Portugal has devised an innovative way to prevent plastic waste from contaminating the oceans
A remarkably innovative way to help prevent plastic waste from contaminating the oceans has been devised in Portugal - ‘bubble barriers'.
Portugal has long been at the forefront of combating plastic pollution. Specialist researchers warn that every minute of every day, the equivalent of one garbage truckload of plastic waste enters our oceans. In Europe alone, an estimated 825 million pieces of plastic end up in the sea yearly. Experts caution that by 2040, this figure could reach a staggering 37 million tonnes annually. This includes huge quantities of microplastics, which are killing hundreds of marine species and severely endangering human health by infiltrating our food chain. This is not alarmist speculation - it is a reality that demands urgent action.
The coastal town of Vila do Conde in northern Portugal has joined forces with scientists to create a ‘bubble barrier’ in the Ave River. This relatively simple yet highly effective system uses a curtain of air bubbles to trap plastic waste in a container before it can reach the Atlantic. Plastics - even microplastics - can then be eliminated. So far, the ‘bubble barrier’ has successfully intercepted 86% of the plastics in the river.
Further high-tech methods may help address this growing crisis, but municipalities, businesses, and individuals also need to play their part by actively collecting and reducing plastic waste – both near the water and elsewhere.
Written by Len Port
Portimão: man arrested for sexual abuse of a teenager
Portimão police have arrested a 45 year old man on suspicion of sexual abuse of a teenager for several weeks, at the end of last year.
The young woman only reported what had happened recently, because she was firghtened and felt ashamed.
“The incidents began and continued inside the suspect’s home, taking advantage of a relationship with the girls parent and so living with the teenager," says the Judicial Police statement released today.
According to the police statement , the sexual acts were carried out repeatedly, taking place over several weeks and always happened when the suspect and teenager were alone, in one of the rooms in the house, away from the eyes of the rest of the family”.
Bravura Dam: modernisation work begins, to fix current leaks
The Bravura dam in the Algarve will begin modernisation work in the coming weeks to prevent current water leaks, an initial investment of 11.2 million euros for the first phase.
António Marreiros, president of the Alvor Irrigators and Beneficiaries Association says,“it is a project worth 11 million and 200 thousand euros, plus VAT, and is supported by funds from the Recovery and Resilience Plan. It is a project that will begin in the first half of this year, and will be completed during the year 2026”.
The Bravura dam, the second in Portugal with the lowest percentage of its capacity filled, had at the beginning of this week only 17% of its total capacity, just 5,819 of the 34,825 cubic decametres of its maximum limit, according to the weekly bulletin of the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) on the water availability of Portuguese dams.
Also known as the Odiáxere dam, the Bravura Dam is located in Lagos, having been designed in 1955 and been in operation since 1958.
The project will have two phases, the first of which to modernise the Alvor irrigation perimeter will begin after choosing the company that will build a pumping station and a filtering station, with a reservoir with a water storage capacity for two days, as well as a section of the future main pipeline.
This first phase will be completed in 2026 and in the same year a second phase will begin, the amount of financing for which has not yet been defined, which foresees the pressurisation of the entire irrigation perimeter.
“Yes, we are always dependent on rain, but water management and water savings will be completely different. With the modernized perimeter, with pressurization, we will eliminate leaks and water losses by more than 90%,” assured António Marreiros.
In 2024, it was possible only to supply some water to farmers, but not every day: “It was in phases, every other week, but we had to keep the canal full, otherwise we would have been losing more water”.
“In order to have some water available for farmers, we need to reach 8,000 cubic decameters. We are still a little short, according to our contingency plan, of being able to provide water to farmers,” Marreiros stressed.
Due to the drought situation, in the last two years the water in the dam has been at very low levels and has only been used for public supply: “Our farmers have spent two years without enough water to grow crops, both seasonal and permanent crops”.
ARBA, which has around 900 beneficiaries with 1,800 hectares of surface area, has a contract with the State to manage, maintain and distribute water from the Bravura dam until 2031.
“At the moment, it is almost a crime to waste water. The investments will be very beneficial. Especially since the water from our dam, which was built for agricultural purposes, now also supplies the entire public sector, the public supply that is also essential in the region”, said João Mendes, owner and farmer who benefits greatly from the Alvor irrigation system.
The dam was initially built for agricultural purposes, but now it also serves public consumption needs, which includes the tourism sector, where large hotel villages and golf courses are located.
“The fact is that consumption has doubled in the last 30 years. The population of the Algarve was perhaps less than 400,000, and I think it is now around 600,000 or 700,000. And another thing is that in the past there were less than 100 tourist developments, and now there are thousands,” warned the farmer.
The Algarve is experiencing a drought, but as its stands, after the rains that have fallen since last November, it now has water in its six dams that can supply all types of consumers for more than a year.
Woman arrested for stealing a safe from an elderly woman's house
The GNR in Loulé have arrested as 46 year old woman for stealing a safe from an elderly lady's home, opportunistically while the house was on fire.
According to the GNR, “during a fire that occurred at the 89 year old womans home, the suspect stole a safe that contained cash inside”.
Police searched the suspects home, and seized several objects: two coffee machines; two cell phones; a hair straightener; a smartwatch; a power bank; a games console; and a pressure cooker. These are thought to have been purchased using the cash from the safe.
Details have been referred to the Loulé Judicial Court.
National Road Safety Authority warn against a new scam which asks you to pay a €120 fine
The National Road Safety Authority (ANSR) has issued a warning about a new email fraud attempt that is circulating, associated with the payment of a €120 fine.
