WEDNESDAY BRIEFING

 

Mid-week headline news 

                                 - June 7

 

Portugal Day in SA

It will be officially celebrated at home this coming Saturday, June 10, but Portugal Day commemorations are already underway in South Africa. They are being attended by Portugal’s president, prime minister, several MPs and other senior officials. The number of Portuguese citizens or descendants living in South Africa is estimated to be anywhere from 200,000 to 450,000.    

New residence permits

 Over 113,000 Portuguese-speaking immigrants have been granted residence permits in this country since the launch on March 13 of a special platform that aims to ease the procedure to acquire residency. Most of the beneficiaries are from Brazil (86.8%), according to the European Commission. The rest are mostly from Angola and San Tome.

Ukrainians leaving 

The number of Ukrainian refugees in Portugal who fled the war has continued to decline. It was announced on Monday that 4,000 have left in the last two months. The number still here, having been granted residence permits, is 56,528.

Yet more strike action

Disruptions in all Portuguese train services are expected to last until July 6. More airport disruptions could take place if SEF border staff continue strike actions on June 10-12, 17-19 and 24-26.

TAP airline privatisation 

The Portuguese state intends to keep a stake in TAP and will not offer all of its capital in the upcoming privatisation of the airline, says the minister of finance. The government is seeking an independent evaluation of TAP before its privatisation, which could be launched next month.

More hotel rooms

Another 130 hotels are expected to open in Portugal this year. This will add well over 15,000 rooms, according to the consultancy firm Lodging Econometrics. Only three other countries in Europe – the UK, Germany, and France – have more hotel rooms. Meanwhile, the housing crisis for Portuguese residents continues.

Solar vs biodiversity

A Spanish company is hoping to build a 145 hectare solar plant in the Eastern Algarve that protesters, who are seeking more supporters, say is a unique area of biodiversity, home to more than 300 species of flora and fauna and the direct infiltration for the Moncaarapacho/Peral aquifer.

Algarve water limits

All 16 local authorities in the Algarve are to ensure that urban water consumption does not exceed 2019 levels. If necessary, they are willing to go further, according to the president of the Algarve’s inter-municipal community.

Family doctors lacking

More than 1.7 million people in Portugal are now without a family doctor. The number rose by 4.7% between April and May this year. This is indicated on the transparency portal of the Portuguese national health service (SNS).