Portuguese bettor wins the EuroMillions
The EuroMillions first prize, valued at around 67 million euros, went to a Portuguese bettor this Tuesday, in the Porto district, only the second EuroMillions first prize to be won in Portugal since the game was launched in 2004.
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News that quickly spread and left many betting enthusiasts dreaming of the possibility of becoming millionaires. But how much does the State retain from this millionaire prize and how are the prizes paid?
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According to information provided by the Santa Casa Games, prizes exceeding 5,000 euros are subject to Stamp Tax, at a rate of 20%, in accordance with current legislation.
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In the case of this prize of more than 67 million euros, it means that the State will be able to collect at least 13.4 million euros through the tax.
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How premiums are paid is also an important issue. For prizes equal to or less than €150, players can receive them where they purchased their ticket or at the Santa Casa Gaming Department's offices.
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Prizes greater than €150 and less than €2,000 are paid by bank transfer at intermediaries or at the Gaming Department's facilities. Prizes equal to or greater than €2,000 and less than €5,000 are paid by bank transfer after identification in person at the mediators or at the Gaming Department.
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Finally, for prizes equal to or greater than €5,000 euros, payment is made by bank transfer, after a period of 12 days, counted from in-person identification at the Gaming Department's facilities. The personal identification data of the winners are collected to comply with legislation to combat money laundering, and are processed by Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa, according to the legislation relating to the protection of personal data.
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The right to prizes expires 90 days after the date of the competition. Therefore, winners have 90 days to claim their prize, after which it will no longer be available.
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Faro Airport: Man arrested for carrying 10 kilos of hashish
A 55 year old man was detained at Faro airport yesterday, on suspicion of drug trafficking as he prepared to travel to the United Kingdom with 10 kilos of hashish.
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The man, who was travelling alone, “disguised several packs of hashish distributed over different parts of his body," said the police statement.
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The man, with a police and judicial record for violent crimes and drug trafficking, also had money with him, in UK bank notes.
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After attending his first judicial interrogation, in Faro yesterday, the man has been detained. The investigation continues under the responsibility of the Judicial Police.
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Agreement reached between the UK and Portugal on mutual recognition and exchange of driving licences
The UK and Portugal have today signed an agreement on the mutual recognition and exchange of driving licences.
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An agreement that will ensure continued recognition of UK driving licences in Portugal and an ability to exchange for a Portuguese licence without taking a test has been signed today. His Majesty’s Ambassador to Portugal, Chris Sainty, and the Portuguese Ambassador to the UK, Nuno Brito, met to sign the agreement at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office in London.
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The agreement, once it enters into force, will enable holders of driving licences issued in the United Kingdom and in Gibraltar to continue to drive in Portugal on their existing licence until it expires, provided they register their Portuguese address with the licensing authority. The agreement also provides the ability for UK and Gibraltar licence holders to exchange their licence for a Portuguese equivalent, without needing to sit a theory or practical test. There is provision for the exchange of expired licences, as long as the licence expired not more than 2 years before being presented for exchange, as well as for lost and stolen licences, subject to domestic procedures.
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The new agreement builds on existing arrangements to provide guaranteed and uniform treatment for all UK licence holders, as well as those issued in Gibraltar. The agreement is reciprocal, with Portuguese licences recognised for driving in the UK and Gibraltar and exchangeable without a test if the holder becomes resident.
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The agreement will now proceed to the ratification stage in both the UK and Portugal, with the intention that it can take effect at the beginning of 2024.
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British Ambassador to Portugal, Chris Sainty, said:
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"I am delighted that we have reached agreement with Portugal that will mean UK licence holders resident here can use their UK licence for the duration of its validity and, if and when necessary, exchange it for a Portuguese one without needing to take any driving test. This allows a level playing field for all UK and Gibraltar licence holders to continue driving lawfully and guarantees recognition and exchange rights for all.”
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"The agreement was reached after an extended period of technical negotiations between London and Lisbon, with the continued and active cooperation of the Portuguese Government and the Institute of Mobility and Transport (IMT), to whom I would like to express my gratitude. The result is an agreement that simplifies driving requirements for UK and Portuguese licence holders travelling, working and living in each of our countries, demonstrating a shared commitment to our deep and enduring people-to-people links.”
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“We are now working hard with the Portuguese Government to bring the agreement into effect as quickly as possible, replacing the existing interim arrangements. We will provide further updates in due course via our Living in Portugal Guide on the GOV.UK website, as well as through the Embassy’s social media channels.”
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About British Embassy LisbonÂ
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The British Embassy in Portugal is responsible for developing and maintaining bilateral relations between the UK and Portugal. Its mission is to promote the objectives and policies of the British Government in Portugal, supporting British companies doing business in Portugal, encouraging foreign investment in the UK, and providing consular assistance to British residents and visitors to Portugal as necessary. The two countries have been close allies for over six hundred and fifty years under the oldest diplomatic alliance in the world.
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W:Â https://www.gov.uk/world/organisations/british-embassy-lisbon
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Thousands of Flixbus tickets to and from the Algarve from 99 cents
Autumn brings new routes and cities on the Flixbus domestic network in Portugal, and to celebrate there are thousands of tickets starting at just €0.99.
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There are three new lines that the German mobility operator launches this month with a promotional campaign running until October 25th, for trips to be made between October 30th and November 26th, with tickets priced from €0.99 to €2.99.
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The trip from Portimão to Porto, or from Faro Airport to Lisbon costs just €0.99, the same price to return.
