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Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 7th June 2023

 

By Mike Evans

Good Day to you all and in the Algarve this week we have seen a lot of warm weather with the forecast of rain over the next few days. The temperatures are due to remain above the average for the time of year and the UV levels are expected to remain very high so make sure you and any guests you may have with you are well protected.

With the news this week that tourism in the region is now well on the way to equalling the summer of 2019 this means that the roads are beginning to get clogged up especially the N125. With the added factor of possibly very wet roads it is imperative we keep our distance and stick to the speed limits to make sure everyone is safe. We have seen a number of accidents in the last week with one yesterday on the A22 which saw three vehicles involved and four people were taken to hospital, luckily with minor injuries. The same cannot be said however for the motorcyclist who sadly lost his life in a crash near Olhao on Monday.

Here is a more detailed look at these stories and others from around the region in the past week.

Man Dies in Motorcycle Crash in Olhão

A man aged around 40 died this Monday in Olhão, following a collision with the motorcycle he was riding, said a Civil Protection source. A source from the Algarve Sub-regional Command also said that the accident resulted in a slight injury, a woman aged around 40.

The alert for the screening was given at around 7:50 pm and the death of the fatal victim, a man aged around 40, was declared on the spot by the doctor from the Medical Emergency and Resuscitation Vehicle (VMER). There were also firefighters from Olhão, Cruz Vermelha and São Brás de Alportel, a total of 17 elements, supported by seven vehicles.

The GNR took care of the occurrence.

Three Vehicle  Collision Forces Closure of the A22

An accident involving three light vehicles on the A22 (Via do Infante), in the Alcantarilha area, caused four minor injuries on Tuesday 6 June and forced the road to be cut, in the Faro -Portimão direction, Civil Protection reported .

Rescue teams received the alert at around 8:27 am and were helping the injured, who were transported to the hospital, and removing vehicles from the road for more than two and a half hours, with circulation having been restored by 11:05 am, said a source. of the Algarve District Relief Operations Command (CDOS).

“It was an accident at kilometre 40, in the Alcantarilha (Silves) area, towards Faro-Portimão, with three light vehicles and which resulted in four injuries”, said the source, stressing that the victims were transported to the hospital with minor injuries. Providing assistance on site were around 30 operators, with 12 vehicles, including members of the GNR, Silves Firefighters and the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM), according to Civil Protection.

Two Men  Arrested for Robbery in Portimão

 The Faro District Command of the PSP , through the Criminal Investigation Squadron of the Portimão Police Division, arrested two citizens, aged 21 and 31, for committing the crime of robbery, it was announced today.

“Following the news of a robbery carried out on one of the avenues of the city of Portimão, in the early hours of June 1, the Portimão Criminal Investigation Squadron immediately began investigative measures”, can be read in a statement.

“It was found that two men, through physical aggression and threat with a knife, took a wallet from a citizen, as well as tried to withdraw money from ATMs in the vicinity”, continues the note. After collecting the evidence, which included the collection of images obtained through the CCTV system, installed in the Praia da Rocha area, the two suspects were located “on Friday afternoon,, through a warrant issued by the Criminal Police Authority”, reveals the PSP.

The detainees were present for the first judicial interrogation on Saturday, the 3rd, being applied the coercive measure of periodic presentations at the PSP while awaiting trial.

Woman Seriously Injured by Hit and Run Driver on N125

A collision between two vehicles on National Road (EN) 125 followed by a person being run over, in Vila Nova de Cacela, in the municipality of Vila Real de Santo António , this Monday caused a serious injury, said a Civil Protection source.

A source from the Algarve Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command said that the victim of the hit-and-run is an 80-year-old woman, transported to the Basic Emergency Service in Vila Real de Santo António.

According to the same source, the EN 125 was closed to traffic in both directions on that section from 08:56. The accident also caused two other victims who at 09:40 were still being assisted and whose health status was not known.

Sixteen operational personnel went to the site, including elements from the Vila Real de Santo António Firefighters, the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM) and the GNR,  supported by six vehicles.

More than Half a Ton of Hashish Seized in Southern Portugal

The authorities seized on the 2nd June in the early morning, more than half a ton of hashish thrown into the sea by the crew, who fled, from two high-speed vessels in international waters, in the south of Portugal, announced the Portuguese Navy .

Under a joint operation between the National Maritime Authority, the Portuguese Navy and the Portuguese Air Force, suspicious movements of two vessels related to drug trafficking were monitored, which were detected and pursued, the Navy said in a statement.

“During the pursuit, the suspects on board the high-speed boats threw all the narcotic product into the sea, having collected 16 bales of hashish, corresponding to 560 kilos”, reads the note. The operation involved a Navy ship, nautical resources operated by Marines and resources from the National Maritime Authority, operated by the Maritime Police, and an aircraft from the Portuguese Air Force.

The drug was transported to the local command of the Faro Maritime Police and handed over to the Judiciary Police (PJ), in order to carry out the investigation steps.

2.4 tons of Illegally Transported Sardines Seized

The Coastal Control Unit (UCC) of the GNR seized on Thursday, in Portimão , 2.4 tonnes of sardines that were being illegally transported in a vehicle without having gone through the auction, the police corporation announced today.

The seizure was made by the Portimão Coastal Control Sub-detachment and the 2.4 kilos of sardines (sardina pilchardus) were then sold at auction, with the resulting value of the operation being placed “captive to the order of the process”, explained the GNR in a statement .

The security force stressed that the fish was located during an inspection carried out in the fishing port of the Algarve city, aimed at “controlling the rules for capturing, landing and marketing sardines”. During the inspection, the UCC military detected “an infraction for transporting fish outside the auction grounds, in violation of legal norms”, identified the driver of the transport vehicle, a 69-year-old man, and “drafted the respective report of administrative offence”, clarified the GNR.

“The Coastal Control Unit recalls that the capture of the sardine species must be carried out in order to guarantee, in the long term, the environmental, economic and social sustainability of the fishery, in accordance with the guidelines of the national and community entities that monitor the sector”.

Man Arrested who Tried to Steal a Car with Passenger Inside

The judicial authorities ordered the preventive detention of a man who tried to steal a car, threatening the passengers with a gun, in Paderne ( Albufeira ), as well as a house, in the area of ​​Tunes ( Silves ), announced the Public Ministry.

The 71-year-old detainee was accused of two crimes of attempted theft, after failing to complete the theft of the car and its passengers, or the theft of the house, committed with another person and in which the owners were attacked, said the Public Prosecutor’s Office for the district of Faro in a statement.

The Faro district attorney’s office specified that, on “May 19, 2023, at around 3 pm, in a parking lot in the Paderne area, the detainee, armed with a pistol, got into the back seat of a car, where the driver was already there. and a passenger”, and threatened the occupants of the vehicle with a gun, ordering them to leave the scene.

“The driver started the vehicle and immediately sounded his horn to alert passers-by. Meanwhile, the passenger got out of the car. Immediately, under the threat of a pistol, the detainee forced the driver to also leave the vehicle and sat in the driver’s seat”, added the same source, stressing that the man was unaware of the vehicle’s automatic shift system and could not start. .

Unable to move forward with the car, and wielding the gun, he ended up getting out of the car and threatening the passenger who had left the vehicle to hand him her wallet, added the Public Ministry.

The man again tried to carry out a robbery on May 26, in an isolated house in Tunes, in the municipality of Silves, “accompanied by another person” and wearing a balaclava, said the Public Ministry.

The same source noted that the companion of the detainee “went inside the house, having butted the head of the owner who was at the street door” and, inside the residence, “the detainee demanded ‘the card and the money’”, a request that was refused by the owner, and the two got involved in a fight that resulted in the removal of the balaclava from the detainee’s head and the two men fleeing the scene.

