Authorities in the Balearic Islands, home to the party resorts of Ibiza and Mallorca, have asked Spain and the European Union to ban alcohol on flights and in airports as they battle “anti-social tourism”.The plea comes after recent, much-publicised reports of drunken brawls or alcohol-fuelled sexual antics on flights to an archipelago that attracts millions of visitors every year – with many flocking to resorts notorious for their sex and booze excess.

“We ask the central government and the European commission to ban the consumption of alcoholic drinks on flights and in airports,” said Pilar Carbonell, in charge of tourism for the local government of the Balearic Islands. In a statement, she said authorities were asking that these measures be taken “to guarantee security … and tackle anti-social tourism.”The statement did not say if the local authorities were asking for alcohol to be banned on all EU flights, or only those going to the Balearic Islands. “The aim of the measure is to improve passenger security and also that of security forces in planes and airports in our islands, who are often faced with drunk passengers,” it said.(theguardian)…[+]

The European Union has said the Brexit talks could be derailed by an escalating fight over money as it fired back at Boris Johnson for telling the EU leaders to “go whistle” if they expected Britain to pay a divorce bill for withdrawing from the bloc. “I am not hearing any whistling, just a clock ticking,” said the EU negotiator Michel Barnier at a press conference in Brussels to preview the next round of talks, due to begin on Monday.His London counterpart, the Brexit secretary, David Davis, has not yet presented a formal UK position on the scale of any financial settlement when Britain leaves, which some estimates have suggested could be as a high as €100bn.

But EU officials are adamant that failure to at least acknowledge the principle of ongoing budget obligations would prevent talks from proceeding at all and not allow any discussion of future relationship issues such as a free trade deal.

“The three priorities for the first phase are indivisible,” said Barnier, referring to the financial settlement, citizens’ rights and other separation issues such as the Northern Irish border. “Progress on one or two would not be sufficient in order for us to move on to the discussion of our future relationship.”(theguardian)…[+]

A former millionaire nicknamed the “Black Widow” over the untimely deaths of her lovers admitted poisoning her last partner at her trial this week in a multiple murder case that has gripped Japan.

Chisako Kakehi, 70, has become notorious over accusations she killed a number of elderly men she was involved with, drawing comparisons with the spider that kills its mate after copulation. Kakehi is on trial for the murders of three men – including a husband – and the attempted murder of another, all to allow her to collect on insurance policies. Prosecutors suspect she used cyanide to get rid of her lovers, amassing a reported ¥1bn (£6.9m) in payouts over 10 years.

Her trial began in late June, but this week she stunned the court by telling judges she had murdered another man in 2013. “I was waiting for the right timing as I wanted to kill him out of deep hatred,” the Asahi newspaper quoted her as saying on Monday. The Fuji television network quoted her saying the crime was just “an issue of money”. But on Wednesday, Kakehi appeared to retract her statements. “I don’t remember [what I said],” she testified, according to the Mainichi newspaper.(Theguardian)…[+]