A Christmas Eve shift at the Hotel Vila Galé Cerro Alagoa in Albufeira ended in terror as armed robbers burst into to the reception area and threatened the receptionist with their pistols.
The two men wearing stocking masks broke into the hotel right in the centre of Albufeira intent on stealing the money in the hotel safe.
Albufeira council finally has approved the early repayment of its €16 million government loan in a Christmas Eve spirit of generosity with accumlated ratepayer' money..
The move was presented by the mayor Carlos Silva e Sousa as the culmination of a strategy of great budgetary rigour carried out during the past year.
The sale of the Portuguese insurance company Tranquildade to the US insurer Apollo may have to be aborted due to an injunction issued by the review judge Eurico Reis.
The suspension of the sale was known by Novo Banco management on Tuesday, 23 December but it has not revealed who filed the injunction and on what grounds.
The Union of civil aviation pilots confirmed this afternoon that its strike is off.
Nine of the twelve airline workers’ unions now have agreed to end their strike action planned for between Christmas and New Year.
Since October 2009, Portugal's circuses have not legally been able to acquire new animals.
After five years of struggle, circus owners have pointed the finger at the lobbyists who 'attacked circuses' in the 2009 law which did not legislate against bullfighting and performances with dolphins.
In Britain’s mercurial housing market November saw the number of houses sold fall below 100,000 for the first time in a year.
A total of 98,490 residential properties were sold last monthy, according to HM Revenue and Customs data, the lowest level since November last year, when 99,320 homes changed hands.
Christmas has come early for hospital chiefs across Portugal as the Minister of Health, Paulo Macedo announced that he is transferring nearly half a billion euros to those hospitals that have run up huge debts, many of which are technically insolvent as businesses, despite functioning as hospitals.
The money, €455.2 million, will be divided between the 18 worst performing hospitals in the country, effectively penalising those that are run efficiently and within budget.
The Angolan businesswoman Isabel dos Santos has called it a day, withdrawing her bid for Portugal Telecom SGPS after the Securities and Exchange Commission said that she had to increase her €1.35 per share offer, and PT's board made clear its preference for the French Altice group’s offer.
A spokesman for the Angolan billionaire announced that the dos Santos company Terra Peregrin will withdraw from the takeover bid for Portugal Telecom SGPS noting also that the PT board had opposed its approach.
