Prime Minister Jose Socrates

A consortium led by Portuguese motorway company Brisa has won the bid for the construction of the first section of bullet train lines between Lisbon and Madrid, the Portuguese government announced Saturday. The consortium, which includes Spanish group Iridium, bid to construct the 167-kilometre (104-mile) link in Portugal for 1.36 billion euros (1.98 billion dollars) with annual maintenance at 12.2 million euros, it said. It will have the concession for 40 years. "The high speed train is going to be a reality because we want to build a modern country," Prime Minister Jose Socrates said at a ceremony at Evora, about 130 kilometres east ... Read Full Story

LISBON (AFP) -- A consortium led by Portuguese motorway company Brisa has won the bid for the construction of the first section of bullet train lines between Lisbon and Madrid, the Portuguese government announced Saturday. The consortium, which includes Spanish group Iridium, bid to construct the 167-kilometre (104-mile) link in Portugal for 1.36 billion euros (1.98 billion dollars) with annual maintenance at 12.2 million euros, it said. It will have the concession for 40 years. "The high speed train is going to be a reality because we want to build a modern country," Prime Minister Jose Socrates said at a ceremony at Evora, about ... Read Full Story

Investigators in Britain said Friday they had closed a probe into alleged corruption over the construction of a huge shopping complex near Lisbon linked to Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates. The investigation centred on a decision by Socrates -- when environment minister in 2002 -- to give the green light to the British Freeport group to build a 75,000 square-metre (800,000 square-foot) shopping complex in Alcochete, Portugal. Socrates has denied taking bribes to award the contract. Britain's Serious Fraud Office said in a statement Friday: "That investigation has now been closed. "The Serious Fraud Office will continue to provide such assistance as is required ... Read Full Story

Portugal's Socialist Prime Minister Jose Socrates faces the prospect of winning Sunday's general election but losing the absolute majority that has allowed him to impose ambitious reforms. A poll released Friday -- the last day that campaigning was allowed -- showed the Socialists with a 38-30 percent edge over the centre-right Social Democratic Party (PSD), which has been weakened by a power struggle between populists and traditionalists. That would give the party 100 seats in the 230-seat assembly while the PSD, led since 2008 by former finance minister Manuela Ferreira Leite, would have 80 seats, according to the Catholic University poll for daily Jornal ... Read Full Story

Portugal voted Sunday to choose between ruling Socialists pledging a spending spree to create jobs and conservatives calling for belt-tightening to battle the economic crisis. Socialist Prime Minister Jose Socrates looked set in the latest opinion polls to win re-election but lose the absolute majority in the 230-seat parliament that had allowed him to impose his reform agenda. Socrates has vowed to boost spending on massive public works projects, such as a high-speed rail network and a new airport near Lisbon, in order to increase jobs. The centre-right Social Democratic Party (PSD), led by former finance minister Manuela Ferreira Leite, opposes the projects, arguing ... Read Full Story