Spain has been declared the top destination in Europe for gay tourists.

Worldwide, the US is remains the most desirable place for gay visitors.

Renters in Germany are finding it harder to meet their payments as the costs reach more than a-third of their normal household budgets.

The average household spends some €2,448 each month, according to official agency Destatis.

More than 3 million people watched the TV debate between António Costa and Pedro Passos Coelho last night as the two party leaders went at it head-to-head, live on air.

The programme was shown on RTP1, SIC and TVI so with little else to watch, over a third of Portugal’s citizens 'turned on, tuned in and dropped out' as the debate raged covering diverse topics.

Brazil, once one of the poster countries for burgeoning emerging economies, has had its rating cut to ‘junk’ by Standard & Poor’s.

Its new rating of BB+ means there is substantial credit risk for investors.

Fire has destroyed the new dinosaur exhibition area at Zoomarine near Guia, Albufeira as 30 replicas went up in flames.

The fire broke out on Thursday 10th September at a time when 3,000 people were in the park but none in the Dinosaur exhibition area which was closed to the public at the time.

Flights between Lisbon, Oporto, Faro and several German destinations have been cancelled today due to the continuing pilots’ strike which began on Tuesday.

The first day of strike action caused the cancellation of 84 long-haul flights.

Law abiding electricity and water customers are having to stump up over €80 million a year to pay for those who fiddle the system.

The theft of water, and something euphemistically called ’measurement errors’ account for losses of around €32 million a year. Add to this the cost of the one in five litres of water lost nationally from leaks* and the consumer is being grossly overcharged.

While Europe ponders what to do with the refugees on its shores, a village in Spain is advertising for a family with at least two children.

Bufali, in rural Valencia, has a population of some 150 people, but there are concerns that its only school will have to close because there are only four students there. Two of the pupils are destined to leave the school next year.