The Alentejo, the Centre of Portugal and the Spanish region of Extremadura, which make up the ‘Euroace’ Euro Region construct, are joining forces to present a workshop at the '2018 EU – China Tourism Year' conference and exhibition taking place on November 2nd and 3rd, in London.

The participation of the three regions was one of the initiatives agreed during a meeting that took place on September 6th in Estremoz, aimed at "designing a convergent strategy for the three regions," which in the first half of 2017 have seen a significant growth in overseas tourism.

A new law takes effect on September 18th, 2017 that does away with client confidentiality by obliging lawyers, bankers and notaries to inform the Central Investigation Department should they suspect their clients of money laundering or terrorist financing.

This new legislation strengthens the powers of the Central Criminal Investigation and Action Department (DCIAP) "for the purpose of preventing money laundering and terrorist financing, to access directly all financial information, fiscal, administrative, judicial and police."

At long last the gardens at the palace of Estoi formally have been handed over to the council to care for after years of neglect and lack of effort from Enatur, the company that owns and runs Portugal’s Pousada hotels.

Estoi Palace became a Pousada in 2008 after a €12 million refurbishment and the addition of a modern accommodation block that lies adjacent to the C18th palace.

Albufeira again is the start point for this year’s international fishing competition taking place between September 16th and 23rd.

The 26th edition of the World Championship ‘Big Game Trolling’ is organised by the Portuguese Federation of Deep Sea Sport Fishing with the support of the Albufeira council.

Canadian company, Tilray, has received the necessary licences to operate a marijuana growing and processing facility near Coimbra.

The company is to invest around €30 million in a 'medical cannabis'* operation and has the go-ahead to import the necessary seeds and clones and to cultivate them.

The National Anti-Corruption Unit of the Judicial Police has completed an operation in Lisbon and the Algarve, during which several searches were made and four 'medical professionals' were arrested, one of whom was in possession of a prohibited weapon.

This operation has been to investigate “active and passive corruption, forgery of documents and qualified fraud."

The Navy’s plans for a reactivated training base on the Ria Formosa island of Culatra have been toned down since the original announcement.

Firstly, Admiral Silva Ribeiro announced last week that Naval armed forces will be returning to the abandoned military base, next to the sleepy settlement of Hangares, with a permanent presence to undertake complex and sophisticated training operations.

Prisoners from local jails have been growing food on a farm at Patacao, Faro for distribution to the region’s poor.

After a year-and-a-half of a protocol between Algar and the Algarve’s Food Bank Against Hunger, under the ‘Horta Solidária’ banner, both organisations have said the operation has been successful on a number of levels.