WEDNESDAY BRIEFING

Behind this week's headlines

 

Tourism soaring

The occupancy rate last month in Algarve hotels and resorts was its highest in 16 years, according to the National Statistics Institute. The overall number of international tourists to Portugal almost doubled last year. 2023 is predicted to be another exceptionally busy year for tourism in the Algarve, Lisbon and other popular Portuguese destinations.  

  

Catholic abuse

The Cardinal-Patriarch of Lisbon has ruled that no priests accused of sexually abusing children will be suspended without “proven facts” and a canonical process carried out by the Holy See. However, the auxiliary bishop of Lisbon has promised there will be “zero tolerance” for abusive priests. New and hopefully more detailed measures are expected to be announced this week. 

 

Airline boss sacked

The government has fired the CEO of Portugal’s state-owned airline, TAP. She was caught in a scandal involving a severance payment of €500,000 to a former board member. The board chairman has also been fired. Neither will receive any compensation. The beneficiary of the severance payment has been ordered to refund €450,000. The government is now looking to privatise the airline. 

 

Troubled teachers 

School teachers, particularly in the main cities, Lisbon and Porto, have continued to publicly protest against what they regard as poor wages and other unacceptable aspects of their professional employment. They say they are determined to “fight on.” Meanwhile, pupils and their parents remain confused as to when teachers are available for normal classes.

 

Ocean protection

Portugal’s president has welcomed the UN High Seas Treaty announced at the weekend. Well over a decade in the making, the treaty aims by 2030 to protect marine species in 30% of the world’s international waters where all countries have a right to fish, ship and do research. Only 1.2% of these waters are currently protected.  Almost 200 countries have signed the new, historic, legally binding agreement.

 

Reducing shellfish contamination

Researchers at the Algarve Centre of Marine Sciences at the University of the Algarve have developed a way of reducing biotoxin contamination in shellfish. The biotoxin originates in the algae eaten by shellfish without causing them any harm, but biotoxins can cause illness and even death to humans and other mammals that eat them.