Portugal's general discussion (general events)

[Mike88]

Royal treasure finally inaugurated and open to the public in Ajuda Royal Palace:

https://twitter.com/dgpc_pt/status/1532137502273839105

The Royal Treasure Museum has already opened. Come and discover one of the most important collections of jewels and jewellery of the monarchy, exhibited for the 1st time permanently in the west wing of the Palácio Nacional da Ajuda.

The original plan for this museum is 226 years old, during which time the finishing work on the west wing of the Palácio Nacional da Ajuda remained unfinished, and the project that has now been completed began work six years ago.

Today, at 6:00 pm, the official inauguration will take place and, as of June 2, the Royal Treasury Museum opens to the public, with the Crown jewels and jewellery on permanent display for the first time.
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The collection of the Royal Treasury Museum is housed in one of the largest safes in the world - 40 meters long, 10 meters wide and 10 meters high -, with three floors, equipped with sophisticated security and video surveillance equipment, five tons, windows with temperature and humidity control and bulletproof glass.
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[Mike88]

Waste production in Portugal increases as, per day, every Portuguese produces 1.4 kilos of garbage:

https://twitter.com/SICNoticias/status/1533438777284337665

The portrait of the environment in Portugal. Garbage production in Portugal is far above the EU average

Portugal is one of the European Union countries where the production of waste has increased the most and there is still a lot to be done with regard to recycling.

The quality of the water, both for consumption and for Portuguese beaches, is considered excellent.

These are some of the conclusions of the data revealed by Pordata on World Environment Day.

Pordata hopes that the data revealed can serve as a warning to the Portuguese and to those who decide.

Some data:

- Total waste produced: 5.3 million tons in 2020, as increase of 50% compared with the mid 90's.

- Recycling: Portugal 13% (EU 30%)

- Landfills: Portugal 54% (EU 23%)

[Mike88]

Soaring fuel prices: Gasoline reaches the highest price ever, around 2,26 euros per liter.

https://twitter.com/SICNoticias/status/1533788584087539712

Gasoline has already gone up 18 times this year while diesel has already gone up 15 times.

Fuels are more expensive this Monday. Since midnight, the liter of gasoline has risen by 14 cents and that of diesel has increased by 12 cents. In the case of gasoline, it is the highest price ever.

At a gas station visited by SIC this Monday, diesel costs more than €2 per liter and gasoline costs €2.26/liter.

This is also the price of fuel already updated at another pump, where the average increase of 14 cents for gasoline and 12 cents for diesel is confirmed.

The reduction of taxes on petroleum products that the government maintains this month does not appease the discontent of drivers who are asking for an urgent halt to this escalation in prices.
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In some gas stations, gasoline has run out after a massive over-demand during the weekend:

After the rush to gas stations over the weekend there were pumps where the fuel ran out. This is the case of one in Alfragide that had to open an hour later than expected.

Drivers who passed by a gas station in Alfragide throughout the morning to try to fill up their car were surprised by the warning that the gas station was closed.

The high demand during the weekend caused the fuel to run out for a few hours.
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The difference in prices between Portugal and Spain is growing, with gasoline around 44 cents cheaper in Spain, and diesel around 30 cents cheaper.

[Mike88]

Painter Paula Rego dies at the age of 87. The Government declares National Mourning:

https://twitter.com/CatarinaDemony/status/1534495215263879170

Painter Paula Rego, one of the most acclaimed and awarded Portuguese artists internationally, died this morning in London, aged 87, a source close to the family told Lusa.
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Born on January 26, 1935, in Lisbon, she was awarded, among others, the Turner Prize in 1989, and the Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso Grand Prix in 2013, in addition to having been distinguished with the Grand Cross of the Military Order of Sant'Iago da Espada in 2004. In 2010, he received from Queen Isabel II the Order of the British Empire with the degree of Officer, for his contribution to the arts.

[Mike88]

Scandal in Caldas da Rainha hospital, Leiria, as a baby died because of lack of obstetricians:

https://twitter.com/JornalNoticias/status/1535165632500494336

Closed emergency. Pregnant woman loses baby in Caldas da Rainha hospital

A woman lost her baby due to an alleged lack of doctors at the Caldas da Rainha hospital. The emergency department was closed when the pregnant woman was admitted to that emergency department.

