Deeper sanctions imposed for olive oil scams in Italy

olivesHefty fines have been handed out in Italy for labelling inferior olive oil as “extra virgin”.

Discount grocer Lidl was fined €550,000 by Italy’s antitrust authority. Lidl’s Primadonna brand was reported to have been labelled incorrectly.

Summer delays continue with weekend strike at Portugal's airports

easyjetA meeting between airport workers’ unions and Minister Pedro Marqeus has resulted in an impasse so a planned strike affecting the country's airports is going ahead this weekend, July 2nd and 3rd.

The strike will affect all of Portugal’s airports and represents a failure by management and the government successfully to deal with the grievances raised by union leaders that are complaining that Ryanair’s new baggage handling company Groundlink is operating fraudulently and fails to respect legislation covering working practices.

Ryanair to base new aeroplanes outside the UK

ryanair13Ryanair’s boss Michael O’Leary has said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that the decision in Britain to leave the European Union has caused concern over weaker airfares and has raised questions at Ryanair holdings over continued investment in the UK.

O’Leary confirmed that Ryanair is committed to buying a further 50 aircraft next year and it is now “highly unlikely” that these will be based in the UK, preferring other European bases.

Alentejo air crash 'aeroplane disintegrated in mid-air'

PilatusPC6Early reports from the Accident Investigation team as to the cause of the Alentejo air crash on June 19th, which killed the Belgian pilot and injured four of the seven skydivers onboard, indicate the structure of the aeroplane simply disintegrated in mid-air.

Three of the parachutists were unconscious when they fell from the Pilatus PC6 at around 7,000 feet but were saved by their parachutes which automatically opened due to a fail-safe barometric trigger.

Property owners on Airbnb earn an average of €530 a month

airbnb2The number of short-term renters booking through Airbnb in the Lisbon area has doubled in the past year with four nights now the average length of stay.

Rents in Lisbon are rising, especially in the more touristy areas, with average earnings now at €530 per month, equivalent to the current national minimum wage, but much of this income may not be registered for tax purposes.

Norway expresses doubt over UK cooperation

norwayParliamentThe prime minister of Norway said on Tuesday that she is not yet sure if the UK should join the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).

“The most important thing we can do is to safeguard national, Norwegian interests,” PM Erna Solberg said.

EU searches for “new impulse”

merkelThe leaders of Germany, France and Italy said they will go for “a new impulse” for the European Union in the wake of the Brexit vote.

The three leaders said they would push for greater cooperation on security issues, including "developing our European defence and taking necessary engagements on joint operations".

Gibraltar and Scotland explore ways to keep EU status

gibraltarGibraltar is in talks with Scotland about various options to keep parts of the UK in the European Union.

Majorities in both Gibraltar and Scotland voted in favour of remaining in the EU as did Northern Ireland which could potentially be involved in the talks. More than 95% of Gibraltarians voted to stay in.