Faro council has announced that it is now able to pay off its remaining suppliers as it successfully has drawn down the final tranche of a government loan made under the Support to the Local Economy Programme.

€3.2 million can now be used to pay off many long-suffering suppliers and the council’s president Rogério Bacalhau wanted to pass on his thanks to all those companies and associations "that have had to wait for so many years for the regularisation of these invoices,” adding that things are a lot better now that he is in charge, the admin and management are especially improved.

As part of its expansion policy, Leroy Merlin has opened a new sales area for construction materials at its outlet opposite Algarve shopping, Guia.

The additional 3,000m2 zone ensures that "customers will be able to find a wider range of products and more available stock."

Wikipedia stumbled over a mountain of cheese when it tried to showcase the varieties of French cheese.

It announced the creation of WikiCheese but instead of helpful listings and photographs, the online encyclopedia asked for help.

After a half-hearted attempt at restructuring, the furniture company Moviflor finally has been declared insolvent in a Lisbon court.

A creditors' meeting has been called for January 7, 2015 which marks the end of the company whose store in Portimão burnt down and the one in Olhão closed suddenly along with others in the nationwide chain.

Coca-Cola anticipates that it will “rain like money” when its own brand of milk goes on sale in the US next month, such is the company’s faith in the future popularity of its new product.

Fairlife will cost double what regular milk sells for in shops, the company said.

Portugal’s families and businesses have paid €30 billion in tax so far this year.

Figures released today show that in the year to the end of October the public coffers have continued to fill at a rate that exceeded the most optimistic forecasts of the Ministry of Finance.

The newly-proclaimed president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Junker who took over from our very own Sr Barroso, is coming under increasing pressure over the tax arrangements he allowed with he was the Luxembourg premier.

His record was set upon and denounced by MEPs in the European parliament, including some from the UK, France and Italy. All of the 28 new European commissioners had to attend the session for the censure motion.

Britain appears to have been dodging an EU directive to provide clean air in its cities.

Last week, the European Court of Justice called the UK to a meeting about air quality standards. The UK had undertaken to achieve the clean-up of air by 2010.