“Beginning in 1985, the detainee served several prison sentences totaling more than 18 years and was now on parole”, highlighted the Faro Prosecutor’s Office, stressing that the Public Prosecutor’s Office requested the application of the prison coercion measure and the request “was granted” by the investigating judge, after the first judicial questioning of the detainee.

Algarve Had The Highest Number of Child Victims of Crime and Violence in 2022

Faro is the district in Portugal with the highest prevalence of children and young people victims of crime and violence in 2022, with 674 cases, followed by Lisbon and Braga, revealed the Portuguese Association for Victim Support (APAV).

The study “Children and Young People Victims of Crime and Violence – Statistics 2022” carried out by APAV, shows that Faro registered 674 cases of children and young people victims of crime and/or violence (26% of the total registered by APAV), Lisbon registered 392 cases (15.1%) and Braga 288 (11.1%).

The technical advisor to the APAV board, Carla Ferreira, said that one of the reasons is probably related to the fact that it is a region where there is seasonality and many people transit. The other possible reason may be related to the offer that APAV provides in the Algarve region. In the case of Faro “there are fewer support entities and, therefore, eventually more requests for help are channelled to our support services. But we’re also talking here about many situations, for example, seasonal, people who come here temporarily, there is a situation of violence and they also end up coming here. Therefore, this greater concentration of responses from APAV also tends to give expression to the district itself”, considered Carla Ferreira.

Until the next time Stay Safe…

 

 

 

 

Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 7th June 2023

 

Good morning – We start with the drought conditions in the Algarve, far different to the very heavy rain experienced in the north of the mainland and Madeira over the last few days.

Safe Communities is a member of the Local Council for Monitoring Climate Action in the Municipality of Loulé (CLA) and therefore participated in the 8th meeting of the CLA on Monday. The meeting was aimed at learning new ways of adapting to droughts, mitigating floods impact, and tackling water shortage in the Algarve. All very relevant.

It was clear from the Minister who attended that, despite the measures already adopted in the Algarve, such as reducing the quota of water for agriculture and golf at the Odeleite dam or the closure of municipal swimming pools, there may be more in the pipeline. If consumption increases substantially and the measures we have adopted are not enough, we will probably have to take more», he admitted.

“We must progressively introduce rational measures, but we also know that we must bet a lot on reducing consumption: the level of consumption this year, in the Algarve, is higher than last year”, he added.

It is not surprising water consumption has increased as in April/May we experienced higher than normal temperatures and there was an increase in tourism. It is important therefore that everyone does their best to conserve water – it is an individual, municipal and national responsibility.

The Madeira is how suffering from an unseasonable depression which has caused record breaking rainfall of over 600 mm of rain in parts of Madeira. We also have folds and heavy downpours accompanied by large hailstorms in parts of the north especially, and also the centre. I between all this there has been some moderate fires but not of a major scale.

What do fires and floods have in common? Simple the effects of extreme weather caused by climate change. In the short term there is little we can do to change this course, but there is much that can be done in reducing the impacts. This why climate adaptation and being prepared by taking the right actions now is so important.

Safe Communities is very much involved in this process in terms of disaster management through risk communication, awareness and preparedness.

On a completely different subject yesterday we posted an item of security of passwords. Many families have internet connected devices for their child or home. Internet connected devices are devices or toys that are connected to the internet via WiFi, Bluetooth or a physical connection like a USB cable. They can also be connected to each other.

Internet connected devices can send and receive data, respond to voice commands and be controlled remotely using a smartphone app. They can also be called ‘the internet of things’. Internet connected devices can have similar risks to devices like smartphones and tablets. For example: baby monitors, children’s tablets and even remote-control helicopters or drone toys, can be hacked and used by people outside of your home These can be more likely to happen if the devices aren’t set up properly and this includes the setting pf passwords. Many will come with a pre-set password for instance 00000000 so it is important to change this to a secure/strong password which you have not used elsewhere. Also check the default setting as this may include a GPS locator which has been activated! A frightening thought for a young child vulnerable in so many ways

News:

Oscar Depression in Madeira: number of homeless people continues to

The Civil Protection Service of Madeira registered a total of 71 occurrences and in Funchal alone there are already 22 people displaced. The rain, meanwhile, began to give a truce.

In Madeira, the rain has started to slow down but the effects of the Óscar depression are still present on the island. SIC reporter Marta Caires updated the latest data on the effects of depression.

“The number of evacuees increased throughout this Tuesday and there are now 22 people left without housing in Funchal alone”, said the journalist.

The Civil Protection Service of Madeira registered a total of 71 occurrences between Monday and Tuesday related to the passage of the depression through the archipelago, mobilizing 72 means and 178 operators.

The south coast and the mountainous regions of the island have been under red warning since 15:00 on Monday due to the forecast of heavy and persistent rain due to the passage of the Óscar depression.

According to the SIC journalist, “the number of landslides and homelessness continues to increase”, taking into account the conditions, the Municipal Civil Protection decided that the best thing is to remove people.

 

Electrical failure affects services of telecommunications operators

Customers of the three telecommunications operators – Meo, Nos and Vodafone – began to report constraints in accessing the internet, shortly before 1600 hrs on Tuesday. The situation was due to a failure in Equinix’s Lisbon ‘data centre’, confirmed the technology company, which has already ensured that all services were “quickly restored”

Today there was a brief interruption in the ‘data center’ of Portugal LS1 International Business Exchange (1BX), which affected some Equinix services”, reads a note made public at 19:00.

The ‘data center’ platform assured that the situation – which was said to be an electrical failure – was “quickly controlled” and that services have already been restored. According to the same note, Equinix is ​​investigating the cause of the problem, which affected, among other companies, several telecommunications operators.

Equinix is ​​present on five continents with more than 200 data centers and provides servers that allow companies around the world to connect with customers and partners anywhere in the world, in addition to storing information.

According to the GigaPIX website, which aggregates national traffic statistics, there was a sharp drop from 15:55 onwards. Traffic values ​​started to recover from 16:30, but still at half-gas.

Caixadireta service suffers breakdown

A malfunction also caused inconvenience to customers of Caixa Geral de Depósitos (CGD), with the Caixadireta service out of operation. The situation was considered resolved by the bank at 18:00 this Tuesday.

 

Minister does not exclude further restrictive measures due to lack of water in the Algarve.

On 5th June 2023 Safe Communities as a member of the Local Council for Monitoring Climate Action in the Municipality of Loulé (CLA) participated in the 8th meeting on climate change adaptation in the municipality of Loulé.

The meeting was aimed at learning new ways of adapting to droughts, mitigating floods impact, and tackling water shortage in the Algarve.

Duarte Cordeiro, Minister for the Environment and Climate Action, addressed the audience about, inter alias, waste management and recycling, and what the government is doing in order to reach the same recycling standard as most European countries. Other sessions addressed the role of the private sector in promoting adaptation measures to the changing climate.

Mar Shopping was an emblematic example of how to best make use of renewable energy to make the centre the most sustainable. Practices included implementing solar panels, recycling practices, reusing rainwater, installing sustainable internal lighting system among others. It was indeed a great meeting and we look forward to the next one to follow up on the developments of the initiatives presented today!

Duarte Cordeiro, did not exclude, in the coming months, there will be even more restrictive measures due to the lack of water in the Algarve.

Speaking to journalists, on the side lines of the initiative, Duarte Cordeiro admitted that, despite the measures already adopted in the Algarve, such as reducing the quota of water for agriculture and golf at the Odeleite dam or the closure of municipal swimming pools, there may be more in the pipeline.

If consumption increases substantially and the measures we have adopted are not enough, we will probably have to take more», he admitted.

Asked about what kind of actions could be foreseen, Duarte Cordeiro did not want to “make speculations”.

