Poor education puts migrants into jobs

Immigrants fill jobsOne in five skilled jobs in the UK is now filled by an immigrant because of a lack of skilled British graduates.

Companies are obliged to hire foreign-born workers in a range of “strategically important” areas because children in Britain continue to shun maths and science studies, according to a review commissioned by the government.

Britons turn into sole traders

British sole tradersThe trend for people in the UK to become sole traders took has risen in the past few years and now stands at 1.7 million.

Research conducted by the insurer LV= found there are 1.7 million "one-man-bands" operating in the UK. Some 27% of these generate an annual turnover in excess of £51,000 and 5% earn in excess of £150,000.

5 Brits stabbed - Portuguese D.J. held by police

Partytime stabbingsA Portuguese Disc Jockey is being held by Spanish police in Majorca for allegedly stabbing five Britons at a partytime resort.

The incidents occurred in Calvia on Saturday. The suspect is alleged to have stabbed a man with a knife and was then chased by a group of four whom he also attacked causing serious injuries.

Millennium BPC loses a further €597 million in 9 months

BCP with major trading lossesThe 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%.

Portugal's bid to claim the Mediterranean Diet

Mediterranean diet to be classified as intangibleA 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.

Budget boost for Algarve’s hospitals

Algarve's hospitals may get an injection of fundsPortugal’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.

Portugal's killer heatwave missed the Algarve

Heatwave missed the AlgarveThe 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.

Algarve's secure water supply - councils still in arrears

Algarve's water supplyWater 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.