The price being paid by the State for the silence of Olhão mayor António Pina’s surely now ahs peaked with the latest a bung of €2 million, in aid of a local development, already causing dismay to residents.

The dock area, near the island ferry ticket office, where the artisan fishermen and small marine tourism businesses currently moor their boats, is to be turned over to the wealthy yachting fraternity with space for 220 shiny vessels paying for the priviledge of of mooring, but this is just part of a larger project that includes the destruction of one of the city's landmark twin parks.

Spain’s Socialist party is in turmoil in the wake of the political malaise engulfing the country.

Its leader, Pedro Sánchez, claims that he remains in charge, despite an attempted coup on Wednesday which saw more than half the party’s executive committee resign.

Germany is to face the European Commission over discrimination on its autobahn tolls.

On Thursday the commission announced that it is taking Germany to the EU Court of Justice because of the planned toll that will hit foreign drivers more than German ones.

Of Portugal’s victims of domestic violence, 15% percent are male and until now they have had no safe place to turn to for help and support.

The Algarve now has the first official shelter in Portugal for male victims of domestic violence and abuse, a pilot project that will be managed by the António Silva Leal Foundation.

The auxiliary Bishop of Lisbon, Nuno Brás, has reported that Pope Francis confirmed a jorney to Portugal in May 2017, "but only to Fátima," to celebrate the centenary of the apparitions.

Nuno Brás said that confirmation was given on Sunday as he greeted the Pope at the end of the Eucharist that ended the Jubilee for catechists in the Vatican.

The 2016 State Budget is a marvelous thing, rearing up with unerring regularity to hit struggling property owners in their wallets.

Another devious ploy cooked up by the Tax Authority and local councils for  2016 is that those properties that councils deem to be vacant could have to pay three times the amount of rates (IMI) than if the same property was ‘lived in.’

The Mediterranean diet is seldom out of the news for its health benefits and now a new study has concluded that it “could prevent 19,000 deaths every year in the UK”.

The major study of UK eating habits studied nearly 24,000 people in Norfolk over an average period of 12 to 17 years. The work began in the 1990s.

Even more shoppers in England are rejecting the purchase of plastic bags since a 5p charge for them was introduced nearly a year ago.

More than nine in 10 people claim to often or always bring their own bags when they go shopping, according to a new study. This was up from seven in 10 before the levy came in last October.