Leandro Penna chose love over his life in Argentina

 

Katie Price and Leandro Penna have moved in together in West Sussex with her 3 kids

 

Katie Price is flattered that boyfriendLeandro Penna sacrificed his career in his native Argentina to live with her in England.

The glamour girl and mum-of-three saysLeo, 26, is 'massive' in South America - working as a model and hosting a popular TV programme - so when he fell for Katie earlier this year, he had a major decision to make.

'He was like, "Look, I want to be with you",' says Katie, 33. 'So I said, "Well, I've got kids and my career as well".

'So he made the choice to move to England. He's not doing his presenting any more.

'He gave it all up for me.'

Jordan split from 2nd husband Alex Reid, 35, in January but quickly fell forLeandro at Elton John's Oscars LA afterparty in February.

'People think I've been with so many men,' Katie tells The Sun.

'I think it's because when I break up with someone, they make such a big thing about the next one, that in people's heads it's like, "Oh look, she's moved to the next one".'

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Piers Morgan drawn into hacking scandal Ex-tabloid editor: 'I'm quite happy to be parked in the corner of the tabloid beast and to have to sit here defending all these things I used to get up to'

Former tabloid editor Piers Morgan faced being drawn into the phone-hacking scandal on Wednesday after an interview surfaced during which he appeared to accept that such practices were tolerated on his watch.

Morgan, who edited Rupert Murdoch's now-defunct News of the World in the mid-1990s and went on to edit rival the Daily Mirror, was asked by the BBC's Kirsty Young how he felt about "dealing with people who rake through bins for a living, people who tap people's phones, people who take secret photographs."
Morgan, who replaced interviewer Larry King on CNN in January, began his answer by saying that "not a lot of that went on," but then acknowledged that newspapers he worked for used information obtained by these methods.
"A lot of it was done by third parties rather than the staff themselves. That's not to defend it because obviously you were running the results of their work," he said in an excerpt of the 2009 interview posted on the Daily Telegraph's website on Wednesday. 
"I'm quite happy to be parked in the corner of the tabloid beast and to have to sit here defending all these things I used to get up to. I make no pretense about the stuff we used to do," he said.
Video: Murdoch assesses damage to media empire (on this page)
The phone-hacking scandal at the News of the World has rocked Murdoch's empire, prompting the media baron to close the title, fire top executives and abandon a bid to buy UK broadcaster BSkyB. 
After a reporter and private investigator who worked for the paper were convicted and sent to jail for phone-hacking in 2007, the company said the practices were limited to a single rogue employee.
But more victims emerged and the crisis catapulted to a new level earlier in July when The Guardian newspaper reported that the alleged victims included the families of British troops killed in combat and murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler.
Trinity Mirror, the owner of the Daily Mirror, on Tuesday ordered an investigation into whether journalists there also engaged in phone hacking after a former journalist told The Independent the practice was "endemic" at the paper.

 

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Seven million Brits driving Euro motorists round the bend

AXA, in its annual holiday driving survey, estimates around seven million of us are likely to be driving abroad this summer but research among European neighbours suggests that only one in five Europeans think Brits drive carefully when abroad. And only one in four think Brits who drive in their country actually understand local driving laws.
The biggest area of complaint is confusion at roundabouts and junctions, followed by a tendency to drive too slowly, confusion over which side of the road to use and driving too fast. Data from the insurer shows that two million British motorists have had an accident while driving abroad.

Overall Brits were ranked by their neighbours as seventh best drivers out of 11 European nationalities. Germans were rated the best (with nearly three times more votes than anyone else) and Greeks the worst.

Research among British motorists backs up the suggestion that we don't know our gauche from our droite when it comes to negotiating foreign road rules. When it comes to the most basic requirements of driving abroad, there seems to be a lot of confusion with 27 per cent admitting they don't know whether a GB sticker is needed and a further 21 per cent wrongly say it isn’t.

One in three heading off abroad didn't know whether their insurance would cover them, with two thirds of these making the potentially disastrous assumption that it does.

When asked the meaning of six different European road signs, the average number of correct answers was just 28 per cent. For some signs, such as a Spanish sign indicating overtaking is allowed, the number was as low as 15 per cent.

Additionally, general road rules were not well known, with 40 per cent unaware of the need to carry a reflective jacket and red triangle in France and over half (51 per cent) not knowing the requirement to change beams on headlights for right hand drive countries.

More amusing misunderstandings included a belief by one in four that jumping red lights in Italy was perfectly legal, and 28 per cent thinking beeping a horn on Sunday was illegal in Spain.

Amanda Edwards at AXA says: "While the UK has one of best records for road safety in the world, it seems that when we go on holiday many of us forget to pack our road sense. 

"It really is important if you are driving abroad to understand the local driving laws and stick to them, as well as making sure you drive safely at all times.

"Failure to do so could mean some potentially tragic and expensive holiday souvenirs

 

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Brits abroad caught out by significant ATM fees

According to recent research, British holidaymakers spent over £391 million in ATM withdrawal fees while travelling abroad within the past year.                           


The findings, published by Sainsbury’s, showed that an estimated £14.2 billion was withdrawn by British holidaymakers over the same 12 month period from cash machines in countries such as Spain, U.S.A and Korea.

The average charge for an ATM withdrawal within the Eurozone was found to be approximately £1.67, with some cash points charging up to £2.66.

ATM charges overseas were less common but still expensive, with approximately 3.7 million people admitting to withdrawing a collective total of £2.6 billion on credit cards.

This works out to an approximate average of £726 per person.

While the majority of people would probably accept that charges such as these are inevitable when using credit or debit cards abroad, the actual figures involved are still quite shocking.

Another rather intriguing set of statistics revealed that men are approximately 50% more likely than women to use their credit cards to withdraw cash while overseas.

While fewer women will use overseas ATM machines to withdraw cash though, those that do are likely to withdraw considerably more than men, on average.

David Barrett, Head of Sainsbury’s Travel Money, said “As a nation, we spend a huge amount every year on our holidays.”

Travel money cards are a great solution for those who are worried about fees and charges while travelling abroad.

Regardless of whether you are staying in Europe or going overseas, you can preload money onto a travel money card before you leave.

This guarantees you won’t be subject to the same charges as someone who is withdrawing money using their debit/credit card while travelling.

Transfer Money to the U.S.A

If you are looking to invest in the U.S.A, think carefully about how you will be transferring money to the U.S.A. Foreign currency exchange rates quoted by banks are almost always worse than the exchange rates available through specialist currency dealers.

So if you are sending money to the U.S.A – which you will inevitably have to do if you are looking to make a property investment, be sure to compare the market before you buy your overseas currency.

 

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The Royal Navy has confirmed it is investigating the death of a female officer aboard HMS Edinburgh.

Lieutenant Sara Hellawell, 26, was found dead on 16 June when the destroyer, known as the Fortress of the Sea, was moored in Angola, West Africa.

It is not yet known how the deputy marine engineer officer died.

A spokesman said: "Her next of kin have been informed. The thoughts and sympathies of the Royal Navy are with Sara's family."

Lieutenant Hellawell's body is being repatriated from Cape Town on Wednesday.

HMS Edinburgh left Portsmouth in May for the South Atlantic and is not due to return until the end of the year.

The ship is also due to visit the Cape Verde and Falkland Islands.

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A drug smuggler locked up in Venezuela has been filmed ­bragging about how he’s living it up “in the best jail in the world”.

Paul Makin, 33, is serving an eight-year sentence along with ex-wife Laura after being caught attempting to ­smuggle €1.4million worth of cocaine out of the country.

But while relatives back home believed he was struggling to cope inside the notorious “hell hole” San Antonio jail - in fact he’s living a life of pool parties and barbecues in a place where prisoners do as they please.

In a five-minute clip, filmed on a fellow inmate’s own ­camcorder, burly ex-soldier Makin sports a neat moustache and gelled hair and is dressed in a smart yellow polo shirt.

You can watch the video here


He appears suntanned and relaxed as he brags about life in the once-fearsome jail now run from the inside by a murderous drug lord ­nicknamed El Conejo, The Rabbit.

The prison has four outdoor swimming pools, a nightclub and even special rooms for conjugal ­visits by wives and girlfriends.

As Makin talks, music blares in the background and prisoners flip somersaults into one of the pools.

Inmates can also be seen stroking pet dogs, openly smoking crack cocaine, grilling steaks on a barbecue and having ­massages from women from the neighbouring female section of the jail.

Smiling at the camera, Makin, from Birkenhead, Merseyside, boasts: “It’s the best jail in the world, for me personally. There’s no place like it on the planet.”


He goes on: “And there are enough guns and ammunition in here to start a war. I like guns. I’ve been in the army for 10 years. I’ve played with guns all my life. I’ve seen some guns in here that I’ve never seen in my life. Very nice. Handguns, machine guns, all kinds.”

He then describe The ­Rabbit’s grip on the prison, claiming he was the only one who could keep order.

“The brother is the boss here, the Conejo. He’s the man. People do things wrong every day. You often see people get a baseball bat across their a***. That’s ­because the governor was sick of people having broken limbs.He said you can hit them with a bat but don’t break their limbs.”

Makin was arrested in February, 2009, after persuading ex-wife Laura Webb, also 33, to fly to Venezuela with their four-year-old twins Libi and Luci (and Laura’s children from a previous relationship, Jack, 10, and Megan, eight.

They looked like any normal­ family when they headed for home after their holiday... but when their luggage was searched 20kg of cocaine was found packed into secret compartments sewn into their suitcases.