The ANSR say that it does not send fine notifications via email and asks the public to be aware of possible fraudulent schemes.
According to ANSR, recipients of these email messages are informed that they have been fined €120 euros for a traffic violation and are requested to make payment via a link included in the email. However, this is a 'phishing' scheme, used to steal users' personal details and banking details.
The emails associated with this fraud look very official and state that the fine must be paid by the end of February. The sender of the email message uses a false identity and includes a link that redirects victims to a fraudulent website, where they are asked to enter banking information.
The ANSR stresses that it never sends fine notifications by email and that all official communications are made by physical mail. Therefore, it warns drivers not to click on any links included in these emails and not to make any payments through the resulting pages.
Anyone who receives one of these fraudulent messages should report it to the police.
You can always check the credibility of an email sender before opening any suspicious message, for instance they often have a strange email address, made up of random combinations of letters and numbers, often associated with foreign website domains. Many of these fraudulent emails contain grammatical and spelling errors, which may indicate that it is not an official communication.
To avoid falling victim to 'phishing' schemes, such as this fraud involving the payment of fines, experts recommend not providing personal or banking details on unverified pages and always be suspicious of messages that call for urgent action, such as immediate payment of an amount.
Using security software and spam filters can help reduce the risk of receiving these types of messages. Keeping your system up to date and using two-factor authentication for online banking can also help improve your digital security.
'Phishing' schemes are increasingly sophisticated, imitating communications from legitimate entities to deceive citizens. In recent years, there have been several fraud attempts related to false notifications of fines, taxes and even telecommunications services, so it is essential to be alert and informed.
In case of doubt, citizens can always contact ANSR through official channels to confirm the authenticity of any communication received.
The best way to avoid falling for fraudulent schemes is to adopt a critical and cautious approach. Digital security starts with prevention and attention to detail, thus avoiding financial losses and possible identity theft.
VRSA: office created to support the unemployed and young entrepreneurs
The Parish of Vila Real de Santo António has launched the Employment and Entrepreneurship Support Office, a new space dedicated to supporting job searches, creating CVs and providing information on setting up companies.
In addition to individual support, the new office aims to be a meeting point to encourage entrepreneurship, especially among young people, helping them develop business ideas and start their own projects. For the long-term unemployed, the office will offer ongoing support, strategies for an active job search and professional retraining programs, facilitating their reintegration into the job market.
The Employment and Entrepreneurship Support Office operates every Tuesday, from 9:00 to 15:00, at the Vila Real de Santo António Parish Council building, Marquis of Pombal Square, in Vila Real de Santo António. The office can also be contacted on 281 510 000
Valentim Santos, president of the Parish Council, highlights that “it is essential that this office establishes strategic partnerships with local schools and with the Youth Unit of the Municipal Council”, reinforcing the importance of the connection between the office and the educational community.
The mayor also highlights that “schools are privileged environments for identifying young people with entrepreneurial potential, and for promoting career guidance programs. In turn, the Youth Unit has a deep understanding of the needs and aspirations of young people in our community, and can provide valuable insights and support in implementing targeted initiatives. Therefore, the implementation of this office in our parish council will not only respond to the current needs of our community, but will also contribute to local economic development, promoting social inclusion and the well-being of our young people and the long-term unemployed”.
Portimão: firefighters save two English teenagers from drowning
A team from the Portimão Volunteer Firefighters rescued two English teenagers from drowning at a beach in Alvor, on Friday afternoon.
The alert was made at 5:32 pm on Friday afternoon, February 21st, that there were two youing people in danger of drowning at Três Irmãos beach, in Alvor.
A total of 11 members of the Portimão Volunteer Firefighters, the Maritime Authority and GNR rushed to the scene to help the youngsters.
The two youngsters were a 14 year old boy, in a serious condition and a 16 year old girl who suffered minor injuries. Both were taken to Faro Hospital.
This team of firefighters from Portimão ensures surveillance on the municipality's beaches outside the peak tourist season, between October 1st and May 31st.
The measure was taken and announced by the local Council in October last year, justifying it by the fact that this municipality “is a destination sought after by thousands of visitors also in the so-called low tourist season”, thus justifying the need for beaches to be monitored throughout the year.
Europe is concerned as Trump appears to switch sides
Following the security conference in Munich and the European summit in Paris, Portugal and most other European countries have dismissed President Trump’s absurd accusations against his former allies, while switching sides and befriending President Putin.
In one of his blusters, Trump accused Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy of being a “dictator”.
FACT: As confirmed by all top international news outlets, Zelenskyy is not a dictator. He won a landslide victory in the second round of Ukraine’s national election in 2019. He gained global respect after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Trump accused Zelenskyy of refusing to hold elections.
Trump claimed Zelenskyy had a job approval rating of just 4%.
Trump claimed Ukraine was to blame for starting the war.
Trump has also claimed that Ukraine wants to prolong the war “to keep the gravy train going,” meaning continuing aid for the war effort provided by the United States under the Biden administration.
Having turned his back on Ukraine and his NATO allies in Europe and Britain, Trump is looking forward to having a personal meeting with Putin, to build on the extensive phone conversation he has already had with the Russian leader.
The danger with Trump is that he is so capricious and unpredictable that no one knows what is coming next. The fear is that he will fully betray America’s allies, putting Europe and the wider world at serious risk."
Russia stands as the most easterly country in Europe, while Portugal is the most westerly. Despite the distance between them, Portugal has every reason to be deeply concerned about the ongoing situation. As tensions continue to rise and alliances look to be shifting, Europe faces an uncertain future.
Written by Len Port
