China’s Minsheng is out of the race to buy Novo Banco, according to Jornal de Negócios today, as it has not been able to show that it has sufficient funds to make the purchase.
Minsheng was selected by the Bank of Portugal before Christmas but the Bank of Portugal has blundered in its initial choice and now will have to choose between Lone Star and the Apollo-Centerbridge consortium which the Portuguese group Violas wants to join - at the 11th hour.
Loulé’s mayor wants to increase the land available for construction in many of the council area’s villages to help stop communities fading away.
"You have to create jobs and housing to stop the depopulation of rural areas," says Vítor Aleixo, who is convinced that an essential part of the solution is to increase the building zone around villages by reviewing and altering the hallowed Municipal Master Plan (PDM).
The big debate was held in São Brás de Alportel on Jan 2nd with the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development, Luís Capoulas Santos and 200 delegates participating in a long-overdue and welcomed 'public discussion on forest reform.'
The government's new plans were presented by the Minister of Agriculture and the Secretary of State for Forestry and Rural Development, Amandio Torres.
The Communist party has taken up the case of the three sacked workers from Vilamoura’s Crowne Plaza hotel and has demanded a statement of how much public money the hotel’s owner recently has received from the public purse.
The three workers, who also are union members and activists, were sacked after management spotted them taking part in a demonstration that took place near the hotel on March 24, 2016 and handing out leafelts which were deemed to be subversive.
Many of the Algarve’s animal rescue and care associations have hit back at the plan by the region’s mayors to set up two ‘super kennels’ at which to collect unwanted and stray cats and dogs.
Fearing, amongst other scenarios, that the euthanasia rate would increase ‘behind closed doors’ and above the new limits set by recent welfare legislation, the animal rescue groups and privately operated shelters want to halt the council’s plan for the new centres in Alcoutim and Aljezur.
Unemployed people in Finland are to be handed €560 every month as the government embarks on a two-year social experiment.
The trial incorporates 2,000 jobless people selected randomly to receive the monthly basic income from the beginning of January 2017.
In an election year announcement, Albufeira council has confirmed it is to fund the construction of three more old people’s homes.
One will be built in Olhos d'Água, another in Fontainhas, Ferreiras and the third will be in Albufeira.
In Europe, 80% of Roma live below the poverty line. According to a report from the European Agency for Fundamental Rights, 30% of Europe’s Roma families live in homes without drinking water and 46% do not have a home with an indoor bath or shower, only 30% have paid work and only 53% of Roma children attend pre-primary school.
The report shows the results of the second Minorities and Discrimination in the European Union survey for which 25,500 people from various ethnic minorities were interviewed and parameters used including poverty and social exclusion, jobs, education, knowledge of rights and discrimination.
