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New red onion triumphs over tears

redonionA tearless onion has been introduced in Britain, the first sweet variety of red onions which don’t cause people to cry.

The red onion variety, Asda Sweet Red, was two decades in the making, according to farmer Alastair Findlay of Bedfordshire Growers.

Holiday drivers could be fined for overseas speeding

porscheThe EU is expected to rubber stamp proposals that allow member states to access driver records to see if offences have been committed in other member countries.

Until now, British and some other member states’ motorists have managed to avoid having to pay fines when caught speeding when travelling abroad.

Socialists propose reducing toll fines to sensible levels

5280Portugal's Socialist Party has looked at the fines for non-payment of tolls on Portugal’s motorway system and has delivered a project that limits the total payable.

The proposal to lower the fines for non-payment of tolls will benefit drivers as the current scheme has seen rapidly mounting total charges of up to 50 times the original toll fee.

Portugal nearly 75% dependent on energy imports

eonEnergy consumption in the European Union nations dropped down in 2013 to the level of the early 1990s.

Average consumption was 9% lower than the peak in 2006.

Ocean-aged wine stimulates wine palates

seasA vineyard in California has been experimenting with aging wine in the ocean rather than in cellars or caves, becoming the first US wine so aged.

Jim Dyke, of Mira Winery in the famous Napa Valley region, was inspired by learning of a haul of preserved champagne which had been recovered from a 19th century shipwreck off Finland. At auction, the champagne fetched thousands of pounds.

Portugal to pay off over half its IMF Troika loan

imfBy trying to do the right thing and swap some high interest Troika loans for lower rate loans from the current open market, Portugal’s Finance Minister aims to save time and interest payments.

This welcome offer to pay off over half of the IMF loan within the next 2 years needs to be analysed by the other creditors but should go ahead, using a financial model copied from Ireland which paid off its high interest loans early by swapping them for low interest ones.

The hunt is on for Spanish terrorist group in Portugal

ANARODRIGUESSpain’s Minister of the Interior, Jorge Fernandez Diaz, said this evening that the terrorist Galician Resistance group (Resistência Galega ) is planning to install a logistics base in the north of Portugal.

"A very small organisation and not comparable to ETA, intends to set up some kind of logistical base in the north of Portugal," said Diaz after a meeting today in Lisbon with Portugal’s new Minister of Internal Affairs, Anabela Rodrigues (pictured).

Algarve and Salamanca universities look at 'senior tourism' sector

oldpersonThe University of the Algarve is partnering Salamanca University in Spain in a joint research programme to look at the ageing population in the Iberian Peninsula.

The partnership will create postgraduate training methods and continuing education to meet the needs of the increasing senior population and will trigger research into 'senior tourism,' a key development sector for the Algarve.