Those blaming Spain's self-governing regions for its problems are mistaken – and pose a threat to the nation's integrity

Castilla-La Mancha, where Don Quixote mistook windmills for evil giants, and the site of a phantom airport planned in the 1990s. Photograph: Victor Fraile/Reuters

A Spanish newspaper suggests that the country's prime minister,Mariano Rajoy, could be as depressed as the economy. It's possible. He barely speaks in public and panics when confronted with a microphone. I diagnose political shell-shock. He seems to have genuinely believed that all he had to do was to proclaim austerity and cheapen lay-offs, and the markets would just turn around and start buying Spanish sovereign bonds at low rates. Like the markets care. Of course, the opposite happened, and we're in deeper trouble than ever. We sold our soul to the devil and now the devil says it is thinking it over. In our place, I thinkFaustus would sue.

Rajoy had insisted that all of Spain's economic troubles were the fault of his predecessor, the Socialist José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. So now what? You can't change horses in a storm, but you can change scapegoats, the politician's favourite pet. Another culprit had to be found, and there we have it: Spain's regions and their "reckless over-expending".

Scapegoats are the product of selective breeding, and this one is a winner. It caters to the dreams of Spain's right wing, which always hated the self-governing regions because of their efficiency in competing with Spanish nationalism. And foreigners, most of whom don't understand how the Spanish devolved system works, easily buy this catch-all explanation. This includes the EU's economy commissioner, Olli Rehn, and most of the international media, lured by the examples of regional profligacy they've been provided: an empty jail in Catalonia, and a deserted airport in Castilla-La Mancha.

The phantom airport of La Mancha is indeed a temptation for irony: a billion-euro project languishing under the scorching sun, where Don Quixote fought his mad battle against windmills he had mistaken for evil giants. But hindsight is a wonderful thing. When the airport was planned in the 1990s, low-cost air travel was thought to be a gold mine. Madrid, a city of 6 million, only has one airport. La Mancha is close to both Madrid and Seville, and in the way of the high-speed train AVE. Few questioned its usefulness back then. If it was controversial it was for being a private venture, and not a public one. Then the air transport crisis struck, followed by the financial crisis. In retrospect, we are all very clever. Once they told him, even Don Quixote saw that the giants he had taken on were actually renewables. As for the jail in Figueres, although a NYT reporter quotes in his piece mysterious unnamed "experts" claiming the prison was "not necessary", nobody has disputed its need; the scandal is that it's not being opened in time, not that it was built at all.

When you have 17 regions, you're likely to find examples of whatever you look for, including mismanagement of funds and even corruption. I have criticised them myself in my own region, many times. The question is how representative they are. Not very, I think.

The origins of the regional deficit are the same as the central deficit: not over-expending but the fall in tax revenue due to the economic slowdown. This is aggravated in the case of the regions because it is the central government that collects most of the taxes, and then decides how much it gives back to them. As a whole, the regions are responsible for less than a third of the total Spanish debt, yet they have to do more than a third of the total public expending. And it's not in jails or airports that they spend most of it, but in healthcare, education and other basic services, which in Spain are fully decentralised.

This explains the concentrated attack on regions: imposing cuts on them is the shortest way to downsize the welfare state. Two scapegoats with one stone, so to speak. Most of the regions are under the control of Rajoy's party, which makes it a lot easier to make them take the blame and the pain.

But it's a dangerous game. When it was put in place at the outset of Spain's democracy, the semi-federal system was not just a matter of practicality, but part of a national pact to prevent the country from breaking up. Put pressure and some regions may bend, but others may break away. We could end up with a much more serious crisis than the financial crisis.

I believe that Spain is close to imploding under austerity and a property bust

Spain has followed the UK back into recession at the same time as a bleak global unemployment prediction was made by the International Labour Organization today.

Spain's National Statistics Institute confirmed the country's economy shrank 0.3 per cent in the first quarter, following an equal contraction at the close of 2011.

'Although the figure is not quite as bad as the forecast of a 0.4 per cent fall, do not get carried away with optimism – I believe that Spain is close to imploding under austerity and a property bust,' said Louise Cooper, markets analyst at BGC Partners.

Pain in Spain: Workers staged a general strike during the last recession in 2010 as the government's austerity measures bit

Spanish Unemployment numbers soar

The number of unemployed in Spain rose by 365,000 in the first quarter to reach a record 5,639,500. It means the unemployment rate has risen by 1.59 points to stand at 24.44% of the active population. The increase comes with the first quarter of Rajoy’s labour reform, and it seems companies and administrations are using the new legislation to reduce costs. 1.7 million families in Spain have all their members out of work, as 153,400 more families found themselves in that situation in the first quarter. It’s 24.7% more than a year ago. 374,000 jobs have been destroyed, half the number forecast for all of 2012. One in every two youngsters aged under 25 is without work. By region, Andalucía is where unemployment is the highest with one in three people of working age on the dole. It’s followed by Canarias with 32.28%. The regions with the lowest unemployment are the Basque Country 13.55% and Navarra, 16.34%. Unemployment among foreigners has risen to 37%, with 67,400 more joining the list in the first quarter taking the number of foreigners out of work to 1,293,100. The numbers come from the EPA, the survey of the active population, published by the Official Statistics Institute.

76 year old pensioner fined 20 € for chaining herself to her bank

Ángeles Belmonte was protesting at being evicted. She now lives in the house as a squatterÁngeles Belmonte - Agency Photo A 76 year old woman, Ángeles Belmote, who chained herself inside her bank branch in Almería for two hours last December to protest at being evicted from her home in Níjar, has now been fined 20 € for refusing to leave despite the requirements of the bank employees. She was finally moved by the National Police. She got into debt after guaranteeing a loan for her son and was finally evicted, but the family are now back home as squatters. One of the sons, known in the local press as ‘the lorry driver with no lorry’, attended the court trying to get company IOU’s owed to him wearing a nappy.

Pensioners will have to make a co-payment at the pharmacy, and then wait for up to six months for a rebate if entitled

 We now have more information on what pensioners will have to do when using the Spanish Health Centre. Pensioners who use any medicaments will have to pay 10% of their costs when they collect them from the pharmacy. The new legislation imposes a monthly limit on what they pay from 8 to 60 € depending on their income, but whatever the income all pensioners will pay 10% and then the administration will calculate the refund which the Ministry of Health has six months to repay. Pensioners on non contributory or minimum pensions continue not having to pay. The co-payment scheme also includes orthopaedics, splints, wheelchair hire, dietetic products and non emergency ambulance transport. Working people currently pay 40% of the cost of medicaments, and under the changes this remains only to those who earn less than 22,000 € a year. Wages up to 100,000 € will see a 50% co-payment, and above that 60% will be charged. The unemployed pay nothing. The new legislation for pensioners see them paying 10% to a maximum of 8 € a month if they earn less than 22,000 €. If they earn up to 100,000 € the limit goes to 18 €, and above that the limit is 60 €. These limits are to be revised each year. Meanwhile, El País highlights the example of an illegal immigrant who arrives at hospital with tuberculosis. A patient with a health card would be sent to a specialist, but the illegal immigrant will be sent on his or her way, even though he is in an infectious state and is likely to spread the infection to others. The paper reports that the Ministry for Health has not resolved this in the legislation. Experts say they are worried about the risks.

Six MacAnthony Realty International directors declare in court in Marbella, including Darragh MacAnthony

Six ex-Directors of MacAnthony Realty International, including Darragh MacAnthony, declared in Instruction Court 4 in Marbella today, after complaints about fraud. Some 40 British and Irish clients say they paid over sums to the company to furnish their properties, but no furniture ever arrived. The complainants ratified their claims to the judge a month ago. They say they have lost between 500,000 and 600,000 € and they were fobbed off with a ‘ghost office’ in Madrid which has as its administrator a 90 year old man with no known profession. It dates back to 2005-2010 when MacAnthony set up in Marbella in the building famous for being the ‘Club Financiero’ of the late Mayor, Jesus Gil y Gil. The other directors to appear with MacAnthony today were Dominic Pickering, Michael John Liggan, Sarah Ocallaghan, Nicola Victoria Shaw, and Fernando Arespacochaga Alcalá del Olmo. First to declare was Darragh MacAnthony who arrived at the court just after 10am. He left some two hours later and decline to make any statement to the press. MacAnthony has since made a de facto closing of the real estate company, emptying its assets without seeking competition, and that could become a corporate crime. Darragh MacAnthony is also Chairman of Peterborough Football Club.

The newly wealthy in Asia think nothing of spending big money on a big boat for prestige and fun but the region’s nascent yachting class may have trouble finding a berth in overcrowded marinas.

 Asia is home to less than 4 percent of the world’s 7,000 superyachts but interest has been taking off for the last five years and many buyers are young, executives from the luxury boat industry said at a conference in Singapore on Wednesday.

“We had a guy turn up a few weeks ago in a Lamborghini and say ‘Look, my friend has just bought the same Lamborghini. What can we do different?’” Simon Turner, the Singapore-based director of yacht brokers Northrop and Johnson, told Reuters.

