Millions of households in Spain have had their electricity cut off.

This year alone, nearly 1.5 million Spaniards, unable to pay the bills, have seen their supply terminated.

A report from the Bank of Portugal shows that the further cuts envisaged in the 2014 State Budget may well have 'negative consequences' for the banking system.

Published on Tuesday, the Bank’s Financial Stability Report outlines some risks that the new budget may bring to the national financial system, primarily an increase in bad loans.

The latest report from the Committee against Torture at the Council of Europe exposes the grim reality of the Portuguese prison system, nothing has improved since its last visit.

Prisons rife with gang violence, overcrowding and poor health care are being looked at - but not too closely - as the Government says it is taking action, but budget problems have delayed improvements.

Low temperatures will drop still further over the new few days as the Algarve records sub-zero temperatures.

The cold period continues and the Algarve joins the rest of the country in freezing temperatures, recording 2 degrees below zero at first light this morning.

The low cost airline Ryanair already runs operations from Lisbon airport but now wants to put the Portuguese capital 'on the map, making it a top destination in Europe for 'city breaks.'

"Let's put Lisbon on the map. The Portuguese capital will be the number one destination in Europe for 'city breaks' due to our low fares,” according to the Director of Marketing and Sales for Ryanair in Portugal, Luis Fernandez-Mellado who believes that Ryanair can grow and create new traffic at Portela airport.

The leader of the violent gang which spread terror across the Algarve in the summer of 2012 was sentenced to the maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.

The other defendants, a man and a woman, were sentenced to 13 and nine years in prison respectively.

The Socialist Party declined today to go over in detail the recent rabble-rousing statements made by former PM and former President of the Republic, Mário Soares.

"To infer that violence is at the door is an inference from Dr. Mário Soares and we have no direct comment, but we should carefully read the signs that Portuguese society has been giving out and its disappointment at the austerity measures," said the PS national secretary.

When James and Sarah Glyn retired to Monaco in 2005, they did not expect to be charged £5.5 million by HMRC after receiving £29 million from selling his family property portfolio.

The couple returned regularly to London for Jewish festivals and traditional Friday night suppers with their grown-up children.