Portugal marks the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution army coup that brought democracy
Military vehicles and red carnations have returned to the streets and squares of downtown Lisbon as Portugal reenacts dramatic moments from the army coup that brought democracy to the country 50 years ago.
Portugal is in suspense after an election produces no clear winner and a surging populist party
Portugalโs political future is hanging in the balance after a general election that has left two moderate mainstream parties closely contesting the race and an unprecedented surge in support for a populist party that finished third.
Portugal's president dissolves parliament and calls an early election after prime minister quit
Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has announced he's dissolving the nationโs parliament and calling an early election two days after Prime Minister Antรณnio Costa resigned with his government tainted by a corruption scandal.
Timeline shows Maine suspect moved swiftly to carry out mass shooting rampage and elude police
A timeline released Friday shows that the suspect in the Maine mass shootings stayed one step ahead of police who rushed to the bowling alley and a bar but were too late to stop him from killing 18 people and slipping away into the night in his Subaru.
EU weighs Belarus sanctions at sectors close to leader
European Union nations are sketching out plans for new sanctions against Belarus that will target economic sectors close to its authoritarian leader as they seek to strike back at him for diverting a passenger jet to arrest a dissident journalist.
EU's top court rejects effort to force tougher climate rules
The European Union's top court has rejected an effort by a Scandinavian youth group and eight families around the world to force the EU to set more ambitious targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Families from Kenya, Fiji, Germany, France, Italy, Portugal and Romania, along with the Swedish Sami Youth organization, launched the legal action in 2018. AdThe European General Court acknowledged that the plaintiffs are generally affected by climate change but rejected the case in 2019 on procedural grounds. The families and youth group appealed to the European Court of Justice, or ECJ, the blocโs top court. We see how the climate crisis affects the reindeer, nature and our culture," Sanna Vannar of the Sami youth organization told reporters.
Senior European official challenges Portugal over racism
A senior European human rights official is sounding the alarm about a rise in racism and discrimination in Portugal. The Council of Europes Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatovi, published a report Wednesday, March 24, 2021 into the increasing level of racism and the persistence of related discrimination in the southern European country. (AP Photo/Armando Franca, File)LISBON โ A senior European human rights official is sounding the alarm about a rise in racism and discrimination in Portugal. The Council of Europeโs Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatoviฤ, published a report Wednesday into โthe increasing level of racism and the persistence of related discriminationโ in the southern European country. Authorities have also promised to launch later this year a public awareness campaign against racism and discrimination, as well as review police recruitment policies.
Portugal's relief at falling COVID-19 cases tempered by fear
Nurses tend to a patient in a COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit at the Curry Cabral hospital in Lisbon, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021. The number of COVID-19 patients in hospital and in intensive care fell Thursday for the third straight day. The health ministry reported the fewest hospitalizations since Jan. 20 and the fewest patients in ICUs for almost two weeks. The number of COVID-19 patients in hospital and in intensive care fell Thursday for the third straight day. But Germano isnโt expecting any immediate relief at the intensive care unit he heads, where 25 patients are in care.
Portugal extends its virus lockdown as firefighters get jabs
A doctor performs an ultrasound scan on a patient in a COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit at the Curry Cabral hospital in Lisbon, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021. A January surge of cases in Portugal has ebbed amid a lockdown, but deaths and pressure on hospitals remain high. The seven-day average of daily deaths in Portugal is the highest in the world, at 2.05 per 100,000 people, according to Johns Hopkins University. Also Thursday, Portugal started inoculating firefighters against COVID-19, as the January surge of cases ebbed but deaths and pressure on hospitals remained high. Portuguese firefighters, who number about 15,000, commonly operate ambulances, and they are to be vaccinated over a two-week period.
Portugal poised to extend lockdown as COVID-19 cases fall
Hopes are rising in Portugal that the worst of a devastating pandemic surge might be over, as the number of COVID-19 deaths reported Monday was the lowest in three weeks. Portugal hit a peak of cases on Jan. 29, with a 14-day average of almost 1,700 cases per 100,000 habitants. Amid a lockdown since Jan. 15, that rate has fallen to around 980 per 100,000 โ a marked improvement but still one of the European Unionโs highest rates. Portugalโs president, prime minister and other senior officials held a televised meeting with health experts to consider whether the lockdown should be extended. Portugal has officially recorded more than 770,500 cases of COVID-19 and attributed more than 14,500 deaths to the coronavirus.
Hopes rise in Portugal but COVID-19 still slams hospitals
(AP Photo/Armando Franca)LISBON โ Hopes are rising in Portugal that the worst of a devastating pandemic surge might be over, as the number of COVID-19 deaths reported Monday was the lowest in three weeks. Still, the spread of COVID-19 in the small European Union country has by some metrics been slowing since the end of January. โIโm a bit more optimistic,โ said Dr. Joao Gouveia, who heads a government committee monitoring the intensive care response, citing lower infection rates and fewer hospital admissions. The ministry reported 196 more daily COVID-19 deaths, the lowest since Jan. 18. The number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care was 877, below the Feb. 5 high of 904.
