José Sócrates - Operation Marquês - formal charges won't be long now

socratesfreedThe Attorney General's Office has extended the deadline for the conclusion of Operation Marquês by which charges need to formally to be made against an ever-increasing list of official suspects, including the former Prime Minister, José Sócrates.

In a statement released today, the Attorney General's Office announced that "it is decided to extend the deadline for three months from the date of the receipt of the last letters rogatory."

Peniche fort to become a 'national museum of resistance' to the Salazar dictatorship

salazarportraitThe fortress of Peniche is to be transformed from a municipal museum into a national museum of resistance against Salazar's dictatorship and the 'Estado Novo' regime.

After a Council of Ministers meeting in Peniche today, the Minister of Culture, Luís Filipe Castro Mendes announced that the project is part of a restoration of Portugal’s heritage and demonstrates the political will to create a national museum of resistance against the dictatorship."

Important victory for bicycle users in Portugal

cyclingPortugal’s controversial 2020 National Road Safety Strategy program (PENSE2020) has dropped studying mandatory helmet laws for cyclists, after strong public opposition.  Shortly after being launched for public consultation, in the midst of the Christmas holiday season, over 600 cyclists marched throughout Lisbon urging for the helmet proposal to be dropped.

The Road Authority stated that there were over 500 written contributions from citizens and bicycle mobility associations, many of which demanding for helmet laws not to go ahead. Both FPCUB and MUBi sent public letters regarding the mistakes in the Road Strategy’s proposal, with a particular focus on the negative effects of mandatory bicycle helmets.

Illegal trade in dangerous dogs continues despite 2103 legislation

dogdangerousThe four-year-old girl attacked by a Rottweiler in Matosinhos on Tuesday has lost part of her scalp.

Her mother, also injured in the attack, has been discharged from hospital but later may need surgery to her arm. The girl remains at the Hospital de São João in Oporto where she is "conscious, stable and not in danger of losing her life," according to her father.

Lagoa Wine Show starts this Friday

lagoaDespite the argument still raging over Lagoa council’s unilateral decision to call its municipal area the Capital of Wines, to the intense irritation of other wine producing council areas, this year’s Lagoa Wine Show is to go ahead.

Upto 70 exhibitors have booked, including about over twenty from the Algarve, and every wine producer in the Lagoa area will be present at the show running from April 28 to 30 at the Arade Congress Center, in Parchal.

Pestana plans 450-bed hotel in Alvor, Portimão

pestanaPestana Group is to build its largest 5-star hotel in Portugal as plans advance for the €30 million spend in the Portimão council area.

The 450-bed hotel will be erected at Quinta da Amoreira, next to the group’s Hotel Delfim in Alvor.

Portugal ranks highly for 'freedom of the press'

newspapersPortugal ranks 18th in the 2017 Freedom of the Press Ranking, up five places from last year, according to a report released today by Reporters Without Borders.

According to the document, between January 2005 and January 2017, the European Court of Human Rights has condemned Portugal 21 times for violating Article 10 of the European Declaration of Human Rights, which protects freedom of expression. This is three more times than the EU average.

'Madeleine McCann and the media' by Len Port

madeleine2The most reported and discussed missing person case ever recorded is still not only a highly contentious mystery, but also a personal tragedy that has been turned into a public farce by elements of the media.

In the entirely predictable press frenzy surrounding the imminent 10th anniversary of the disappearance, much of the coverage, particularly in the British tabloids, has been absurd. But it should not be dismissed lightly.