Six new sculptures adorn the seafront at Armação de Pêra
Six beautiful new sculptures have been installed in public spaces on the seafront of Armação de Pêra, in an initiative by Silves Council.
The works by sculptor Carlos Correia, are on a real life scale and made of washers and steel.
With names such as Mermaid, A Thousand Stories One Life, Waiting, Stargazing, Daydreams and Dream of a New Life, the initiative aims to “increase the sense of place, imagination and interest of the population”.
Lagos: drug dealer arrested after complaints from locals
The PSP in Lagos have arrested a 48 year old man for selling drugs on the streets of Lagos, after reports from locals that he was doing so.
After the complaints from locals about obvious drug trafficking in the historic center and nightlife area of Lagos, the police arrested the suspect and seized around 517 doses of drugs, of various types.
According to the PSP statement, 431 doses of hashish, 45 doses of cocaine and 41 doses of ecstasy were seized, as well as a mobile phone, a precision scale, packaging and cutting material, and €60 in cash.
The PSP say drug trafficking "was contributing to a feeling of insecurity", believing that this arrest "will contribute to the reduction of drug trafficking, in the form of direct sales, in that area of the city".
New driving simulator helps patients with motor disabilities get back on the road
Patients with motor disabilities can now benefit from a new vehicle simulator installed in São Brás de Alportel by the Algarve Local Health Unit (ULS), to enable them to drive a car autonomously again.
“This is the second piece of equipment in the country that allows the exact assessment of the capabilities of a patient with motor disabilities, providing a simulation of driving in reality,” the chairman of the board of directors of ULS Algarve told news agency Lusa.
During his visit to the Southern Medical and Rehabilitation Centre (CMR), in São Brás de Alportel, where the simulation centre is located, João Ferreira added that by the end of the year it should be possible for users to carry out the practical part of their recovery in an adapted vehicle.
The new equipment can be used by users from all over the country, but will primarily benefit those from the Algarve region, who until now had to travel almost 300 kilometres to reach the only location with an identical simulator, the Alcoitão Rehabilitation Medicine Centre, in the Lisbon region.
According to João Ferreira, there are already 11 users on the list to use the new vehicle simulator, but others are sure to be attracted by the new equipment from now on.
The simulator is the result of a collaboration protocol between the Algarve University Hospital Centre (CHUA) and the São Brás de Alportel Council, with a total investment of around 100,000 euros, of which 25,000 were supported by the local authority.
“The municipality naturally provides this support because it is justified by the response it gives not only to our citizens, not only to the region, but it is a response that we give to the Portuguese, to all those who need this service”, highlighted the president of the municipality, Vítor Guerreiro, present at the visit.
The new equipment will allow several scenarios to be simulated in a context close to reality, and will train the patient before they are transferred to a vehicle adapted to their needs.
“After the assessment, we were able to obtain some more objective values, such as reaction time when braking, the force required to turn the steering wheel, for example. With this data, we were able to produce a report to provide the doctor with more objective information to support the decision as to whether or not the person is fit to drive,” explained Clarisse Mendes, coordinator of the ULS support projects unit.
CMR Sul is a reference unit in the area of intensive rehabilitation and specialized care that aims to promote interdisciplinary rehabilitation in situations that require prolonged and complex interventions.
The center is designed to receive patients with spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, strokes and other neurological, rheumatological, orthopedic, cardiovascular and pneumological pathologies.
Algarve International Race Track hosts the world's longest race again
The longest race in the world is back at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve next weekend. With a duration of 26 hours, the fourth round of the Lamera Cup promises to once again be a 'stage' for lots of excitement and strategic driving.
The machines in this single-brand series will be pushed to the limit side by side, with the drivers who accepted this challenge.
“With 35 teams registered for this year of 2024, the Lamera Cup once again brings to the asphalt of the track near Portimão its well-known tubular chassis equipped with a four-cylinder turbo engine with around 330 horsepower, machines that, thanks to their low weight (970 kilos), can achieve a high level of performance and provide excellent races”, says the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve.
With the start of the 26 hour race in Portimão scheduled for 2:30 pm next Saturday, after free practice and qualifying held during the morning, this return of the Lamera Cup to one of its favorite settings will have public access to the 'paddock' at a cost of 10 euros for the weekend, available to purchase at the Kartódromo Internacional do Algarve store.
Faro: New video surveillance system 'catches' criminals in the act
Images from the video surveillance system recently installed in Faro, has allowed the PSP to identify four suspects who broke in to a shop in Faro in the early hours of August 30, around 6:00 am.
The Police revealed that the break-in occurred at a "commercial establishment in the city center of Faro”. The suspects stole goods valued at around €300 and caused material damage, the value of which is yet to be determined.
Upon learning of the theft, the Criminal Investigation Squad of the PSP in Faro carried out investigations to identify the suspects, and collect evidence with the aid of the new city center video surveillance system.
