The plan to connect Morocco and Portugal’s electricity supply is a "project of great importance" according to the Portuguese prime minister, referring to a project that seems mired in bureaucracy and hardly off the ground.

This long-discussed electircal connection has yet to be made but at least now an agreement has been signed, but only to commission a feasibility study. The Moroccan Director of Electricity at the Ministry of Energy, Mohamed Hajroun, and the Director General of Energy at the Portuguese Ministry of Energy, Carlos Almeida were on hand to sign the agreement and smile for the camera but both must be aware of the time that already has been wasted.

The beach at Praia da Rocha was the start point for a Europe-wide 'Surf Salva' project that promotes safety on the beaches by familiarising swimmers and surfers with the work, techniques and equipment of the rescue services.

The bathing season will open soon in Portugal and the project, sponsored by Lidl Portugal, is on a tour to emphasise the importance of teamwork to raise safety standards on Portuguese beaches where last year 1,317 swimmers had to be rescued.

Portugal’s banks lead a charmed corporate life. When they go bust, the taxpayer bails them out and when they are short of cash, they simply charge customers more.

A spiral of higher and higher charges and commissions, many “without justification,” has been identified by consumer watchdog, DECO, which reports that the top four banks last year charged customers an extra €90 million by way of various charges.

The media again is awash with Madeline McCann stories as Australia’s Channel 7 releases a half-hour documentary on Sunday night promising to reveal new evidence and the ten year anniversary of Madeline's disappearance approaches

One Channel 7 viewer was unimpressed and commented, “Watched the Australian production claiming to have found "vital new evidence" about the McCann case. Horrendous reporting by a clearly biased idiot female, only God knows what her name is. But what could one expect from Rupert's empire?”

Faro council has promised to launch a guide for owners of historic properties wishing to engage in restoration but are unsure of materials, building and the technical requirements that need to be followed.

The new ‘good practice manual’ will help owners plan their projects in the knowledge that the guidelines have been approved by the council – this should save owners from later problems if their commissioned work is not according to good practice.

José Paulo Pinto de Sousa so far has managed to escape the Portuguese Justice system. He was destined to be the 29th defendant in the wide-ranging Operation Marquês inquiry into corruption and money laundering involving the former prime minister and many of Portugal’s hitherto untouchable elite.

The letter rogatory sent to Angola, where José Sócrates's cousin lives and has worked for many years, has not been answered by the Angolan authorities as, rather conveniently, they can’t seem to find out where Pinto de Sousa is living these days, so have been unable to notify him that the Portuguese authorities would like a word.

Two of the three children who reported apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Fátima one hundred years ago are to be declared saints when the Pope visits on May 13th.

Pope Francis announced the canonisation of Jacinta and Francisco Marto which will take place during his visit to a Catholic shrine.

Ratings agency DBRS has kept Portugal's credit category in the 'junk' category, saying that there have been improvements but these need to be long term and sustainable indicators before the Canadian agency will change its opinion.

The company's analyst, Nichola James, told Lusa today that the agency recognises Portugal's progress but is sticking with the current rating of BBB until the Government is seen to have committed itself to European budgetary rules and has resolved persisting vulnerabilities in the banking sector - notably Novo Banco and Caixa Geral.