Europe Calling

Spain will be having another general election on June 26th as Spaniards leave the country and foreigners move abroad. Latest statistics reveal that the country has endured unemployment above 20% for five-and-a-half years.However, Rafa Nadal proves hard work can still bear dividends.A terror cell has been operating in Gibraltar.Spanish scientists have identified how wife -beaters brains work differently.Spanish football is reigning supreme in the Champions League. In the UK the Labour Party is in turmoil over anti-semitism and ties with Hamas. The Government is now picking a fight with the teachers whilst transgender children aged three can now get help from the NHS.. Whilst everyone else can earn nothing from their savings the ex-politicians migrate to the City.....and an Oxford student provokes a row over Cecil Rhodes.

We're told again that the Mediterranean Diet is really good for your health .....and that's good news as Japan is the only country in the world where you have a better chance of living longer. Does this need to be kept in mind when looking at unemployment? From drastically high unemployment figures las year registered an historic fall...... Nearly 60% of Spaniards recognize that they can’t speak, read or write in English, according to the latest poll from Spain’s CIS state research institute. English is the most-spoken second language in Spain, the poll says, with 27.7% of respondents saying they speak it, followed by French (9%) German (1.7%) and Portuguese (1.2%) A CHRISTMAS panto on the Costa del Sol has become embroiled in a racism row after a lead actor used racist language in front of dozens of kids. Britain is to increase foreign aid to Pakistan by more than £100million even though it has a space programme and nuclear weapons. A 'drug dealer' who was shot dead through his windscreen when armed police cornered a convoy of expensive cars had covered his humble home with more than ten CCTV cameras. Even before our first glimpse of the New Year’s Honours list, there were howls of complaint when news of Victoria Beckham OBE leaked out in advance. The din grew even louder when the list duly appeared and we saw other awards, notably a knighthood for the man in charge of squandering Britain’s chaotic foreign aid budget and the mandatory gongs for Tory donors. A young mother who left her ex-boyfriend with brain damage after she mowed him down in the street during a drink-driving jaunt avoided jail today Numbers of people living in the UK will top French levels in 2030 and will keep rising leading to predictions of Britain becoming the most populous country in Europe by 2050........... Migrants should learn English before they are allowed to settle here, a parliamentary group chaired by Labour MP Chuka Umunna says today. An outraged Tesco shopper demanded that people wearing pyjamas be banned from the shop after they snapped two women browsing groceries in their dressing gowns.

In the hours after the winning numbers in Spain’s massive El Gordo Christmas lottery are drawn every December 22, discreetly dressed men and women carrying suitcases stashed with bank notes fan out across the country headed for bars, lottery outlets, and banks before the fortunate owners of the prized tickets cash them in. Acting on behalf of wealthy clients, their mission is to buy their winning tickets: they pay cash, ask no questions, and offer a generous bonus on top. It’s a very simple way to help reduce their clients’ tax bill. Two left-wing activists have been arrested in the Greek port city of Igoumenitsa after they were discovered attempting to bring eight refugees to Spain by hiding them in the back of a caravan. Motorists in Madrd were hit with unprecedented measures on Thursday to reduce traffic with only vehicles whose license plate ends with an odd number permitted to enter the city center. The regional government of Valencia has announced it will oblige state schools to grant transsexual minors access to bathrooms and changing rooms corresponding to their chosen gender, rather than that they were born with. As The UK still continues to defy Brexit doom forecasts the salaries of high profile business bosses rose by more than 80 per cent in an 11 year period, new research has revealed. Chief executives' pay went up from £1million in 2003 to an average of £1.9m in 2014. The research by the Lancaster University Management School found that during the same period Britain's top 350 companies' performance improved by less than 8.5 per cent. The year has ended with the sad departure of more stars with George Michael and Rick Parfitt heading the UK list. Meanwhile, Paul Gascoine, Gazza, who has battled alcoholism for two decades, was reportedly rushed to an east London hospital after a fracas with other guests at the boutique Ace Hotel in Shoreditch. Figures from the Department for Education show 720 pupils were suspended from school last year and 470 of those incidents were to do with racial abuse. Laura Kuenssberg, the BBC's political editor has said she was told that the Queen supported EU withdrawal, but did not report it as she could not find a second source. A boy raider has been locked up for six months for robbing two shops and a man at knifepoint in a five-month reign of terror when he was just 12.