Portugal vaccine rollout gets new chief after unsteady start
Portugal is facing a pandemic surge that has made it the world's worst-hit country by size of population. The European Center for Disease Control, an EU agency, said in weekly data published Thursday that Portugal has received almost 387,000 vaccine doses. AdA pandemic surge in January thrust Portugal into the spotlight as worldโs worst-hit country by size of population, according to Johns Hopkins University data, and the vaccine program has inspired hope amid an extended lockdown. Rear Adm. Henrique Gouveia e Melo, who was already head of the vaccine task force as part of its military support, said that as its new chief he had a long to-do list. But he noted that the European Commission is leading the blocโs vaccine purchase program.
Deadliest virus month piles strain on Portugal's government
In January, Portugal recorded more than 5,000 death โ close to half of its official pandemic total so far. Over the month, hospitalizations grew by 136% and patients in intenstive care units by 78%, pushing the public health system close to collapse. The intense pressure on Portuguese hospitals is unlikely to ease soon, however, because of a time-lag between new cases and hospitalizations. But the Portuguese public found out about that from a detailed statement by German authorities. Health Minister Marta Temido says Portugal ranks seventh in the European Union for the number of people vaccinated in relation to population.
Portugal scrambles for virus beds; health system threatened
Soldiers prepare beds in consulting rooms being turned into a makeshift COVID-19 ward at the Military Hospital in Lisbon, Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)LISBON โ At Lisbonโs Military Hospital, hundreds of troops have spent frantic weeks rushing to turn every available space into makeshift COVID-19 wards, as Portugal scrambles to cope with a sudden deluge of cases engulfing its public health system. โIn the first nine months (of the pandemic), we tripled our capacityโ of beds, said Brigadier General Rui Sousa, a 20-year army doctor who heads the Military Hospital. In total, the hospital will have 274 beds โ 80% of them for COVID-19 patients. Last Friday, the Military Hospital started repurposing an area to create 20 beds for COVID-19 patients.
Center-right incumbent wins Portugal's presidential election
Incumbent Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa delivers a speech following the results of Portugal's presidential election, in Lisbon, Monday, Jan. 25, 2021. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who had been widely expected to win, captured 61% of the vote. Rebelo de Sousa, a center-right moderate and former leader of Portugalโs Social Democratic Party, will serve a 5-year term that will be his last due to term limits. โEverything starts with the battle against the pandemic," Rebelo de Sousa said. Every Portuguese president since 1976, when universal suffrage was introduced following the departure of a dictatorship, has been returned for a second term.
EXPLAINER: A look at Portugal's presidential election
Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa announces that he will be running for reelection in the Jan. 24 presidential election, in Lisbon, Portugal, Monday, Dec. 7, 2020. Portugal holds a presidential election on Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021 and the moderate incumbent candidate is widely seen as the sure winner. (Manuel de Almeida/Pool via AP)LISBON โ Portugal will hold a presidential election Sunday, choosing a head of state to serve a five-year term as the country suffers through a national lockdown and a worsening coronavirus outbreak. The incumbent, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, is widely expected to be returned for a second and final term. Charming and affable, the 72-year-old Rebelo de Sousaโs willingness to pose for selfies spawned a Portuguese Facebook page called โSelfies com Marceloโ (Selfies with Marcelo).
Portugal shuts schools, blames variant for COVID-19 surge
Portugal's new daily COVID-19 cases have jumped to more than 14,600 to set a new national record. The pandemic has gained momentum in Portugal since Christmas, when restrictions on gatherings and movement were eased for four days. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)LISBON โ Portugalโs government on Thursday ordered the closure of schools for two weeks amid a surge in COVID-19 infections that the prime minister blamed on the rise of a more contagious variant. โThe risk of this virus spreading through society has increased,โ Prime Minister Antรณnio Costa told a news conference. It argued that if schools closed some children wouldnโt get proper meals.
Portugal sets records in one of world's worst virus surges
The pandemic has gained momentum in Portugal since Christmas, when restrictions on gatherings and movement were eased for four days. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)LISBON โ Portugalโs new daily COVID-19 cases jumped to more than 14,600 to set a new national record Wednesday, as the country weathers one of the worst pandemic surges in the world. Health authorities officially reported 14,647 new infections โ about 3,600 more than the previous daily record set four days ago. The pandemic has gained momentum in Portugal since Christmas, when restrictions on gatherings and movement were eased for four days. Meanwhile, authorities launched a program of rapid COVID-19 tests at schools in hardest-hit areas amid a severe surge in cases.
