said last week. The following day, Olli Rehn, Europe’s economics commissioner, warned that the eurozone was on the brink of “disintegration”. Greece, Portugal and Ireland might be small enough to contain, but Spain, the currency region’s fourth largest economy, poses a far more dangerous threat.

Five arrests as striking Spanish miners block roads

Spanish police on Monday arrested five striking coal miners who used rocks, tires and rubbish bins to block roads to protest against cuts to government subsidies to the sector, officials said. The miners set up 16 different roadblocks across the northern coal mining region of Asturias, seriously disrupting traffic, the office of the central government's delegate in the region said in a statement. Police had to escort trucks and buses across Asturias because the miners would throw rocks at vehicles that tried to get around their blockades, it added. Police detained two men who were part of a group of about 50 people who were throwing objects from a highway overpass onto a highway near the town of Vega del Rey, police said in a statement. One officer was hurt in the face near the town of Vegalencia after miners threw rocks and other objects from a highway overpass at police, it added. Fourteen people, including nine policemen, were hurt on Thursday afer police charged a group of striking coal miners who protested outside the industry ministry. The miners began an open-ended strike last week week to press the government to reverse its decision to make sharp cuts to state coal subsidies which they say will destroy the sector. The strike affects about 8,000 workers in the roughly 40 coal mines that still remain open in the country, mostly in the north. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's conservative government's budget for 2012 reduces total subsidies to the coal sector to 111 million euros ($142 million) from 301 million euros last year. Without government aid, Spanish coal is more expensive than imported coal and other forms of energy and it would struggle to find buyers. The government subsidy cuts are part of austerity measures intended to slash Spain's public deficit to 5.3 percent of gross domestic product this year from 8.9 percent last year. Industry Minister Jose Manuel Soria has defended the subsidy cuts, arguing no sector could be exempt from austerity.

Times are desperate in Spain. The Sun is setting on expats' Costa dreams

 

