The president of the Portuguese Association of Commercial Centres, António Sampaio de Mattos, warned that the closure of shooping centres on Sundays would cost tens of thousands of jobs.

"The impact of such a closure would be that very close to 20% of the current jobs would end," said Sampaio de Mattos, in an interview with Jornal de Negócios on Monday.

The Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Weather has issued a warning of the dangers posed by the species physalia physalis, more commonly known as the Portuguese man o' war,  which is washing up along Portugal’s coastline, the Azores and Madeira.

"Among the species that occur in Portugal, the Portuguese man o' war is the one that requires the most caution," opined the IPMA, about a species influenced by winds and surface currents and often is spotted along the Portuguese coast. The jellyfish is a blue colour, sometimes with lilac and pink tones.

The president of Zero - Portugal’s ‘Sustainable Earth System Association,'  - says that "aviation emissions increased 7% in Portugal in the last year," but that the country is missing out on the tax-take on fuels and that other EU nations are raking in.

Based on a study prepared for the European Commission in 2018, which shows that aviation in the Member States of the European Union is more tax-free than in other markets, Francisco Ferreira defended the application of taxes on fuel used in Portugal.

António Costa guarantees that Government is negotiating the acquisition of a majority shareholding in SIRESP, the discreditied emergency system company whose failures exacerbated the devastating and fatal fires in central Portugal in 2017.

Regardless of the outcome of the negotiations between the state and SIRESP, the Integrated System of Emergency and Security Networks of Portugal, the Prime Minister assured that the old system will not be disconnected and that the country will be protected.

Prime Minister António Costa said on Monday that Portugal was "surely shocked by the rudeness" of Joe Berardo, (pictured) when he was heard in Parliament and said he expected the businessman to pay "what he owes" to Caixa Geral de Depósitos.

"I think the country is certainly all shocked by the rudeness with which Mr Joe Berardo responded last week in this Parliament," António Costa said in the biweekly debate.

The European Commission is offering free Interrail passes to thousands of 18-year-olds in its 'DiscoverEU' initiative.

The application process started last week and runs to May 16^th.

Following progres with the planning for an EN125 bypass to the north of Olhão, Lagos Council has demanded that someone, somewhere does something to build the equally long-awaited bypass at Odiaxere.

The Council also wants toll scrapped on the A22, Via do Infante, to the west of Portimão.

The Discovery Land Company, is negotiating the purchase of Costa Terra, a tourist megaproject that the Queiroz Pereira family owns at Melides, Grândola, in the Alentejo.

The American luxury resort management company wants to move forward with the construction of hotels, tourist villages and villas, in an investment said to be around €500 million.