According to the weather models employed by the Portuguese Met
Office, forecasts are that the months of June, July and August
will be among the hottest and driest the past quarter of a
century.
Continue reading "PORTUGAL BRACED FOR SCORCHING SUMMER WEATHER" »
BOM SUCESSO - PORTUGAL - NEW GOLF COURSE TO OPEN
Continue reading "BOM SUCESSO - PORTUGAL - NEW GOLF COURSE TO OPEN" »
RED PALM WEEVIL IS ATTACKING PALMS IN PORTUGAL
Continue reading "PORTUGAL - PALMS AT RISK FROM PLAGUE" »
Named ‘Wizi', the new technology will allow the locating of any other member on a friend or family network, much like what happens with the ‘Messenger' online service.
Continue reading "PORTUGUESE COMPANY PIONEERS PERSONAL TRACKING SYSTEM" »
The government is in the final stages of adopting ground-breaking reforms to the country's labour laws. The Minister of Labour and Welfare has this week spoken out against these laws, saying they are among the "most rigid in the world". Calling for reforms, such as the implementation of the controversial flexicurity labour practice, Vieira da Silva is risking the wrath of trade unions whose members gathered this week in their thousands across the country to protest against these planned reforms.
THE PORTUGAL NEWS
President Cavaco Silva, ending an official visit to Mozambique, has urged Portuguese expatriates in the southern African country to become "active participants" in launching "a new cycle of relationship" between Lisbon and its former colony.
Braga is the first region of the country to make condom purchases easier,
Continue reading "PORTUGAL - CONDOMS ON SALE VIA CIGARETTE VENDING MACHINES" »
Murders lowered substantially (194 to 133), rapes (341 to 306), jewellery shop hold-ups down to 98, bank robberies (139 to 108) and charges of assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm (673 to 662) also registered a decrease.
Continue reading "PORTUGAL - VIOLENT CRIME FALLS" »
A lawyer from Madeira returned to the Algarve this week where he is jointly sponsoring a search for missing Madeleine McCann’s body. In four days of searches so far at the Arade dam in Silves, divers have found a rope and an item they say is a girl’s sock made of a fabric uncommon to Portugal.
Continue reading "DAM SEARCHED FOR MADDIE - ALGARVE, PORTUGAL" »
Inmates of Leiria's old ‘Prison-School' were given a week out of the ordinary by making the most of their time behind bars to learn a new skill, in this instance, winemaking.
Continue reading "PRISONERS LEARN TO MAKE WINE IN PORTUGAL" »
This year's ‘fire season' has officially drawn to an end with historic results regarding the amount of hectares that have been burnt, thought to have been aided by unusual rainy spells.
Continue reading "RELIEF ALL ROUND AS 'FIRE SEASON' IN PORTUGAL DRAWS TO A SUCCESSFUL CLOSE" »
Coverage of former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho's arrival in Portugal prompted one of the country's former PMs to walk out of a television interview.
Continue reading "MOURINHO ARRIVAL AT LISBON UPSTAGES FORMER PM" »
Last Saturday, September 15th, dive school ‘Divers Cove', based in Carvoeiro, Algarve, was amongst the many associations that took part in a global awareness-raising day, that saw coasts and sea beds around the world being cleared of debris and rubbish. During the morning's ongoings, they discovered two significant examples of Roman history, off the Western Algarve coastline.
Continue reading "CLEAN UP REVEALS ROMAN ARTEFACTS IN PORTUGAL" »
Portugal has come from nowhere to set the trend for the rest of Europe to follow. The country has sky-rocketed seven places up the 2007 e-government rankings and is now the third best European Union state when it comes to providing online services at both the citizen and business level. The study, presented on Thursday afternoon, shows that Portugal has successively climbed the rankings since they were first released in 2000 and the country has now clearly become an example to its fellow 26 EU member states of how to make rapid progress in this department.
Continue reading "PORTUGAL'S GOVT SERVICES ON LINE" »
This summer is the coolest in two decades and also the the wettest this century, the Met Office said this week.
Average temperatures recorded this past summer are 0.5 degrees below established figures since records began, making it the coolest summer in continental Portugal since 1987.
