Alcoutim Council has announced that it has been granted European funding to build a waste water treatment plant in Montes do Rio, thus halting a flow of effluent into the Guadiana river.
The Council will receive up to 85% of the total cost of €200,000 to build the modern plant that will take the sewage from Montinho das Laranjeiras, Laranjeiras, Guerreiros do Rio, Álamo and Cortes da Donas.
Taxpayers may have to shovel more money into TAP if there is a call to capitalise and finance the business which is at the start of an extensive fleet replacement programme.
State owned holding company, Parpública, controls the company with 50% of TAP’s shares, which aggravates "the financial responsibilities of the State.”
A new programme of archaeological excavations will increase knowledge of the medieval period of occupation of Cacela Velha, close to the old fortress which remains in danger of collapse.
The excavations will concentrate in the old well area, where the old Islamic quarter is located, and will look for a possible connection to the port and a Christian necropolis.
The Algarve and lower Alentejo remain under a thunderstorm warning this evening after a day of turbulent weather.
"Heavy downpours, hail and accompanied by wind gusts," are still expect on Wednesday evening, according the weather service whose forecast yesterday of a low chance of rain was swiftly upgraded today as storms swept across the Algarve.
The Minister of Planning and Infrastructure has admitted the Montijo airport project is in a mess.
Stating that the government is in negotiations with the French-owned airports concession holder, Vinci Group, Pedro Marquês hopes these will be concluded “later this year” - which can be anything from tomorrow until December 31st.
Portugal welcomed nearly 47,000 foreigners in 2016, the highest figure since 2010 and gave refugee status or international protection to 400 people, double the 2015 number but lamentably low as Portugal rejected two out of every three asylum request.
"Portugal continues to fulfil its commitment, under the European migration agenda, to welcome and settle 4,574 people from Greece and Italy by December 2017," reads the report, skirting around the issue of low numbers choosing Portugal and more than half of those that initially do settle, leave shortly afterwards.
Altice Europe based in the Netherlands is selling parts of its Portuguese telecoms business to pay off some of its huge borrowings.
French assets also are being realised with a private equity company taking a 49% stake in the national mobile phone mast business.
In defence of what many perceive to be indefensible, associations in Spain, France and Portugal have joined forces to promote the culture and practice of bullfighting.
The Bull Foundation of Lydia (Spain), the Observatoire National des Cultures Taurines (France) and ProToiro (Portugal) have agreed a tripartite cooperation, signed on June 18th by the presidents of the three organizations: Victorino Martin (FTL), André Viard (ONCT) and Paulo Carvalho (ProToiro).