“After viewing the CCTV video surveillance system images covering the area of the theft, it was possible to identify four suspects involved in the theft,” says the PSP.
In possession of the aforementioned images and after investigations, it was possible to arrest “the four youngsters, all aged between 17 and 19."
The video surveillance system in Faro, implemented by the council, in conjunction with the PSP, was officially inaugurated on August 27, 2024 after being installed throughout July.
The summer heat has been deadly
The extreme temperatures are killing many thousands of people, and increasing the need for urgent action to minimise the impact of global warming.
Researchers studying the records of temperature-related deaths in 35 European countries have concluded that last year the number reached 47,690. Among the worst- affected countries were Italy, Germany, Spain, and Portugal. Last year was the hottest in Europe on record. We await this year’s full statistics.
Two years ago, the heat in Portugal was estimated to have claimed the lives of 1,063 people in less than a fortnight between July 7 and 18, according to the Portuguese Health Ministry. These mortalities occurred during one of Portugal’s worst heat waves on record, which spiked at 47 degrees Celsius (116.6 Fahrenheit)
By mid-July this year, greater adaptability in Portugal had kept deaths due to heat at an estimated 600. Much relief has come to individuals since the introduction of the Portuguese Contingency Heat Wave Plan.
Mainland Portugal used to be regarded as having a mild Mediterranean climate. However, the number of days of extreme heat has been rising, and is projected to rise further, due to climate change. This means that the risk of increased heat-related mortality is likely to rise further unless strong counter measures are in place. The elderly and urban populations are the most vulnerable, but they are significantly helped by heat warnings and cooling advice issued by the contingency plan every year from May to September
Temperatures in the Azores archipelago are generally lower than on the mainland, but have been higher than usual throughout this summer, reaching 30 degrees Celsius this week.
Global warming is predicted to have a negative impact on the Azores in terms of precipitation as well as temperatures. Edwardo Brito de Azevedo, a climatologist at the University of the Azores, has been quoted by RTP Azores as saying, “it is necessary to adapt crops to a new reality, and review working hours.”
Air temperatures in Portugal’s other autonomous island territory, Madeira, usually do not exceed the lower 20s C , but on 27 June this year local thermometers shattered previous records and hit 30.1 degrees Celsius. This was due to the passage of a hot and dry tropical air mass, according to the Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere
The oceans are extremely warm worldwide at present Average temperatures have reportedly been at record levels every month since April last year. This abnormal situation is believed to be caused by a combination of climate change and El Nino, and to be fuelling hurricanes in the Atlantic.
The Earth’s overall average temperatures have risen by about 1.1 C, (nearly 34 F) per decade since 1850. The rate of warming since 1982 has been almost three times as fast:
Climate change is having both direct and indirect impacts on health issues including cardiovascular and other cardiometabolic diseases, HIV/AIDS, infectious diseases, reproductive and maternal health, oncology, and mental health.
Between 2030 and 2050 scientists predict that climate change will cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths each year due to malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea, and heat stress, alone.
Of course this is alarming, so each individual, and well as each community and national leader, must act as best as possible, and act now.
Written by Len Port
Legal action over assaults at luxury resort
Highly relevant CCTV footage, of two physical assaults on a senior official in the luxury Quinta do Lago resort in the Algarve, was believed to have been destroyed, thus weakening an upcoming court trial.
John O'Gorman, the former head of Vigiquinta, the security and surveillance arm of Quinta do Lago, claims he was assaulted twice on the same day, in 2022.
Vigiquinta was originally set up in the wake of the Madeleine McCann disappearance and the perceived need for tighter security.
O'Gorman was physically assaulted twice on the same day at Quinta do Lago by David Combrinck, hired by the Quinta’s CEO, Sean Moriarty.
Following the assaults, Moriarty and a legal counsel reviewed the CCTV footage, after O'Gorman followed company procedures to have copies of the videos made and stored.
Under pressure, O'Gorman left Quinta do Lago shortly after the assaults and proceeded to file a criminal complaint against Combrinck.
The GNR Data Protection Agency (Comissão Nacional de Proteção de Dados), the prosecutor in Loule, as well as O'Gorman himself, have filed multiple requests with Quinta do Lago for copies of the video footage, which is said to have been also reviewed by Quinta’s Group Chairman Denis O'Brien.
Recent communications with the prosecutor's office in Loule confirmed that Quinta do Lago's security arm, Vigiquinta, had destroyed all CCTV footage of these assaults, a direct breach of CCTV protocol in the case where criminality had occurred.
Quinta do Lago CEO Sean Moriarty is also a director of Vigiquinta. David Combrinck was removed as an executive from Quinta do Lago in late 2023.
O'Gorman is now considering his legal options.
Written by Len Port
