WEDNESDAY BRIEFINGS

Behind this week's headlines

Biden and Putin 

The contrasting speeches yesterday, Tuesday, by President Biden and President Putin were highly relevant in Portugal and the rest of Europe, as in the United States and Russia.  The only thing the presidents seemed to agree on was that the conflict in Ukraine is nowhere near an end. Putin also announced a suspension of Russia’s participation in its last remaining treaty with the United States.  

Reaction to Putin’s suspension

Portugal’s foreign affairs minister has accused President Putin of making “absolutely delusional” claims about the war in Ukraine in his speech on Tuesday when he announced Moscow’s suspension of the nuclear arms control agreement. Portugal’s president says the next few months will be “a decisive period” for the war in Ukraine with the two sides seeking to reach the autumn in a position of strength.

Cold weather coming back

Polar air will cause a sharp drop in temperatures across mainland Portugal to between 5C and 10C amid strong winds and rain, meteorologist Jorge Ponte told the Luca news agency today, Wednesday. There was no indication of when this dismal weather was coming.  

Earthquake team back home

On Monday, the Lisbon City Council honoured the 52-member rescue and recovery team who had returned from Turkey. That same day another 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey and northwestern Syria causing more deaths and devastation just two weeks after the first double tremor that killed more than 46,000 people and left at least a million homeless.

Handling the housing crisis

The Portuguese government is about to introduce a hefty package of measures to tackle the housing crisis. The highly controversial Golden Visa scheme is being scrapped. No new licences for Airbnb holiday accommodation will be issued. Other measures will be brought into force next month. Portuguese residents have been severely impacted by soaring property purchase and rental prices. Rental prices in Lisbon rose by 37% last year. 

Big tourism surge expected

Reports suggest that there will be a massive increase in the number of tourists who are hoping to come to Portugal this year. This could cause disappointments, as new holiday rentals will be restricted in most popular destinations – the only exceptions being rural areas “without urban pressure.” 

Tourist boat sinks

A tourist boat with 36 people on board, including four children, sank after developing a leak 600 metres off Alfanzina lighthouse in the Algarve on Monday. The nearest rescue services – the Portimão Maritime Police and the Ferragudo Lifeboat – were quickly on the scene along with other nearby tourists’ boats to rescue all from the water.  

Round the Algarve winner

The 26-year-old  Colombian professional road cyclist Dani Martínez won the overall title in this year’s five-stage Volta ao Algarve that started last Wednesday and finished on Sunday. The whole event, covering much of the length and breadth of the region, presented the Algarve in a good light and was followed by cycling enthusiasts around the world.