After years of drought-like conditions, southeastern Spain awoke to a state of emergency for flooding on Monday after a weekend of unremitting winds and heavy rain in which two people lost their lives. A Spaniard was injured as Germany is back in focus as an asylum seeker is thought to have been driving a lorry that killed 12 people and injured 48 others as it sped at 40mph through a busy Christmas market in Berlin in a 'probable terrorist attack'. THOUSANDS of protesters have marched through Madrid to demonstrate against government austerity cuts. The 30,000-strong rally was organised by Spain's two main trade unions. Protestors demanded a rise in wages and pensions, with around 60 smaller demonstrations recently organised by unions across Spain. Bogus doctor with child porn history found murdered in his Valencia home and...... Three young children managed to eventually raise the alarm after spending four days with their dead mother at their home in Palma de Mallorca. When it comes to the Basque Country's AVE high-speed rail project, known popularly as the Basque Y because of the shape of its network, this is definitely a case of what Bob Dylan might call A Slow Train Coming. In 1989 it was one of the first major rail projects to be approved, but work did not begin until 2004. Now, 27 years later, the line still has no date for its inaugural run. Earlier in the week he Russian ambassador to Turkey was shot dead by an off-duty Turkish police officer at an art gallery in Ankara in 'revenge' for the conflict in Syria. Britain has slipped down world economic rankings due to India's booming growth figures and the collapse of sterling and the post-Brexit slowdown according to several leading economists. The Bank of England, Confederation of British Industry and Treasury had warned that leaving the EU would trigger economic disaster but all three have conceded the UK was prospering.Britain gave a total of 1.3billion to the 20 most corrupt nations in 2015 ; up from just over 1billion the previous year ; figures reveal. Anjem Choudary has lived off the state for 20 years, claiming up to 163;500,000 in benefits as he inspired fanatics to commit atrocities worldwide. Aid officials from the Department for International Development spent nearly 163;6m on first-class and business-class travel since 2012 while handing out taxpayers; cash for overseas projects Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has published proposals to 'unify the country around a clear plan' as she demanded Scotland's place in Europe must be protected. The Royal College of Surgeons says leaving the EU will enable watchdogs to impose stricter language tests on foreign doctors and tighter controls on medical devices.Communities Secretary Sajid Javid, pictured, said it was impossible for people to play a 'positive role' in public life unless they accepted basic values like democracy and freedom of speech

A man has been arrested in connection with a horrifying attack at a Berlin underground station after a cash reward was offered by the bodyguard of stars such as Lady Gaga......... ... While Teresa May argues about leather trousers with Nicky Miller the EU discuss the implications of Brexit without her. Meanwhile, Lord Price participated Wednesday morning in a working breakfast organised by Executive Forum with the collaboration of Ferrovial. British Trade Minister, Lord Price attended at the Hotel Palace in Madrid and praised the excellent trade relations with Spain and also referred to the consequences of Brexit for the UK and the EU. Five members of a far-left Catalan party were released on Tuesday after refusing to answer a judge’s questions in a case involving the burning of photographs of Spain’s King Felipe VI. Spanish authorities have arrested a man who already served 18 years for participating in state-sponsored death squads in the 1980s, on the suspicion that he was now preparing an Islamist attack in Spain. The arrest took place in the province of Segovia A court in Málaga has condemned Banco Popular to return the money it received, 227,000 € to married couple now back in Great Britain who had paid in advance for a flat which was never granted an accommodation licence for town planning irregularities. Francisco Núñez, nicknamed ‘Marchena’ has discovered a commemorative plaque in his village of Bienvenida (Badajoz) – he also the oldest living veteran of the Spanish civil war. Some 300,000 rail passengers who use Southern services each day had to find other routes after the drivers with the Aslef union started their 48- hour walk out at......... Aslef’s heavily-tattooed president Tosh McDonald standing with Corbyn is a perfect example of the intimate relationship between Labour's leader and Britain’s biggest rail unions. BBC screened a contoversial Muslims Like Us show. The first episode saw a storm of angry comments on Twitter. The show, which sees ten Muslims sharing a house, was largely slammed, with many saying that those involved had 'sold out'. Convicted fraudster and ex-boxing champion Anthony Small now known as Abdul Haqq after converting to Islam 21 years old prisoner from North Ayrshire, was jailed for life in 2012 after admitting to killing 13-year-old Jon Wilson has been posting pictures on Facebook under the name Canman Cameron. Karly Tophill, from Cornwall, was so frustrated by her son's apparent inability to get off his iPhone she imposed a year-long ban on Dylan, 13, having it, with dramatic results in six weeks.....and A British study suggests children who are read to by their mothers or are helped with their homework between the ages of 3 and 7 tend to have more advanced cognitive abilities

