The former Deputy Mayor of Monchique council has lost his appeal against a conviction for embezzlement and falsification of documents, he now must pay back €500,000.

The council was certain that António Mira’s appeal in Évora would fail and already has budgeted for the return of the stolen funds in this year’s municipal accounts.

Brussels is not at all happy with the government’s proposed sale conditions for Novo Banco which sees the taxpayer retaining 25% of the bank’s shares.

The Finance Minister, Mário Centeno, (pictured) says there has been no formal decision from the European Central Bank about the Portuguese State hanging on to a quarter share in the loss-making bank, but insists that "there are conditions for an agreement."

Communications regulator Anacom has ruled that telecom operators must take remedial measures as they have been increasing service prices without notifying customers who, if they did not agree to rate changes, could terminate their contracts without penalty.

According to Público, the operators targeted by Anacom's decision of March 17th are Meo, Nos, Vodafone and Nowo, which used to be called Cabovisão.

Understanding that there are “TWO” “Blue Economy” Conceptual Frameworks, a review of Portugal's Blue Economy by Laurinda Seabra of ASMAA

Currently there’s plenty of hype about the “Blue Economy”, but for the majority of the people that hears it being branded left, right and center by government officials, some NGO’s, Think Tanks, academics and many so called experts … the fact remains that the majority of the people haven’t a clue of what it means.

A new 5-star unit planned by the Spanish group, Meliá Hotels International, for Monte Gordo in the eastern Algarve awaits the green light from the Portuguese Environment Agency before building can start.

The 'Meliá de Monte Gordo' will have 170 rooms and will overlook the beach at the western end of the town where the tennis courts currently are located.

Two of the three shepherd children who claimed to have witnessed apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Portugal in 1917 are likely to be canonised as saints by Pope Francis during his pilgrimage to Fátima in May, though the timing has yet to be confirmed by the Vatican.

The canonisation is now much anticipated following Pope Francis’ official recognition of the so-called ‘Miracle of the Sun’ witnessed by Jacinta and Francisco Marto, cousins of the eldest seer, Lúcia Santos.

Caixa Geral de Depósitos has managed to persuade international investors to buy €500 million of debt as part of Caixa’s recapitalisation process, but at high price with the bank undertaking to pay a whopping 10.75% interest rate.

With the prospect of such a high rate dangled in front of investors’ noses, even the warnings circulating around the market from Goldman Sachs to avoid the debt issue were not enough to stop the issue being oversubscribed.

Since news that the parents of Madeleine McCann have lost their third court bid for damages against former PJ coordinator Gonçalo Amaral, relative silence has settled over the British media.

Only one tabloid appears to be flying provocative headlines, while it has been left to a fringe news site to put them into ‘journalese’.

The Daily Star proclaimed yesterday that the “Fund set up to find missing Madeleine Mccann could be wiped out”.