Julio Iglesias buys property in Ojén, Andalucia | AboutProperty.co.uk

Julio Iglesias buys property in Ojén, Andalucia | AboutProperty.co.uk: "Until now, the mere 2,000 residents of Ojén, a petite village in the southern Spanish region of Andalucia, have enjoyed relative peace and quiet in their secluded homes.
But obscurity may no longer be an option, as a raft of new developments - not to mention a rather well-known lothario - look set to reinvent the whole area.
As Spanish celebrities go, there aren't many with a legacy and timeless appeal quite like global music star Julio Iglesias.
Having recently married his partner of 20 years, Dutch model Miranda Rijnsburger, the newlywed has chosen the quaint Andalucian setting of Ojén to call home."

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Sean Connery told to cough up cash | Herald Sun

Sean Connery told to cough up cash | Herald Sun: "SEAN Connery has been ordered by a Spanish judge to contribute to a $77 million bond as part of a money-laundering and property fraud investigation. Judge Ricardo Puyol named the former James Bond star as one of the individuals who must deposit the combined sum as surety in the probe into a number of property deals, including the 1998 sale of the actor's beachfront mansion near Marbella, Spain.
Connery and his wife Micheline made $8.5 million in the sale but allegedly failed to pay $2 million to the local authority.
The property was knocked down to allow for 72 luxury apartments to be built, despite planning permission for just five family houses.
The condominiums were said to have yielded a $75 million profit."

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Sean Connery The Judge And Marbella Property | TagzBook.com

Sean Connery The Judge And Marbella Property | TagzBook.com: "Well one has to ask why does it every time we seem to turn a corner with the Marbella property for sale market places does something seem to happen that makes you wonder what the people running the place are up to."

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Jennifer Lopez to launch fashion range with Marc Anthony | CalcuttaTube

Jennifer Lopez to launch fashion range with Marc Anthony | CalcuttaTube: "Singer Jennifer Lopez is launching a fashion range with husband Marc Anthony.
The couple has signed a deal with department store Kohl’s and will work on a lifestyle fashion venture. The collection will include men’s wear, women’s wear and home-wear, reports femalefirst.co.uk.
The 41-year-old star said she only involves herself with projects if she can do something ‘superclose’ to her.
She said: ‘For me, whenever I get involved with something, I get really involved. Every business that I do get involved with is something that is superclose to my heart.’"

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Victoria not interested in designing menswear : MyNews.in

Victoria not interested in designing menswear : MyNews.in: "Singer-turned-fashion designer Victoria Beckham isn't interested in doing a menswear collection as she likes to try out her designs on herself first.
'I'm not really that interested, at the moment, in men's clothes,' femalefirst.co.uk quoted Victoria as saying.
'How on earth, as a male, do you design dresses for women? Because how I work is I actually put the dresses on myself. And I won't disclose any of their answers but quite a few of my male friends have actually said they do put the dresses on themselves. Because how else do you know how it feels?,' she said.
Victoria has three sons - Brooklyn, 11, Romeo, eight, and five-year-old Cruz - with footballer hubby David Beckham.
The former Spice Girl also said she has no intention to work with her husband on a line in the near future."

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Kate Middleton shows classic, cool style sense | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Kate Middleton shows classic, cool style sense | detnews.com | The Detroit News: "Kate Middleton's style is natural, unforced and unpretentious. She never seems to be trying too hard or worried about currying favor with the glittery world of fashion.
That's going to help — a lot — when the naturally beautiful young woman blessed with poise, dimples, long legs and perfect posture marries Prince William next year.
AdvertisementMiddleton is already one of the most photographed women in Britain — and with this week's engagement announcement, she immediately leaps to the top of the fashion world. That position was once occupied by Princess Diana, William's mother, who was killed in a 1997 car crash in Paris.
Like Diana, whose graceful style was widely imitated until her shockingly early death, Middleton's choices will be scrutinized by fashion editors worldwide and copied by retailers in the world's fashion capitals.
Middleton, 28, already has a distinctive look, one that emphasizes her long brown hair, pale skin and charismatic smile. She favors white and black over splashes of color and has shied away from London's radical street fashion in favor of mainstream looks"

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There's plenty of ways to enjoy a cup of tea in London :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Travel

There's plenty of ways to enjoy a cup of tea in London :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Travel: "Any visit to Britain’s sprawling capital requires a proper cup of tea or two, or 10.
To leave London without having tea is like going to Seattle and not having coffee or fleeing Paris without having wine.
The question is this: What kind of tea drinker are you? Centuries after British nobility infused the tea habit throughout their culture, tea drinking in today’s London can be enjoyed two ways: dressed up or dressed down.
The daily teatime tradition still thrives throughout the city — unadulterated but also with some creative, sometimes wacky, twists. Whether you take your tea with pinkies out in the afternoon or at other times of day (early morning, late night, as part of happy hour) with no jacket required, Britain’s megalopolis still offers teatime tastes for every palate.
On a recent well-steeped jaunt, we found everything from classic tea at the Ritz (all silver pots and tuxedoed waiters) to more casual afternoon teas with whiskey, gin and nearly naked burlesque dancers. Old-fashioned or newfangled, here are two different paths through the world’s capital of tea."