“So we got some boat brochures and he said ‘I’ll buy one’. It was done in five minutes. That’s a $10 million yacht.”

Yachts berthed at the One Degree 15 Marina Club at Sentosa Cove in Singapore. Reuters

As Western economies sputter, Asia has steamed along with growth and wealth creation. The 2011 Merrill Lynch-Capgemini World Wealth Report showed Asia has 3.3 million people with high net worth, just behind the 3.4 million in North America but ahead of the 3.1 million in Europe.

It is a trend the yacht industry is keen to capture, along with Singapore, which is rebranding itself as a sophisticated haven for the rich with casinos, top shopping and four marinas that can accommodate boats of 25 metres (82 feet) and longer.

This week’s Asia-Pacific Superyacht Conference flows into the Singapore Yacht Show that runs from Friday to Sunday, when the ultra-affluent can peruse some of the world’s largest boats, check out a showcase of supercars, sip champagne in a VIP lounge and enjoy meals by Michelin-starred chef Pascal Aussignac.

The biggest boat in the show, the 57-metre (187-foot) MY Montigne, is also for sale to anyone with a spare $21.8 million.

The three-mast sailing yacht has six en-suite staterooms, a large saloon with a piano and “a state of the art audio-visual system throughout, as well as an extensive watersports toys list,” brokerage Simpson Marine says.

“A DISCO OR A SPA”

Hong Kong remains the biggest market for luxury boats in Asia but Thailand, China, Indonesia and Singapore are growing significantly, Jean-Jacques Lavigne, executive director of the Singapore Superyacht Association, told the conference.

“We are all here in Asia for one reason — to serve the people who are mariners and make a lot of money,” he said. “The big fight is really in production boats, new ones.”

Established boat builders and related firms are too focused on “gloom and doom in Europe” and not really ready for the shift to new markets and young, wealthy Asian buyers, he said.

“You’ve got to sell new stuff and change your way of thinking,” Lavigne told the delegates.

Other challenges for the industry and sailors include overcrowded marinas in Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand, the need for more infrastructure throughout Asia and regulatory uncertainties in countries like China and Indonesia.

“It’s a question of how can we manage the growth and provide facilities. We have a massive shortage of crew and there’s very little training for them out here in Asia,” Turner said.

“Big yachts are owned by entrepreneurs and important business people so if they come to your country with their yacht, they want to see good service, facilities, assistance in a forward-looking country.”

Asians value the same things in a luxury boat as Westerners – privacy, adventure, family time, lifestyle and a place to do business – but to varying degrees and with their own touches.

Space on deck is not that important to Asians, who prefer to spend time inside their boats, said Francesca Ragnetti, trade marketing manager at Italy’s Azimut Benetti Group, which now has offices in Shanghai and Hong Kong.

“They ask for a karaoke room, for a mega-cinema room, things like this that they can enjoy with their friends,” she told Reuters. “And a disco or a spa.”

Spanish king's privileges at risk after hunting gaffe

Hunting was once standard practice for European kings, but in crisis-era Spain, with unprecedented public debt and a quarter of his subjects unemployed, Juan Carlos I finds his privileges in the firing line after a big-game jaunt to Africa. As the government struggles to control the national deficit and avert an international bailout, the 74-year-old king, once widely revered for his role in Spain's transition to democracy, apologized last week for the expensive elephant hunting trip in Botswana.   He had previously given speeches saying he lost sleep over the problem of youth unemployment - sky high at about 50 percent - and that politicians should lead by example in times of austerity. The trip, though paid for by a businessman friend, was the final straw for recession-weary Spaniards already disgusted by allegations the king's son-in-law Inaki Urdangarin had abused his position to embezzle money through a sports charity. The royal household was also embarrassed earlier this month when the king's 13-year-old grandson Felipe Juan Froilan, son of the Infanta Elena, literally shot himself in the foot while using a gun below the legal age. The incidents have sparked unprecedented criticism of the royals in a country where the press has traditionally treated the House of Bourbon with kid gloves, avoiding British-style reporting on their private lives, even when foreign magazines have run stories on the king's alleged lovers. Left-wing party Izquierda Unida, which includes communists, renewed calls for Spain to become a republic, and the leader of the Madrid Socialists, Tomas Gomez, said Juan Carlos should think about handing over to his son Felipe. "Nobody had ever before talked about abdication before," said Charles Powell, a history professor at CEU-San Pablo University in Madrid. "The demand for accountability has never existed before on this scale." "We want the same as in any constitutional monarchy. The king should respond to the people and, if necessary, the constitution must be changed," aid Alfred Bosch, member of parliament from the small leftist party Esquerra Republicana. OUT-OF-TOUCH In response to the unfolding Urdangarin scandal, the royal household recently disclosed details of its income for the first time. But opposition groups in Congress are pressing for the king to divulge more information about his activities under a new transparency law that widens public access to government information. "If it doesn't include the head of state, the transparency law is not a transparency law. That must be clear. A transparency law with opaque zones is antitransparent. We have to outline more precisely what is private for the head of state and what is public. Up until now, everything is private. We've got to end that," said congressman Carlos Martinez Gorriaran of the centre-right UPyD party. Opposition groups in Congress are also pressing the government for more information about the trip, including how much the state paid for the king's security detail. The government has a month to respond. The Botswana trip only became public when the king was flown home for a hip operation after injuring himself in a fall. The royal household said it informed Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy of the trip, but the government has declined to say how much it knew about it. The monarch's accident fast became the talk of social networks such as Twitter, where he was branded a hypocrite and out of touch with a society traumatized by the financial crisis. "They live off of our taxes; they should be more transparent," said Darwin Hernandez, 29, a sales manager who wants the monarchy to continue, but give a lot more information about its activities. Professor Powell thinks legislation may be needed to clarify issues such as the monarch's relations with the prime minister, who writes his speeches, and what happens if the king is too sick to perform duties as head of state. In a poll published by right-leaning newspaper El Mundo at the weekend, 65.3 percent of those polled said the royal household had not released enough information about how the king's accident happened. Some 52.8 percent said they did not think the king's apology could repair the damage done to the crown by his trip. THANKFUL SPANIARDS, FOR NOW Older Spaniards are generally grateful to the king for cementing the country's democracy in its early, fragile days. Right-wing dictator Francisco Franco named Juan Carlos as his successor, but the young monarch helped pave the way for a constitutional monarchy after Franco's death in 1975. When right-wing military officers mounted a coup in February 1981, the king made a television broadcast defending the democracy, which even won him respect from staunch Republicans such as Communist Party leader Santiago Carrillo. Until Urdangarin, the Duke of Palma, came under investigation for corruption and fraud, Spain's royal family was highly popular. The family got a boost when the heir to the throne, Prince Felipe, married popular television news reader Letizia Ortiz at a ceremony watched by millions. "The king's family liked hunting, he hunts and his sons will hunt ... That is not a reason for people to ask for a republic," said Enrique Hernando, 66, a retired engineer. "We are okay with the king, and his heir also seems to know how to do the job." In October, Juan Carlos's approval rating fell below 5 out of 10 in a state-sponsored poll for the first time ever. However, few analysts think the king's fall in popularity will lead to a demand for a republic, since the two main political parties both back the monarchy. "People are questioning whether Felipe might do a better job, but they are not questioning the institution," said Powell. "The monarchy can probably take heart from that. People want the monarchy to be more in tune with the public." But if the monarchy does not respond to that call, it can only add to the ranks of people like Martin Sagrera, a political science writer in his 70s, who waited outside the hospital for Juan Carlos to be discharged with a placard reading, "King, resign!" Wearing a cap with the Spanish flag on it, Sagrera said it was time to abolish the monarchy. "In a democracy, everyone has the same rights and there is no 'blue' blood," he said. "It was understandable in the Transition, in the early days of the democracy, but today it's out of context."

Reopen Madeleine case, police urge

Scotland Yard has urged Portuguese authorities to reopen the search for Madeleine McCann as detectives said there are 195 potential leads to finding her alive. The detective leading the Metropolitan Police review said the case can still be solved before officers released a picture of what she might now look like as a nine-year-old. Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood said he believes her disappearance was a stranger abduction, as he said there are 195 "investigative opportunities". Police refused to say what evidence they had uncovered to suggest Madeleine is alive. Mr Redwood confirmed that his team of more than 30 officers involved in the case had been out to Portugal seven times, including a visit to the family's holiday flat in Praia da Luz. It will be five years ago next week since the three-year-old went missing as her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, dined with friends nearby. A spokesman for the McCanns said the family was pleased with the image. Mr Redwood said his 37 officers had dealt with 40,000 pieces of information but the "primacy still sits in Portugal" in the attempt to find her. Commander Simon Foy said: "Most significantly, the message we want to bring to you is that, on the evidence, there is a possibility that she is alive and we desperately need your help today to appeal directly to the public for information to support our investigation." Mr Redwood said "evidence that she is alive stems from the forensic view of the timeline" that there was the opportunity for her to be taken. Investigations show "there do appear to be gaps", he added. Detectives in Portugal are also understood to want the case reopened but must gain judicial approval via the courts.

