‘Literacy is earned through fun, provocation and stimulation’ About 40% of adults in Portugal can only understand simple texts and solve basic arithmetic problems, according to an Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) study from 2023, comparing 160.000 people in 31 countries. Only Chileans turned out to have more difficulties in interpreting texts or […]
‘Porcelain is essentially made of kaolin, sand and the mineral feldspar’ Vista Alegre – the country’s most famous porcelain brand – celebrates its 200th anniversary. The factory in Ílhavo, founded in 1824 by José Ferreira Pinto Basto, has remained relevant for two centuries thanks to its quality, ability to reinvent itself and focus on the […]
‘Not just part of Portugal’s history but part of the world’s history’ The rare Garrano is an endangered breed of pony within the Iberian horse family from northern Portugal mainly used as a pack horse, and for light farm work. Members of this emblematic breed are usually dark chestnut in colour, with a straight facial […]
Patients of the oldest psychiatric hospital in Lisbon left an artistic footprint The former hospital Miguel Bombarda in de Rua Dr Almeida Amaral in Lisbon was the first psychiatric hospital in Portugal. The history of the building goes back to the beginning of the 18th century, when there was an estate called Rilhafoles, on which […]
‘World’s 1.5C climate target ‘deader than a doornail’ – the Guardian The internationally 2015 Paris agreement to keep the world’s temperature below 1.5C in 2050 will not be achieved – with 2024 being the year above this threshold – despite the current gathering of world’s decision-makers at the United Nations COP29 summit in Baku, Azerbajan. […]
Crime by immigrants hasn’t increased. Crime against them has. The idea that an increase in immigration brings more crime is a myth! This concludes the sociologist Catarina Reis Oliveira, who analyzed the data on crimes published by the police authorities and crossed them with the immigration figures. In an analysis made at the request of […]
‘It is time black people have their voice’ As word of the family photo project of the African Diaspora spread last year, Chalo Correia, knew he had to be part of it. Originally from Angola, Correia’s more than three decades of living in Portugal had given him a feeling that he would never fully belong. […]
‘In Portugal, it is unacceptable to suggest that a child is better off at a special school’ Portugal has transferred almost all children in special education to ‘normal’ schools. In the Netherlands, the number of children in special schools actually increased in recent years. Follow the Money investigated the differences in both countries. The inclusive […]
‘Wildfires, the nightmare we have to live with’ Nine people killed – including three firefighters – and more than 170 injured in wildfires ravaging the central and northern regions of the country; in the districts of Aveiro, Porto, Vila Real, Braga, Viseu and Coimbra. The country’s civil protection service said that last week 54 wildfires […]
‘Unfortunately nobody can predict the next earthquake’ On Monday morning August 26 at 05.11 the country was startled by an earthquake 58 kilometres west of Sines, in the district of Setúbal with a magnitude of 5.3 on the Richer scale. No personal or material damage was reported, although there were many phone calls from concerned […]