The president of Ryanair, Michael O'Leary, said today that the fees charged to airlines by the Portuguese airports management company ANA are too high, particularly as they continued into the low season, preventing the extension of the tourist season in the Algarve.

O'Leary said that the airport fees charged during June, July and August were maintained throughout the off season months which does not make sense and served to shorten a potentially longer summer season.

British consumers have been able to relax a bit after falling inflation and a boost in real wages helped build confidence.

People in the UK are now spending on average almost 1% less on basic items than they had to last year. Lower oil and energy prices have also eased pressure on struggling households.

Proposed changes to the Golden Visa scheme which hands out residence permits to qualifying non-EU nationals were presented today to the Council of Ministers by the deputy Prime Minister, Paulo Portas.

An investment of €350,000 or more in 'research activities carried out by public or private institutions' now will qualify the investor for a Golden Visa, according to the Portas amendments.

Portugal’s Ministry of Agriculture has decided against exhibiting at Expo 2015 in Milan, on grounds of cost.

"Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life" is the ‘Expo Milano 2015’ theme. The exhibition and conference aims to provide an opportunity to seek solutions to food waste, malnourishment and obesity and serves as a showcase for agricultural expertise.

Authorities at the famous Santiago de Compostela cathedral must be ruing the trust they put in their handyman who repaid them by stealing €2.4 million from collection boxes.

José Manuel Fernández Castiñeiras also made off in 2011 with a priceless medieval book, the Codex Calixtinus, from an unlocked safe in the cathedral.

Brazil’s most populous city, São Paulo, is nearly without water as its tough drought continues.

Once it had the world’s largest supply of water, but the lowest rainfall since 1930 has rendered the reservoirs close to dry. One of the main reservoir networks is at just 10%.

Portugal’s Health Minister, Paulo Macedo, claimed this weekend that the health needs of the population have been met during the economic recession.

Portugal's health service also has managed to improve health indicators, despite budgetary restrictions, said Macedo at a conference in Sabrossa, Vila Real this weekend.

‘The Algarve soon will have a strategy for motorcaravans as the organisations that decide such things are to sign off a protocol on January 21st, 2015.’

This was the bold opening statement of a January 16th news item.