USA. The skeletal remains of someone thought to have been a 90 year-old woman have been found on a couch in her living room. The body might have been there for months while other people continued to live in the house, authorities said.

EU CRACKS DOWN ON AIRLINE websites, as they “stand accused” of misleading their customers with misleading prices and hidden charges. The airlines deliberately hide the “real” costs of ticket prices when booking online, it is said that one in three people who reserve tickets via the internet are tricked and left confused.

The EU commission showed that online ticket sales showed persistent and serious problems especially in the areas of pricing, contractual clauses and the availability of special offers. There is still much work to be done and the efforts to eliminate these practices will be intensified this year.

SCIENTISTS HAVE DISCOVERED the oldest human remains in Western Europe, unearthing a jawbone and teeth that are between 1.1 and 1.2 million years old at the famous Atapuerca site near Burgos in northern Spain. The size of the jawbone suggests it could have belonged to a female. Stone tools and animal bones with tell-tale cut marks from butchering were also discovered.

41 PEOPLE WERE ARRESTED across Spain recently during an operation to clamp down on child pornography. Of those arrested 35 suspects were accused of actual possession and distribution of material via the internet, while others were charged with the manipulation of minors in virtual chat rooms for sexual purposes. The investigation, which involved over 100 officers, was launched after several email complaints were received alerting the police to the presence of child pornography on numerous file-sharing websites.

THE SPANISH ARE JUST LIKE THE BRITISH! Spanish parents have been going to extreme lengths to get their children into the school of their choice this year, with some even getting divorced to achieve success. A change in the law in 2007 means the child now receives extra points if they live in a single parent home, something that has contributed to what court officials are calling a “fake divorce phenomenon”. Recently divorced couples are often seen back in court “seeking reconciliation” after the school entry date had passed.

MILE HIGH CHAT  In an Historic move for European travel, air passengers will soon be allowed to use mobile phones during flights. The decision follows six months of European Consultations, with the verdict being that calls will be allowed on planes flying in European airspace once a plane has reached an altitude of 3,000 metres. There are some regulatory hurdles to overcome before the move is approved, but it’s a huge step in the right direction for consumers. Just one snag though: the call tariffs may end up being as sky-high as the plane! …. It would be good to hear your comments! 

SAUDI ARABIA’S ROYAL household are said to be involved in plans for a new urbanisation in Estepona. The 600,000m² project is proposed for land classified as suitable for development which the Saudi royals own in the area. Officials confirm that the family’s representatives have submitted plans to the Estepona Town Hall, which were warmly received by the local councillors – unsurprisingly, given the current situation in the Spanish real estate market.

SPAIN: CALL FOR ACTION! British Labour M.P. Michael Cashman says that he will take the matter of the so-called Spanish “land grab” laws in the Valencia region onto the European Court of Human Rights following his fact gathering mission to Spain last year.

These laws were introduced by the Valencia regional government in 1994 and amended in 2005 however promises from the government to scrap them have not yet been met.

Mr Cashman and the MEPs are expected to call on the European Commission to step in. Though the commission may not have a direct role in the in the internal land laws in Spain, the fact of the matter is that “peoples fundamental rights are being trampled on” say’s Mr Cashman. He’s calling for a moratorium on any more decisions under the law and a halt to any further demolitions of people’s homes.

BRITISH BUYERS' ANGER and shock for fear their down payments on their dream home in Spain, of Tens of Thousands of Euros, is potentially lost! Fearing the worst following the recent announcement that the prominent property developer San Jose Inversiones y Proyectos Ubanisticos SA is bidding to face up to a 30-million-euro debt by going through the suspension process.
 
By law it is the obligation of administrators appointed by a judge to try and keep the company afloat in order that creditors can be paid. The developments affected include the half finished El Pinet in La Marina village, Albarita Golf and Santa Anadel Monte resort in Jumilla, Murcia. …. What better reason can you have for opting for a RESALE Property located within an already built and completed urbanisation … what you see is what you get!?  There is still a wonderful life to be had in “Sunny Spain” offering tremendous value for money compared to that in the UK, you just have to be sensible and not "leave your brains on the runway"!

Ofwat is proposing to fine Severn Trent Water £35.8m for providing false information deliberately and offering the company’s customers poor service. The water industry is imposing this fine = to 2.9% of total turnover, for fraud, with a £1.1m penalty for bad customer service.

The British government is to announce assistance for first-time-buyers and key workers to enable them to participate in it’s affordable housing schemes. There will be £1,500 grants to help qualifying buyers with costs such as solicitor’s charges and furniture.

The grants will be offered to buyers who take part in the government’s Open Market Home-buy scheme (OMHB) and more than £3m has been allocated for the grants, enough for 2,000 people. The grants are to run in conjunction with a part-buy scheme offered to first-time buyers and key-workers.

Under this scheme qualifying buyers take out a mortgage for a percentage of their home and then another loan – known as a shared equity loan – from the government and lenders to pay the balance.

At the same time as encouraging people to buy houses, Housing Minister Caroline Flint has said that she will continue meetings with the Council of Mortgage Lenders and Treasury ministers to discuss how to help borrowers struggling with mortgage payments.