Espírito Santo's Ricardo Salgado has been noted on the BBC website as the winner of the Worst Chief Executive Officer in 2014 award, in a list released today that highlights those who have destroyed shareholder value with dedication or just sheer stupidity despite earlier successes.

"The worst CEO of the year is the leader of the Salgado family of Portugal," states the news item on the BBC website, pointing out that Ricardo Salgado was the "head of an interconnected and complex set of entities that controlled the second largest bank in Portugal - and which he then led into bankruptcy '.

The average hourly cost of labour in the eurozone, excluding agriculture and public administration, stood at €29.30 last year.

But there are significant differences among member states, starting at the €3.40 in Bulgaria to the top level of €40.10 in Denmark.

Today 70% of people in Portugal use the internet, up from only 40% in 2006.

Half of all those who use it say that they do so every day whereas only 22% of users did so eight years ago.

Chinese officials are preparing a major crackdown on the gambling casinos of Macau.

From a quiet Portuguese colony, Macau has transformed itself into the world’s most lucrative gambling market with revenues counted in the billions.

Alcoutim council has approved a plan to sell off its Guadiana River Hotel, and would-be owners have 60 days in which to check it out and put in an offer.

It does not take a genius to work that, with the pending approval for a 200-megawatt photovoltaic power plant to be installed on 800 hectares in nearby Martinlongo and Vaqueiros, this could be a good time to gear up for the estimated influx of construction workers.

December 27 to December 30, 2014, these are the days that will see TAP’s flights grounded as 11 of the 12 unions represented in the TAP unions platform is sticking to its joint intention to go on strike.

There are an estimated 130,000 seats booked on TAP flights over these busy four days and already over 20,000 reservations have been cancelled or travel dates altered.

Bad news indeed for British Expats in Portugal, France, Cyprus, Spain, Greece, Malta and Gibraltar as the UK government has put in motion specific legislation to stop UK Winter Fuel Payments from September 15, 2015.

The changes are contained in the 'Statutory Instrument to The Social Fund Winter Fuel Payments (Amendment) Regulations 2014' which excludes the benefit, currently payable at between £200 and  £300 a year.

Albufeira council has astounded its ratepayers by proposing to pay off its government loan in full, years before it is due, from a whopping €25 million surplus accumulated over 2014.

The PSD led council votes tomorrow on the proposal by the Socialist Party for an early and full settlement of the council’s emergency borrowing of €16 million under the Plan to Support the Local Economy scheme, according to the socialist councilor Fernando Anastácio.