The government has declared the summer fires a ‘natural disaster’ and has set aside €4 million to help farmers with the costs of replacing stock and machinery.
Farmers can apply for funds on the Portugal 2020 Community Support Framework website and should be submitted between 15 and 30 September this year, reads the order published on Thursday September 1st in the Official Gazette.
Pedro Marques, the Minister for Panning and infrastructure, says the government has kept its part of the bargain and, as the August 1st reduction in tolls on some of the country’s roads is going to cost €15 million in lost revenue, the public can expect no more concessions.
The 15% reduction on a handful of formerly free roads, including the Algarve’s Via do Infante, may cause a loss of annual revenue but the minister did promising to re-evaluate the collection system and the impact of the price reduction when more time has passed.
The 'Jungle' camp in Calais is to be jettisoned gradually, the French interior minister has announced.
Refugees reaching the camp over the summer have pushed the total number to an all-time high of 10,000, according to estimates from aid agencies. French officials put the number at 7,000.
The Avô Rita, a fishing boat, has run aground on a Sagres beach for no apparent reason.
The six man crew was rescued from the grounded boat on Thursday night on Tonel beach.
A young woman in her 20s was hit by a train yesterday afternoon (September 1st) at 4.00pm about one kilometre from Portimão station.
The railway line was shut down while emergency services recovered her body. The train has not been able to stop in time and came to a halt some 200 metres from the point of impact.
Monaco is to add land to its terrain not by war with France but by a sea grab.
The principality is to embark on a large project which will build an additional six hectares onto the existing seafront.
The occupancy rate for the Algarve’s hotels was close to 100% this August but staff and management hardly will be able to draw breath as September looks like it will be another record-breaking month.
The president of the Algarve hoteliers’ association, Elidérico Viegas, says he expects a growth in the September occupancy rate with hotels running at 85% to 86% which he says “is quite satisfactory for the time of year."
Putting one of Olhão’s empty warehouses to productive use normally would be commended as part and parcel of Portugal’s economic resurgence but the growing of an indoor plantation of cannabis plants in a highly sophisticated operation has led to the arrest of three local entrepreneurs.
The location of the warehouse was known to many locals due to the sweet smell emanating from the vents but it seems to have taken police a full six months to act.