Taking into consideration only this century, between 2001 and 2007, the difference in temperatures measured in summer is even greater, with this summer 1.9 degrees cooler than other summers.
This was also the first summer since 1997 to have not recorded a heatwave.
The last heatwave in Portugal took place last year and brought higher than usual temperatures for 14 consecutive days.
This year, no heatwaves have been recorded, through the first fortnight in July was the closest the country has come to reporting one this summer.
The Met Office classes a heatwave as being when temperatures are five degrees above the average for a period of six consecutive days.
The summer of 2007, which ends on September 21, has recorded an average temperature of 20.7 degrees, whereas the temperature between 1971 and 2000 was 21.2 degrees.
Four of the five hottest summers since records began (1931) have occurred since the year 2000. The summer of 2005 was the hottest ever, followed by those of 1949, 2004, 2003 and 2006.
Health authorities recently reported that there have not been increased mortality rates this summer that could be attributed to hot weather. In 2003, a total of 2,700 are reported to have died as a result of scorching temperatures.
In the north, sea temperatures have been as low as 14 degrees, while in the Algarve, the water is two to three degrees cooler than usual at a current average of 19 degrees.
This drop is explained primarily due to wind currents, which have kept the warmer Mediterranean waters away from the Portuguese coastline.
As far as rainfall is concerned, the Met Office describes this summer as having been "rainy" with values 50 percent above average.
The month of June was the 11th wettest month since 1931, and the wettest since 1987, the Met Office said.
The Portugal News
A decision on whether to ask Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe to a European Union summit in Lisbon will be made after talks with other African guests, a senior Portuguese diplomat said on Wednesday.
Continue reading "PORTUGAL TO WELCOME MUGABE?" »
CHEAPER ROAMING RATES MEAN SAVINGS THIS SUMMER
Continue reading "CHEAPER ROAMING RATES NOW APPLY" »
Portugal has been given two months within which to bring its road taxes in line with European Union legislation.
Continue reading "PORTUGAL'S DOUBLE-WHAMMY FOR CAR BUYERS ILLEGAL?" »
YET AGAIN GOVERNMENT HAS COMMITTED TO BANNING SMOKING IN PUBLIC PLACES For the third time in as many years government has debated the pros and cons of a smoking ban and has 'committed' to a date for the prohibition of smoking in public places as reported in the Portugal News....
Continue reading "HERE WE GO AGAIN?" »
PORTUGAL TO PRESIDE OVER EU TREATY REFORM?
Continue reading "PORTUGAL'S EU PRESIDENCY" »
Despite the mammoth size of the three-day event, which featured world-class acts like Linkin Park, Pearl Jam and Smashing Pumpkins, Oerias Alive! 2007 went without a hitch and received glowing reviews from critics and concertgoers alike.
Continue reading "OEIRAS ROCK FESTIVAL A SMASHING SUCCESS" »
Portugal hopes to use its upcoming European Union presidency to re-launch dialogue and cooperation between the 27-nation bloc and Africa, a senior Lisbon official said.
Continue reading "PORTUGAL TO PUSH FOR GREATER INTERACTION WITH AFRICA" »
LISBON. Portugal's Foreign Minister Luis Amado said Monday Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe would not be welcome at a EU-African Union summit being held in November in Lisbon.
Continue reading "MUGABE NOT WELCOME" »
The fact that prosecutors have taken the unprecedented measure of formally accusing police detectives of committing a number of crimes during an investigation, has created a stir in the legal system and could see a mother convicted for killing her daughter, freed.
Continue reading "POLICE ACCUSED OF TORTURE OF MOTHER OF MISSING GIRL" »
Families need to brace themselves for the tough economic times that lie ahead, the Bank of Portugal predicts.
Continue reading "DEBT WARNING " »
An ex-journalist has admitted plotting to kill his mother's lover over the Portuguese villa she left in her will.
