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...

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...

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...

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 BlytheDetectives 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...

exploding the common myths about which foods are good for us

Myth: Salt in your diet causes high blood pressureIn 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...

Briton killed in Spanish hotel fall

British tourist from Twickenham has died after falling from a balcony at a hotel - the second Briton to die at the same Spanish resort in three days. Benjamin Harper, 28, from Twickenham, south-west London, fell to his death at the four-star Sol Antillas hotel in Magaluf, Majorca, on Friday. It is believed that Mr Harper, a roofer, had gone out on to the balcony for a cigarette before leaning over and falling to his death while on a stag...

Britons living overseas defrauded 43 million pounds in benefit fraud in 2011

The British Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Iain Duncan Smith, has been visiting the Department of Work and Pensions benefits and healthcare team in Madrid. He warned Britons living abroad not to break the strict rules on what benefits they can and cannot claim. People who are pretending to live in the UK so they can collect benefits, but in fact are living overseas cost the British taxpayer 43 million pounds last year. Most of...

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...

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...

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...

Arrested in Marbella father and son claimed for drug trafficking in France

Two French citizens, father and son, who had complaints paths dictated by the French authorities for drug trafficking and in Spain were attributed to drug crimes and falsifying public documents, have been arrested in Marbella (Malaga). Researchers have been able to locate in the city of Marbella, where they were arrested on day 12 after checking their real identities and their claims incautarles court and through a house search, 52 kilograms...

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...

Secret Service scandal sheds light on sex tourism in Latin America

Type in "sex tourism" and "Brazil" in Google, and the first site that comes up is not a news report or academic study, but advice on going rates and how to hire prostitutes. But ahead of the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics, officials are starting to clamp down on the country's image as a haven for sex tourism. Brazil's Tourism Ministry recently said it identified more than 2,000 sites advertising the South American giant's sex industry,...

Sex Robots Will Revolutionize Sex Tourism,

 They don't spread disease and they can't be sold into sex slavery. Those are just two of the advantages of robot prostitutes, which will be edging out their human competition in the sex tourism market by the year 2050, according to an article published in the journal Futures. The Dominion Post, which found the study, writes that sex tourists will shell out about $10,000 Euros for services ranging from massages and lap dances to...

Energy-rich Qatar seeks la dolce vita with purchase of luxury resorts on Italy’s Sardinia isle

Qatar signed a deal Monday to buy the operator of four luxury resorts and other properties on the island of Sardinia as the wealthy Gulf emirate looks to bolster ties with Italy. The purchase coincided with a visit to Rome by the country’s emir. It is the latest deal in a European shopping spree that has given the natural-gas rich state a stake in European banks, energy companies and some of the continent’s best known brands. 0 Comments...

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...

Worrying is good for you and reflects higher IQ

It evolved in humans along with intelligence to make them more adept at avoiding danger. A study of 42 people found the worst sufferers of a common anxiety disorder had a higher IQ than those whose symptoms were less severe. Scientists say their findings published in Frontiers in Evolutionary Neuroscience, suggest worrying has developed as a beneficial trait. Psychiatrist Professor Jeremy Coplan, of SUNY Downstate Medical Centre in New...

Eating nuts can help stave off obesity, says study

 Dieters often dismiss them because of their high fat content, but research suggests that snacking on nuts can help keep you slim. A study found that those who consumed varieties such as almonds, cashews and pistachios demonstrated a lower body weight, body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference compared to non-consumers. They were also at lower risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Experts...

Ex Marbella Councillor, Javier Lendínez spotted in Java

Javier Lendínez vanished as if by magic in December 2008. He was a councillor in Marbella Town Hall and allegedly embroiled in the Malaya corruption. Investigators think he collected 18,000 € from Juan Antonio Roca, the Marbella municipal real estate assessor who is at the centre of the allegations. Lendínez was called to declare before Judge Torres, and was released with charges outstanding. At the end of 2008 when he should have started...

Foreigners will be targeted in part of the new health cuts

The Minister for the Hacienda and Public Administration, Cristóbal Montoro, has said today Tuesday, after the release of the health and education ten billion € cut Press Release yesterday, that the reform of the health service will be ready in two weeks. He said they would be refining what basic services would be available. Once again he indicated that higher earners could be expected to pay more for medicines and drugs, although this...

The Junta de Andalucía says Benalmádena beach law is illegal

The Junta de Andalucía says the beach by-laws in Benalmádena are illegal and has called for them to be cancelled. It says the by-laws go against the general interest of the Ley de Costas. Benalmádena Town Hall has already initially approved the measures which include the banning of sunshades between the hammocks and at the waterside. The law also said that bathing would only be allowed after 11am for reasons of security and for cleaning....

Designer drug haul in Algeciras at Spanish export company

 The National Police have intercepted 1,500 kilos of a chemical, ephedrine, which is used to make designer drugs. The cargo came from China, and was to be imported by Morocco and Latin America by a Spanish company. The chemical was in sixty drums, with a capacity of 25 kilos each. 1.5 kilos of ephedrine is enough to make 1 kilo of methamphetamine. Two people from the export company have been arrested in the operation which was carried...

Search underway for missing Briton in Orihuela Costa

 The Guardia Civil is searching for a 54 year old Briton who has disappeared in Orihuela-Costa. His disappearance has been denounced by his family. EFE quotes sources close to the case as saying the person has been missing since last Wednesday night, and his disappearance was denounced on Friday. The search has been centred in Orihuela-Costa where reports say the British man was living in Urbanization Villamart...

Spain triggers new eurozone worries

 There are strong signs that confidence in the eurozone is waning despite the willingness of investors to lend to Europe's more heavily-indebted governments over the last three months. Wednesday saw Spain once again struggling to borrow money on financial markets after an auction of five-year bonds barely found enough buyers. Now Italy, Portugal, Greece and France are all being forced to pay higher interest rates on the money they...

TOWIE stars including Sam Faiers to film The Only Way Is Essex in Spanish resort Marbella

 The cast of The Only Way Is Essex will decamp to their favourite holiday spot in the next few months. The show has been embroiled in a legal row with former Big Brother winner Brian Belo, who claimed he came up with the original idea for the series. He is also currently working on reality show Marbella Beach in which Channel 5 is said to be interested. A TOWIE insider insisted their Spanish special has been in development for months....

TWO men arrested in a Spanish drugs bust are henchmen of a notorious Scots crime clan

 TWO men arrested in a Spanish drugs bust are henchmen of a notorious Scots crime clan, it emerged last night. One of the men is Charles “Chagga” McCormack, 29, who is a known enforcer for the infamous Lyons mob. In 2010 he was charged and later cleared over an attack on James Hanlon, who was assaulted with a power drill. Sources claim the shipment of cocaine and cannabis seized by cops on the Costa Blanca was destined for the Lyons...

New info about statin safety affects millions

U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued new safety information about these cholesterol-lowering drugs that are prescribed to millions of Americans to lower the risk of heart disease. If you're among them, you should understand what the FDA's new guidance means for your health. "Before anyone gets too concerned, you should know that statins are so widely used because they have a long track record of safety and effectiveness," says Dr. Mark...

Why don't GPS warn you that statins can harm your memory?

John Holliday had been on a higher 40mg dose of cholesterol pills for only a few weeks when he started to lose his concentration. ‘I’d be watching TV and suddenly find myself unable to follow the plot of a drama,’ says John, 52, a telecoms project manager who lives in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, with his wife Jill, 51, and their two children Adam, 20, and Emma, 16. ‘I’d have to read the same page of a book over and over because I couldn’t...