The population of all 28 nations of the EU was estimated to be 507.4 million at the beginning of this year.

In January last year, the figure was estimated at 505.7 million, according to Eurostat.

Spain’s economic problems deepened after it was revealed that the inflation rate there went down to zero in June.

Spain is the fourth largest economy in the eurozone, but its double-dip recession in 2012 resulted in more than a quarter of its working population without jobs.

Nicolas Sarkozy’s political party, the UMP, is in the midst of an internal squabble which is seeping out into the open.

The main centre-right opposition UMP is said to be facing collapse as its senior members hurl accusations at each other of frittering away millions of euros of taxpayer’s money in luxury spending.

Portimão Court has passed judgment on the case of Vera Alves, who died after undergoing ovarian surgery at a private Algarve hospital.

The case dates back to April 2011 when the victim, a 27-year old nurse, underwent surgery to improve her chances of conceiving.

Work to redevelop the Pneus Mabor eyesore overlooking Portimão’s river Arade has been given the green light.

The ‘Mabor Building’ stands on the waterfront in Portimão on Rua Serpa Pinto opposite the Visconde Bivar gardens and for decades has been a landmark for all the wrong reasons.

Portugal's stock market regulatory body suspended share trading in Banco Espírito Santo today, until "the release of relevant information," which has yet to be released.

Fears for the future of Banco Espírito Santo generated a wave of selling across European stock markets and made headline news in the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, CNBC and Bloomberg.

British consumers are being advised that they may have believed that a genuine application for claiming money back was just junk mail.

The letters concern the misselling of protection schemes.

Almost 4.5 million European Health Insurance Cards (EHIC) are due to expire this year.

The card helps the bearer obtain free or cheaper health care within the European Economic Area, which is all the nations of the EU as well as Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein.