5th Floor fire breaks out in Portimão
The Portimão Volunteer Firefighters were called to a fire that broke out on the roof of a five-storey building in Praia da Rocha, yesterday lunchtime.
The alert was given at 12:38pm on Thursday, March 27 with 12 members of the bombeiros dispatched to the apartment block on the main artery road in Praia da Rocha, Avenida Tomás Cabreira.
Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire caused by insulation material being used for construction which had caught fire, because luckily the flames were still confined to the roof.
Evacuation of the building was not necessary.
Portugal to be home of the European KC-390 pilot training center
The Minister of Defense has announced that Air Base11, in Beja, will house the European pilot training center for KC-390 aircraft and that Portugal will acquire a second simulator of this military aircraft.
“We will start to train crews for these aircraft, which are already equipping the air forces of several countries”, he highlighted.
The KC-390 is a twin-engine aircraft capable of carrying up to 74 stretchers or 80 passengers. Easily reconfigurable, with an adaptable load handling system and plenty of load capacity, the KC-390 guarantees operability in the most varied scenarios.
In January, the Air Force received the last components of the KC-390 aircraft simulator, an “authentic replica” of this plane’s cabin, which was used today for the first time at the 506 Squadron – “Rinocerontes (Rhinos)” facilities, where future pilots will learn to fly this plane.
The Embraer Defense Europe office in Lisbon will be focused on meeting the necessary NATO and EU requirements to launch Embraer's defense initiatives in Europe, with a dedicated team of professionals specialized in program management, support and engineering, to provide state-of-the-art solutions, adapted to the needs of European armed forces.
Several European countries already have Embraer equipment, such as the C-390 multi-mission aircraft and the A-29N Super Tucano advanced training and light attack aircraft, including Portugal, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary and the Netherlands.
Portimão hospital: temporary solution to long term parking chaos
Land located in front of the Barlavento Hospital in Portimão has undergone work that means it can now be used as a car parking space area, at least for the timebeing.
This is a temporary solution to the regular difficulty in finding a place to park, for those attending or visiting the hospital. Often people are forced to return to the access roundabout and look for a 'miraculous' little spot on the road opposite, to Companheira.
In an attempt to alleviate the problem, and taking advantage of the goodwill of the land owner of the adjoining plot, Portimão Council have levelled and compacted the land, which now allows space for two hundred vehicles to park, in addition to the existing car park area.
Proposal for new equipment allowing treatment for all cancer patients in the Algarve from 2026
Cancer patients in the Algarve will have the possibility of being treated entirely in the region in 2026, according to a proposal put forward yesterday, by the Mayor of Loulé.
The mayor made a presentation together with the president of the Algarve Local Health Unit (ULS), Tiago Botelho, and the president of the Algarve Academic Center for Biomedical Research and Training (ABC), Pedro Castelo Branco, for the proposal of purchasing new equipment.
“Given the controversy, Loulé City Council is seeking to propose a solution, so that the Algarve can equip itself with the equipment for cancer patients” to be treated in the region, without needing to travel to Lisbon or Seville, said Vítor Aleixo at a press conference.
The three entities have agreed to install a building in Loulé where diagnostic equipment will be installed to perform positron emission tomography (PET) scans.
The new unit will start operating in mid-2026 with an investment of 3.5 million euros, 60% financed by European funds (Portugal2030) and 40% by Loulé City Council.
The local authority thus decided to abandon the previous project to change the Detailed Plan for Parque das Cidades and the construction of the Southern Reference Oncology Center (CORS), which should have been installed by the end of 2024.
“The previous project had several vicissitudes and what this management found was a land without viability: there was no land, no project”, said the president of ULS Algarve, Tiago Botelho.
The urban planning department of the municipality of Loulé had rejected the construction of CORS in January, claiming that the project exceeded the limit of the area of the plot made available for its construction and did not respect the stipulated green areas.
ULS Algarve guarantees, with its ABC, “the implementation of all conditions for carrying out all PET scans in the region in the new equipment until the future Algarve Central Hospital begins operating”.
For its part, ABC states that it already has an established partnership with the Institute of Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), in Coimbra, which will “facilitate” the operation of the new equipment.
The organisation also ensures the functioning of the PET, namely its human resources.
This equipment will make it possible to carry out around 2,000 exams per year, which until now were carried out in Lisbon and Seville (Spain).
According to figures given at the press conference, the Algarve currently treats 95% of all oncological cases in the region.
“The most important thing is that people will stop having to travel from one place to another, what matters is the comfort of patients,” said Vítor Aleixo.
The building that will house the PET will be built on the land where the ABC Genetics Laboratory will be located, on Rua Humberto Pacheco, in Loulé.
New digital driving license approved, with some changes to the rules
Approved yesterday, March 25th 2025, the European Union is to introduce a digital driving license from 2030, recognized in all Member States of the European Union.
