Spain is believed to have moved closer to the oft-mooted notion of changing time.

The country’s labour minister said on Monday that the government is considering moving the clocks back one hour.

Portugal has provided four wines in the worldwide Top 100 wines, according to Wine Spectator. One of them, Dão's Quinta de Cabriz 2014, was the cheapest on the list, selling at under €10.

The Dão region lead Portugal’s winners but unlike in the 2014 result, none made the top ten for the year.

A series of earthquakes, 10 kilometres north-west of Alcoutim, woke households early on Monday morning, December 12th.

The earthquake peaked at 3.6 on the Richter scale. This level can be felt by people but is unlikely to cause much damage apart from the shaking of indoor objects and causing animals some disquiet.

The Algarve’s only home-grown, quality glossy magazine spread from the coffee tables of the region’s villas, hotels and business reception areas in 2000 to cover Lisbon, Madeira and several overseas territories.

The Open Media Group which owns The Portugal Resident and Barlavento newspapers, plus a swathe of other titles, has just launched the 100th edition of Essential Algarve.

The 2010 legislation enabling EDP electricity customers on low incomes to access the ‘social tariff’ cheap rate at last has seen some results.

EDP failed adequately to advertise the low rate deal, ending up with a €7.5 million fine from the regulator which has been challenged by the EDP boss, António Mexia and remains unpaid.

Lidl Portugal has become the first supermarket operating in Portugal that stocks only ‘sustainable origin’ cod carrying the Marine Stewardship Council stamp of approval.

Portugal remains cod-crazy with the fish accounting for 20% of the total consumed in the country, a large percentage of annual sales occurring in the run-up to Christmas, around 25,000 tonnes.

The trial opened on Monday of the leader of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde.

She is accused of negligence over a payment of €400 million to a French business tycoon when she was France’s finance minister (2007-2011).

The longest rail tunnel anywhere in the world has begun regular service in Switzerland.

It took 17 years to build the 35 mile stretch under the Swiss Alps, racked up costs of more than 12 billion Swiss francs (€11.2 billion) but provided the first flat route through the Alps.