Continue reading "From BBC News Man admits death plot over villa" " »
A SHORTAGE OF CHLORINE FORCES THE CLOSURE OF LISBON SWIMMING POOLS
Continue reading "LISBON SWIMMING POOLS CLOSE" »
Labour Day protest
Unions protested against government reforms on 1 May
Continue reading "PORTUGAL FACES GENERAL STRIKE" »
5000 IMMIGRANTS WANT TO TAKE PORTUGUESE NATIONALITY
Continue reading "THOUSANDS WANT TO BE PORTUGUESE" »
THE INTRODUCTION OF STALLS SELLING ORGANIC VEG ON CALDAS FRUIT MARKET HAS BEEN WELL RECEIVED
Continue reading "ORGANIC VEG ON CALDAS FRUIT MARKET" »
Dramatic rise in cocaine shipments to Portugal
European Union anti-drug enforcement agencies heard Tuesday that Portugal is now the second largest staging post for cocaine shipments to Europe.
Continue reading "PORTUGAL IS MAJOR PLAYER IN COCAINE DISTRIBUTION" »
PORTUGAL IS PREPARING FAR ANOTHER RECORD SUMMER
Continue reading "HOT SUMMER ON THE WAY - HONEST!" »
OF THE TEN WONDERS OF PORTUGAL VOTED FOR BY THE PUBLIC
EIGHT ARE WITHIN EASY REACH OF THE SILVER COAST
Continue reading "NO NEED TO WONDER WHY THE SILVER COAST IS ON THE UP-AND-UP!!" »
News: Time for that Portugal mortgage? - Moneyextra
Time for that Portugal mortgage?
Continue reading "BUYING ON PRAIA DEL REY WITH A MORTGAGE?" »
Following on a 74 page report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD) Working Group on Bribery in Portugal (see last week's edition of The Portugal News), comes news that police have made two arrests in connection with the findings of the survey. It has also emerged that police are on the verge of more arrests involving civil servants bribed by foreign companies who have set up business in Portugal on the back of European Union funds illicitly obtained.
Continue reading "FOREIGN FIRMS TARGET OF CORRUPTION CRACKDOWN" »
Accredited with saving Portugal from economic and social anarchy when he first came to power, António de Oliveira Salazar has won his first election, albeit posthumously and on the state television network whose creation he oversaw and regularly censored.
Continue reading "SALAZAR - RIGHT WING DICTATOR VOTED GREATEST PORTUGUESE EVER" »
Portugal has inaugurated what it says is the world's most powerful solar power plant.
The array of electricity-generating solar panels covers about 60 hectares (150 acres) in one of Europe's sunniest areas in southern Portugal.
Officials say the plant should produce enough energy to supply 8,000 homes.
Continue reading "Portugal opens major solar plant from bbc news" »
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LISBON (Reuters) - Energias de Portugal (EDP) said it has agreed to buy U.S. wind-park company Horizon Wind Energy from Goldman Sachs (GS.N: Quote, Profile , Research), to enter the U.S. market and strengthen its position in renewable energy.
Continue reading "EDP TO INVEST IN U.S. WIND FARM BUSINESS" »
THE MINISTRY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT HAS GUARANTEED MORE FUNDS FOR THE PROTECTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE OBIDOS LAGOON
Continue reading "MORE MONEY FOR OBIDOS LAGOON" »
Portuguese are the fourth largest wine consumers in the world, recent data by World Drink Trends (WDT) has found.
Continue reading "PORTUGUESE DOING THEIR BIT TO SOAK UP THE WINE LAKE" »
Portugal's economic reforms and austerity measures enabled the government to cut the country's state budget deficit to 3.9 percent of gross domestic product last year, down from 6 percent in 2005, Prime Minister Jose Socrates said Wednesday.
Despite the improvement, Portugal remains in contravention of the rules governing membership of the euro currency which limit deficits to 3 percent of GDP. Portugal's deficit is also the highest of the 13 countries using the currency.
Socrates told Parliament that his center-left Socialist government's austerity program and reforms, which are broadly contested by opposition parties and labor organizations, were paying off.
"The effort being made by the Portuguese people is worthwhile and is beneficial for the country as a whole," Socrates said.
The government aims to get the deficit below 3 percent by the end of next year.
ALCACER DO SAL, Portugal (Reuters) - Fernando Silva shook his head as he watched two lumberjacks cut through what remained of his small pine forest in the south of Portugal.
