The giant retailer Lidl has said it plans to double the number of its shops in the UK.

From an existing base of 600 stores, the German supermarket chain is to open at least 30 new ones every year until its goal is reached.

A state that does not celebrate Restoration Day as a national holiday is a "bastard state "

The president of Assembeleia General of Portugal's ‘Independence Historical Society’ said today that "if the state does not celebrate December 1st as its main holiday it is a bastard state without values or dignity."

Gen. Jose Batista Pereira spoke at the official ceremony of homage to the heroes of the Restoration, on behalf of the President of the Independence Historical Society of Portugal, José Alarcão Troni.

New Faro mayor Rogerio Bacalhau has noted the rise in private accommodation such as villas, hostels, guest houses and hotels in the Faro region which has developed in parallel with the type of low-cost travel tourist that stays 1.8 days and does not spend over €100 a day.

In 2008 much accommodation closed down or was withdrawn from the market especially hostels and residential accommodation. There were ten hotels and two hostels back then.

A study on the economic impact of the introduction of tolls on the Via do Infante will be released shortly. It has been funded by the Junta de Andalucia, the government of the neighbouring Spanish region, and complied by respected journalist Carlos Castellanos.

A study has been promised by the Portuguese government since the tolls were unilaterally imposed on the Algarve region in 2011 yet interested and affected parties wait in vain for this promise to be carried out.

Portugal has grabbed the top award amid stiff competition for the best golfing destination in the world at the World Travel Award 2013

The Algarve, which already had been voted the 'Best Golf Destination in Europe’ in September 2013, has now won the worldwide accolade, becoming the world’s best golf destination 2013.

The Namibian police confirmed this morning that an Air Mozambique aircraft flying from Maputo to Luanda, missing since Friday afternoon, had indeed crashed. There are no survivors among the 34 occupants of the aircraft, five of the passengers were Portuguese nationals.

The wreckage was found in Bwabwata National Park near the border of Angola and Botswana.

"The plane burned completely and there are no survivors," said the security forces responsible for the area.

The Netherlands has suffered the loss of its AAA credit rating after a downgrade from Standard & Poor’s.

The Dutch finance minister said it was “disappointing” but not surprising.

According to S&P, growth prospects for the Netherlands have declined and that it is not performing as well as its peers.

"The Board of Directors of Banco de Portugal agreed on November 27th to authorise the establishment of a Post Office Bank," reads an addendum to the privatisation prospectus released today to the stock exchange authorities.

The new bank is aimed at using the wide geographic coverage of CTT outlets and the existing skilled workforce to create the new Post Office Bank.  The project will affect the economic and financial forecasts for CTT which itself is being sold this year.