Twenty-five brothel owners arrested in police operation

Platinium brothel, Los Cortijillos (Los Barrios)

Establishments in Cádiz, Sevilla, Huelva and Córdoba are closed · Platinium Club in Los Cortijillos is one of them

SEVILLA A network of six brothels located in Andalucía were closed on the instructions of a court in Sevilla. There are 25 people arrested and another 50 on various charges. All of the detained went before the judge, and all made use of their right not to speak. Among them are a former PSOE Councillor of Ayamonte, Huelva, and the president of the Chamber of Commerce there. Most of them have had their ID documents and passports confiscated, so they can't leave the country, and they must report to the court regularly. Charges variously include belonging to a criminal organization, several degrees of crimes related to prostitution, tax evasion, money laundering, against the rights of foreigners, traffic of influence and in human beings.

The best of Córdoba in May

One of last year's winners

If you've never been to Córdoba, May is the month to be there. And if you've been there at any other time of year, May is the best time to visit this ancient city. Aside from the world famous Mosque -a breathtaking experience- and various other fscinating historical spots, the reason to be there this month is the flowers. Spring bursts into bloom with a parade known as La Batalla de las Flores (Battle of the flowers), which launches the Cruz de Mayo (May Crosses) festivals usually during the first week of the month (watch this space for a forthcoming item on them). And that is followed by the Patio Competition, this year held between May 2 and 13, when every courtyard is alive with colour. And this is a preamble to the annual Feria at the end of May. Let's look at the patio competition (and more photos).>>>

No bail for father of missing Córdoba children

CÓRDOBA (Agencies) His children are missing, says José Bretón, who claims Ruth, 6, and José, 2, disappeared when they were all in the play area of a park together and he was distracted. Security footage from October 8 shows Bretón, a former soldier, in the same area, but not his children. In any case, the judge doesn't believe him, so after painstaking searches at his and his parents' homes and properties, Bretón was ordered to prison without bail for alleged illegal detention. At a press conference on the steps of the courthouse, his lawyer José María Sánchez de Puerta, said that he would be filing an appeal against the order because, "He (Bretón) shows clear signs of bipolarism and has attempted suicide twice, once after serving in Bosnia and again later on."

Father of missing Córdoba children arrested

Ruth, 6, and José, 2 (Europa Press)

CÓRDOBA (Agencies) The father of Ruth and José, the brother and sister who have been missing for ten days in Córdoba has been arrested. The National Police announced on Tuesday that they had arrested José Bretón who had claimed the children had vanished when he was walking with them in a local Cruz Conde park last Saturday. The police it seems, do not believe his story. Despite a widespread search which has included divers in the Guadalquivir River and searches in the father's family's homes, there has been no sign of the missing children. The father had collected them on the Friday, the day before their disappearance, from the mother who has been living in Huelva after the couple had decided to separate some 20 days previously. The mother denounced the father for physical abuse on the Sunday after they were reported missing.

The local investigation has been strengthened by the arrival of more scientific police and other agents from Madrid.