Europe Calling

MAFIA-style gangs were last night suspected of being behind the horse meat scandal in the UK. The spotlight fell on organised cartels as Environment Secretary Owen Paterson raised fears of an “international criminal conspiracy”. Reports suggest Italian and Polish gangs are running huge scams during food production or intimidating vets and officials to sign off bogus labels. SOCCER legend Paul Gascoigne was last night fighting for his life after suffering a catastrophic reaction to alcohol withdrawal. The frail star is in intensive care after his organs began to shut down in the hours following his arrival at a rehab clinic in the US. A source close to the star revealed the tragic development last night. He said: “Gazza’s in a bad way. He’s much worse than he was and desperately needs help. “He’s had really bad withdrawal symptoms relating to not drinking since arriving at the clinic. "His internal organs are shutting down and he’s in intensive care — it’s a potentially life-threatening situation. Sara Hesmonhalgh has spent her entire working life on benefits — after deliberately having kids to avoid getting a job. Sara, 24, started planning her first pregnancy in her last year at school and had Charlie when she was 16. She said: “For me and for many of my friends at school it was the only way out and a few of us took it. What was the point of getting a crummy job on minimum wage? A MAN who helped to smuggle €46.9 million pounds worth of cocaine into the UK from Spain has been ordered to pay back almost €60,000.

ELTON John introduces his new son to the world — in a snap with the infant’s big brother. Sir Elton, 65, and partner David Furnish beamed with joy as they posed with Elijah Joseph Daniel Furnish-John and Zachary, two. THE family of murdered Ben Kinsellat hit out after his killer’s dad was awarded £20,000 compensation. Michael Alleyne Snr won a settlement from the Metropolitan Police. He claimed for negligence and assault after his ankle was broken during a raid on his flat by cops looking for son Michael, who is serving life for knifing Ben in 2008. FIVE learner drivers a day on average try to cheat their way to a test pass — by sending someone to take it for them, Figures show that 455 practical tests and 1,469 theory tests in 2011/12 involved a suspected impersonator.The figures — released by the Driving Standards Agency also revealed how some desperate drivers even try to buy or threaten their way to a pass. MMIGRANTS wanting to move to the UK will have to swot up on Margaret Thatcher, Winston Churchill — and MONTY PYTHON. A new citizen test has been drawn up which ditches Labour’s politically correct exam and instead celebrates what makes Britain great. It quizzes candidates on history, sport and music — and TV shows like Monty Python which featured the Spanish Inquisition. Sections on TV series Corronation Street and Shows by Morecambe and Wise sit alongside a celebration of William Wordsworth and William Shakespeare.

A UK couple told the Sun how they claim £17,680 a year in benefits . They don’t even bother looking for work because it would leave them worse off. Danny Creamer is 21, and Gina Allan is 18, and they spend each day watching their 47inch flatscreen TV and smoking 40 cigarettes between them in their comfortable two-bedroom flat. It is all funded by the UK taxpayer, yet the couple say they deserve sympathy because they are “trapped”. They even claim they are entitled to their generous handouts because their hard-working parents have been paying tax for years. The comments written on the website do not support their claims. The couple, who have a four-month-old daughter Tullulah-Rose, say they can’t go out to work as they could not survive on less than their £1,473-a-month benefits. Whilst this is one story MPs are moaning about the quality of food served in their highly-subsidised Parliament restaurants demonstrating they are clearly not in the real world. The list of grumbles includes “tough as old boots” roast beef and their gripes will shock taxpayers who pick up 75 % of the bill. If this isn't bad enough UK TAXPAYERS are set to cough up £6MILLION this year to pay the bills of hate cleric Abu Qatada. This man has told everyone how much he hates the west. The Islamic fanatic racked up legal costs of £5,000 A DAY last month after being allowed to stay in Britain. He will cost an astonishing £5MILLION this year to foot the security bill for the 52-year-old who has been closely monitored since his release from jail last November. There sems to be some agreement that an armed robber with a breathing problem who died when have-a-go punters tackled him as he raided a bookies, got what he deserved. Alan Levers, 50, burst into the Ladbrokes brandishing a handgun and wearing a gas mask. We are told he had a breathing problem. Two punters wrestled him to the floor and sat on him until cops arrived to find him unconscious ten minutes later. Paramedics tried to resuscitate Levers but declared him dead after 20 minutes in Plymouth, Devon.

