Ricardo Salgado blames Bank of Portugal for the collapse of BES

SALGADODEC2015Ricardo Salgado spoke to reporters outside the courthouse in Santarém today, refusing to take any blame at all in the collapse of Banco Espírito Santo.

The former banker made it clear that the person primarily responsible for the collapse of BES was Carlos Costa, the banking supervisor and governor of the Bank of Portugal.

Portugal has the lowest fertility rate in the European Union

baby2012Portugal’s couples are shying away from the prospect of bringing up large families, or even replacing their own numbers, as Portugal is the European Union country with the lowest fertility rate and the lowest number of births between 2001 and 2015.

In the last 15 years the number of children born in Portugal has fallen dramatically from 112,774 to 85,500, according to data released by Eurostat on Wednesday.

Brits held in Algarve drugs bust

cannabisFaro and Silves GNR have discovered six greenhouses used for growing cannabis and have arrested two British men on drugs charges.

The geenhouses were at a property in Tunes and at a luxury vila in Galé, Albufeira. The GNR carried out searches at the properties and discovered the greenhouses.

Former Caixa Geral boss Domingues goes back to NOS

NOSAntónio Domingues is going back to his former employer NOS where he can reflect on the mess he made of his brief and eventful period as head of Caixa Geral de Depósitos.

Having left Caixa Geral after an unhelpful and ultimately destructive public argument with Finance Minister, Mário  Centeno, António Domingues will rejoin one of Portugal's largest media and communications groups as a non-executive director under the leadership of Miguel Almeida.

Bank of Portugal's governor hangs on by a thread

bopcarloscostaThe Bank of Portugal’s embattled governor, Carlos Costa, acknowledges the criticism of his performance but says he will carry on to the end to guarantee the independence of the central bank and its mission in stabilising the financial system.

In an interview published in Público today, Carlos Costa says he feels no pressure at all from the government to quit his job and his staying is the only way the Bank of Portugal can remain independent.

Vila do Bispo council bans the use of Roundup

glyphosateVila do Bispo councillors have approved a motion to ban the use of Roundup by all municipal workers and contracted council service providers.

The motion was presented by the Left Bloc for the February 25th meeting and called for a halt to the use of glyphosate, a Monsanto herbicide branded as Roundup, which has been at the heart of debate as to whether the chemical can cause cancer in those exposed to the product.

Olive oil prices set to rise sharply due to 30% fall in Portugal's 2016 harvest

olivesExtreme heat, bacteria and flooding have cut olive oil harvests across Mediterranean countries with prices heading sharply upwards.

Unpredictable weather last year in Greece, Portugal, Italy, and Spain, coupled with fruit fly and bacteria outbreaks, have led to estimates that production is set to fall about 8% globally - and up to 50% at many European estates.

First artificial heart implant operation in Portugal was “a success”

8598Health Minister, Adalberto Campos Ferreira, announced today that the first artificial heart to be implanted in a patient in Portugal had been a success for the team at the Santa Marta hospital in Lisbon.

The patient, a man aged 64, has severe kidney disease that prevented a heart transplant from a donor.