The head of Portugal's Business Confederation has set the tone for political and labour relations by calling the Socialist/left wing alliance's plan to raise the national minimum wage, a case of "experimentalism" which is to be resisted.

The President of the Republic, Cavaco Silva, (pictured) currently is trying to determine the country’s political future and today met the president of the Business Confederation of Portugal, António Saraiva who described the meeting as "productive" adding that he was critical towards the minimum wage proposals from the Socialist Party in concert with the other left wing parties making p the current alliance.

The new left wing government-in-waiting has made clear its stance on the planned unravelling of privatisations and today stated that the "the reversal of privatisations will depend on the cost.”

This new criterion, to be used by the Socialist Party alliance if and when it comes to government, fundamentally undermines a formerly firm commitment to take back into state hands public transport bodies, TAP, water companies and the merger of Estradas de Portgual with railway company Refer.

The social profile of France in 2015 shows that there are more French people than ever before.

The population has shot up to 64.2 million, or 66.3 million if the overseas territories are included. During 2014 some 300,000 new souls were added due to a natural increase and an increase in migration.

A Spanish company putting up greenhouses on the site of the Roman city of Balsa in the Algarve claims it was unaware it needed licences.

Work has been halted at a large area of farmland dedicated to growing raspberries as the Commission for Coordination and Regional Development of the Algarve (CCDR) rightly has pointed out that much of the land in question, some 14.8 hectares, is classified as Ecological Reserve.

Germany will be able to meet the necessary expenditure for refugee care and will even derive economic benefit from the new migrants.

The pronouncement came from an independent panel of top economists, the German Council of Economic Experts, in their annual forecast.

Seven companies in Italy are being investigated for an alleged olive oil scam.

After a tip from a specialist journal, prosecutors in Turin ordered tests to be conducted on 20 of the most popular brands of extra virgin olive oil. Nine of the tested bottles falsely claimed to be extra virgin.

Recalcitrant Algarve councils have at last presented a united front and agreed each financially to support the Via Algarviana walking route for at least the next six months, but still are undecided who will manage it after then.

While the council mayors are unable to agree on the way the route should be managed, and by whom, the project coordinator from eco-group Almargem, Anabela Santos, said that progress had been made with the councils and the next six months of funding had been agreed by the mayors through whose territory the route passes.

The Pedro Passos Coelho/Paulo Portas 'Portugal á Frente' coalition government today was voted out by a majority of left-wing MPs in parliament.

The rejection of the 20th Constitutional Government was approved with 123 votes in favour and 107 votes against and leaves the right-wing President with limited options as to who now will run the country.