Portugal PM's party wins snap election but falls short of majority
Portugal's governing right-of-centre Democratic Alliance has won snap parliamentary elections - the third in as many years - again falling short of a majority. Its leader Luís Montenegro promised supporters to "stimulate investment" and to "guarantee prosperity and social justice".Socialist leader Pedro Nuno Santos announced his resignation after his party finished in second, and lost so many seats it ended up neck-and-neck with far-right Chega - a relatively newcomer. The Socialists could even slip behind Chega if results from voters abroad, which take a few days to come in, mirror those in last year's election, when two out of the four seats went to Chega, and one to the Socialists.
Chega leader André Ventura said the "historic" result marked the end of two-party dominance in Portugal. His campaign had focussed on the issues of immigration and corruption, and Chega was probably helped by the fact that this election and the previous one were both triggered by scandals involving the prime minister of the day.Montenegro, in his remarks to supporters, thanked both his family and the "political family" that defended him from attacks relating to deals done by a company he set up before he became party leader, and which is now owned by his sons. This was the controversy that triggered the election, after the government lost a vote of confidence.Meanwhile, Santos, in his own parting comments, reiterated his view that Montenegro was not fit to be prime minister, suggesting that the Socialist Party should not let the matter drop.
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Spain could block Gibraltar's removal from EU money laundering list
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Daily Mail
18 hours ago
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EXCLUSIVE Revealed: The four words a top German detective said before 'last-ditch' Madeleine McCann search... as sources claim three-day operation turned up 'nothing'
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Telegraph
21 hours ago
- Telegraph
Madeleine McCann police leave empty-handed after three-day search
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In the search site, the roar of chainsaws and hedge trimmers filled the air as they started clearing the shrub from the ruins of abandoned villas in the 73F (23C) heat on Tuesday morning. Their efforts were closely monitored by a throng of international journalists and press photographers with long lenses who clambered through the thorny undergrowth for a closer look. Dirt tracks heading north were cordoned off with police tape to deter the hundreds of tourists walking along the coastal trail that runs parallel to the search sites. Officers were sent in small teams of two or three to sift through the rubble and pack containers with soil to be taken away for further analysis. However, the Telegraph were told the samples weren't going to be sent back to Germany in yet another blow to the police investigation. At one property a team of half a dozen firefighters worked to dredge a disused well. The following day, a JCB digger was deployed to excavate the ruins along with a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) device, capable of mapping underground terrain to a depth of approximately 33ft (10 metres) and identifying anomalies. Detectives hoped the GPR may locate the crucial piece of evidence needed to formally charge Breuckner without damaging it in the process. Robert Green, a Professor of Forensic Science at the University of Kent, who led a programme for the Home Office setting out a national cold case strategy, explained its benefits. He said: 'Ground penetrating radar has proven to be an invaluable asset in forensic investigations, especially in locating buried bodies or remains. 'Its significant advantages enable the investigators to scan the area and generate real-time feedback, producing detailed images of subsurface anomalies that could represent potential clues, such as disturbed soil or voids that may suggest the presence of a body. 'In this manner, GPR effectively serves as the investigators' eyes, unveiling hidden depths without causing disruption.' However, the devices, also used in an earlier search in Praia Da Luz in 2014, do have their drawbacks. It takes an expert eye to be able to analyse the mapping data and discern between a natural feature such as a tree root or a piece of bone. The radar may also struggle to pick out particularly small pieces of evidence such as a tiny piece of fabric. Signals may return weakly due to highly conductive materials like clay. But for the detectives, their hopes that the GPR would be their saviour in the search for crucial evidence appeared futile after three days. The search concluded at approximately 5pm on Thursday afternoon. The team took down their tents, packed away their tools and drove away from the sites. The international team of Portuguese and German officers were seen shaking hands and applauding one another. One officer celebrated the end of the search by passing a crate of Augustiner, a German beer, to his colleagues. Professor Green had recommended that the Portuguese have on board an anthropologist or archaeologist and questioned the heavy-handed tactic of using JCB diggers. 'The GPR will highlight the possibility of underground anomalies, and employing heavy excavation equipment may have proven counterproductive,' he said. Approximately a mile away in the village of Sitio das Lajes on the outskirts of Lagos is Brueckner's old home, where he had lived intermittently since 1992. When the Telegraph visited the rundown cottage, it was boarded up with three cameras set up over the entrance with no signs of life. An algae-infested well filled with frogs sits a few yards away from the front door. Teun Koke, a Dutch father on holiday with his wife and six-month-old child at an Airbnb rental next door, said: 'When you read those stories, you think about your own children, but it didn't put me off bringing my family here 'It was a long time ago. 'We hope they find something that will solve that case, of course, it's a terrible situation.'
