Despite headlines of an economy returning to health, the number of UK retailers in “significant” financial problems has soared by 54% over the past year.
A total of 24,251 retailers in the UK are struggling, with food and clothing chains two of the worst-hit groups, professional services consultancy Begbies Traynor revealed in its research.
GNR traffic police are to ‘strengthen control’ on Portugal’s roads to cope with the increase in traffic during the Christmas period.
Operation ‘Natal Tranquilo’ is the deceptively cuddly name for a rota of GNR patrols and roadside checks with a daily average of 1,300 officers on the job with financial targets to meet.
Curators at the ancient site of Pompeii have been welcoming back hundreds of stolen artefacts which the thieves have decided to return, sometimes after decades.
The superintendent of the World Heritage site, Massimo Osanna, said: "We have been receiving hundreds of packages with hundreds of fragments now for years.
The President of the Republic, Cavaco Silva, said today that "it is an illusion" to think that the country’s problems can easily be solved as he spoke out against the "fear of change" and encouraged policy makers not to be afraid to act.
In a rare example of presidential sparkle, Cavaco Silva spoke at the annual meeting of the Council of the Portuguese Diaspora, saying "Portugal is still in front of a large very demanding challenge. Portugal continues to face severe restrictions and will have high demands placed upon it the future. It is an illusion to think that the country's problems are solved."
Italy's antitrust authority has fined travel planning website TripAdvisor €500,000 following complaints of improper business practices lodged by a national hoteliers' association and a consumer protection agency.
The antitrust authority said in a statement Monday that TripAdvisor had failed to adopt controls to prevent false reviews, while at the same time promoting the site's content as "authentic and genuine." It has given TripAdvisor 90 days to present a remedy.
Portugal is losing inhabitants at a rate not witnessed since 1992 in a sustained and worrying trend.
More and more people are leaving their home countries for a life abroad yet fewer and fewer are choosing Portugal as the destination in which to live and work.
A formal investigation has been opened into the role Catalan President Artur Mas played in the unofficial independence vote in Catalonia.
Catalonia's High Court said the proceedings were against Mr Mas for allegedly disobeying a constitutional ban against the vote.
As if the government needed any more bad news from TAP, the latest state owned company to be lined up on the privatisation runway.
Today’s news that TAP needs €200 - €250 million of short term funding, ‘just to see it through’ will depress ministers further as they take on the unions over holiday strike action.
