The Ferragudo lifeboat crew has been called out to rescue an 18-year-old swimmer who clearly was losing his struggle to stay afloat.

The man was spotted in the sea off Caneiros, Lagoa, near the cliff and the alert was raised.

Spanish police destroyed two criminal gangs in the last week, one of which preyed specifically on visitors to the country.

Tourists in Barcelona were left open to being conned by a band of criminals who were posing as police officers.  A similar type of operation was being run in Madrid.

A German government minister has said that his government has pledged to provide €150 million to help migrants return home.

The aid funds will be available to both those whose asylum applications have been rejected as well as those who return voluntarily to their home countries.  It is targeted primarily as people from Iraq, Afghanistan and from Balkan countries.

A group of cycling devotees have set themselves a Herculean task as they aim to travel the length of Portugal’s longest road, the 738 kilometre EN2, in just 80 hours.

The cyclists set off on Thursday morning, December 8th,  from Chaves in Portugal’s distant northern territory and aim to be in the safety of Faro by Sunday night

The trip, called Vadiagem Voadora, (Flying Voyage), is not a race but those that finish certainly will have enjoyed themselves, according to organiser Diogo Tavares.

Operation Furação prosecutors finally have filed charges against 42 defendants. Various instances of qualified tax fraud are claimed to have lost the State over €10 million in a scam running between 2001 and 2010.  

The Public Prosecutor's Office has filed an indictment as a result of ‘Operation Hurricane’ which has supplied evidence that 42 defendants used fraudulent billing systems involving individuals and companies to evade tax.

The Public Prosecutor's Office has accused 21 people of selling cannabis, often near schools, across the Faro municipality.

The Faro District Attorney's Office commented, "some of the defendants also were charged with robbery, threats, possession of prohibited weapons and driving without a license."

The World Travel Awards, recently hosted in the Maldives, saw Portugal win four of the 31 categories, two awards being for hotels in the Algarve.

The Conrad Algarve and Vila Vita Parc were voted among the best hotels in the world in two different categories.

Silves council plans to spend €950,000 on building a venue for events in S. Bartolomeu de Messines.

The council’s announcement was published today in the Diário da República and opened a tendering process to choose the company to do the construction work.