“We must progressively introduce rational measures, but we also know that we must bet a lot on reducing consumption: the level of consumption this year, in the Algarve, is higher than last year», he added”.

 

 

Madeira Situation Report Wednesday 31st May 2023

by Daniel Fernandes

Luxembourgish tourist rescued

A regional Civil Protection helicopter carrying a rescue-swimmer successfully rescued a Luxembourgish tourist at Vereda do Pesqueiro, in Ponta do Pargo.

The authorities were alerted to the emergency yesterday at 15h58. Eight personnel from the Calheta Fire Service were immediately deployed to the area, where they made contact with the victim and found she was unable to move. As a result, they asked for air support. The helicopter’s rescue-swimmer then winched the tourist to safety. She was then taken to Hospital Dr. Nélio Mendonça.

The Civil Protection praised everyone who was involved in yet another rescue mission.

Extra Porto Santo ferry services on June 25th

Porto Santo Line informed there will be extra ferry services to and from Porto Santo on June 25th.

These are intended to provide additional travel choices for passengers and to encourage more

visitors to visit Porto Santo during the summer.

The timetable of the ferry services on June 25th will be:

– Funchal – Porto Santo: 08h00 & 16h30 (extra service)

– Porto Santo – Funchal: 13h00 (extra service) & 20h00

Passengers wishing to amend their booking (free of charge) must do so by visiting one of the Porto Santo Line branches:

– Avenida do Mar e das Comunidades Madeirenses, number 20, Funchal (open from Monday to Friday – 08h30-18h00)

– Estrada Monumental, number 175C, Funchal (open from Monday to Sunday – 09h00-20h00)

– Cais do Funchal (open Monday to Sunday – 10h00-13h00 & 14h00-19h00)

– Rua D. Estevão de Alencastre, Loja 6/7, Porto Santo (open from Monday to Friday – 10h00-18h00)

Alternatively, passengers can call (+351) 291 210 300 or (+351) 962 025 500 from Monday to Sunday (09h00-12h30 & 14h00-19h00) or send an email to infopsl@gruposousa.pt

Convent of Santa Clara has reopened

The Covent of Santa has reopened after 6 years of restoration work on the 400-year old building. Restoration work had been carried on the roof, covers, ceiling, and furniture. A total of €2,5 million was invested in the restoration work.

Its opening hours are from Tuesday to Saturday (10h00-12h30 & 14h00-17h00).

Traffic disruption at ER 223

The ER 223 was closed to traffic on May 30th due to reconstruction work that is being carried out on a support wall. As a result, no vehicle traffic will be allowed on ER 223 for an estimated period of 30 days.

Drivers are asked to comply with all the temporary road signs that have been placed in the area.

The following roads are possible alternatives:

From Paul do Mar to Fajã da Ovelha – Estrada Regional ER 101 (VE3)

From Fajã da Ovelha Tabua to Paul fo Mar – Estrada Regional ER 101 (VE3)

Power cut

Empresa de Electricidade da Madeira (Madeira power supplier) announced there will be power cuts due to scheduled work on the electricity supply network. These cannot be postponed and will take place in the following days and places:

FUNCHAL

May 31st – 09h00 to 11h30

– Estrada Comandante Camacho de Freitas (number 287)

– Caminho das Encruzilhadas (numbers 20 and 22)

– Caminho da Ladeira (numbers 101 to 168)

– Ladeira da Chamorra

CÂMARA DE LOBOS

June 1st – 08h30 to 12h30

– Rua Padre Pita Ferreira (partial)

– Caminho da Lourecinha (partial)

– Travessa do Lombo da Lourecinha

PORTO SANTO

June 1st – 09h00 to 09h10

– Porto dos Frades

PORTO SANTO

June 1st – 09h10 to 09h20

– Serra de Dentro

PORTO SANTO

June 1st – 09h20 to 09h30

– Serra de Fora

PORTO SANTO

June 1st – 11h30 to 12h00

– Pé do Pico

FUNCHAL

June 2nd – 09h00 to 11h30

– Caminho da Igreja (numbers 35 to 38)

– Caminho do Velho da Igreja (numbers 5 to 41)

– Beco do Largo da Fonte (numbers 5 to 11)

However, power could be restored during the time frame mentioned above. So, for safety purposes, it should be assumed that there will be power at any time during this period of time.

If necessary, customers can contact the free Customer Support Service number (Serviço de Apoio ao Cliente): 800 221 187.

 

 

Portugal Safety and Security report Wednesday 31st May 2023.

Good day to you all. The big talking point for many across the whole of the country has been the weather! Why are we all so fascinated by it? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that in Portugal we are all so dependent on water whether to consume or to use as irrigation. The fact that we are a very hot dry country for the most of the time also makes us look more closely when the weather pattern doesn’t run true to form.

The storms which included large hailstones and over 70,000 instances of Lightning across the country but mainly  affecting the North of the country have been very welcome for some and not so welcome for others. Wine Growers in the North of the country are reporting that many thousands of Euros will be lost as a result of the hailstones smashing into the vines.

In Castedo do Douro, in the municipality of Alijó, dozens of vineyards were affected by rain and hail. The municipalities of Alijó and Murça were among those most affected. The hail destroyed many vineyards and the producers speak of a loss of thousands of euros.

The storm that swept across the Douro region on Sunday afternoon, especially in the Vila Real district, lasted less than 10 minutes, but left its marks on hundreds of hectares of vineyards and olive groves.

Following the heavy hail and rain, the Municipality of Alijó has been on the ground surveying the damage caused to agriculture, with the aim of moving forward with a measure to help the affected farmers to bear the cost of calcium-based treatment needed for the healing of the vines.

The Municipality will pay for the treatment of the vineyards affected by the intense hail that hit an area of about 1,600 hectares, revealed the president.

From one area with heavy rain to another where there isn’t enough. The Alentejo farmers are having to sell off their cattle because their pastures are so dry and the cost of feed is so high they cannot afford to feed them so they are sending them to market much earlier than they would normally. This will impact on their value and their yearly income and many fear for the long term of farming livestock.

The forecast for the coming week is more of the same in some areas but with sunshine and clouds along the way. Temperatures will be around 1 degree higher than the average while some areas can expect up to 30 mm of rain.

So with that our team at Safe Communities wishes you a Safe and happy week ahead

News

Campaign “Tax Zero at the Wheel” registers almost 14 thousand infractions on the roads

Lisbon, May 30, 2023 (Lusa) – The road safety campaign “Taxa Zero ao Volante” recorded almost 14,000 infractions and around 2,500 accidents between May 23 and 29, security forces revealed today.

In a statement sent to newsrooms, the National Road Safety Authority (ANSR), the Public Security Police (PSP) and the National Republican Guard (GNR) revealed that 54,953 vehicles were inspected, translating into 13,846 infractions, of which 747 were related to driving under the influence of alcohol.

During the period during which this awareness-raising action on the risks of driving under the influence of alcohol, as part of the 2023 National Inspection Plan, took place, there were still eight deaths, 48 ​​serious injuries and 761 minor injuries in around 2,500 accidents.

This year’s figures reflect a decrease compared to the figures for the same period in 2022, with 87 fewer accidents, three fewer deaths, 11 fewer serious injuries and 85 fewer minor injuries.

The authorities also clarified that the accidents with fatalities occurred in the districts of Braga, Porto (2), Castelo Branco, Leiria, Lisbon, Évora and Faro, with the victims (5) between 21 and 82 years old. At the origin of these deaths were five light vehicles skidding, two being run over and a collision between two light vehicles.