Makin admitted smuggling but insisted he thought he was carrying diamonds back to Britain for an unnamed Liverpool gangster he claimed was ­threatening him.


Laura denied knowing ­anything about the scam but was also convicted and is serving four years in the same jail. At the time, Jack and Megan’s natural father, Eddie Shirley, 34, spoke exclusively to the Irish Sunday Mirror about how he flew to the country to rescue all four ­children from a Venezuelan ­orphanage and how Makin sobbed as he begged him for forgiveness.

All four children now live with postman Eddie and wife Caroline, 30, at their home in Birkenhead, Wirral. A source close to Makin’s family said: “Seeing him on that video, all cocky and arrogant, hasn’t gone down well. His family think what he did, with those children with him, was beyond the pale and that he deserves to rot. We thought he was having a tough time.

“Seeing what life is like in that prison – and that he thinks it’s great – is hard to take. It makes a mockery of the ­punishment he’s supposed to be getting.”


The cushy regime at the jail was established long before Makin was sent there. With the governor’s ­blessing, The Rabbit and his cronies are now understood to keep order in exchange for “prison perks”. In the video in which Makin appears, inmates can be seen sunbathing in hammocks, a DJ is shown playing tracks in an outdoor nightclub, and a woman is shown lying on a bed in the arms of her inmate lover.

Handguns, laptop computers and mobile phones – all ­belonging to inmates – can also be clearly seen.

Last night another family friend of Makin’s said: “It’s a joke. He should be being punished not living some kind of high life.”

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Andrew was dragged before the British courts, shipped off to a foreign land and held behind bars in one of Europe's worst prisons."

A student from north London who was accused of killing a Welsh roller hockey player in Greece has been cleared of manslaughter, the charity Fair Trials International has said.

Andrew Symeou, 22, from Enfield, was charged with the manslaughter of Jonathan Hiles, from Cardiff, at a nightclub in Zakynthos in July 2007.

Mr Hiles, 18, who fell from a dance podium, died from a brain injury.

Mr Symeou had denied being in the nightclub at the time.

He has been held in Greece since his extradition in July 2009.

'Four year nightmare'
The Londoner was accused of punching the teenager in the face, knocking him out in the process and causing him to fall from the podium.

Fair Trials International said much of the apparent evidence against Mr Symeou, who studied in Bournemouth, was based on details obtained by Greek police officers who intimidated witnesses.

The prosecutor at the court recommended Mr Symeou be acquitted, the charity said, and the jury found him not guilty.


Andrew Symeou denies being in the club at the time of the killing
"There are no winners or losers, only pursuit of the truth," said Mr Symeou in a statement afterwards.

"Today's verdict has only stopped further injustice and a possible gross miscarriage of justice.

"I was not involved in any way in the death of Jonathan Hiles and the court agrees.

"I can finally return home and begin building my life again."

Jago Russell, chief executive of Fair Trials International, said Mr Symeou was subjected to a "four-year nightmare".

"While his friends were free to start their adult lives, Andrew was being dragged before the British courts, shipped off to a foreign land and held behind bars in one of Europe's worst prisons."

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Three British men accused of smuggling more than £2m into Somalia to secure the release of two hijacked ships were each jailed for between 10 and 15 years and fined £9,000

Three British men accused of smuggling more than £2m into Somalia to secure the release of two hijacked ships were each jailed for between 10 and 15 years and fined £9,000, Somali authorities said last night.

Matthew Brown, a pilot, Andrew Oaks and Alex James, from a Nairobi-based security firm, Salama Fikira, were among six foreigners arrested after landing in two unmarked planes at Mogadishu airport last month. Two Kenyans and an American were also jailed.

The Foreign Office said last night it was "aware" of the verdict. "We have impressed upon the transitional federal government the need to ensure the safety and security of the group while legal options are considered," a spokesman said.

The cash is said to have been for the release of two captured vessels, the MV Suez, freed earlier this month with its 22 crew after nearly 10 months in captivity, and the MV Yuan Xiang, also freed this month with 29 crew members after almost seven months in captivity.

Somalia's transitional federal government, which controls only part of the country, opposes ransom payments, believing that it fuels piracy. The country has lacked a functioning central government since 1991.

Last night, a spokesman for Salama Fikira said: "The only thing I would say is: don't believe everything you read." The company is run by former British special forces officers Rob Andrew and Conrad Thorpe.

A UN Office on Drugs and Crime report this month suggested ransoms totalling $112m (£69m) were paid to Somali pirates in 2010, up from $75m in 2009. The average ransom demand rose from $3.4m to $5.4m between 2009 and 2010, with a record $9.5m paid last November for Samho Dream, a South Korean tanker capable of carrying two million barrels of crude oil.

The most high-profile British victims of Somali piracy are Paul and Rachel Chandler, whose yacht was hijacked in October 2009. They spent more than a year in captivity before being released late last year, allegedly after a ransom of around £600,000 was paid.

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Britons will have to pay a new tax on their French holiday homes in a shock move by President Sarkozy, it was announced today.

The tax only applies to foreigners with second homes that are unoccupied all year whether the property is owned personally, through a company or a trust.

Sarkozy is introducing it to help raise revenues and improve his poll ratings.

The new charge was approved after a marathon debate in the National Assembly which ended as dawn broke.

But France's newly-affluent will pay less after it was agreed that no-one should be taxed more than 50 per cent.

Non-resident French homeowners already pay two taxes - one by the person who owns the house and the other paid by those who live in the property.

Under the new proposals, even if homes are only used for a few weeks a year, the French government will estimate the annual rent that could be gained, and then charge 20 per cent tax based on that sum.




If the property is let out for the whole year with a local letting agent, it will be exempt.

French property taxes vary by region, so tax payable on one in the South of France will be different from that in Normandy.

Those on the Riviera are likely to rocket, forcing owners to sell up because the property would become too expensive to run.

Already there is some debate whether the tax discriminates against foreign owners and that it will be challenged in the European courts.

Sarkozy won power in 2007 promising that tax would not rise, but he is under pressure as the April 2012 election looms to fend off Left-wing critics who say he helped a wealthy minority.

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The future of Paris’s notorious gambling clubs, gifted to Corsicans for their role in the Resistance, is under threat after police closed three in a massive sting for suspected links with the mafia.

The future of Paris’s notorious gambling clubs, gifted to Corsicans for their role in the Resistance, is under threat after police closed three in a massive sting for suspected links with the mafia.

Paris's circles de jeu (gambling clubs) long held a reputation as being controlled by Corsican gangsters 
The three closures in the space of three weeks suggest that French police have finally decided to end decades of tolerance towards the controversial venues.
Paris’s circles de jeu (gambling clubs) long held a reputation as being controlled by Corsican gangsters based on the Mediterranean island or in Marseilles and being money-laundering dens.
Glamorised in countless detective novels, they were the subject of epic and bloody disputes between rival mafia clans, notably in the so-called “gambling wars” of the 1970s.
However, in recent years the surviving few were believed to have changed their ways.
Eight were still in operation last month. But on Wednesday, some 200 officers from Paris’s judicial police swooped on Le Cercle Wagram and L’Eldo in the city’s 17th and 3rd arrondissements after a year-long investigation into their owners’ allegedly fraudulent practices.

The following day, a second swoop took place in Corsica, in which thirty suspects were arrested. These included two actors from a TV series called Mafiosa, the clan, shot on the island, and four retired police officers.
Some 800,000 euros (£710,000) in cash was also seized.
Just three weeks earlier, another club, Le Cercle Haussmann, in the 2nd arrondissement was raided and shut and seven people placed under investigation for illegal gambling practices.
After years of relative calm, police believe that the Corsican mafia took renewed interest in the clubs as money-laundering outfits when the venues’ profits started to soar thanks to a recent craze in France for poker, whose ambassadors include French film stars and singers.
Police said rival gangs have been fighting for control of the clubs after a spate of killings in Corsica and Marseilles that has left the long-feared “Brise de Mer” gang fatally weakened.
The first circles opened in Paris in 1907 after casinos were banned from operating within 62 miles of the French capital.
After the war, France let a number of Corsicans run the clubs for services rendered in the Resistance.
They still operate under a 1901 law that deems them “non-profit” organisations whose stated aims are to promote “social, artistic literary and sporting activities”.
Under these archaic rules, they are not required to adhere to strict security measures found in casinos, such as fitting video surveillance cameras over every gaming table — meaning there is no way of keeping tabs on the amounts cashed in.
Today such rules are totally obsolete and the reality is rather different, police said. “We cannot tolerate seeing practices linked to organised crime go on any longer in these places,” an investigator told Le Parisien.
Since 1947, licences can be given or removed by the interior ministry’s special racing and gaming service, SCCJ.
To improve their image, several clubs had started donating to cancer charities and one to a police health insurer.
But the rot started in 2007, when Paris’ famous Cercle Concorde was shut for its shady links to a Corsican mafia gangster based in Marseilles, who owned the restaurant next to the club.
Le Concorde, whose official aims were to “promote the French republican ideal” was closed down in 1987.
But it was reopened in the presence of dozens of celebrities and political figures, including Princess Caroline of Monaco, in 2006 after Nicolas Sarkozy, then interior minister, gave the green light for its rebirth.
A year later, it was shut after investigators found it was being used as “the goose that lays the golden eggs to generate significant clandestine profits by misuse of the till”.
Among Paris’s five remaining circles is the Aviation Club de France, France’s oldest.
The mythical venue on the Champs-Elysées is run by the former head of France’s anti-gangster squad. Charles Pelligrini said that the clubs' “sulphurous reputation” was long well-deserved.