The news is being advanced by RTP3, which cites a statement from the West Hospital Center (CHO), confirming constraints in the emergency obstetrics in Caldas and announcing the opening of an investigation into the death of the baby, on Wednesday night.
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According to RTP, the woman was taken for an emergency cesarean section. The baby died.
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Also, according to RTP, this is not the first case in this hospital with at least two other pregnant women losing their babies because of the lack of doctors.

[Mike88]

More chaos in the NHS: Several hospitals across the country are closing obstetrics services during the weekend because of lack of doctors:

https://twitter.com/cnnportugal/status/1535551445394722817

From Braga to Setúbal, there are more obstetrics services that are unable to receive pregnant women. This Saturday, the hospitals in Setúbal, Barreiro and Almada will not receive pregnant women during, at least, the night period and on Monday, the 13th, the list extends to Hospital Amadora-Sintra and Hospital São Francisco Xavier, both in Lisbon

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Tomorrow, Braga Hospital will not open doors during the day, with not enough doctors to ensure the scales: instead of five obstetricians, only two will be available to fulfill a 24-hour scale.

From today until Monday, there will still be constraints at the Western Lisbon Hospital Center, at the Beatriz Ângelo Hospital, in Loures, and at the Setúbal Hospital Center, which already has constraints this Saturday.

The complaint is from the Independent Union of Physicians (SIM), which says that “the Ministry of Health insists that there is no problem here”. The union accuses the tutelage of forcing doctors to make scales below the minimum and of not doing anything to hire obstetricians.

According to SIM, during these days, the guidelines of the patient orientation center are to only refer pregnant women to the Alfredo da Costa Maternity Hospital or to the Santa Maria Hospital, both in Lisbon, because there is less and less investment and consequently less obstetricians.

[Mike88]

Controversy spars as an Évora Court rules that caressing students under clothes isn't sexual abuse:

https://twitter.com/JornalNoticias/status/1536231408997347328

Court rules that fondling students under their clothes is not sexual abuse

The Court of Appeal of Évora has just reduced and suspended the effective prison sentence applied by the Court of Setúbal to an English teacher, as it understands that the caresses he made to seven-year-old girl students, under their clothes, have "a sexual nature", but do not constitute a crime of sexual abuse.
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Seriously, Portuguese Courts have been having rulings that are just an embarrassment...

[Mike88]

Outrage as little girl, just 3 years old, is murdered by her nanny because of a 400 euros debt:

https://twitter.com/JornalNoticias/status/1539926261111197696

Death of girl in Setúbal is due to debt of 400 euros

Jessica's mother, the three-year-old girl who died in Setúbal as a victim of murder, owed 400 euros to the suspects. It was to force the woman to pay this debt that the three detainees - the woman who lent her the money, her daughter and her son-in-law - kidnapped the child and beat her, leaving her dying.

The girl ended up not resisting the injuries and died at home in Setúbal, on Monday, where she was taken by her mother after six days in captivity at the suspects' house.

The debts of Inês, the child's mother, to the suspects had already caused her problems before. A few months ago, her partner, Paulo Amâncio, as he told JN, had already paid off another debt. He even warned Inês that he would not allow her to reconnect with this family and ask them for money, threatening to leave her if she did.

But Inês again contracted a new debt and said nothing to her companion. She wanted to pay off the loan herself and, on Tuesday of last week, the 14th, she handed over the girl to her family. According to João Bugia, coordinator of the Judiciary Police (PJ) in Setúbal, she was taken to hand it over. "The woman now detained convinced the mother to take the child to her home on the pretext that the girl could play with her granddaughter, of the same age", he explained to Lusa. But she could no longer take her home. She was given until July 7th to arrange the money, and only then would Jessica be returned.
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This Wednesday, the PJ detained the loan shark, 52, her partner, 58, and her daughter, 27. They are indicted for aggravated murder, aggravated assault, kidnapping and extortion. The mother was questioned, as was her partner, but no defendants were ever made.
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[Mike88]

Erotic statue in São Pedro do Sul, Viseu district, is creating some controversy:

https://twitter.com/JornalNoticias/status/1541117115062661120

Giant erotic statue in São Pedro do Sul to "break prejudice" about sex

It's called 'The Naked F**k' and it's being talked about in Santa Cruz da Trapa, São Pedro do Sul. It is an erotic sculpture, by the artist Custódio Almeida, 9 meters high and weighing about 60 tons, which alludes to the sexual act between a man and a woman.

