Sonae wants all of PT

SonaeCom SGPS said it wants to control all of Portugal Telecom’s international operations if Sonae group's 10.7 billion euro bid for the telecom is successful.

"The internationalization strategy set forward by Sonae SGPS will consist primarily in controlling all international participations where the company is present" SonaeCom said in a statement to CMVM.

Sonaecom intends to analyze the possibilities of obtaining control of all the current PT international investments, mainly in Brazil where PT detains its biggest international business in a 50-50 partnership with Telefonica Moviles SA which owns Vivo, Brazil's largest mobile telephone network. If such control is not possible Sonaecom will reorganize the resources involved in these operations towards the acquisition of other GSM/3G operators, with special emphasis in African countries and South-eastern Europe.

SonaeCom also alleged that “projects will be intended to ensure that the total resources allocated by Sonaecom/PT to international expansion will not decreased”

Tags: Sonaecom, portugal, Partnership, African, Brasil, Europe

Portuguese cartoonist in Iranian contest

The renowned Portuguese cartoonist Augusto Cid will be taking part in the controversial Iranian contest, cartoons of the Holocaust, which was launched on Monday. The competition is a response over caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed that have angered Muslims worldwide, with the selected cartoons being posted on a Website run in association with Iran's biggest selling newspaper Hamshahri.

Cid stated that the contest had inspired him but he was "not sure his drawing adhered to the spirit of the contest launched by Hamshahri" as "it will test Iran's own freedom of expression", O Independente said.

The drawing depicts Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, who claims that the Holocaust is a myth, explaining on a visit to Auschwitz that the deaths recorded there were caused by bird flu. The newsppper Hamshahri, which is published by Tehran's conservative municipality, says that the competition will explore the limits on freedom of expression in the West following the recent publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in mainly European countries.

Tags: Portugal,Iranian,Portuguese,website,Prophet,Mohammed,Muslim,Hamshahri

Portugal opens "Door" to new EU workers

Lisbon, the government has announced that from 1 May 2006, the citizens of the EU new member states will be free to take up jobs in Portugal. The decision to lift the restrictions on the movement of workers from the EU 8 countries was announced by Secretary of State for European Affairs Fernando Neves.

Portugal now joins countries like Finland and Spain in opening its borders to migrant workers from new member states.

Tags: Portugal, Spain, Finland, Lisbon, Citizens, Workers

Bird flu

The Portuguese government has asked the public to remain alert against any possible bird flu outbreak in the country in coming months. Portugal is on the Spring migration routes of birds which can carry the deadly virus, Health Minister Antonio Correia de Campos said.

The Health Ministry will work with the Education Ministry to teach children about bird flu, he said. School students have been warned not to touch dead birds, and advised to wash their hands immediately if they do so inadvertently.

Portugal's National Veterinary Research Laboratory said it had examined 1,121 birds found dead in the country and none had been found infected with bird flu. Several European countries have registered cases of bird deaths from the H5N1 virus which can spread to humans. (Xinhuanet)

Tags: Portugal, research, laboratory, countries, country

Portugal and MIT sign technology accord

Portugal and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) signed an accord on Saturday that could lead to technology partnerships in the Iberian nation.

The agreement is part of the Socialist government's programme to boost stagnant economic growth in western Europe's poorest country through technology spending.

"We want to include Portugal in the knowledge economy on the global level," Prime Minister Jose Socrates said at the signing ceremony.

Under the agreement, MIT will evaluate Portugal's scientific and technology system over a period of five months for possible future partnerships.(Reuters)

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Privatizations approved

The privatization program set forward by the Portuguese Government for 2006/2007 was approved, this Thursday, by an overwhelming majority. Finance Minister, Teixeira dos Santos, explained after the reunion, that the Government intends on selling all its shares that it detains in Portucel Tejo, Portucel and Inapa. It will also sell part of what it detains in Galp Energia, EDP - Energias de Portugal, REN - Rede Eléctrica Nacional and TAP. The various privatizations are expected to profit around 2,4 billion euros of which the sale of Galp Energia represents 50 percent of the total amount.

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Portuguese privatizations

Finance Minister Teixeira Dos Santos, disclosed this Monday in the city of Porto that the Government is preparing to announce a privatization program.
According to the Minister, the privatizations program for 2006-2007 has already been prepared and will be evaluated by Cabinet of Ministers in the near future. Teixeira Dos Santos did not disclose which state owned businesses would be involved, limiting to confirm that the areas where the privatizations will take place are the ones that had already been designated in the State Budget for 2006.

Tags: Portugal, Santos, Monday, business, state, Budget, privatizations

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Government wants to recoup 350 million euros

The Government intends to recoup about 350 million euros in debts to the social security. This will be possible through the integrated system of current account, which will disable the possibility of escaping payments to the social security. There are already some 160 thousand contributors identified that owe about three billion euros. The success ratio expected by the Government is of around 10% as stated by the Minister of Labor. For 2006 it is expected a recovery of 350 million euros, which represents an increase of 50 million euros.

