Vila do Bispo residents have started to paint around holes in the streets in protest at a council that has concentrated on fixing the area around the Câmara building, but says it has no more money for road repairs or street lighting.

Residents of Vila do Bispo say that the size and number of holes in their roads now are endangering pedestrians and vehicles, so they decided to paint them to highlight their crumbling environment.

The Parliamentary Group of the Communist Party (PCP) again have pushed the Government on the lack of human resources in the Algarve, claiming the Ministry of Health has totally ignored the lack of medical and technical assistants, a situation highlighted in earlier complaints and questions to parliament.

According to information gathered by the committee in a January meeting with the executive director and clinical director of the Health Centre Group for the Algarve’s east and west areas, the health centres in Lagoa, Lagos, Monchique, Silves, Vila do Bispo, Faro and Tavira should have 112 and 113 operational assistants.

Now in its 35th year, the Fatacil show is to go ahead this August in the municipal park with the council claiming that a re-vamp will create ‘the best fair ever.’

Despite the unfavourable current economic climate, organiser Fatasul is positive Fatacil will be a success and says that 80% of the stands already have been booked.

Britain’s National Savings & Investments has changed its rules and can now send payments to its users’ bank accounts abroad.

Previously, interest payments and Premium Bond prizes could be transferred only to a UK bank account or sent by cheque to a foreign postal address.

Customers are deserting supermarket giant Tesco, the nation’s biggest retailer.

It appears they are turning instead to the German discount outlets Aldi and Lidl, where sales grew by 36% and 23% respectively.

Portugal's Government is close to fulfilling the necessary conditions to re-launch the privatisation of state airline TAP, according to today’s Diário Económico.

According to reports the process can be re-started this month and there are signs that American businessman Frank Lorenzo is in the running as he already has ‘shown interest’ in buying TAP.

Lonely Planet has been searching for the top 50 places for a getaway in Europe and the western Algarve’s Vila do Bispo is on the list,

"Seafood lovers should not miss the opportunity to visit this village in the south of Portugal," reads the guide which highlights seafood as one of the reasons to visit, especially the barnacle which the publication warns is unappealing to look at but tastes like ‘a kiss from the sea.’

The Portuguese language weekly newspaper, Barlavento, is now part of the expanding Open Media group which, along with magazines such as Essential Algarve also owns MMS Publishing Lda, publisher of the Algarve Resident and Editurismo Lda - publisher of the German language magazine Entdecken Sie Algarve.