Created to break down prejudices, the work, which took two years to complete, is located in the Espaço Arte Dança Nua and dominates the conversation topics in the region.

To TVI, the author explained: "The involvement, two bodies, the freedom of sex. That's how I developed this work".

The intention was "to break [taboos], so that people can free themselves from this prejudice that still exists at a national and global level", added Custódio Almeida.

[Mike88]

The "New Lisbon airport soap opera" continues: Government now decides to construct a complementary airport in Montijo and then a fully new airport in Alcochete.

https://twitter.com/ECO_PT/status/1542153795047755788

Government wants complementary airport in Montijo and Alcochete to replace Portela

The Government has already taken decisions on the new Lisbon airport. The Strategic Environmental Assessment (AAE) won by a consortium that has a company owned by the Spanish State will be put down and will launch a new one with a new 'agenda': To proceed with the immediate construction of the complementary airport of Montijo, with a runway only, and for the start of work on a new airport in Alcochete that will replace Humberto Delgado within 10 to 15 years.
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Officially, the Ministry of Infrastructure refuses to make any comments and sends news for later, but, in this context, the Government will launch a new tender to carry out in-depth environmental impact studies of the two possibilities, but the preliminary studies anticipate that Montijo's solution with only one runway will be viable and this will allow the diversion of 'low cost' flights from Humberto Delgado Airport, releasing the growth of more flights/hour of 'flagship' companies and medium and long-haul flights. And it will have to negotiate with ANA — the airport concessionaire — the work for the development of the new Alcochete airport, which will eventually replace the current infrastructure at Portela, in the center of Lisbon.

The prime minister has shown signs that he wants a political agreement with the new leader of the PSD - who will be formally elected this weekend in congress, after winning the direct -, but he should be left to 'talk to himself'. Luís Montenegro has already indicated that the decision is up to the Government, which has been in office for almost seven years.

The Montijo option has been rejected by air traffic regulators, environment associations and Courts, but now it's back on the table. Whatever.

Expresso newspaper also reports that the government wants to begin constructing the Montijo airport by the beginning of 2023. Seriously...

[Mike88]

Aveiro university teacher that admitted he was homophobic and called for an "inquisition" and "a clean up of human filth", was suspended after protests:

https://twitter.com/expresso/status/1543987336102526977

The University of Aveiro (UA) temporarily suspended a professor at that institution this morning, accused of having made homophobic comments on its Facebook page.

The University of Aveiro (UA) temporarily suspended a professor at that institution this morning, accused of having made homophobic comments on his Facebook page.

Speaking to Lusa, the Dean of UA, Paulo Jorge Ferreira, clarified that the temporary suspension was determined this morning, following a disciplinary process initiated on Friday against the physics professor Paulo Lopes.

“All the relevant elements for the case were gathered and the case was initiated last Friday. The teacher was also suspended, already within the scope of this process, so that the necessary steps can now be carried out with the indispensable tranquility”, said the rector.
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At issue is a publication that Professor Paulo Lopes made on his Facebook page, in which he openly criticizes the LGBTQ+ community, regarding an advertising campaign that makes known several terms related to this community, such as “gay”, “gay”, “ lesbian”, “queer” or “non-binary”.

"I think we urgently need an 'inquisition' to clean up all this human garbage (?) all!", wrote the teacher, considering that this publicity act "is an aggression and deserved a brave stone in the windows just to learn".
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In an email sent to Lusa, Professor Paulo Lopes said that this controversy “is artificial”, stating that it comes from a “violent reaction” by the target group.