Insecure websites to be named and shamed after checks

Companies that do not do enough to keep their websites secure are to be named and shamed to help improve security. The list of good and bad sites will be published regularly by the non-profit Trustworthy Internet Movement (TIM). A survey carried out to launch the group found that more than 52% of sites tested were using versions of security protocols known to be compromised. The group will test websites to see how well they have implemented basic security software. Security fundamentals The group has been set up by security experts and entrepreneurs frustrated by the slow pace of improvements in online safety. "We want to stimulate some initiatives and get something done," said TIM's founder Philippe Courtot, serial entrepreneur and chief executive of security firm Qualys. He has bankrolled the group with his own money. TIM has initially focused on a widely used technology known as the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). Experts recruited to help with the initiative include SSL's inventor Dr Taher Elgamal; "white hat" hacker Moxie Marlinspike who has written extensively about attacking the protocol; and Michael Barrett, chief security officer at Paypal. Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote Everyone is now going to be able to see who has a good grade and who has a bad grade” Philippe Courtot Many websites use SSL to encrypt communications between them and their users. It is used to protect credit card numbers and other valuable data as it travels across the web. "SSL is one of the fundamental parts of the internet," said Mr Courtot. "It's what makes it trustworthy and right now it's not as secure as you think." Compromised certificates TIM plans a two-pronged attack on SSL. The first part would be to run automated tools against websites to test how well they had implemented SSL, said Mr Courtot. "We'll be making it public," he added. "Everyone is now going to be able to see who has a good grade and who has a bad grade." Early tests suggest that about 52% of sites checked ran a version of SSL known to be compromised. Companies who have done a bad job will be encouraged to improve and upgrade their implementations so it gets safer to use those sites. The second part of the initiative concerns the running of the bodies, known as certificate authorities, which guarantee that a website is what it claims to be. TIM said it would work with governments, industry bodies and companies to check that CAs are well run and had not been compromised. "It's a much more complex problem," said Mr Courtot. In 2011, two certificate authorities, DigiNotar and GlobalSign were found to have been compromised. In some cases this meant attackers eavesdropped on what should have been a secure communications channel. Steve Durbin, global vice president of the Information Security Forum which represents security specialists working in large corporations, said many of its members took responsibility for making sure sites were secure. "You cannot just say 'buyer beware'," he said. "That's not good enough anymore. They have a real a duty of care." He said corporations were also increasingly conscious of their reputation for providing safe and secure services to customers. Data breaches, hack attacks and poor security were all likely to hit share prices and could mean they lose customers, he noted.

Anti-depressants likely do more harm than good, study suggests

Commonly prescribed anti-depressants appear to be doing patients more harm than good, say researchers who have published a paper examining the impact of the medications on the entire body. See Also: Health & Medicine Pharmacology Birth Defects Mental Health Research Mind & Brain Depression Disorders and Syndromes Psychiatry Reference COX-2 inhibitor Psychoactive drug Seasonal affective disorder Anti-obesity drug "We need to be much more cautious about the widespread use of these drugs," says Paul Andrews, an evolutionary biologist at McMaster University and lead author of the article, published recently in the online journal Frontiers in Psychology. "It's important because millions of people are prescribed anti-depressants each year, and the conventional wisdom about these drugs is that they're safe and effective." Andrews and his colleagues examined previous patient studies into the effects of anti-depressants and determined that the benefits of most anti-depressants, even taken at their best, compare poorly to the risks, which include premature death in elderly patients. Anti-depressants are designed to relieve the symptoms of depression by increasing the levels of serotonin in the brain, where it regulates mood. The vast majority of serotonin that the body produces, though, is used for other purposes, including digestion, forming blood clots at wound sites, reproduction and development. What the researchers found is that anti-depressants have negative health effects on all processes normally regulated by serotonin. The findings include these elevated risks: developmental problems in infants problems with sexual stimulation and function and sperm development in adults digestive problems such as diarrhea, constipation, indigestion and bloating abnormal bleeding and stroke in the elderly The authors reviewed three recent studies showing that elderly anti-depressant users are more likely to die than non-users, even after taking other important variables into account. The higher death rates indicate that the overall effect of these drugs on the body is more harmful than beneficial. "Serotonin is an ancient chemical. It's intimately regulating many different processes, and when you interfere with these things you can expect, from an evolutionary perspective, that it's going to cause some harm," Andrews says. Millions of people are prescribed anti-depressants every year, and while the conclusions may seem surprising, Andrews says much of the evidence has long been apparent and available. "The thing that's been missing in the debates about anti-depressants is an overall assessment of all these negative effects relative to their potential beneficial effects," he says. "Most of this evidence has been out there for years and nobody has been looking at this basic issue." In previous research, Andrews and his colleagues had questioned the effectiveness of anti-depressants even for their prescribed function, finding that patients were more likely to suffer relapse after going off their medications as their brains worked to re-establish equilibrium. With even the intended function of anti-depressants in question, Andrews says it is important to look critically at their continuing use. "It could change the way we think about such major pharmaceutical drugs," he says. "You've got a minimal benefit, a laundry list of negative effects -- some small, some rare and some not so rare. The issue is: does the list of negative effects outweigh the minimal benefit?"

Madeleine McCann, the British girl who went missing while on holiday in Portugal half a decade ago, could still be alive, Scotland Yard said on Wednesday.

Madeleine McCann as she might look aged 9  Photo: Teri Blythe

Detectives released a new “age progression” image of the toddler, which they said showed what she would look like today at the age of nine.

On Wednesday, Britain’s biggest police force said that as a result of evidence uncovered during a review “they now believe there is a possibility Madeleine is still alive”.

Officers have so far identified nearly 200 new items for investigation within historic material and are also “developing what they believe to be genuinely new material”.

Scotland Yard urged Portuguese authorities to reopen the search for her amid the new "investigative opportunities".

Police said the image, created ahead of what would have been her ninth birthday on May 12, had been created in “close collaboration with the family”.

Dengue Fever Asian Mosquito Could Invade UK

The mosquito can carry dengue and chikungunya viruses

 

A mosquito that spreads tropical diseases including dengue fever may be poised to invade the UK because of climate change.

The Asian tiger mosquito has already been reported in France and Belgium and could be migrating north as winters become warmer and wetter.

Scientists have urged "wide surveillance" for the biting insect across countries of central and northern Europe, including the UK.

The mosquito can carry dengue and chikungunya viruses, both of which cause high fevers. The infections usually occur in tropical regions of Africa, Asia and South America.

Scientists led by Dr Samantha Martin, from the University of Liverpool, used climate models to predict how changing conditions might affect Asian tiger mosquito distribution.

They wrote in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface: "Mosquito climate suitability has significantly increased over the southern UK, northern France, the Benelux, parts of Germany, Italy, Sicily and the Balkan countries."

The research shows that parts of the UK could become hot-spots of Asian tiger mosquito activity between 2030 and 2050.

The mosquito has been introduced into Europe from Asia via goods shipments, mainly used tyres and bamboo.

Climate change is now shifting conditions suitable for the insect from southern Europe to central north-western areas.

The mosquito could survive in water butts and vases, and may find winter protection in greenhouses, said the researchers.

Spanish Health Service ends coverage for certain foreigners from August 31

Irregular immigrants will lose the use of the health service cards on August 31 as the government cracks down on ‘health tourism’. From that date they will only obtain emergency coverage, unless they are pregnant women or children, who will still get full access. EU citizens, those from Switzerland and other states in the European Economic Area are also going to see their health service status changed. Now, in order to obtain a Health Card these Europeans must have a residency card for more than three months, be studying or working, or have sufficient resources for the members of their family, so that they do not become a burden on the Spanish state during their time of residence. A health insurance policy which covers all risks in Spain or being part of a family which accompanies a EU citizen will also be accepted. The Ley de Extranjeria is to be changed to stop family members of legal residents here coming to Spain ‘exclusively’ to receive health care. 2009 figures estimate 700,000 such people used the service in an undue way, costing the Spanish health service 917 million €. There are 2.4 million registered Europeans on the Padron census in Spain, 100,000 fewer that the number of residency permits. Therefore under the changes these Europeans who have residency but have not registered on their local Padron will now have to do so to gain access to Health and Justice services in Spain. The Socialist Leader, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, said ‘The veto by the PP on health tourism hides an exercise of sinister xenophobia. He thinks the Budgets are ‘unjust and desperate’.

British Woman gets attacked by eagle as she walks her dogs

A British woman, Suzanne Dodd, walking her two dogs in the campo of Benalmádena has been attacked by an eagle which she said tried to make off with one of her Jack Russell dogs. La Opinión de Málaga reports the bird dragged the dog to a nearby quarry, and the woman was able to release her pet, although she got a peck on her hand for her trouble. She grabbed a wing of the bird and kicked it until it freed her dog. ‘You are not going to fly with my dog’, she said. It happened at 3-15pm last Saturday, forcing Suzanne to abandon the area. She said the eagle had a lead and bells, and she told the EFE news agency that ‘it did not appear to fear people’. After the attack as Suzanne hurried back towards civilisation, but the eagle harrased her some 20 times as she ran for cover. Suzanne described the experience as ‘surrealist and horrible’, and admitted she panicked. She checked with the vet, but her dog is fine apart from a scratch on his snout.