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Juan Antonio Roca hands La Caridad estate to state | Olive Press Newspaper | News Spain

Juan Antonio Roca hands La Caridad estate to state | Olive Press Newspaper | News Spain: "estate worth 15 million euros is to be seized by the state to pay some of huge debts owed by former Marbella planning svengali Juan Antonio Roca.

Roca has agreed to hand over the La Caridad estate in San Pedro to pay off some of the 23 million euros he owes the authorities.
The eight hectare estate has a heliport, chapel, veterinary clinic and bodega.
Over 100 pure-bred horses valued at 400,000 euros were housed in the stables and a Miro painting was famously gracing one of the toilets.
Roca is currently being tried for his involvement in the Malaya corruption case."

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Spanish politicians have criticised a video by the Young Socialists in Catalonia in which a woman simulates an orgasm

Spanish politicians have criticised a video by the Young Socialists in Catalonia in which a woman simulates an orgasm while casting her vote.

Both Socialist and opposition politicians have attacked the campaign video.

The equality minister called it "misleading" advertising.

In the video the young woman gets increasingly excited as she votes for the Socialist Party in this month's regional elections in Catalonia.

It concludes with the phrase, "Voting is a pleasure", after she puts her voting slip in the ballot box.

The leader of the conservative opposition Popular Party of Catalonia, Alicia Sanchez-Camacho, said the video was an "attack on the dignity of women".

The health minister, Leire Pajin, who is a Socialist, called on all parties to show respect for women and to act responsibly.

The Socialist equality minister, Bibiana Aido, said of the video: "If it was true, electoral participation would go up greatly, but I think we are dealing with a misleading advert."

'Crude' video
But the Socialist Party of Catalonia 's leader, Jose Montilla, who is standing for re-election, said, "If it encourages people to vote, it's a good thing".

However, speaking in a TV interview he appeared surprised to learn that it was a video by the youth wing of his own party.

A spokesman for the conservative CiU party, Josep Antoni Duran Lleida, said that the "crude" video would damage participation.

The leader of the Green coalition in Catalonia, Joan Herrera, said it would be "very difficult to reach orgasm voting for any of the candidates, myself included".

It is not the first controversial video to be brought out by a Catalan party ahead of the 28 November elections.

An anti-racism group, SOS Racismo, says it has complained to the public prosecutor about a video game by the Popular Party, in which Alicia Sanchez-Camacho takes on the guise of film and video game heroine Lara Croft to fight illegal immigrants and pro-independence Catalans.

The game was removed from the party's website hours after its launch, with the PP saying the developer did not follow instructions properly.

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Hollywood star Wesley Snipes has been ordered by a US judge to surrender to authorities

Hollywood star Wesley Snipes has been ordered by a US judge to surrender to authorities to start serving a three-year jail term for tax-related crimes.

Florida Judge William Terrell Hodges rejected a request from Snipes' lawyers to review his sentence and grant a new trial.

In April 2008, Snipes, 48, was found guilty of deliberately failing to file tax returns for 1999, 2000 and 2001.

He then launched an appeal and has been on bail ever since.

The actor, whose films include the Blade trilogy, was cleared of more serious fraud and conspiracy charges.

'Calm and positive'
"The defendant Snipes had a fair trial; he has had a full, fair and thorough review of his conviction and sentence," Judge Hodges wrote in his decision on Friday.

"The time has come for the judgement to be enforced," he said.

It was not immediately clear when and where Snipes had to surrender.

However, his defence attorney Daniel Meachum later said he planned to appeal at the US Supreme Court, the Associated Press reports.

Mr Meachum said that Snipes, who was in Atlanta to film a movie, remained "incredibly calm and positive".

"He wasn't angered. He wasn't bitter."

Snipes' lawyers had argued his 2008 sentence was "unreasonable".

The actor earned more than $37m (£24m) in gross income between 1999 and 2004 but did not file individual federal income tax returns for any of those years, according to official court papers.

