Government refuses a tug boat for the Algarve

funchalcruiseshipThe government has replied to a question about the Algarve needing a dedicated tugboat, saying 'forget it.'

This has enraged local Communist Party MP Paulo Sá and other members of the CFP who insist that the Algarve’s ports need a tug “to service the expansion of port activities in the region, for the safety of navigation and for environmental protection."

Search widens in Madeleine search

praiadaluzA second phase in the search for clues relating to the missing British toddler Madeleine McCann begun today near Praia da Luz.

For the past seven days members of the British police, overseen by Portuguese police officers, have concentrated their fingertip and geo-radar searches in an area of scrubland within the Praia da Luz area.

Over 9,000 HGVs pulled over in Operation Tribute

gnrThe GNR detected 489 violations related to tax evasion during Operation Tribute which involved stopping trade vehicles over a six day period.

Drivers of 9,017 heavy good vehicles have been pulled over and 489 offenses were detected, 355 of which related to the new Guia de Transporte system which has been criticised as being intrusive, unworkable and overly bureaucratic by business groups.

More Brits associate floods with climate change

rainstormFor people in Britain, it is images of flooding which determine their perceptions of the risks involved with climate change.

A survey disclosed that people now think that heat waves, hot summers and droughts strong enough to empty reservoirs are less common events in their lifetimes, but that flooding and coastal erosion had become more frequent.

Portugal is able to finance itself

eurozonePortugal's debt and treasury agency today issued €975 million in government bonds with demand exceeding supply by 2.43.

The ten-year bond sale was seen as an acid test for Portugal’s financial stability and the achievement of an average interest rate of 3.2524%, compared to 3.5752% in the last auction in April, has been heralded across Europe as a success.

More people join the super rich

yachtThe amount of private wealth in households around the world jumped more than 14% last year, hitting $152 trillion (£90tn).

The UK sported the world's second largest number of super rich households for a second year in a row, but the rate of growth is faster in other wealthy countries.

Silves council beggared by Viga d'Ouro payments

silveschurchA sad day for Silves ratepayers as reports are made public that their council has started to make payments in the Viga d’Ouro scandal.

The municipality transferred €480,000 to Banco Espirito Santo in late April, and in May a payment of €408,000 was made to Millennium BCP, the two banks unwittingly involved in the case.

Way opened for Londoners to rent on Airbnb

londonhouseUsers of Airbnb in London at least will be relieved that reforms in the law means that they will be able to rent spaces in their homes without fear of prosecution.

The changes also apply to other short-stay websites, such as One Fine Stay, a British version of Airbnb.