Category Archives: Portugal

Fix Europe’s housing crisis or risk fuelling the far-right, UN expert warns

Posted on by

Unaffordable rents and property prices risk becoming a key political battleground across the continent

Spiralling rents and sky-high property prices risk becoming a key battleground of European politics as far-right and populist parties start to exploit growing public anger over the continent’s housing crisis, experts have said.

Weeks before European parliament elections in which far-right parties are forecast to finish first in nine EU member states and second or third in another nine, housing has the potential to become as potent a driver of far-right support as immigration.

Continue reading...

Portuguese government rejects president’s suggestion of slavery reparations

Posted on by

President advocated ‘paying the costs’ of colonial-era crimes but government says focus is on deepening international cooperation

The Portuguese government has dismissed suggestions from the country’s president that it should “pay the costs” for slavery and other colonial-era crimes, saying it has no plans for reparations and will instead focus on deepening international cooperation “based on the reconciliation of brotherly peoples”.

Campaigners have long appealed to Portugal to address its legacy as the European country with the longest historical involvement in the slave trade. Between the 15th and 19th centuries, nearly 6 million Africans were kidnapped and forcibly transported across the Atlantic on Portuguese vessels.

Continue reading...

Portugal needs to ‘pay the costs’ of slavery and colonialism, says president

Posted on by

Critics of Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa say behind remarks is lack of national recognition that slavery should be discussed in schools

Portugal needs to “pay the costs” of slavery and other colonial-era crimes, the country’s president has said, in a rare instance of a European leader seemingly backing the need for reparations.

Portugal has long grappled with calls by campaigners to address its legacy as the European country with the longest historical involvement in the slave trade. During the span of four centuries, nearly 6 million Africans were kidnapped and forcibly transported across the Atlantic by Portuguese vessels.

Continue reading...

Far right’s rise in Portugal could threaten ambitious climate action

Posted on by

Environmentalists fear focus on economy may undermine country’s climate transition – one of most radical in Europe

Portugal has been among Europe’s more ambitious countries in terms of climate action, but the rise of the far right in recent elections could threaten the positive steps the country has taken.

At the end of 2023, Portugal broke records as it went for six consecutive days relying solely on renewable energy. But national elections in March this year marked a significant shift in the political landscape, with the far-right party Chega (Enough) making a major breakthrough. Having more than quadrupled its number of MPs from 12 to 50, Chega holds considerable sway in the 230-seat parliament, where it could influence legislation.

Continue reading...

Weather tracker: Flood fallout claims at least 20 lives in Brazil

Posted on by

Heavy rainfall brings landslides to country’s south-east. Elsewhere, a wild temperature fluctuation in Iberia

Brazil was hit by devastating floods over the weekend that have so far claimed 20 lives in the resultant landslides and mudslides. There was heavy rainfall in parts of the south-east, including Rio de Janeiro, Petrópolis and the larger Espírito Santo region, with hourly rainfall totals of about 20mm recorded in places. Cumulative totals from Friday through Sunday were close to 250mm, particularly along the coast: this is far higher than the monthly average.

Landslides and mudslides occurred across the region, and a number of houses collapsed. Rescue operations are under way to look for people who may have been stranded by the floods. Although there may still be a few showers over the following days, the worst of the rain has now passed.

Continue reading...

Portugal’s new prime minister promises to bring stability after narrow win

Posted on by

Luís Montenegro must now try to form government but has vowed not to do any deal with far-right Chega party

Portugal’s new prime minister, Luís Montenegro, has promised stable government after the country’s president invited him to try to form a minority administration that could face a rough ride in a hung parliament.

Montenegro, 51, was named prime minister early on Thursday after a long-awaited count of overseas votes confirmed a narrow victory in 10 March elections for his centre-right Democratic Alliance (AD).

Continue reading...

Vulnerable man pleads with UK government to block extradition to US

Posted on by

Diogo Santos Coelho from Portugal faces a 52-year sentence for alleged cybercrime relating to RaidForums site

A vulnerable autistic man is pleading with the UK government to block his extradition to the US on cybercrime charges where he faces a 52-year sentence for alleged offending that began when he was a child.