The vast majority of inspection actions in Portugal were carried out by the GNR, with 39,076 vehicles inspected, while the PSP inspected 15,877 vehicles. In terms of infractions, the difference between the two security forces is smaller, with the GNR registering 8,649 (494 related to alcohol) and the PSP registering 5,197 (253 related to driving under the influence of alcohol).

310 drivers and passengers were also made aware by ANSR of the risks of drinking alcohol while driving, in the locations of Alenquer, Faro, Beja, Portalegre and Estremoz, in addition to publicizing the road safety campaign in digital media.

Drought: Brussels could provide 250 million euros to help farmers

This fund was made at the request of the Minister of Agriculture, Maria do Céu Antunes, who had the support of the countries of southern Europe, which were the most affected by the lack of precipitation.

The European Union could provide 250 million euros to help farmers affected by drought. The request was made by the Portuguese Minister of Agriculture, supported by the delegations of Spain, France and Italy. Maria do Céu Antunes said this Tuesday that the decision will be taken soon.

“The commissioner made himself available to study the possibility of mobilizing 250 million euros from the agricultural reserve to deal with these situations and for the Member States most affected by this dimension. It’s going to study, it’s going to regulate, it’s going to propose later so that we can present it”, informed Maria do Céu Antunes.

This Tuesday, the Environment Minister assured that the situation of the reservoirs is better and with more capacity than last year, but that there are some regions in worrying situations that will have to be analyzed in order to implement new measures.

With this scenario, there are already records that, without pastures for the cattle, due to the drought, and with feed and straw at high prices, cattle breeders in Baixo Alentejo are getting rid of the animals at auctions or at slaughterhouses. .

“Extensive livestock farming is having very serious problems because the pastures have not been developed and with that we are witnessing the use of compound feed ahead of time and with very high prices”, he developed

In view of this, the Minister of Agriculture stressed the urgency with which the funds had to be implemented to resolve the situation and to take precautions for next year.

Israeli and Italian secret agents were on the boat that sank Sunday in Italy

A vessel carrying Italian and foreign tourists sank on Sunday in northern Italy. Four people died and about 20 passengers were pulled from the water or managed to swim to shore.

Today, in a statement, Alfredo Mantovano, of the Italian Information Security Services, mourned the death of Claudio Alonzi, 62 years old, and Tiziana Barboni, 53 years old, both members of the Italian secret services who were on the ship “to commemorate the anniversary of one of the members of the group”.

Also killed in the sinking was Israeli Shimoni Erez, 50 years old and a retired Mossad agent, according to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The fourth victim is Anya Bozhkova, a Russian citizen and the wife of the boat’s owner, who rented it to tourists.

The remaining passengers on board the ship were also Italians and Israelis and there were certainly other members of the secret services, according to local media.

The vessel, on which a group of 22 people and the two crew were traveling, sank in the Lisanza and Dormelletto region, in the Lombardy region, due to a strong storm that caused it to capsize.

Most people managed to swim to shore between Lisanza and Piccaluga, while others were rescued by boats in the area.

According to the Italian media that reconstructed the event, after the accident there were suspicions that there were more secret service agents on the boat.

Authorities are investigating the causes of the accident, as the boat was carrying more than 20 people and had capacity for only 15 and also the reason why they did not return to land when the storm approached.

 

The Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 31 May 2023

by Mike Evans

With the country experiencing some heavy rains in the past week, the prospect of drought conditions in some areas are receding. However, the Algarve is still in a state of drought conditions and unless we see more rain there is a distinct possibility of rationing in some municipalities as we enter the summer period. It is not just the Algarve where the situation is dire. In the Alentejo there are reports of farmers having to send their animals to market earlier than normal as they don’t have enough water and to buy it is causing many farmers to make the decision to get rid of their animals. With no pasture for the cattle, due to the drought, and with feed and straw at high prices, cattle breeders in Baixo Alentejo are getting rid of the animals at auctions or at slaughterhouses.

Unless we see a lot more rain this sort of issue will only get bigger across the Algarve so it is in all of our interest to save as much water as we can and hope that the next few weeks sees a large amount of rainfall in our area.

Now a look at some of the other stories that have been in the headlines in the past week across the Region.

Promotion Association of Albufeira Call for Bigger Police Presence in Summer

The largest association of businessmen in Albufeira will ask the Government to increase the number of police officers during the summer season and adapt their number to each season of the year, said the president.

The president of the Promotion Association of Albufeira (APAL), Desidério Silva, said that security in activities linked to tourism is the main concern of its members.

“Of course, we are going to ask for an increase in staff during the bathing season”, he said, defending a police presence “adaptable throughout the year”, which depends on the number of tourists in the Algarve. According to the official, there is an important presence of tourists throughout the year and the security forces should adapt on a monthly basis, avoiding a system that reinforces security only during the summer.

The former mayor of Albufeira indicated that these claims will be transmitted during a Municipal Security Council, at a meeting scheduled for the first half of June, which will be attended by the Secretary of State for Internal Administration, Isabel Oneto.

This issue has already been addressed in a meeting between APAL representatives and the mayor of Albufeira, José Carlos Rolo, to discuss “various matters concerning the dynamics of the city and its tourist offer”.

Accelerating the process that will lead to the installation of a video surveillance system, a matter for which the municipality is responsible, is another aspect linked to security that businessmen would like to see progress quickly.

On the other hand, according to the also former president of the Algarve Tourism Region, there are still not currently a sufficient number of lifeguards on the county’s beaches, a joint effort that “is being done”.

In addition to these topics, the same meeting also discussed the creation of a tourist tax in the municipality, which is being studied by the Chamber, as well as the possibility of creating a monitoring commission for the allocation of funds resulting from it.

Desidério Silva also alluded to the problems created by the lack of housing for workers and labour for the tourist sector, which leads “some restaurants” to, “very likely”, having to serve only one of the main meals this summer.

Over Four Tons of Hashish Seized in Cabanas de Tavira

Authorities seized in the early hours of Saturday, May 27, more than four tons of hashish on board a high-speed vessel in the Cabanas de Tavira channel , announced the Portuguese Navy.

The vessel with 125 bales, with an approximate weight of 4,375 kilograms of hashish, “was detected stranded and abandoned and with still warm engines”, specified the Navy in a statement.

The seizure resulted from a joint operation by the Portuguese Navy and the National Maritime Authority (AMN) that took place on the south coast of Portugal, with the participation of the Marines and the Maritime Police. During the operation, suspicious movements of vessels related to drug trafficking were monitored, with the authorities detecting and chasing two vessels, “the same having not been approached”, said the Navy.

The vessel found stranded in the Tavira channel with the drug on board was taken to the port of Faro and handed over to the Judiciary Police for investigation.

According to the Portuguese Navy, this year and so far, 779 bales of hashish, equivalent to more than 27 tonnes of hashish, and 20 vessels have been seized in joint operations with AMN.

Exercise Between Algarve and Alentejo Civil Protection Against Fires “Fulfilled Objectives”

The interregional exercise to test the articulation of the operational means of the Algarve and Alentejo in the fight against rural fires, identified “weaknesses and strengths, but fulfilled the objectives”, announced the Civil Protection. The regional commander of the Algarve, Vítor Vaz Pinto, said that the exercise that tested the articulation between the two regions and that ended on Friday, May 26, took place “within what was expected” in a fictional scenario of a rural fire in high complexity.

“Some situations, strengths and weaknesses were identified, which will be analysed in detail as soon as the reports reach us to understand what we have to change”, said the official. According to Vítor Vaz Pinto, the Civil Protection system “is dynamic and these training sessions serve exactly to make the response forces more and more efficient”.

The exercise called “DECIRALEX’23” simulated a highly complex rural fire in an area with great potential for fire development, which involved the municipalities of Aljezur and Monchique, and Odemira (Alentejo).