The agreement is part of the revision of the directive on driving licenses and aims to harmonize standards and simplify processes for European drivers. There are also a few possible changes to current driving license rules and regulations.
The new digital driving licence is expected to be launched by 2030. Although it will have an electronic version, there will still be a physical version. This will be valid in all EU countries for a period of 15 years for cars and motorcycles. However, if it is used as an identification document, the validity will be reduced to 10 years.
Stricter probationary period
New drivers will have to serve a probationary period of at least two years. During this period, they will be subject to stricter rules, including harsher penalties for driving under the influence of alcohol, not wearing a seatbelt or not using child restraint systems.
Driving license suspended in case of serious infractions
The new legislation provides for the suspension of driving licences across the EU for drivers who commit serious offences. This means that a driver penalised in one EU country will not be able to simply obtain a new licence in another Member State, ensuring stricter controls on repeat offenders.
Zero tolerance for drunk driving
The new regulation encourages Member States to adopt a zero-tolerance policy towards drinking and driving. The measure aims to reduce road accidents and improve safety on European roads.
Possibility to drive at 17 years old
Another new feature of the directive is the possibility for Member States to authorise the issuing of driving licences to young people aged 17 and over. They will be able to drive, provided they are accompanied by an experienced adult. This measure also applies to truck drivers, although in this case they will only be able to drive in their country of origin.
Objective: more drivers for the professional sector
The reduction of the minimum age for truck driving is a response to the shortage of drivers in the transport sector. This measure also aims to ensure that access to the profession is easier without compromising road safety.
Ease for drivers moving to another country
The directive also introduces improvements for drivers who live in a country other than the one where they obtained their driving licence. The EU aims to standardise procedures, making it easier for drivers who move between Member States to renew and obtain new licences.
Stricter rules for professional drivers
Professional drivers will be subject to stricter requirements, including regular medical checks and ongoing training. The aim is to increase road safety and ensure that HGV drivers keep their skills up to date throughout their careers.
Directive approval process
The provisional agreement on these new rules still needs to be formally approved by member states' representatives and the European Parliament. Once adopted, EU countries will have four years to transpose the directive into national law.
Digital system to facilitate verification
The implementation of the digital driving licence will make it easier to check the validity of licences, allowing authorities to carry out faster and more effective checks. In addition, this system can be integrated with national databases to simplify processes such as renewals and reissues.
Impact on road safety
With these new measures, the EU aims to significantly reduce the number of road accidents. The focus on digitalisation, driver training and stricter rules for new drivers are important steps towards ensuring safer roads across the EU.
4 cases of Hepatitis A confirmed at a Portimão school
Four students at the Coca Maravilhas Elementary School in Portimão are sick with hepatitis A, with reports that the first case was confirmed in February but was 'covered up' by school management.
According to Portuguese television channel TVI, the first case of Hepatitis A at the school was confirmed in February, but parents of the infected students claim that the school management "has been hiding the cases from the school community". The same sources state that at the school gate, there is information denying that there is an outbreak, and that the school is following all public health guidelines.
The General Directorate of Health confirmed that there are 4 infections at the school and that the transmission "occurred in a family environment of the cases who live in the same neighbourhood, in an area made up of precarious housing, without drinking water and sanitation".
Health authorities recommend vaccination for all high-risk contacts and warn children not to share food or water bottles, and to wash their hands regularly.
In the report , TVI says that since the beginning of the year, seven cases of Hepatitis A have been detected in the Algarve, but that the outbreak occurred initially in August 2024, with 52 cases in the municipalities of Faro, Olhão and Portimão.
4.4 Richter earthquake felt in Albufeira and Faro
An earthquake measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale was felt with the most intensity in Albufeira and Faro this morning, at around 05:18 am.
According to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), there was no personal or material damage caused by the earthquake.
The epicentre was around 75 kilometres south of Faro and was recorded at 05:18 at the stations of the Mainland Seismic Network, and registered a maximum intensity III/IV (modified Mercalli scale) in the municipalities of Albufeira and Faro. The earthquake was felt with less intensity in Loulé area.
Earthquakes are classified according to their magnitude as micro (less than 2.0), very small (2.0-2.9), small (3.0-3.9), slight (4.0-4.9), moderate (5.0-5.9), strong (6.0-6.9), large (7.0-7.9), important (8.0-8.9), exceptional (9.0-9.9) and extreme (greater than 10).
The Modified Mercalli scale measures "degrees of intensity and their description".
With an intensity III, considered weak, the tremor is felt inside the house and hanging objects sway, feeling a "vibration similar to that caused by the passage of heavy vehicles", say the IPMA on their website.
Maximum intensity IV (moderate) and V (strong) on the modified Mercalli scale means that the vibration is similar to that caused by passing vehicles, parked cars shake, windows and doors shake and is felt outside the home.
