The regional government in Madeira is issuing an international tender for a weekly ferry service between the island’s capital and Portimão.

Madeira is offering a €3 million a year safety blanket for the operating company which will have to provide a cargo and passenger service with a journey time of less than 24-hours.

Several environmental organisations have called on the Portuguese Government to take a stand against deep-sea mining, saying that the prospects for profit, simply do not justify the environmental damage such destructive mining techniques cause.

Monica Verbeek from 'Seas at Risk,' to which several Portuguese environmental organisations now belong, said the government should proceed with caution at the annual International Seabed Authority conference from August 7th to 18th.

The van transporting Portuguese emigrants across France, crashing and leaving 12 of them dead, was speeding when it collided with an Italian meat lorry while trying to overtake.

The accident happened on March 24th, 2016 near Moulins, as twelve Portuguese emigrants from Switzerland were being transported to Portugal where they intended to spend their Easter holidays.

The Algarve’s hotel association claims there are vacancies for 5,000 people in the booming sector, but that low wages are dissuading candidates from applying.

The unions involved are campaigning for better wages and conditions for existing and new workers but it all seems to comes down to money.

The Council of Ministers has approved new laws to establish a system of registration for drones which now will need to have civil liability insurance to cover damage caused to third parties.

"The objective is clear: to strengthen the safety and operation of this sector, which is very important and is developing in a significant way in our country," said the Minister of Planning and Infrastructure, Pedro Marquês.

Caixa Geral de Depósitos lost over €50 million in the first half of 2017 which is "in accord with the institution’s strategic plan" according to Paulo Macedo.

In the presentation of the half-yearly results, the Caixa Geral president said that "bank account charges are stable, are the lowest in the market, but that they will increase, as in the bank's strategic plan" that he says was agreed with the government but is fiercely opposed by customers and opposition MPs.

Vila do Bispo council has won the regional prize for Municipality of the Year Award 2017, due its Sagres U-boat project.

The municipality sent in its project, hoping to get some sort of recognition but mayor Adelino Soares was delighted to receive first prize from the panel at the University of Minho.

Alcoutim council is continuing with its financial juggling trick of keeping local taxes at the lowest possible level while recognising its need for income to run essential local services.

The council knows that it must make living in the Alcoutim municipality as reasonably priced as possible and, with this in mind, continues to forego the collection of a 5% income tax supplement from residents and is keeping municipal taxes at the lowest level - just 0.3%.