According to the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC), the “fire took place in an unfavourable context for combating it”, boosted by an adverse weather situation. It was a scenario “to test the strategic decision processes, institutional coordination and operational command of the Integrated Protection and Rescue Operations System (SIOPS), as well as the tactical execution of the manoeuvre and logistical support that the Operations Management System (SGO) provides at different levels of action and command, specified ANEPC.

At the same time, the responses of medical-sanitary support and emergency psychological and social support were tested, areas led by the National Institute of Medical Emergencies (INEM) and by Social Security, respectively, with the support of the social action services of the municipalities.

Civil Protection added that the context of the exercise also made it possible to “test the activation of the municipal emergency plans and civil protection of Aljezur and Odemira that brought together their Municipal Operational Coordination centres (CCOM) on the ground.

These structures ensure institutional coordination in the face of a serious accident or catastrophe, in full articulation with the sub-regional and regional levels, he says.

In the DECIRALEX’23 exercise, 323 elements and 130 technical means from the different Civil Protection services and agents of the Alentejo and Algarve Region took part.

PSP Detains Two Men for Aggravated Drug Trafficking

The Faro District Command of the PSP , through its Criminal Investigation Squadron of the Portimão Police Division, arrested on Thursday, the 25th, two citizens aged 23 and 25 for drug trafficking in Portimão, reported that police force .

The arrests took place within the scope of an investigation carried out in recent weeks, where it was possible to obtain “strong indications that one of the suspects was dedicated to the practice of this criminal type repeatedly, including in the vicinity of an educational establishment”, says the PSP in communicated.

During a surveillance operation, the authorities arrested two citizens in flagrante delicto when carrying out a drug transaction. During the investigations, “668 doses of hashish, 75 doses of amphetamines, 37 doses of cocaine, a brass knuckle, an airsoft gun, 4,415 euros suspected of illegal activity and various materials for cutting and packaging a narcotic product were seized” , details the note.

The detainees were present at the Court of Portimão, where they were imposed the coercion measure of daily presentation at the PSP Police Station, prohibition of contact with the co-accused and witnesses, prohibition of being 300 metres from schools and prohibition of using and or buying weapons.

Over 8 Litres of Brandy Seized by Police in Loule Warehouse

Police authorities seized, on Thursday, 8,021 litres of arbutus brandy in three “unauthorised” distilleries and warehouses in Loulé , Silves and Tavira, the GNR announced today .

The brandy seized “outside the production warehouse” would have a value of 257,469 euros and “its introduction for consumption” would cause a loss of 97,050 euros to the Portuguese State related to taxes (Special Consumption Tax and Added Value Tax), estimates the security force, in a statement.

The seizure was made on Thursday by the Faro Detachment of the Fiscal Action Unit (UAF) of the GNR within the scope of operations “ARBUTUS III; IV and V”, which led to the identification of eight men and one woman, aged between 40 and 72 years old, the facts having been communicated to the judicial courts of Silves, Tavira and Loulé, reads in the note. Also according to the GNR, the operations were carried out after “three investigations that had been going on for about a year”, aimed at combating the “parallel circuit for the sale of medronho brandy outside its production warehouse”.

At issue is the practice of the “customs crime of fraudulent entry into consumption”, with the authorities having “complied with 24 search warrants in three distilleries and seven warehouses not authorised for deposit and without customs control, thus escaping the tax declaration obligations and payment of incident taxes”, indicates the GNR.

In addition to the 8,021 litres of arbutus brandy, adds the GNR, “two stills” used to produce the drink, valued at around 3,000 euros, were seized.

The “main objective” of these actions was to ensure “compliance with the legal provisions for the production, storage and sale of alcoholic beverages”, to “combat the parallel economy in Portugal” and “to guarantee the hygienic-sanitary conditions” of production, stresses the security force.

Woman Attacked After Leaving her Daughters at Kindergarten

Four hooded individuals allegedly attacked a woman on the morning of this Friday, May 26, in front of the Castro Marim kindergarten, said a JA source.

“At around 8:00 am I saw four people hooded and wearing black masks getting out of a car to attack a young woman who was going to drop her daughters off at kindergarten”, detailed the same source.

“They waited for her to leave her daughters and then they started breaking her car and assaulting the girl. I later saw INEM and GNR ,” she added.

The Territorial Post of the GNR in Castro Marim, later confirmed the existence of “attacks” and are under investigation.

 

The Azores Situation Report Wednesday 31st May 2023

Azores with vast tourist potential of underwater heritage

The Azores have 35 sites that are suitable for observing the archaeological heritage and about a thousand shipwrecks documented in documents, but the researchers admit that more reserves for observation may be created in the future.

“There are 100 sites registered in the archaeological map, following research work carried out by archaeologists, of which 35 meet conditions for visits. However, this does not mean that reserves will not be created in the future that meet the conditions to be spaces for visitation”, said archaeologist Pedro Parreira.

Pedro Parreira, technical coordinator of the ‘Margullar 2’ project, spoke to journalists, as part of the presentation of the second version of the initiative around ​​underwater cultural heritage, which aims to create a new tourism product, based on the potential of underwater archaeology in Macaronesia.

According to the archaeologist, the first version of the project, by the European Commission, made it possible to create a route that currently has 35 sites that can be visited.

“The objective of this second project is to bring this heritage to land. That is, to bring data and information, democratizing access to it, because not everyone has the possibility to dive” not being able to access the “submerged history”, explained Pedro Parreira .

The regional directorate for Cultural Affairs has a partnership with international specialists, within the scope of the development of this project, which will allow, in this second phase, the creation of an “exhaustive” database for all documented shipwrecks, according to Pedro Parreira .

The ‘Margullar 2’ project was started in 2020, but it only started to run in 2021.

It is a project focused on the tourism-culture binomial, aimed at stimulating the local economy and developing research and safeguarding the archaeological heritage of the Azorean seas, according to the Regional Secretariat for Education and Cultural Affairs.

In this context, a manual of good practices for safeguarding that heritage has already been prepared and the first centre for knowledge and awareness of the underwater heritage of the Azores has already been launched at Banco das Artes, in the city of Horta, on the island of Faial.

And “soon”, two more will be launched, one in São Jorge and another in Pico, added the regional secretary for Education and Cultural Affairs, Sofia Ribeiro.

“The project has entered a phase where these centres interpreting these wrecks are being created on land, allowing access to this underwater value, for those who do not dive”, he underlined, in statements to journalists.

For the future, it is also planned to have three new Underwater Archaeological Parks, off Pico, Graciosa and Faial.

In the specific case of the island of São Miguel, the project made it possible to create a cycle of documentaries about its Underwater Archaeological Park, off the coast of Ponta Delgada, in addition to including four new points of interest in the itinerary of places to visit.

In 2021, the regional directorate for Cultural Affairs created an Underwater Reserve, next to the islet of Rosto de Cão, in São Miguel, which brought new dynamic products to the local community of maritime-tourism operators.

The regional secretary for Tourism, Mobility and Infrastructure, Berta Cabral, highlighted the importance of the project in question for the diversification of tourist activities, which allows reaching new audiences and leaving added value in the Region, where tourism has been “a spring” economy booster.

Santa Clara finishes last and with worst score ever.

Santa Clara finished the Portuguese Football League in last place, with 22 points, the worst score ever for the club, the culmination of a troubled season with changes in administration and technical command.

The Azorean team is thus relegated to the II Liga, after five consecutive seasons in the first division, ending the championship with 22 defeats, seven draws and five victories.

The best record was reached between days 10 and 13 with four games without losing (two draws and two defeats), before the stoppage of the I Liga for the World Cup.

The Azoreans went 17 games without a win, between matchdays 14 and 31.

