The Governor of the Bank of England has said that interest rates will remain low, but warned against the rise of household debt.

Mark Carney said that interest rates were likely to stay low “for a considerable period of time”.

Socialist Party leader António Costa must answer get agreement from left wing parties on six key areas of concern, before the president will offer him the post of prime minister.

In today’s political leap forward after weeks of consultations and uncertainty, President Cavaco Silva has hit the ball deep into Costa’s court. The socialist leader now must negotiate with left wing parties, and more scarily with the Communist Party, and agree answers to these questions before he is appointed prime minister of a Socialist-Left Wing alliance.

With Portugal’s deficit heading through the 130% of GDP figure, the absence of a 2016 budget submission to Brussels is causing deepening concern among eurogroup finance ministers and their president Jeroen Dijsselbloem.

Portugal is on the brink of appointing a new government but Dijsselbloem says these political excuses do not wash, he needs a budget from Portugal and the evasion to date is only making things worse.

The introduction of fuel without additives at Portugal’s filling stations has enabled drivers to save €168 million since April this year, according to the National Authority for the Fuel Market.

Filipe Meirinho, director of the Authority, reported savings of €168 million for the seven months since the scheme started, which is ahead of the government target of €200 million in annual savings.

The Novo Banco restructuring plan under chief executive Stock da Cunha (pictured) has started, with around 1,000 staff scheduled to lose their jobs.

The number is not finalised and, for reasons best known to eurocrats, the restructuring plan has to be approved by Brussels which is against job losses in the banking sector.

Former multi-millionaire and current fugitive from justice, Duarte Lima, still wanted for trial in Brazil for the murder of Rosalina Ribeiro, has lodged a petition to avoid bankruptcy using the Special Revitalisation Process, or PER.

Lima wants to negotiate his debts with Novo Banco, BES and the state holding company, Parvalorem, among others.

A British benefit cheat in Spain has been told she must repay £45,000 or spend nine months in prison.

Vivienne Day, 70, from Basildon in Essex was given three months in which to return the money.

Italian explorer Christopher Columbus has long been fingered for introducing syphilis to Europe after he returned from the New World.

But researchers at the Medical University of Vienna believe they have identified cases of congenital syphilis in skeletons that pre-date Columbus’ trips.