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Property News | London's most iconic hotels to be sold to Middle East

Property News | London's most iconic hotels to be sold to Middle East: "Claridge's, Grosvenor House, the Berkeley and the Connaught are all possible targets for foreign investment that could launch London as a new ‘luxury hotspot'.
The prediction is part of a WTM Global Trends Report, released at World Travel Market, an annual travel industry conference which is currently being held in London.
Caroline Bremner, a spokesperson for market research company Euromonitor International, which carried out the study, says: ‘The UK is ripe for investment from the Middle East with attractive property prices and the value of the pound.
‘We anticipate visitors from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to the UK to increase significantly in the next four years.'
The Qatari royal family recently bought Harrods for £1.5bn and a Middle East consortium is behind the construction of the £2bn ‘Shard of Glass' tower."

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UK : Timorous Beasties scoops ‘British Luxury Design Talent’ title - Textile News UK

UK : Timorous Beasties scoops ‘British Luxury Design Talent’ title - Textile News UK: "Textiles and wallpaper design specialist, Timorous Beasties took the ‘Best Luxury Design Talent’ title on Monday 15 November at the prestigious Walpole 2010 awards in London.

The Glasgow-based company beat off stiff competition, including fellow Scot Christopher Kane, to scoop the title which recognises designers that have maintained the highest standard of British design talent through innovation, design and product quality during the year.

Reflecting on the win, Alistair McAuley, joint Partner said:“What a fabulous honor to be recognised as the ‘British Luxury Design Talent for 2010’. To receive this accolade is true endorsement of our hard work from our peers in the luxury industry, and even more special as we approach the 21st birthday of Timorous Beasties.”

Timorous Beasties’ experimental approach to both hand-printing and machine production, often depicting uncompromisingly contemporary images on traditional textiles and wallpapers caught the eyes of the judging panel which included Marcus Fairs, editor of Dazeen magazine, and David Kester, CEO of Design Council."

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Orient Express and London’s National Gallery Launch “The Art of Travel” | Travel Video News

Orient Express and London’s National Gallery Launch “The Art of Travel” | Travel Video News: "Orient Express, the luxury train operator, has announced that in April 2011 it will launch “The Art of Travel” — a series of art tours to Venice, Paris and within England, in conjunction with London’s renowned National Gallery. Participants will learn about the lives of artists such as Canaletto, Bellini, Titian, Veronese, Monet, Rubens, Turner and Constable – seeing the places that inspired their work and notable places that house their work today, accompanied by a National Gallery expert."

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Diamond sells for $46m

Diamond sells for $46m: "rare pink diamond that is regarded as one of the most desirable and beautiful in the world was sold for a record $46.16 million US on Tuesday, smashing previous auction records for the sale of any single diamond or jewel, Sotheby's said.
Sotheby's had valued the 24.78 carat Fancy Intense Pink diamond mounted on a ring at $27 million to $38 million ahead of the sale in a luxury lakeside hotel.
Sotheby's said the buyer is Laurence Graff, a London-based diamond dealer."

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Glam Media Creates New Sales Team Focused on International Luxury & Premium Advertisers | Business Wire

Glam Media Creates New Sales Team Focused on International Luxury & Premium Advertisers | Business Wire: ")--Glam Media, the leading vertical media company with the #1 global reach for women online, today announced it is opening a premium brand sales team based out of its international headquarters in London.
“Where we work with premium brands in local markets, for instance Dior and Chanel in Japan, our focus will be to grow these relationships internationally by developing global, integrated advertising solutions”The new sales team has been set up to develop and manage online advertising campaigns for international-based brands across Glam Media’s portfolio of websites which attract more than 197 million unique users worldwide (comScore September 2010). Isabelle Sommet and Candace Droz, who will serve as Co-Directors of International Sales, will head the division.
The launch of the new sales team follows the opening of Glam Media’s International Headquarters in London in January 2010 to help drive the company’s worldwide business expansion. The company currently has international offices in the UK, France, Germany and Japan with additional sales operations in Australia, Brazil, and South Korea. Glam Media Labs, based in Pune, India, supports Glam Media global ad operations and R&D.
The formation of the international sales team follows increased demand from multinational advertisers, particularly premium brands, for integrated, global advertising solutions. The international sales team will be responsible for leveraging existing advertiser relationships or establishing new ones where required."

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Cadillac unveils concept for Mini-size urban car - Drive On: A conversation about the cars and trucks we drive - USATODAY.com

Cadillac unveils concept for Mini-size urban car - Drive On: A conversation about the cars and trucks we drive - USATODAY.com: "Cadillac unveiled its Urban Luxury Concept at a pre-L.A. Auto Show event at GM's South California advanced design center.

The Cadillac Urban Luxury Concept unveiled at the General Motors North Hollywood Advanced Design Center in California.The Mini Cooper-size Caddy city concept has doors that open by rotating forward rather than hinging out. Like Aston Martin's tiny Cygnet shown in London this week, Caddy is another luxury-car maker looking at what vehicles it can provide for dense urban areas where parking is tough and streets are crowded and narrow.
Cadillac says the four-seater's drivetrain is a concept gas-electric hybrid system with a 1-liter, 3-cylinder turbo gasoline engine that potentially could get 56 mpg city, 65 mpg highway."

