(6th June). ‘Crimes Using Weapons With Tougher Sentences – New Law on Weapons enters into force today’. The new gun laws, which toughen the punishment for crimes using guns, comes into force today, according to the Ministry for Internal Administration. The law was passed in Parliament on 19th March with the votes of the PS (socialists), the abstention of the PSD, and the CDS-PP, the PCP, BE and ‘The Greens’ voted against. By law, those who sell or transfer firearms without permission, can be punished with a sentence of two to ten years in prison. I thought it odd that the green party voted against, as firing a gun causes pollution, but knowing that lot they probably thought the new law wasn’t tough enough.
(3rd June). The Portuguese population living in Spain increased 10.4% last year. There are now 140,424 Portuguese living there. Other nationalities moving to Spain only registered a 6.3% increase.
(2nd June). The minister of health in Portugal has admitted that there is a second case of ‘Gripe A’ in Portugal, brought in by a Portuguese citizen that returned from the USA. The 33 year old is under observation in Porto hospital.
(6th June). ‘SB Airlines Returns – Venezuela’s airline resumes direct flights between Caracas and Madeira’. The first flight was yesterday, with the landing at 8am and take off at 11am. Carola Torquemada, the company’s commercial director for Europe, told the Diário that SB Airlines went through a major restructure, both in terms of its shareholder structure, and at an operational level, and now presents itself as the largest airline in Venezuela in the international market. Initially there is just one weekly flight, but if there is sufficient demand then SBA will consider a second weekly round trip.