In an astonishing U-turn, Angela Merkel, the German chancellor said wearing the burka should be outlawed 'wherever that is legally possible'. Spanish rescue vessels rescued 64 undocumented migrants on Tuesday .... Two people were left dead at the weekend as the result of torrential rainfall that fell on Sunday on the Costa del Sol and in Cádiz. ...... For first time, Spain hits average OECD levels but experts stress teacher quality needs improving The US based firm Cordish is planning to buildLive! Resorts Madrid, ....and contribute 56,433 jobs to the Spanish economy. Rebels who oppose Theresa May's amendment on a Brexit deadline in the Commons tonight are trying to 'thwart' the referendum...... Supreme Court judges were warned not to make the 'bizarre' decision to let MPs vote on whether to trigger Brexit .....the right to decide whether to leave or not as it saw fit? Record numbers of EU migrants came to the UK in the run-up to the referendum........ Muslims in some parts of the country are so cut off from the rest of society that they believe the majority of Britons share their faith......tsar Dame Louise Casey has found that thousands of Muslims live in enclaves with their own housing estates, schools and television channels. Britain is poised to be crowned the fastest-growing G7 nation after the crucial services sector surge to a 10-month high last month. Speaking at Liverpool John Moores University, Mark Carney, who earns £874,000 a year, said how globalisation meant ‘the superstar and the lucky’ thrive while others struggle.

CAR manufacturers in Spain are offloading an increasing number of motors to countries outside the EU. The Spanish Government may finally follow other democracies by setting time limit on classified documents. Barcelona city council will fine holiday rental websites Airbnb and HomeAway €600,000 (£509,000) each for offering unlicensed accommodation, it has announced, as it steps up its campaign against tourism saturation. Unemployment and precarious labor market is driving up number of young people unable to leave home A document mistakenly revealed by a Tory aide leaving Downing Street yesterday gave a rare glimpse into the Government's stance on EU exit talks. The notes suggest the Government has already given up on staying in the European single market and will not go for a Norway-style deal. Instead they indicate the UK is looking at a 'Canada-plus' trade arrangement, and will leave the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice as it does not 'fit' with the PM's determination to curb immigration. British Influence – set up by the arch-Europhile Peter Mandelson claimed the Government has no mandate for leaving the European Economic Area. The Equality and Human Rights Commission urged politicians on both sides of the bitter row to tone down their rhetoric saying Breiteers are not racist. Describing Brexit as the UK 'leaving the EU, but not leaving Europe', Beata Szydlo said Poland would conduct negotiations in a 'down-to-earth' manner, and called on other EU nations to do the same. Astonishing footage has emerged of a van driver grappling with a trucker, reversing his van into him and then smashing his victim's window with a shovel. A scathing report found ‘very high’ levels of violence at HMP Hindley, near Wigan, with prisoners often locked in their cells 24 hours a day David Isaac, chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said employers needed to take a 'common sense' approach when dealing with the Christian holiday. Smelly food in the office has become so prevalent that it is hampering workers’ productivity, a study has found. The habit of eating ‘Al Desko’ has grown that now two thirds of people do it.