The team’s top scorers in the league were Brazilians Matheus Babi and Gabriel Silva, both with five goals scored, in a season in which goalkeeper Gabriel Batista was also highlighted in the island emblem.

The punctual ‘score’ of the 2022/23 season is below the other two times that Santa Clara relegated from division, since in 1999/00 it reached 31 points (18th and last place) and in 2002/03 it reached 35 (finishing in 17th position).

Since returning to the top echelon of national football, Santa Clara had always managed to stay in the top 10: 10th in 2018/19, ninth in 2019/20, sixth in 2020/21 and seventh in 2021/22.

The Azoreans started the season with coach Mário Silva, who left the island emblem in January, on matchday 15.

Santa Clara was coached by Jorge Simão, who lasted only seven games, in which he scored two points, the result of two draws, with Boavista and Portimonense.

As a result of Simão’s departure, the Brazilian Danildo Accioly, a member of the technical team since 2019/20, was announced as interim coach, but ended up guiding the Azorean team until the end of the season.

On July 14, 2022, with the pre-season already underway and as in 2021, changes were announced at the Azorean SAD, which came to be owned by businessman and former vice-president of Cruzeiro do Brasil Bruno Vicintin, who replaced Ismail Uzun in the leadership of the public limited company, a position he had held since August 2021.

Changes followed in Santa Clara’s sports policy, which was now led by executive director Klauss Câmara.

 

Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 24th May 2023

Good morning – Firstly thanks to thank our great team of volunteers at Safe Communities Portugal who attended the 8th international Wildland Fire Conference in Porto where an E-Poster of our work was displayed; holding a meeting with the foreign community in Braga, having a stand al ALGARSAFE’23 in Portimão, the presentation on Risk awareness at ALGARSAFE’23 and the presentation at Eupheus International School in Loulé – an unprecedented number of events in such a short period of time for Safe Communities. Thanks therefore go to: Jane, Antonia, Susan, Jessica, Fernanda, Mike, Lilia for their hard work during the planning/implementation stages.

For us at Safe Communities Portugal attending the 8th International Wildland conference in Porto as a delegate was an enlightening experience but looking at the future a sobering one as far as wildfires are concerned.

The conference attended by around 1600 participants from 80 countries including three of us from Safe Communities Portugal listened to a selection of the 200 presentations covering amongst other: planning and preparation, prevention and fire suppression, risk handling, communication and international co-operation.

The main theme of the conference was enabling an integrated management approach to wild fires involving not only governments, but also academia, civil society, industries and the community; the focus being more on prevention rather than suppression only, which had previously been the case. This may seem obvious, as if all fires could be prevented then there would be no need for suppression. However this is not the case and as we learned.

Globally recent extreme weather events have caused unprecedented damages and impacts on communities, economies and the environment. Climate change is the key driver behind the growing occurrence of extreme wildfires. Under projected warning, wildfire frequency and severity are estimated to increase, calling for a fundamental shift in wildfire management to focus on climate change adaptation and wildfire risk prevention.

We therefore all need to be prepared. As a first step we all need to understand the risks as without understand risk, we can’t manage it and be prepared.

This year will be a more complex year that last year, when in Portugal there were many fires over 80% being in the north.

The risks of fires extends extend well beyond southern Europe basin and last year there were wild fires in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, and as far north as Finland. At the wildland fire conference I spoke to a forestry director from Ireland and we discussed the fires that affected western Ireland last year, which proved difficult to extinguish, due to their remoteness. Having discussed with him he saw parallels with the fires we also experienced in the northern parts of Portugal last year particularly in Braganca and Sera da Estrela.

So sharing knowledge, experience and co-operation between countries is vitally important in tackling a common threat.  In global terms, vulnerabilities have increased and that we are more and more likely – in various parts of the world – to have more complex and larger events and international cooperation is absolutely critical in this matter”.

For us in Portugal what can we expect this year? Well so far in April we have had record air temperatures and the type of weather conditions more associated with late June than April. All this means that we need to not only be prepared, but need to inculcate within the population a “culture of preparedness”, meaning that we have to live with fires, with the aim of reducing the impact on populations and communities.

Have a good and safe week ahead

News

Drought: excessive consumption of water and without authorization are a concern in the eastern Algarve

Golf courses with excessive consumption and irrigation without authorization must suffer water cuts in the event of restrictions on consumption in agriculture, defends the Association of Beneficiaries of the Sotavento do Algarve Irrigation Plan.

Golf courses with excessive consumption and irrigation without authorization must suffer water cuts in the event of restrictions on consumption in agriculture, warned the president of the Association of Beneficiaries of the Sotavento do Algarve Irrigation Plan.

Speaking to Lusa, the president of the association that manages the irrigation perimeter in the eastern Algarve, Macário Correia, warned that six golf courses were involved that consumed more than required and about 200 hectares of irrigation outside the irrigation perimeter. , but who use water without authorization.

“We have two critical situations, one is golf courses that use – in previous years – twice as much as they require, and we have an area of ​​a few hundred hectares of agricultural irrigation outside the perimeter without authorization”, pointed out the former president of the Chambers of Tavira and Faro.

The irrigation association has “serious concerns about the situation”, because water consumption in this campaign is about 20% above the same period of the previous year and the Odeleite and Beliche dams have a lower storage level than last year. Macário Correia even stressed that the association has already communicated in writing, both to the golf courses and to farmers who are in areas not authorized to use water, that, given the situation of restrictions that may be imposed in the short term, they will have to “to count on it”.

The director of the association considered that the situation “is delicate” and guaranteed that he would also speak with the managers of the golf courses, because “it is very complicated” to have cases that required 300 cubic meters of water and used 600 and that “at this moment I they have already used 60% of the appropriation they require for the year”.

There are also at least 200 hectares of agricultural irrigation, outside the irrigation perimetre , which collect water inside the perimeter, but water outside without authorization.

“The water that exists in the reservoirs, first of all, is for drinking, it is for the urban cycle, then it is for agriculture and, within agriculture, if there is not enough for everyone, we have to cut it somewhere”.

At least 15 detainees and 29 defendants in GNR operation in Greater Porto

The operation involves more than 300 operators and is related to an investigation into thefts from homes, inside vehicles and commercial establishments across the country.

The GNR mega-operation that is taking place this Tuesday in the Porto district resulted in at least 15 people arrested, 29 accused, seizures of drugs, gold, clothing, food, ammunition, money, banknotes and cars, he added.

Speaking to Lusa, at 13:00, Lieutenant Colonel Adriano Resende, from the Maia GNR sub-detachment, explained that searches had been carried out so far in the municipalities of Vila Nova de Gaia, Maia, Matosinhos, Paços de Ferreira, Porto and Gondomar.

The detainees, he said, are between 25 and 85 years old.

“So far, and there is still another search to take place (…), 29 ammunition, a kilo of gold, hashish, three vehicles, 20,000 euros in cash, 50 euros in counterfeit banknotes, an unspecified amount of clothing, food (meat, cod, ham and shrimp), costume jewellery, branded watches and computer equipment”, he listed.

The operation, which involved over 300 operators and by 1:00 pm, had already resulted in 29 people being accused, including 15 arrested, two of whom were arrested in whilst caught in the act for possession of drugs, illegal possession of a weapon and counterfeit bills. .

Those involved would be part of a criminal network that was dedicated to theft from homes and commercial establishments across the country.

 

The Azores Situation Report Wednesday 24th May 2023

by Chris Noble

Maritime Police seize 810 kilos of fish in Vila do Porto

Elements of the Local Command of the Maritime Police of Vila do Porto, on the island of Santa Maria, seized 810 kg of bigeye tuna, during an inspection carried out on the unloading of fish in that port.