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72 per cent of drivers in Britain admit being under the influence of narcotics while driving, according to a new study

.

Around 35 percent admitted to taking a cannabis joint. Another 15 percent admitted they had taken cocaine. Drugs like ecstasy account for 22 per cent, said the survey by insurer Direct Line.

The insurance firm calculated the estimates from around 1.2 million vehicle users, said the Daily Express.

One in three Britons believe they were in a "fit state" to drive, but five percent admitted to being in an accident.

The firm's Andy Goldby said: "Drug driving is as irresponsible as drink driving. The dangers of drug drivers on our roads are becoming increasingly apparent, with thousands admitting they have been involved in an accident."

The Home Office is now testing a "drugalyser" device to detect narcotic use by drivers.

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THREE Brits were fined yesterday after a drunken mass brawl broke out on a flight to Barbados.

Passengers said punches were thrown when a man in a party drinking at the back of the Virgin Atlantic plane was bumped by a dad caring for his airsick toddler son.

The cabin crew had to break up the fight – and police waiting on the runway as the Boeing 747 landed quizzed 10 people.

Martin King, his wife Zoe, from Coulsdon, South London, and her father Derek Edmond, 76, of Woodhall Spa, Lincs, were fined £2,300 after each admitted a charge of causing a disruption on an aircraft.

They were allowed to leave court and continue their holiday.

But Virgin Atlantic said they were banned from ever using the airline again and they would have to make their own way home.


Police talk to Virgin staff

Holidaymaker James Longley, 34, said: “A group of about 10 at the back were quite drunk and rowdy and there were a few kids running up and down the aisle.

“One little boy started being sick and his dad tried to grab him and accidentally knocked into a couple of the drunk guys. One of them was livid and got the dad in a headlock while his mate jumped in and started punching him in the face. But the dad fought back and ended up knocking the guy out cold.”

The energy consultant, from Market Harborough, Leics, added: “Everyone was shouting and screaming, and ladies were crying. The whole thing was pretty terrifying.”

Fellow passenger Elsa Brandford, 70, said: “It was vicious. There was about five minutes of shouting and before I knew it they were throwing punches and jumping on each other. There were punches going off in all directions.”

Violence broke out two hours into the eight-and-a-half hour Virgin Atlantic VS29 flight from London Gatwick on Thursday.

One member of the cabin crew on the jet, which was carrying 229 passengers, said “she had never been so scared”.

More than a dozen officers from the Royal Barbados Police Force were waiting at Grantley Adams International Airport.

Mrs King, 46, who is believed to have been celebrating her birthday, was seen with her arm in a sling. Her husband, 49, had a black eye.

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Man freed from Peruvian jail over drugs charges

JUSTICE charity said an Oxfordshire grandfather wrongly imprisoned in Peru for drug smuggling was held in “appalling conditions”.

Alan Rae, 40, right, from Faringdon, was in jail for two years and missed the birth of his first grandchild after his travel companion was arrested with 12.3kg of cocaine in his suitcase.

The Oxford Mail broke the news in January 2010 how Mr Rae and Abingdon man Nathan Brandon had been arrested at Lima Airport on drug smuggling charges.

Last year Brandon was sentenced to 12 years and Mr Rae was given 14 following their arrest in April 2009.

But Mr Rae appealed and was cleared of the charges this week.

He could be home in time for his daughter Lorna’s 15th birthday tomorrow and the birth of his second grandchild.

He was helped by legal charity Fair Trials International.

Caseworker Rebecca Shaeffer said: “Alan’s case demonstrates serious problems with the justice system in Peru.

“It took well over a year and a half for it to be heard, he has been held in appalling prison conditions and found it almost impossible to access legal advice.

“Alan has always maintained his innocence – and his co- defendant took full responsibility for the drugs that were found.

“We are delighted that the courts have acquitted Alan of all charges and that he is free to come back home to his family.”

Mr Rae’s partner Lynn Rae said: “This is the best birthday present our daughter has ever had. We can’t wait to get him home.”

Brandon, a former Tesco worker, rang the Oxford Mail last year and admitted attempting to smuggle the drugs, worth £1m, into London.

The former Oxford and Cherwell Valley College student said a gang offered him £10,000 to take the drugs, and Mr Rae was not involved.

 

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UK holidaymakers have been warned to expect higher petrol prices across Europe this summer compared with last year.

According to a study published by the Post Office, higher charges at the pump have been exacerbated by the falling value of the pound on currency markets.

The lowest cost of a litre of unleaded petrol in Europe was in Luxembourg at £1.28, while the highest was in Norway at £1.82.

Spain came in at number two as the second cheapest place to buy petrol with £1.28 a litre, the annual survey continued, ahead of Austria at £1.33 and the UK at £1.36.

Prices rose across the continent, with the biggest increase in the price per litre since last year in Switzerland at 35p.

"The high fuel price increases in Europe mean that UK holidaymakers should plan their routes carefully in advance to cut costs," said the Post Office's Sarah Munro.

"For example, motorists driving through eastern France can save 27p a litre on unleaded petrol or 24p on diesel by detouring into Luxembourg. Similarly motorists can save up to 23p a litre by crossing from Switzerland into Austria."

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brother and sister have died after the small plane they chartered crashed in a remote wooded area in Florida.

Student pilot Carly Beattie, 21, was flying a Cessna 152 with her 24-year-old brother Daniel Beattie when it crashed into trees reaching 50ft in an unpopulated area of Indian River County, much of which is accessible only by boat.

Officials from the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board, who are investigating the crash, are to look into whether the Scot had the necessary qualifications to fly the plane.

Search and rescue authorities were alerted after family members called to say when the plane failed to return from a three-hour flight.

The bodies were found in the early hours of yesterday morning in the wreckage of the 34-year-old aircraft following a six-hour search after officers had tracked a signal from a sibling’s mobile phone.

The area where the plane went down was very remote – we don’t have a single eye witness
It appeared the light aircraft had nose-dived into the trees at the south-west end of Blue Cypress Lake. The fuselage was split in two behind the cockpit and the engine buried in deep mud; one of the wings was wrapped around a tree.

The US Coastguard sent a helicopter capable of lowering an pneumatic extrication device, to workers on the ground so they could prise open the aircraft.

It is understood around 18 firefighters and deputies had to carry the bodies through a quarter of a mile of dense woods and swamp.

“It’s horrible,” said Indian River Sheriff’s Deputy Matt Davis, adding that the site was “extremely difficult to get around”.

Indian River County Sheriff’s spokesman James Harpring said: “It does appear to be a very tragic accident with the loss of life of two young people.

“The area where the plane went down is a very heavily wooded, swampy remote area.

“We don’t have a single eyewitness to the crash, we have not had any reports of anyone even hearing anything – a crash, an engine spluttering, an explosion or anything like that at all.

“The first indication that there was something wrong was when the plane didn’t return as scheduled.”

Ms Beattie, a second-year student studying air transport with commercial pilot training at Buckinghamshire New University in High Wycombe, was living on Merritt Island as part of her degree course.

Her brother and their parents Thomas and Elaine, who are all from the Edinburgh area, were believed to have been on holiday.

The plane is understood to have been registered to Space Coast Aviation, a flight school and flying club, and is thought to have been rented by the brother and sister.

They set off at around 10am on Thursday on a three-hour flight. Police were contacted 10 hours later.

Lieutenant John Mellick, a spokesman for Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, said: “Apparently, Space Coast Aviation has a protocol for overdue planes. After they exhausted all of their scenarios they contacted us.”

As helicopters scoured the area, officers detected the plane’s emergency beacon and then located the wreckage using lights at around 2.49am local time yesterday.

The Cessna was found about a quarter of a mile from the nearest road and in an area of cypress trees and knee-deep mud near the lake in the Blue Cypress Conservation Area.

Mr and Mrs Beattie met with Space Coast Aviation officials yesterday, nine hours after the bodies had been discovered.

Professor Ruth Farwell, Vice Chancellor of Buckinghamshire New University, later said in a statement: “We do not know the precise circumstances of Carly’s death. The authorities are investigating the cause of the accident and no further details will be available until that investigation has progressed.

“Our thoughts are with Carly’s family and friends at this difficult time and we are actively supporting fellow students on the air transport with commercial pilot training course.”

A spokeswoman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: “Our consulate in Orlando are in touch with next of kin and are offering consular support at this extremely difficult time.”

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Mass brawl at 30,000 feet sees 76-year-old passenger arrested over 30-minute fight on Virgin flight to Barbados

British passengers who were allegedly involved in a mid-air brawl on a flight to Barbados being questioned by police on the island


'It was vicious. It was frightening. There were punches going off in all directions'
A man aged 76 and two members of his family were arrested after a ‘vicious’ punch-up on a plane that took cabin crew 30 minutes to break up.

Derek Edmond, his daughter Zoe King and her husband Martin were on a Virgin Atlantic flight from Gatwick to Barbados when a Danish family sitting nearby accused them of being too noisy.

Police said Mrs King, 46, was celebrating her birthday and she and her family had been drinking for much of the eight-hour flight.


Fracas at 30,000ft: Up to 12 people are being questioned by police in Barbados after a fight broke out mid-air on a flight from Gatwick to Barbados

After the Danes complained, other passengers watched in horror as Mr King, 49, and his wife allegedly swapped punches with a family sitting in front of them as flight crew tried to pull them apart.