It was sundowner time at the Cantina tapas bar in the picturesque village of Frigiliana, a few miles inland from the Costa del Sol town of Nerja. Inside, local men were watching bullfighting on television and smoking cigars in quiet contravention of the smoking ban. Outside, expatriate Britons were discussing the vagaries of living in Spain while downing glasses of tinto de verano, the popular summer drink of red wine and lemonade. Mark Jones, who runs his own gardening and pool maintenance company, had spent two days queuing at the local municipal office to renew his residence permit. "I got there at 9am on the first day and my number was 26; by lunchtime they were only up to number 6 and they close at 2pm," he complained. "You have to renew every bit of paper here every few years but I can't afford two days off to queue in an office. There are no staff now because of the cuts, so it all takes longer. It's like everywhere – as soon as the recession hits, it's the immigrants who cop it worst."  Conversation turned to a local couple, who are desperate to leave Spain but who can't because their house is still unsold after four years on the market - despite dropping the asking price from €1 million to €750,000. In 1992 the BBC spent millions of pounds launching an ill-fated soap opera, Eldorado, following the fortunes of British expats on the Costa del Sol. The project flopped and was cancelled a year later. Now, 20 years later, the real-life diaspora is experiencing an equally disastrous end to its Iberian dream. Times are desperate in Spain. More than a million people took the streets earlier this month to protest at budget cuts, 24 per cent unemployment and the rising cost of living. The price of milk and bread has risen by 48 per cent during the last year, according to a recent study, and of potatoes by 116 per cent. Electricity bills are up 11 per cent while property prices are in free fall; they have declined for 15 consecutive quarters and are 41 per cent lower than in 2006. Several of its banks are faltering: this weekend Spain's government is preparing to pump a further €19 billion into Bankia, the country's fourth-largest lender, in the biggest single bank bailout in the country's history. Trading in the bank's shares was suspended on Friday until negotiations over the rescue were complete. Santander, Europe's largest bank, was among 11 Spanish financial institutions to be downgraded by the credit rating agency Standard and Poor earlier this month; and there's no sign of anything like economic recovery on the horizon. Expats are finding life hard in a country where they once basked in a cheaper way of life. Around one million Britons spend part or all of the year in Spain, but thousands are now returning home – and more want to, but say they can't afford to because their property is no longer worth what they paid for it. For the first time since 1998, Spain recorded a drop in foreign residents last year, according to newly released figures. With its narrow cobbled streets, whitewashed houses and children riding horses down the main road, Frigiliana lives up to most tourists' idea of an authentic Spanish village. But appearances can be deceptive. Out of its 3,000-strong population, 1,280 are foreign nationals including 700 Britons, making the village one of the most expat-dominated in Spain. The school advertises itself as bilingual. The British population is so large that the local council pays Kevin Wright, a former travel rep from Leicestershire who has lived in Spain for more than 20 years, to run a "foreigners' department". He helps expats deal with everything from local business permits to burst pipes and land disputes with neighbours, and has noticed changes since the eurozone crisis began. "Before, I was getting 10 newbies a week moving here from the UK; now I get one," he said. "Some Brits have lived here for 20 years but now families move out here then six, eight months later pack up and go back because they can't find work, or didn't realise what the cost of living would be." Mr Wright says many Britons fail to learn Spanish or to assimilate, so that the community becomes dependent on itself – to its cost. "People think they can set themselves up doing business to other Brits, like finance or house sales and rentals, or pool maintenance, gardening and cleaning. "But the property market isn't there any more and people have cut back and do their own maintenance, so there's less work." In desperate economic times, the expat community is increasingly vulnerable to financial trickery. "The worst people for scamming you are other Brits," said Gary Smith, a builder, who emigrated two years ago. "You trust them more but they just take your money for an investment and you never see a penny." Elderly residents are particularly vulnerable. The exchange rate - still far less favourable than five years ago - has meant British pensions and other income in sterling do not stretch as far as they once did. Julia Hilling moved from the UK to Fuengirola, along the coast from Frigiliana, 20 years ago with her husband. They bought a spacious, three-bedroomed apartment with two balcony patios in an upmarket area, overlooking the town's castle. Six years ago, Mrs Hilling, by then a widow aged 83, was persuaded by an independent financial adviser to take out a full mortgage on the apartment. She was told the equity raised would be invested, risk-free, to provide an income, while the mortgage would help offset Spain's 34 per cent inheritance tax when she died. Now 89, Mrs Hilling has never seen any return on her money, owes more than €300,000 to Rothschild Bank on the mortgage and relies on handouts from her children to stay in Spain. "It's devastating," she said. "The man was British, very charming, and said there was no risk. My children said 'Mummy, please don't do this', but I needed the extra income. Now I'm fighting for my life and my home." She is one of more than 100 mainly elderly British expats who have banded together in a Spanish court action to have their mortgages voided, arguing they were mis-sold. Rothschild and several Scandinavian banks also named in the legal action claim the financial advisers are to blame; and the advisers, who are not regulated in Spain as they are in Britain, insist the risk was mentioned in the small print. In a country fighting for its own survival, Spanish politicians are not unduly concerned with the plight of British residents, particularly when many are retired so do not actively contribute to the national economy. Spain's government is currently involved in a dispute with Britain over extent of free health care for Britons under EU law and there are moves to force them to pay 10 per cent of their prescription costs. But for some, returning home remains unthinkable. Former fitness instructor and gym owner Jo Morrison, 49, moved to Spain from London with her partner Lloyd 11 years ago. In 2008 she sold her house in Putney so she could open a gym in Nerja but the project failed after her business partner pulled out, and then the global financial crisis erupted. She now works as a cleaner while renting a one-bedroom home. "Sometimes we've gone without food and I still can't believe that I don't have my house or any savings any more," she said. "But Spain is my home now. I'd rather sleep on the beach than go back to the UK."

EU cookie implementation deadline is today

A year after its implementation in May 2011, the European Commission's Privacy and Electronic Communications Directive will finally start to be enforced as of tonight, meaning visitors to websites are required to be informed of, and given choice over, the site's intentions to store their data in cookies. Though there has been fierce opposition to the directive, some companies, such as the BBC, Channel 4 and the Guardian, have now begun implementing measures that range from multiple user choices in the level of information shared with the site, to a single message informing the user that, by continuing to browse, they have automatically agreed to have their information stored. Further reading EU cookie law is a 'restraint to trade online', says online retailer Most UK organisations not compliant with EU cookie law New EU cookie law set to come into force But the majority of companies, it is widely reported, will miss tonight's deadline. While the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) still disagrees that a "one size fits all" policy of standardisation is not the way forward when enforcing cookie legislation, some believe such a framework is the only way forward. Society for engineering and technology professionals, the Institution of Engineering & Technology said, "The implementation of this directive is likely to prove very variable until the introduction of a set of standards on the best way to provide a balance between easy browsing and personal privacy. "We had hoped that more progress would have been made on achieving this in the 12 month implementation delay that the Information Commissioner, Christopher Graham, gave British organisations."

Google plans to warn more than half a million users of a computer infection that may knock their computers off the Internet this summer.

Unknown to most of them, their problem began when international hackers ran an online advertising scam to take control of infected computers around the world. In a highly unusual response, the FBI set up a safety net months ago using government computers to prevent Internet disruptions for those infected users. But that system will be shut down July 9 -- killing connections for those people.

