On the day that a 20-year-old driver died in a head-on collision with a lorry, blocking the EN125 at Vale d’Eguas, Almancil for five hours yesterday, (see picture below) the Prime Minister speaking at the Algarve Tourist Board's 45th anniversary bash, avoided such topics as the EN125 accident rate, tolls on the motorway, VAT on restaurant meals, the Ria Formosa evictions any anything else of regional importance.

In a display of willful disobedience the head of the tourist board Desidério Silva did mention these topics, clearly still miffed from having his tourism budget cut despite the fun and success he had had in spending the 2014 allocation.

Portimão council management have handed in an application for funding to the Municipal Support Fund as the bankrupt Algarve municipality struggles with €150 million of debts.

The application is for a cool €100 million so the council can pay off its long suffering suppliers.

The general director of the Tax Authority resigned from office today, saying that there is no VIP Taxpayers List and justified his exit on his own failure to inform the authority on those internal procedures that may have created the perception that this list existed.

In a leaked email sent to the tax staff today, António Brigas Afonso said he resigned because of news reports about the VIP Taxpayers List, which does not exist.

Legislation is being prepared to make Portugal's complaints procedure available online, as opposed to the current system of filling in a complaints book in the store about which the complaint is being made.

Various consumer and trade associations have been invited by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs to participate in the process of getting the legislation right before presenting it for debate.

Uber, the application for hailing taxis, was subjected to a police raid of its offices in Paris.

The raid was part of an investigation into the company’s ride-sharing service and was conducted at the behest of the Paris prosecutor’s officer.

The EU finally has taken a new step to smash the people-trafficking rings which shove illegal migrants on perilous voyages to reach Europe across the Mediterranean Sea.

Europol, the EU police agency, has set up a maritime intelligence unit, called “Jot Mare” standing for Joint Operational Team. Its job will be to collect and analyse intelligence on smugglers and to work with the EU border agency Frontex and national police to stop them the gangs.

The social media website Facebook said it will soon be possible for users to send money to friends through Facebook’s Messenger mobile app.

The money transfer system will use bank debit cards of users, and may take up to three days depending on the banks used, Facebook said.

Lufthansa pilots are in the middle of another two-day strike.

It is the second time this year that the pilots have refused to work and the twelfth in a row over the last two years.