The widespread search for the two missing Olhão fishermen has been suspended after 11 days. The decision was taken at noon today but normal sea and land patrols will of course be on the lookout for their bodies and traces of the missing boat, 'Rainha da Brisa.'
The two fishermen, 37 and 58, were last sighted near Isla Deserta where the maritime authority has been concentrating searches in the last four days, with the help of a team form the Hydrographic Institute which has been surveying the seabed with sonar.
It is not the job of the Portuguese Institute of Ocean and Atmosphere (IPMA) to bring cheer by disguising its firm predictions that this Christmas is set to be a wash out.
Christmas Eve will be a day of torrential rain across the country which in this instance includes the Algarve and the Alentejo regions which often avoid these generalised warnings.
It has been confirmed by emergency services that yesterday’s helicopter crash in the Monchique hills caused the death of one man and left two injured.
The electricity supply to a large area of Monchique has been cut off as the helicopter severed power lines.
As the UK economy perks up, shoppers are increasingly likely to purchase goods by using credit cards.
The extent of British reliance on credit cards is substantial. Figures released this week indicate that mortgages, personal and business lending stacks up to more than £1 trillion.
The North-South divide in the UK property market is now at its widest point and is continuing to grow.
The average price for a house in London is £437,000, but this is almost three times more than a comparable one in the North East which is the least expensive area in mainland Britain.
The paper version of the £5 banknote will be replaced in 2016 with ones made from polymer, a flexible plastic film.
At that time, more than one billion plastic notes will enter circulation.
The announcement came from the Bank of England which confirmed its plans to produce £5 and £10 notes in the plastic.
A Former Secretary of State at the Treasury, Carlos Costa Pina, said today that the report resulting from the investigation into the ‘swaps' financial instruments is an "unsurprising whitewash" to clear the current government of any responsibility.
Speaking to media today, Costa Pina said that the new report was not surprising because it just repeats the fictional account, developed by the current government, that existed before the commission of inquiry started."
It is being put forward as an ecologically sound cost-saving programme as Estradas de Portugal SA plans to switch off much of the country's road lighting in an attempt to save on a €1 million annual electricity bill.
The cash-strapped company manages 14,500 kilometers of roads in Portugal and is to reduce the number of hours the road lights are on. Lights will be turned off all night on sections of road which the company deems have insufficient traffic volume.
