Portugal’s Prime Minister, António Costa, today spent time hugging trees in Loulé, visiting Monchique firefighters who had not been paid for a year, and ended the day answering tricky oil related questions posed by journalists.
Today was Children’s Day, noted in the Algarve by a visit from the smiley PM who started his tour by hugging trees with a thousands of green T-shirted kids, ‘in defence of the forest’ at the 'Um Abraço Verde' event in Duarte Pacheco park in Loulé.
The Social Democratic Party has questioned the government about its lack of response to the damage and resulting risks that were identified after the violent storms that hit the Algarve coast in late February and early March, 2018.
"We questioned the Environment Minister because, to date, we are not aware of any progress in this process. The Government's lack of response to the vast array of situations requiring urgent intervention is worrying," said local MPs, José Carlos Barros and Cristóvão Norte.
Representatives from the citizens' movement for the EN125’s eastern section have handed a petition to parliament, signed by 7,133 people.
Demanding that the crumbling road receives an immediate upgrade, between Olhão and Vila Real de Santo António, locals are angry that the government has failed to maintain one of the two entry roads to the Allgarve region used by hundreds of thousands of tourists during the holiday season - and by locals, all year round, as they try and go about their necessary business.
Faro to Milan Malpensa Airport is now open as an easyJet aircraft landed today on the route's inaugural flight. The airline's Faro to Naples service will start in July.
The twice a week Milan Malpensa - Faro service is scheduled for Mondays and Fridays with the Faro-Naples route, opening on the 24th of July, flying on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Following highly publicised queues at Faro airport, as hundreds of passengers experienced delays at passport control, the Foreigners and Borders Service is to ensure a further 13 officers will be on duty as from June 1st.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, SEF management announced a reinforcement of 36 inspectors for Lisbon Airport, 16 for Porto, two for Ponta Delgada and two for Funchal.
A fire that started at 1:33 on Monday afternoon in the Monchique area was tackled by 130 firefighters with help from aerial support.
The flames tore through scrubland in the Ribeira das Canas area, near the county border with Portimão.
The managing director of Lidl Portugal said that the retailer is planning to invest in Portugal this year, 40% more than last year due to buoyant market conditions.
"This fiscal year, we will invest €100 million," Massimiliano Silvestri told a meeting with journalists at Lidl Portugal headquarters in Sintra.
Faro, long heralded as Portugal’s capital of motorcycling, hosted the start of the 20th Lés-a-Lés organised by the Motorcycling Federation of Portugal and many of its associated motorcycle clubs, Councils, parishes and corporates.
More than 2,000 motorcyclists on 1,800 motorcycles headed to Faro for technical and document checks in Largo de S. Francisco, before departing on the Faro to Felgueiras tour.