The pilot radioed ahead for the flight to be met by police and the Kings and Mr Edmond were arrested when it landed at Grantley Adams Airport.



Passenger Elsa Brandford, 70, said: ‘It was unbelievable, it was like something out of a movie. I saw a woman shout, “You swore in front of my child”. She said it about six times, each time louder than the last one. She said, “And it’s my birthday”.

‘I heard more and more voices getting involved. There was about five minutes of shouting while people gathered around and before I knew it they were throwing punches and jumping on each other.

‘Most of the people were standing on their seats while throwing punches.

Island destination: The fight took place among a group of passengers who had been drinking heavily, said witnesses

‘It was vicious. It was frightening. There were punches going off in all directions.

‘But as it went on people came round to try to split them up and about half an hour later they had it under control.’ More than a dozen officers met the plane carrying 280 passengers on Thursday afternoon and ten people, including crew, were taken for questioning.

Mrs King left the plane with her arm in a sling, while her husband had a black eye.

Inspector David Welch, of Barbados police, said: ‘There appeared to be a birthday celebration that got too noisy. A Danish national on the flight complained and the fracas started from there.’

The Kings and Mr Edmond appeared in court yesterday charged with disruptive behaviour on an aircraft. They face two years in prison or a fine if convicted.

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The Chinawhite Club in London has started legal action against the owners of Dreamers discotheque in Puerto Banús, Marbella

The Chinawhite Club in London has started legal action against the owners of Dreamers discotheque in Puerto Banús, Marbella, after the Spanish club opened a new business called ‘Chinawhite by Dreamers’ last Friday.

The trade name ‘Chinawhite’ is registered and protected in the European Union, and the London owners say that want the name removed immediately and they will be demanding compensation for damages. They are also considering legal action under article 274 of the Spanish Penal Code which envisages prison sentences of between six months and two years for trade mark infringement.

They consider that the Puerto Banús club is fooling its clients who think they are visiting a branch of the famous London establishment.

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British Airways launches new route Málaga-London City

There are four flights a week to the UK's capital from this Wednesday


British Airways starts a new route between the Costa del Sol and London from this Wednesday, with four flights a week linking Málaga with London City. EFE reports that they fly on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

The airline doubled the frequency of its flights between Gatwick and Málaga at the end of March and now operates four flights a day, seven days a week

 

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Three Britons on trial for drug smuggling in Baleares

They each face six years in prison in connection with a 3-ton cargo of cannabis recovered from a rented boatA previous haul of cannabis - EFE archive


Three British suspects are on trial at the provincial court in Palma de Mallorca after they were caught three years ago with three tons of cannabis on board a catamaran they had rented in the Baleares capital.

The Baleares newspaper ‘Última Hora’ reported on Wednesday that the boat was intercepted off the Baleares coast in August 2008, when officers said they could clearly see the bales of drugs which were being carried on the deck. They had been under surveillance since the Guardia Civil discovered in a routine check of boats which had been rented in Palma that the rental for the catamaran had been paid in cash.

Each of the suspects, none of whom has been named in reports, faces a possible six years in prison.

It’s understood that the defence has asked for the court order to board and search the boat to be annulled, claiming there was no previous evidence for officers to suspect that drugs were being carried on board.

 

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Primark makes enquiries with City Hall about opening a new store in the centre of Alicante

The company has enquired about the former cinema complex in the Gran Vía shopping centre


La Verdad newspaper has confirmed that the clothing chain Primark has moved ahead with its plans for a new store in Alicante and has asked City Hall for a ‘certificate of compatibility’ on the site which interests the company.

The paper’s previous report on the possibility in December indicated that Primark was interested in the former cinema complex in the Gran Vía shopping centre, which closed in May last year, and that has now been confirmed to be the case. La Verdad said City Hall is expected to answer yes on the viability of the site for the new store as it is classified for commercial use.

Primark opened its first Alicante store, in Elche, last August.

 

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British honeymooners killed with a single shot

British couple honeymooning in the Caribbean were each murdered by a single gunshot to the head during a failed robbery attempt, a court has heard.

Ben and Catherine Mullany were staying at a five-star hotel on the Carribean island of Antigua when intruders broke into their villa in the early hours of July 27, 2008.

Kaniel Martin, 23, and Avie Howell, 20, have finally been brought to trial for the murders as well as the murder, of Jamaican shopkeeper Woneta Anderson Walker, 43, the Telegraph reports.

The accused murderers were found to have the couple's mobile phone hours after the killing.

The island's director of public prosecutions, Anthony Armstrong, said the way the Mullanys were shot ruled out any possibility the attackers were acting in self-defence or that it was an accident.

"The manner in which these three people were killed was almost identical. All three were shot in the head," Mr Armstrong told the court.

"They were shot with a single bullet, no more no less. All three victims were killed using the same firearm."

Paediatrician Mrs Mullany, 31, died instantly after the shooting but her 31-year-old husband was placed on a life support machine before being flown home to Wales' Morriston Hospital in Swansea.

The student physiotherapist was pronounced dead a week later.

 

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Failings 'mean amnesty for asylum-seekers'

More than 160,000 asylum seekers were effectively given an amnesty to stay in Britain following a change in the rules applied by immigration officials, according to an MPs' report published today. It delivers a damning assessment of the UK Border Agency as "not fit for purpose" and unable to check out immigration claims fully.

The agency has been set a target of clearing the historic backlog of 450,000 unresolved asylum cases by this summer. But the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee said it had largely been achieved by allowing long-standing applicants to remain in the country. Guidance was revised to suggest to consider granting leave to remain in the UK to asylum-seekers who had been in Britain for between six and eight years, as opposed to the 10 to 12 years that applied at the start of the backlog-clearing process.

As a result, 161,000 asylum-seekers were granted leave to remain in Britain – "such a large proportion that it amounts in effect to an amnesty," the committee said.

 

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Barclays is considering a move for one of Spain’s ailing regional banks in a multi-billion pound rescue deal.

Chief executive Bob Diamond held talks with the Spanish prime minister in Madrid last week. 

 

They discussed the possibility of state guarantees to protect Barclays from losses on historic loans in the event of any deal.

The talks were not about a particular bank, or caja, but could enable Barclays to identify potential opportunities.

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seven municipalities in Malaga have been denounced by the EU for sewage problems.

The Spanish government is now in the firing line of the European Court of Justice for failing to comply with European legislation on waste water treatment in 38 towns and cities.
Following an initial complaint made in 2008 by the European Commission, Spain has been ordered to pay costs and must now take steps to meet European standards.
According to the EU directive any urbanisation with more than 15,000 inhabitants should have had a treatment system for urban waste water in place by 2001.
Interestingly the ruling comes as Nerja’s long-awaited sewage treatment plant has finally gone to tender.
The licensing of the project to develop the construction plan and to build the plant has been authorised so work can get started.
The news was announced by the Secretary of State for Territorial Cooperation, Gasper Zarrías who said that, while no date had yet been set for work to start, he expected things to move, “very quickly.”

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Environmentalists want the La Montosa Quarry, in the Sierras de Tejeda-Almijara Natural Park, to be returned to its natural state to prevent further damage to the environment.

CAMPAIGNERS fighting the possible expansion of a quarry in a natural park have called for it to be closed down.
Environmentalists want the La Montosa Quarry, in the Sierras de Tejeda-Almijara Natural Park, to be returned to its natural state to prevent further damage to the environment.
The Ecologistas en Accion Group (GENA) have submitted an official complaint about the expansion to the environment department in Granada.
“The quarry is being continually developed without considering the impact on the environment,” GENA president Rafael Yus said.
“Should the regional administration not provide satisfactory solutions we reserve the right to go to the Environmental Prosecutor,” he added.
The contract to manage the site was issued before the area was classified as a natural park.
Aerial photographs suggest the site is nearly four times bigger than it was 10 years ago, expanding from 29,300 square metres in 2000 to 132,700 square metres in 2010.
The quarry has been blamed for the destruction of large areas of woodland, which is vital for preventing soil erosion and providing habitats for native wildlife.
Campaigners also allege that rivers are full of debris from the quarry while mining has also led to social problems in the region.


“It’s a beautiful area and this mining is wreaking havoc,” said local resident Charles Jefferson.
“Unless someone in office puts their foot down it may be too late to save it from being lost forever,” he warned.

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BRITAIN is set to simmer under a two-week heatwave with average temperatures of 29C as a warm blast sweeps in from Europe.

Although forecasters have predicted cooler temperatures this week - we could be set for the hottest May on record with the soaring temperatures to start this weekend.

But while many Brits will celebrate the baking heat, there are fears over the impact it could have on farmers and the environment.

Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman was forced to call an emergency drought summit due to take place later today.

May has already been 2.6C warmer than usual - with an average of 13C in central England - already putting it inside the top six per cent of hottest months since 1659.

Jonathan Powell, senior forecaster at Positive Weather Solutions, said: "This is an astonishing year so far and may well continue to turn up more surprises.

"May is outperforming expectations, as did March and April.

"There will be some rain during the rest of May in the north and west but not nearly enough to stave off drought concerns."

Parts of southern England have already been declared drought risks after the warm weather in April and fears are growing as the heatwave spreads from Europe.

A Met Office spokesman said conditions were expected to become mainly fine and settled from Saturday into next week.

A spokesman said: "It looks mainly dry, although isolated heavy showers are possible from time to time."

