Burglaries in rural holiday properties in France soared by nearly 18% in a year.

Official figures show an increase in burglary and theft during 2013, with second homes faring worst. An increase in police protection had failed to halt the rise.

Malta’s new scheme to sell passports to rich foreigners has come under scrutiny by the EU.

The European Commission says that the rules about citizenship are up to individual countries, but that it is in talks with Malta over the scheme.

Portugal’s Attorney General’s Office (PGR) has reported that it indeed has received a request from Scotland Yard for assistance in the case of Madeleine McCann.
 
A note sent to press agency Lusa today stated that "a request has been lodged at the Procuradoria-Geral da República (PGR) from the British authorities requesting aid." There is no indication how long the request has been at the PGR offices but is has been 'analysed' before being acted on.

The Forte de São Roque, or São José, but known locally as the Forte de Meia Praia in Lagos has at last been listed as a monument of public interest.

The new decree was signed by the Secretary of State for Culture, Jorge Barreto Xavier, which distinguishes the Forte de São Roque was published today in the official gazette.

The Forte de São Roque lies strategically in the centre of the beach defining the bay of Lagos and was one of the coastal defences. This 840m2 fort was built between1671-1675 in the face of constant attack from pirates in their swift corsairs keen to plunder and take locals away to be sold as slaves.

The single currency has been blamed for increasing inequality in the eurozone which could threaten the fabric of the European Union, according to a report published by the European Commission.

Eurozone membership demands a reduction in national sovereignty which has brought on “increased unemployment and social hardship” in many countries.

Trust in the European Union continues to taper off, hitting a record low with fewer than one in three expressing confidence in 2013.

The greatest drop in trust took place in countries in the peripheral south where the worst economic hardship and chronic unemployment have been shouldered.

House prices across the eurozone dropped by 1.3% in the third quarter of 2013 when compared to that quarter in 2012.

Official statistics from Eurostat show that this came on the heels of a 0.6% rise in the second quarter of last year.

The four man Algarve tobacco gang has been arrested in Olhão according to a GNR report. Thousands of packets of cigarettes, plasma TVs and other appliances were recovered.

The suspects, aged between 29 and 42, may well be the gang responsible for more than 50 thefts from tobacco shops across the Algarve.