Spanish exports reached a historic high in the first nine months of 2016, growing year-on-year in terms of revenue by 1.2%. Data published by the Secretary of State for Commerce on Monday shows that foreign trade has generated €188.49 billion so far this year. What the figures don’t show is that Spain seems to be caught up in the overall slowdown of global trade. The country is performing better than most of its competitors, but its overseas sales have been decelerating steadily since July, to the point that in September, growth was zero. Spain’s minority Popular Party (PP) government will extend the application of the 2016 budget to buy itself more time at the negotiating table, sources at the Finance Ministry have said. Spain’s ruling Popular Party (PP) has presented a reform proposal to Congress that could result in the banning of memes, social network users’ way of gaining comic revenge on the politicians that rule our lives. A Spanish man has taken legal action against health authorities after seeing in cigarette packets what he believes is a photograph of his face with a breathing tube inserted into his mouth during an operation. Ten Kurdish migrants from Iran who were found alive in Spain inside a sealed container belonging to the Mango fashion retailer believed they were bound for Britain. A Spanish businessman has been sentenced to two and half years in prison for the destruction of an archaeological site which experts say held the key to the secrets of human life in Neolithic Spain. Hundreds of thousands of British expats are set to be granted the right to carry on living on the Continent after Brexit after the majority of European Union countries signalled they were ready to do a “reciprocal rights” deal with the UK. A new bill calling for 'Walter Mitty' fraudsters that impersonate Britain's war heroes to be fined or jailed, will be discussed in the House of Commons in Friday. A police force has been accused of discriminating against white straight people after appealing for new recruits from ethnic minorities and the gay community. Nottinghamshire Police tweeted on Sunday: 'Nott's Police are recruiting PCs Jan 2017. If you're from a BME/LGBT+ group and want to join us, call or text Jo: 07595008494 for more info.' Official documents compiled by jail chiefs detail that week’s most high-profile events, including 300 inmates running amok at Bedford jail, causing £1 million of damage, and two prisoners escaping from Pentonville and going on the run. Ministers have quietly drawn up plans to introduce a soft system to speed up dealing with ill-discipline in prisoners who commit ‘lower-level violence’ while still in Britain's jails. Killer Jack Cramb, 24, uses an illegal mobile phone to regularly post topless selfies from his prison cell at at Shotts prison in Lanarkshire where he is serving a life sentence for murder A damning international study of 38 countries found that England, Scotland and Wales are among the worst for physical activity – far behind nations such as Poland and Venezuela. A report has suggested that supermarkets should set up special slow checkout lanes for older customers because they might value the chance of a chat when they do their shopping

The King of Spain calls for an end to the scourge of corruption. Spanish police bust gang who smuggled thousands of Ukranians into Britain. Barcelona is preparing its own currency. Spain unblocks a massive arms deal with Saudi Arabia and animal cruelty is in the spotlight although local Benidorm fiestas run smoothly. Nato EU spending commitment is put in the spotlight by Donald Trump. Angela Merkel hints at an immigration deal with Britain as Nigel Farage meets with Donald Trump before Teresa May. The child abuse inquiry is in the news again as another lawyer quits. As a boy aged four is sexually assaulted by older pupils a married headteacher is jailed for sending sexy text messages to a teenage girl and a secondary headteacher bans pupils from hugging. In Wales two girls were suspended after footage of their bullying appeared on social media, More weird judgements as a driver who ran over an elderly lady twice is spared jail and a suspected hacker who has Asperges is sent to the US for trial. Manchester United's Wayne Rooney let his managers down and Cornwall villages want to ban holiday homes.

The EU was in turmoil as Donald Trump’s election victory delivered another huge blow to the ailing Brussels project. .......AN international criminal gang has stolen millions of pounds in an unprecedented cyber-attack on Tesco Bank.........Spain’s main political parties are divided over King Felipe’s upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia.....A GANG of drug traffickers were killed after their boat collided with an Agencia Tributaria patrol boat. Spain’s richest 100 worth almost 20% of country’s GDP, new figures show .......56 paedophiles arrested in nationwide police swoop..... 'Hate speech' on Facebook and Twitter is 'not protected by the right to freedom of expression', says Supreme Court In the UK ...The UK Ministry of Defence is set to close such barracks as Woolwich barracks in south-east London, Brecon in Wales and Fort George in the Highlands – an 18th century fort used to train personnel for the D-day landings....... Later this week we will be commemorating the sacrifice of those who fought for Britain. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme. In 2014 GCSE pupil Will Cornick, 15, walked up to his teacher Mrs Maguire, 61, during class and stabbed her seven times in the back and neck with a knife he had brought to school. A 12-year-old boy pleaded guilty to repeatedly raping his younger sister after becoming fascinated with hardcore pornography he found on the internet, magistrates in Cheltenham heard-