“The so-called 'students' reacted as citizens and not students, as my actions did not take place in my workplace, which should be kept on the sidelines and not even within the scope of my work”, said the teacher, considering that the rectory “does not have to express itself about anything”.

Paulo Lopes also insisted that the publication he made was in a personal capacity and reflects his personal opinion, which “is sovereign in a state that is considered free and enshrined in the Constitution”.

“Of course, there will be those who don't like my position, but that's part of life. I also don't like many positions and I don't make a fuss or chase anyone, I just comment, as I did in my publication, ”he concluded.

[Mike88]

As the country faces a big heat wave, some trains have brokedown because of the heat, so the Trains of Portugal company (CP) is advising passengers to avoid using trains during the hottest parts of the day:

https://twitter.com/TSFRadio/status/1545731760842977282

After breakdowns, CP appeals: in the hottest hours, avoid traveling by train

Two long-distance trains - an Alfa Pendular and an Intercidades - broke down this Friday due to high temperatures. CP (Comboios de Portugal), in a statement, appealed to passengers to avoid traveling during the hottest hours.

At Entroncamento, it was just before 5 pm when the Alfa Pendular 135 train, coming from the Lisbon-Santa Apolónia station, broke down. According to ECO, the air conditioning stopped working and the passengers got out of the carriages, where they then had to wait about an hour and a half for two regional trains to Braga.

At around the same time, about 200 meters from the Pombal train station, the Intercidades 523, which was heading towards Porto-Campanhã, also suffered a breakdown. To reach the station platform, the train had to be pushed by a Takargo diesel locomotive.

"We inform you that, due to the heat wave forecast for the next few days, the comfort conditions on board some trains may not be the most suitable, especially at times with higher temperatures.", CP reported on the website.

The company recommends that passengers, "whenever possible", use trains "in the early morning or late in the day". In case of exchange of travel, CP refunds the total value of the ticket purchased.

This is ridiculous...  

[Mike88]

Wildfires: Government decrees a period of contingency until Friday as the combination of the ongoing drought and a massive heat wave could create catastrophic wildfires:

https://twitter.com/euronewspt/status/1546135490956595202

Portuguese authorities seek to prevent fires from resulting in tragedies like in the past

In Portugal, fires again worry firefighters and populations. More than two thousand operatives were fighting, this morning, the 32 forest fires that were active. By early afternoon, few were still to be controlled. Being that of Pombal, which moved to Ansião, the one that needed more attention. Extremely high temperatures, strong winds and severe drought favor this type of fire.

The situation appears to be far from over. The "weather forecasts that indicate a very serious worsening of the risk of rural fire in the coming days", led the Prime Minister, António Costa, to cancel the visit to Mozambique, scheduled for Monday and Tuesday.

The Government even declared a "contingency situation" between this Monday and Friday, as a way of allowing Civil Protection to mobilize "all the means available to the country" to fight the fires. An information provided by the Minister of Internal Administration. Yesterday, José Luís Carneiro recalled that "means are always finite in light of the scale of variables".
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[Mike88]

Today was the worst day, so far unfortunately, in terms of wildfires. The most serious fires are in Leiria and Santarém districts, in the Center of the country. During the afternoon, this was the scene around Leiria city:

https://twitter.com/dacar24/status/1546960528345628674
https://twitter.com/HerminioCerq/status/1546909182976221184

The main highway of the country, A1, was closed as the wildfire reached the road, and several houses have been destroyed by the fire, with several villages forced to evacuate. Around 1,000 firefighters are on the ground, accompanied with 239 vehicles and 7 airplanes.

[Mike88]

The wildfires continue today, this time in the Algarve and Lisbon suburbs. The Leiria fires continue to create worry with  fears of restarts.

In Palmela, a Lisbon suburb, the wildfire is now surrounding the city and several houses and social services had to be evacuated:

https://twitter.com/BilbiaOfissial/status/1547232339142516736

In the Algarve, the luxurious resorts of Quinta do Lago, near Quateira and Vilamoura have golf courses burning as a big wildfire is surrounding the resort. Several houses have also been evacuated.

[Mike88]

Update: The Algarve wildfires are now somewhat controlled after a very complicated day. In Palmela, the fire is still active and is entering in Arrábida Natural Park.