A UK couple told the Sun how they claim £17,680 a year in benefits . They don’t even bother looking for work because it would leave them worse off. Danny Creamer is 21, and Gina Allan is 18, and they spend each day watching their 47inch flatscreen TV and smoking 40 cigarettes between them in their comfortable two-bedroom flat. It is all funded by the UK taxpayer, yet the couple say they deserve sympathy because they are “trapped”. They even claim they are entitled to their generous handouts because their hard-working parents have been paying tax for years. The comments written on the website do not support their claims. The couple, who have a four-month-old daughter Tullulah-Rose, say they can’t go out to work as they could not survive on less than their £1,473-a-month benefits. Whilst this is one story MPs are moaning about the quality of food served in their highly-subsidised Parliament restaurants demonstrating they are clearly not in the real world. The list of grumbles includes “tough as old boots” roast beef and their gripes will shock taxpayers who pick up 75 % of the bill. If this isn't bad enough UK TAXPAYERS are set to cough up £6MILLION this year to pay the bills of hate cleric Abu Qatada. This man has told everyone how much he hates the west. The Islamic fanatic racked up legal costs of £5,000 A DAY last month after being allowed to stay in Britain. He will cost an astonishing £5MILLION this year to foot the security bill for the 52-year-old who has been closely monitored since his release from jail last November. There sems to be some agreement that an armed robber with a breathing problem who died when have-a-go punters tackled him as he raided a bookies, got what he deserved. Alan Levers, 50, burst into the Ladbrokes brandishing a handgun and wearing a gas mask. We are told he had a breathing problem. Two punters wrestled him to the floor and sat on him until cops arrived to find him unconscious ten minutes later. Paramedics tried to resuscitate Levers but declared him dead after 20 minutes in Plymouth, Devon.

In Spain. families are cutting back on their food bill due to the financial crisis, according to government statistics. Popular items such as meat and fish are being dropped in favour of cheaper alternatives like pasta, rice and cheap meats. Spending on food per person fell in three consecutive months, with September witnessing a 2.3% fall and a decrease of 1.8% in October. In Algeria, fanatics have attacked workers at a gas plant. The outrage — ordered by Mokhtar Belmokhtar — killed 23 hostages and 32 militants over the course of four days at BP’s In Amenas gas plant, according to the Algerian government. It is believed 11 fanatics linked to al-Qaeda executed seven hostages before being killed by Algerian special forces in yesterday’s bloody desert showdown. After Lance Armstrong decided to open his heart to Oprah Winfreh, star cyclist Mark Cavendish fears no one will believe pro cyclists are clean again. Vavendish, the sprint ace, says the shamed star was so convincing in the past when lying about performance enhancing drugs, the TV revelations will leave the public wondering if cyclists are telling the truth forever more. Last night he said: “He was a hero to anyone wanting to be cyclist when I was growing up, but when he was asked in the past if he was cheating he was so adamant, so convincing. “I get irritated when people question if my success is through hard work, but after seeing the interview, I can now understand why people have a problem with believing us today when we say we are clean. “They could think ‘if Lance lied so well, so could they’.” BRITAIN’S top union boss has been accused of brainwashing after launching a secret bid to sign up schoolkids. Unite leader Len McCluskey has set up a team of “union tutors” to target every 15-year-old in the country. The hardline Left-winger has ordered his hit-squad to visit secondary schools as part of a campaign to “educate, agitate and organise”. A MIGRANT mum thanked the UK yesterday for letting her claim £14,500 a year in benefits. Natalija Belova, 33, told The Sun how she spurns full-time work — yet can afford foreign holidays and buys designer clothes. The Lithuanian said: “British benefits give me and my daughter a good life.” She has milked soft-touch Britain for £50,000 in benefits and yesterday said: "I simply take what is given to me." Overjoyed Natalija told how she lives a life of luxury thanks to our “strange” system, declaring: “It’s important to have nice things and good holidays.”

