The Portuguese Commercial Bank (BCP), bailed out in 2012 by Passos Coelho using €3 billion of Troika funds, has recorded a loss of €597 million in the year to September, which is 'better than expected' according to analysts who are looking at last year’s equivalent period loses of €796 million.

The bank, trading on the high street through Millennium BPC branches, made provision for bad loans of €622.7 million, 10.2 % less than in the same period last year but still not good news for the bank’s boss Nuno Amado who also saw net interest income, the difference it earns between borrowing and lending money, down 17.5%.

A delegation soon is meeting in Azerbaijan to decide once and for all whether the Mediterranean diet should be on its list of intangible cultural items.

Representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, and Tavira council form the Portuguese delegation that will argue the case and claim the lifestyle diet for the Algarve.

Portugal’s Health Minister, Paulo Macedo, is insisting on a capital increase of €425.6 million for 19 of the country’s hospitals, and he wants it added to next year’s budget.

Macedo has put the figure in the Heath Service’s budget submission which will save many hospitals from bankruptcy.

The death toll in Portugal due to the 2013 summer heatwave was up 30% on the 2012 figure with 1,684 deaths attributable to heat related causes, according to a report by the Directorate General of Health released today.

The report looked at the increase in demand for medical services including the helpline Health 24, in order to help the National Institute for Medical Emergencies gauge its service provision and plan its future response strategy.

Water reserves held in the Algarve’s dams are sufficient to supply the region if it does not rain for two years, said Isabel Soares, the head of Águas do Algarve.

The commissioning of the controversial Odelouca dam to the north of Silves, which began providing water a year and a half ago, completed the water supply master plan for the region.

Doctor da Silva Moura dos Reis is the new Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Regional Health Administration of the Algarve appointed by the Ministry of Health.

The Algarve board retains the services of Miguel Madeira, the only one left from the previous management team. Martins dos Santos and Ana Costa resigned in July for disagreeing over the merger of the Algarve’s three hospitals top create the Center Hospital of the Algarve.

The Bank of Portugal is to impose fines amounting to €11 million in 11 bosses of Banco Privado Português (BPP) including the founder, João Rendeiro.

The defendants now have a period of 15 days to challenge the court decision after which we will know the names of those convicted and the sums each has to pay.

For the first time in two generations, a commercial vessel will dock next week at a new deep-water port in London.

The container ship MOL Caledon will bring in fruit and wine from South Africa.