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British toddler released from care

albufeirahotelparaisoThe British toddler who was taken from her parents for her own safety on Sunday has been released from hospital and will be going back to Belfast.

The girl spent three nights in Faro hospital after complaints about her mother’s drunken behaviour led to the police being called and removing the child from the Paraíso Hotel in Albufeira.

Algarve nurse shortage to be eased

nurseThe Regional Health Authority for the Algarve announced today it already has taken the steps necessary to overcome the shortage of nurses in the region and will start recruiting as soon as possible.

This will be welcome news for the Union of Portuguese Nurses whose members have been working below the legal staffing minimums put in place by the government to ensure patient care and safety.

New national register of rental properties in Portugal

rentalvillaSoon, properties for let will have to be registered on a national database held by Turismo de Portugal, according to the Ministry of Economy, as part of a tightening up of regulations for local accommodation.

Apartments and houses rented to tourists for short periods of time have to register with Tourism of Portugal as local accommodation, according to a ministry spokesman.

Europe pledges not to sell its gold

goldThe gold reserves of European countries have again been protected by the renewal of an agreement to restrain from selling significant amounts for the coming five years.

The initiative should help countries avoid the catastrophic decision by then Chancellor Gordon Brown to sell 400 tonnes of Britain’s gold reserves when the price of gold was at its lowest in two decades.

Designer drugs now a global phenomenon

pillsdesignerThe UK has one of the highest number of users of “legal highs” in Europe, according to a UN report.

Figures showed that 8.2% of people in Britain surveyed in 2011 had taken psychoactive substances, generally called “legal highs”.

£10 million scientific prize launched in the UK

fluTaking a leaf from the 1714 Longitude Prize, now one worth £10 million is on offer for the public to solve a major scientific problem.

Six potential categories have been announced. The public will be able to vote on the issue they would see as the most important. Voting will take place after Thursday’s screening of Horizons on BBC TV.

No repeat of mosquito plague at Armaçao de Pêra

mosquitoIn August 2013 an mosquito plague swept across Armaçao de Pêra forcing tourists to flee the beaches and ruining holidays for many families.

The reason for the abundance of the pests was a cost-saving measure by the then president of the council Rogério Santos Pinto who had filled the empty desk left by Isabel Soares who left her job to join the Algarve water board.

Portugal - no tax offices to close, no jobs will be lost

financasThe Troika-agreed plan to close 50% of Portugal’s Finanças offices, and sharply reduce the civil service headcount as a result, has quietly been shelved as the government again bows to unions pressure over the predicted level of job losses.

The public-facing tax office service will be reorganised later this year but not as first announced which had the tax workers union preparing for widespread strike action and consumer groups in uproar, especially for those customers living in rurual areas of the country.