Mário Draghi of the European Central Bank dropped into Lisbon today as the guest of Portugal’s President, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

Draghi had been invited to speak at the Council of State which he did at length, saying he welcomed the reforms that have been made in Portugal, praised Passos Coelho for at least trying, singled out moves on 'flexibility of labour,' and alluded to the long term problem that could be caused by the exeat taken by hundreds of thousands of young Portuguese who had left the country to find work elsewhere.

Spain has taken in just 18 refugees in the last six months against a pledge of some 15,000 from Greece and Italy under the EU redistribution plan.

The 18 arrived at the end of 2015 but this year there have been no groups under the plan, according to El Pais newspaper.

The predatory fishing practices of the Spanish fleet out of Andalucia have been raised by certain of Portugal’s Left Bloc MPs who have asked the Minister of Sea, Ana Paula Vitorino how she will monitor the raiders and ensure that the Guadiana Border Agreement is fully complied with.

The problem faced by Portugal’s fishermen has led to calls for the Guadiana Border Agreement to be scrapped as it helps the Spanish and disadvantages the Portuguese.

Aljezur mayor Sr José Amarelinho today members of the No Oil in Algarve pressure group to discuss the activities of local concession holder Portfuel.

The meeting with the mayor went well as he was enthusiastic and sympathetic to the group’s cause, receiving a 3x3 metre red anti-fracking cross and promising to place it on the facade of the Camara building on the 29th of April (see picture below).

Eugénio Reicha has been charged with aggravated homicide after the body of Simon Carley-Pocock was found in his house near Alcoutim.

The 58-year-old Briton died after being attacked with a spear at his home in the area. The murder suspect is the 20-year-old former companion of the victim who will await trial in custody.

The IMF, led by the former corporate lawyer Christine Lagarde, has warned that certain reforms have an immediate negative impact on the economy

The impact of structural reforms in the country, especially in the short-term, depends on the state the economy is in and the level of company indebtedness, says the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its latest doom-laden study.

Political instability in Brazil was deepened by a supreme court ruling on Tuesday which said that the country’s vice president must face impeachment proceedings.

Michel Temer is facing charges of breaking fiscal regulations. He had been in line to replace President Dilma Rousseff if she is impeached. Tuesday’s ruling, however, means that he is also at risk of being forced out of office.

Faro airport has an additional nine routes that will be fully operational through the summer season.

Many of the routes connect France to the Algarve, with Paris (Charles de Gaulle), Lyon, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Nantes and Marseille now linked to the region with 129% more seat availability this year.