The health service today confirmed the deaths of two people that had been infected with legionella in last week's outbreak. The victims were being treated in the Santa Maria Hospital and a private clinic in Lisbon.

Graça Freitas, Director General of Health, confirmed late in the afternoon that the outbreak of legionella in the San Francisco Xavier hospital has caused the two deaths: a 70-year-old woman who was said to be suffering from other health problems and a man of 77 who also was not in the peak of health and died in the intensive care unit of a private clinic.

Flushed with the success with its 'tourist tax,' Lisbon council is to decide whether or not to raise the amount charged per night.

In 2016, the tourist tax in Lisbon relived tourists of €13.5 million. As councils are greedy for money that can be raised without upsetting voters, the amount charged tax will be reassessed on January 1st, 2019 and is unlikely to remain the same.

A total of 86 Air Force personnel and food suppliers are to be charged with corruption as Operation Zeus draws to a close.

In a statement released this morning, the District Attorney's Office in Lisbon states that "at least since 2011, officers of the Directorate of Supply and Transport decided, in a concerted manner, to take advantage of their own military hierarchical structure to obtain undue revenues."

Portugal's Left Bloc leader, Catarina Martins, has called for an end to the Golden Visa scheme which “serves to launder money from corruption.”

Martins added that the scheme to attract non-EU foreigners to buy property in Portugal provokes real estate speculation.

The former president of Catalonia and four former members of his cabinet, surrendered to the Belgian police in Brussels on Sunday after a European Arrest Warrant was acted on and arrests were imminent. 

All have been held in custody while the extradition process id being followed. If the politicians are sent back to Spain, they face serious charges relating to the illegal independence referendum held on October 1st, in Catalonia.

Eucalyptus plantations continue to expand in Portugal, according to the environmental organisation Quercus, despite a government pledge to halt the expansion of the species and a law change.

The National Association for the Conservation of Nature, (Quercus) along with the Association for the Promotion of Forest Investment, (Acréscimo), say the number of licences issued actually has increased, despite commitments made by the current Government.

A crowd of 60,000 people are expected to attend this year’s Web Summit that starts in Lisbon on Monday, November 6th.

The three day event event, “will be the largest gathering in the history of technology companies,” according to the organisers.

Three years after the a Legionella outbreak left a dozen people dead and hundreds infected, survivors and familes of the deceased await justice, compensation and punishment for those responsible.

The outbreak of Legionella in November 2014 was caused by a poorly maintained chimney at a fertilser factory in the Vila Franca de Xira area of Lisbon. Twelve people died and a further 375 people were infected with the bacterium.