Spain's paramilitary national police, the Guardia Civil, have stormed Catalan regional government buildings on orders from prime minister Mariano Rajoy (pictured) who wants to stop an independence referendum on October 1st.

Guardia Civil officers were ordered to search for documents linked to the banned independence referendum and seized 10 million ballot papers, ballot boxes, posters and leaflets found as they searched 42 premises and made arrests for alleged disobedience, abuse of power and embezzlement related to the controversial referendum.

British man, John Joyce, 72, has been missing in Portugal since the 14th July 2017.

At 9.20 am he walked with his pilgrimage group to a studio nearby to see a video about the Children of Fatima. It finished at 10.45.  One of the group saw him in front of the Basilica about 10 minutes later.  Since then he has not been seen nor heard from.   He had left his passport, money, mobile, reading glasses, hat, etc in his hotel, so was obviously not intending to go far before returning to the hotel for lunch at 1pm.

Portuguese entrepreneur and property developer, Emídio Catum, one of BPN's large debtors, has filed for insolvency as he owes €697 million but has one asset - an apartment worth just €53,000.

Catum's application for insolvency included an appeal for debt foregiveness for the next five years.

Toys R Us, the international company with 10 stores in Portugal, has filed for protection against its creditors.

A company spokesman said Toys R Us operations will continue as normal, with no closure plans in place after the US toy chain presented an application for protection against its creditors in the United States and will do the same in Canada.

The GNR covering last weekend’s house and techno dance party arrested 19 people for drugs offences .

The BPM Festival was held at the Arade Congress Center in Parchal, Lagoa and at multiple sites in Praia da Rocha, Portimão.

Portugal’s Golden Visa scheme, a way of facilitating European entry for non-EU foreigners, has come under scrutiny after leaked documents list some of the criminals and dodgy politicians who have applied and been granted the covered status.

The documents focus on Latin American and Angolan nationals who have received a Golden Visa after buying a property in Portugal for €500,000 or more in exchange for permanent residency.

Builders and a bank are set to make a killing as prime seafront land to the east of Quarteira soon will become one big building site as another luxury tourist development is constructed in the region's 'dash for cash' which is leaving sane and responsible planning laws in its wake.

The charming lagoon area surrounded with mature pines has long been a nature-lover’s paradise with flora and fauna in abundance but greed again has intervened and another seafront green area is to be turned into yet more tourist accommodation.

The National Republican Guard (GNR) was on a purge past week, 11th to 17th of September, stopping drivers who were not wearing seatbelts or having the wrong child seats installed for the age of children being transported.

During the operation, more than 8,000 vehicles were stopped and inspected. The result was that 514 contraventions of the seat belt laws were recorded and the drivers fined.