The FBI has run an impressive campaign for months, encouraging people to visit a website that will inform them whether they're infected and explain how to fix the problem. After July 9, infected users won't be able to connect to the Internet.

LONG ARM OF SCOFFLAW

An online ad scam is having some unintended ramifications: The fix may prevent as many as 360,000 from getting online. Several sites will show if you're infected:

DNS Changer Working Group: can discern whether you’re infected and explain how to fix the problem.

DNSChanger Eye Chart: if the site goes red, you’re in harm’s way. Green means clean.

The FBI website: type in the IP address of your DNS server to find out if it is infected.

Read more on how to stay safe

On Tuesday, May 22, Google announced it would throw its weight into the awareness campaign, rolling out alerts to users via a special message that will appear at the top of the Google search results page for users with affected computers, CNET reported. 

“We believe directly messaging affected users on a trusted site and in their preferred language will produce the best possible results,” wrote Google security engineer Damian Menscher in a post on the company’s security blog.

“If more devices are cleaned and steps are taken to better secure the machines against further abuse, the notification effort will be well worth it,” he wrote.

The challenge, and the reason for the awareness campaigns: Most victims don't even know their computers have been infected, although the malicious software probably has slowed their web surfing and disabled their antivirus software, making their machines more vulnerable to other problems.

Last November, when the FBI and other authorities were preparing to take down a hacker ring that had been running an Internet ad scam on a massive network of infected computers, the agency realized this may become an issue.

"We started to realize that we might have a little bit of a problem on our hands because ... if we just pulled the plug on their criminal infrastructure and threw everybody in jail, the victims of this were going to be without Internet service," said Tom Grasso, an FBI supervisory special agent. "The average user would open up Internet Explorer and get `page not found' and think the Internet is broken."

On the night of the arrests, the agency brought in Paul Vixie, chairman and founder of Internet Systems Consortium, to install two Internet servers to take the place of the truckload of impounded rogue servers that infected computers were using. Federal officials planned to keep their servers online until March, giving everyone opportunity to clean their computers.

But it wasn't enough time.

A federal judge in New York extended the deadline until July.

Now, said Grasso, "the full court press is on to get people to address this problem." And it's up to computer users to check their PCs.

'We started to realize that we might have a little bit of a problem on our hands...'

- Tom Grasso, an FBI supervisory special agent

This is what happened:

Hackers infected a network of probably more than 570,000 computers worldwide. They took advantage of vulnerabilities in the Microsoft Windows operating system to install malicious software on the victim computers. This turned off antivirus updates and changed the way the computers reconcile website addresses behind the scenes on the Internet's domain name system.

The DNS system is a network of servers that translates a web address -- such as http://www.foxnews.com -- into the numerical addresses that computers use. Victim computers were reprogrammed to use rogue DNS servers owned by the attackers. This allowed the attackers to redirect computers to fraudulent versions of any website.

The hackers earned profits from advertisements that appeared on websites that victims were tricked into visiting. The scam netted the hackers at least $14 million, according to the FBI. It also made thousands of computers reliant on the rogue servers for their Internet browsing.

When the FBI and others arrested six Estonians last November, the agency replaced the rogue servers with Vixie's clean ones. Installing and running the two substitute servers for eight months is costing the federal government about $87,000.

The number of victims is hard to pinpoint, but the FBI believes that on the day of the arrests, at least 568,000 unique Internet addresses were using the rogue servers. Five months later, FBI estimates that the number is down to at least 360,000. The U.S. has the most, about 85,000, federal authorities said. Other countries with more than 20,000 each include Italy, India, England and Germany. Smaller numbers are online in Spain, France, Canada, China and Mexico.

Vixie said most of the victims are probably individual home users, rather than corporations that have technology staffs who routinely check the computers.

FBI officials said they organized an unusual system to avoid any appearance of government intrusion into the Internet or private computers. And while this is the first time the FBI used it, it won't be the last.

"This is the future of what we will be doing," said Eric Strom, a unit chief in the FBI's Cyber Division. "Until there is a change in legal system, both inside and outside the United States, to get up to speed with the cyber problem, we will have to go down these paths, trail-blazing if you will, on these types of investigations."

Now, he said, every time the agency gets near the end of a cyber case, "we get to the point where we say, how are we going to do this, how are we going to clean the system" without creating a bigger mess than before

Under European Union law, Greece cannot leave the euro.

