 Dozens of hammerhead sharks have been sighted over the last few days off the Algarve coast – particularly in the area around Sagres - which is extremely rare. Fishermen and tourists have been reporting sightings of sharks along the coastline to the […] »Algarve Chefs Fórum The famous octopus fished by the small town of Santa Luzia is to be the centre of attraction in this year’s edition of the «Algarve Chefs Fórum», scheduled for 21st September at Tavira’s “Pousada do Convento da Graça”. The event – this will be its […] » It’s a vicious circle. More austerity is required, but further belt-tightening will prejudice the economy and consequently shoot efforts to reduce the public deficit in the foot. And so it goes on. Moody’s Corporation – one of the three largest corporate […] »2010 It all began with an ambitious objective – to produce a good wine in just three years, and see it acclaimed among “the best in the Algarve” within six. It’s a goal that Estômbar’s «Quinta dos Vales» has already achieved. Their third wine harvest, […] » Portuguese are consuming less. According to the latest economic data from the Bank of Portugal, private consumption fell 0.3 per cent in relation to the same period in 2009.
Even so, sales for passenger vehicles actually rose 41.7 per cent compared […] » “Turismo do Algarve” has just published a brochure that lists all the birds that can be spotted in the Algarve, as well as the areas of greatest ornithological importance. A growing trend throughout Europe, birdwatching is a pastime that involves […] » Jorge Morgado, secretary of the Portuguese consumer defence association (DECO), is all for more checks on the private medical sector as he does not consider it offers an alternative to the national health service (SNS) – contrary to what is marketed […] » «Algarve 123» is on the road every Friday as part of a promotional tour of some of the Algarve’s markets. We began in Olhão, then last week were in Faro. Always animated, noisy and bustling, we meet all kinds of people in these renovated traditional […] » Every year the Post Office, the financial arm of UK’s Royal Mail does a round-up of 10 beach holiday destinations in Europe, to show which one offers the best deal for British families. This year, the Algarve took “first place” – and the reason for […] » Recent studies suggest that Ria Formosa’s seahorse population is disappearing. Why exactly, no-one can say for sure – but the reduction in areas where the creatures can find shelter, and the fact that seahorses are particularly fragile, could be […] » After the last Social Democrat (PSD) leader, Manuela Ferreira Leite, failed to attend the previous two editions of «Festa do Pontal», the new leader, Pedro Passos Coelho, changed all that last Saturday by gathering 400 militants in Quarteira and […] » From this year onwards, the business of construction – which has been buoying up builders, banks and local authorities (as well as all the worst type of property speculation, opportunism and “urbanistic crime” throughout the country) – could well […] »Diana Gomes da Silva Her name is Diana Gomes da Silva, she’s just 26 years old and she’s the youngest female pilot in the world to perform aerial acrobatics – as well as the only female flyer of this type on the Iberian Peninsula. Her adventures in the skies began when […] » Portugal is the third country in the EU, after Poland (26.5 per cent) and Spain (25.4 per cent), registering the highest number of worker’s on fixed-term contracts, according to the latest data from Eurostat. The European statistics agency shows […] » ERS, the health regulatory authority in Portugal, has identified approximately 300 private clinics here in the last two years that are effectively “illegal” – and operating in all areas of medicine. As they aren’t registered or properly checked, […] » LPN, the Portuguese league for the protection of Nature, considers that “very little has been done” to prevent forest fires – and is heavily critical of the delay in going ahead with the classification of ownership of land and properties (finding […] » “Some are effective and experienced (MI6, UK), some are not (CISEN, Mexico). Some work under outdated legislation (SIS, Portugal) or are simply understaffed (ABIN, Brazil). Some are overstaffed (NSA, USA), but are overrated (MOSSAD, Israel). […] » It’s unlikely that anyone living in the Algarve hasn’t heard of Íris. The group has been around for almost 30 years – founded by its charismatic singer, guitarist and composer Domingos Caetano, aged 52. They began by playing at local “bailes” (dances) […] » Government plans for the introduction of road tolls on the Via do Infante highway (A22) in 2011 are concerning tourist bosses with hotels in the Algarve. Hotel chains Vila Galé, Tivoli and CS claim anything (and everything) that represents an increased […] »Sunday and Bank Holiday trading OK’d for hypermark The Government has delivered (yet) “another hammer‑blow to traditional commerce”. So says ACRAL – the Algarve’s commercial and services association – about a new law approved recently authorising the opening of “large shopping malls and hypermarkets” […] » Portugal’s richest are definitely getting poorer. For the 3rd consecutive year, Portugal’s largest fortunes are declining. The yearly poll by «Exame» magazine, published in August, shows that the total worth of the 25 richest fell by six per cent […] » It’s a given that many Algarve residents don’t work in the borough they live in. Travelling the region to work and back is part of their daily routine. Obviously the time spent travelling is variable, but it’s interesting to see a new study on this […] » Trying to make holidaymakers and sports people aware of the need to protect themselves from the sun is the main objective of this summer’s campaign launched by APCC (the Portuguese skin cancer association) in the Algarve. “Skin cancer affects 10.000 […] » The luxury car sector is the one, up until now at least, that hasn’t felt the effects of the crisis. Manufacturers like Porsche and Jaguar closed the first quarter of this year with sales 50 per cent up on the same period last year. As a recent survey […] » The authority for food hygiene and safety (ASAE) has closed down 23 hotel/ catering and drinking establishments since 1st June. The Ministry for the Economy confirmed recently