British woman arrested after hit and run on Gran Canaria

British woman has been arrested after a hit and run accident on Monday afternoon in the south of Gran Canaria. The woman knocked a 57 year old Italian woman off her moped and then drove on. Witnesses took down the number plate of the car and this led to her arrest. Both her and her companion in the car tested positive for alcohol and will appear shortly before the courts in San Bartolomé de Tirajana. She faces charges of carrying out a crime against traffic safety and of failing to provide assistance. The victim is in the Las Palmas Insular Hospital recovering from multiple traumas. She is said to be in a serious but stable condition.

exploding the common myths about which foods are good for us

Myth: Salt in your diet causes high blood pressure

In the 1940s, Walter Kempner, a researcher at Duke University, North Carolina, became famous for using salt restriction to treat people with high blood pressure. Later, studies confirmed that reducing salt could help reduce hypertension. But you don't have to avoid salt entirely, says Sara Stanner, of the Nutrition Society. "Adults need a small amount of sodium in their diet to maintain the body's fluid balance."

Average salt intakes have come down in recent years, mainly due to product reformulation. But it's still the case that many of us consume too much salt – around 9g a day instead of the maximum recommended dose of 6g per day – around 75 per cent of which is in processed foods such as soups, sauces, sandwiches and processed meat.

"People often think it's really bad to add salt into cooking or on to your plate, but that forms no more than 10 per cent of your total intake," says Stanner. "So you can get people who never have salt at their table, but have a very high salt intake, while others put salt on most meals, but have a lower intake."

Myth: Carbohydrates are bad for you

"Carbohydrate-rich foods are an ideal source of energy. They can also provide a lot of fibre and nutrients," says Sara Stanner. "Potatoes, for instance, are one of the best sources of vitamin C, yet potato consumption in the UK has fallen considerably."

One of the main reasons carbohydrates have fallen out of favour is that they are perceived to be fattening. "Foods high in carbohydrates have had a rough time in the past few years, thanks to the success of low-carb diets, such as the Atkins diet," explains Juliette Kellow.

"But there's no proof that carb-rich foods are more likely to make us gain weight than any other food. Ultimately, it's an excess of calories that makes us pile on the pounds – and it really doesn't matter where those extra calories come from. More often than not, it's the fat we add to carbs that boosts the calorie content, such as butter on toast, creamy sauces with pasta and frying potatoes to make chips."

Myth: Dairy products are fattening and unhealthy

In a study by the Curtin University of Technology in Perth, Australia, slimmers on low- calorie diets which included cheese, yoghurt and milk lost more weight than those on low-dairy diets. Those on the diet including dairy also had the least stomach fat, lower blood pressure and a significantly better chance of avoiding heart disease and diabetes.

Dairy products are packed with essential nutrients that help keep us healthy, says Juliette Kellow. "As well as being good sources of protein, zinc and some B vitamins, dairy products are packed with calcium, a mineral that helps to build strong, healthy bones – and the stronger the bones are, the less likely you'll be to suffer from osteoporosis in later life."

There are loads of low-fat versions of dairy, such as skimmed or semi-skimmed milk, low-fat yoghurts and reduced-fat cheeses, she says – and low-fat versions don't mean less calcium. "Skimmed and semi-skimmed milk actually contain slightly more calcium than full-fat milk."

Myth: Red meat is bad for you

Publishing what it called "the most authoritative ever report of bowel cancer risk" last year, the World Cancer Research Fund recommended that people limit their intake of red meat to 500g a week, or just over a pound in weight. The net result of such studies is always the same – people panic.

But 500g is roughly the equivalent of five or six medium portions of roast beef, lamb or pork. "Red meat is a valuable source of minerals and vitamins, particularly iron, and we know that large numbers of women have such low intakes of this nutrient that they're at risk of anaemia. There's no need for people to think, 'I should be eating fish' when they have a steak,' provided they eat it in moderation," says Sarah Schenker.

Another myth about red meat is that it's high in fat, says Juliette Kellow, dietitian and advisor to Weight Loss Resources. "Thanks to modern breeding programmes and new trimming techniques, red meat is now leaner than ever.

Processed meat of all kinds, however, should be avoided.

Myth: Fresh is always better than frozen

Frozen fruit and vegetables can be more healthy than fresh. "Research shows that freezing vegetables such as peas as soon as they're picked – when they are at their nutritional peak – means they retain higher levels of vitamins, particularly vitamin C," says Sarah Schenker. "Once frozen, the deterioration process stops, locking in goodness. The fresh variety often travel long distances and sit on grocery shelves and along the way, heat, air, water and time can lead to a significant loss of nutrients."

Frozen or canned fruits and vegetables can also be as nutritious as fresh ones, if not more so. Again, they are often packaged within hours of being picked, retaining their nutritional value. "Always check salt and sugar levels though by comparing labels," says Sarah Schenker, of the British Dietitic Association. Even dried fruit can be healthier than fresh. "When you eat dried fruit you usually eat more than the fresh equivalent – for instance six dried apricots instead of three fresh ones. This is more calorific but you get a bigger amount of nutrients," says Schenker.

Myth: Soy eases menopausal problems

For years, the fact that Asian women have fewer menopausal symptoms has been attributed to high levels of soy in their diet. Soy products such as tofu contain natural plant oestrogens and there have been increasing claims that these might help women going through the menopause whose own oestrogen levels are dwindling.

But a University of Miami study has found that soy does nothing to abate hot flushes and bone-density loss. In fact, the women given soy appeared to experience more hot flushes than those given a placebo.

Experts including Dr Malcolm Whitehead, a menopause expert at King's College Hospital in London, aren't surprised. "In my clinical experience, women say this doesn't work for them," he says, adding that HRT is a safe and effective treatment for most women.

Others point to previous studies showing that soy can work, but the British Dietetic Association's Sarah Schenker, says, "This research has always been weak. People got excited about those early small studies, but the more research that was done, the more doubts appeared."

Myth: Brown bread is better for you than white

A darker loaf of bread does not necessarily mean it's made with whole grains – it could simply contain caramel colouring or such a small amount of whole wheat that its nutritional benefits are no different to white bread. "The real health benefits come from eating wholemeal bread instead of white," says Sarah Schenker.

Wholemeal is made from flour containing all the goodness of wheat grains. The outer husk has not been removed, so the resulting bread is much richer in fibre, protein and vitamins B1, B2, niacin, B6, folic acid and biotin. Brown bread, in contrast, is made from finely milled wheat, from which the bran has been extracted.

Look for the words "whole grain" or "100% whole wheat" on packaging and ensure the first ingredient listed is whole wheat, oats, whole rye, whole grain corn, barley, quinoa, buckwheat or brown rice. Seeded bread is even better, since it contains even more vitamins, minerals and healthy fats.

Myth: Everyone needs a lot of protein

Protein is essential for growth and development, but experts agree that most people eat far too much of it. "The Department of Health recommends that protein should make up around 10-15 per cent of your daily diet – that's around 55g for men and 45g for women," dietitian Azmina Govindji says. "Yet, according to the British Nutrition Foundation, men are probably munching their way through an average of 88g and women around 64g."

So what's fuelling this notion that we need so much? "Some diets, such as the Atkins diet, advocate speedy weight loss on cutting the carbs and piling on the proteins", Govindji says.

Another contributory factor is that in the past, it was believed nobody could eat too much protein. In the early 1900s, people were told to eat well over 100g a day and in the 1950s, health-conscious people were encouraged to boost their protein intake. But high protein can put a strain on liver and kidneys and other bodily systems.

Donaldson enjoyed a lavish lifestyle in Marbella and Tenerife, trafficking accused found hiding in loft with £70k in cash

