The government of Nepal has not spent anything on reconstruction after its deadly earthquake four months ago nor has it even made any arrangements to receive the $4.1 billion promised by international aid organisations and governments.

An estimated 10% of the population is still in need of food, shelter and basic medical care, according to the UN, which believes that nearly three million survivors require help. Many of them live in remote mountain villages which are difficult to reach.

With the publication in the official gazette, the plan officially started on September 1st with the council announcing "this was the culmination of a process that existed 13 years ago, when the city of Lagos saw its municipal master plan annulled."

The last plan was suspended due to a 1996 wrangle over some land which led to the plan for the entire municipality being suspended until now. 

The new municipal plan was started 12 years ago and the final version was approved at a council assembly in June.

A former Metropolitan Police Flying Squad chief has questioned whether the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann should continue.

The latest estimate of the money spent to date is £11 million with no arrests.

The Technical Unit for Budget Support estimates that Portugal’s deficit is running currently at 4.9% which casts grave doubts that the government target can be met by the year end.

In its analysis of the budget performance to July, the Unit concluded that the budget deficit is way over target and that is will ‘hardly be possible’ to hit the government’s 2.7% commitment, or even the even the 3.2% forecast from the European Commission.

The Algarve’s health authority has issued an alert for West Nile virus after a suspected case was diagnosed in Faro.

The virus is transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito so the advice is simple, avoid mosquito bites by using repellents and mosquito nets.  

The Bank of Portugal and the Chinese insurance giant, Anbang have failed to come to any sort of acceptable agreement over the sale of Novo Banco, the good part of BES created amid the turmoil of last August.

Anbang offered €3.5 billion but wanted indemnity against a closet full of skeletons including being reimbursed if Novo Banco needs recapitalising, which Santander reckons it does - to the tune of €2 billion.

A Spanish man was released from his six-day kidnap ordeal after a police raid in the Costa del Sol.

The 27-year-old was being held for ransom of €35,000. Family members informed the police that he had been kidnapped in the town of Mijas, near Marbella, and that his captors were threatening to kill him unless the ransom was paid.

The manufacturing sector in France has suffered another contraction during the August sizzle which was the fourth month in a row of tumbling fortune.

Fewer than expected orders came in for factory goods which resulted in job losses. The sharp decline is likely to impact on the overall economy.