Courts across the Algarve are grappling with a shortage of magistrates, thousands of pending investigations, and archives damaged by leaks, rodents, and deteriorating conditions, according to a new report.
Portugal is set to introduce a new law aimed at accelerating the deportation of migrants residing in the country illegally. The draft legislation was approved by the Council of Ministers this Thursday, 19th March, following a period of public consultation. Describing the move as “long overdue”, Minister António Leitão Amaro made the announcement at a press conference.
Lisbon’s Judiciary Police (PJ) have arrested eight people on strong suspicion of aggravated fraud, money laundering, criminal association, and document forgery. The alleged ringleader and the remaining detainees, who acted under his direction, are accused of falsifying property records, unlawfully appropriating and selling homes belonging to golden visa holders who spent extended durations out of the country, making several million euros from the scheme.
Three men, aged 19, 21, and 32, have been arrested on suspicion of raping a 13-year-old girl in the early hours of 4th March in Portimão, the Judiciary Police (PJ) said on Wednesday, 18th March.
The Government has extended the deadline for land clearance to 30th June in municipalities covered by the state of calamity, including Faro, Monchique, and Alcoutim in the Algarve, declared as a result of a series of storms which hit Portugal with a drastic and multifaceted impact last month, as part of land management measures. Meanwhile, 31st May has been set as the cut-off date for all other municipalities.
The Azores regional delegation of the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) has given the name Therese to a new storm on the horizon, set to bring rain, strong winds, and rough seas from the evening of Tuesday, 17th March, through to Saturday, 21st March, with the Centre and South of the country, including the Algarve, expected to be hardest hit.
The National Republican Guard (GNR) has recorded a total of 406 accidents involving electric scooters in the Algarve since 2019, resulting in two fatalities, both in 2023. This comes as some municipalities are clamping down on the usage of the low-cost vehicle.
Authorities in the Algarve are engaged in a race against the clock to get the region’s renowned beaches looking spick-and-span for this year’s peak tourism season. This comes as a report released by the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) last week reveals that the beach berm at Albufeira’s famous Praia do Peneco has retreated by as much as 24 metres, whilst at Praia do Forte Novo, in Loulé, the dunes have receded by up to 15 metres.