"The relatively dry, settled weather shows signs of continuing into June, with daytime and night-time temperatures likely to be above average."

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The lawyer for a woman who says she was sexually assaulted by Dominique Strauss-Kahn nine years ago says she wants to file a legal complaint against the International Monetary Fund chief.

Lawyer David Koubbi says Tristane Banon did not file suit earlier due to "pressures" she face over the alleged 2002 sexual assault by Strauss-Kahn and was dissuaded by her own mother, a regional Socialist official.
The IMF chief — a possible Socialist contender in France's 2012 presidential race — is in custody in New York after being accused of a weekend sexual assault against a hotel maid.
Koubbi told RTL radio Monday he is likely to file suit for Banon now because "she knows she'll be heard and she knows she'll be taken seriously."
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
NEW YORK (AP) — The head of the International Monetary Fund was examined for evidence that could incriminate him in the alleged sexual assault of a hotel maid, charges that stunned the global financial world and upended French presidential politics.
Dominique Strauss-Kahn, a married father of four whose reputation with women earned him the nickname "the great seducer," faced arraignment Monday on charges of attempted rape and criminal sexual contact in the alleged attack on a maid who went into his penthouse suite at a hotel near Times Square to clean it.
Strauss-Kahn was taken into custody on Saturday and spent more than 24 hours inside a Harlem precinct, where police say the maid identified him from a lineup, then headed to a hospital for a "forensic examination" requested by prosecutors to obtain more evidence in the case, defense lawyer William Taylor said. He was taken to a Manhattan court early Monday.
Another defense attorney, Benjamin Brafman, said the IMF managing director "intends to vigorously defends these charges and he denies any wrongdoing."
A member of France's Socialist party, Strauss-Kahn was widely considered the strongest potential challenger next year to President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose political fortunes have been flagging.
Environment Minister Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet lamented the shadow the incident could cast on all of France.
"I'm very surprised to see at what speed in France we rush to political conclusions about a subject that is a serious one. He is accused of very serious acts. We are hardly speaking at all of the alleged victim," she said Monday on Canal-Plus television. In addition to the hotel maid, Koscuisko-Morizet said there is another "clear victim, which is France."
Strauss-Kahn, 62, was nabbed less than four hours after the alleged assault, plucked from first class on a Paris-bound Air France flight that was just about to leave the gate at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
He was alone when he checked into the luxury Sofitel hotel, not far from Times Square, on Friday afternoon, police said. It wasn't clear why he was in New York. The IMF is based in Washington, and he had been due in Germany on Sunday to meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The 32-year-old maid told authorities that when she entered his spacious, $3,000-a-night suite early Saturday afternoon, she thought it was unoccupied. Instead, Strauss-Kahn emerged from the bathroom naked, chased her down a hallway and pulled her into a bedroom, where he sexually assaulted her, New York Police Department spokesman Paul J. Browne said.
The woman told police she fought him off, but then he dragged her into the bathroom, where he forced her to perform oral sex on him and tried to remove her underwear. The woman was able to break free again, escaped the room and told hotel staff what had happened, authorities said.
Strauss-Kahn was gone by the time detectives arrived moments later. He left his cellphone behind. "It looked like he got out of there in a hurry," Browne said.
The NYPD discovered he was at JFK and contacted officials at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the airport. Port Authority police officers arrested him.
The maid was taken by police to a hospital and was treated for minor injuries. Stacy Royal, a spokeswoman for Sofitel, said the hotel's staff was cooperating in the investigation and that the maid "has been a satisfactory employee of the hotel for the past three years."
Strauss-Kahn was arrested on charges of a criminal sex act, attempted rape and unlawful imprisonment. Authorities were looking for any forensic evidence and DNA.
His wife, Anne Sinclair, defended him in a statement to French news agency AFP.
"I do not believe for one second the accusations brought against my husband. I have no doubt his innocence will be established," said Sinclair, a New York-born journalist who hosted a popular weekly TV news broadcast in France in the 1980s and '90s.
The arrest could throw the long-divided Socialists back into disarray about who they could present as Sarkozy's opponent. Even some of his adversaries were stunned.
"It's totally hallucinating. If it is true, this would be a historic moment, but in the negative sense, for French political life," said Dominique Paille, a political rival to Strauss-Kahn on the center right, on BFM television. Still, he urged, "I hope that everyone respects the presumption of innocence. I cannot manage to believe this affair."
Candidates need to announce their intentions this summer to run in fall primary elections.
"If he's cleared, he could return — but if he is let off only after four or five months, he won't be able to run" because the campaign will be too far along, said Jerome Fourquet of the IFOP polling agency.
"I think his political career is over," Philippe Martinat, who wrote a book called "DSK-Sarkozy: The Duel," told The Associated Press. "Behind him he has other affairs ... I don't see very well how he can pick himself back up."
Strauss-Kahn is known as DSK in France, but media there also have dubbed him "the great seducer." His reputation as a charmer of women has not hurt his career in France, where politicians' private lives traditionally come under less scrutiny than in the United States.
In 2008, Strauss-Kahn was briefly investigated over whether he had an improper relationship with a subordinate female employee. The IMF board found his actions "reflected a serious error of judgment" yet deemed the relationship consensual.
But attempted rape charges are far more serious than extramarital flings and could do far more damage to his reputation in France and abroad.
"It's sure that a future president already mired in judicial problems is not well seen by the French," said Patricia Bous, a lab researcher in Paris' Left Bank on Monday.
"It's obvious that this is someone a lot of people were counting on, and because of this all of the cards are being reshuffled. So I don't know what's going to happen, but for me there is a presumption of innocence and we await the proof so we'll see," said university employee Hubert Javaux, also in the Left Bank.
French newspapers all put Strauss-Kahn on their front pages Monday morning, with grim headlines and photos. "DSK Out" read the banner headline on the left-leaning Liberation. "The Doors of the Elysee Are Closing for DSK" read that in Le Soir.
The New York allegations come amid French media reports about Strauss-Kahn's lifestyle, including luxury cars and suits, that some have dubbed a smear campaign. Some French raised suspicions about the sexual assault case as well.
"Perhaps this affair will unravel very quickly, if we learn that there is in the end no serious charge and that what was said by this woman was not true, and we all wish for this," former Socialist Party boss Francois Hollande said on Canal-Plus television. "To commit an act of such seriousness, this does not resemble the man I know."
A former economics professor, Strauss-Kahn served as French industry minister and finance minister in the 1990s, and is credited with preparing France for the adoption of the euro by taming its deficit.
He took over as head of the IMF in November 2007. The 187-nation lending agency provides help in the form of emergency loans for countries facing severe financial problems.
Sarkozy, who did not comment publicly Sunday, had championed Strauss-Kahn to run the IMF. Political strategists saw it as a way for Sarkozy to get a potential challenger far from the French limelight.
Caroline Atkinson, an IMF spokeswoman, issued a statement Sunday that said the agency would have no comment on the New York case. She referred all inquiries to Strauss-Kahn's personal lawyer and said the "IMF remains fully functioning and operational."
The fund's executive board was expected to be briefed on developments related to Strauss-Kahn on Sunday, but the meeting was postponed. John Lipsky, the IMF's first deputy managing director, would lead the organization in an acting capacity in Strauss-Kahn's absence.
Strauss-Kahn was supposed to be meeting in Berlin on Sunday with Merkel about increasing aid to Greece, and then join EU finance ministers in Brussels on Monday and Tuesday. The IMF is responsible for one-third of Greece

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Florida International Bankers Association is organizing a seminar in Spain for top bankers and regulators from both sides of the Atlantic.

Members of the Florida International Bankers Association head to Spain this month to meet with their European and Latin America banking counterparts as well as regulators from both Spain and the United States.

The Spain-U.S. Forum on International Banking, which is being organized by FIBA, will be held in Madrid on May 23. Participants will look at challenges bankers face in an environment shaped by toxic assets, the sovereign debt crisis, and sluggish economic growth as well as discuss opportunities going forward.

Like U.S. banks, many Spanish financial institutions were hit hard when the housing bubble burst and left troubled real estate loans on their books. In Spain, however, the problem wasn’t subprime mortgages or investment in toxic securities, but rather too many real estate loans that soured as the Spanish economy spiraled downward.

South Florida bankers, lawyers and consultants making the trip will take part in what FIBA President Darío Fuentes calls a “public-private dialogue’’ involving regulators from the Federal Reserve and Banco de España, the Spanish Banking Association, and the Latin American Federation of Banks. The Spanish Confederation of Savings Banks also has been invited.

FIBA wants to serve as a bridge connecting European, Latin American and local banking interests, said Fuentes, who is general manager of Caja Mediterráneo’s agency office in Miami.

At least 10 Spanish banks have set up agencies, branches or representative offices in South Florida over the past decade, and some 300 of the 500 major Spanish companies operating in the United States are in Florida. Spanish banks are particularly interested in this region because from a South Florida perch they can keep track of business in the United States as well as in Latin America.

The Florida and Latin American bankers will be getting an update on recent steps Spain has taken to shore up its troubled banking sector, especially its cajas de ahorro, or mutual savings banks, which had been heavily involved in lending to developers.

The government seized two small, insolvent cajas and encouraged others to merge to increase their viability. These mergers have resulted in 45 cajas being whittled down to 17. These merged cajas have formed new banks in which they are shareholders.

Earlier this year, the government issued a decree law that tightened capital requirements for all Spanish financial institutions in a bid to strengthen the financial system and persuade investors that it won’t follow the European bailout route of Ireland.

