The Algarve’s 21 tourist offices all have received ISO 9001:2008, an internationally recognised award earned in their case for the provision of tourist information services, marketing of regional products and the promotion of the Algarve.

The Algarve Tourism Board president, Desiderio Silva, today commented, "It was with great joy that we received the news of the accreditation, which would not have been achieved without the involvement and professionalism of all employees. We now have more responsibilities towards our users and to the certifier, with whom we have committed to a programme of continuous improvement in our services."

Portugal’s Judicial Police are investigating bribery in the Paulo Portas 'Golden Visa' scheme for rich foreigners.

The enquiry is looking closely at those senior officials who have the power to decide on the allocation of these valuable visas, and those estate agents that have been acting illegally.

Suicide is the outcome for many patients in Portugal who are suffering from severe depression.

The president of the Alentejo Psychiatric Association said today that suicide is "the major complication and the most feared risk" of severe depression in Portugal, especially in the Alentejo, where rates in these two cases are "very high."

House prices in peripheral European countries that are most affected by the sovereign debt crisis are beginning to recover, but at different rates, according to Fitch, which says that the Portuguese housing market has stabilised but remains fragile.

"The Irish property market has left its difficulties and the Portuguese market has stabilised, but remains fragile. The Spanish market is expected to reach its lowest level around the beginning of 2015," reads a briefing note from the ratings agency.

After weeks of speculation, the interest rate in the eurozone will be slashed to 0.15% by the European Central Bank.

The Bank also announced a negative interest rate of –0.1% for banks depositing money with the ECB. The objective is to encourage banks to lend more money instead of paying the ECB to store their funds.

The package of measures is designed to stimulate growth and stave off deflation.

The cost of houses in the UK is reported to have gone up nearly £225 every day in May, the largest rise in more than a decade.

The average UK property value rose by 3.9% last month to £184,464, from £177,648 at the end of April, according to figures released by the Halifax.

Portugal’s Prime Minister clearly is fed up with the Portuguese Republic’s Constitutional Court whose judges have developed a habit of knocking back his austerity proposals, saying they are ‘unconstitutional.’

Pedro Passos Coelho today launched an unveiled attack on this crucial body in Portugal’s fledgling democracy and advocated the need for "much greater scrutiny" in the selection process for those judges who guard the Constitution of the Republic.

Former bank chief Jardim Gonçalves is to lodge an appeal against his conviction in the Millennium BCP case.

The founder of bailed-out Banco Comercial Portuguese (Millennium BCP) Jorge Jardim Gonçalves clearly disagrees with the decision made by the judges at the criminal court in Lisbon, who convicted him for the crime of market manipulation, but acquitted him of forgery charges.