Britain’s crime hot spots revealed

 The findings, posted on an interactive website, will allow the public to discover how many cases of robbery, vehicle crime and other offences take place in their area – and to rank areas from best to worst. Oxford Street in London's West End was revealed to be the shopping destination surrounded by the most crime. During 2011, there were 656 vehicle crimes, 915 robberies and 2,597 violent crimes within three quarters of a mile of the Oxford Street branch of John Lewis. There were also 5,039 reported instances of anti-social behaviour – equivalent...

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European court rules against Italy for expelling migrants

European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Thursday ruled that Italy had violated it human rights obligations when it deported a group of African migrants intercepted in the Mediterranean Sea to Libya in 2009. The decision delivered in Strasbourg by 17 judges of the court was described as a 'landmark' by the United Nation's Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and was also welcomed by several rights groups in Italy and elsewhere. Italy's International Cooperation Minister, Andrea Riccardi, said that the ruling would force Italy to 'think and rethink our policies...

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Belarus fights Europe to retain death penalty

Belarusian MPs have blasted a recent resolution of the European Parliament on death penalty in Belarus as an attempt to interfere in the country’s internal affairs. The Belarusian parliamentary commission on international affairs has issued an official statement saying that the European Parliament’s resolution on the death penalty in Belarus was a continuation of the practice of pressuring Belarusian authorities and meddling with the country’s internal affairs. Additionally, the Belarusian side noted that from the text of the resolution they could...

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Fishing skippers fined £720,000

 Seventeen skippers behind one of Scotland's biggest fishing scams have been fined a total of £720,000. The group admitted making illegal landings of mackerel and herring worth £47.5 million between January 1 2002 and March 19 2005. The "black fish" scam, which broke sea fishing laws, was carried out at fish processing factory Shetland Catch in Lerwick, Shetland. Judge Lord Turnbull said the scam is "an episode of shame" for the pelagic fishing industry. He said it was a "cynical and sophisticated" operation...

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Police uncover 'serious and organised' criminality in £63m scam to breach European fishing quotas

An inquiry into the UK's largest fishing scandal has uncovered "serious and organised" criminality by Scottish trawlermen and fish processors in an elaborate scam to illegally sell nearly £63m of undeclared fish.Three large fish factories and 27 skippers have pleaded guilty to sophisticated and lucrative schemes to breach EU fishing quotas, in what one senior police officer described as "industrial level" deception.They went to extraordinary...

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THE EU is to investigate an ‘alarming number’ of shoddy and unregulated financial advisors working in southern Spain.

The European Commission is to consider setting up an ombudsman to help expat victims reclaim against ‘rogue’ financial firms. It comes after a local pressure group, that represents over 1,000 victims, sent a strong dossier of information to Brussels. The Costa del Sol Action Group demanded action against the ‘cowboy’ advisors who, it claims, have lost their clients over 120 million euros. “It is good news as something has to be done about this bunch of rogues,” group founder David Klein told the Olive Press. “The current Spanish regulatory system...

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Foreign and female inmates to be evacuated from Bali's Kerobokan prison

 FOREIGN inmates including the 12 Australians held at Bali's notorious Kerobokan jail are set to be moved later today amid fears they could be targeted in ongoing unrest at the prison. Prison guards and police have again been forced to retreat to the streets outside the jail following a second night of unrest in the wake of a rampage by inmates on Tuesday night during which sections of the jail were destroyed by fire. About 400 armed police and soldiers remain stationed outside the jail amid a tense stand-off with prisoners. Indonesian Justice...

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Confusion surrounds Australian prisoners held in Bali riot jail

 Confusion surrounds Australian prisoners held in Bali riot jail Scott Rush, is escorted by two policemen after being moved out from Kerobokan prison in Denpasar.  BALI nine drug mule Scott Rush was evacuated from the fire-damaged Kerobokan prison late yesterday after a day of confusion and posturing. Prison authorities in Bali backed down from a threat to forcibly move 1015 prisoners from the jail in urban Denpasar, and by late last night had moved a small fraction of that. The fate of the other 11 Australians housed in the prison...

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Fraud: Organised crime - Bogus claims gangs cast a wider net

 According to the Insurance Fraud Bureau, the cost of organised fraud to the industry is approximately £200m per year. While this is only a small portion of the estimated £1.6bn total cost of fraud, it is of particular concern because it is typically carried out by organised gangs, often using the money to fund serious illegal activity, such as people trafficking, arms dealing and terrorism. Although there are isolated examples of fraud rings operating in arson and disability claims, the vast majority of organised fraud involves motor insurance....

