Portugal’s Finance Minister has involved herself in the BES scandal by assuring the public that the crisis within the Banco Espírito Santo Group does not threaten the financial stability of the country and that the state should not interfere.

Minister Maria Luís Albuquerque was reacting to news that the Luxembourg authorities now have launched an investigation into three businesses within the Espírito Santo Group due to alleged breaches of corporate law.

Two young lads, one Irish and one Portuguese, have died following a quad bike accident.

A third boy, also Irish, aged seven is 'stable but poorly' in intensive care in Coimbra hospital.

Facebook has carried out a massive psychology experiment in secret without informing participants.

More than 600,000 Facebook users were involved in the research into how users respond to positive and negative messages.

Fierce hailstorms in France over the weekend have bought fear to the hearts of French winegrowers.

This summer is the third in a row where hail has battered Burgundy’s vines.

Winds of 60mph accompanied by hailstones the size of golf balls hit on Saturday afternoon.

Argentina may have to step back from its persistent claims over the Falklands (pictured) to consider what to do now that its vice president has been charged with corruption.

Amado Boudou, 51, has been charged with bribery, the first vice president of Argentina to face criminal charges.

A new route connecting Faro to Berlin-Schöenefeld Airport started last week, June 25th.

easyJet is running the twice-weekly service on Wednesdays and Saturdays, departing from Berlin at 3.40pm and leaving Faro at 7pm on each day.

Has austerity increased competitiveness or improved the structure of the state? What do the experts say?

There were abstentions, spoiled ballot papers and no shows from over half the voters in the EU at the European elections,  almost 73% in Portugal.

Portugal’s president has called a meeting of his Council of State for July 3rd to discuss the "economic, social and political situation, due to the completion of the adjustment programme, and the Partnership Agreement 2014-2020 for Structural Funds for the country."

The convening of the Council of State may have more to do with repeated calls for Silva's resignation, but already he has said that he will not resign.