G20 officials meeting in Australia later this year must make it harder for the corrupt to hide behind secret companies, Transparency International said today as it launched a global campaign to "unmask the corrupt".

Today many leading economies do not require or record information about who really owns or controls companies registered in their country, making it easier for corrupt individuals, terrorists or organised criminals to hide and shift their stolen wealth.

VILA VITA Parc Resort & Spa, the Algarve´s leading resort, today announced that it has received the 2014 TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence award. The accolade, which honors hospitality excellence, is given only to establishments that consistently achieve outstanding traveller reviews on TripAdvisor, and is extended to qualifying businesses worldwide. Establishments awarded the Certificate of Excellence are located  all over the world and represent the upper echelon of businesses listed on the website.

The old adage, ‘you only get one chance to make a first impression’ is so true. A friend of mine was recently invited to an AFPOP evening where 3 companies had a captive audience to present themselves and generate sales or interest in their products.

A lot of people find marketing confusing, expensive, time consuming and even intimidating.

This especially applies to the owners of cafes, coffee shops and restaurants. It probably also accounts for the reason that the closure rate of this type of business is three times higher than other business types.

In its latest international poll, Gallup has ranked the Portuguese government as one of the most corrupt in the world based on the perceptions of the Portuguese people.

Of the 129 countries surveyed, Portugal is up there with the worst - though not quite as bad as the Czech Republic where 94% of respondents think corruption is widespread in their government, followed by Lithuania with 90%.

The  'Portuguese Chamber of Commerce in the UK' networking lunch in Albufeira last week shows that networking is not dead, in fact it is more important than ever.
This was a true networking event at the Varanda restaurant at Balaia Golf village with members and guests keen to meet new faces and chat before sitting down to lunch.

It is said we all have a book in us.  That's great but is your book going to be a best seller .. and will you ever write it? A few weeks ago I completed my latest book.  In the past I've written, or contributed, to some fairly heavy titles and they have done fairly well within their restricted specialist field. But this time I'd written a book that had wider appeal ... or so I hoped.
My latest book is called "Advertising Secrets: Essential Advertising Tips That Advertising Sales Reps Prefer You NOT To Know".  It is a composite of my 30+ years of experience buying advertising space; I've had responsibility for a £5.5million annual spend in a previous life and I still write and place a lot of ads even now.

In the swings and roundabouts of public life in Portugal, the on-going economic crisis has produced another political one.