Portuguese state and private sector workers marched through the streets of central Lisbon last Friday to protest against government plans for welfare and other social and economic reforms, with organisers claiming between 120,000 and 150,000 demonstrators. Police put the figure at around 100,000.
Continue reading "THOUSANDS PROTEST AGAINST GOVERNMENT REFORMS" »
After two botched attempts at outlawing smoking in public spaces, the government has pledged that within the next 12 months, smoking will be banned in bars, night clubs, restaurants and coffee bars. The restaurant industry has already reacted angrily to this law decree proposal, but an increasingly health conscious society and dropping numbers of smokers seem to be adequate arguments for the government to outlaw smoking in public spaces.
Continue reading "SMOKING FINALLY TO BE BANNED?" »
LISBON (AFP) - An earthquake struck parts of Portugal and Spain causing no injuries or damage but prompting hundreds of people to evacuate buildings in both countries, officials and reports said.
Continue reading "EARTHQUAKE SHAKES PORTUGAL" »
LISBON, Feb 12 (IPS) - It took more than three decades of struggle by activists for Portugal to give the green light, via referendum, to parliament to make the country's strict anti-abortion law more flexible.
Continue reading "LEGALISED ABORTION GIVEN GREEN LIGHT IN PORTUGAL" »
Renovations at Lisbon airport to span the next four years
Work on Lisbon’s airport to extend its current capacity is to commence next week and is predicted to last until 2010. This comes as a consequence of the postponement of the opening of the new Ota airport, from 2012 to 2017, making a new departures terminal at the existing airport necessary to cater for rising passenger figures.
Continue reading "LISBON AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT TO LAST FOUR MORE YEARS" »
While greater coverage of crime in the mainstream Portuguese media appears to have generated a growing sense of insecurity emerging from public opinion, a study conducted by a consortium, including EU and UN agencies, has found that Lisbon is the safest city in the European Union. At the opposite end of the scale, the report, published earlier this week unveils London as the most the dangerous capital in which to live.
Continue reading "PORTUGAL SAFEST IN EUROPE" »
EdP plans to raise spendingon wind energy
Energias de Portugal, the country's dominant power utility, is to invest €7.6bn ($9.9bn) over the next three years in an ambitious plan to become one of the world's biggest wind energy producers.
Continue reading "PORTUGAL TO GET EVEN MORE WINDMILLS" »
It might seem far-fetched that someone should see their car technically ‘seized’ for transporting clothes to a car-boot sale, but this is what happened to UK-resident George Butler, a frequent visitor to the Algarve, one morning as he made his way to Fuzeta.
Continue reading "FOREIGN CAR OWNERS BEWARE" »
For the ninth year running the government has underestimated the direct affect of the inflation rate on the real earnings of private workers and civil servants alike. Figures published this week by the Institute for National Statistics (INE) confirmed the inflation rate for 2006 to have been 3.1 percent, up considerably from the previous year’s figure of 2.3 percent, which is exactly the same figure the government said inflation would be in 2006. Despite consistently failing in its forecasts since 1997, the government is sticking to its 2.1 inflation rate prediction for 2007.
Continue reading "WORKERS LOSE OUT AS INFLATION BITES" »
Civil servants get paid to walk
They call it the "the marching subsidy", a perk that civil servants around the globe might dream of, but only those in Portugal enjoy - getting paid for walking.
The country's 730,000 civil servants have the right to demand a bonus of 15 cents for every kilometre they walk on the job, El Correio da Manhã newspaper has revealed.
While walking may wear out a certain amount of shoe-leather, officials were unable to explain why the subsidy for putting one foot in front of the other was higher than that given to Portuguese civil servants who travelled on public transport.
Article continues
Continue reading "Silly Walks from the Guardian" »
Portugal has one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the world, a report published by UNICEF earlier this week revealed. Currently, Portugal has a mortality rate of five deaths in every thousand children.
Continue reading "PORTUGAL - A GREAT PLACE TO HAVE A BABY" »
Just as criticism by centre-right political leaders of an international Socialist gathering in Oporto was reaching fever-pitch, Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister somehow managed to spit out a tooth during a crucial address to an audience that included the world’s top centre and centre-left politicians, a UK newspaper reported.