Another big wildfire is now active in Aveiro district, around 70 kms (44 miles) from Porto city which forced the closure of 3 highways, A1, A25 and A29, and at least two factories are being hit by the fire. Reporters from TSF radio were caught in the middle of the wildfire as they were driving in highway nº1:

https://twitter.com/TSFRadio/status/1547350968135712768

A TSF reporter was traveling on the A1 moments before it was cut by fire. The images show flames on the side of the road and it is possible to hear, among the reports, the crackling of the flames. See the video.

[Mike88]

Update: The Palmela fire is now controlled, as is the Oliveira de Azeméis fire, Aveiro district. In Pombal, Leiria district, firefighters are still trying to control a wildfire that is active for days now. A new wildfire also broke in Baião, Porto district.

Overall, authorities say that 160 people were injured in the wildfires since 7 July, with 4 being in serious condition.

[Mike88]

In the same day wildfires continue to surge all across the country, forest rangers went on strike. They demand higher wages and better working conditions.

Also, the day was marked by the crash of a plane which was fighting a wildfire in Bragança district. The pilot died in the crash and President Marcelo was said he intends in going to the funeral of the pilot. PM Costa and LO Montenegro also express their condolences to the pilot's family.

Since last week, around 26,000 acres have burned across the country.

[Mike88]

Some updates:

- Lisbon and Porto city mayors demand more police in streets after a rise in violent crimes during nightouts. Last week, a man was murdered in a Lisbon bar after a brawl:

After another murder in Lisbon's night, the mayor asks for a reinforcement of the police. "People are not seeing police on the street," says Moedas. Porto had a police station closed over the weekend and union asks for a reflection on what happened.
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In statements at the end of a meeting of the Municipal Security Council, the mayor explained that on Sunday he sent an "urgent request" to the government for Lisbon to have more police. "People are not seeing police on the street and I offer the government the ability to do that", he said, adding: "We can even establish a partnership between the municipal police and the PSP, but we need mobile posts in this city". An idea that, in the opinion of Hugo Costeira, director of the Internal Security Observatory (OSI), "is unrealistic. If there are not enough troops, it is not possible to make a fair distribution. It makes no sense to talk about mobile police stations."

In the second largest city in the country, the demands are identical, after a weekend in which the ninth police station of the PSP, the largest in Porto, was closed for the day. Something that the Minister of Internal Administration, however, devalued, explaining that "it was a choice between having police on the street or in the police stations". For Jorge Bacelar Gouveia, director of the Observatory for Security, Organized Crime and Terrorism (OSCOT), "the concerns are fair, it is fair to ask for more human resources, because they are needed."

- Government surplus reaches a record 1.1 billion in the first half of the year. Tax revenues are up more than 28%, due to inflation. Public spending drops 1.7%:

The State recorded a surplus of 1,113 million euros in the first half, in public accounting, which translates to an improvement of 8,429 million euros compared to the first six months of 2021, the Ministry of Finance announced this Tuesday.
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Expenditure, on the other hand, decreased by 1.7% compared to the same period last year, with the Ministry of Finance stressing that it reflects the lower impact of measures associated with covid-19 (-28%), interest expense and other charges (-15.3 %) and capital transfers to Novo Banco.

- A shooting occurred near a Shopping mall in Vila Real city, North region, with a pregnant woman and three other people being injured. The reason behind the shootings is the kidnapping of a 16-year-old girl who was betrothed to a boy via an arranged marriage. The suspects ran away and the police is still searching for the suspects.

- Water rationing is already underway on the Algarve region, with the government imposing restrictions to hotels and golf courses:

The reduction of water consumption is aimed at enterprises that have a "big expenditure" in spaces such as golf courses and green spaces, with no limits on human consumption.

"A meeting was held between the Portuguese Environment Agency and a number of tourist resorts in the Algarve, where it was decided to manage the limits of water consumption to be adopted", the minister advanced, at the end of a meeting of the Permanent Commission on Prevention, Monitoring and Follow-up of the Effects of Drought (CPPMAES).

