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Passos Coelho sworn in - "no stable alternative" says President

cavaco4The President of the Republic oversaw the swearing in of Pedro Passos Coelho and his ministers and secretaries of state which now form Portugal's 20th government.

Both the president and prime minister sent messages to the left wing parties with Passos Coelho warning of the danger of any sharp deviations in Portuguese politics.

Chris Stilwell dies in the Algarve

stilwellAnother link in the legendary Stilwell chain has been broken with the news that Chris Stilwell has died in the Algarve of a heart attack, aged 63.

The Stilwell family has been a reference point for Anglo-Portuguese relations for over a century when Chris’ grandfather arrived in Lisbon in 1904 and took a Portuguese wife.

Lisbon demands trial for Canadian 'bond manipulator'

justiceLisbon District Prosecutor's Office has demanded that Canadian academic Peter Boone be tried for writing articles that predicted and helped trigger Portugal’s debt crisis and which bagged him over UDS800,000 due to subsequent shifts in bond prices.

Boone’s lawyers say their client denies any wrongdoing and ask for the Portuguese prosecutors to drop the case, adding that just because their client had an opinion that turned out to be correct, he is not guilty of a crime.

Employment improves in Portugal

eurozoneThe eurozone has managed to ascend out of deflation in September while the jobless rate dipped to a three-year low.

Unemployment fell to 10.8% for the region compared to 11.5% in September last year.

Spanish economic growth begins to slow

madridThe recently buoyant Spanish economy has begun to slow down.

The economy had been expanding for nine quarters in a row, making the eurozone’s fourth largest economy into one of its fastest growing.

Residents of Loulé will pay less tax in 2016

louleconventIn a breakthrough announcement, Loulé Council is to reduce property taxes in 2016, thus fulfilling an election promise from 2013.

According to today’s welcome news, "after two years in which the budget basically went through financial consolidation, the municipality is currently in a position to lower taxes, a situation now possible because the municipality of Loulé paid its 2012 Programme to Support Local Economy loan at the end of 2014.”

GNR to target drivers on 'Day of the Dead'

gnrstopGNR personnel will be on ‘intensified road patrol duty’ this coming weekend in an operation designed to coincide with the rise in traffic due to the annual Dia dos Mortos (Day of the Dead.)

The kind thoughts expressed in the statement from the GNR’s National Traffic Unit belie the rapacious intent to rake in money from as many fines as possible.

Air passenger numbers - flat in Faro, up 16% in Oporto

anaThe head of Portugal’s French-owned airports operator said the number of passengers through Portugal's airports should increase by over 10% this year.

The president of Aeroportos de Portugal, Jorge Ponce de León, said that he thought last year’s 9.5% increase would be unbeatable but is going for double figures this year.