The leader of the Social Democrats, Rui Rio, is to be removed by his party’s National Council.

Sufficient signatures have been collected to force an emergency meeting of the Council and there will be but one thing on the agenda, Rio’s replacement.

Temperatures are to drop further tonight with wind picking up on Friday forcing many back to bed.

Faced with the cold weather and the expected wind chill factor, Civil Protection has issued a warning to the population to take care.

The Bank of Portugal has condemned the disgraced former banker, Ricardo Salgado, to pay yet another fine, this one is €1.8 million and relates to his management, or mismanagement, of BES-Angola whose appalling financial condition led to the collapse of the Espírito Santo empire.

This is the third time Salgado has been found guilty of professional misconduct during the period he ran Grupo Espírito Santo. These golden years ended abruptly in 2014 with the collapse of Rioforte, BES and then many other companies in the sprawling group.

São Brás de Alportel Council has taken a step forward in encouraging the preservation and sensitive maintenance of privately owned buildings in its historic centre.

An Office of Urban Rehabilitation has been created in partnership with the IN LOCO Association, supported by European funding under the Portugal 2020 programme.

The Left Bloc continues to push the government over the silting up of the Tavira sand bank caused, claim the Bloquistas and local fishermen, by the dumping of dredged sludge too close to shore.

The dredged material from the dredging of the Gilão River is being dumped at a distance of just 1,000 metres from the shoreline, too close for comfort, with fishing organisations claiming that this sludge will end up shifting and blocking the channels used by the local fishing fleet.

The names of debtors to those banks that have received state support will have to be published in a move that introduces greater transparency.

Despite the Socialist MPs abstaining, the other parties voted for the change that will annoy the governor of the bank of Portugal who has resisted the move, claiming it contravenes ‘banking secrecy’ rules.

"The new airport will not be built if the environmental study does not allow it," stated Portugal’s prime minister, a day after signing the agreement to create a second Lisbon airport at the Montijo air base.

Prime Minister António Costa’s statement about the missing environmental impact study could lead environmentalists to conclude that he already knows the study's contents and recommendations to be acceptable.

A Spanish crew on a Dutch-registered boat face the muscle of the Portuguese navy on Monday when they were hauled over, accused of illegal fishing.

The Navy announced the seizure of a vessel engaged in illegal fishing off Vila Real de Santo António.