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Olive oil becomes most wanted item for shoplifters in SpainOlive oil has become the most stolen product in supermarkets across Spain, with organised criminal gangs targeting the “liquid gold” to resell on the hidden market, according to new figures.Olive oil is now the most shoplifted product in regions that account for 70% of the country’s population, the Financial Times reports.Supermarkets have begun chaining together large five-litre bottles of olive oil and padlocking them to shelves to prevent theft, while other stores are fitting the bottles with security tags that have to be removed by staff.Spain is the world’s largest producer of olive oil, but Europe has almost run out of local supplies after extreme weather damaged the harvests for a second year. Global production is expected to fall to 2.4m tonnes, according to the International Olive Council, less than last year’s harvest and well short of global demand of about 3m tonnes.With shortages happening across the Mediterranean, similar thefts of olive oil are occurring in Greece.
Vineyards rush to sell millions of litres of wine at cut price as world cuts downMillions of vines are being destroyed in Australia and tens of millions more must be pulled up to rein in overproduction that has crushed grape prices and threatens the livelihoods of growers and wine makers.Falling consumption of wine worldwide has hit Australia particularly hard as demand shrinks fastest for the cheaper reds that are its biggest product, and in China, the market it has relied on for growth until recent years.The world’s fifth largest exporter of wine had more than two billion litres, or about two years’ worth of production, in storage in mid-2023, the most recent figures show, and some is spoiling as owners rush to dispose of it at any price.Health concerns are prompting consumers worldwide to drink less alcohol and when they do drink wine, they pick pricier bottles.Chile, France and the United States are among the other large wine producers also grappling with oversupply, with even prime areas such as Bordeaux uprooting thousands of hectares of vines.
Island communities divided over spread of holiday villasAn increasing number of Greece’s Aegean islands are following the model used – many say overused – on Mykonos and Santorini, both international tourism magnets. New construction springs up constantly, as for example on the island of Sifnos (photo), with homeowners increasingly coming from abroad. Development has divided the local communities, with many welcoming the development and its boost to the local economy, and many others – including, ironically, some of the pioneer villa owners – fearing its unchecked spread and the impact on the character and environment of the islands.
Chinese police set to patrol alongside Hungarian officersChinese police will patrol alongside Hungarian officers after an agreement with Budapest, raising fears of Beijing oppression being meted out in Europe.Hungary’s interior ministry claimed the deal would improve safety in tourist hotspots or during events that attract large numbers of spectators.But the plan has drawn criticism from those concerned the agreement will be abused by communist China, which has a lengthy record of human rights abuses.The Telegraph understands that some influential EU member states are considering raising the arrangement in the corridors of power in Brussels.Mr Orban’s opposition to EU sanctions on Russia for the invasion of Ukraine, and his decision to sign energy deals with Vladimir Putin after the war began, have also made him unpopular in the bloc’s de facto capital.It is not the first time that Chinese officers have carried out joint patrols in an EU member state. Similar deals were struck with Italy and Croatia, which are both part of the bloc, and Serbia, which is not.
Wolves are thriving again across western Europe. Is it time to bring them back to the UK?
Police arrest 21 people in Thessaloniki after attack on trans youthsPolice arrested 21 individuals for attacking two transgender people late on Saturday in the northern port city of Thessaloniki, including 11 minors who were later released under orders of a prosecutor. They are facing charges of serial verbal abuse with racist motives, while two of the adults were additionally charged with attempted serial simple bodily harm, with racist motives.According to local news site thestival.gr, the incident unfolded at around 10.30 p.m. on Aristotelous Square, the most central part of Thessaloniki, when a mob of about 100 individuals verbally assaulted and pursued the two individuals, aged 21, who sought refuge in a nearby eatery for safety. The assailants then gathered outside the establishment, continuing their harassment.
Calls for legal action after ‘unimaginable suffering’ filmed at Devon pig farmUndercover crew finds cannibalism, untreated wounds and cramped and filthy conditions at Cross FarmUndercover footage of pigs at a Devon farm showing them exposed to “unimaginable suffering” has prompted calls for legal action against the owners.The film crew said the video of pigs being kept in filthy, cramped conditions – featuring instances of cannibalism and malnourishment, as well as animals with untreated, bleeding wounds and hernias – was filmed at Cross Farm in Holsworthy, owned by WJ Watkins and Son.In one clip, a screaming pig was trampled on and bitten by her pen-mates and apparently died in front of the crew from Glass Wall Films.A spokesperson for WJ Watkins confirmed he was aware that covert filming took place on the farm in October, but declined to comment further, referring the Guardian instead to the National Pig Association (NPA).On the basis of the footage, filmed across four non-consecutive nights, the solicitors firm Advocates for Animals has sent a letter of complaint to Heart of the South West trading standards alleging “several potential breaches of the law” at the farm, which is part of the Red Tractor scheme, used to mark food produced to a “high standard”.An NPA spokesperson said:... “The farm in question has cooperated fully with numerous investigations and found to be compliant with all requirements.”
Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church head on Pope's words: No one in Ukraine is willing to surrenderNo one in Ukraine would ever consider surrendering, said His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), in response to Pope Francis' "white flag" remark.Background: In an interview, the Pontiff advised Ukraine to have "the courage of the white flag". The Vatican explained the Pope's words – that he was calling for a ceasefire and the resumption of negotiations, not Ukraine's surrender.
Men removed from easyJet flight to Crete after abusing cabin crewTwo men have been jailed after they had to be taken off a plane heading to a holiday in Crete because they were drunk. Joshua Stone, 32, and Ryan Sanders, 34, were verbally abusive to easyJet cabin crew ahead of their flight departing Bristol Airport on July 11 last year.The pair were warned about their behaviour by cabin crew but persisted to be abusive, resulting in them being escorted from the plane. Once off the plane, Stone began to make off from security towards another stand but was swiftly detained.Officers arrived and arrested both men.
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Topic: 10/03/24 (Read 538 times)
