February 16, 2017 saw the 750th anniversary of the 1267 Treaty of Badajoz, signed by Afonso III of Portugal and Alfonso X of Castile and Léon. This treaty is commonly given as the date at which the Algarve became indisputably Portuguese, writes Peter Booker of the Algarve History Association.*
But why was it necessary to have a treaty with Castile over the status of the Algarve? And was it the final step in consolidating the border between Portugal and Spain?
The Bank of Portugal is terrified at the prospect of Caixa Geral de Depósitos having to reveal to a committee of inquiry how much was lent to whom, stating today that this will bring "serious threats."
The committee of inquiry needs to have the details of these big loans to asses which ones were fraudulent, which ones involved kick-backs and why certain loans were given at all. This is the whole point of the committee’s existence.
Italy is bracing itself for the arrival of anywhere between 200 and 300 Starbucks coffee outlets in the country.
"We are aiming to open 200 to 300 sales points across Italy, we think that there's a place for it in the market," former footballer Antonio Percassi told a Milan press conference on Thursday. Percassi has been working with Starbucks on their expansion into Italy, following on from his efforts to introduce retail giants such as Zara and Victoria’s Secret to the country.
Princess Cristina, sister of the reigning Spanish monarch, has been acquitted of tax fraud but ordered to pay a fine of €265,000 for having benefitted from the embezzlement for which her husband was convicted.
The court in Palma, Majorca said “we must and we are acquitting Princess Cristina Federica...of tax fraud”.
The Council of Ministers this morning approved the law on the devolvement of powers to Portugal’s councils, with the notable exception of the Commissions for Regional Development (CCDRs) - as the Social Democrats had objected.
The first part of the devolution process can now go ahead with councils picking up the responsibility for a range of central government activities.
Lisbon is at it, to be followed soon by Oporto and Cascais but the Algarve’s mayors remain divided over imposing a per night Tourist Tax that has just seen the capital's council receive a cheque from Airbnb for €1.74 million.
An inevitably terse Airbnb spokesman said today that "As part of the agreement that Airbnb signed with Lisbon City Council regarding the collection of a tourist tax of €1 per night from May 2016 until the end of last year, Airbnb has delivered €1.74 million."
An illegally operated old people’s home was shut down this morning in Portimão following an anonymous tip-off.
The closure led to 22 elderly people being led away from the property, many of them will be taken care of by Social Services and referred to alternative housing.
The Judicial Police confirmed today that a bank robber, who held up a cashier at Crédito Agrícola in Lagos, has been arrested.
The suspect was armed with a replica of a pistol and forced an employee to hand over cash, a bundle of around €1,300.