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Departing from Lisbon to Albufeira, Lagos, Portimão, Porto, Coimbra and Faro there are trips for €2.99 and you can return for the same price.
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Chaves, Penafiel and Mirandela are the three new cities in the North to receive FlixBus' green buses, which now have several daily connections to Porto and Porto airport. FlixBus will be offering a new connection between GuimarĂŁes and Viseu starting this month, which will connect these cities to Porto and Porto airport, passing through Aveiro.
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From Oct 23rd, the operation in Coimbra, Leiria and Fátima will be reinforced with a new line destined for Sintra and Cascais. Tickets are now on sale.
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Tickets are already available on the website, in the app, and at physical points of sale.
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Transporting passengers on long-distance buses is an increasingly popular alternative to travelling by private car, not only because they are comfortable and sustainable, but also because a bus trip can cost up to ten times less than a car trip, taking practically the same time. It is currently one of the most sustainable and environmentally friendly modes of transport.
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Operating in Portugal since 2017, FlixBus brought a new way of travelling to the Portuguese market, more comfortable, economical and sustainable. The green buses that operate FlixBus lines are new, more comfortable, and with extra leg room. They have free WiFi access and an on-board entertainment service, and all buses are equipped with sockets for PCs, cell phones and tablets. The buses also comply with the Euro VI standard, the most demanding in Europe in terms of CO2 emissions, and are also the most efficient and sustainable on the market.
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PSD demands progress from the Algarve Oncological Center
The president of PSD Algarve, CristĂłvĂŁo Norte, today demanded the advancement of the Algarve Oncological Center, which he says is at risk of being stopped after two entities supervised by the Ministry of Health issued unfavourable opinions to the project.
In a statement, the political leader states that the unfavourable opinions come from the Algarve Regional Health Administration (ARS) and from the commission that coordinates studies aimed at the eventual launch of the new central hospital in the Algarve.
“Despite, in March of this year, the public commitment of the Prime Minister, António Costa, to advance the project, we wonder what his word is worth in so many areas of life in the Algarve and the country”, reads his statement.
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At the end of June, the Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Algarve (CHUA) awarded the execution and specialty projects for the oncology center, which will allow up to 3000 cancer patients to be treated in a single space per year.
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“The process relating to the new Southern Reference Oncological Center threatens to turn into an absurd Kafkaesque plot, such are the complications to which it is subject”, continues Cristóvão Norte.
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For the president of the PSD Algarve, it is “absurd” that the Government establishes that a project is to be carried out, and that it is entities that supervise it that prevent the process from progressing, "while five million euros a year are spent to send cancer patients to Spain” .
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According to the person responsible, the project already has a guaranteed community contribution of 60% of the total value for the center, which would amount to 14 million euros.
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“Absurdly, it already has a scheduled date for it to start operating, at the end of 2024. Surprisingly, the project has already signed a protocol between the Association of Faro/Loulé Municipalities and CHUA, the only entity responsible for the construction, maintenance and exploitation of all resources”, he continues.
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According to Cristóvão Norte, this project is vital “to respond to 1,500 patients diagnosed with cancer in the region, ensuring that they can be more quickly diagnosed and treated in the Algarve, putting an end to the ordeal of going to Spain or Lisbon for treatments."
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“Some say that the oncology center should be located within the future hospital, others say that it should be next door. It is urgent to solve this problem”, he highlights.
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The center is expected to occupy an area of ​​around 5500 square metres and will bring together all the necessary skills in the field of Oncology and Imaging, so that patients do not need to leave the Algarve region to be treated.
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Every year, there are around 1,500 cancer patients diagnosed annually in the Algarve and several are referred for examinations and treatments in Lisbon or Seville, respectively, 280 and 200 kilometres from Faro.
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Algarve Food Bank receives the MSD Maria José Nogueira Pinto award
Algarve food bank, Banco Alimentar do Algarve, has been distinguished in the 11th edition of the MSD Maria José Nogueira Pinto award. The ceremony took place at the Palácio dos Marqueses de Fronteira, in Lisbon, and was attended by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of the Republic, and Manuel Pizarro, Minister of Health.
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The fourth largest food bank in the country won with a project that aims to improve the distribution of food to the most needy in the Algarve region.
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The project, «E-Integrar» appears within the scope of the Associação Pró-Partilha e Inserção do Algarve, with the purpose of boosting the Algarve Food Bank.
This project will receive €15,000 thousand that will be used to build a digital platform for managing and distributing food support, with the aim of meeting the population's essential needs, without them having to expose themselves.
«E-Integrar» allows the food bank to cross-reference all the information of those interested in receiving support, ensuring that the food reaches those who really need it. Furthermore, the project aims to impose greater justice and equity in the distribution of food.
In collaboration with the University of Algarve, the Algarve Health Administration and the Faculty of Nutrition and Food Sciences of the University of Porto, «E-Integrar» takes into account the nutritional criteria of foods, in order to prepare healthier baskets .
Nuno Cabrita Alves, president of the BAA, emphasized that this is "a victory that highlights the work of Banco Alimentar do Algarve and highlights its position in the country. It is important to thank all the partners, institutions and volunteers who have always supported Banco Alimentar do Algarve", he said.
Seasonal work linked to tourism, low wages and rising inflation have led to an increase in requests for help from the Algarve Food Bank. "We count, more than ever, on the support of volunteers to be able to support the thousands of families in need in the Algarve region", appealed Nuno Cabrita Alves.
At the moment, the Algarve Food Bank helps 22,500 people, a number that way exceeds the 15,500 people who were being supported in the pre-covid-19 pandemic period.