Continue reading "PRESCOTT SPITS OUT TOOTH IN PORTO" »
The city of seven hills, Lisbon, has lost one in five of its inhabitants in the space of a decade. Sintra, located northwest of the capital, seems to have been the main recipient and is set to dethrone Lisbon as the country’s most populous city within the next five years.
Continue reading "SINTRA TO BECOME PORTUGAL'S LARGEST CITY" »
The economic climate in Portugal has reached its highest rating since the start of the economic crisis that befell the country at the beginning of 2002. By grouping the consumer confidence and business confidence indexes, National Statistics (INE) has found that the economic climate has climbed to 0.7 points. The last occasion confidence was as high as it is now, was in July 2002.
Continue reading "BUSINESS CONFIDENCE HIGHEST FOR YEARS" »
PERSISTENT HEAVY RAIN AND GALES HAVE BROUGHT FLOODS TO THE REGION..
A driver, who hours earlier had been detained following a positive breath test, was released before being spotted driving the wrong way down the A23 near Guarda.
Continue reading "DRUNK DRIVER RELEASED TO DRIVE WRONG WAY DOWN THE MOTORWAY" »
THE STREETS OF CALDAS DA RAINHA WILL BE ENLIVENED THIS CHRISTMAS BY ENTERTAINERS DRESSED IN TRADITIONAL AND NOT-SO-TRADITIONAL COSTUMES!
Continue reading "CHRISTMAS FUN IN CALDAS" »
THE ANNUAL CHOC-FEST KNOWN AS THE OBIDOS CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL ATTRACTED LARGER NUMBERS THAN EVER THIS YEAR INCLUDING ISABEL PIRES DE LIMA, MINISTER FOR CULTURE.
Continue reading "OBIDOS CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL" »
Portuguese public sector workers have begun a nationwide two-day strike in protest against government plans to cut back on public spending.
More than 80% of the workforce have joined the strike, unions say.
Continue reading "Portugal public workers on strike" »
Even the most optimistic have been consistently surprised month after month this year as the number of fatalities on Portuguese roads continue to fall at an unprecedented rate.
Figures released this week by the Road Traffic Department (DGV) show that road deaths recorded this year (January to September) have plummeted 25 percent when compared with the same period last year.
Continue reading "DRAMATIC FALL IN DEATHS ON PORTUGAL'S ROADS" »
Portugal Announces New Wave Energy Project
The viability of harnessing waves as a lucrative renewable energy source received a boost last week following the announcement that the worlds first commercial wave energy project will begin delivering wave-generated energy to the north of Portugal later this month
Continue reading "PORTUGAL LEADS THE WAY WITH WAVE ENERGY PROJECT" »
Last week EU Commissioner for Health and Safety Markos Kyprianou urged Portugal and other smoke-filled member states to adopt anti-smoking laws that would “effectively protect citizens from smoking-related health threats”.
A survey published last week by the French-based International Centre for Cancer Research and Roswell Park Cancer Institute revealed that of 24 countries studied, Portugal, France, Syria, Romania, Lebanon, Belgium and Singapore were the most smoke-filled.
Continue reading "PORTUGAL TOLD TO STUB IT OUT" »
The accommodation in question is a hostel at a Cape Town high school, whose facilities Portugal’s homeless footballers say are inadequate, and fail to provide “minimum standards of comfort and hygiene”.
In total, two hundred people were to be lodged at the school during the tournament, but will now lose the Portuguese team of eight players and members of the national committee.
Continue reading "PORTUGUESE HOMELESS SQUAD QUITS SUB-STANDARD ACCOMMODATION" »
Portugal records highest summer temperatures
The summer of 2006, which ended at 5:03 am last Friday, has been officially the ruled the fifth hottest year ever on record in Portugal. Optimists were however pointing out that this summer was at least ‘cooler’ than those of 2003, 2004 and 2005.
Continue reading "PORTUGAL'S SUMMERS GETTING HOTTER" »
According to a survey published by Sol, 27.7 percent of respondents say Portugal should be absorbed, on a political level, by Spain.
Continue reading "PEOPLE OF PORTUGAL SAY - WE WANT TO BE SPANISH!" »
