Chancellor Angela Merkel has been handed a harsh result in regional elections on Sunday with her party placing third in her own constituency.
In the changing nature of politics in Europe, Germany is not alone in witnessing new political parties entering the fray and capturing significant segments of voters.
Spain has edged much closer to having a third general election as caretaker PM Mariano Rajoy lost the second vote of confidence on Friday evening in the Spanish parliament.
Parliament once again refused to accept Rajoy’s bid to form a government and serve a second term, despite the country having had eight months of political paralysis on the back of two inconclusive election results.
It only takes one idiot to start a fire that has consumed many hectares near Fóia and along the hills above Monchique.
On Saturday afternoon (September 3rd) one such idiot was arrested but the fire he had started spread rapidly and soon was out of control helped by temperatures nudging 40, low humidity and wind - this has been the Algarve's worst fire of the year.
Weathermen recorded August temperatures that have not been seen since the blistering weeks of 1931.
August’s average was the fifth hottest since 1931 with readings of 44°C in some inland areas.
The Secretary of State for Tourism Ana Mendes Godinho reports that Portugal was represented at the important International Tournatur exhibition in Dusseldorf last weekend
The trip to Germany by Portugal Tourism staff was to impress on the international audience that Portugal is the place for trekking, cycling and all sorts of healthy outdoor pursuits under the broad heading of ‘nature tourism.’
Portugal’s ‘Negócios’ has published an article on António Horta Osório, the Chief Executive of Lloyds Bank, referring to his place on the Financial Times ‘Top 30 most influential figures of the City of London.’
The news item failed to note Horta Osório’s affair that by his own admission affected the company’s image.
Hot weather returned on Friday and will continue at least until the beginning of next week, a situation that has led Portugal’s weather service to put 12 districts under a 'Yellow Warning'.
"In the coming days, starting on Friday, we will have a temperature rise. The sky will be cloudless apart from in a few interior regions. However, the most significant factor is the rise in temperature and therefore a hot weather warning has been issued,” says the weather service.
The government has declared the summer fires a ‘natural disaster’ and has set aside €4 million to help farmers with the costs of replacing stock and machinery.
Farmers can apply for funds on the Portugal 2020 Community Support Framework website and should be submitted between 15 and 30 September this year, reads the order published on Thursday September 1st in the Official Gazette.