 A SUSPECTED drug trafficker was found by police hiding in a farmhouse loft in Scotland with a bag stuffed with £70,000, a Spanish court was told last week. Ian Donaldson, 32, is accused of helping fund an international drugs ring smuggling cocaine and speed from Spain to Scotland The former amateur racing driver – who drove a Lamborghini with the distinctive Lambo 88 plate – was tracked down to the farm by officers from the Scottish Crime and Drugs Enforcement Agency. Donaldson – who enjoyed a lavish lifestyle in Marbella and Tenerife– is one of six Brits facing court in Madrid accused of making millions from the drugs trade. Detective Inspector James Wallace of the SCDEA told the court: “I arrested him on February 27, 2009. He was hiding in a loft area in a farm building. We also found £70,000 hidden in a bag.” Eight SCDEA detectives gave evidence to the National Court in the Spanish capital last week via a video link from Edinburgh. The court heard Scottish police mounted a surveillance operation after Donaldson, from Renton, Dunbartonshire, was released on bail. Detectives watched him in a series of meetings in Glasgow and Hamilton in April 2009, as he tried to hide the origins of his fortune, prosecutors allege. Donaldson met with fellow accused Mary Hendry and Joseph Campbell and was observed discussing large sums of money and swapping paperwork for a nightclub in Gran Canaria. It was alleged they were secretly plotting to make it look like Donaldson had made some of his wealth from the club. Meetings took place at supermarkets in Glasgow and Hamilton and the Mitchell Library in Glasgow. DI Wallace told the court: “We saw he (Donaldson) was creating a defence for the Spanish charges. “I believe they (Hendry and Campbell) were both subservient to Donaldson, who instructed them on what to do.” The detective said Donaldson and his company IRD Services were also investigated for money- laundering in Scotland. He added: “There is evidence he purchased seven vehicles in Scotland, worth up to £900,000, between 2006 and 2008.” Mary Hendry told the court she only met Donaldson twice for legitimate business meetings. She said: “Joseph Campbell introduced me to Ian Donaldson because I was trying to sell my restaurant. “I met him the next day and he said he was not interested. I never saw him again.” It is alleged Donaldson was the money man for a gang of drug smugglers based in Tenerife and Marbella, led by Glaswegian Ronald O’Dea, 45. The gang are alleged to have spent millions on luxury villas, fast cars and yachts. In October 2008, police seized a a haul of amphetamines worth £660,000 heading to Scotland after stopping a lorry in Oxfordshire. Donaldson, Hendry and O’Dea share the dock in Madrid with fellow Scot James MacDonald, 62, and Londoners Steve Brown, 45, and Deborah Learmouth, 49. The gang face charges ranging from drug-trafficking to money-laundering. They deny all charges. Two other defendants – Brian Rawlings and Joseph Campbell – failed to show up at the trial. The judges will give their verdict at a later date.

Wayne Rooney launches phone-hacking claim

Wayne Rooney and England rugby union World Cup winner Matt Dawson are among the new wave of high-profile figures suing Rupert Murdoch's News International over alleged News of the World phone hacking. The England and Manchester United football star, his agent Paul Stretford, Dawson, now a BBC rugby commentator and Question of Sport team captain, actor James Nesbitt and Sir John Major's former daughter-in-law, Emma Noble, are among 46 new phone-hacking cases filed at the high court in London. Times Newspapers, the News International subsidiary that publishes the Times and Sunday Times, is also facing its first civil damages claim, from Northern Ireland human rights campaigner Jane Winter, who is also suing NoW publisher, News Group Newspapers. Winter's claim is related to an article in the Sunday Times in August 2006, her solicitor confirmed. A reference to the article was made in a witness statement she submitted to the Leveson inquiry in February. Winter alleged in evidence to the inquiry that her emails to the former British army intelligence officer Ian Hurst were hacked by NoW. A News International spokeswoman said Winter's case would be "defended vigorously". Others who have filed claims in the past few days seeking damages for alleged invasion of privacy from News Group, the News International subsidiary that published the now-closed Sunday tabloid, include former Conservative cabinet minister and chief whip Lord Blencathra and former Fire Brigades Union general secretary Andy Gilchrist. The list of new claimants also features Michelle Bayford, the former girlfriend of the victim of the 2006 so-called "elephant man" drug trial case. Her then boyfriend, Ryan Wilson, spent three weeks in a coma and lost all his toes and parts of his fingers to gangrene. Another claimant, Anne Colvin, was a witness in the Tommy Sheridan perjury trial. At a case management conference at the high court in London , Hugh Tomlinson QC, representing victims of alleged phone hacking, told Mr Justice Vos that he had 44 new cases filed while two others had submitted their claims via another legal representative. The court also heard that law firm Harbottle & Lewis has a number of "sensitive clients" who wish to remain anonymous. It is expected that up to 200 new claims will be filed over the coming months, Tomlinson told the court in a previous hearing. Claims filed in the past week bring the number of new cases against News International to 46. This figure includes earlier claims filed by public figures including Cherie Booth, Alex Best, the former wife of the late footballer George Best, and Colin Stagg, the man wrongly accused of murdering Rachel Nickell. Others who have filed claims include comedian Bobby Davro, actor Tina Hobley's former husband Steve Wallington, TV personalities Jamie Theakston and Jeff Brazier, the former boxer Chris Eubank, and footballers Peter Crouch, Kieron Dyer and Jermaine Jenas. The cases are part of a second wave of civil actions which Vos is managing following the settlement of more than 50 cases earlier this year including claims by Jude Law, Charlotte Church and Lord Prescott. Tomlinson did not disclose the names of the claimants on Friday, but court documents show that new cases submitted to the high court in the past week bring the number of new actions faced by News International to nearly 50, a number that is expected to rise considerably. Tomlinson told the court that News International had received 100 requests for discovery of preliminary disclosure. He said there were 4,791 potential phone-hacking victims, of which 1,892 had been contacted by the police. The police believed 1,174 were "likely victims". Court 30 in the Rolls Building of the high court was packed, with more than 50 law firms acting for victims. Vos said there were 58 firms of solicitors representing only 100 victims, which he told Tomlinson was "unbelievable". The judge added that he wanted to ensure costs are reduced for claimants. "Many of them have seen the light and have instructed lawyers who have specialist knowledge of this case," said Vos. He suggested possible tariffs of costs for each element of the legal action. This would mean fresh claimants could access to information relating to the News of the World's phone-hacking activity already produced on discovery in earlier cases, without incurring the costs associated with a full action. "I will have no sympathy for outrageous cost estimates," he said. "A claimant is entitled to have a solicitor, but what he is not entitled to have is a solicitor who knows nothing about the case and charges the defendant for that."

Anti-Corruption prosecutors to be strengthened in Málaga

 

The State Attorney General, Eduardo Torres-Dulce, has said that there are plans to designate ‘one or two prosecutors’ more to the specialist Anti-Corruption section in the province of Málaga. He made the comment at an event where Juan Carlos López Caballero took possession as Chief Prosecutor for Málaga, a job which he was sharing with his post as Delegate from the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor, where three prosecutors work. There have been complaints from prosecutors that only 8% of civil servants who work for the administration of justice do so in the prosecutors’ office, a number described as ‘totally insufficient’.

Health Minister announces crackdown on foreigners using the Spanish Health Service

The cabinet on Friday decided to crack down on foreigners using the Spanish Health Service as part of an additional 7 billion € of cuts. They intend to toughen the conditions for inclusion on the Padrón census. Minister for Health, Ana Mato, said ‘We are going to end the abuses committed by some foreigners’. She is going to change the Ley de Extranjería which intends to put a limit to the so-called ‘health tourism’, which has seen family members of foreign residents to come to Spain ‘exclusively’ to receive health attention. Ana Mato insisted that from now it will not be so easy to come to Spain, sign the Padrón census, and obtain a health card, as it has been. ‘Just getting on the Padrón they all had the right to the health card’, said the Minister. ‘Now there will be a series of additional requirements when the Padrón is issued’. She said to guarantee the universality of the Health Service ‘for all the Spaniards’ it was necessary to stop the illegal and undue use which some foreigners have been making of this service. On Thursday the Minister met with the regions and they agreed on a new article which will ‘explicitly prohibit a person moving regions in search of health attention'. The Minister considers these measures will do away with health tourism and save 1 billion €. Ana Mato also said that she was going to revise some international conventions on the matter, given that ‘many’ countries do not repay the money they owe Spain for the health attention given here to their citizens. Among the other measures approved, the end of paying for some medicaments ‘with little therapeutic value’. A list of included medicines accepted nationally is to be prepared. The Minister said ‘We all have to collaborate with those who having a worse time’.

Ryanair threatens surcharge on flights to Spain

 

Millions of its passengers – who have already booked and paid for their flights in full – may now be asked to pay an extra fee upon departure, or be told they are not allowed to board. The airline sent an email to customers this week warning them of the backdated fare. “We may be forced to debit passengers for any government imposed increases in airport charges prior to your travel date,” its message read. “If any such tax, fee or charge is introduced or increased after your reservation has been made you will be obliged to pay it (or any increase) prior to departure”.

Mike Tyson has for the first time revealed his lowest point ever in a searingly candid interview.

Once known as the ‘baddest man on the planet’, his life has taken more than a few dark twists and turns.

But now Mike Tyson has for the first time revealed his lowest point ever in a searingly candid interview.

The former heavyweight champion said that back in 2009 he was in a hotel room with seven prostitutes, a morphine drip in his arm, a pile of cocaine and a bottle of cognac when he began to feel paranoid.

Candid: The former world champion gave his most honest interview yet - revealing the drug-fuelled night that made him turn his life around and get clean and sober

Convinced the women were trying to steal from him he started beating them up and threw them out - to stop them from 'taking his soul'.

 

 Tyson said: ‘That’s when I realised it wasn’t just demons - it was the devil himself.

‘It was the lowest point of a very low life, but it was my own knockout punch to clean up life, get whole, get well - and I haven’t done anything in three years now. 

‘I’m clean. I’m sober.’

Tyson’s recently swapped the boxing ring for the cabaret stage in a six night comedy show at the MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas, where some of his biggest fights took place.

World Champion: Mike Tyson lands the knockout punch to the jaw of challenger Larry Holmes during fourth round of the World Heavyweight Championship in Atlantic City 1988

 

In an interview with Las Vegas Weekly to promote the show, he was asked to talk about the moment he realised he had to turn his life around.