Diogo Santos Coelho, who has been assessed as at very high risk of suicide, said he had been groomed and exploited online by adults from the age of 14 into committing the alleged crimes, which relate to the website RaidForums.

In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is at 988 or chat for support. You can also text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis text line counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org

Continue reading...

Portugal election: centre-right alliance claims victory, rejects role for far right

Posted on by

Democratic Alliance leader Luis Montenegro says it will not rely on Chega party to govern

The leader of Portugal’s centre-right Democratic Alliance, Luis Montenegro, has claimed victory after a closely contested parliamentary election that saw the far-right surge.

With almost 99% of Sunday’s votes counted, the Democratic Alliance – an electoral platform made up of the large Social Democratic party (PSD) and two smaller conservative parties – and the Socialist party (PS) were each on 28.67%.

Continue reading...

Portugal’s far-right Chega party eyes kingmaker role as country goes to polls

Posted on by

Election triggered by resignation of prime minister António Costa could see scandal-hit Socialist party ousted by rightwing coalition

The Portuguese left and right are braced for a tight race as the country votes in its second snap general election in three years, a closely fought contest that is also expected to result in huge gains and a possible kingmaker role for the far-right Chega party.

Sunday’s election was triggered by the collapse of the socialist government of António Costa, who resigned as prime minister in November amid an investigation of alleged illegalities in his administration’s handling of large green investment projects.

Continue reading...

‘We have never been this close’: Portuguese far right aims for election breakthrough

Posted on by

André Ventura is hoping discontent with mainstream politics will hand his Chega party a kingmaker role

Tempting as the tables of savoury pastries were, and strong as the voice of the shaven-headed singer belting out Phil Collins was, they were not the lure that had drawn 200 people to a remote wedding venue in northern Portugal on a cold and ink-black Wednesday evening.

Despite the sign at the opposite end of the hall reading “Let’s get this party started”, the audience’s attention was more focused on a huge campaign poster behind the singer that offered a less hedonistic exhortation: “Portugal needs a CLEAN-UP.”

Continue reading...

Portugal election campaign heats up as voters prepare to go to the polls on Sunday – Europe live

Posted on by

Portugal’s prime minister António Costa resigned last November amid investigation into handling of green investment projects

We’ve received a note from Miguel Barreira, a member of the Liberal Initiative party, which has polling at around 5%.

More than Chega (or, as I call it, Ventura’s one-person Party), who it seems to be losing steam and radicalising its campaign in these last few days, my party will probably be key to allow PSD to form a working majority, without accepting any kind of talks or negotiating with the far-right Chega.

Well, time to get back to the campaign trail.

We continue to believe that the most likely scenario is a right-wing coalition with the support of the far-right populist Chega. If the AD wins the most votes, there is a possibility that the PS will refrain from bringing down a centre-right minority government so as to keep Chega out of government.

This arrangement would in any case be likely to last only until the 2025 budget comes to a vote towards the end of this year. Another snap election in 2024 or early 2025 is therefore a risk.

Continue reading...

Serbian elections took place under ‘unjust conditions,’ international observers say – as it happened

Posted on by

Day after Aleksandar Vučić’s populist ruling party declared victory, concerns raised over vote-buying and ballot box stuffing. This live blog is closed

The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has arrived in Budapest to meet Hungary’s leadership.

The relationship between Turkey and Hungary is closely watched in the west, in part because the two countries have been delaying Sweden’s accession to Nato.

One thing that is significant is the level of irregularities that was noticed … we’ll need to get a full investigation, but the large numbers of voters which were apparently bused to Belgrade, to vote especially in the local elections, is something we haven’t seen on that scale before.

And that suggests a very systematic effort of the government to ensure it gets a majority in Belgrade. So this is something which is certainly noteworthy. I mean, there’s been manipulation in the past but this seems to be more serious.

Even if it’s not clear that the opposition will be strong enough to actually be able to form a government, but at least it suggests that there’s a genuine weakness in Belgrade.

I think nobody doubted that they would win the elections, but nobody expected that they would improve on the result of last year by such a margin.

Continue reading...

Portugal to hold snap election – the second in two years – after PM quits

Posted on by

President announces 10 March date for parliamentary election after António Costa stepped down on Tuesday

Portugal will hold a snap parliamentary election – its second in as many years – on 10 March, the president has announced after Tuesday’s abrupt resignation of the Socialist prime minister amid a corruption investigation.

