A sex trafficking gang has been apprehended in Spain.

Twenty-five people were arrested for allegedly bringing in women from Nigeria and forcing them into prostitution.

The women, assigned fake identity documents, were flown to various destinations, such as Mexico and Brazil, before flying to Paris and then smuggled into Spain, according to the police.

Burglaries from properties in the Algarve have showed a disturbing "growth trend" over the last three years with 43 cases reported to authorities in 2010 and 73 already in the first half of 2013, according to the Internal Security System (SSI).
 

In 2011 there were 52 reported cases of burglaries and in 2012 the number rose to 66.

These figures seem low but have been issued by the SSI which gathers information from the PSP, the GNR, the Judicial Police and the Security Information Service. It is not explained whether these crimes were violent crimes as the information refers only to ‘theft.’

Portugal’s president sent a message to the Angolan president Eduardo dos Santos on the occassion of Angola’s independence day, fondly recalling the ‘special relationship’ that he imagines still exists between the two countries despite this relationship being founded on centuries of occupation of the land by Portugal, the slave trade and the extraction of mineral wealth, ending up with a messy colonial war.

Undeterred by Portugal's history in Angola, the Portuguese head of state highlighted the common desire to "actively defend the bilateral relationship" and reaffirmed his "personal commitment to a continued deepening of the relationship."

Chinese tourists on shopping trips to Portugal are now averaging €1,242 for each luxury purchase they make.

In the last nine months Chinese big spenders visiting Portugal have roared ahead of the Angolans, Brazilians and Russians and now can claim the highest average spend.

Angolan tourists as a group still spend the most, but the Chinese are catching up both the Brazilians and the Angolans soon to become the most important tourist group for Portugal’s luxury goods sector.

The Deputy Prime Minister, Paulo Portas, said today that Portugal’s export figures for the third quarter are “fantastic” and that 2013 is clearly better than the best year ever.

Portuguese exports increased 5.8% in the third quarter with imports growing 3.6%, both compared to the same period in 2012.

Paulo Portas said the data shows "fantastic numbers," as "2012 was the best year ever for exports” and now "2013 is clearly above the best year ever.”

Seamus Montgomery, arrested in Essex back in 2010 for supplying fake British MoT certificates from his home in Alvor, Algarve, has been sentenced to a suspended sentence in a case that has been 'a great burden' on him and his wife.

Montgomery, now 70, admitted the charge of supplying false MoT certificates in a scam that ran for five years of more. He was in court with his wife Paula and he was given legal aid despite the huge sums raised by his criminal activities.

It was not revalent to the case in the UK whether any unsafe British registered vehicles with fake MoTs were involved in, or even caused crashes on Portugals' roads.

Portugal’s restaurateurs claim they are suffering discrimination and are to appeal to the Constitutional Court to force the VAT rate on meals back down to 13%. 

The restaurant owners movement claim that there is inequality as restaurant owners are not entitled to any unemployment benefits yet they are forced to pay social security like everyone else.

The movement's coordinator said that restaurant owners have been betrayed by this government which keeps promising to reduce the VAT rate from 23% to a more manageable 13%, yet has failed to do so.

José Manuel Durão Barroso, former Portuguese prime minister and current president of the EC, stopped short of criticising Portugal’s Constitutional Court, but warned of the ‘consequences of its decisions,’ and by describing those consequences, has attempted to discredit the court's role in the Portuguese political and legal system.

Barroso said that he never criticised Portugal’s Constitutional Court but warned that its decisions over unconstitutional parts of Portugal’s financial aid program may have negative consequences in terms of economic growth and employment, and may hinder the return of Portugal to the international finance markets.