Forum Algarve management seem determined to upgrade its range of shops on offer with a new shop selling Apple electronic products announced yesterday, the cinemas undergoing a refit, FNAC opening in a couple of weeks followed by today’s news that the Algarve’s first Nespresso Boutique will be opened on August 8th.

"This is a concept created to answer and be relevant to the needs of accessibility and service excellence that the Nespresso Club members require. The main focus is being increasingly closer to our consumers," according to Portugal’s 'Sr Nespresso,' Francisco Nogueira.

Aldi in the UK is poised to overtake Waitrose to become Britain’s sixth biggest supermarket chain.

Its sales grew by 32% in the last 12 weeks, giving it a market share of 4.8%, just behind Waitrose's 4.9%, Kantar Worldpanel said.

Portugal Telecom’s big cheese, Henrique Granadeiro, no longer will part on the board of directors of CorpCo, the new company created as a result of the merger between PT and the Brazilian telecoms company Oi.

In a statement sent to the Brazilian regulator, Oi simply stated that it was progressing towards the final stages of the merger and corporate reorganisation, and listed the directors of the new company – Grandeiro was not on the list.

Skipton International (skiptoninternational.com) has joined a small band of lenders which will consider approving buy-to-let mortgages to working British expats on property in England and Wales.

The lender, based in the Channel Islands is among the largest expat savings institutions. It says it has listened to its customers and has come up with a new mortgage range.

A Monarch airlines A320 made an emergency landing at Faro airport yesterday afternoon after the flight crew found problems with the aircraft’s hydraulic systems.

The Monarch flight from Birmingham to Funchal in Madeira landed in Faro without problems at 17.30 with emergency services standing by on yellow alert.

A trade union in Andalusia says it plans to stage an “occupation” of Gibraltar on August 29.

The Andalusian Workers Union has urged it 20,000 members to join in.

The plans to “reclaim” Gibraltar for the people of Andalusia were announced by union spokesman Diego Canamero who said: “It is a well-known tax haven, that is our principle reason to occupy it in protest.”

Marques da Silva (GMS) a reseller of Apple Inc. products is investing €600,000 in a new shop to sell Apple products at Forum Algarve.

André Marques da Silva, a GMS director, commented that "this is the first Apple shop in the south of the country," taking the company’s total to five outlets in Portugal at an overall investment of €3 million.

Rare sightings of blue sharks close to the shores in France and Spain have provoked warnings and swimming bans on some popular beaches.

Bans were imposed on beaches in the south of France and Corsica for several days after a number of sharks were spotted close in. Six beaches near Barcelona had been closed for the same reason, but have now reopened.