In Spain. families are cutting back on their food bill due to the financial crisis, according to government statistics. Popular items such as meat and fish are being dropped in favour of cheaper alternatives like pasta, rice and cheap meats. Spending on food per person fell in three consecutive months, with September witnessing a 2.3% fall and a decrease of 1.8% in October. In Algeria, fanatics have attacked workers at a gas plant. The outrage — ordered by Mokhtar Belmokhtar — killed 23 hostages and 32 militants over the course of four days at BP’s In Amenas gas plant, according to the Algerian government. It is believed 11 fanatics linked to al-Qaeda executed seven hostages before being killed by Algerian special forces in yesterday’s bloody desert showdown. After Lance Armstrong decided to open his heart to Oprah Winfreh, star cyclist Mark Cavendish fears no one will believe pro cyclists are clean again. Vavendish, the sprint ace, says the shamed star was so convincing in the past when lying about performance enhancing drugs, the TV revelations will leave the public wondering if cyclists are telling the truth forever more. Last night he said: “He was a hero to anyone wanting to be cyclist when I was growing up, but when he was asked in the past if he was cheating he was so adamant, so convincing. “I get irritated when people question if my success is through hard work, but after seeing the interview, I can now understand why people have a problem with believing us today when we say we are clean. “They could think ‘if Lance lied so well, so could they’.” BRITAIN’S top union boss has been accused of brainwashing after launching a secret bid to sign up schoolkids. Unite leader Len McCluskey has set up a team of “union tutors” to target every 15-year-old in the country. The hardline Left-winger has ordered his hit-squad to visit secondary schools as part of a campaign to “educate, agitate and organise”. A MIGRANT mum thanked the UK yesterday for letting her claim £14,500 a year in benefits. Natalija Belova, 33, told The Sun how she spurns full-time work — yet can afford foreign holidays and buys designer clothes. The Lithuanian said: “British benefits give me and my daughter a good life.” She has milked soft-touch Britain for £50,000 in benefits and yesterday said: "I simply take what is given to me." Overjoyed Natalija told how she lives a life of luxury thanks to our “strange” system, declaring: “It’s important to have nice things and good holidays.”

In Spain. families are cutting back on their food bill due to the financial crisis, according to government statistics. Popular items such as meat and fish are being dropped in favour of cheaper alternatives like pasta, rice and cheap meats. Spending on food per person fell in three consecutive months, with September witnessing a 2.3% fall and a decrease of 1.8% in October. In Algeria, fanatics have attacked workers at a gas plant. The outrage — ordered by Mokhtar Belmokhtar — killed 23 hostages and 32 militants over the course of four days at BP’s In Amenas gas plant, according to the Algerian government. It is believed 11 fanatics linked to al-Qaeda executed seven hostages before being killed by Algerian special forces in yesterday’s bloody desert showdown. After Lance Armstrong decided to open his heart to Oprah Winfreh, star cyclist Mark Cavendish fears no one will believe pro cyclists are clean again. Vavendish, the sprint ace, says the shamed star was so convincing in the past when lying about performance enhancing drugs, the TV revelations will leave the public wondering if cyclists are telling the truth forever more. Last night he said: “He was a hero to anyone wanting to be cyclist when I was growing up, but when he was asked in the past if he was cheating he was so adamant, so convincing. “I get irritated when people question if my success is through hard work, but after seeing the interview, I can now understand why people have a problem with believing us today when we say we are clean. “They could think ‘if Lance lied so well, so could they’.” BRITAIN’S top union boss has been accused of brainwashing after launching a secret bid to sign up schoolkids. Unite leader Len McCluskey has set up a team of “union tutors” to target every 15-year-old in the country. The hardline Left-winger has ordered his hit-squad to visit secondary schools as part of a campaign to “educate, agitate and organise”. A MIGRANT mum thanked the UK yesterday for letting her claim £14,500 a year in benefits. Natalija Belova, 33, told The Sun how she spurns full-time work — yet can afford foreign holidays and buys designer clothes. The Lithuanian said: “British benefits give me and my daughter a good life.” She has milked soft-touch Britain for £50,000 in benefits and yesterday said: "I simply take what is given to me." Overjoyed Natalija told how she lives a life of luxury thanks to our “strange” system, declaring: “It’s important to have nice things and good holidays.”

