Saturday 6 Feb 2010 News
Parliament passed the controversial bill on Friday on regional finance in spite of opposition from the minority Socialist government. The amended Regional Finance Law had been the focus of major disagreement between opposition parties and government and was finally approved by 127 votes in favour from the PSD, CDS, Left Bloc, PCP, Green party and Madeira’s representative socialist Luís Miguel França, with 87 against from the PS socialist government. The method of voting was changed because of the nature of the bill and each member was required to press a button green, red or white denoting for, against or an abstention.
The Prime Minister warned that the law, which allows Madera and the Azores to borrow more money, would make it harder to limit Portugal’s budget deficit. Portuguese Finance Minister Fernando Teixeira dos Santos said the passing of the bill sent a bad signal, and vowed to try to prevent its implementation, preferring instead a government-led austerity plan.
The move was likely to further unsettle global financial markets which dipped yesterday and the euro fell in the wake of debt concerns in Greece, Spain and Portugal. Debt concerns in Europe were accelerated by a lack of demand for government bonds in Portugal and reignited fears that countries such as Portugal and Greece would struggle to fund their national deficits.
Greece has been worst hit and Spain remained in recession according to figures released yesterday for the fourth quarter of 2009. Shares in Portugal fell by around 5 per cent and in Spain by around 2 per cent and on Wall Street shares suffered their worst fall in nine months. On a positive note, the Head of the Eurogroup of Finance Ministers, Jean-Claude Juncker, said on Thursday that neither Spain nor Portugal posed risks to eurozone stability.
A selection of Portuguese musicians will join together to hold a concert to raise funds for Haiti. A rock music event will be held on February 27 at the Atlantic Pavilion in Lisbon. Artists include Klepht, Cacique´97 Civic, Blue Trash Can, Dapunksportif, Primitive Reason, Peste and Sida, Dazkarieh, Orange Latitude and Blind Zero. They have agreed to take the stage to support the reconstruction of Haiti and help people to recover from the devastation of the earthquake.
The president of the Centre for Security, Organized Crime and Terrorism (OSCOT), José Manuel Anes, said yesterday that a base has been found in the town of Óbidos that was used by members of the Basque separatist group, Eta. Mr Anes also suggested there may be other premises being used in Portugal for their purposes as their ability to operate in Spain and France is diminished.
The property in Villa de Óbidos, a city north of Lisbon and east of Peniche near the central Portuguese coastline, was discovered by the authorities last Thursday and was found to contain explosive materials along with other items. It was suggested by the president of OSCOT that the base was set up to attack targets in Spain and not to take action within Portugal.
In the last two days police from the PSP division in Lagos have carried out a series of raids and 13 people were detained, including 43 year old twin brothers, in a drugs investigation under the District Command in Faro. Drugs, including 63 doses of heroine, were discovered by police along with money and a mobile phone which were removed as evidence. In a separate operation, three men in Faro aged between 27 and 35 were arrested for supplying drugs to known addicts.
Politicians face charges
One Conservative peer and three Labour MPs face criminal charges concerning their expenses claims, according to an announcement made today by the Director of Public Prosecutions.
MPs Elliot Morley, Jim Devine, David Chaytor and Lord Hanningfield will be charged with false accounting under the Theft Act of 1968. All deny the charges made against them and say their defence will be vigorous. The DPP also announced that a fifth case is still being investigated by the police, while a sixth case concerning Labour peer Lord Clarke was deemed to have "insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of a conviction".
Former minister Elliot Morley, MP for Scunthorpe, faces two charges over a total of £30,000 of mortgage interest claims on a property in Winterton, Lincolnshire between 2004 and 2007. David Chaytor, MP for Bury North, stands accused of "dishonestly claiming" £1,950 for IT services and further sums of £12, 925 and £5,425 relating to rent claims on properties which he and his mother allegedly owned. Livingston MP Jim Devine is accused of "dishonestly claiming" money for cleaning services and for stationery using false invoices. Paul White - the Conservative peer Lord Hanningfield - is accused of "dishonestly" submitting claims "for expenses to which he knew he was not entitled" - including overnight stays in London when records show he had been driven home.
If found guilty, the maximum penalty is seven years in jail.
British Airways
The airlines realised a pre-tax loss of £50m in the last quarter of 2009, although this was lower than the £122m lost in the same period in 2008.
But the total loss in the nine months to December jumped to £342m from £70m in the same period in 2008. The company said was working with staff, unions and trustees to address BA's £3.7bn pension fund deficit.
In addition to its financial woes, the airline still faces possible strike action by the union Unite which is disgruntled over changes to cabin staff working conditions. Unite is re-balloting its 12,000 cabin crew members with the result due on 22 February, after a judge prohibited a planned strike over the Christmas and New Year period.
Pizza honoured
Naples, the home of pizza, celebrated the EU ruling to give pizza the Traditional Speciality Guarantee label.
The EU's agriculture commissioner said Neapolitan pizza was now part of Europe's food heritage. The coveted TSG label means that all pizzerias hoping to make the genuine product are in future supposed to be vetted by a special commission to check standards, such as using only San Marzano tomatoes and fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese. The Italian farmers' association claims that half of Italy's 25,000 pizzerias currently use the wrong ingredients, such as East European cheese or Ukrainian flour.
Italy heads the EU chart for protected products with 180, more than Spain or France.
Protected status enables producers to not only boast about their exclusivity, but also charge a premium.
Mandela anniversary
Nelson Mandela was feted at a special dinner to mark the 20th anniversary of his release from Robben Island prison having served 27 years in jail.
Among the guests were his former wife, Winnie, and one of his jail warders with whom the Nobel Prize winner had developed a friendship as well as his children and grandchildren. Key anti-apartheid politician Cyril Ramaphosa toasted Mr Mandela as "tata" or father.
Mr Mandela, 91, became South Africa's first black president. He said he still did some exercise, but added: "I do feel like I am getting old. Time is flying. I'm not really worried."
South Africa's parliament will open next Thursday on the exact date of the anniversary as will the release in the UK of the film Invictus, which portrays Mr Mandela's efforts to unite South Africa in the run-up to the 1995 Rugby World Cup.
Oldest monastery restored
The Christian monastery believed to be the world’s oldest has benefited from a government-sponsored restoration project.
St. Anthony’s, near Suez City, is said to be 1,600 years old. Restoration work cost over £8.9m and lasted more than eight years. An ancient wall, a tower, two main churches and the monks' quarters have been restored. The monastery is near the cave in remote mountains close to the Red Sea that St. Anthony settled in the 3rd century in order to live in isolation. Following his death, his adherents built the monastery and named it in St. Anthony’s honour.
Egypt’s chief archaeologist Zahi Hawass stressed that restoration work at the monastery was carried out by Muslims. He said:” The announcement we are making today shows to the world how we are keen to restore the monuments of our past, whether Coptic, Jewish or Muslim.”
Coptic Christian pilgrims frequent the site and the reopening of the monastery follows the worst sectarian violence in a decade experienced in Egypt when six Copts were shot dead on Christmas Eve.
