Senior official resigns as nepotism row hits Portugal's government

A senior Portuguese government official quit on Thursday over accusations of misconduct in picking his cousin as his deputy, in an escalation of a wider nepotism row that could undermine the ruling Socialists ahead of an election in October. Carlos Martins, who ranks No. 2 in the Environment Ministry as secretary of state, resigned a day after his cousin, Armindo Alves, stepped down. In a statement, Martins said he had quit to prevent the controversy damaging the government and the ruling party. Prime Minister Antonio Costa’s minority government has been heavily criticized by opposition leaders in recent weeks after media highlighted family ties in a minor reshuffle last month.