With the country experiencing a situation of "hydrological drought that is perhaps the most serious of this century", in the words of the Minister of the Environment, the measures follow 78 others already taken in the meetings that have been held since February 1 of the Permanent Commission of Prevention, Monitoring and Follow-up of the Effects of Drought (CPPMAES).
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[Mike88]

Controversy as the current Lisbon Patriarch concealed a sexual abuse case that happened in the 90's:

https://twitter.com/observadorpt/status/1552037522959699969

Patriarch of Lisbon received a report of abuse and met with the victim. But he kept the priest in office and did not report the case to the police.

D. Manuel Clemente became aware of a complaint of sexual abuse of minors concerning a priest of the Patriarchate. He met with the victim, but chose not to say anything to the police.

The current cardinal-patriarch of Lisbon, D. Manuel Clemente, became aware of a complaint of sexual abuse of minors concerning a priest of the Patriarchate and even met the victim personally, but chose not to report the case to the civilian authorities and for keeping the priest active with chaplaincy functions. In addition, the priest continued to manage a private association where he welcomes families, young people and children, with the knowledge of D. Manuel Clemente. All because, justifies the Patriarchate to the Observador, the victim, who claims to have suffered the abuses in the 1990s, did not want his case to be public and just wanted the abuses not to be repeated.

The action of the Patriarch of Lisbon contradicts both the current internal rules of the Catholic Church for this type of situation, which determine the communication to the civil authorities of all cases, as well as the repeated appeals made either by the independent commission led by the psychiatrist Pedro Strecht or by the Police. Judiciary so that all cases, even those that are already prescribed at the judicial level, are communicated to the authorities, since the probability of repetition of this type of crimes over time is considerably high.
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[Mike88]

Economic numbers: Inflation reaches 9.1%, while GDP contracts -0.2% in the 2nd quarter.

https://twitter.com/ECO_PT/status/1552936152000348161

Portuguese economy contracts 0.2% in the second quarter

The Portuguese economy contracted 0.2% in the second quarter of the year, after the surprising growth of 2.6% in the first three months of the year, reveals the quick estimate released this Friday by the National Statistics Institute (INE), which revised down by 0.1 percentage point the performance of the first quarter. In year-on-year terms, GDP increased by 6.9%, since in the second quarter of 2021 it had grown by 11.8%.

“Gross Domestic Product (GDP), in real terms, registered a year-on-year change of 6.9% in the second quarter of 2022 (11.8% in the previous quarter). It should be noted that the year-on-year evolution partly reflects a base effect, given that in the first quarter of 2021 several measures were in force to combat the pandemic that conditioned economic activity.
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Inflation rose to 9.1%, the highest rate since November 1992:

The inflation rate accelerated again in July, settling at 9.1% compared to the same month of 2021. This is the biggest year-on-year change in prices since November 1992, according to the National Statistics Institute (INE).

However, the change in chain prices was practically zero (-0.04%), that is, there was barely any change in prices from June to July 2022.

Energy products contributed the biggest rise to the July inflation rate: the price change index in this category shot up 31.19% compared to the same month of 2021. However, this increase slowed down compared to June 2022 (31,66%, the highest percentage since 1984). In this set of products, the chain price variation increased by 1.02% – which compares with the chain increase of 1.11%.
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[Mike88]

Controversy as the current Lisbon Patriarch concealed a sexual abuse case that happened in the 90's:

More cases emerge, with a priest accusing 12 other priests of abuse, half of them are still active in the Church:

https://mobile.twitter.com/SICNoticias/status/1555260117611847686

Expresso investigation: priest denounces 12 priests for suspected pedophilia. It is the latest case in the Catholic Church's sexual abuse scandal. Six of the priests implicated are still on active duty.

The story of a priest who denounced 12 other priests on suspicion of pedophilia is revealed in this week's Expresso. The investigation, carried out by journalists Hugo Franco and Rui Gustavo, reveals that half of these priests are still active.

It is also revealed that the Patriarch of Lisbon, D. Manuel Clemente, was not the only one not to follow up on complaints: there are two more bishops, whose identity Expresso reveals, who also concealed sexual abuse complaints from the Judiciary Police and the Public Ministry against minors.

