Tag: Portugal

Portuguese police arrest 14 suspected arsonists over wildfires

By Patricia Vicente Rua LISBON (Reuters) – Portuguese police have arrested 14 suspected arsonists this week, who may have set some of the dozens of deadly wildfires raging across the country, contributing to the fire risks stemming from climate change and rural depopulation. The blazes have claimed at least seven lives and destroyed houses, factories and tens of thousands of hectares of forest. Prime Minister Luis Montenegro on Tuesday promised tough “repressive action” against such […]

Portugal’s Bobi loses oldest dog title

LISBON, Feb 22, 2024 (AFP) – Bobi, previously crowned the world’s oldest dog, has lost his title due to inconclusive evidence of his age, Guinness World Records (GWR) announced Thursday. A Guinness review launched last month concluded it “no longer has the evidence it needs to support Bobi’s claim as the record holder”. Bobi died last October at the age of 31 years and 165 days, exceeding the 12-14 years life expectancy for his breed, […]

Ronaldo marks 200th Portugal cap with winner, Haaland fires Norway

PARIS (AFP) — Cristiano Ronaldo marked his 200th international appearance with the winner as Portugal beat Iceland 1-0 in Euro 2024 qualifying on Tuesday, while Erling Haaland netted twice for Norway. Elsewhere, Belgium brushed aside the Thibaut Courtois captaincy row by seeing off Estonia thanks to a Romelu Lukaku double in Tallinn and Moldova came from two goals down to stun Poland. Portugal appeared to be heading towards a drab goalless draw in Reykjavik until […]

Police comb Portuguese dam for 3rd day in Madeleine McCann case

SILVES, Portugal, May 25, 2023 (AFP) – Police from Portugal, Germany and Britain on Thursday resumed their search at a reservoir in southern Portugal, hoping to shed light on the 2007 disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann. The child was three years old when she went missing from her family’s holiday apartment in the Algarve 16 years ago, while her parents were dining at a nearby tapas bar. Despite an international manhunt, no trace of […]

German court says no jurisdiction in Madeleine McCann suspect case

Berlin, Germany | AFP | Thursday 4/20/2023 A German court said Thursday it did not have jurisdiction to try the prime suspect in the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann for unrelated sexual offences. The regional tribunal in Brunswick said it had decided it was “not competent” to hear the case against Christian B. because his “last known address” in Germany was in another state, Saxony-Anhalt. “On the basis of the court’s decision, the Brunswick […]

The reckoning: child sex abuse in the Catholic Church

  Paris, France | AFP | Monday 2/13/2023 Portugal on Monday will become the latest country to issue an independent report into clerical sexual abuse, an issue that has dogged the Catholic Church for years and undermined its moral authority. From Australia to Ireland via the United States, thousands of priests, bishops and cardinals have been caught up in abuse scandals, as well as lay members of the Church such as Catholic school teachers or […]

Portugal Catholic clergy sexually abused nearly 5,000 minors: inquiry

Lisbon, Portugal | AFP | Monday 2/13/2023 by Thomas CABRAL Catholic clergy in Portugal have abused nearly 5,000 children since 1950, an independent commission said on Monday, announcing its findings after hearing hundreds of victim accounts. Thousands of reports of paedophilia within the Catholic Church have surfaced around the world and Pope Francis is under pressure to tackle the scandal. The Portuguese inquiry, commissioned by the Church in the staunchly Catholic country, published the results […]

Thousands join latest round of Portuguese teachers’ protests

Lisbon, Portugal | AFP | Thousands of teachers from across Portugal marched through the streets of Lisbon on Saturday in the latest round of protests demanding higher pay and better working conditions. More than 150,000 people took part in the rally, according to the National Federation of Teachers (FENPROF), the profession’s main union. “This is probably the biggest demonstration of teachers” in Portugal, said FENPROF secretary general Mario Nogueira. “We are outraged,” Augusto Figueiredo, a […]

Portugal blow away Switzerland to reach World Cup last eight

DOHA, Qatar (AFP) — Portugal dismantled Switzerland 6-1 to charge into the World Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday as Goncalo Ramos started in place of Cristiano Ronaldo and scored the first hat-trick of the tournament. The Portuguese will face Morocco in the quarter-finals after sweeping aside the Swiss in a display that was every bit as impressive as Brazil’s demolition of South Korea 24 hours earlier. In a surprise move, 21-year-old Benfica forward Ramos replaced Ronaldo […]

Ronaldo in spat with South Korean player during World Cup loss

Doha, Qatar (AFP) Cristiano Ronaldo said he was involved in a verbal spat with a South Korean player who criticised him for failing to leave the field quickly enough when he was substituted during Portugal’s 2-1 World Cup defeat on Friday. Portugal still topped Group H despite the result, which also sent South Korea into the last 16, but Ronaldo looked annoyed as he slowly walked off when his number went up in the 65th […]

Plea from Ukraine first lady kicks off annual tech summit in Portugal

  Lisbon, Portugal | AFP | One of the world’s biggest tech conferences will get going in Lisbon on Wednesday, after Ukraine’s first lady formally opened the event by urging participants to use their skills to save lives rather than end them. Olena Zelenska told an audience of several thousand at the Web Summit’s opening ceremony late on Tuesday not to put “technology at the service of terror” — unlike some in Russia. “Some IT […]

Spain, Portugal battle to control huge wildfires

MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Spain and neighboring Portugal fought against large wildfires on Tuesday, while three people were badly injured after their train hurtled into a smaller Spanish blaze. Some 300 firefighters spent a difficult night battling a huge wildfire in southeastern Spain that has burnt through nearly 10,000 hectares in an area notoriously difficult to access, officials said Tuesday. The fire began when lightning hit the Vall de Ebo area in Valencia late Saturday […]