News Porto.

There is a host service in place, in Porto, for those children with no support background in the household, as their parents are essential workers or cannot work from home. Keeping the quality of learning and teaching, even during the school remote system in place, owing to the pandemic, is a major priority of the Municipality of Porto. Currently, over 400 first graders benefit form a daily meal service; also, the educational programmes have been adjusted and adapted to the current needs.

The President of the Republic came back to Porto, as he had done five years before, to mark his inauguration ceremony. After being sworn in in Lisbon, he headed to Porto for an ecumenical ceremony, where he was welcomed by the Mayor of Porto, Rui Moreira. This is the President’s second mandate and the ceremony was attended by representatives of several religious beliefs. “I am filled with pride, because Porto is a city of tolerance”, affirmed Rui Moreira.

The Natural History and Science Museum of the University of Porto (MHNC-UP) is gathering materials and objects to tell the story of Covid-19 to future generations. Masks, ventilators, 3D printed face shields, research methods and results; these are but some of the features to be included in the “History of Covid-19”. The next step is to tell the story to the community.

These artists from Porto use their skills to create a unique and fascinating street landscape, one that is lovely to watch. Here is a glimpse of that street work, with the prospect of an in-person visit when lockdown measures thus allow it. Rafi die Erste and Godmess honour personal storytelling or the mule pannier, aka the water baskets, which is a folk tradition for carrying the pitchers by mule to fetch water.

Starting today, 9th March, the Municipality of Porto supports taxi rides in town to transport the elderly to and from vaccination centres, namely the Health Centres in the Western and Eastern part of the city. This cooperation agreement was concluded with the two taxi shuttles operating in the city. Taxi fares are two euros per one-way trip, and round-trips are 4 euros. This measure had already been announced by Mayor Rui Moreira on 22nd February, during the Municipal Executive meeting.

WOMEX Festival aka World Music Expo makes its absolute debut in Portugal, in the city of Porto, and it is inviting artists from the entire world to apply. Submit your work according to four categories: Showcase (concerts), Club (DJ sets), Films (documentaries on music) and Conferences. The deadline for applications is 16th April. See here for more information.

The University of Porto celebrates World Women’s Day with free online workouts. Zoom in and feel the good vibes.

The QS World University Rankings by Subject latest edition spotlights the University of Porto among the top 400 Best Universities in the world in 25 out of the 51 study areas assessed. The highlight is the enhancement of UP in the World Top 100 in Architecture, Sports, Civil Engineering, and a debut area is Management Information ranking at the 49th position. This year’s edition also marks the return of Psychology and Sociology to the elite ranking positions, according to the UP news release.

The celebrations that mark the centennial anniversary of National Theatre São João (TNSJ) conclude on 6th and 7th March. The Theatre’s head office takes to the online stage “Waiting for Godot (En attendant Godot), a play by Samuel Beckett. Also, there will be talks, interviews, documentaries and other performances featured during these next two days.

Casa Alvão, an iconic establishment in the city of Porto, founded in Rua de Santa Catarina in 1901, celebrates its 120th anniversary. The Alvão Foundation collection, which covers three Portuguese political periods, namely the Monarchy, the Republic and the Estado Novo, was acquired by the Portuguese Photography Centre (CPF), which will mark the occasion with exhibitions, lectures and guided tours. On a monthly basis, the CPF offers insights on the Casa Alvão acquis on social media.