The Court of Auditors has looked into Águas de Portugal’s accounts for the period between 2012 and the first half of 2014 and concluded that "85% of the directly awarded contracts examined have irregularities and insufficiencies."

The audit report has only just been published despite the closing period being nearly three years ago. The Court of Auditors indicated that "following a request from the Parliament," 81 direct procurement procedures issued by 23 companies in the Águas de Portugal group were examined, corresponding to €9.7 million."

The GNR has announced an immediate internal inquiry after a taxpayer was rendered unconscious at a Finanças office.

The incident happened in Montijo just south of Lisbon when a Brazilian is alleged to have been offensive to tax officials, something he denies.

If you are planning to cross the border using the Guadiana International Bridge, or by taking the ferry from Vila Real de Santo António, you will need identification documents, or risk being turned back.
 
Full document checks at all designated border crossings are in place from Wednesday until midnight on Sunday, May 14th, due to the visit of the Pope. Unofficial and little used border crossings also will be under observation.

Castro Marim ratepayers will be chipping in 70% towards the total cost of creating a beach at the Odeleite reservoir.

The balance of the total spend of €320,000, will come from European Funds under CRESC 2020.

Eleanor Chessell, the TUI travel rep attacked with upto two litres of acid on the main road between Portimão and Alvor, has serious burns to her arms, stomach and legs, with only a tiny amount hitting her face.

Chessell, 28, was attacked on the evening of Saturday, May 6th and suffered second and third degree burns over 60% of her body after a man came up behind her, threw acid from a plastic bottle and ran away.

Of the 90,000 businesssed who joined the Special Program for Reducing State Debt (PERES), 10,000 had debts considered to be uncollectible, as they had no assets or income that enabled the tax authority to recover debts.

This number was reported to parliament on Tuesday by the Secretary of State for Fiscal Affairs at a hearing on the impact to the State of tax forgiveness programmes and the extraordinary revaluation of assets by companies.

The carcass of a female minke whale has been washed up at Gigi beach in Loulé, Algarve. The marks on her body indicated she died after being tangled up in fishing nets.

Alerted by members of the public at 08:00 last Friday, Quinta do Lago security guards alerted the Ria Formosa Natural Park, which sent a biologist from the Portuguese Wildlife Society (SPVS) who contacted the Maritime Police.

An Irishman in his 30s has been hospitalised after he repeatedly was stabbed in Praia da Rocha early on Sunday morning.

The victim was set upon by two men in the main bar area and was left in a pool of blood.