Society

The Porto Metro blue line was inaugurated on 7 December 2002, connecting the Trindade and the Senhor de Matosinhos Stations with a track length of 12 km and 18 stations. This was a milestone in the city's transport network. Public transport started to include a light railway in the Porto Metropolitan Area, combining an underground rail network with light rail lines.

The President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, begins a two-day official visit to Portugal 6 December. Sergio Mattarella, following an invitation by the Portuguese President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, will be in the two main Portuguese cities to "strengthen the bonds of friendship between the two countries in all its dimensions".

With the slogan "One buyout, an act of solidarity", the Xmas Ark will be held on 6 and 7 December at São Bento Station main concourse. This event is jointly organised by Porto City Hall and Portugal's Infrastructure. This activity comprises the participation of 27 city institutions.

The Porta-Jazz Festival takes over Porto each year and big-name bands from everywhere hit town for grandeur on stage, for an entire week. The eighth edition of Porta-Jazz Festival programming features original music projects with a focus on jazz musicians from Porto.

As is tradition, the Christmas Circus returns to Coliseu Porto for a run of shows from to 7 December, at 9 pm to 1 January 2018 with the crème de la crème in the circus arts. The programming is the responsibility of Coliseu Porto, which marks 75 years of existence.

Royal Air Maroc (RAM) will increase weekly flights adding one more flight connection to the Porto-Casablanca route, starting 17 December. The airliner now offers four weekly flights to connect Porto and Casablanca instead of the former three, as "a diversification strategy and market development measure" the company said in a statement.

People in Porto have a good command of English. Yes, we do! To newcomers it almost feels like we have been practising for foreigner's arrival. According to EF English Proficiency Index 2017, which is increasingly cited as an authoritative source by journalists, educators, officials, and business leaders, Porto has the best English in Portugal.

Porto City Hall decided to award a rental contract for plug-in electric and hybrid vehicles. This measure, approved during the meeting of the Executive Body held 28 November, will allow the city to save money (annual fuel savings of approximately 600 thousand Euros) and also reduce CO2 emissions by as much as 2350 tons in the next 4 years.

Science will be served at the table, 30 November, at Pinguim Café, a pub in Belmonte Street, no. 65, located in the historical centre of Porto, starting at 9.30 pm. The convivial atmosphere, with friends and acquaintances is the ideal setting to debate such issues as sustainable chemistry and engineering and also clinical sexology.

Porto City Hall and the Xunta de Galicia (Regional Executive of Galicia) will carry out a cross-border cooperation project to improve energy efficiency in Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTP) and to make residual water treatment more sustainable as well. The Aqualitrans' mission is to improve water quality, to reduce the energy consumption and to decrease the running costs of the WWTP.