Polling booths go to voters in Portugal's pandemic election
Municipal workers seal an envelope with a presidential election ballot from a resident at an elderly care home in Montijo, south of Lisbon, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. For 48 hours from Tuesday, local council crews are collecting the votes from people in home quarantine and from residents of elderly care homes ahead of Sunday's presidential election. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)MONTIJO โ Local councils in Portugal sent out teams Tuesday to gather votes from people in home quarantine and from residents of elderly care homes before a presidential election being held amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Authorities have taken exceptional measures to ensure that voting in Sunday's ballot is possible, even with the country currently in lockdown. At an elderly care home in Montijo, a town 30 kilometers (18 miles) east of Lisbon, the visiting team set up a makeshift polling booth for eight voters Tuesday.
Portugal's president awaits virus advice in self-isolation
FILE - In this file photo dated Wednesday June 17, 2020, Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa after addressing the media at the Belem presidential palace in Lisbon. The office of the Portuguese president said Tuesday Jan. 12, 2021, that Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has tested positive for coronavirus although the veteran politician has no symptoms for the COVID-19 disease. (AP Photo/Armando Franca, FILE)LISBON โ Portuguese president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has tested negative for the coronavirus in results of two consecutive tests disclosed Tuesday, a day after a single positive result. The president then took two more PCR tests, one on Monday evening and another one on Tuesday, and both of them were negative. False positive results in PCR tests, although rare, can occur.
Portugal's armed forces help nursing homes battle the virus
As a resurgence of the pandemic in the fall looked set to overwhelm Portuguese care homes, the government mobilized all the resources it could. Some of the homeโs residents, suddenly confined to their rooms or their floor, were bewildered and chafed at restrictions, even trying to take the elevator and escape confinement. The soldiersโ mission: fan out across the country to visit hundreds of nursing homes and help shore up their defenses against the pandemic. On top of that, nursing home staff in Portugal commonly work in several different care homes and travel between them on public transport. They have already been to more than half of the targeted 2,770 care homes.
Heavy job cuts in $4.1 bln rescue plan for Portugal airline
LISBON โ Portugalโs government unveiled Friday a 3.4 billion-euro ($4.1 billion) rescue package for national airline TAP Air Portugal that entails more than 3,500 job losses โ around one-third of the workforce. The plan, which requires the blessing of European Union authorities, also foresees a payroll cut of up to 25% by lowering wages. The government predicts the flag carrier, in which the Portuguese state has a 72.5% stake, will lose revenue of 6.7 billion euros ($8 billion) through 2025. TAP lost more than 700 million euros ($849 million) in the first nine months of this year as the COVID-19 pandemic crunched the travel business. It flies to more than 80 destinations in about 30 countries, focusing mainly on North and South America and Africa.
Amid travel break, pope cheers Lisbon youth jamboree plans
The next World Youth Day will be held inPortugal in 2023. (Vincenzo Pinto/Pool via AP)VATICAN CITY โ With no papal travels abroad this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Pope Francis is cheering efforts for a youth jamboree, traditionally attended by pontiffs, in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2023. Francis on Sunday presided over a handover ceremony in St. Peterโs Basilica involving young people gearing up for the next World Youth Day, which draws huge crowds of Catholics from around the globe. When Francis attended the last such event in Panama in 2019, organizers announced that the next jamboree would be held in Lisbon in 2022. Francis applauded after youths from Panama symbolically slid across the basilica's floor a towering wooden cross to counterparts from Portugal as part of preparations for Lisbon.
Cybercrime money-launders busted by European police, FBI
The international police operation โ2BaGoldMuleโ led by Portuguese investigators and the FBI included 14 more European countries, under the umbrella of Europol. Europol said that more than 40 homes were searched by agents in Spain, Italy, Bulgaria and Latvia in the operation. The ring laundered money stolen from victims in the U.S. and European countries. The suspects face criminal investigations in the U.S., Portugal, Spain and the U.K.โThis operation has shown that through this cooperation we can collectively tackle the global nature of cybercrime. This is the only way forward,โ said Carlos Cabreiro, director of Portugalโs National Unit for Fighting Cybercrime.
Cristiano Ronaldo tests positive for COVID-19
The Portuguese soccer federation says Cristiano Ronaldo has tested positive for the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)LISBON โ Cristiano Ronaldo has become the latest international soccer star to test positive for the coronavirus. The Portuguese soccer federation said Tuesday that Ronaldo was doing well and had no symptoms after he tested positive while with his country's national team. Players who tested positive for COVID-19 recently include Neymar, Kylian Mbappรฉ, Paul Pogba, Paulo Dybala, รngel Di Marรญa, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Diego Costa. Thatโs life.โTwo other Portugal players, Josรฉ Fonte and Anthony Lopes, tested positive for COVID-19 recently.