that “on 20th July (last Tuesday) three further detentions were made in […] » |  The average retirement benefit paid out by Social Security in the first six months of this year was 397.17 euros per month. The news comes via official data, published by the daily newspaper «Correio da Manhã» - and stands close to the subsistence […] »Decreto-lei 56/2010 From this week onwards, it will be much easier and cheaper to “unblock” a mobile phone due to a new law which obliges telecommunications operators to provide this service free of charge at the end of people’s contracts. The “Decreto-lei 56/2010”, […] »Paulo Sousa Algarvian Paulo Sousa swam the Straits of Gibraltar last Friday 28th August, becoming the oldest Portuguese swimmer to do so, and one of only eight countrymen to boast this achievement (only four had managed the feat before Paulo’s attempt with three […] »Laura Dekker Laura Dekker, the teenager attempting a solo round-the-world trip, has set out from Portimão. The Dutch 14-year-old is attempting to become the youngest sailor of all time to circumnavigate the world on her own – hoping to finish the challenge before […] » As part of the current «International Year of Biodiversity», “Zoo de Lagos” has launched a campaign it considers “extremely important”, about the sustainability of plastic bags. «When will we take notice?» is the slogan of the effort that began on […] » The following primary schools are to be shutdown as of the upcoming scholastic year 2010/ 2011: Escolas Básicas de Azinhal and Junqueira (in Castro Marim), Medronhal (Faro), Barão de São João (Lagos), Almargens (São Brás de Alportel, Santo Estêvão […] » As we’re all aware, the Internet is a huge font of information - but it’s not always reliable. The world’s largest organizations are aware of this, and thus more and more sites from official bodies are being posted on the net. This latest one demonstrates […] »José Brandão Coelho Effects of the crisis can be found throughout Portugal and all over Europe – which is why more and more business people consider now the time to invest in new markets.
Angola and Brazil are worlds of new opportunities for whoever wants to expand […] » Carlos Tuta, the former president of Monchique Town Council, is now president of «Terra Exclusiva», the business created to bring Alicoop back from the brink, and reopen the “Alisuper” chain of supermarkets. Indeed, the first Alisuper to reopen its […] » There are town councils in the Algarve, like Tavira, Albufeira and Lagos, that levy a surtax for licensing publicity in foreign languages. Portimão is also at the public discussion phase of a new ruling that will effectively bring in the same level […] » The “Partido Pelos Animais” (PPA), or Party for Animals – a project for a political party in defence of Portugal’s animals – is to launch an Internet petition calling for an end to national bullfights. Paulo Borges of PPA agreed that this was “a […] »As mop-up efforts over «Deepwater Horizon» dip slightly from our consciences – and vanish from TV screens - news comes of another accelerating oil disaster. This one, though, promises to be “even worse than the BP leak in the Gulf”. Oil policy expert […] » There aren’t enough of them, and those available are under‑resourced and working huge amounts of overtime. Summer sees the population of the Algarve almost double – and thus the problems law enforcement officers have to cope with also increase. […] » We finally get to know the number of road deaths in Portugal according to new criteria adopted this year by ANSR (the road safety authority). The data shows that there has been a 30 per cent increase in the number of deaths. This new way of classifying […] » Umbrellas and expensive wallets made out of Algarvian cork were recently on show at New York’s prestigious Museum of Modern Art. When the exhibition ended last month, Sandra Correia – the businesswoman who created the Portuguese label “Pelcor – made […] » Cáritas has opened a new charity fund to support people in need as a result of the current economic crisis.
The fund is the answer to a request by Lisbon’s auxiliary bishop D. Carlos Azevedo, who appealed to all Christians – particularly politicians […] » How would you feel if you were told that the meat you’ve just bought for a nice summer BBQ comes from cloned animals? Nonchalant and relaxed? Would you trill “How lovely!” as you tipped out the charcoal, and stoked up the fire - or would you feel […] »Coastal Algarve Roadworks to improve the EN125 (the national road running along coastal Algarve) will be going ahead in September, although most of the structural changes will start being built in August. The timeline comes from Paulo Campos, assistant Secretary […] » Almost a year since the rock fall in Albufeira’s “Maria Luísa” beach that killed five people, new fines have been introduced for people who court danger. According to a new law, beachgoers who are found in “forbidden”/ closed off areas, or who ignore […] » Transparency international (TI), the NGO set up to fight against corruption, has listed Portugal among countries that apply “little or no heed” to corruption-combating recommendations made by the Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation […] » Harbingers of doom have been rubbing their hands with glee over recent weeks. Never before has so much been said, either openly or behind closed doors, about the prospect of global economic collapse. Whereas depressions in the past have hit particular […] »http://www.formacoesnoalgarve.blogspot.com/ Imagine that you want to deepen your knowledge of a foreign language; learn more about computer technology, or discover a better way of managing your company. Or perhaps you want to enter a new profession; develop a new project? The answer to going […] » Portisub, Portimão’s diving club, is promoting the sport at the Marina beach. To enjoy a baptismal dive with bottles, all you need is to be over the age of 14 and able to swim. Participants between the ages of 14 and 17 should also have a “Term of […] » Deloitte – the international accounting and risk management firm – and Portugal’s golf advisory council (CNIG) have just released a report showing “an overall drop in revenue” during 2009. Last year, the golfing industry lost out on 17.4 per cent […] » |
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