That is the theory. But in practice, any protection the law offers investors could be difficult to enforce, according to lawyers trying to protect their corporate clients against the upheaval sure to follow if Greece defaults on its debts and adopts a new currency. So their advice is blunt: Remove cash and other liquid assets from Greece and prepare to take a short-term hit on any other investments. “My personal view is that it is irrational for anyone, whether a corporation or an individual, to be leaving money in Greek financial institutions, so long as there is a credible prospect of a euro zone exit,” said Ian Clark, a partner in London for White & Case, a global law firm that has a team of 10 attorneys focusing on the issue. Several multinational corporations have already taken the same view. Vodafone, the mobile phone operator, and GlaxoSmithKline, the pharmaceuticals firm, say they are “sweeping” money out of Greece and into British banks each evening. This applies not just to Greece but to most other euro nations, although Glaxo says it still keeps money in Germany. Corporate attorneys say looking to E.U. law provides only approximate guidance on whether Greece could stop using the euro while remaining in the Union. Although the E.U. prides itself on basing decisions on strict interpretation of the legal texts in its governing treaty and other legislation, the rules on euro membership have proved flexible. For example, while all 27 E.U. nations are supposedly obliged to join the single currency, once they meet certain economic criteria, Britain and Denmark were able to negotiate the option of retaining their own currencies. Sweden is one of the nations technically obliged to join the euro, but since a national referendum opposed the idea in 2003, no one has pressed the country to do so. Similarly, while leaving the euro might, legally, mean quitting the union itself, most experts see this as a technicality that can be circumvented as well. “The treaty doesn’t cover the question of what would happen if a country were to leave the euro and return to its previous currency,” said Stephen Weatherill, Jacques Delors Professor of European Law at Oxford University. “In the absence of any provision, there is plenty of space for European governments to concoct a solution, adopt it and for it to be legally enforceable,” he added. “In general, you can do anything you like, so long as you do not breach pre-existing international obligations.” The mechanics of leaving the euro would surely lead Greece to impose so-called capital controls to stem the flight of money from a currency destined to be devalued. Again, such controls look impossible under E.U. law. But Mr. Weatherill thinks that a loophole allowing for the protection of public security could be invoked. Mr. Clark, of White & Case, a global law firm, points to a clause in Article 65 of the treaty that says that the pledge on free movement should not prevent countries from taking measures “which are justified on grounds of public policy or public security.” Mr. Clark and his team serve clients that include financial institutions like BNP Paribas and hedge funds. In February, Andrew Witty, the chief executive of GlaxoSmithKline, said: “We don’t leave any cash in most European countries” except Germany. Tens of millions of pounds flow into accounts in Britain every day, he said. But, apart from trying to ensure that debts are paid promptly and therefore in euros, legal options for companies are limited. Contracts covered by Greek law, particularly for services delivered in Greece, provide little protection against the currency’s being redenominated and devalued — a development regarded as unlikely until recently. “Greece would, through its laws, be able to amend contracts governed by Greek law or to be performed within the territory of Greece,” Mr. Clark said. “It is the governing law and the place of performance of the contract that is most important.” International contracts, which might be covered by English, German or Swiss law, would be more likely to be honored in the designated currency, though in some cases the wording of the legal document may be vague. And even if the law is on their side, companies would find that to extract payment from a Greek company, they would need a judge in Greece to enforce a ruling from a foreign court. “Enforcement of foreign judgments is harder or easier from country to country within the E.U.,” Mr. Clark said. “Greece has always had a reputation of being a difficult place in which to enforce judgments, from a practical perspective.” That means that international trading partners are likely to share in any losses that accompany a Greek exit from the euro. “International businesses that have long-term interests in Greece are going to have to be pragmatic and probably, in the short term, give some dispensation to their Greek counterparties, rather than trying to enforce the terms of contracts that cannot be performed,” Mr. Clark said.

Former Lloyds worker Jessica Harper in £2.5m fraud charge

A former head of security at Lloyds Bank has been charged in connection with an alleged £2.5m fraud. Jessica Harper, 50, of Croydon, south London, is accused of submitting false invoices to claim payments, between September 2008 and December 2011. At the time she was working as head of fraud and security for digital banking and allegedly made false claims totalling £2,463,750. Ms Harper will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 31 May. She has been charged with one count of fraud by abuse of position. The bank, which is now 39.7% state-owned after being bailed out by the government during the financial crisis, refused to comment on the charging of Ms Harper. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said she was arrested on 21 December 2011 by officers from its fraud squad. Andrew Penhale, from the Crown Prosecution Service's Central Fraud Group, said: "The charge relates to an allegation that between 1 September 2008 and 21 December 2011, Jessica Harper dishonestly and with the intention of making a gain for herself, abused her position as an employee of Lloyds Banking Group, in which she was expected to safeguard the financial interests of Lloyds Banking Group, by submitting false invoices to claim payments totalling £2,463,750.88, to which she was not entitled. "This decision to prosecute was taken in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors. "We have determined that there is a realistic prospect of conviction and a prosecution is in the public interest."