According to a statement from the National Maritime Authority, “during this action, members of the Maritime Police inspected several vessels that were unloading fish, having detected a vessel that exceeded its discharge quota by 810 kg, corresponding to 29 units of fish”.

The Maritime Police prepared the respective report, “having proceeded to the seizure of surplus bigeye tuna, which will be sold at auction, with the value reverting to the benefit of the process”.

Two members of the Local Command of the Vila do Porto Maritime Police were involved in this action.

Arrest for allegedly committing the crime of currency counterfeiting.

A man was arrested “in flagrante delicto” in Graciosa, suspected of the crime of counterfeiting currency, with “99 counterfeit 20-euro notes being seized”, revealed the PSP.

According to a press release from the Regional Command of the Azores of the PSP, the arrest of the 36-year-old man occurred when the suspect tried to buy “goods in a commercial establishment, on the island of Graciosa, with false notes”.

The PSP, after intercepting the suspect, carried out searches of the suspect’s vehicle and residence and seized “two weapons, one unregistered firearm and the other compressed air”, and “99 counterfeit 20-euro notes”.

 

The Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 24th May 2023

by Mike Evans

Good day to you all. Well since my last report, many areas of the Algarve have seen rain for the first time in a while which is very welcome from the agricultural and personal point of view. However, we must not forget that this is also the start of the Fire Season and we must all be vigilant even with this change of weather. A few centimetres of rain are not going to get the region out of the drought scenario but it is helping put precious water into the reservoirs. With the forecast for the Algarve to be more of the same for the next couple of weeks we can only hope that this will provide us with sufficient water to alleviate the situation as the summer moves on.

Golf courses with excessive consumption and irrigation without authorization must suffer water cuts in the event of restrictions on consumption in agriculture, warned this Tuesday the president of the Association of Beneficiaries of the Sotavento do Algarve Irrigation Plan.

The person in charge of the association that manages the irrigation perimeter of the eastern (eastern) Algarve, Macário Correia, warned that at stake are six golf courses that consume more than required and about 200 hectares of irrigation outside the irrigation perimeter, but who use water without authorization.

“We have two critical situations, one is golf courses that use – in previous years – twice as much as they require, and we have an area of ​​a few hundred hectares of agricultural irrigation outside the perimeter without authorization”, pointed out the former president of the Chambers of Tavira and Faro.

This week Safe Communities were present at the AlgarveSafe 23 exhibition held in the Arena Portimao from Thursday to Saturday. Throughout the three days there were seminars and discussions about fire prevention as well as fire fighting techniques as there was a large contingent of Bombeiros from across the country in attendance. David Thomas, our founder, conducted a special seminar on Risk and how to manage it. This was in both English and Portuguese and was well received by those who attended.

Now a look at some of the other news from around the Algarve in the past week.

Man Arrested on Suspicion of Child Sex Abuse in Olhao

A 28-year-old man was arrested on Monday, May 22, for “strong indications” of the commission of various crimes of sexual abuse of children in the municipality of Olhão, announced the Judiciary Police ( PJ ).

According to the Southern Directorate, the sexual assaults on the minor, who is currently nine years old, took place during the year 2021, being committed by her mother’s partner.

After the investigation, various pieces of evidence were collected, such as reports of sexual assault and exposure to pornographic content. Abuses took place when the environment was fully controlled by the suspect, at his own residence, when the mother was not present.

The inquiry is directed by the Department of Investigation and Criminal Action of Olhão.

Government Minister Signs Order to Shut Nightclub in Vilamoura

The Minister of Internal Affairs, José Luís Carneiro, determined the closure of the Dice Clube discotheque, located in the Casino de Vilamoura , in the municipality of Loulé , announced the Government.

The closure will take place for a maximum period of six months after “successive and seriously disturbing occurrences of public order over the last year”.

This measure is due to the closure proposal presented by the National Republican Guard (GNR), after acts of violence that “have been registered inside the discotheque and in the respective parking lot”, the last of which took place on 14 May with use of melee weapons. “The reopening of this nightlife establishment is subject to compliance with the measures defined by the GNR to restore security conditions on site and the normal functioning of the disco”, he adds in a statement.

57 Year Old Woman Dies in House Fire

Firefighters from Faro were called to a ground floor apartment in the Urbanização Vale da Amoreira, at 06:45  in the morning. A source from the Sub-Regional Command said that only the ground floor apartment where the fatal victim was found had been affected, with no structural damage to the building in question.

According to the same source, the victim was a 57-year-old woman of Portuguese nationality and the fire was declared extinguished at around 07:22. A total of 24 firefighters, the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM) and the PSP having been called in, supported by 10 vehicles attended the incident.

Eleven-month-old Baby Dies Awaiting Hospital Transfer in Portimão

The 11-month-old baby died on Friday at the hospital in Portimão while awaiting transfer to the paediatric intensive care unit at the hospital in Faro. The Ministry of Health guaranteed that the baby’s death had nothing to do with the operating model of the Centro Hospitalar do Algarve .

INEM’s paediatric inter-hospital transport ambulance in the region was inoperative due to lack of a doctor. The paediatric inter-hospital transport ambulance in Lisbon was also contacted, which was busy, and an INEM helicopter was called in, but when the medical teams were preparing to transport the baby, his health deteriorated. The child died a few hours later.

The Ministry of Health said that all means were made available to the baby, while he was waiting for a hospital transfer, and that the transport failed due to the worsening of his condition. “All clinical and technical means were made available, in permanent articulation with INEM (National Institute of Medical Emergencies), but unfortunately, at the time when the heli transport was about to carry out the inter-hospital transfer, the baby suffered a worsening of the condition. its state, incompatible with transport”, a source from the ministry told Lusa .

Questioned by Lusa about whether the ministry intends to maintain the operation of Pediatrics on a rotating basis, the same source of guardianship clarified that the baby’s death has nothing to do with the rotating operating model, which is a competence of the board of directors of the Hospital Center from the Algarve .

“The family resorted to the nearest emergency room to where they were, which is the paediatric emergency room at the hospital in Portimão, and which was open”, said the source, stressing that the paediatric intensive care unit that operates at the hospital in Faro was available to receive the baby.

The Ministry of Health stressed that the articulation between the various units of the National Health Service (SNS) “happens throughout every day of the year, so that, whenever necessary, hospitals in other regions collaborate with the Algarve in order to receive patients who need care in other institutions”. However, in this case, the Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Algarve (CHUA) “was in a position to respond” and what was outlined was an internal transfer within the institution.

“Naturally, the SNS works in a network and when an institution does not have the capacity, users are guided towards others with differentiation and availability for the purpose. This has happened in the Algarve, as in the North or Centre, whenever there is no timely response, for example, due to excessive demand, and it has worked with favourable results”, he indicated.

Woman Rescued after Paragliding Fall on Alfamar Beach

A 21-year-old woman was rescued during the morning of this Friday, May 19, after having suffered a fall while practising paragliding on Alfamar beach, in Authority .

The alert was given at 11:15 am and elements of the Local Command of the Maritime Police of Portimão , soldiers of the “Praia Segura” program, lifeguards, elements of the Volunteer Firefighters of Albufeira and INEM were immediately activated.

The Swiss woman was conscious but in severe pain, having been assisted and immobilised by the Albufeira Volunteer Firefighters.The victim was later transported to a hospital unit and the Local Command of the Maritime Police of Portimão took care of the occurrence.

Body Found on the Bank of the Alvor Estuary

The body of a man was found on the morning of this Friday, May 19, on the bank of the Alvor estuary , in the municipality of Portimão , announced the National Maritime Authority.

So far, the causes of this occurrence are unknown, the alert for which was received at 09:32, with elements of the Local Command of the Maritime Police of Portimão, crew of the Lifeguard Station of Ferragudo having been immediately activated to the place. , INEM, Judiciary Police and Portimão Volunteer Firefighters.