Over the years, the whistleblower has been collecting various data, filling dossiers, two of which have strong suspicions of pedophilia crimes that began in the 1990s, one in the meantime removed from the Church and others still in office. The priest, whose identity is not revealed, gathered several testimonies from victims who say they were harassed or abused in parish houses, in cars and even in a house in the Algarve.

One of the young people, aged 15 at the time, would commit suicide after revealing to his parents the crimes of which he was a victim. The family filed a complaint to the Patriarchate of Lisbon, which ended up transferring the priest to a parish in the capital where, later, he was reported by other minors. The Church ended up placing him in another parish, in a European country. In 2013, the Patriarchate and the Public Ministry opened an investigation, but the case was eventually shelved.
(...)

Also during this week, other two cases emerged:

- One priest was removed from the Church after a woman accused him of raping her during last June. The woman also accuses the Lisbon Patriarchate of trying to "cover up" the case as the Lisbon Patriarch, D. Manuel Clemente, asked the woman to not publicly revealed this case.

- In Vila Real district, a priest was also removed from the Church after he was accused of abusing children in the 90's, when he was working for the Lisbon Patriarchate.

[Mike88]

Media reports that D. Manuel Clemente, Lisbon Patriarch, tender his resignation to Pope Francis but the Pope refused. The Patriarchy is refusing to clarify the situation:

After a tragic week for the Portuguese Catholic Church, D. Manuel Clemente, Lisbon Patriarch, had a secret and last minute meeting with Pope Francis, yesterday, regarding the big surge of cases of sexual abuse in the Portuguese Church. According to some newspapers, D. Clemente actually tender his resignation to the Pope, but the Pope decided to secure the Lisbon Patriarch asking him to remain in office until the 2023 Lisbon World Youth Day* celebrations. However, the Patriarchy is refusing to confirm or not these reports.

* The 2023 Lisbon World Youth Day celebrations are also in the middle of a controversy as the Lisbon mayor and the Government were at odds on who will pay the bill of the celebrations. Lisbon city refused to pay the whole bill and demanded that the Government pay part of it. A last minute deal was reached in the last few days, with the Government accepting to pay some of the costs. But, with construction already underway, no one is saying how much it will cost.

[Mike88]

11 people injured, 4 in critical condition, as a lightning hits a house in the Azores island of Terceira:

https://twitter.com/Publico/status/1556169755840708608

Azores: Bad weather in the Azores. Lightning leaves 11 injured, four critically

Bad weather in the Azores caused 11 injuries, four of them in a serious condition, reported this Sunday the Regional Civil Protection and Fire Service of the Azores (SRPCBA), after, according to RTP, lightning struck a house in the parish of Vila Nova, on Terceira Island.

Five of the injured were taken to the Santo Espírito Hospital on Terceira Island, the most affected, and six to the Praia da Vitória Health Center, according to the same note from the SRPCBA.

The Azorean civil protection also warned the issuing an an orange warning for the possibility of rain “sometimes heavy, which may be accompanied by thunderstorms”.
(...)

The island of Terceira is being hit by a big storm that has also created floods across the island in the last few days.

[Mike88]

Big wildfire is destroying UNESCO protected areas in Serra da Estrela Natural Park:

https://twitter.com/RTPNoticias/status/1556937484180852736

Fire is causing "irreparable damage" in Serra da Estrela

The fire that started Saturday in Serra da Estrela between Covilhã and Manteigas and threatened the village of Verdelhos. It is being fought by around 600 operatives, supported by 195 vehicles and six air assets.

The mayor of Covilhã warns that the recovery of the forest in that region will take several years.
The fire has two active fronts, one advancing towards the municipality of Manteigas and the other towards the villages of Carvalho and Teixoso, as indicated by RTP journalist Jorge Esteves.
(...)
The mayor speaks of an "irreparable damage" at the environmental level in Serra da Estrela and indicated that it will take several years for the forest to recover.

In a protected area, a UNESCO heritage, the area burned since the weekend should reach 4,000 hectares, estimates the mayor.
(...)