Under the decree law, Spanish financial institutions will be required to maintain a core capital ratio — a measure of financial strength and a buffer against potential losses — of at least 8 percent, or at least 10 percent if they are more dependent on wholesale markets or haven’t shown the ability to tap capital markets.

Many of the cajas fall into the latter category and the new capital requirements put pressure on them to convert to publicly held companies or seek mergers or new investors.

Financial institutions had to submit their plans for reaching the new core capital requirements to the Banco de España in April. Those that can’t meet the requirements by the end of September will be able to tap into Spain’s bank rescue fund, the FROB — but, in exchange, the government will take a stake in them.

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INSURANCE companies across Spain have estimated that the damage caused to property in Lorca (Murcia) following Wednesday's earthquake – the worst in 55 years –

INSURANCE companies across Spain have estimated that the damage caused  to property in Lorca (Murcia) following Wednesday's earthquake – the worst in 55 years – will complete in the region 70 million euros.

The State-run Insurance Compensation Consortium (the 'Consorcio' is expected to pay the bulk of repair costs in most cases, and some insurance companies will assist their customers with the transactions.

According to minister for the economy, Elena Salgado, the Consorcio has agreed to increase  its deadlines for reporting claims and to open extra hours to help those affected – in abstract, to be as bendy as possible.

Salgado says 'no effort will be spared' in the long and drawn-out quest too 'make Lorca what it used to be' again.

She is currently fine-tuning the details of a new law which came into force on Friday covering housing assistance, compensation for family members of the nine people who perished in the quake, tax and social security benefits and low-interest finance to prevent local commercial addresses from going under as a result of being unable to business commerce.

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Madeleine McCann

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Six local police needed to bring down drunken Briton

32 year old Briton, named as Kenneth P.S. has been arrested after trying to take the gun being carried by a local policeman when in one of the shops in the Starco Commercial Centre in Arona.

The local police say two people approached them with the appearance of being drunk. One of them was very well built and muscular and nearly 1 metre 90 tall, and started shouting at the police in English using the expressions, ‘Fuck the police, ‘Fuck off’, and ‘Bloody Bastard’ among others.

La Opinion de Tenerife reports the police say they tried to ignore the man but then he fell on one of them and reached for the agent’s gun.

Finally a total of six police were needed to contain the individual who remained hostile throughout the whole procedure.

 

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14 workers affected by water leak at Asco nuclear plant

escape of 25,000 litres of radioactive water from the Asco I plant in Tarragona has been described by the CSN, the Nuclear Safety Council as ‘Not an accident’.

14 workers were covered up to their ankles by the water after a valve opened in an ‘unwanted way’. The CSN described it as ‘an inadequate procedure’, and underlined that none of the employees were contaminated above safety levels.

The plant, which was in switched off mode for refuelling at the time, was evacuated so the water could be cleared and the building be decontaminated.

The water which escaped had been in contact with the reactor as part of the cooling system, but did not contain radiating particles because of chemical filtering procedures.

 

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18 year old tourist falls five floors in Salou hotel

18 year old French tourist is in a critical condition in the intensive care unit of the Joan XXIII Hospital in Tarragona, after accidentally falling from the fifth floor balcony of the hotel he was staying at in Salou.

The regional police, Los Mossos d’Esquadra, say the formed part of a group of 500 French tourists, and La Vanguardia reports that he fell into the interior patio of the hotel last Thursday after climbing onto a handrail. It’s thought that he was drunk.

The 18 year old’s injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.

 

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Pheasant Island is found on the border between Spain and France

The River Bidasoa, rising in the Navarra Pyrenees as the río Baztán and running for almost 70 kilometres before it flows into the Cantabrian Sea between the Basque town of Hondarribia and Hendaye in France, is home to one of Europe’s last remaining condominiums.

While the term may, these days, be more closely associated with a type of housing which is mainly found in North America, its meaning in international law refers similarly to joint rights: a territory over which two or more states share sovereignty.

Pheasant Island , Isla de los Faisanes in Spanish, (Île des Faisans, de l’hôpital or de la Conférence in French), lies on the border between Spain and France and is under the joint sovereignty of the two countries. It is administered from Irun, in Spain, and Hendaye, France, for alternating periods of six months.

The island, which, today, is artificially protected from the currents of the Bidasoa, covers an area of 2,000 m2 and has seen numerous important events in its history. The most important was in 1659, when the Treaty of the Pyrenees was signed there to end the Thirty Years’ War. A monolith was later erected in the centre of the island to commemorate the signing of the treaty. The treaty was personally ratified there in June 1660 by Louis XIV of France and Spain’s Felipe IV.
Included as part of the treaty was the marriage contracted between Louis XIV and the Infanta María Teresa of Spain, the daughter of Felipe IV.

It was also here, on Pheasant Island in 1615, that Louis XIV’s parents met, Louis XIII and his Spanish bride, Ana of Austria. Her brother, the future Felipe IV, met his French bride, Louis XIII’s sister, Elisabeth of France, at the same time.

There were other exchanges over the years. Marie Louise d’Orléans was formally handed over to Carlos II of Spain as his future bride in 1679, as was the Infanta Mariana Victoria in 1721 as the intended bride of the young French king, Louis XV. The marriage never went ahead, and the Infanta later became Queen of Portugal as the wife of King José I.

Even further back in history, was a meeting in 1463 between Louis XI and Enrique IV, King of Castilla, and in 1526, Francis I of France, who had been the prisoner of the Spanish since the Battle of Pavia the previous year, was freed on Pheasant Island and exchanged for his two sons, who remained under Spanish arrest for four years.

Under a treaty signed between France and Spain in 1856, sovereignty over Pheasant Island passed to the two countries jointly. They have both exercised their rights to sovereignty for alternating periods of six months since 1901.

 

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Andalucia tourist bosses disappointed by Portuguese toll

The announcement by the Portuguese Government that they are to introduce a toll on the A-22 motorway, known as the Via do Infante has disappointed tourist chiefs in Huelva.

The area is close by motorway to the Algarve, and locals in Spain had been hoping the good weather and the late Easter would see a surge in visitors from Portugal.

The new toll, 77 € for cars and 127 € for lorries, of which 27€ is for the rental of the device, was to come into effect on April 15, but there are now reports of a delay. Also affected are the 300,000 tourists who arrive in Spain via Faro airport.

 

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Italian wolves heading for Barcelona

El País reports that new Mastiff dogs are being trained in Barcelona as part of an initiative designed to stop a new threat of wolves which is affecting Catalan farmers.

Man got rid of all wolves in Cataluña a century ago, but now the animal is bank and killing stock just 40 kilometres from Barcelona. The wild wolves originate in Italy, and it’s taken them just 20 years to cross the Alps and France to reach Spain, arriving in the Catalan Pyrenees ten years ago.

Three different individuals have now been tracked in the area of Sierra del Cadí, but despite that some Mayors still say the wolves are just legend, worried about the state of the second home market in the area. Experts consider however that the wolves will have trouble in expanding further, with only one female located among the 13 animals in Spain.

There are, of course, other areas in the NW and centre of the country where there are large populations of the Iberian Wolf.

 

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Spanish police have published a catalog of high value stolen art and precious objects in the hope of reuniting them with their rightful owners.

Spanish police have published a catalog of high value stolen art and precious objects in the hope of reuniting them with their rightful owners.

Among items retrieved during raids are works by Pablo Picasso, sculpture, rare archaeological objects, watches, coins and medals.

Six Picasso pieces from 1933 entitled "Cardinal Sins" including "Envy" and "Avarice" - each in a silver frame - feature alongside an Etruscan period bronze sculpture estimated by police to be 2,000 years old and jewelry made of gold, diamonds and emeralds.

Other items include Roman coins bearing the garlanded head of Emperor Lucius Septimius Severus and a 17th century tapestry depicting Battle of the Granicus, when Alexander the Great defeated the Persian Empire in 334 B.C.

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Jobless protesters rioted at the offices of state-run phosphate monopoly OCP in the central city of Khouribga, injuring about 10 members of Morocco's security forces, the official MAP news agency said on Tuesday.

Jobless protesters rioted at the offices of state-run phosphate monopoly OCP in the central city of Khouribga, injuring about 10 members of Morocco's security forces, the official MAP news agency said on Tuesday.

Around 100 protesters invaded OCP's administrative offices and damaged the building's facade with stones. They also destroyed 11 vehicles and company documentation, MAP said.

Khouribga is home to the country's biggest phosphate mine.

MAP said several protests have taken place in front of OCP's offices since Feb 21 to demand jobs. Local officials have promised them employment, MAP added.

The riots were led "by some individuals who have no link whatsoever with those (job) demands", MAP said.

A statement from OCP "strongly deplored" the acts.

"Offices, computers and work tools have been ransacked ... The real motives of the troublemakers cannot be justified".

It said registered applicants would be given training courses within few weeks. OCP hired 6,000 people over the past five years, a third of its workforce, and plans to offer 2,000 jobs over the next two years, it added.

Unemployment in Morocco officially stands at around 9 percent, rising to 18 percent among graduates. Independent analysts and opposition parties say the figures are higher.

Morocco is the world's top phosphate reserves holder and a key supplier of fertilisers and phosphoric acid.

Analysts say the country, run by a monarch who advocates reform and an approach to dissent that is tolerant by regional standards, is among the countries least likely to be hit by the wave of unrest sweeping the Arab world.

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Glenn Hoddle appears to have parted company from his youth project team, Jerez Industrial.