Tyson, 45 said: ‘Laying in bed in a hotel room - I try never to be alone, even if it’s a prostitute, a dog. 

‘This is really dark. I am in my hotel suite, I’ve got seven women there, and I have a morphine drip, and I had my cocaine, and I had my (Viagra like pill) Cialis, I had my marijuana, I had the Hennessy, and I am at my lowest point because I got paranoid and I thought these women were trying to rob me and set me up. 

‘I started beating them. I was in a dark place. There was a purpose, though, because I didn’t want to give them any more of my soul.

‘So this is my devil, this is where I am, I am locked up alone. There is nobody there telling me that I’m doing too much. 

Troubled: Tyson's first marriage to actress Robin Givens fell apart amid allegations of him being violent - he is now married for the third time

 

Mug shot: In 1992 Tyson was jailed for raping Desiree Washington - a beauty pageant contestant - he was released from prison after three years

‘That is the devil, he won. I kicked them all out. So that was my lowest point. Oh, man. I am just very grateful to be here - my heart should have blown apart. I was sweating wide awake. No more cocaine. No more. Three years clean.’

In his turbulent life Tyson has been married three times, fathered eight children and became the youngest heavyweight champion the world has ever seen at just 20.

But fame ruined him and his troubled upbringing - his mother was a prostitute and he never knew his pimp father - came back to haunt him.

In the interview he claimed to have earned $300million in winnings but admitted that he was so bad with money he was ‘forced to live paycheck to paycheck’.

In 1992, three years after his first marriage to actress Robin Givens fell apart, he was jailed for six years for raping Desiree Washington, a contestant in the Miss Black America pageant.

Released having served three years, he fought Evander Holyfield in the fight that became one of the most notorious bouts in boxing history when he bit part of his opponent’s ear off.

Reflecting on his life Tyson told Las Vegas Weekly that he was now the happiest he has ever been, and is just trying to be a good husband to his third wife, and a good father to his children.

Tyson said: ‘In order to wear the crown, you have to have a miserable life, and that is the one that inherits the crown. 

‘I don’t know, you have to go from the worst to reach the best. I’m just that extreme type of person. That is who I am, the guy that has no limits.’

EU condemns Repsol state seizure

 The European Parliament has passed a resolution condemning a nationalisation that has strained relations between Spain and Argentina. Argentina has nationalised YPF, wiping out the Spanish firm Repsol's controlling-stake in the oil firm. The resolution asks the European Commission to consider a "partial suspension" of tariffs that benefit Argentine exports into the EU. Shares in Repsol has another decline, falling 2.3% on Friday. Over the week, Repsol stock has lost almost a fifth of its value. MEPs in the European Parliament said the institution "deplores" the decision taken by Argentina and describes it as an "attack on the exercise of free enterprise". Decisions such as that taken by the Argentine authorities "can put a strain on the climate of understanding and friendship needed to reach" a trade agreement between a South American bloc and the EU, it said. The resolution, which is non-binding, received 458 votes in favour, 71 against and 16 abstentions. 'Not valid' It also emerged that Repsol may be obliged to buy a minority shareholder's YPF stake if it ever lost majority control, which Repsol denied. Twenty-five percent of YPF is owned by Argentina's Eskenazi family through its firm, Peterson. Continue reading the main story Nationalising YPF Spain's Repsol has hitherto owned 57.4% of shares with 25.5% belonging to Argentina's Petersen, 0.02% to the Argentine government and 17% traded on stock exchanges The Argentine government proposes to seize 51% of the shares, all of which will be taken from Repsol's stake, leaving the Spanish firm with 6.4% The expropriated shares will in turn be divided between the Argentine government and provincial governors Following the expropriation, Petersen will retain its 25.5% stake and 17% of the shares will continue to be traded Argentina's risky energy seizure According to regulator filings of a 2008 agreement, Repsol must "maintain directly or indirectly through controlled companies an ownership interest greater than or equal to 50.1%". If it does not, Repsol is obliged to buy back the loans used to secure the Eskenazis' shares. But Repsol told the BBC that the expropriation of its stake in YPF had invalidated the agreement. "The agreement is not valid under Spanish law in these conditions," said Kristian Rix, a Repsol spokesman. "The law is unequivocal, there is no debate." Trade war brewing? Spain has threatened retaliation against Argentina over the forced nationalisation of oil firm YPF, raising the prospects of a trade war between the nations. Spanish Trade Secretary Jaime Garcia Legaz said the European Union would intervene over Argentina's seizure of YPF. Argentina is taking over 51% of YPF, wiping out Repsol's 57.4% majority stake. The move has wide support in Argentina but has provoked outrage in Spain. Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had also offered support. Repsol has said it wants around $10bn (£6.2bn) for its stake in YPF, but Argentina has said it does not accept that valuation. YPF, Argentina's biggest oil company, was privatised in 1993. Last year it announced huge new finds of shale oil and gas.

France and Germany want to suspend the Shengen Agreement

They say they want a temporary suspension while the crisis continues. Spain will being introducing border restrictions during the European Central Bank meeting in Barcelona at the start of May.Angela Merkel and Nicolás Sarkozy - The Interior Ministers of France and Germany have written a joint letter in which they call for the reform of, and ‘temporary suspension’ of the Schengen agreement which allows for the free movement between most member states of the EU. They say the change is necessary ‘to control the massive flow of immigrants’. The call comes just ahead of the 25th anniversary of the treaty this coming Monday, although many countries signed up in March 1995. France and Germany consider that a ‘temporary suspension’ is needed during the crisis, and Paris and Berlin speak of ‘provisional’ closure of frontiers, and only when a country in the Schengen space cannot control the flow of immigrants. They say they will give the details to their European partners at the next conference. Meanwhile Spain has announced the suspension of the Schengen Treaty and the re-establishing of frontier controls with France ahead of the European Central Bank meeting which is to be held in Barcelona on May 3. It has not yet been decided how long the border restriction will remain in place, but say it will allow the authorities to act if there is ‘a serious threat to public order or interior security’. The measure will only affect the frontiers between Spain and France from the Basque Country to Cataluña. Reports indicate that it was the Catalan Government to step up the controls in the face of possible disturbances and the arrival of anti-system protestors from other countries in Europe.

Phone data shows romance 'driven by women'

 

A study of mobile phone calls suggests that women call their spouse more than any other person. That changes as their daughters become old enough to have children, after which they become the most important person in their lives. The study has been published in the journal Scientific Reports. It also shows that men call their spouse most often for the first seven years of their relationship. They then shift their focus to other friends. The results come from an analysis of the texts of mobile phone calls of three million people. According to the study's co-author, Professor Robin Dunbar of Oxford University, UK, the investigation shows that pair-bonding is much more important to women than men. "It's the first really strong evidence that romantic relationships are driven by women," he told BBC News. "It's they who make the decision and once they have made their mind up, they just go for the poor bloke until he keels over and gives in!" But the data shows that women start to switch the preference of their best friend from about the mid-30s, and by the age of 45 a woman of a generation younger becomes the "new best friend", according to Professor Dunbar. Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote Human societies are moving back to a matriarchy” Prof Robin Dunbar Oxford University "What seems to happen is that women push the 'old man' out to become their second best friend, and he gets called much less often and all her attention is focussed on her daughters just at the point at which you are likely to see grandchildren arriving," he says. Prof Dunbar also claims that the findings suggest that human societies are moving away from a patriarchy back to a matriarchy. The aim of the project was to find out how close, intimate relationships vary over a lifetime. This kind of anthropological study is normally very difficult to do because it is hard for researchers to get such a big picture of people's lives. But by looking at an at an extremely large mobile phone database, they were able to track these changes extremely accurately. They had access to the age and sex of the callers, who between them made three billion calls and half a billion texts over a period of seven months. Intensely focussed The team wanted to find out how the gender preference of best friends, as defined by the frequency of the calling, changed over the course of a lifetime and differed between men and women. They found that men tend to choose a woman the same age as themselves - which the researchers presumed to be their girlfriend or wife - as a best friend much later in life than women do, and for a much shorter time. This occurs when they are in their early-30s, possibly during courtship, and stops after seven years or so. Women, however, choose a man of a similar age to be their best friend from the age of 20. He remains for about 15 years, after which time he's replaced by a daughter. The pendulum between the two sexes is swinging back towards women, says Prof Dunbar The researchers say that a woman's social world is intensely focussed a on one individual and will shift as a result of reproductive interests from being the mate to children and grandchildren. According to Prof Dunbar, the data suggests that "at root the important relationships are those between women and not those between men". "Men's relationships are too casual. They often function at a high level in a political sense, of course; but at the end of the day, the structure of society is driven by women, which is exactly what we see in primates," he explains. Many anthropologists argue that most human societies are patriarchal on the basis that in most communities men stay where they are born whereas the wives move. But Professor Dunbar and his colleagues are arguing that this only occurs in agriculturally based societies. "If you look at hunter-gatherers and you look at modern humans in modern post-industrial societies, we are much more matriarchal. It's almost as if the pendulum between the two sexes, power-wise, is swinging (back) as we move away from agriculture toward a knowledge-based economy," he says.