Tags: Portugal, million, payments, euros, government, system

Tourism increases 13,4%

According to data published by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), in December of 2005, the number of hotel “sleepovers” ascended to 1,8 million, more 6.3% of that in the same period of 2004 representing an increase of around 13,4%.
"For this increase contributed national residents mainly (16,8%), since non resident also presented an positive evolution, but of minor significance (0,2%)", explained the INE.
The Northern region of Portugal was where the number of customers obtained the largest increased (18.4%), while the Autonomous Region of Açores was the only one to present a decrease (15.5%). In 2005 the industry registered around 35,6 million clients that represents an increase of 4,3% compared with the previous year.

Tags: Portugal, hotel, sleepovers, increase, Tourism

Portugal employment worseness

An increasing number of Portuguese businesses are choosing to employ workers under temporary contracts. Numbers set forward by the INE, Institute of National Statistics, demonstrates that 71 percent of all new jobs created in Portugal between 2004 and 2005 where under temporary basis. The article also states that more than 40% of all workers contracted will end up being dismissed . In 2005 the unemployment in Portugal reached 7,5 percent of the active population.

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TMN and AXE launch first publicity film via MMS

The mobile phone operator TMN and AXE have joined forces to launch the first publicity video for mobile phones in portugal. Using its X-messages database TMN will send 10 000 clients the video, AXE CLICK, that presents its new fragrance with actor Ben Affleck. By trying to take maximum advantage of mobile phone technologies the two companies hope to create a new and innovating way to publicize products.

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Record Drug bust in Portugal

The biggest ever apprehension of cocaine in Portugal took place this morning in the Algarve and Alenteja region, leading to the capture of 336 bags each weighing 23 to 25 Kilograms totalizing around 8 Tons, informed that Policia Judiciaria.
The National Police Director, Santos Cabral, went personally to Portimão to announce the results of the operation, stating that it represented one of the biggest drug apprehensions ever realized in Europe
The operation that started Thursday ended with the imprisonment of seven people, six men and one woman, of Spanish nationality all from the Galicia region.

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Organized crime

Citizenship law approved

The government has approved a new law that entitles the grandchildren of Portuguese immigrants that where born in a foreign country to obtain citizenship. With this new law in place it will be possible to attribute Portuguese citizenship to any third generation immigrant as long as one of the parents where born in Portugal.

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Iran’s ambassador praises Freitas de Amaral

Iran’s ambassador in Portugal praised yesterday the attitude showed by the Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Freitas do Amaral, concerning the caricatures of Muhammad.

In declarations to the Radio Station Antena 1, Mohammed Taheri, considered positive the Minister attitude classifying them as “ very good and very logic”

Last week the Minister of Foreign Affairs criticised the publication of the cartoons stating that freedom of expression had “limits”. In an interview to the news channel SIC Noticias, freitas de Amaral said that he did not defend press censorship but that there is a need for “common sense”. The ambassador of Iran added that Portuguese newspapers showed a positive attitude by only reporting the news and not publishing the cartoons.

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Military presence in Afghanistan

Portugal will extend its military presence in Afghanistan until February 2007, the country's Superior Council for National Defence said on Tuesday. The decision to extend the mission was made months after Defence Minister Luis Amado pledged last November to keep Portuguese troops in Afghanistan beyond the August 2006 deadline.
Portugal has 196 troops deployed in Afghanistan whose mission was originally scheduled to expire in August 2006. The number of troops will be reduced to 157 after undergoing the current rotation, the council said.
According to Portuguese military officials, Portugal currently has a total of 894 soldiers taking part in peace-keeping missions in seven countries headed by the United Nations, NATO and the European Union.

Source: Xinhua

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Portuguese counterfeit apprehension record

Portuguese authorities informed that they had seized a record amount of counterfeit CDs and DVDs in 2005 after stepping up operations against music and movie piracy.
In 2005, the police carried out 1,041 raids of outdoor markets and other places where counterfeit music and films are sold, a 14 percent increase over the previous year. As a result 450 people were charged with crimes related to the sale and distribution of counterfeit CDs and DVDs. The police seized 155,941 pirated CDs and DVDs in 2005, a 50 percent increase over the previous year, stated the Culture Ministry's Inspectorate General for Cultural Activities in a report. Together with the pirated material five cars and various copying equipment was also seized from counterfeiters, worth 3.1 million euros. News source IHT.

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New center for illegal immigrants

The Minister of Internal Affairs, António Costa, presented today in the city of Porto the new installation for illegal emigrates that are awaiting extradition. The center has a total of 36 beds, 18 men and 18 women and is ready to receive the immigrants that are sent from immigration services. Still this year the Government intends on creating another center in Lisbon.

