A deadly feline virus has been brought under control at the Algarve’s largest cat rescue and adoption centre, but street cats and unvaccinated pets elsewhere in the region and throughout the country are still at risk.

The Feline panleukopenia virus (FPV), also known as feline distemper or cat plague, is highly aggressive and contagious. It kills within a week, sometimes within 24 hours.
The outbreak in the spacious Carvoeiro Cat Charity refuge near Porches started with the impromptu arrival of a single infected kitten. It ended up killing 80 cats, about 25% of the total number being cared for.

Novo Banco could be given away rather than the taxpayer underwriting future losses if the bank is sold.

Bidders still interested in the purchase of the high street bank are only interested if the State indemnifies them againt future losses resulting from hidden bad debts, non-perrforming loans and other horrors that lurk in the bank’s carefully worded accounts.

Portugal’s deficit for 2016 was down by €497 million and the total "will not exceed 2.3% of GDP," according to a statement today from the Ministry of Finance.

The total deficit was €4.256 billion, primarily resulting from less government expenditure and an increase in Social Security income as more people were in employment.

The head of Vila Galé hotels, Jorge Rebelo de Almeida, is the sort of thoughtful entrepreneur that Portugal needs more of.

His profitable hotel business closed last year’s accounts with a 15% increase in revenue and the company aims to open five new hotels in Portugal in 2018.

Keen to set up shop on top of Portugal’s natural lithium resources, the management of Australian mining company Dakota Minerals wants to invest up to €370 million in an industrial facility in Tras os Montes to supply businesses across Europe.

The company is selling assets in Australia to enable it to focus on northern Portugal as a growing market for lithium is predicted due to the rise in popularity of electric cars whose manufacturers needs lithium for the vehicle battery packs.

Thursday’s Eurogroup finance ministers will make it abundantly clear to their Portuguese colleague that things are not going according to plan.

Finance Minister, Mario Centeno, is experiencing a little local difficulty with rising interest rates on Portuguese government bonds, a range of testy banking problems and socialist policies such as raising the minimum wage.

A former partner of reviled international finance house Goldman Sachs says he has access to a €15 billion fund to buy up bad debts from Portugal’s weakened banking sector.

António Esteves worked at several international banks, lastly at Goldman Sachs, and claims he has the support of a big bank, of Deloitte and lawyers Vieira de Almeida, to buy up the debt.

Carvoeiro’s Tivoli is to reopen as a five star hotel on April 1^st after its total renovation is signed off.

The hotel’s upgrade has been planned and executed under the international architecs Broadway Malyan which has added three restaurants, a pool bar, the Carvoeiro Sky Bar, and a spa and a fitness centre.