10 things not to say to someone when they're ill

'People really did feel the need to reassure me that my hideousness was plain to see.' Illustration: David McCoy for the Guardian

What no one ever tells you about serious illness is that it places you at the centre of a maelstrom of concerned attention from family and friends. Of course it does. That's one of the nice things. It's actually the only nice thing. But it's also a rather tricky challenge, at a time when you may feel – just slightly – that you have enough on your plate. Suddenly, on top of everything else, you are required to manage the emotional requirements of all those who are dear to you, and also, weirdly, one or two people who you don't see from one year to the next, but who suddenly decide that they really have to be at your bedside, doling out homilies, 24 hours a day. It's lovely to hear from people when you're ill. But it's also lovely when they add: "No need to reply." The biggest shock, when I was diagnosed with cancer the summer before last, was quickly observing that people can be quite competitive in their determination to "be there for you", and occasionally unable to hide their chagrin when some other chum has been awarded a particularly sensitive role at a particularly sensitive medical consultation. Nobody means to be intrusive or irritating. It's all done with the finest intentions. But, God, it's a pain. Yet by not saying 10 simple things, you too, can be the friend in need that you want to be.

1 "I feel so sorry for you"

It's amazing, the number of people who imagine that it feels just great to be the object of pity. Don't even say "I feel so sorry for you" with your eyes. One of my friends was just brilliant at mimicking the doleful-puppy-poor-you gaze, and when I had been subjected to a sustained bout of it, I used to crawl over to the local pub for lunch with him, just so that he could make me laugh by doing it. Don't say "I feel so sorry for you" with your hand either. When someone patted my thigh, or silently rested their paw on it, often employing the exasperating form of cranial communication known as "sidehead" at the same time, I actually wanted to deck them. Do say: "I so wish you didn't have to go through this ghastly time." That acknowledges that you are still a sentient being, an active participant in your own drama, not just, all of a sudden, A Helpless Victim.

2 "If anyone can beat this, it's you"

Funnily enough, it's not comforting to be told that you have to go into battle with your disease, like some kind of medieval knight on a romantic quest. Submitting to medical science, in the hope of a cure, is just that – a submission. The idea that illness is a character test, with recovery as a reward for the valiant, is glib to the point of insult. Do say: "My mum had this 20 years ago, and she's in Bengal now, travelling with an acrobatic circus." (Though not if that isn't true.)

3 "You're looking well"

One doesn't want to be told that one's privations are invisible to the naked eye. Anyway, one is never too ill to look in a mirror, and see a great big moon-face, bloated with steroids and sporting the bright red panda eyes that are triggered by that most aggressive and efficient of breast-cancer drugs, Docetaxel. I knew I looked like death warmed up, not least because I felt like death warmed up. Nobody wants to be patronised with ridiculous lies. They are embarrassing for both speaker and listener. If your sick pal wants to discuss her appearance, she'll ask you what you reckon. It'll be a leading question, so take your cue from her.

4 "You're looking terrible"

 

I know it sounds improbable. But people really did feel the need to reassure me that my hideousness was plain to see. One person told me that while I'd put on a lot of weight, I'd of course be able to go on a diet as soon as I was better. I wouldn't have minded quite so much, if she hadn't arrived bearing a giant mound of snacks and cakes, a great, indiscriminate pile of stuff that suggested she'd been awarded four minutes in Whole Foods by Dale Winton, in a nightmarish haute-bourgeois version of Supermarket Sweep. And, in fact, I haven't gone on a diet. Somehow, being a size 10 doesn't seem tremendously importantany longer. On the other hand, when I said: "Don't I look monstrous?" I was asking people to help me to laugh at myself – which many did – and to tell me that this too would pass. One of my friends took photographs of me, behind a curtain in the hospital, looking comically interfered with by surgeons, and festooned with tubes and drains full of bloody fluid. We laughed so much that I probably came nearer to death right then than at any other point.

5 "Let me know the results"

 

Oddly, one doesn't particularly want to feel obliged to hit the social networks the moment one returns from long, complicated, stressful and invasive tests, which ultimately delivered news you simply didn't want to hear. Of course, this request is made because people are worried. But, a bit of worry is easier to bear than the process of coming to terms with news that confirms another round of debilitating, soul-crushing treatment. If people do want to talk about such matters, they really need to be allowed some control over when, how and to whom. Contacting their very nearest and dearest instead is fine, as is volunteering to spread the bad tidings to others who are also anxious.

6 "Whatever I can do to help"

Apart from anything else, it's boring. Everybody says it, even though your assumption tends to be that people do want to help, of course. That doesn't mean that help should not be offered. But "Can I pick the children up from school on Tuesdays?" or "Can I come round with a fish pie and a Mad Men box set?" is greatly preferable to: "Can I saddle you with the further responsibility of thinking up a task for me?" If you do happen to be on the receiving end of "whatever I can do to help", be shameless. Delegate with steely and ruthless intent.

7 "Oh, no, your worries are unfounded"

Especially when those worries are extremely founded indeed. Like a lot of women, when I was first diagnosed, I was disproportionately focused on the prospect of losing my hair. One friend, every time I tried to discuss this with her, would assert – baselessly – that this wasn't as likely to happen as it used to be. Actually, it's still very likely, and indeed it came to pass. But the crucial thing was this: I didn't want to talk about how pointless it was to be fearful. I wanted to talk about how sorely I dreaded the day when I was bald. When people want to talk about their fears, they want to talk about their fears, not to be told, quite blatantly, that their fears are imaginary. Even when they are imaginary, there are more subtle ways of offering assurance than blank rebuttal. Usually, an ill person brings something up because they feel a need to discuss it. Denying them that need is a bit brutal.

8 "What does chemotherapy [for example] feel like?"

 

It is staggering, the number of people who find it impossible to restrain their curiosity. Swaths of folk appear to imagine that exactly what you need, in your vulnerability, is a long and technical Q&A during which you furnish them with exhaustive detail pertaining to the most shit thing that's ever happened to your body in your life. If someone wants to talk about their procedures or their symptoms, they will. If you have to ask questions, that's prima facie evidence that this is not what they'd discuss, if only they could be gifted with just a smidgeon of control over the conversational initiative. Again, the golden rule is: take your lead from the person undergoing the experience. I tended to want my mind taken off all that stuff, and have a nice chat about nice things. One of my friends, asked by another what she had been up to lately, found herself saying she'd had a great time visiting Deborah in hospital after her mastectomy. It had indeed been a lively visit. Eight lovely people had turned up all at once, and it had been quite the rambunctious gathering. When she told me that it had been an absurd social highlight for her, I felt fantastically proud.

9 "I really must see you"

Don't say it, particularly, if you are then going to indulge in some long and complicated series of exchanges about your own busy life and the tremendous difficulty you have in finding an actual window, even though this appointment is so awfully important to you. At one point, I was sitting in a chemotherapy suite, large and painful cannula in the back of my hand, pecking out texts to somebody who had to sort something out this week, and wouldn't take "Let's do this later" for an answer. When I reluctantly picked a particular time from the list she had bossily pinged over, she replied that she'd have to bring her toddler son with her if itreally had to be then. I knew I couldn't handle a tiny visitor (and wasn't sure about the ability of the tiny visitor to handle it either), so we then arranged something else. A few days later, at the very time of predicted childcare crisis, I saw a tweet from her, declaring that she was wearing a new cocktail dress and held up in traffic on her way to a long-anticipated and very glamorous do. She had clearly just buggered up her dates and didn't want to say: "Whoops. Actually, I'll be at a PA-A-ARDEEEEE." Fair enough. Sweet, really. Nevertheless, the planning thing is an arse. I liked it when people just said, "Can I come by after work this evening?" or, even better, "I've got tickets to the theatre on the 25th. Tell me on the day if you can face it."

10 "I'm so terribly upset about your condition"

One friend, when I told her the initial news, blurted out: "I can't cope without you!" and unleashed a flood of tears. (I hadn't sobbed myself at that point. I never did.) Ages later, when she emerged from the loo at the pub I had designated as Telling People HQ, she explained that she'd been caterwauling unrestrainedly when a kind lady asked her what was wrong. Having sketched out her troubles, she got this reply, or something like it: "What? You're weeping in the lavatory, while your friend is in the bar having breast cancer? Pull yourself together, and get out there." This had inspired another torrent of waterworks. And that is the most important thing to remember, when your friend is facing a frightening and possibly fatal illness: it's not, not, not about you. If you're too upset to be in a position to comfort your friend, send cards, send flowers, send presents. But don't send your ailing chum a passionate storm of your own wild grief, personally delivered. It's a little too needy, under the circs.

If you recognise things that you have said or done yourself within this list, don't feel bad about it, at all. I most certainly have, and I've said and done much, much worse too; it took being on the receiving end before I realised what it could feel like. The thing is this: giant illness is a time of great intensity, and even the most cack-handed expressions of support or love are better than a smack in the face with a wet tea-towel. People feel helpless when they see that their friend is suffering. Sometimes – often – they say the wrong thing. But they are there, doing the best that they can, at a terrible, abject time. That's the most important thing of all. I look back on those grisly moments of ineptitude and clumsiness with exasperated amusement and tender, despairing, deep, deep fondness. The great lesson I learned from having cancer, was how splendid my friends were, whatever their odd little longueurs. They all, in their different ways, let me know that they loved me, and that is the most helpful thing of all. I'm so lucky to have them.