Glenn Hoddle appears to have parted company from his youth project team, Jerez Industrial. The project from the ex England international player saw him take over the third division side and place 22 British players in the squad of 24.

The deal was that the Glenn Hoddle Academy took over the club which was about to vanish last Summer, and supplied a loan, reported to be 150,000 €, as well as the players, while the club provided the ground and the facilities set up at Montecastillo near Jerez.

The plan proved successful at least on the field with the team climbing up the league, but it seems that financial matters off the pitch were not so flourishing, and the loan to Hoddle has not been repaid by the local council by the date agreed in the contract.

Last weekend Jerez Industrial were beaten 5-0 by Pozoblanco after the President of Jerez, Juan Manuel Delgado, refused to guarantee accommodation for 12 players offered in a last minute agreement by Hoddle. Hoddle then refused to let the players travel and the side was forced to field the youth squad. Several in the crowd called for the resignation of Delgado.

La Voz Digital newspaper reports that now the youth team and fans of Jerez Industrial will travel to Sotgrande on Thursday to demonstrate outside the house which Glenn Hoddle has in Sotogrande in an attempt to find a solution to the situation.
The local Spanish press claims that the documents originally drawn up for the deal, may not even be legal.

The Glenn Hoddle Academy meanwhile issued a statement on Sunday saying that it is to return to the U.K. to be closer to its principle market for players and developing facilities at Bisham Abbey. He does however leave the door open to returning to Spain in the winter to take advantage of the weather here, provided that they ‘receive guarantees regarding safety and well-being’.

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suspected Islamic terrorist who was arrested in Benitatxell by the Alicante Civil Guard last August has written to Diario Información from prison, claiming that he has no links with any terrorist groups.

A suspected Islamic terrorist who was arrested in Benitatxell by the Alicante Civil Guard last August has written to Diario Información from prison, claiming that he has no links with any terrorist groups.

He is accused as acting as a recruiting agent and helping to send terrorists to areas in conflict via a website, but 26 year old Faical Errai from Morocco says he is just a computer specialist who sold domain names.

He claims in his letter to the newspaper that he has been mistreated and tortured, and threatened with being sent to the United States and would never be able to see his family again.

Errai said he began buying and selling domain names on the Net in 2009 and, as an analyst of web sites, visited many addresses online and only joined chat rooms to meet people from across the world. There are thousands of Islamist sites online, he said, where thousands of people, either through social networks or Arab forums, state their opposition against corrupt governments.

Errai is accused of carrying out his alleged work as a recruiting agent through one particular website with a forum carrying extremist viewpoints and propaganda from different terrorist groups.

He says he is against violence and condemns any terrorist act in any part of the world.

Faical Errai is currently being held in preventive custody in the prison in Villena.

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The Junta de Andalucía’s former councillor for employment, Antonio Fernández, has been told by Instruction Court No. 6 in Sevilla that he is to be called as a suspect in the ERE early retirement scandal which is under investigation in Andalucía.

The Junta de Andalucía’s former councillor for employment, Antonio Fernández, has been told by Instruction Court No. 6 in Sevilla that he is to be called as a suspect in the ERE early retirement scandal which is under investigation in Andalucía.

He has been told to get himself a lawyer, as he will be called for questioning by the court in the near future.

El País reported on Monday that the judge sees evidence of possible misuse of funds, perversion of the course of justice and influence peddling in the procedure for the ERE claims, where beneficiaries have been detected who never worked for the companies in question.

Fernández was councillor for employment between 2004 and 2010 and said on Monday that he is not worried by the news from the court.

‘I did not know of, authorise or approve any of the questions which are now coming to light’, he told the EFE news agency. He says his management of the department in the years while he was there was completely ‘transparent’.

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Spain is the only country in the EU which has nuclear reactors of the same design as those seen in Fukushima in Japan

Spain is the only country in the EU which has nuclear reactors of the same design as those seen in Fukushima in Japan, now seriously affected by the earthquake and tsunami which hit the NE of the country last Friday.

The boiling water design can be found in Spain at Cofrentes, Valencia, and in Santa María de Garoña in Burgos. The former was opened in 1984 but the latter opened in 1971, the same year as the Japanese plant.

The boiling water design came from General Electric in the 50’s and is an alternative to the pressurised water design, and both are considered to be as safe as each other.

The problems in Japan have re-opened the nuclear debate, and in Spain the Government has already extended the life of the Garoña plant to 2013.

Greenpeace has recently criticised safety at the Cofrentes plant, saying it is showing its age, and claiming it is not even needed if the data of the Spanish electricity supply is studied. Greenpeace has accused the plant’s owner, Iberdrola, of putting profit before investment. The ecologists also note that earthquakes upto 5.1 on the Richter scale have been seen in Spain, in provinces where there are nuclear plants.

The Government is expected to make a decision on whether to extend the working life of the Cofrentes plant later this week.

Meanwhile EU leaders meeting in Brussels today will debate how prepared European infrastructure is should there be a massive failure of the power supply, as seen in Japan following the quake.

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The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has condemned Spain for not respecting the rights of ETA activist and ex head of Batasuna, ETA’s outlawed political wing, Arnaldo Otegi, in the case where he referred to King Juan Carlos ‘Chief of the torturers’.

The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has condemned Spain for not respecting the rights of ETA activist and ex head of Batasuna, ETA’s outlawed political wing, Arnaldo Otegi, in the case where he referred to King Juan Carlos ‘Chief of the torturers’.

The Batasuna leader referred to the Monarch during a rally in 2003 as ‘responsible for the torturers’ and was first found not guilty by the Basque High Court but then sentenced on appeal by the Supreme Court, and then the Constitutional Court in Spain to a year in prison for his remarks.

Now Spain finds itself having to pay 20,000 € for moral damage, and 3,000 more for costs, after the Strasbourg considered that punishment to be ‘severe and disproportionate’.

The court noted that the words used by Otegi ‘are not a gratuitous personal attack against the King’s person, nor do they question his private life or personal honour. The expressions used by Otegi referred only to the institutional responsibility of the King, in as much as head and symbol of state, and the forces which, according to him, had tortured those responsible for the Basque newspaper 'Egunkaria'’.

The PP’s spokesperson in Congress, Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, was one of the first to comment on the EU court’s condemnation of Spain – ‘We have no option but to accept it’, she said, adding ‘I do not agree with this ruling and we will analyse its fundamentals’.

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The Catholic Church in Cataluña has started the process to excommunicate a popular priest in the region, Manel Pousa, known popularly as Pare Manel, who helped a young woman to abort.

The Catholic Church in Cataluña has started the process to excommunicate a popular priest in the region, Manel Pousa, known popularly as Pare Manel, who helped a young woman to abort.

The case came to light when the priest spoke about the episode in a recent biography, justifying his actions as being taken to stop the woman bleeding. 

But the Barcelona Archbishopric is not impressed by the story and have opened an investigation following a meeting of the priest with Cardinal Archbishop, Lluís Martínez Sistach, on Monday.

Canon law says that helping a woman to abort is punishable by excommunication, but says that previously an investigation must be carried out to verify the facts.

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Alicante are concerned that the commercial centre planned for the expansion to the Rabasa area of the city, where the new Ikea store is to be built, will increase traffic flow to such an extent that it will bring the city to a standstill.

Businesses in Alicante are concerned that the commercial centre planned for the expansion to the Rabasa area of the city, where the new Ikea store is to be built, will increase traffic flow to such an extent that it will bring the city to a standstill.

The commercial centre will cover an area of 300,000 square metres, and a report from Alicante University estimates that it will mean an eightfold increase in traffic in that area, at one of the main entrances to the city. Diario Información reports that experts in the University’s planning department consider the proposed traffic plan presented by the developer, with four main access routes to the sector, as insufficient.

Alicante’s Partido Popular Mayor, Sonia Castedo’s, response on Tuesday was that the location of the development had been ‘very well thought out’, with the aim of avoiding bringing traffic to a standstill.

She said City Hall technicians will, however, study any arguments presented by local businesses, as is their obligation, and take any steps they see necessary to cause as little effect as possible on current levels of traffic flow.

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Who'll be crowned the king of bling? - Business Analysis & Features, Business - The Independent

Who'll be crowned the king of bling? - Business Analysis & Features, Business - The Independent: "As jewel heists go, this was the Big One – the richest and shiniest ever. Bernard Arnault, the wealthiest man in Europe, and boss of the world's largest luxury goods empire, LVMH, yesterday smashed and grabbed his way to control of the officially 'unsaleable' Italian jewellery company, Bulgari, bauble-maker to the stars. It was, of course, a perfectly legal raid, which could cost LVMH up to €4bn in shares and cash for a company which has been family-owned since 1884.

Mr Arnault, 61, has had a long rivalry with the second largest luxury goods empire in the world – PPR, built by another French self-made billionaire, François Pinault. The capture of Bulgari signals war on a glittering new front against Richemont, the jewel-laden, third largest global luxury goods empire, based in Switzerland and assembled by South African tycoon, Johann Rupert, 60.

The commercial clout of LVMH – with more than 2,500 shops around the world – will be used to challenge Richemont, and especially its leading jewellery brand, Cartier. This will also be a clash in styles between the urbane, arts-loving socialite Mr Arnault and the reclusive Mr Rupert.

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Puritan's witch trial notebook from Tatton Park online

 Puritan's witch trial notebook from Tatton Park online: "A 17th Century notebook describing how women were tried, tortured, convicted and hanged for witchcraft has been published online.

