Another outbreak of deadly flu virus, this time in Spain, is to take the lives of more than 17,000 ducks.

The H5N8 virus was found in a farm near Girona in Catalonia and authorities announced on Thursday that the ducks would be culled.

The opposition Social Democratic Party wants to call in all those responsible for running the country’s finances from 2011 to 2014, to uncover what really happened when €10 billion was transferred offshore from Portugal’s high street banks, without the taxman lifting a finger.

The left wing now wants to hear from Paulo Núncio, the Secretary of State for Fiscal Affairs during the former government - and Fernando Rocha Andrade who currently hold this position to see if the government of the time deliberately allowed the transfers to leave the country without scrutiny.

Coalition C6, a Portuguese collective of non-governmental environmental organisations formed by GEOTA, FAPAS, LPN, Quercus, SPEA and the WWF in Portugal, released a statement on Thursday, February 23rd, on its assessment of the Ministry of Environment's nature conservation policies and actions.

The results are not good as the group considers that "the minister's management of nature conservation policy is very negative," adding that his views are based on "preconceived ideas and a clear negative discrimination of the opinion, experience and consideration of organisations."

Portugal's medical researchers got though 25,606 animals in 2014, and managed to kill nearly half of them in the process.

According to data from the General Directorate of Food and Veterinary services, these animals were used for 'experimental purposes' with 68% of them rodents such as mice, rats and hamsters.

Ryanair’s ever-punchy CEO, Michael O'Leary, is man that likes to get things done fast, so it is understandable that he questions why the Portuguese State machine has taken so long to decide on the Montijo option when Lisbon’s existing airport is predicted to reach breaking point this summer.

"We are satisfied with the Montijo option, but we do not understand the reasons why there is such a delay in making a decision," said O’Leary, adding that "it is natural for Ryanair to fly to Montijo, even though it airport charges need to be more competitive than those currently practiced in Lisbon’s Portela airport."

The German economy ended the year with a healthy surplus of nearly €24 billion.

Not only was 2016 the third consecutive year in which government revenue was greater than spending, but the largest surplus since the country’s reunification in 1990.

In the latest corruption trial to rock Spain, a leading former boss of the IMF was found guilty and handed a sentence of four years and six months.

Rodrigo Rato had previously run two Spanish banks.

Prime Minister, António Costa, said to parliament today that it was "absolutely scandalous" that the Passos Coelho government had let €10 billion flow out of the country into offshore tax haven accounts between 2011 and 2014.

The Communist leader, Jerónimo de Sousa, added that it was "scandalous that a government which did not hesitate to seize family homes for debts to the Treasury was unable to explain what happened to €10 billion that fled the country."