The Abu Dhabi General Prosecution for Public Funds has ordered the detention of two Europeans and other individuals on charges of embezzlement and fraud.

  A year ago, the suspects are alleged to have started a fake project selling properties in the United Kingdom at competitive prices. They allegedly targeted UAE investors. Investigations have since revealed that the company does not have a real estate licence and that the accused defrauded 40 investors. The General Prosecution seized around Dh3 million the suspects allegedly swindled from their victims, in addition to Dh100,000 found while...

Asil Nadir faces £34m theft charges in biggest ever fraud trial

 The biggest ever British fraud trial begins today when Turkish-Cypriot tycoon Asil Nadir stands up at the Old Bailey to face £34million theft charges. He is accused of 13 counts of theft dating back to the 1980s from Polly Peck, his failed business empire that folded in 1990 under the weight of its £1.3billion debt. When he joined Polly Peck in the early 1980s it was an ailing textiles firm which he transformed into a FTSE 100 conglomerate...

No one calls him Sir Allen Stanford anymore. He is inmate number 35017-183.

 On Monday, the Texas financier heads to court in Houston to battle charges that he operated a $7 billion Ponzi scheme from Stanford International Bank Ltd, his offshore bank on the Caribbean island of Antigua. By all accounts, his was a life of luxury, filled with private jets, yachts, mansions and the sport of cricket. Deemed a flight risk in June 2009 by a federal judge, the 6-foot billionaire has been in jail, sporting prison-issue green...

Five European tourists killed in attack in Ethiopia

 Gunmen in northern Ethiopia have attacked a group of European tourists, killing five, injuring two and kidnapping four people, according to a government official. Bereket Simon, the Ethiopian communications minister, said the attackers struck before dawn on Tuesday. The dead were two Germans, two Hungarians and an Austrian; two Germans and two Ethiopians were kidnapped, and an Italian and a Hungarian were wounded in the attack. Simon blamed...

Costa Concordia Cruise Ship Disaster: Captain Says He 'Fell Into Lifeboat' And Could Not Escape

 The captain of the stricken cruise ship Costa Concordia has told investigators he "fell into a lifeboat" during the evacuation and could not get out again. Francesco Schettino gave the excuse during three hours of questioning with an investigating magistrate before he was released from custody and given house arrest. The skipper, 52, was arrested on Saturday on suspicion of manslaughter and abandoning the cruise liner while passengers were...

Passengers feared death after cabin crew accidentally issued emergency landing message

 Duncan and Tracey Farquharson were flying to London from Miami when a recorded message came over the public address system announcing that the aircraft was going down. Passengers on board began panicking, believing that they would be killed before a flight attendant apologised, saying the message was a mistake. However, the pair yesterday accused the airline of trivialising passengers’ concerns, claiming that staff issued a “blasé” apology...

Finca La Garganta, near the village of Conquista, on the border of Castilla La Mancha, is one of the largest and most exclusive hunting estates in western Europe.

Finca La Garganta, near the village of Conquista, on the border of Castilla La Mancha, is one of the largest and most exclusive hunting estates in western Europe.It is teeming with wildlife including wild boar and stag which William and Harry, both crack shots, are said to be keen...

M&S workers pose nude for charity calendar sold under the counter

M&S workers pose nude for charity calendar sold under the counterA calendar with pictures of scantily clad Marks & Spencer staff has raised £2,500 for charity despite having to be sold under the counter.The M&S workers were asked to keep the calendar under the counter...

Three people were found alive on Sunday as rescuer workers continued to search a partly submerged Italian cruise ship

 Three people were found alive on Sunday as rescuer workers continued to search a partly submerged Italian cruise ship resting just off this small island near the Tuscan coast. Multimedia Map Map of the Area Where the Italian Cruise Ran Aground Photographs Cruise Ship Runs Aground in Italy Cruise Ship Runs Aground Connect With Us on Twitter Follow @nytimesworld for international breaking news and headlines. Enlarge This Image Enzo Russo/European...

Bacon, deli meat may raise pancreatic cancer risk

Bacon or sausage? You might want to rethink that decision. Consuming processed meat regularly may increase a person’s risk of developing pancreatic cancer, though the risk is still low, says a new study. A meta-analysis of 11 studies involving 6,643 people with pancreatic cancer suggests an elevated risk of the disease when consuming processed meat such as bacon, cold cuts and sausages. In the study, men who ate red meat also showed an elevated...

Eurozone back on the brink as France has credit rating downgraded

 Stock markets and the single currency fell sharply as Standard and Poor’s cut France’s AAA rating. The rating agency’s move triggered a backlash from European politicians and led to calls for Britain to be downgraded too. As many as eight other eurozone countries, led by Italy, were also facing downgrades that will make it more expensive for them to borrow. The move represents a further loss of confidence in the single currency and the European...

Greece teeters on edge of bankruptcy as debt talks stall

 Fears are rising that the credit ratings of several eurozone countries could soon be downgraded - prompting global markets to fall and the euro falling to a 16-month low. Analysts today said that ratings agency Standards & Poor was finally going to deliver the downgrades it had threatened for much of the 17-nation eurozone just over a month ago. It comes because of concerns of Europe's inability to get a grip on a debt crisis that has...

Cornwall shooting death men 'worked for IRA drug gang'

 Two men killed and buried on a remote farm in Cornwall were working for an IRA gang involved in Liverpool's drugs trade, a court has heard. Boxer Brett Flournoy, from Merseyside, and David Griffiths, of Berkshire, were found dead buried in a van at Ross Stone's farm near St Austell in 2011. Murder accused Thomas Haigh, 26, told Truro Crown Court the pair worked for Irish republicans who "ran Liverpool". Mr Haigh and Mr Stone deny murder....

Alex Salmond wants Scotland to join the European Union in its own right and that means joining the euro – and leaving the pound

 Speaking of imminent downgrades (S&P are about to pull the plug on various eurozone countries apparently), what about Scotland? George Osborne put a fundamental question yesterday about the currency of an independent Scotland. Alex Salmond wants Scotland to join the European Union in its own right and that means joining the euro – and leaving the pound. Yet he has also talked in the past about remaining in a currency union of some sort...

Student to face US trial over TVShack website

 student who created a website which helped people watch films and TV shows for free can be extradited to the US to face copyright infringement allegations, a court ruled today. Sheffield Hallam University undergraduate Richard O'Dwyer, 23, allegedly earned thousands of pounds through advertising on the TVShack website before it was closed down by the US authorities. He faces jail if convicted of the allegations, which were brought following...

US warns of 'credible' Thai terror threat as Hezbollah suspect is arrested

US ambassador Kristie Kenney's warning came as Thai authorities arrested a Lebanese Hezbollah suspect. Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yumbumrung said police had stepped up security after the arrest and he was confident the situation would be contained. Ms Kenney was elaborating on an "emergency message" sent by the embassy to American citizens earlier Friday warning of a possible terrorist attack. The message said that "foreign terrorists may be currently...