Housebuilding in the UK has pushed up the country’s construction sector to growth of 1.3% in 2013.
The construction sector delivers some 6% of the British economy.
Its new growth took it to £112.6bn for the year. This was practically all “solely contained” in the housing sector, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Urgently needed upgrade and maintenance works at the port in Baleeira on the far south west coast of the Algarve near Sagres will be "very important" for both fishing and for tourism according to the delighted mayor of Vila do Bispo council on hearing of the €2 million spend confirmed last week.
Adelino Soares said the municipality’s contribution to the work will be around €250,000.
"This is definitely one of those projects that we can not let go and we will do everything to make it a reality as soon as possible," said Soares who said the redevelopment work at the port of Baleeira was to be largely funded by Polis Litoral, the programme of urban renewal and environmental improvement for the western Algarve.
Turismo de Portugal said the decision to not support the 25th Portugal Open tennis competition this year, as was confirmed on Thursday by the president of the organisation, was made after an analysis of the event showed it was marginal in promoting the country.
"We took the same decision last year, which was not to support it," confirmed João Cotrim de Figueiredo who added that "the remit of Turismo de Portugal is to interpret the interest of an event for tourism and tourism promotion purposes and that it was in this context they had discussions with the event promoter, Mr. João Lagos,” who is not happy.
The economy in the eurozone ended the year with improved standing, growing by 0.3% in the last three months of 2013.
It was the third quarter of growth since the region came out of an 18-month recession, the longest period of contraction the zone has known.
Spain has admitted shooting at migrants trying to enter its territory in Ceuta, North Africa.
Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz told parliament that rubber bullets were fired last week at migrants who were swimming from Morocco to the Spanish enclave. Twelve 12 people are known to have drowned in that attempt, but the full toll may be higher.
The number of house repossessions in the UK fell in 2013, marking their lowest annual rate since 2009.
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) said 28,900 people had a property repossessed in 2013. This was as fall of 5,000 fewer than in 2012.
More guests and more income, more air passengers and more rounds of golf played – all in all the Algarve's was back in business last year, leading to "a very positive assessment" with hotel revenue up to €600 million.
According to the latest tourism activity figures from the National Statistics Institute, the hospitality sector in the region welcomed 3.15 million guests to 14.8 million overnight stays last year, an increase of 3.5% over 2012.
Portugal’s Social Security department has taken charegs over debtors' property and has blocked income to the tune of €4.6 billion in 2013, an increase of 43.7% over the previous year.
In 2012 things were bad enough for people struggling to pay their debts to the state with the value of seized wages, bank accounts, vehicles and real estate and other valuables increasing 40% over 2011.
