RIP BONNIE TYLER

 

The Welsh pop singing legend Bonnie Tyler died yesterday in the Algarve where she lived for many years. 

 

 Her death at the age of 75 in a Faro hospital has been described as “unexpected” and has deeply shocked her family and millions of fans around the world.

 

Last month she had emergency surgery involving an induced coma.

 

Bonnie loved living permanently in the Algarve. She regarded it as a beautiful and peaceful place away from the spotlight. She adored the region’s beaches, climate, cuisine and the hospitality of the local people.  

 

   

 

Best known for her hit songs of the 70s and 80s, Bonnie’s most ico9nic ballad was “The Total Eclipse of the Heart”,

 

which she always sang with astounding vocal force.

 

She will be forever respected and missed in this part of the world and indeed globally.

PARTS OF PORTUGAL ABLAZE

Wildfires are burning at 78 locations nationwide driven by extreme heat and strong winds.

 

The worst fires  have spread from near Vuvuzela in central across several other municipalities. Evacuation have been ordered while  2412   firefighters and many water-laden aircraft  struggle to cope with more than 7,000 hectares ablaze.

 

No major wildfires have been reported in the Algarve so far. The huge number of holiday visitors to this region can relax while paying attention to alerts and taking sensible precautions.     

EARTHQUAKES IN PORTUGAL

Portugal may one day in the future suffer a massive earthquake like the one in Venezuela according to seismologists.

 

Portugal’s worst earthquake in history caused devastation and killed 30,000-40,000 people in Lisbon and along the south-western and southern coast, and thousands more in Morocco, north Africa. It occurred on the Christian holy All Saint’s Day in 1755.

 

Earthquakes are frequent in the Portuguese Atlantic archipelago of the Azores but seldom cause too much trouble.  Unfortunately, mainland Portugal is located near the boundary of the Eurasian and African tectonic plates meaning it is exposed to significant seismic activity.

 

While another major earthquake in mainland Portugal seems likely, fear not at least for now. Seismologists say the chances are moderate. Our children and grandchildren need to know that there is only a 10% chance of a terrible earthquake wrecking their locality in the next 50 years

HEATWAVES GERRING HOTTER

What is much worse than the severe early summer heatwaves now breaking temperature records in Europe is the fact that top global leaders are much more focused on other matters such as waging war, the cost of living and immigration.

The United States is one of the worst greenhouse gas polluters causing dramatic climate  change , yet President Trump is in denial. He blandly calls the existential threat of global warming a hoax.

 Meteorologists say that the latest blistering Euopean heatwaves provide unequivocable evidence that global warming is here not only to stay but to get very much wore in the decades ahead.

In Portugal temperatures are forecast to drop in the coming days but have recently been in the high 30s nudging into the 4os, especially in central and southern inland areas. In the Algarve coastal resorts and towns, the daily highs have been generally up to 30 C ( 86 F) though it has felt warmer due to high humidity levels. Nights have cooled to around 20C or less. A record 40.3 C was set for the month of May, though no new records have been recorded this month.

The heat has been fierce in neighbouring Spain and France where temperatures have been soaring above 40 C in some places. Several June records have been smashed in France, Spain and even the United Kingdom. The UK has been experiencing historic June heat that has topped the high 30s.    

What all of this tells us is that current international concern about global warming is grossly insufficient. It is high time that full attention is focused on using renewable energy sources and totally abandoning the fossil fuels that China, the United States, India and Russia are currently so dependant on. 

Portugal has been leading the way in renewable forms of energy. It has replaced fossils such as coal and gas and now creates most of its electric with hydropower, offshore wind and solar sources. 

DEFENCE SPENDING

 

 

In the light of the resignation of Britain’s Defence Secretary John Healey claiming that Prime Minister Sir Keir Stamer is not spending enough on defence, it is worth noting that  Portugal does not publicly disagree with the UK's defence spending as both nations are bound by their history, centuries-old bilateral alliance and NATO obligations.

 

Portugal focuses on its own rearmament while actively encouraging the UK and Europe to strengthen industrial and security partnerships.

 

Portugal is committed to achieving NATO's defence spending by targeting 2% of GDP years ahead of schedule.

The Portuguese government is pursuing this through domestic capability enhancements, specifically in maritime and air defence.

 

To cooperate with EU-UK Security, Portuguese leaders have historically pushed for the European Union to establish "broad structures of partnership" with the UK, ensuring that any capability gaps are addressed through collaborative security frameworks rather than isolation.

 

While the UK's defence plans have been delayed by internal funding debates, Portugal has deepened its industrial ties with Britain. Portuguese tech and defence firms are actively investing hundreds of millions of euros into British-based manufacturing, particularly for the UK's shift toward unmanned and autonomous systems.

 

In prioritising NATO over a European Army, Portugal continues to oppose the creation of a separate European army, advocating instead for the modernisation of allied forces - including the UK'- strictly within the NATO framework.

POPE’S VISITS TO IBERIA

                     Rotalty and children welcome the pontiff to Madrid

Pope Leo, who is currently visiting Spain is planning to be in Portugal in July next year to celebrate the 110th anniversary of the apparitions at the Sanctuary of Fátima.

 

President António José Seguro has extended an official invitation for the Portugal visit. Vatican discussions for the apostolic journey are already underway.

 

In a speech soon after arriving in Spain un Saturday Pope Leo urged against division and said the world is crying out for peace.

“Our age, seemingly shaken by terrible imbalances and conflicts, cries out from its depths for peace,” the pontiff said, in an address in front of King Felipe VI at the Royal Palace in Madrid.

 

The message of peace, he said, “at present unfortunately strikes some as naïve and others as confrontational.” It is, however, welcomed by those “who do not shut themselves off in preconceived ideologies, but are rather open to the truth.”

Later in the speech, he added: “For the love of truth, I invite everyone to set aside the divisive and polarizing narratives of your societal reality and history, so as to overcome sterile simplifications through the fruitful appreciation of complexity.”

 

 

DISGRACED FORMER VISITOR

The front of  the holiday home, 

which has a sea view and a swimming pool at the back

Peter Murrell, the convicted former chief executive of the Scottish National Party, regularly visited the Algarve with his now estranged wife, the former SNP First Minister Nichola Sturgeon.

Murrell has pleaded guilty in the UK to embezzling more than £400,000 from the SNP party over 12 years.

 

Before they parted, the couple regularly spent summer holidays together in a luxury villa in the Algarve near their favourite town, Albufeira. Murrell maintained a partial ownership of the villa for some years. He and Nichola frequented cafes and restaurants popular with the local community.

 

These holidays continued throughout Nichola’s tenure as Scotland's first minister, typically serving as a quiet retreat from the relentless demands of Scottish politics.

 

The visits were mostly private, spent reading and relaxing when not dining out or exploring parts of the Algarve’s beautiful coastline.

 In a lengthy interview with the BBC on Sunday, Nichola Sturgeon denied covering up problems in the party's finances or having any knowledge or Murrell's wrongdoing.

Sturgeon told the BBC: “I'm serving a sentence for crime I didn't commit.” She added: "I will not apologise for the crimes of my former husband".

It remains to be seen if Miss Sturgeon retirns for summer holidays in the Algarve,  Murrell will certainly not.