In Spain, a couple have slammed the authorities for failing to compensate them for the demolition of their home five years ago. Len and Helen Prior had their property bulldozed in Vera, Andalucia, in January 2008 over ‘planning irregularities’. In the UK, a top police officer who was fooled by Jimmy Savile in 2007 is working on the fresh investigation into his decades of abuse. Detective Constable Angela Sullivan was part of the Surrey Police team that investigated his attacks at Duncroft residential school for vulnerable girls. She has been recalled by officers working on the new investigation, called Operation Outreach. Jon Venables, who abducted, tortured and murdered the toddler James Bulger in 1993 along with Robert Thompson when they were ten-year-olds Venables , is making a fresh plea for freedom in an attempt to be released this summer. Venables, now 30, will appear before a Parole Board to claim he is no longer a danger and can be trusted to keep his false identity secret. But the parents of two-year-old James Bulger are disgusted that they are being forced to revisit the tragedy yet again. In the UKI, thousands of kids go to schools where more than half of teachers are UNQUALIFIED. Shock tables show fully-qualified teachers are in the minority at TEN English schools.. five primary and five secondary .... teaching 5,500 pupils. Classes are being staffed by trainee teachers, classroom assistants and outside specialists in subjects like languages rather than staff with Qualified Teacher Status. STAY-at-home mums will be better off under a massive shake-up of state pensions to be unveiled this week. Years raising a family will finally be recognised with a flat-rate £144 weekly payment for all. Four million self-employed workers also win.

THE BBC has banned bananas at their new £1billion headquarters. Posters have been put up warning colleagues not to eat them at work. This was requested by a journalist who said she could suffer a fatal reaction if she came into contact with a banana. So where will it all end? Fruit? Nuts? Cadburys chocolate? THE Railways Minister commutes to work in a chauffeur-driven CAR — at a cost of £80,000-a-year. Instead of suffering overcrowded trains, Tory Simon Burns is ferried on an 80-mile round-trip from his home to his Westminster office at taxpayers’ expense. We both feel strongly about this but what about those reading the report? A QUARTER of mums turn off heating so they can afford FOOD for their kids according to a new survery. Millions more use layers of extra clothes or blankets to keep power bills down. Didn't we do this when we were young? India's prime minister called for calm after clashes erupted between police and demonstrators protesting about a gang rape in the country's capital. "We will make all possible efforts to ensure security and safety to all women in this country," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said. "I appeal to all concerned citizens to maintain peace and calm." We feel strongly about this as obviously do thousands in India and around the world. WAR hero Andy Reid last night told of his joy at becoming a dad after losing THREE limbs. Andy, 36, feared he would never be able to have children because of the terrible injuries he suffered when he stepped on a Taliban booby-trap in Afghanistan. We salute this great dad.

THE NHS has paid out £1.7BILLION over the last 14 years to patients maimed in botched ops, official figures reveal.Eight patients a week are left brain-damaged, blinded, or have a limb amputated due to errors in NHS treatment. At least 1,500 people have sued over a lost limb, 2,860 for brain damage and 809 over being blinded, official figures show. One comment on the website said, "maybe we should rename it the International Health Service...we seem to spend more on bloody foreigners getting treatment free and paying for immigrants to work in the service than anywhere else in the world........no wonder we have have a national lottery.......when you go itno hospital if your number comes up they carry you out." UK POLICE spend just EIGHT MINUTES in every hour on frontline duties — despite a Government pledge to cut paperwork. New research shows they are out on patrol for only 11.8 per cent of their working day. On a typical 12-hour shift, an officer will spend just one hour and 25 minutes “visible and available” to the public. This prompted one comment from the website, "Just remember that the bobby writing up the paperwork that it is required by law in order to obtain a criminal conviction has to keep in mind that it may be used as evidence in a court. There it might be scrutinised word by word by the highly trained legal mind of a lawyer or QC, educated and now probably being paid for at public expense. COST-cutting minister Eric Pickles is under fire after his department, The Communities and Local Government office, blew £42,225 of taxpayers’ cash on snacks in just seven months. One comment on the website said, "snacks shd be paid out of salaries not expenses , no businesses paid for my snacks , even had pay from wages for coffee too , why do you fat barstards claim expenses for free food and drinks , other employess have pay from there wages / salaries , this is so wrong" FRAUD detectives were yesterday probing the secret world of the freemasons over the mysterious disappearance of £110,000 in funds. Horrified members of the society called in police after finding all its lodges in Essex were unable to pay their VAT bill. The meeting places are run from Colchester Masonic Hall — where books are feared to have been cooked for years.