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(image by SIC)

Terrorist caught in Portugal

Portuguese Police said they have detained an Islamic terrorist suspect who is one of the most-wanted men in the Netherlands. The unidentified man was one of three detained in Portugal over the past week with links to a shooting late last year at a Rotterdam nightclub which killed three people and seriously injured another three. The suspect is also thought to have taken part in a terrorist training camp in Yemen and maintain contacts with the alleged terrorist network known as the "Hofstad" group, said the police.

Tags: Portugaal, portuguese, terrorist, Yemen, Islamic, Police, caught, rotterdam, most, wanted
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Portugal’s artificial island

A Dutch businessman wants to build Europe's first holiday resort on an artificial island off Portugal, in a project that would cost 1.5 billion euros and include a casino and underwater hotel. Story from REUTERS NEWS SERVICE.

The project would comprise of a 100 hectare island built about 300 meters off the coast of the Vale de Lobo Resort in the Algarve tourist area and be connected to the mainland by means of an underwater tunnel, businessman Sander van Gelder said. The island would also have an 18-hole golf course, beach, harbor, heliport and between 700 and 1,000 holiday homes.

"This exciting project would be one of the most innovative to be undertaken in the world," van Gelder told Reuters.

Van Gelder, who is chairman of the Vale de Lobo Group of Companies, said the project could actually be good for the environment by blocking erosion of the beaches and cliffs along the mainland's coast. He is already planning to restore the beaches along the resort with 400,000 cubic meters of sand in March because of erosion. The island would be built on an underwater plateau and based on similar examples of artificial islands in the Middle East, Australia and the Caribbean. An island in front of the beaches could be a permanent solution to end erosion.

The next step will be to present the plan to the government. "The models will show the action of the waves and tides and how the island will protect the coastline from erosion," stated Van Gelder.

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Portuguese loose quality of life

Numbers released from a study conducted by the insurance firm AXA classified the Portuguese as “a population not motivated about work ".
The study reveals that 50 percent of the people that are now retired stopped working before the age established by law and more than two thirds did this ate their own will. The same study confirmed that the population still active expects to retire at the age 58. In comparison to the12 countries also included in this study, the Portuguese are the ones that less prepare for their retirement and consequently also the ones that receive the lowest pensions. For this reason after leaving work the majority of Portuguese loses quality of life and end up regretting having retired before the age of 65 years.

Tags: Portugal, study, portuguese, working, people, quality, AXA, life

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Social Security Scam

An investigating is being conducted regarding alleged fraud in the District Center of Social Security (CDSSS) of Leiria. The scheme of hundreds of thousand of euros, concerning money from the Social Insertion Income (RSI), the old minimum guarantied income, involved processes of people already deceased that allowed the emission of post office checks for payment of their RSI.
Allegedly an administrative employee of the CDSSS of Leiria sent these checks by post to her address, latter depositing them in a banking account. An inspector of the same institution was also put to the racket, because he detected the scam but failed to denounce it. Apparently the investigation conducted on only the one case detected a diversion of public monies that exceeded 100 thousand euros. The total dimension of the fraud is far from being calculated because there are still more processes known to exist.

Tags: Leiria, portugal, euros, fraud, inspector, post, office, wage, income

Portuguese petrol in German hands

The Minister of foreign affairs, Freitas do Amaral has sighed in Berlim an agreement that hands over Portugal’s petrol reserves to be stored in German territory.
This agreement will give over a significant portion of Portugal’s petrol reserves, that it is obligated to main according to EU regulations, to be stored in Germany. For the stability of the energetic market there is a minimum of reserves that each country is required to maintain according to directives from the European Union and the International Energy Agency. The main reason for this accord was the fact that Portugal does not possess storage capabilities for it to maintain the reserves in national territory.

Tags: Portugal, European, Germany, country, petrol, store, Berlim

Portuguese go online

The Portuguese surfed more during 2005 compared to that in the previous year. According to the study Netpanel from Marktest, the amount of time that the Portuguese dedicated to go online increased 24,5 percent. The Data was gathered by Netpanel from 2002 to 2005 and showed little variation in the number of Portuguese Internet users that during the year connected to the Internet from home, although there was a small decrease of 0,4 percent in 2005 compared to the previous year. In 2005 the number of pages visited by Portuguese “web surfers” increased 34 percent compared to 2004. The time spent online registered a growth of 88 percent in comparison to 2002.

Tags: Internet, Portugal, online, registered, percent, 2005, market

Portugal apprehends 20% of EU cocaine

In 2005 there was an increase of 75 per cent in the apprehension of drugs in Portugal, compared to the previous year, according to news revealed by the national director of the Judiciary Police “Polícia Judiciária”, José Braz.

