Portugal’s national Medical Association estimates that the Algarve is now short of at least 250 doctors, noting that at this time of year the population in the region triples.

At a press conference today in Lisbon, Dr Jaime Teixeira, president of the Order of Medics, Southern Region said that in the case of Loulé, for example, the situation was defined as ‘very worrying’ because the emergency department had been forced to close down temporarily three times due to a lack of professional staff including doctors.

The President of the Republic of Portugal today received the President of Germany Joachim Gauck and officially stated that Portugal had learned its lesson.

Cavaco Silva believes in the continuation of the “consolidation of public accounts, the trajectory of economic growth and job creation,” leaving no space for any easing of the austerity programme that has seen high unemployment, emigration and business failures.

Millions of people in poverty live in UK households where at least one person is in work, the Living Wage Commission has said.

The situation was deemed a “national scandal” by its chairman, the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu.

Albania is knocking at the EU’s door as the pan-European organisation begins talks on the country’s accession to EU membership.

Prime Minister Cameron had previously opposed Albania’s candidacy, but has reversed his position.

In fact, the figure is just over 80% of those searching under Portugal who then seek information about travel, accommodation, culture and food - these are the county's potential tourists.

Online search data was analysed by Bloom Consulting which noted that 47% of enquiries were from within the country, the balance of 53% obviously were from abroad.

Troubled banking group BES today saw its shares drop a further 9% on the Lisbon stock exchange.

The bank is undergoing painful changes in management that have seen the controlling family, descendants of the founders, lose their overall control due to an urgent share issue diluting their cherished holdings.  

The resident Chinese community in Portugal received the highest increase in fellow countrymen in 2013, according to data contained in the latest Immigration, Frontiers and Asylum report by the immigration and borders service (SEF.)

The Chinese community increased 6.8% compared to 2012, followed by immigrants from Guinea-Bissau up just 0.5%.

Italian police have donned priests’ garments in a ruse designed to catch two suspected blackmailers.

The schemers were demanding money from a senior Catholic priest who had been indiscrete enough to engage in erotic gay telephone conversations which the men had taped.