Mariano Rajoy, Spain's acting prime minister and leader of its conservative Popular Party (PP), was re-elected on Saturday after winning a parliamentary vote. Throughout Spain’s long economic crisis, international tourism has been a rare highlight, and the summer of 2016 was no exception...... the total figure for international visitors for the three months in question was up from 25.2 million in 2015 to 27.6 million this year. Spain’s official unemployment rate has fallen below 20% for the first time in six years. A court in Germany has ruled that the parents of a 15-year- old girl cannot stop her having a sexual relationship with her 47-year-old uncle. An immigrant who was turfed out of the Calais Jungle camp last week was picked up by border control after attempting to get into Britain on a kayak. In what is believed to the be the first solo attempt by a refugee to cross the Channel, the man was within eight miles of his destination when he was spotted in the middle of one of the World's busiest shipping lanes by people on board a passenger ferry. Unregulated Sharia law authorities are operating across Britain, performing unofficial marriages and handing out divorces for higher fees, MPs have been told. Notorious one-eyed police killer Dale Cregan has boasted to friend's about his luxury life behind bars, revealing he plays tennis and snooker and enjoys kayaking sessions. In just 90 minutes, no fewer than 17 were spotted illegally using mobiles on the M20 near Ashford in Kent. Labour MP Sarah Champion said children are currently 'regarding porn as a lesson in how to have sex' as she launched the Dare2Care report following work with charities. Children's director Alice Webb defended Just A Girl after parents reacted angrily to the CBBC show, which depicts an 11-year-old's struggle to get hormones that stunt puberty. Teaching Assistant, Jill Meldrum-Jones, 37, wept in the dock at Warwick Crown Court today as she pleaded guilty to a string of sex offences involving the 15-year-old boy over a four-day period last summer. FA bosses have said they will ignore FIFA's ban on poppies at Remembrance Day by wearing black armbands with poppies on. FIFA said 'any kind of sanction' could now follow.

Mariano Rajoy to head new government in Spain. Two Imans arrested in Ibiza. One of Britain's most wanted criminals is arrested on Tenerife and we look at some of Spain's regional dishes. Italy has been rocked by more terrible earthquakes. In France the Calais Jungle has been demolished. Teresa May announces ontroversial new plans for Heathrow. UKIP criticised by Jeremby Paxman for saying what many are thinking about the immigrants and refugees.A yob has attacked two people speaking Spanish in Poole. Hugh Laurie gets his Hollywood star as Cameron prepares to make his fortune from his memoirs. Many new teachers are leaving their profession in the UK and a dad finds a rare coin in his child's box of treasures. Football hooliganism is back at West Ham's ground......and a mum has defended dressing up her 3 year-old for beauty pageants.

400 or so migrants have marched in protest from Belgrade in Serbia to the Hungarian border holding signs pleading the government to open their borders to allow them access to the EU Spain's largest corruption case focuses on huge kickbacks-for-contracts ring allegedly headed up by businessman Francisco Correa. Whilst this threatens the PP the PSOE needs to bring an end to the current crisis and its internal conflicts. Meanwhile The economy will expand 3.1% this year and 2.2% in 2017, says the IMF the global financial institution. Two Russian Tupolev ‘Blackjack’ bombers were monitored flying from Norway to the northern coast of Spain in September. Jamie Oliver's use of chorizo in the dish paella is not the first example of a foreign chef getting creative with Spanish gastronomy Theresa May is beginning to show her mettle at last as she addressed the Conservative conference. The Prime Minister told activists in Birmingham that the Brexit vote offered a 'once in a generation chance to change the direction of our country for good'. Wasps players are said to have engaged in 'riotous' behaviour and took part in 'weird sexual forfeits' on board the Hurlingham floating nightclub for a party on London's River Thames. It's not a problem to call someone a coffin dodger or an old bag on television, the broadcast watchdog has said. Most viewers believe some 'milder' swear words are used so widely that they are now acceptable before the 9pm watershed, it found. An Oxford University analysis has found that performing good deeds, such as holding the door open for someone or donating to charity, gives the doer a warm glow

Felipe González, who is Spain’s longest-serving prime minister, has stepped into the debate over what the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) should do to break the prolonged impasse that is keeping the country without a fully functional government. González, 74, says he feels betrayed by PSOE Secretary General Pedro Sánchez, who allegedly told him that the party would abstain at the second round of an investiture vote in Congress. This follows Spain's Socialist leader facing mounting pressure Monday to let acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy form a new government and end a months'long political impasse, after his party suffered losses in two regional elections. Spain's Basque Country and Galicia had gone to the polls Sunday in regional elections that might have produced some momentum as the PSOE boss has now come under pressure to resign. FIVE men have been jailed in Spain after an overcrowded party in 2012 they organised caused a stampede that killed five women. A Madrid court found the group guilty of negligent homicide and sentenced them to prison with terms ranging from two-and-a-half to four years THE mayor of Marbella is being investigated for granting his friend the use of a police escort at his wedding. Jose Bernal issued friend and fellow PSOE politician Daniel Garcia Andreu a two horse escort at his glitzy wedding in Marbella on June 3. In Europe,a whistleblower has claimed volunteers in the Calais jungle camp are having sex with multiple partners in one day while some are even targeting under-age boys. In an extraordinary claim, the European Parliament president Martin Schulz (pictured) said Jo Cox's death was an example of how unpredictable the EU referendum campaign was. An Italian presenter has been criticised for wearing a crucifix and rosary beads while reading the news.Marina Nalesso, 44, has worn the religious accessories on several occasions during broadcasts on Italy's state-owned channel TG1. Delivering his keynote address to the gathering in Liverpool, the veteran left-winger insisted the party had to come together after he was re-elected by a huge leader. He didn't develop any ideas on Brexit, Immigration or Trident. Sam Allardyce lost his £3million-a-year job after just 67 days and one game – the shortest-ever reign of a permanent England manager - when he was filmed chasing a £400,000 salary top-up The victims of the Alton Towers Smiler ride crash have said no punishment will ever bring back the limbs they lost due to catastrophic errors by theme park bosses. Merlin Entertainments, who run the Staffordshire park, were fined £5million today for failures leading to the disaster in which 16 people were injured and two teenagers needed amputations.The fine imposed by the court represents less than two per cent of the company's £385million turnover in the year of the rollercoaster tragedy

Spain's King Felipe VI told General Assembly in New York that Spaniards will overcome this difficult moment in finding a government as Foreign ministry notes that political stalemate is keeping Madrid on the sidelines of world gatherings Dismembered victims found in central Spain were caught up in a dispute over drugs, say police. The murdered family of four were killed by professional hitmen. One person died and 17 people were injured in an explosion in a block of flats in a Spanish seaside resort near Barcelona early Sunday. Barcelona ordered the shutdown of 615 illegally operating tourist flats in just two months and has issued fines of €30,000 to nine different online platforms, including Tripadvisor. Spectators were stunned when the two animals, each weighing around half a tonne dropped to the ground dead after charging headfirst into each other ahead of a bullfight. The country's only openly gay football referee, who has become an outspoken advocate for LGBT rights, is now under police protection due to increasing threats on his life. In the UK former Chief of the General Staff Sir Mike Jackson tore into the Government's lack of strategic thinking and mocked MoD claims that military budgets were rising as fears rise over the commitment to the UK defence. Meanwhile, the Royal Navy's six flagship vessels, which are based in Portsmouth, notched up a staggering 1,515 days in UK harbours in the year between April 2015 and 2016 A report by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said data so far after the Brexit vote show there was no 'major effect' on the economy so far and there were indications of 'strength The Liberal Democrat leader gathered his party in Brighton for its annual conference and told them they are crucial to fight for Britain's continued role in Europe via a Brexit re-run. The Brownlee Brothers who show how sibling rivalry can be replaced by brotherly love.