It is the body of a 66-year-old man, of Mozambican nationality, who was removed from the water by the crew of the Ferragudo Lifeguard Station and transported to the shore. Death was declared on the spot by INEM and the body was transported by the Portimão Volunteer Firefighters to the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences in Portimão, after contacting the Public Ministry.

The Maritime Police Psychology Office was activated and the Portimão Maritime Police Local Command took care of the occurrence.

And finally what could be a start to a trend in conservation on the Algarve-

The first Miyawaki Forest in the Algarve is growing in the municipality of Silves with 18 plant species native to the region that guarantee a balance of biodiversity and less use of water, an increasingly scarce resource.

The Native Forest project, developed by biologist Sónia Soares on a family plot of land in Mesquita, in the parish of Algoz, in the municipality of Silves, was born in March with the planting of 260 plants of 18 species native to the Algarve, which in some cases are common to other parts of the country.

“The Miyawaki forests are characterised by having rapid development, being rich in native species and bringing many benefits, both for the environment and for man, as well as for capturing and absorbing water”, among other advantages, said Sónia Soares. According to the project’s mentor, this forest system becomes self-sufficient after two or three years, with the advantage of allowing “greater retention of water in the soil and, therefore, the passage later to the groundwater”.

Sónia Santos stresses that this method will allow you to use less water: “It is not just in terms of money, but the importance that water has for us, and especially here in the Algarve, which is one of the regions of our country that is suffering the most. with drought and desertification”.

Zambujeiro, mastic, oleander, carob, cistus and myrtle are some of the species planted in the small forest of 100 square metres that the biologist would like to serve as an example to be replicated in other areas of the Algarve and even the country.

“The assumptions that we follow in this methodology make it more economical, and these forests, in terms of development, are self-sufficient after two to three years”, he said, adding that at the end of that period of time, the plants do not need to be watered. The Miyawaki method was created by Japanese botanist and ecologist Akira Miyawaki in the 1970s and has inspired the planting of hundreds of small urban forests around the world.

Miyawaki’s studies led to the development of a planting method that combines the concepts of potential natural vegetation (the vegetation that would exist on a site if there were no human intervention) and the way species interact with each other and grow to form a forest ecosystem. dynamic.

“The main [economic] income is not a measurable or physical income”, defended Sónia Soares, who also considered the role that this method has to be important in “alert people to environmental problems and the need to develop this type of projects” .

For the biologist, it is necessary to “help contribute a little bit to the improvement of the environment”, involving “the local population in all stages of the development of a project like this, whether it be the planting, or the monitoring and irrigation ”.

“And this is an important tool, because in economic terms, in terms of value, this is the best we can give these generations and future generations”, he stressed.

The principles of the Miyawaki method argue that the potential natural vegetation of the site and its structure must be identified, that is, how the different species of herbs, shrubs and trees can be combined.

The crop should be kept weed free and watered regularly for the first two years. This method allows vegetation to grow faster, which has made it successful in hundreds of small urban forest projects.

The method has shown good results, with a success rate of 97% worldwide, having invaded Europe and appeared in Portugal, for the first time, in 2021.

Until the next time,….

 

The Azores Situation Report Wednesday 17th May 2023

by Chris Noble

Four out of 10 pre-school children in the Azores are overweight or obese

Four out of 10 pre-school children in the Azores are overweight or obese and at the various levels of education a reduction in motor proficiency has been detected, according to preliminary data from a study.

“If we talk about children in the 2nd and 3rd cycle and secondary schools in the region, one in three is overweight or obese. On the other hand, in pre-school, which was probably the population group most affected by the arrest of the pandemic [of covid-19], the number is more worrying: four out of 10 ”, said the professor at the Faculty of Sports at the University of Porto José Maia, coordinator of the Despertar project, which assesses the physical condition of children and young people in the Azores.

The study, which began collecting data in November/December 2022, covered, until May 1, 3,500 children and young people from preschool to secondary in the Azores, between 3 and 18 years old.

In addition to an increase in weight, preliminary data indicate that there is a “lower motor proficiency” at different levels of education, compared to studies carried out in previous years in the Azores, Madeira, Matosinhos or the United States of America.

In the 1st cycle, for example, the success rate in performing four or five fundamental motor skills together is “low” and lower than data collected in Matosinhos.

At this level of education, girls proved to be “less skilled” than boys.

Also, in the 2nd and 3rd cycles there was a decrease in the physical fitness success rate, compared to 2007 data.

Only one in 10 young people passed the physical fitness test criteria and only one in five had a “functional” level in the dynamic postural assessment.

“It is worrying, but not surprising. It is worrying, because we must solve this problem, it is not surprising, because it has to do with the immediate and delayed effects of the pandemic”, stressed the project coordinator.

There are five islands with data already closed, but the final report should only be completed in the first quarter of 2024.

By mid-June, data collection in schools will end and, by the end of the year, physical activity, habits and quality of sleep in a family environment will be monitored.

The initial objective was to involve 7,000 children and young people (about 25% of the total in the region), a number that was reduced to 5,000, but this is, even so, according to José Maia, the “most extensive study carried out on a national scale” on the physical condition of children and young people.

The study is being carried out by about three dozen Physical Education teachers and Sports students, involving five departments of the Regional Government of the Azores.

Azores with six observation points on four islands for monitoring the coast.

The Azores will have six observation points to monitor the coast, integrated in the Integrated Surveillance, Command and Control System (SIVICC) of the GNR, in São Miguel, Terceira, Faial and Pico, announced the Minister of Internal Administration.

The investment [planned for the Azores] until 2026 will make it possible to locate six observation towers that will be articulated with mobile means of inspection and coastal control.

As part of the SIVICC of the National Republican Guard (GNR) in the Azores, posts will be installed in the parishes of São Roque and Ponta Garça, in São Miguel, in Monte Brasil and Praia da Vitória, in Terceira, in Espalamaca in Faial and in Santo António in the Peak.

SIVICC, which already exists on the mainland and in Madeira, is a technological platform that allows the location and identification of threats in the territorial sea, coastline and external border, being aimed at detecting drug trafficking, trafficking of goods and people, smuggling, illegal immigration, protection of the environment and even in the aid of search and rescue missions.

The implementation of the system in the Azores will represent a total investment of over 7.6 million euros and includes the acquisition of a patrol vessel.

Azores register 197 thousand tourist overnight stays in March, 19.8% more than in the same period.

The Azores recorded 197,000 overnight stays in tourist accommodation in March, 19.8% more than in the same period last year, according to data revealed by the Azores Regional Statistics Service (SREA).

The year-on-year increase in overnight stays was lower than that registered in the country, which, according to SREA, reached 26.7%.

The number of overnight stays by residents in Portugal (105.1 thousand) was higher than that of tourists residing abroad (91.9 thousand), however, international tourists recorded a year-on-year growth of 47.4%, while nationals rose only 3%.

The number of guests (68.1 thousand) showed “a positive year-on-year change rate of 23%”.

In the accumulated value from January to March, the region registered 449.7 thousand overnight stays and 160.2 thousand guests, with an average stay of 2.81 days.

“Tourist demand in the Azores, in the first quarter of 2023, showed an increase compared to the same period of 29.4% in overnight stays and 32.1% in guests for all tourist accommodation establishments”, says SREA.

More than half of overnight stays in March in the Azores took place in hotels (133.1 thousand), which registered “a positive year-on-year variation of 16.3%”, with more residents in Portugal (80.9 thousand) than abroad (52 ,2 thousands).

Even so, international tourists saw a higher increase (44.9%) than that seen among nationals (3.2%).

Total income from hotels in March increased by 43.6% and the average income per room used was 64.1 euros.