View from Portugal: Strike adds to plunging confidence - Europe, World - The Independent

View from Portugal: Strike adds to plunging confidence - Europe, World - The Independent: "Tired of paying the price for the country's financial troubles, hundreds of thousands of Portuguese workers walked out on strike yesterday in protest against government plans to raise taxes, freeze pensions and cut public sector salaries. Factories halted production, trains sat idle, schools closed and air traffic was grounded at Lisbon's airport in Portugal's largest general strike for 22 years.
The strike, led by the nation's two major unions, representing 1.5 million people, comes as the Socialist Prime Minister Jose Socrates attempts to restore investor confidence in the country with a second round of deficit-reducing measures. As its bond ratings take a beating, the Portuguese government is trying to escape the fate of Greece and Ireland, where debt crises led to near financial collapse and bailouts. But Portuguese workers fear the austerity measures will fuel unemployment and hurt the poorest sectors of society, who are forced to pay the price for investor jitters."

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Colombian denies Spain money laundering charges - Colombia news | Colombia Reports

Colombian denies Spain money laundering charges - Colombia news | Colombia Reports: "Oscar Fernando Cuevas, a Colombian wanted for extradition to Spain on accusations of money laundering, denies being guilty of the crime, reports W Radio.
Cuevas said that he asked for money from a Spanish bank because he was broke, which 'is not a crime.' He also accused his brother-in-law Juan Pablo Medrano of attempting to kidnap him to make off with the family's money, but Medrano denies these accusations.
Cuevas was arrested in Colombia on November 5 upon the request of Spain. He allegedly fled Colombian authorities and took refuge in the European country in 2001, where he requested political asylum after claiming to be a victim of political persecution. He returned to Bogota in 2004, supposedly after Spanish authorities became suspicious of his activity, and was arrested then by Colombian police."

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Drugs bust at Villaricos Marina |Crime Scene Spain

Drugs bust at Villaricos Marina |Crime Scene Spain: "IN an operation codenamed ‘Desafio’, Guardia Civil from Garrucha and Pulpi arrested two men who were found with more than a tonne of hashish hidden in the false bottom of a speed boat.
The two men, aged 36 and 35, were charged with a crime against public health, and the boat, as well as a 4×4 vehicle and a trailer were seized.
The investigation began in September, when the officers observed at Villaricos Port who the boat was loaded onto the trailer and transported to a safe place.
They set up surveillance and were eventually able to intercept the vehicles when they were entering Pulpi, and searched them.
They found that a false bottom had been made in the boat and 64 packages hidden underneath.
The driver was charged with a crime against public health and arrested on the spot, and the person who brought the boat into port was arrested some time later.
Both have extensive criminal records for crimes against public health, and have been sent to prison on remand.
The investigation is ongoing and the officers have not ruled out further arrests."

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Is the Spanish economy doomed to collapse? | SpanishNews.es

Is the Spanish economy doomed to collapse? | SpanishNews.es: "Spain once enjoyed a booming and flourishing economy with foreigners flocking in from around the globe to get a piece of the action, buying up property like there was no tomorrow. But with the global economic crisis taking its toll on nations around the world, the real estate boom in Spain has come to a grinding halt. Over 1 million homes unsold and sellers desperate to sell dropping prices, with some luxury villa owners even knocking off a million euros from their asking price. Reuters reports: “Spain house prices unlikely to find floor before 2011“, claiming that prices will drop by up to 50 per cent."

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Violent loan shark loses his empire | Costa del Sol | News | The Largest English Language Newspapers in Spain

Euro Weekly News | Violent loan shark loses his empire | Costa del Sol | News | The Largest English Language Newspapers in Spain: "ACCORDING to a report in the Daily Mail, a 40-year-old loan shark who was living the high life in Marbella after ripping off 800 victims in Cheshire will be forced to pay back his illicit gains. The operation was brought to the ground last year and he was jailed for at least seven years for allegedly raping, blackmailing and assaulting his clients over a five-year period, to extort repayments of up to 125 per cent.
In three years, he moved from a modest terraced home to a luxury £1.2million home on a 14-acre estate in Frodsham, Cheshire."

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Keira Knightley left shaken after burglars ransack her £1.3m flat in London | Mail Online

Keira Knightley left shaken after burglars ransack her £1.3m flat in London | Mail Online: "Fiercely private Keira Knightley was left shaken after her London home was ransacked by burglars.
The Atonement star's £1.3million central London flat was broken into by thieves, who went through her belongings and stole two laptops worth £2,000.Detectives are concerned the thieves may try to sell personal contents from the computers."

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