The president of Algarve Tourism, the omnipresent Desiderio Silva, professed himself chuffed to bits with the results obtained by his Andalician, Galician and northern Portuguese roadshow ‘Enchanting Algarve' and said that this exercise would be repeated next year.

The magic bus returned home last week after its 2,000 kilometre round trip which transported the essence of the Algarve to Spanish tour operators and travel agencies, and home grown ones in Oporto and the north.

From January until October 31st this year the Algarve’s Bombeiros have attended 550 countryside fires, luckily most of them small ones (the fires, not the Bombeiros) and the police arrested 23 people and charged them with arson, one was caught in the act.

Data from the National Authority for Civil Protection (ANPC) released today at a press conference in Faro showed that despite the seemingly high number of fires the total was 28% down on 2012 with most fires destroying less than 1 hectare (54%).

British savers have been removing cash from their savings accounts at the fastest rate seen since nearly 40 years ago.

According to the Bank of England, £23 billion has been withdrawn from long-term savings in the last year. This works out to be the equivalent of £900 for each household.

A British company has been selling kayaks to indigenous Inuits in Greenland.

Sea Kayaking UK, based in Holyhead, is one of the leading manufacturers of sea kayaks in the world.

“Our kayaks are based on the ancient Inuit designs so things are coming full circle now,” said Sea Kayaking UK founder Nigel Dennis.”

"The upturn is gaining ground, but this is no time for complacency or speeches of self-congratulation,” said the European Commissioner for Economic Affairs Olli Rehn, adding that Portugal has experienced a strong contribution to economic growth from its rising exports, but insisting on the need still to pursue the hard path of austerity and reforms.

Olli Rehn was speaking at the presentation of the 'Euro Plus Monitor 2013' report in Brussels, and argued that we are watching a "rebalancing of the economy of the eurozone, with an increase in confidence and in domestic demand, and with exports contributing strongly to growth."

Advertising plans are afoot to bring to Spanish and Portuguese revellers to the Algarve for New Year's Eve.
 
A multimedia advertising campaign launched by Algarve Tourism aims to convince undecided trippers to head south.

From now until the 17th of December publicity will be seen on billboards, buses, in the press and on television, radio and at ATMs when taking out money.

A Briton brandishing a kitchen knife made threats against GNR officers in Albufeira after he had attempted to stab a man in the street.

The menace was arrested by the GNR after a patrol tracked him down and officers threatened with the knife.

The local police had been approached by a Portuguese man who said that a foreigner had tried stabbing him as he walked along Avenida Sá Carneiro, one of the main streets of the city.

January 2014 sees the return of over 700 kilometers of roads to the direct management of Estradas de Portugal as a result of the renegotiation of contracts with various concession holders.

This move is said to represent a saving of €47 million over the next three years.