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Iran Court Starts Trial in $2.6 Billion Bank Fraud

Tehran court began hearing the trial of 32 defendants on Saturday in a $2.6 billion bank fraud case described as the biggest financial swindle in the country’s history, state television reported.   Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi, read the text of the indictment against the suspects, who wore prison uniforms at the opening session at the Revolutionary Court, which deals with cases involving security and organized crime. The charges involve the use of forged documents to get credit at one of Iran’s top financial institutions to purchase assets, including...

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14 shops a day shutting on Britain's high streets as shoppers hunt for bargains online and stores move to retail parks 14 shops a day shutting on Britain's high streets as shoppers hunt for bargains online and stores move to retail parks

14 shops are shutting every day on the High Street, alarming figures show. The recession, a rise in internet shopping and a move to out-of-town shopping centres have all impacted on once-booming towns. Last year 5,268 shops were closed by major retailers and only 5,094 opened, according to a study by accountants PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Local Data Company. It was the first time since the height of the recession in 2009 that more shops were shut than open...

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Nazi Germany succeeded in "destroying" confidence in British bank notes across Europe by flooding the continent with forgeries during World War II

 Nazi Germany succeeded in "destroying" confidence in British bank notes across Europe by flooding the continent with forgeries during World War II, according to secret files made public Friday. By the end of the six-year conflict, the fakes were so rife they were not accepted in mainland Europe, papers released from the National Archives showed. Nazi Germany began forging British notes in 1940 in preparation for the planned invasion of Britain, according to a report drawn up in August 1945 by Sir Edward Reid of MI5, the domestic security...

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Bankrupt Irish tycoon Quinn could face jail

 Ireland's onetime richest man could face jail after a state bank launched contempt proceedings against him on Friday, saying he was blocking it from seizing hundreds of millions of euros of properties in eastern Europe and Central America. The Irish Banking Resolution Corporation (IBRC) asked the High Court to declare former billionaire Sean Quinn in contempt for violating an order not to interfere with foreign property assets worth an estimated 500 million euros. Quinn, who has come to personify the rapid unravelling of Ireland's "Celtic...

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Record $6 Trillion of Fake U.S. Bonds Seized

 Italian anti-mafia prosecutors said they seized a record $6 trillion of allegedly fake U.S. Treasury bonds, an amount that’s almost half of the U.S.’s public debt. The bonds were found hidden in makeshift compartments of three safety deposit boxes in Zurich, the prosecutors from the southern city of Potenza said in an e-mailed statement. The Italian authorities arrested eight people in connection with the probe, dubbed “Operation Vulcanica,” the prosecutors said. The U.S. embassy in Rome has examined the securities dated 1934, which had a...

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Awema scandal: Naz Malik and Saquib Zia are dismissed Awema scandal: Naz Malik and Saquib Zia are dismissed

 The sackings of Naz Malik and Saquib Zia were announced by the All Wales Ethnic Minority Association (Awema). The charity has been at the centre of allegations of financial irregularities and bullying. Awema's funding was halted by the Welsh government after a damning report. A statement on the Awema website by its chair Dr Rita Austin said an administrator would also be appointed to take over control of Awema's business and assets from the charity trustees, and close the business. Awema's decision follows the Welsh government internal...

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Five Britons in court in UK for Mallorca pyramid fraud

 Five British citizens are in court in the United Kingdom shortly for having allegedly set up a pyramid selling fraud which resulted in 70 residents of Calvià on Mallorca being defrauded out of 12 million €. They are alleged to have captured 150 investors in several countries, promising enormous profits on the stock market from a company called Gilher Inc. The accused are charged with massive fraud, money laundering in Panama and the Seychelles, although they are all claiming innocence. The Serious Fraud Office says the operation started...

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JC Flowers' former UK boss fined £2.9m in fraud case

 Ravi Sinha submitted false invoices to a JC Flowers company in a desperate attempt to recoup multi-million pound investment losses made at the height to the credit crunch. Despite the Financial Services Authority finding Mr Sinha had acted "fraudulently" he is to escape criminal prosecution after JC Flowers decided not to request a prosecution. Sources at City of London Police said they were keen to investigate but were concerned the case would be a waste of public money without JC Flowers' full co-operation. The private equity group responded,...

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