2 Spanish banks merge amid tough times for financial sector
Two of Spain's biggest banks are poised to merge and create the country's largest bank in terms of domestic operations, with assets of more than 600 billion euros (dollars 708 billion). The deal brings the prospect of more job losses amid difficult times for the financial sector. A tie-up between CaixaBank, the largest bank in the domestic market, and Bankia, Spain's biggest mortgage lender, could herald other moves toward consolidation in the financial sector. It reported a profit of 1.7 billion euros ($2 billion) last year. It has around 15,600 staff and last year posted a profit of 541 million euros ($638.5 million).
Barcelona unwilling to negotiate Messi departure
Barcelona's Lionel Messi leaves he pitch at half time during the Champions League quarterfinal soccer match between Barcelona and Bayern Munich in Lisbon, Portugal, Friday, Aug. 14, 2020. (Rafael Marchante/Pool via AP)MADRID Barcelona is unwavering in its intention to keep Lionel Messi, who told the club earlier this week that he wanted to leave. Spanish media said Messi and his team contacted the club late this week to try to discuss his situation. Spanish radio station SER said on Saturday that Barcelona was ending its contract with its current law firm because it also worked for Messi. Training is scheduled to resume on Monday ahead of the start of the Spanish league season on the second weekend of September.
Lionel Messi tells Barcelona he wants to leave the club
Barcelona's Lionel Messi during the Champions League quarterfinal match between FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich at the Luz stadium in Lisbon, Portugal, Friday, Aug. 14, 2020. Gerard Piqu says Barcelona "hit rock bottom" in an 8-2 humiliation from Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez/Pool)BARCELONA Lionel Messi has told Barcelona he wants to leave the club after nearly two decades with the Spanish giants. Barcelona said the document sent by Messi referenced a clause allowing him to leave for free at the end of the season. The Spanish season would normally have ended in May but was pushed back because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Lyon stuns Man City 3-1 to reach Champions League semifinals
Lyon's Moussa Dembele, centre, celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's third goal during the Champions League quarterfinal match between Manchester City and Lyon at the Jose Alvalade stadium in Lisbon, Portugal, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020. (Franck Fife/Pool Photo via AP)LISBON Lyon stunned Manchester City to reach the Champions League semifinals for the first time in a decade, with Moussa Dembl scoring twice for the French outsiders Saturday to seal a 3-1 win that sets up a meeting with Bayern Munich. It leaves Pep Guardiola without a Champions League title since 2011 with Barcelona, falling short in three attempts with Bayern Munich and once again in his fourth season at City. Guardiola's decision to deploy an unfamiliar five-man defense to match Lyon's system backfired with the back line easily beaten for Maxwel Cornet to score in the 24th minute. And there was a glaring miss by City forward Raheem Sterling, blazing the ball over an empty net, before Dembl scored again.
Sadness to surreal: The biggest day in Tyler Adams' career
(Miguel A. Lopes/Pool Photo via AP)LISBON A day that ended with Tyler Adams producing the biggest moment in Leipzigs history and his own young career started in disappointment. Without a goal in his injury-disrupted 20 months at Leipzig, Adams confidence wasnt diminished that he could break the 1-1 deadlock in the quarterfinal. An American had never done so this late in the Champions League knockout stage. The Bundesliga was reached in 2016 and Champions League qualification secured within three years. It's a crazy, crazy journey for RB Leipzig," Nagelsmann said.
Portugal heat wave heightens risk of wildfires
The system uses radar to count people entering the gates to the fenced beach to help beachgoers keep social distancing due to the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)LISBON Portugal is experiencing a heat wave with hot and dry weather, sweltering nights and a heightened risk for wildfires. In Portuguese capital Lisbon, Wednesday's temperatures of 32 C (90 F) were already causing discomfort even among beachgoers who hit the sand early to avoid the midday heat. Carlos Valente, a 67-year-old pensioner, said he was hoping to endure the hot and dry weather, but that he would be careful. Portugal has recorded 47,400 confirmed cases of the new virus and 1,676 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.
Greece: Migrant children head to Portugal after appeal to EU
Officials from Greece's Ministry of Migration Affairs and the International Organization for Migration escort 25 unaccompanied refugee children at Athens International Airport before they board a plane to Lisbon, Portugal, on Tuesday, July 7, 2020. Portuguese authorities have agreed to take in several hundred children from refugee camps in Greece following an appeal for help by the Greek government to other European Union countries. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)ATHENS Greek authorities say 25 unaccompanied migrant children are traveling from Athens to Portugal, where they will be given shelter as part of a relocation program worked out among several European Union countries. Most children arrived with adult family members, but some 3,800 were unaccompanied, according to the Greek government. Officials from Greeces Ministry of Migration Affairs and the International Organization for Migration, an organization affiliated with the United Nations, were at Athens International Airport Tuesday to see the children off to Portugal.