In the UK revellers debt will make Christmas a time of misery for millions. As families struggle to pay for gifts and food by taking out payday loans with eye-watering interest rates, Millionaire moneylender Jeffrey Weiss will be rubbing his hands in festive glee. His phenomenal multi-million pound fortune, luxury homes and fleet of expensive cars are all built on profits from the controversial short-term loans. Meanwhile, across the country the start of the Christmas break was celebrated by many hitting bars, pubs and clubs in a big way. Despite the appalling weather, partygoers were determined to let their hair down and get into the festive spirit. In several towns and cities young women were snapped in skimpy Santa outfits undeterred by the pouring rain. But in some places the booze flowed a bit too freely, and violence erupted in several parts. Also, hundreds of people faced a miserable Christmas in rescue centres last night after being forced to flee their flood-hit homes. And thousands more fear they could join them, with torrential rain forecast for at least another TWO days. Festive travel plans were also plunged into chaos. Rail passengers were told not to use trains in the SOUTH-WEST and WALES because of flooded tracks — and driving conditions were hazardous. In Spain thousands of people marched in 55 cities across the country on Monday... ....protesting against the government’s failure to keep its promise and link pensions to the inflation rate – among a long list of other complaints.

Comments from readers of this terrible tragedy wrote.. “END THE VIOLENCE” On TV, in movies, and video games. This is where our society and especially our children see violence, where they are desensitized to it, and where it is glorified as POWER. That is what these mass shooters want and need, to show that they have power. This will give them the recognition they need.........Amodeus et us not lose sight of how this was simply a demented and deadly person, akin to those we have seen throughout history. Others may see that the murderer played video games or used a gun for his weapon and think the blame lies there. It is a fallacy; not far removed from reasoning that since he drank water and breathed oxygen that must have made him kill. Mr Clarity How about we stop drugging children with the phony attention disorders? And if schools truly need to drug the hell out of children to make their job easier, then watch those who have been prescribed the drugs. They are the ones that become school shooters. Courtney.

Benedict Barboza told of his grief as the Aussie DJs who called the mum of two posing as the Queen and Prince Charles faced prosecution. His wife, the unsuspecting Jacintha Saldanha, 46, put them through to the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge’s ward. Her London hospital blasted the “appalling” stunt yesterday as it has ended in a tragic suicide of the nurse Jacintha. ....Ray and Emma Dolben seem your average, happily married couple .. hand-in-hand and sharing a kiss. The truth is the family man is GAY — and his wife knows about it. The pair’s unusual relationship mirrors a current storyline in Coronation Street..... SIX fat cat lawyers raked in more than £500,000 a year each in legal aid payments...according to the Sun newspaper. The paper tells us that dozens of barristers billed the taxpayer for six-figure sums to defend alleged terrorists, rapists and fraudsters. We covered a story a few weeks ago about road rage killer Tracie Andrews who has sparked fury after being gifted a modern cosy council flat. The murderess has moved into the flat with stunning sea views in an idyllic Cornish fishing village. However, outraged locals claim that the convicted killer has skipped lengthy council housing queues to land the apartment. Villagers say that they are well aware of who she is and her dark past. and they now want her OUT of their quiet community.

...a photo will enrage hard-working people as well as football fans across Britain. West Brom defender Liam Ridgewell, 28, squats over a toilet and wipes his backside with a wad of £20 notes. The Premier League player earns at least £20,000 a week....Ridgewell’s weekly wage is equivalent to the average annual salary in the West Midlands — one of the most deprived areas in the country.  RYANAIR is to slash flights to and from Spain because of sky-high airport taxes — threatening thousands of jobs.  Taxes make up 40 per cent of ticket costs for the bucket airline’s Madrid and Barcelona flights — making routes unprofitable for the largest carrier in Spain.  The cuts — which will save Ryanair £20million — will result in 4,500 jobs going, more than double those forecast by boss Michael O’Leary four months ago. This is Europe Calling

A GOVERNMENT official with responsibility for Buckingham Palace security has been charged with making child abuse images.RICKY HATTON last night quit after his comeback cruelly ended in tears at the Manchester Arena.A COUPLE who had foster children removed for being members of the UK Independence Party last night blasted the decision. In Spain Drugs disappear from under policemen's noses...IN the past couple of years ROBBIE WILLIAMS has managed to tame the green-eyed monster that made his blood boil whenever GARY BARLOW was around. WE know for ourselves that Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder can blight lives and even kill.It is an issue that is sadly going to become more important in this country as more brave servicemen and women return from Afghanistan with unseen wounds.