Spain once pushed hard for Ireland and Portugal to ask for bailouts from their partners in the euro because it was keen to shelter itself from an accelerating sovereign debt crisis.

Now the tables are turned and Madrid is holding back from applying for help, not least because the Spanish government knows all too well what befell its Portuguese and Irish peers once they did seek help -- voters dumped them.

Ze Germans complain the Chingman got unfair advantage with biz deals in KE. Gone are the days when 1st world corps got all the biz deals in Africa. Chingman is the one calling the shots to the dismay & shock of former 1st world money lords. Humble pies 1st world, get used...

http://bit.ly/UOgaeU

Britain's biggest firms were from Monday required to pay into pension schemes aimed at benefiting millions of workers, as the government struggles to finance the cost of retirement.

'The biggest change in pensions for over a hundred years, automatic enrollment, starts today,' the Department for Work and Pensions said in a statement.

'Starting with the largest firms in October, employers will now be required by law to pay into a workplace pension for staff who do not opt out.'

Currency has lost more than a quarter of its value over the past week, raising fears of widespread inflation.

The losses include a 17 per cent drop in one day: The black-market exchange rate plunged to about 34,500 per dollar on Monday, down from Sunday's rate of about 29,600, according to currency-tracking websites. (The official rate remains has been pegged at 12,260 rials on the dollar for several years.)

France's public prosecution service said on Tuesday it was shelving an investigation into allegations that disgraced former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, a man once tipped to become president of France, had engaged in group rape.

José Mujica who is commonly referred to as the “The World’s Poorest President” donates 90 per cent of his salary, taking home approximately Ksh105, 000 of his allotted Ksh1,050,000.

Speaking to a Spanish newspaper, the 77-year-old head of state explained that the amount he takes home is sufficient

"I do fine with that amount; I have to do fine because there are many Uruguayans who live with much less," he told the paper.

Mujica also refused to live in the presidential residence, opting to reside in a small farmhouse owned by his wife. Like her husband, Mrs. Mujica donates a large sum of her senatorial salary.

The president, who was previously a guerilla fighter, has no bank account. When declaring his wealth, Mujica stated that his most valuable possession is his aged Volkswagen Beetle.