9 Members of Russian and Georgian Gangs Arrested in Spain

Spanish police arrested nine alleged members of Russian and Georgian crime gangs suspected of money laundering, a radio station said Thursday.

Popularity: 1% [?]

• Posted in: Russia, Spain, Mafia, Police, Madrid
• Comments: 0

Maria Sharapova Catches Thief in Madrid Starbucks

Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova has personally caught a 10-year old boy who tried to steal her mobile phone in a Starbucks cafe in Madrid.

Popularity: 13% [?]

• Posted in: Russia, Crime & Punishment, Spain, Blogging, Maria Sharapova, Tennis, Starbucks, Madrid, Thief
• Comments: 2

Secret Minutes Revealing EU Plans to Put Pressure on Russia’s Putin Found in Waste Bin

Documents from the informal EU summit in Lahti, Finland, last month — together with other top-secret papers — were found in a bin outside the Spanish foreign affairs ministry in Madrid last week.

Popularity: 3% [?]

• Posted in: EU, Russia, European Union, Vladimir Putin, Finland, Spain, Jacques Chirac, Europe, Lahti, Romano Prodi, Angela Merkel, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Jose Manuel Barroso, European Commission, Guy Verhofstadt, Belgium, Javier Solana, Tony Blair, Jan Peter Balkenende, Bertie Ahern
• Comments: 1

King Juan Carlos Denies Killing Drunk Bear

A spokeswoman for King Juan Carlos said Russian reports that he brought down a tame and inebriated bear during a visit in August were “ridiculous”, AP reports.

The palace confirmed that the king, who is known to enjoy hunting, was in Russia at the time, but it said he had not killed any bear, let alone one that was fed vodka-spiked honey.

In Russia, meanwhile, Vyacheslav Pozgalyov, the governor of the Vologda region, has begun an inquiry into how a bear named Mitrofan met its end.

The newspaper Kommersant reported that the region’s deputy hunting chief, Sergei Starostin, had contended that the “good natured” bear was taken from its home at a local vacation resort and “generously fed” honey mixed with vodka before being released near where the king was to be hunting.

“His highness, Juan Carlos, took Mitrofan out with one shot,” Mr. Starostin said, according to Kommersant.

Popularity: 1% [?]

• Posted in: Russia, Spain, Hunting, Bear
• Comments: 0

King of Spain Kills Drunk Pet Bear at Russian Hunt

Authorities are probing a violation of hunting regulations in the Central Russian region of Vologda where Juan Carlos I, King of Spain, allegedly shot a harmless pet bear this August.

Hunting was a part of the entertainment program for Juan Carlos, who paid a visit to the region in summer, Interfax reports.

However local media, citing a hunting watchdog, claim that the bear the monarch killed at the hunt was by no means a wild beast, but a tame, timid creature made drunk.

Organizers of the royal hunt allegedly took the good-natured bear called Mitrofan to the hunting base in a cage.

The animal was given honey mixed with vodka and forced to go out into the field. The heavy clumsy bear was easy prey for Juan Carlos, who killed it with one shot.

Popularity: 2% [?]

• Posted in: Russia, Spain, Hunting, Bear
• Comments: 0