SUNDAY BRIEFING

 

Weekend headline news 

                             – June 25

 

Strikes next week

The secretary-general of Portugal’s largest trade union federation has predicted a national day of strikes and demonstrations all across the country next Wednesday. Workers in various sectors are demanding wage increases.

Expanding  tourism

The inland areas of Portugal, which are much less well-known to visitors compared with Lisbon, Porto or the Algarve, “can and should be inspiring for the transformation of tourism”, declared the secretary of state for tourism, commerce and services on Friday.  There are already measures in place to make this come true, he added.

Capital of Culture

Portugal’s prime minister has said that the designation of Évora in the Alentejo as the European Capital of Culture 2027 is an opportunity for the development of the region and he country through investment in culture.

Gambling addicts

A surprisingly large number of Portuguese people are addicted to gambling. An official study has found that 55% of Portuguese citizens – the majority of them men – have admitted to being addicted to gambling. That’s an increase of 7.6% from a similar survey in 2017.

Other addictions

The prevalence of tobacco consumption in Portugal increased from 48.8% in 2017 to 51% in 2022, according to a report by Luca News. The consumption of alcohol increased from 49.1% to 56.4% over the same period, while the use of sedatives was 13%, down from 22% in 2021.

New tax idea

The Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) has presented a bill to parliament proposing a reduction of personal income tax and VAT for families. At the same time the PCP wants more taxation on companies and a tax on transitions to tax havens.

New Fatima saint

Pope Francis has signed a decree to advance the beatification of Sister Lucia, the eldest of the three children said to have witnessed the apparitions at Fatima in 1917. The Church will now have to approve a miracle attributed to her before the process of sainthood can be completed.

In the papers

The Portugal News announces that from July only electric buses will be operating in the city of Évora.

The Portugal Resident reports that human trafficking is a “time bomb under Portugal’s feet”.

The Algarve Daily News has led with: a story about a man who killed his wife, stayed with her corpse all night and surrendered himself the next day.