Portugal’s President’s New Year speech praises the "relevance" of the 2014 Budget and did not note any doubts he might have about the constitutionality of the 2014 State Budget, unlike last year when he referred the 2013 Budget to the Constitutional Court.

In the message sent to the Portuguese people the President referred to the 2014 State Budget as an instrument of paramount importance to achieve the central goal of ending the financial assistance programme successfully and for accessing external financing markets at reasonable rates.

Between November 25 and December 29, over 40 million withdrawals were made from the nation’s ATMs as Portuguese shoppers withdrew €2.77 billion in cash as part of a €6 billion Christmas spending spree.

The data released by SIBS, the company that manages the ATM network, shows also that in the same period 78.9 million payments were made with a total value of €3.301 billion.

Competition between footballers Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi is an on-off battle on the pitch but the fight has been taken to the bedroom as the two footballer compete in a vote about sex.

The Spanish magazine Primera Línea questioned 12 porn actresses about which of the two men they most would like to 'join them' in a movie. The competition was fierce, but Messi got the better of Reinaldo.

Alcoutim council is leading a local movement to join the neighbouring Spaniards in order to attract EU funds.

The mayor of Alcoutim expects his municipality to join up with three Spanish counties bordering his patch and that of neighbouring Mértola so as successfully to apply for European funds under the next Community Support Framework funding round.

Even by the standards of Portugal’s well-deserved and worldwide reputation for lack of effort when it comes to processing paperwork a new petition that has been lodged 418 years after the event may have set a new national record.

There was a bit of local difficulty in 1596 when Robert Devereux, the Earl of Essex attacked Faro in search of riches. He found nothing much of value except a rather fine library owned by the Bishop of the Algarve, Fernando Martins Mascarenhas which was duly removed and given to Devereux's friend back in Blighty, one Thomas Bodley. This collection of books formed the basis of Oxford’s Bodleian Libray in 1602.

More than 60 amendments to Portugal’s Road Traffic Act came into force on New Year’s Day, including the lowering of the alcohol limit for professional drivers and drivers who recently have passed their test, new rules for cyclists and new rules for the nation’s multitude of beautifully constructed roundabouts.

The Highway Code now provides for the creation of ‘residential areas of coexistence,’ ie where man and machine operate in perfect harmony with specific rules for traffic such as speed limits reduced to a gentle 20kmph.

Albufeira council has sent its best wishes for a good year in 2014 and its thanks to all those whose work in 2013 has started to develop the city for the better.

The mayor took the opportunity to highlight the efforts and commitment undertaken by associations, entrepreneurs and promoters of Albufeira throughout the year, also praising the New Year programme in Albufeira which he considers to be of national quality, "Albufeira remains a benchmark for its New Year's Eve celebrations and for the partnerships that it has developed which allows us to attract thousands of people each year."

Five horses have been shot dead on land next to a roundabout in Beja which gives access to the IP2 road to the Algarve.

The owner of the horses has been identified and the police have started an urgent investigation to determine the circumstances in which the killing occurred.