The Minister of Culture has had a sensible rethink on including the Forte de Peniche in his list of public buildings to be leased for tourism purposes in the government's Revive programme.

Luís Castro Mendes justified the removal of the fort from the list by saying it is necessary to "respect and to perpetuate the memory of the struggle for democracy."

The fort served as a prison for the Estado Novo (between 1934 and 1974), where the opponents of the Salazar (pictured) regime were sent, mostly being members of the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP).

The number of crimes in the Algarve to October 31st this year has increased by 4% over last year, a rise that the Public Security Police commander says can be explained by the greater number of visitors to the region.

Superintendent Ricardo Matos added that "There have been 120 more criminal cases registered in the first 300 days in the six cities where we are located.  It is a slight increase and it is not worrying."

A collapse in commercial activity at Faro’s port has made it necessary for a rethink, according to council mayor Rogério Bacahlau who is keen on turning the defunct dock into a marina.

The port’s one customer, Cimpor cement in Loulé, (pictured) has all but ceased exports to Africa which was keeping the facility open for business but without this vital throughput, the area stands idle.

Leonard Cohen, the hugely influential singer and songwriter whose work spanned nearly 50 years, died at the age of 82. Cohen's label, Sony Music Canada, confirmed his death on the singer's Facebook page.

"It is with profound sorrow we report that legendary poet, songwriter and artist, Leonard Cohen has passed away," the statement read. "We have lost one of music's most revered and prolific visionaries. A memorial will take place in Los Angeles at a later date. The family requests privacy during their time of grief." A cause of death and exact date of death was not given.

Portugal’s request for an urgent meeting with Spain over plans to extend the operating life of an old and possibly unsafe nuclear power station near the border is being ignored.

Portugal's Environment Minister João Pedro Matos Fernandes said in September that Spain’s nuclear security authority had approved plans for a nuclear waste landfill site at its Almaraz nuclear power station just 100 kilometres from the Portuguese border.

Portugal’s seas, despite the preferred image of pristine, crystal clear and unpolluted water, contain an estimated 750,000 pieces of rubbish just floating around.

The 'rubbish study' looking at the amount of floating items in the Portuguese Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) was carried out by a team of biologists from the University of Aveiro in 2011 whose results are only now being released, to the shock of environmentalists.

A collision on the EN124 between Silves and Odelouca left an 87-year-old driver and his wife dead at the scene and a passenger in a serious condition early this afternoon.

The crash happened at 12:04 on a bend on the road in the Vale da Lama area with the car hitting a refuse truck head-on.

Vila Real de Santo António's inspired council has signed a protocol with the Institute of Housing and Urban Rehabilitation (IHRU) to work together on the "Renovate to Rent - Affordable Housing" scheme set up to rescue and renovate old properties.

The council aims to inject some energy into the rental market by adapting private and council-owned properties and making them fit for the rental market.