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Nine in race for staging Solheim Cup - Scotsman.com Sport

Nine in race for staging Solheim Cup - Scotsman.com Sport: "FOREST Pines in Lincolnshire is one of nine venues in the running to stage the 2015 Solheim Cup.
Six of those candidates have made their bids public, the others being La Manga and the Costa del Sol (Spain), Gut Kaden and Sporting Club Berlin (Germany) and Prosper Golf Resort (Czech Republic).

The Costa del Sol bid would allow the Ladies European Tour to select the most suitable venue in the region.

'We are delighted with the interest these parties have expressed in The 2015 Solheim Cup, showing the strength of the tournament and popularity of women's golf,' said director of operations Mark Casey.

A timescale for the decision-making process will be set at next month's LET Board meeting. Next year's Solheim Cup is being played at Killeen Castle near Dublin"

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Artist Charlotte Gordon will launch a major show of her work in Las Lagunas, Mijas-Costa. | Costa del Sol | News | The Largest English Language Newspapers in Spain

Euro Weekly News | Artist Charlotte Gordon will launch a major show of her work in Las Lagunas, Mijas-Costa. | Costa del Sol | News | The Largest English Language Newspapers in Spain: "resident and working artist on this coast for more than 40 years, Charlotte Gordon is internationally known for her boldly inventive ceramic sculpture and etchings.
In this retrospective exhibit - her first for over 20 years - Gordon will introduce a stunning new collection of multi-media collages and sculptures.
Blending 2 and 3-D elements - some found, some custom built - these witty assemblages make us look at familiar objects in ways that are both fresh and moving. Entitled 'Charlotte Gordon: Colecctionista' the show is a shining example of a cultural sophistication often overlooked on the Costa Del Sol and merits enhanced public attention.
The opening reception will take place this Friday at 8pm at the Casa de Cultura, Las Lagunas, C/San Valentin, Mijas Costa.
Normal visiting hours are 10am to 2pm and 5pm to 8pm Monday through Friday.
The show will remain open until December 10."

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Poker on the Costa Del Sol .94 million | David Dancey | Columns | The Largest English Language Newspapers in Spain

Euro Weekly News | Poker on the Costa Del Sol .94 million | David Dancey | Columns | The Largest English Language Newspapers in Spain: "NOT a bad payday for a few weeks work. Yes young Canadian poker player Jonathan Duhamel, just 23 years old, has picked up this colossal sum of money for being the last man standing and winner of the 2010 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.
Last year was 21 year old American college dropout Joe Cada and the year before 23 year old Dane Peter Eastgate.
All these young men have won an absolutely life changing amount of money after making a decision to try and make a career out of playing poker. In fact Peter Eastgate has even retired at the tender age of 25 from the world of Texas Hold-em.
What we notice here is the age of these kids; they are the new breed of poker player born out of the world of Online Poker.
No longer is the game considered to be a hunting ground for middle aged cigar smoking, whisky drinking, Stetson wearing gamblers, sitting in seedy smoke filled dives, with nicknames like Maverick and The Cincinnati Kid, no to the contrary, it is a global phenomenon played by millions and generating billions in turnover."

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Pilgrims, trekkers seek salvation and escape on ancient road, Camino de Santiago

The Canadian Press: Pilgrims, trekkers seek salvation and escape on ancient road, Camino de Santiago: "A pilgrim heading to Santiago de Compostela in ancient times could expect a warm meal and a bed after a long day's walk. Today you can expect a bar serving hamburgers, free Wi-Fi, and a decision about whether a reiki or watsu treatment would better relieve your foot pain.
The pilgrimage known as the Camino de Santiago, Spanish for the Way of St. James, has existed for more than 1,000 years.
The most travelled among several ancient routes leading to Santiago de Compostela, in northwestern Spain, is the Camino Frances, nearly 800 kilometres long. It starts from the French side of the Pyrenees Mountains and leads to the town of Santiago, home to an ornate cathedral and a tomb where the apostle's remains are believed to be interred.
In a visit to the cathedral Nov. 6, Pope Benedict said he had come to Spain as a pilgrim, just like the millions of others who have made their way here. He held an open-air mass at the cathedral attended by thousands of the faithful, and he prayed at St. James' tomb.
Walking the full trail can take anywhere from six to eight weeks. The Catholic church traditionally considered it one of three pilgrimages — alongside Rome and Jerusalem — that awarded forgiveness of all of one's sins.
The trip was popular during medieval times, but the number of pilgrims declined over the years because of European wars and political changes. The tradition was revived in the 1980s, when the route adapted itself to an age of mass tourism yet managed to remain modest in nature and resist over-development."

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