Ruined Dona Ana beach dropped from Portugal's Top 10

gale2Praia da Falésia (Albufeira), Praia da Rocha (Portimão) and Praia da Marinha (Lagoa) currently are the three best beaches in Portugal, according to visitors’ votes for the 'Travellers Awards 2017' on TripAdvisor.

In the list of the Top 10 beaches in Portugal, the Algarve stands out with eight in the Top 10, with the saddening omission of Dona Ana which has been altered so severely by the regional environment agency that people are spending their time elsewhere.

Estômbar crash claims another life on the EN125

inemOne person died and two were badly injured in the early morning on Sunday when two cars collided on the notorious EN125 near Estômbar, Lagoa.

According to brief information the official Civil Protection website, the collision took place at 04:35 and the victim died at the scene.

Left Bloc leader demands sacking of Bank of Portugal governor

CatarinaMartinsCloseUpPortugal’s Left Bloc leader wants the governor of the Bank of Portugal to be sacked, as does the leader of the Communist Pary, Jerónimo de Sousa.

Catarina Martins says that the bank’s governor, Carlos Costa, is not fit for office and refers to the many serious errors of judgement that he has made during his time at the helm of Portugal’s central bank, especially in his supervisory role.

Almaraz nuclear dump - Portugal asks for more information

nuclearPortugal’s Environment Minister says he has asked Spain for more information on the Almaraz nuclear power plant and the new nuclear fuel dump planned at the site just 100kms from Portugal’s border.

"Today, Friday, we are going to send a new request to Spain for additional information on the project and on the environmental impacts and particularly on the trans-boundary environmental impacts," said Minister, João Matos Fernandes.

Legally, animals no longer will be mere 'things' as from May 1st

catThe new law that elevates animals from the status of ‘thing’ was published this Friday in Diário da República.

The new legal status of animals, which recognises them as living things endowed with sensitivity and able to interact with humans and their surroundings, enters into force on May 1st, 2017.

Short-term lettings - Lisbon is 68% 'Alojamanto Local' licensed

alA detailed study of the Lisbon short-term property rental market shows that most of the properties that now are being let were lying empty before being converted.

The study, commissioned by the national accommodation association, concludes that 59% of properties that are let to tourists were empty but only 32% of owners said the neighbours were happy.

Owners fear hikes as Councils take over property 'rateable value' assessment process

portimaocamaraAs part of the government’s thrust to devolve powers to localcouncils, the task of valuing property for the collection of the municipal property tax (IMI) is to be included. The Tax Authority will be responsible only for collecting the money.

This measure appears in the Government's draft law on the decentralisation of powers to municipalities which was published on Wednesday.

Over half the 'offshore €10 billion' was transferred from BES accounts

6252More than half of the €10 billion in offshore transfers that failed to appear in the government statistics between 2011 and 2014, supposedly due to a computer error, came from Banco Espírito Santo.

A source in the tax department, who has chosen to remain anonymous, said the amount of money leaving BES “was enormous” and was disproportionate to transfers from other banks.