Ebola virus a threat

"The risk to UK travellers and people working in [affected countries] of contracting Ebola is very low but we have alerted UK medical practitioners about the situation in West Africa and requested they remain vigilant for unexplained illness in those who have visited the affected area. "It is important to stress that no cases of imported Ebola have ever been reported in the UK and the risk of a traveller going to West Africa and contracting Ebola remains very low since Ebola is transmitted by direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected person." BBC global health correspondent Tulip Mazumdar said the West African outbreak had been going on for four months. In that time local people had been looking after the sick and carrying out burials, which could actually help to spread the virus, she added. Ebola kills up to 90% of those infected, but patients have a better chance of survival if they receive early treatment. The outbreak - the world's deadliest to date - was first reported in Guinea in February. It then spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone. Ebola virus disease (EVD) Symptoms include high fever, bleeding and central nervous system damage Fatality rate can reach 90% Incubation period is two to 21 days There is no vaccine or cure Supportive care such as rehydrating patients who have diarrhoea and vomiting can help recovery Fruit bats are considered to be virus' natural host

Lionel Messi may have just been named the most valuable player at the World Cup in Brazil but that is unlikely to soften the blow of having to pay Spain's largest tax bill

Lionel Messi may have just been named the most valuable player at the World Cup in Brazil but that is unlikely to soften the blow of having to pay Spain's largest tax bill — a whopping €53 million ($71 million)On top of that €53 million, the FC Barcelona star could also have to pay an extra €3 million on undeclared advertising and sponsorship earnings for the years 2007 to 2009.

 The huge sum paid by Lionel Messi this year covers taxes on his salary, as well as on his assets and advertising deals. It also includes €22.4 million in outstanding tax for 2010, 2011 and 2012. 

 Over the past seven years, the Argentina captain has paid more than €100 million to Spain's tax office, Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia reported. 

 This amount has increased proportionally to the player’s income.  

 According to the business magazine Forbes, Lionel Messi earns more than €48 million a year from salary and sponsorship, making him the fourth highest-earning athlete in the world. 

 He’s also the highest-paid football player with a €20 million annual salary, ahead of Real Madrid’s player Cristiano Ronaldo.

 Last year, Lionel Messi and his father were accused of defrauding the Spanish tax office of over €5 million ($7 million) but cleared the tax debt before a court appearance.‏

UK passport chaos threatens Costa del Sol tourism

BRITAIN’S passport crisis could leave a huge dent in Spain’s tourism coffers this summer as its number one market gives foreign travel a swerve.   While the passport office battles to shift the massive processing backlog, more and more Brits are playing it safe and planning to holiday at home. Added to the rise in ‘staycations’ in the UK, Spain could miss out big-time on British visitors who are usually the backbone of its tourist economy. According to the Office of National Statistics’ International Passenger Survey, British foreign travel fell by 17% between 2008 and 2013, and is likely to see a further 3% drop this year. Dan Yates, founder of UK camping website Pitchup.com, has reported a huge surge in demand for his 5,000 properties.

A new eatery has opened up in Los Boliches in Fuengirola

A new eatery has opened up in Los Boliches in Fuengirola on the sunny Costa del Sol in southern Spain. Named Ginger Food and Drinks, they are an international restaurant, offering delicious meals to suit all tastes. Just behind, and down a short block to the left of, Hotel Yaramar on the Los Boliches beachfront, a small gem has recently opened to the public. Ginger Food and Drinks (Ginger Restaurante) is just steps away from the over-crowded and noisy restaurants and cafes on the beachfront, but is a more peaceful and relaxing place to enjoy a meal, in surroundings decorated in attractive jewel tones. The staff is as friendly as the food is tasty and fresh. Your host, owner, and talented chef, is Juan who hails from Argentina and he is assisted by Natalia, from Germany, who will serve you with a smile, either in the restaurant itself or outside on the small street terrace.

