Death toll rises sharply on Algarve roads

accident125From the beginning of the year to February 15th, there have been 1,005 accidents on the Algarve's roads with seven deaths, according to data from the National Highway Safety Authority.

The number of crashes increased on the same period in previous years with 894 accidents in 2015 and 929 last year.

Italy must tackle the crisis legacy of poverty and inequality

italyPortofinoItaly has been told that it must implement reforms to end poverty and restore greater equality in its society.

The toll of the economic crisis on Italy included a five-fold surge in child poverty and serious disparities in income and education, according to a report from the OECD published last week.

Cycling results: Volta ao Algarve - Greipel wins stage 4 sprint

VoltaAoAlgarveAndré Greipel claimed his second victory of 2017 at Volta ao Algarve on Saturday in Tavira, Portugal. Lotto – Soudal’s German speedster beat his countryman John Degenkolb (Trek – Segafredo) after 203.4km of racing. Dylan Groenewegen (LottoNL – Jumbo) was third in the bunch gallop on the race’s penultimate day, writes velonews.com..

“Jürgen [Roelandts] led me to the wheel of Arnaud Démare in the last kilometer,” Greipel said. “I lost some positions when Richeze took Gavria to the front. I did a long and fast sprint and was lucky to get the wheel of Degenkolb. I beat him on the line. It was a nice sprint to watch I think.”

Portugal charges Angola's Vice-president with fraud, bribery and money-laundering

ManuelVincenteAngola’s Vice President, Manuel Vicente, has been charged by Portugal’s public prosecutor with fraud, bribery and money laundering.

The allegation that will be unravelled in court is that Manuel Vicente paid bribes of around €750,000 to have a case against him disappear.

Albufeira Marina development looking for investors

albufeiramarinaThe second phase of a project to develop the multi-coloured Albufeira Marina has been given the go-ahead by the council with a start date in March for an eight month project.

A budget of €5 million will see the infrastructure laid down for a 73,000 m2 mixed development of shops, hotels, apartments and green space with a ‘romantic garden’ containing a waterfall flowing into the current marina.

Algarve's 750th Birthday - February 16th or 26th?

algarveMapOldFebruary 16, 2017 saw the 750th anniversary of the 1267 Treaty of Badajoz, signed by Afonso III of Portugal and Alfonso X of Castile and Léon.  This treaty is commonly given as the date at which the Algarve became indisputably Portuguese, writes Peter Booker of the Algarve History Association.*

But why was it necessary to have a treaty with Castile over the status of the Algarve?  And was it the final step in consolidating the border between Portugal and Spain?

Bank of Portugal colludes in Caixa Geral cover-up

BoPCostaAsleepThe Bank of Portugal is terrified at the prospect of Caixa Geral de Depósitos having to reveal to a committee of inquiry how much was lent to whom, stating today that this will bring "serious threats."

The committee of inquiry needs to have the details of these big loans to asses which ones were fraudulent, which ones involved kick-backs and why certain loans were given at all. This is the whole point of the committee’s existence.

Starbucks plans to wow Italians

starbucksItaly is bracing itself for the arrival of anywhere between 200 and 300 Starbucks coffee outlets in the country.

"We are aiming to open 200 to 300 sales points across Italy, we think that there's a place for it in the market," former footballer Antonio Percassi told a Milan press conference on Thursday. Percassi has been working with Starbucks on their expansion into Italy, following on from his efforts to introduce retail giants such as Zara and Victoria’s Secret to the country.