Puritan writer Nehemiah Wallington describes how Witchfinder General Matthew Hopkins found 'a coven of witches' and 19 women were hanged.

Every page of the book, kept at Tatton Park, Cheshire, was photographed by experts from University of Manchester.

The team said they were 'delighted' at being able to preserve the document."

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Duchess Fergie: Sorry for Accepting $24,000 From Pedophile - Celebrity News - UsMagazine.com

Duchess Fergie: Sorry for Accepting $24,000 From Pedophile - Celebrity News -"The Duchess has done it again.

It's another royal flub for Sarah Ferguson.

The disgraced Duchess admitted to taking money from U.S. businessman Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender who spent 13 months in prison for soliciting an underage prostitute in 2008"

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Spain's deputy PM hospitalised in intensive care

 Spain's deputy PM hospitalised in intensive care: "Spain's deputy prime minister, Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba, is in intensive care in hospital with an infection caused by a prostate biopsy which had ruled out cancer, officials said Tuesday.
Rubalcaba, 59, had gone to Madrid's Gregorio Maranon hospital Sunday suffering from a high fever, which he believed was caused by a cold, said a government spokeswoman.
Doctors diagnosed a urinary tract infection caused by a prostate biopsy carried out three days earlier and he was transfered to intensive care on Monday because his fever persisted, said the hospital's head of urology, Doctor Carlos Hernandez Fernandez."

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Chávez bid to mediate Libya conflict dims further with official's indictment

Chávez bid to mediate Libya conflict dims further with official's indictment: "n yet another setback to Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez’s efforts to mediate a peaceful resolution to Libyan hostilities, a Spanish court on Monday indicted a high-ranking Venezuelan official, originally from Spain, as one of the leaders of the terrorist organization ETA.
While the court proceedings are unrelated to unrest in Libya, Mr. Chávez's credentials as a possible peace broker are sure to come more into question as evidence mounts that his government is harboring and protecting international terrorists. Indeed, Chávez has personally ruled out extradition of the alleged terrorist leader.
Oil prices last week dropped on news that Chávez’s plan to form an international commission to mediate between the government and the National Libyan Council was being seriously considered by Libyan government, Arab nations, and other developing countries. There were early American, French, and British objections to Chávez’s involvement.
But hostilities increased in Libya over the weekend, even after Chávez’s plan garnered more support from several of his Latin American allies, including Cuba, Ecuador, and Bolivia. The Arab League also joined a growing diplomatic chorus willing to support a United Nations-imposed no-fly zone, undermining the peace plan even further."

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Spain says intervention in Libya should be "last resort" -

Spain says intervention in Libya should be "last resort"  "The international community should intervene militarily in Libya only as a 'last resort,' Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said Tuesday.
An eventual intervention should be backed by the United Nations, and Spain's possible participation in it must be endorsed by Parliament, Zapatero said.
Media reports had earlier said Madrid was planning to seek Arab and African backing for an eventual military operation. The European Union will hold an emergency summit on Libya on Friday.
Peruvian Foreign Minister Jose Antonio Garcia Belaunde also stressed that an eventual military mission should take place 'within the framework of the United Nations.'
However, there were alternatives to such an operation, such as creating a no-fly zone over Libya or international pressure, Garcia Belaunde said during a visit to Spain."

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Spain's new satellite operator reveals its contents | News | Rapid TV News

Spain's new satellite operator reveals its contents | News | Rapid TV News: "Spain's soon to launch satellite pay-TV operator Starmax HD has revealed its content mix with Discovery World HD, BBC Entertainment and FilmBox debuting on the Hispasat 1E satellite-based platform.
Starmax’s portfolio includes content such as films, documentaries, sports, TV shows and children’s programming, many airing in HD. Starmax HD is also set to present a list of the other partners collaborating with the new pre-paid TV platform to provide audiences quality programming content. These are likely to include NBC Universal, Corus Entertainment, Nelvana and Cookie Jar Entertainment who will jointly distribute the children’s focused channel KidsCo. Eurosport HD, MGM HD, XTRM and many others will also be available from the new pay-TV operator.

Starmax HD will premiere a number of prestigious international channels in Spain, such as Discovery World HD, BBC Entertainment and FilmBox."

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Respects paid to US student who died in Spain

Respects paid to US student who died in Spain: "president of San Diego State University expressed sorrow at the news that a 22-year-old student from his school has been found dead in a river in Spain.

Austin Bice, who was participating in a study abroad program, vanished on Feb. 25 after a night out with friends.

Searchers found Bice's body Tuesday in Madrid's Manzanares River. The cause of death wasn't immediately known.

San Diego State University President Stephen Weber says the entire campus has been stricken by the tragic news.

Students had gathered on campus Monday for a candlelight vigil in support of Bice's family.

Weber extended the university's condolences to the family on Tuesday."

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Bankinter to Raise Capital

Bankinter to Raise Capital - WSJ.com: "Bankinter SA said Tuesday it will issue a three-year, €406 million ($567.5 million) mandatory convertible bond, driving its main capital ratio above the 8% minimum set by the country's central bank earlier this year.

Madrid-based Bankinter, believed to be one of the Spanish banks in more urgent need of fresh capital due to mounting bad loans tied to the property sector, said its core capital ratio will rise to 8.23% after the issue, from 6.92%.

The move comes after Spain's government and central bank said last month that all of the country's banks must have regulatory capital of at least 8% of assets, with some unlisted lenders forced to have capital ratios of no less than 10%. The move is intended to reassure foreign investors that Spain's financial sector will remain solvent despite the fallout from the 2008 real-estate crash, including a surge in bad loans and a rise in funding costs amid a fight for scarce deposits.

'Bankinter is moving fast to adjust to additional capital requirements... but this will come at a cost to net profit due to the high financing cost of this issue,' Banca March analysts said in a research note."

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Barclays 'to close 100 branches' in slump-hit Spain | Business

Barclays 'to close 100 branches' in slump-hit Spain | Business: "Barclays plans to shut more than 100 branches in recession-struck Spain as chief executive Bob Diamond refocuses its business there onto wealthier, more profitable customers.

According to local reports, the move will cut nearly a fifth of the bank's branches in the country.

Barclays is Spain's largest foreign bank with more than 590 branches and 920,000 customers. Diamond said he would cut underperforming businesses unable to deliver decent returns and there would be 'no sacred cows' after Barclays' retail and"

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Brit tourists face holiday hell as Spain's airport workers threaten devastating walkouts

Brit tourists face holiday hell as Spain's airport workers threaten devastating walkouts "British tourists face an Easter holiday nightmare after airport workers in Spain threatened crippling walkouts.

In the latest development of a row over airport privatisation, unions have announced 19 strike days in a move aimed at bringing the country's tourism industry to its knees.

The industrial action has been timed to coincide with the peak travel periods of Easter and summer, with strikes starting on April 20 and continuing into May, June and July."

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Ratings agency downgrades Tunisian debt after new unrest, Spanish premier offers aid

 Ratings agency downgrades Tunisian debt after new unrest, Spanish premier offers aid: "Fragile Tunisia suffered a new blow Wednesday as Fitch Ratings downgraded its credit grade, saying renewed political upheaval worsens prospects for reviving the country's post-revolution economy.
Spain's visiting prime minister offered to help boost the economy and help evacuate the tens of thousands of refugees fleeing into Tunisia from neighbouring Libya, who are straining Tunisian resources at an already uncertain time.
Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero is the first foreign leader to visit since Tunisia's autocratic President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was ousted by a popular uprising in January that sparked revolts across the Arab world.
Tunisia's interim government is struggling to restore stability to a country that had a steady, fast-growing economy and attracted waves of European tourists to its Mediterranean shores.
New deadly clashes between police and protesters broke out last Friday and Saturday, and the prime minister resigned Sunday. Six government ministers have since stepped down.
On Wednesday, Fitch Ratings downgraded Tunisia's credit grade to one notch above junk status. The agency says it has cut its rating on Tunisia to BBB- given the uncertainties over stability and economic policy during the political transition.
Fitch said much of the country's outlook depends on elections expected in July."

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Holiday strikes loom for Spanish over Aena dispute

 - Holiday strikes loom for Spanish over Aena dispute: "Travellers heading to Spain for Easter face chaos after the country's main trade unions announced 22 days of planned strikes.

They including four during Easter week and other walkouts have been called for the May bank holiday, and at the height of summer.

Unions are protesting at the government's partial privatisation of the airport management company.

They argue that this will lead to airport closures and job losses.

Transport Minister Jose Blanco has said the government will meet union officials on Thursday for talks to avert the walkout."

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Peseta comeback?

Peseta comeback?: "love the story in today’s Telegraph explaining that the people of Mugardos in North West Spain are encouraging people to find and spend the defunct peseta in local shops. More than 60 shops on the Galician coast have agreed to accept the currency alongside the euro in an effort to boost trade. The only way to change pesetas for euros in Spain is at the Central Bank and the shops are hoping they will collectively receive sufficient amounts as to be able to contrive an exchange deal. It's early days but apparently people are making their way across Spain to exchange long forgotten hordes of notes and coins.

Firstly, anything that helps the local economy must be good and I wish them well. Secondly, I wonder how much worth of legacy European currencies are still sitting in forgotten boxes etc. right across Europe, a tidy sum no doubt. Who forgot, neglected or couldn't be bothered to change their old notes, who lays claim to sitting on a tidy pile of foreign wonga. Let’s hear from you.

"

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