"The big problem for Portugal is that people here do not know the value in what we have," said Ana Miranda, director of the Art Institute in New York, at the first annual meeting of the Council of the Portuguese Diaspora, held today in Cascais.

With 52 members, representing the Portuguese in 15 countries and four continents, the Council brought together 'influential Portuguese' living overseas to a networking event to help reinforce the reputation of Portugal and help in the development and prosperity of the country.

Three more bodies were found today, almost certainly from the group of six young students that were swept from Meco beach.

The Navy continued to patrol the coastline in coordination with searches by the Maritime Authority and this morning spotted and revovered a body, followed by two more this afternoon.

The remains this morning were found one day after a second body was recovered about three kilometers from the site of the accident.

Workers laid off from the insurance and banking sectors in Portugal have increased by 13% in the past year as branches are closed and staff numbers trimmed.

Social Security branches have seen bank and insurance company workers signing on in increasing numbers, making the financial services sector the largest growth area within the overall number of unemployed.

The Confederation of Trade and Services, and the Bar Association, say they have received several complaints over the new system of seizing assets and freezing bank accounts, citing several cases of abuse or excess.

The new Code of Civil Procedure, which started in September, meant that enforcement agents could now contact banks directly to start seizure processed which has dramatically increased the number of cases.

Douro wine producer Eurico Figueiredo submitted a wine label with the logo ‘Que se Lixa a Troika’ (Screw the Troika) which was refused by the Douro and Port Wine Institute, thus guranteeing worldwide publicity.

The label was rejected as it could damage the ‘prestigious designation of origin’ of the Douro wine region and was viewed by the institute as offensive, which would ensure a ban under the existing wine labelling rules.

The pilot of the crashed Mozambique Airlines has been accused of downing the flight ‘intentionally’.

The episode on November 29 killed all 33 people onboard when the flight hit torrential rains and crashed in the swamps of Bwabwata National Park in Namibia.

In the changing nature of its war against drugs, the US state of Colorado is to become the first to license shops for selling cannabis.

People will be able to buy up to one ounce (28 grams).

According to Eurobarometer, 96% of Portuguese see the current economic situation as negative and 57% believe it will deteriorate further next year.

The Autumn Barometer from the EC was published on Friday and shows a slight increase in the confidence of European citizens in the future of the union with only the southern countries remaining pessimistic.