Bankia shares are suspended in Madrid

Trading in shares in the Spanish lender Bankia have been suspended in Madrid. The market regulator CNMV said it was "due to circumstances that may affect the normal share trading". Bankia is reported to be due to ask the government for a bailout of more than 15bn euros ($19bn; £12bn) after a board meeting later on Friday. Bankia, which is Spain's fourth-largest bank, was part-nationalised two weeks ago because of its problems with bad property debt. Any extra government money would be on top of the 4.5bn euros in state loans that the government had to convert into shares in the group in the part-nationalisation process. Shares in Bankia's parent company Banco Financiero y de Ahorros (BFA) have also been suspended. Bankia was created in 2010 from the merger of seven struggling regional savings banks. It holds 32bn euros in distressed property assets.

US blacklists sons of Mexico drug lord Joaquin Guzman

The US treasury department has put two sons of Mexico's most wanted man Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman on its drugs kingpin blacklist. The move bars all people in the US from doing business with Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar and Ovidio Guzman Lopez, and freezes any US assets they have. Joaquin Guzman, on the list since 2001, runs the powerful Sinaloa drug cartel. Mexico has seen an explosion of violence in recent years as gangs fight for control of trafficking routes. The US administration "will aggressively target those individuals who facilitate Chapo Guzman's drug trafficking operations, including family members," said Adam Szubin, director of the department's Office of Foreign Assets Control . "With the Mexican government, we are firm in our resolve to dismantle Chapo Guzman's drug trafficking organisation." Ovidio Guzman plays a significant role in his father's drug-trafficking activities, the treasury department said. Ivan Archivaldo Guzman was arrested in 2005 in Mexico on money-laundering charges but subsequently released. As well as the Guzman brothers, two other alleged key cartel members, Noel Salgueiro Nevarez and Ovidio Limon Sanchez, were listed under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act. They were both arrested in Mexico in 2011 and are still in custody. Under the Kingpin Act, US firms, banks and individuals are prevented from doing business with them and any assets the men may have under US jurisdiction are frozen. More than 1,000 companies and individuals linked to 94 drug kingpins have been placed on the blacklist since 2000. Penalties for violating the act range include up to 30 years in prison and fines up to $10m (£6m). The US has offered a reward of up to $5m a for information leading to the arrest of Joaquin Guzman, who escaped from a Mexican prison in 2001.

FBI offers up to $100,000 for info leading to capture of Eduardo Ravelo

Eduardo Ravelo, born on October 13, 1968 was added as the 493rd fugitive to the FBI 10 most wanted list on October 20, 2009. He is originally from Mexico, however he holds permanent residency status in the United States which gives him free movement across the border. An FBI informant and former lieutenant in the Barrio Azteca, a prison gang active in the U.S. and Mexico, testified that Ravelo told him to help find fellow gang members who had stolen from the cartel. In March 2008, he became the leader of the gang shortly after betraying his predecessor, stabbing him several times and shooting him in the neck. (Eduardo Ravelo: Wikipedia) Eduardo Ravelo was indicted in Texas in 2008 for his involvement in racketeering activities, conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, and conspiracy to possess heroin, cocaine and marijuana with the intent to distribute. His alleged criminal activities began in 2003. He is believed to be living in an area of Cuidad Juarez controlled by the Barrio Ravelo, with his wife and children just across the border from El Paso, Texas. He is also said to have bodyguards and armored vehicles to protect him from rival gangs as well as rival cartels.

Brink's Mat the reason that Great Train Robber was shot dead in Marbella

The Brink’s-Mat curse even touched on the Great Train Robbery gang of 1963. One of them, Charlie Wilson, found himself in trouble when £3 million of Brink’s-Mat investors’ money went missing in a drug deal. In April 1990, he paid the price when a young British hood knocked on the front door of his hacienda north of Marbella and shot Wilson and his pet husky dog before coolly riding off down the hill on a yellow bicycle.

British tourist falls to her death from hotel balcony in Magalluf

23 year old British tourist has fallen to her death from the third floor balcony of her hotel in Magalluf, Mallorca. Emergency sources said it happened at 4.25am Saturday morning at the Hotel Teix in Calle Pinada. Local police and emergency health services went to scene. After 20 minutes of an attempt to re-animate her heart, the woman was pronounced dead. Online descriptions for the Hotel say it is the best place to stay of you are looking for non-stop partying, adding it not suitable for families.