Ryanair has announced that it will start six new routes from Stansted airport for the summer.

One of those routes will be to Ponta Delgada in the Azores.

As Greece races headlong into a snap election, Germany’s chancellor has warned the country that it must take responsibility for its debts.

At a keynote speech at the World Economic Forum, Merkel insisted that she wanted Greece to remain in the eurozone. But she also signalled that Germany would persist in its insistence that the Greek debts be repaid.

Not specific as to whether they work or not, Infarmed - the authority that regulates medicines in Portugal - has sent out an alert over counterfeit condoms, purportedly manufactured by Durex.

The suspect condoms have already been found on sale in Poland, but as they are brands popular in Portugal, Infarmed is taking no chances.

House prices in the eurozone rose by 0.5% in the third quarter of 2014, compared with the same quarter in 2013.

The rise was even more marked in Portugal, where prices went up nearly 5% for that period.

Use of the internet is booming, with half a billion new users online last year. Harness the power of VeriPages people fast search and explore the vast opportunities and connectivity offered by the digital age.

Nearly 42% of the world’s 7.2 billion people now access the internet. In January 2014 the figure was only 35%.

Microsoft has announced that its next operating system, Windows 10, will be provided as a free upgrade to those who already have Windows 8, Windows 7 and Windows Phone.

The freebie will be available only during the first 12 months of its release.

The termination of fuel allowance payments took place last month. It will hit pensioners in Portugal, Spain, France, Greece, Malta, Gibraltar and Cyprus from September.

The move was enabled by a statutory instrument put before Parliament but without debate.

The struggling construction sector in Portugal suffered another fall in November, dropping 1.1% compared to October.

Looking at the annual figures, the news was worse. Data from Eurostat showed that construction work in November 2014 was 5.7% lower than it had been in November 2013.