A new global index shows that house prices in Portugal rose by 1.8% between 2014 and 2015.

But it was far outstripped by a number of other countries, leaving it in 36th position for best performance.

The European Commission today opened an investigation into Amazon’s e-book business and is examining the company’s deals with publishers that are said to limit competition and reduce consumer choice.

Under the spotlight are contracts that require publishers to tell Amazon if there are any better terms on offer which enables Amazon to offer conditions as good as or better than those offered by its competitors.

A total of 17 emergency admissions doctors working in the Algarve's public hospitals are head-to-head with the regional hospital management, headed by Dr Pedro Nunes, over unilateral changes to working practices.

The tug-of-war between management and the 17 doctors in charge of emergency admissions is over a new set of regulations imposed by management which allows nursing staff the power to decide whether a patient should or should not be transferred to another unit, the authorisation to call up ambulances and other aspects of patient care usually covered by a qualified doctor.

The President of Portugal, Cavaco Silva, gave the keynote speech in Lamego today at the Portugal Day* celebrations, saying that although the republic still has a long way to go to return to "levels that existed before the crisis, there are now reasonable grounds to face the future with more optimism and confidence."

Cavaco Silva was speaking at the formal celebrations for Dia de Portugal, and criticised the "professionals of disbelief and the prophets of excessive pessimism," as it was possible to celebrate June 10th "with confidence in the future" stressing the conutry’s "political stability and governability."

More confusion over airline carry-on luggage is in the wings as new guidelines are drawn up.

The size of bags allowed onto a plane could be screwed down further if carriers adopt new proposals put forward by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the industry trade body.

Traditional food retailing in Britain remains in turmoil as Sainsbury’s sales fell for the sixth quarter in a row, Morrison has further reduced its prices, and Tesco proves to be shoppers’ least favourite.

Sainsbury’s, the nation’s third largest supermarket, reported ever dwindling sales, with a 0.6% drop in the last quarter.

The police have been out and about along the shoreline near Lagos in the hunt for more bales of drugs after the discovery of every toker’s dream, a 45Kg floating supply of high grade hashish.

The Maritime Police has been searching along Figueira beach where the bale was found floating not far from the shoreline, according to the Lagos port captain.

Just as the international news was getting really bleak and boring along comes Sepp Blatter to cheer things up and add to our waning excitement over former Prime Minister José Sócrates.

It turns out that apart from anything else, the diminutive Blatter is a dirty old man and nearly got a punch in the gob for eyeing up the glamorous girlfriend of John Dalaney, chief executive of the Irish Football Association. He stared at her for seven or eight whole seconds before Delaney warned him to “move on”, or words to that effect.