LIVING IN A FASCIST STATE: Mentally ill people need to be helped, not hounded | Polly Toynbee | Comment is free | The Guardian

Neglect of the mentally ill is bad enough, but now consider how the Department for Work and Pensions deliberately torments them. I just met a jobcentre manager. It had to be in secret, in a Midlands hotel, several train stops away from where she works. She told me how the sick are treated and what harsh targets she is under to push them off benefits. A high proportion on employment and support allowance have mental illnesses or learning difficulties.

The department denies there are targets, but she showed me a printed sheet of what are called "spinning plates", red for missed, green for hit. They just missed their 50.5% target for "off flows", getting people off ESA. They have been told to "disrupt and upset" them – in other words, bullying. That's officially described, in Orwellian fashion, as "offering further support". As all ESA claimants approach the target deadline of 65 weeks on benefits – advisers are told to report them all to the fraud department for maximum pressure. In this manager's area 16% are "sanctioned" or cut off benefits. Of course it's not written down anywhere, but it's in the development plans of individual advisers or "work coaches". Managers repeatedly question them on why more people haven't been sanctioned. Letters are sent to the vulnerable who don't legally have to come in, but in such ambiguous wording that they look like an order to attend. Tricks are played: those ending their contributory entitlement to a year on ESA need to fill in a form for income-based ESA. But jobcentres are forbidden to stock those forms.

These ill people's benefits are suddenly stopped without explanation: if they call, they're told to collect a form from the jobcentre, which doesn't stock them either. If someone calls to query an appointment they are told they will be sanctioned if they don't turn up, whatever. She said: "The DWP's hope is they won't pursue the claim." Good advisers genuinely try to help the mentally ill left marooned on sickness benefit for years. The manager spoke of a woman with acute agoraphobia who hadn't left home for 20 years: "With tiny steps, we were getting her out, helping her see how her life could be better – a long process." But here's another perversity: if someone passes the 65-week deadline, they are abandoned. All further help is a dead loss to "spinning plates" success rates. That woman was sent back to her life of isolation: she certainly wasn't referred for CBT. For all this bullying, the work programme finds few jobs for those on ESA. Failing to treat the mentally ill is bad enough, but this is maltreatment. There has been much outrage about lack of kindness and care in hospitals. Neglect of mental patients is every bit as bad, but deliberate cruelty by the DWP defies any concern for the wellbeing for the most vulnerable, let alone "parity of esteem".

A teenager has died after being thrown from a roller-coaster called Hell at a theme park in Benidorm

A teenager has died after being thrown from a roller-coaster called Hell at a theme park in Benidorm, it has emerged A teenager has died after being thrown from a roller-coaster called Hell at a theme park in Benidorm. The 18-year-old is thought to have been flung from the ride at the Terra Mitica theme park after his harness failed yesterday afternoon. The teen - who was on holiday with his parents and a friend - suffered horrific injuries including multiple fractures and head wounds. National newspaper El Mundo last night quoted local councillor Jose Marcet saying the dead man was British. However, this morning a police spokesman said: “He is from Iceland and not Britain as some reports have said.”

A local judge has launched an investigation into the incident which happened on a ride called 'Inferno' - Catalan for 'Hell.' A shocked British witness to the horror told the Mirror how her teenage daughter had been on the ride, which only has eight seats, just 5 minutes before. Lynn Alexander, from Glasgow, is holidaying in Benidorm with friends and her family and the group had gone to the theme park for a day of fun. She said: It’s totally shocking. We actually had out back to the ride as we had just picked the girls up and were walking away but then we heard these loud gasps. “We turned around and saw a group of people shouting ‘drop, drop’ and pointing. Then it became apparent what happened and everyone was in shock.

“The park got everyone off the ride but it seemed to take ages. Then we saw the teenager’s family and they were obviously distraught. “What surprised me is that they didn't even close the park down. We are still in shock and can't believe it. My daughter is so shaken up as she could have been in the same seat just five minutes earlier.” The roller coaster where the accident happened is called Inferno - Catalan for 'Hell'. It does 360 degree turns and produces 3g forces at speeds of more than 40mph. A judicial source confirmed a court in Benidorm had opened an investigation. The source said: "Benidorm court number two has opened an investigation following the death of a person involved in an accident at a ride in Terra Mitica theme park.