Algarve water company unconcerned at low dam levels

water2The Algarve’s water reserves are higher than a year ago, leading Aguas do Algarve to guarantee, "the public supply in quantity and quality."

Despite the lack of rainfall, the region’s three dams may have more water than a year ago but they are hardly brimming.

'Bungs for burgers' case - Air Force Sergeant 'shocked' by amount of cash he amassed

restaurantThe latest defendant in Operation Zeus, concerning the cash bungs handed out to armed forces’ personnel in exchange for flagrant over-invoicing by bent suppliers, said he felt awful about taking the money but was frightened what would happen if he didn’t.

Sergeant Antonio Paulo is the third defendant to be heard in the corruption case that should end a scheme that has gone on for decades, each subsequent administration of Air Force messes continuing the ‘bungs for burgers’ scheme, claiming they were powerless to stop it.

Concerns raised over Portugal's rising number of infant mortalities

baby2012Portugal’s number of infant mortalities is back where it stood in 2016.  For under one year olds, 60 more died in 2018 than in the previous year, taking the figures back to those witnessed in 2016.

Considering the data, “troubling," the head of the Order of Physicians demanded that the Directorate General of Health analyses the causes of the deaths.

Brexit’s ironic twists hit Spain’s biggest industry

spanishflag“Peak Tourism” has already set in. Brits account for 22% of tourists in Spain. Now add Brexit, writes Don Quijones at Wolf Street

In a delectable irony, two of the biggest corporate victims of a disorderly Brexit could turn out to be Spain’s flagship carrier Iberia and low-cost airline Vueling. Both companies are majority owned by British Airways’ parent company International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG), which is UK-based. And current EU rules require European carriers to be both majority-owned and operated in the bloc.

Portugal’s casino market grows despite digital competition

pokerPortugal’s land-based casino sector recorded a growth in 2018, recently released revenue stats show, despite intensifying competition from online gambling and lottery products, writes Casino News Daily.

The country’s land-based casinos generated overall revenue of €318 million last year, a figure representing a 3.1% increase from 2017. Growing demand for slot machine games at the facilities drove the growth in the land-based casino space, it was reported. Portugal’s slot machine revenue totaled €263.9 million in 2018, up 3.4% from the previous year.

Portugal pledges a decade of solar power development

pvPortugal’s Minister for the Environment and Energy Transition has been saying all the right things at a conference in Madrid, insisting that Portugal will be carbon neutral by 2050.

João Pedro Matos Fernandes said that the country’s emphasis will be on solar power.

'Climate Change Leadership Conference' - James Mayor talks to Adrian Bridge, CEO of Taylor's Port

 James Mayor talks to Adrian BridgeThe wine industry takes the lead in mitigating climate change: James Mayor talks to Adrian Bridge, CEO of Taylor`s Port, about the Climate Change Leadership Conference

The ancient city of Porto is home to an important new initiative to mitigate the effects of climate change. The Porto Protocol was launched in July 2018, at a summit with Barack Obama as keynote speaker, establishing an innovative platform for the wine industry to share environmental best practices.

Praia dos Tomates beachside development - back to the drawing board

BeachTomatoThe president of the Libertas Group, the comopany that owns 100 hectares in the ​​Várzea de Quarteira area, next to Praia dos Tomates, Albufeira, admits that the CCDR-A’s opinion was that the development that was planned there, could not go ahead.

The Sunset Albufeira Sport & Health Resort already had been designed and submitted, but the 1,004 bed proposal was rejected by the Algarve Commission for Regional Coordination and Development due to serious concerns as to the probable environmental impact.