In an address late on Thursday, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said he would disband parliament, where the Socialist party has a majority of seats, only after the final vote on the 2024 budget bill, due on 29 November. The house approved the bill on first reading on 31 October.

Continue reading...

Portuguese PM António Costa resigns amid corruption inquiry

Posted on by

Police search socialist prime minister’s official residence in investigation into alleged corruption

Portugal’s socialist prime minister, António Costa, has resigned hours after prosecutors examining alleged corruption involving lithium and “green” hydrogen deals announced that he was under investigation and police searched dozens of addresses, including his official residence and the environment and infrastructure ministries.

Speaking on Tuesday afternoon after two emergency meetings with Portugal’s president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Costa said he had submitted his resignation, adding he had a “clear conscience” and “complete trust in justice” and how it worked.

Reuters and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report

Continue reading...

Storm Ciarán kills at least 15 across western Europe as floods strike Italy

Posted on by

Tuscany is in a state of emergency and three people died when their sailing boat capsized off Portugal

At least six people have died in severe flooding in Tuscany, central Italy and three in Portugal, bringing to 15 the provisional death toll across western Europe from the torrential rain and record winds brought by Storm Ciarán.

Eugenio Giani, the president of Tuscany, announced a state of emergency on Friday, describing the situation as “really very serious”. It had been “a long and complex night for the entire regional civil protection system”, he said.

Continue reading...

Portuguese police apologise to Madeleine McCann’s parents

Posted on by

Officers apologised to parents of missing girl earlier this year for their handling of investigation and treatment of family

Portuguese police have apologised to the family of Madeleine McCann for the handling of the unsolved case, more than 16 years after the three-year-old’s mystery disappearance in 2007.

Earlier this year, a delegation of police officers travelled from Lisbon to London to apologise for the handling of the investigation and how the family was treated, according to BBC Panorama.

Continue reading...

Claims about genuine age of Bobi, world’s oldest dog, to be investigated

Posted on by

Guiness World Records to look into claims after scepticism over whether the Portuguese mastiff really lived to be 31

The death of Bobi the Portuguese mastiff at 31 was history-making – no dog before had ever reached such a grand old age.

But awe soon turned into scepticism, as vets wondered whether it was biologically possible for a dog to live for the equivalent of 200 human years.

Continue reading...

‘Pervasive and relentless’ racism on the rise in Europe, survey finds

Posted on by

Poll of 6,752 people of African descent in 13 countries finds almost half have experienced discrimination

Racism is “pervasive and relentless” and on the rise in Europe, with nearly half of black people in member states surveyed by the EU reporting discrimination, from the verbal abuse of their children to being blocked by landlords from renting homes.

In every walk of life, from schools to the job market, housing and health, a survey by the EU’s rights agency of people of African descent found high levels of discrimination, with some of the worst results recorded in Austria and Germany, where far-right parties have been on the rise.

Continue reading...

European leaders pledge crackdown on antisemitism as incidents rise

Posted on by

Bans on pro-Hamas celebrations and pro-Palestinian protests announced in several countries amid tensions

Officials across Europe are scrambling to curtail any spillover of tensions from the Israel-Hamas war, with Germany pledging a “zero tolerance” approach to antisemitism and France banning pro-Palestinian protests amid concerns for public order.

The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, told parliament on Thursday that while thousands of people had rallied in support of Israel, the country had also seen “disgraceful images on our streets in which the most brutal acts of terror have been celebrated in broad daylight”.

Continue reading...

Portugal to scrap ‘unjust’ tax breaks for foreign residents

Posted on by

Low-tax scheme launched during financial crisis has stoked housing inflation that has drawn protests across country

Tax breaks for foreign residents in Portugal are “no longer justified”, the prime minister, Antonio Costa, has declared, promising to close the scheme for new applicants in 2024 after it stoked housing prices in one of western Europe’s poorest nations.

Launched in 2009, the scheme allows people who become residents by spending more than 183 days a year in the country to benefit from a special 20% tax rate on Portuguese-sourced income derived from “high value-added activities“”, such as doctors and university teachers.

Continue reading...