Marbella Police Commissioner moved to Madrid

 

The Police Commissioner in Marbella, Agapito Hermés de Dios, is to be disciplined for spying on the Vice President of the Madrid region, Ignacio González, in what is now considered to have been an ‘illegal’ investigation according to the Minister of the Interior, Jorge Fernández Díaz. Agapito Hermés has presented his resignation from the Marbella Police Station and will now be destined to a district of Madrid. He was subjected to an internal investigation regarding how he dealt with an enquiry into an attic which Ignacio Gonzalez enjoyed in Marbella. The Interior Minister announced publically in the Senate that the investigation was ‘illegal’ and ‘irregular’ as it was carried out without judicial authorisation and without complying with the protocols on intervention established by the Police.

Two killed in light plane crash in Vélez-Málaga

Two people have been killed in a light aircraft crash in Vélez-Málaga airdrome. It appears the craft fell into the Rio Seco at El Trapiche on Sunday at 1520pm. The two men aged 35 and 36, instructor and pupil, were carrying out instruction classes at the time. The 35 year old instructor has been named with the initials FJGD and the pupil was 36 year old L.R. Vice President of the Royal Málaga Aeroclub, Carlos Sedano, told EFE news agency that it had happed when the craft was coming into land, but not managing to do so, had tried to take off again and go round, but came down outside the airfield. Firemen had to cut part of the fuselage to recover the bodies. The National Police have opened an investigation. It’s been noted that the Tecnam craft is ‘sensitive to wind’ and there were strong winds in the area yesterday.

Health Tourism debate continues as Spain says she is losing 1 billion € a year

The debate on so-called ‘Health Tourism’ is continuing in Spain, and now the Ministry for Health has said that it is costing Spain one billion € a year. The Ministry says this could have been avoided if the Socialist Government had correctly transposed a European directive on the mobility of the citizens between the different member states. The Spanish Royal Decree 240/2007 which transposes the European directive 2004/38 misses out article 7, which establishes a clear guarantee to stop the citizens of one country abusing the health system of another country. It establishes that all the citizens in the union have the right to residency in another member state for more than three months if he or she is employed or self-employed in the new country or if ‘he or she or the members of the family, have sufficient resources to not become a cost for social assistance to the new member state during the period of residence, with health insurance which covers the risks of the adopted country’. The Ministry for Health is now saying this missing article results in Spain not being able to invoice for the health services given to hundreds of thousands of citizens. In 2009 some 700,000 foreigners treatments cost 1 billion €, according to data from the Ministry taken from a Tribunal de Cuentas report. These are citizens from other countries of the EU who obtain a Spanish Health Card or who obtain a European card which passes the cost onto Spain. Secretary General for Health, Pilar Farjas, told ABC newspaper ‘the inappropriate, and in some cases fraudulent use is a matter of imbalance’, and the Government is revising where the serious problems of sustainability are arising. She considered the high numbers of foreigners seeking treatment was testimony to the excellent quality of the health system. She said the government would protect and guarantee that services for those who have a right to it. Spokesman for Health in Congress, and ex Valencia Health Councillor, Manuel Cervera, in an interview on Radio 9, said the Government ‘is to study establishing previous requirements’ to limit the access of the foreigners to the health service, and ‘to better control the so-called health tourism’. He explained that the Ministry for Health is studying introducing criteria such as ‘a minimum period of residence or tax contributions’ so being on the padron local census would no long be enough.

Juan Antonio Roca's lawyer questions the police investigation in court

Rocio Amigo, the lawyer who is representing the man at the centre of the Malaya case, the ex Municipal Real Estate Assessor in Marbella Town Hall, Juan Antonio Roca, has tried to put the police investigation into doubt, but the main investigators have responded that they always acted following judicial requirements. The policemen declared as witnesses in the case today, and said that they had always acted on judicial order, although they could not say if the orders were verbal. They said that they spoke to the instructing judge daily and not only at the start of the case, but also in its development. Rocio Amigo asked in court about the labour of the Instruction Judge in the case, but the anti-corruption prosecutor, Juan Carlos López Caballero, protested considering the question out of order, and then she withdrew the question. Agents from the specialist police group, UDYCO, denied that the procedures started with some recordings from the Ballena Blanca case, the largest operation against money laundering in Spain. Roca’s lawyer also asked about the relationship between her client and the ex Mayor of Marbella, Julián Muñoz before and after the motion of censure in 2003. She was told the relationship was cordial and continued after the vote. The Malaya case against the corruption in Marbella started in September 2010 and has about 100 people charged. It continues tomorrow in Málaga.

Spain plans to strip regions of powers in bid to calm markets

Officials said Madrid was ready to intervene if the regions continued to bust their budgets and hamper the central government's austerity drive. Spain's borrowing costs rose to 6.08pc, plunging deeper into the territory considered unsustainably expensive. Prime minister Mariano Rajoy warned that Spain would not be able to fund itself without the savage cuts and sticking to the deficit reduction plans. "The fundamental objective at the moment is to reduce the deficit," he said a conference in Madrid. "If we don't achieve this, the rest won't matter: we won't be able to fund our debt, we won't be able to meet our commitments." Almost all Spain's regions, which control large parts of their budgets including education and health, have exceeded their budget deficit targets. The southern region of Analucia, has been openly critical of Mr Rajoy's plans.

Spain's King Juan Carlos under fire over elephant hunting trip

 

While ordinary Spaniards cope with harsh austerity, recession and soaring unemployment, the country's royal family has been enjoying expensive hunting trips, one of which resulted in King Juan Carlos ending up in hospital. The 74-year-old monarch's fall in a park in Botswana provided an excuse for Spanish newspapers, who normally treat their royal family with kid gloves, to plaster their pages with photos of the king standing proudly in front of a dead elephant. The photograph came from the website of Botswana-based Rann Safaris, which had been taken down by Sunday. The pictures, taken before the latest hunting trip, also showed the king with two dead water buffalo. Shoots with Rann Safaris cost upwards of $8,700 (£5,500) a week, with an elephant costing a further $15,000 to kill. A day out with professional hunter Jeff Rann, pictured with the king, costs a further $2,000. The king's accident, after which he was flown back to Madrid for a hip operation, came days after his grandson, 13-year-old Froilán Marichalar, shot himself through the foot while hunting in Spain. The child also had to be hospitalised after doctors removed the contents of a 36-calibre shotgun cartridge from his foot. Newspapers reported that it was illegal for a 13-year-old to handle that type of gun. The king's hunting trip, which officials described as "private", has caused a storm of angry comment from animal lovers and those wanting to know how much it had cost. A promotional video on YouTube shows Rann shooting elephants – which can be killed with licences bought at auction from the Botswana government – in the Okavango delta. "You have to manage the world's animal populations, to their betterment," says Rann, who did not answer queries from the Guardian. "We are trying to improve their habitat." King Juan Carlos has been involved in hunting scandals before. Six years ago officials dismissed as "ridiculous" allegations that he had shot a drunken Russian bear that had been plied with honey and vodka. The family also has a troubled history with guns. The king shot and killed his own brother in an accident when he was a teenager.

Surf Air: Can an all-you-can-fly airline possibly work?

 

SURF AIR, a Californian start-up, has a novel business model: for a monthly fee you can fly with the airline as much as you want. Is buffet-style air travel the wave of the future? JetBlue and Sun Country Airlines have both already tried offering all-you-can-fly passes, but so far no carrier has built its business model exclusively on a buffet plan. The idea isn't bad, but some scepticism is warranted. At $790 a month, Surf Air's flying plan will probably only appeal to business travellers who often go to the same places and rich Californians in long-distance relationships. Will that customer base allow Surf Air to make a profit? Maybe: 20m frequent flyers jetted between San Francisco and Los Angeles in 2011, according to the company's numbers. The airline plans to launch with service between Palo Alto, Monterey, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, but it still needs to secure regulatory approval, according to a company press release. Frequent flyers make up a huge portion of the business-traveller population, and almost every airline relies on business travellers to get (and stay) in the black. There is surely some group of private-jet-sharing business travellers who might be attracted to an all-you-can-jet airline as a cheaper alternative. A lot will depend on how many flights and how much convenience Surf Air can offer, and how quickly it can expand service. The company's promises certainly seem attractive: [Surf Air will offer] its members 30-second booking and cancellations, travel to and from uncongested regional airports, and an easy arrive-and-fly process with no hassle, no lines and no extra fees. It's easy to make promises, though. It's much harder to run a profitable airline. As Gulliver often notes, the American airline sector overall has never really made any money—in fact, total earnings over the entire history of the industry are minus $33 billion. That, of course, suggests that existing airlines might be doing it wrong. Maybe all-you-can-fly really is the way to go. It's at least worth a shot. I'll be eager to see what people think of the final product—assuming regulators give the go-ahead.