Banco Popular remains open for business in Spain and Portugal after 100% of Banco Popular’s shares were bought yesterday by Santander for a symbolic €1.
The transfer has been pitched as ‘part of a resolution measure’ after the European Central Bank determined that the financial institution was not viable, giving it a damning "failing or likely to fail" vedict.
António Guterres, the new Secretary-General of the United Nations, opened the Oceans Conference on Monday, June 5th and emphasised the need to conserve the oceans and to use them in a sustainable way.
"The health of our oceans and seas requires us to put aside short-term national gain, to avoid long-term global catastrophe.”
António Domingues was paid over €120,000 in the four months he was in charge of Caixa Geral de Depósitos, according to the 2016 annual report from the State owned bank.
Domingues was paid a salary of €30,214 per month between September and December last year, significantly more than José de Matos, who was president of the bank until August 31, 2016 and who struggled by on €16,578 a month.
Portugal’s Army is to be supplied with new radar and air defence missiles at a cost of €32 million in a contract stretching to 2026, according to Defence Minister, José Azeredo Lopes.
The purchase order signed by Lopes indicates that the weapon systems are for "anti-aircraft protection of military forces and the protection of sensitive places and high-visibility events."
A reported 50 police carried out further searches today, this time at hospitals in Lisbon and Oporto, as part of the contuning plasma supply corruption case named, Operation O Negative, and made three doctors arguidos - official suspects.
In December last year, the then administrator of Octapharma, Paulo Lalanda e Castro, was arrested in Germany and later released under caution to appear in Lisbon to answer further questions relating to allegations that he corrupted NHS officials and others to ensure his company was the sole supplier of plasma products to Portugal’s health and emergency services.
The government’s flawed plan to contract helicopters to provide emergency medical cover may soon come to end with the announcement today of a new tendering process to hire helicopters that will be used only for medical emergencies and not doubling up as a fire fighting resource.
The problems in the past, apart from the embarrassment of having bought dodgy Kamov helicopters that have spent much of their time grounded due to technical issues, have included periodic gaps in specialist medical staff availability and the use of the helicopters for fire fighting duties.
In May this year, the Algarve’s hotels saw the highest occupancy rates since the year 2000 and up 4.4% compared to May, 2016.
Tourists from the United Kingdom, Ireland and France contributed most to a 73% May occupancy rate, according to the region’s hotels association.
According to preliminary data released by AHETA, this is the second consecutive month with record figures not seen since the turn of the millennium.
The Governor of the Bank of Portugal, Carlos ‘Mr Magoo’ Costa, said today that the responsibility for the appointment of the new management team at Caixa Geral de Depósitos was down to the government, with the approval the European Central Bank, and that he had nothing to do with the disaster that left the bank rudderless at a crucial time.
"The Bank of Portugal did not have any decisive role in this matter. It was up to the European Central Bank," said Carlos Costa, at the start of the committee of inquiry into the Caixa Geral fiasco that saw Domingues at the helm for just over three troubled months last year.