"Portugal apprehended 20% of all cocaine in the European Union ", said Jose Braz, pointing out that in 2004 it had been responsible for the apprehension of only 10% of that Drug. The only drug that saw the number of apprehensions decreased in 2005 compared to 2004 was hashish.

Tags: Drugs, Portugal, national, global

Police apprehended two tons of cocaine

Portugal’s police apprehended more than two tons of cocaine aboard a commercial ship in their second major drug bust in four days. Police units supported by the Navy and Air Force intercepted the Panamanian registered “Luna del Mar” in the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday, a police statement said.
Detectives boarded the freighter and found more than 100 bags of cocaine and the crew was taken into custody. Last Thursday, police seized nearly three tons of cocaine in a raid on a house in the Minho region, northern Portugal.

Tags: Portugal, police, cacaine, luna, Mar, ocean, navy

37 new hotels in Lisbon

Lisbon will have 37 new hotels by 2010, the majority of which will be four and five stars according to news from the Correio da Manhã.
The new hotels will represent a potential investment of 562 million euros. On the list of foreseen hotels, five will be located in the Park das Nações (Park of nations), three in the Avenida Almirante Reis and two in Avenida 5 of Outubror. This year between five and eight new Hotels will be inaugurated, of which one belongs to the chain Heritage (Heritage Av. of the Freedom) and another one of Altis group (Altis Marquis).

Tags: Hotels, Lisbon, million, park, nations, freedom, investment

Study reveals potential in Portuguese productivity

Productivity of the Portuguese economy is the weakest in the European Union, but according to a study disclosed by the Bank of France, it has a good deal of potential. In global terms the productivity of the Portuguese industry is far lower than that of the European Union (15), being about half of the next European country, Greece, and almost one third compared to Spain. Portugal gains favorable points in areas such has infrastructures, access capital and integration in international trade, having national results next to the best in the world. The five factors that contribute for the calculation of the industrial productivity are capital, infrastructures, human resources, integration in international trade and residual efficiency.

Tags: Portugal, spain, greece, trade, industry, European, union, study

Euromillions 61,191 million go to Portugal

The first prize winners, two Frenchman and one Portuguese will be awarded exactly 61 191 026 euros each. There are 46 second prize winners of which 17 are Portuguese, earning around 224,419 thousand euros each. In third place came 67 winners being that 20 where Portuguese and the value of the prize is of 43,725 thousand euros. This week the Portuguese spent a total of 53,8 million euros in bets for the Euromilhôes.

Tags: Portugal, prize, euromilhoes, Portugues, million, first, frenchman

Commerce between Portugal and Brazil grows

The commerce between Brazil and Portugal in January totaled 124 million euros, an increase of 62,6 percent in relation to the same period of 2005, informed the Lusa a source of in Brazilian government.
Sales of Brazilian products to Portugal had already reached a value of 105,8 million euros, 70,7 percent more than in same period of last year. On the other side of the Atlantic Brazilian purchases of Portuguese products increased to 18,3 million euros, confirming an increase of 27,4 percent compared with January of 2004.
Products bought from Portugal included olive oil, wines, codfish (bacalhau), acrylic wires and ore minerals. The Brazilian product of bigger importance in the commerce with Portugal was crude oil that represented 67 percent of total exportations.
In 2005, the commerce between the two countries totaled 1,029 million euros representing an increase of 7,8 percent compared to 2004.

Tags: Portugal, Brazil, wines, atlantic, commerce, codefish, minerals

CGD quits the net buiz

The Portuguese State owned Bank Caixa Geral De Depósitos (CGD) is going to dissolve its Internet based holding that was created in 2000 integrating seven portals. According to the newspaper Publico, during the lost three yeas the holding has accumulated a loss of 6.9 million euros. The Bank CGD will now look fore the best options available for each holding taking in account their financial condition.

Tags: Portugal, Portuguese, State, Bank, Caixa, Internet, Euros, million, Portals

Organized crime

Portuguese police “policia judiciária”(PJ) announced Friday the dismantlement of a large international crime organization that operated from the city of Viana do Castelo, Portugal. In a statement released by the PJ, the operation code named "Metamorfose" was a result of constant surveillance in the Galicia and Minho region, that led to the sizing of 4 tons of cocaine.
A 30 year old British national was apprehended in a large property from which the criminal organization conducted their activities in Portugal. On location were also found 114 bags of cocaine with a total weight of 2.860 Kg. According to specialist, the drug was of very high “purity” and probably transported via sea latter to be dropped of on the Portuguese cost. The final destination of the Drug was most probably Spain, United Kingdom and other European countries.

Tags: Portugal, spain, galicia, drugs, cocaine, european, contries, United Kingdom, criminal