Tag Archives: Portugal

EuroNews reports: Spain and Portugal experienced a widespread power outage on Monday, leaving millions without electricity in a snap blackout. In Portugal, official sources told domestic media that the outage, which hit around late morning local time, was nationwide, while similar reports emerged from Spain. Madrid’s Barajas International Airport and Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado were closed after being left without power, …

Newsweek reports: Portugal is now one of a growing number of European countries that have updated travel advice for the U.S. as America’s stricter immigration and enforcement practices under President Donald Trump have caused global concern. It comes following a number of U.S. border-entry incidents, including a French scientist being denied entry after border officials searched his phone and found …

Politico Europe reports: Portugal ruled out replacing its U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets with more modern F-35s because of Donald Trump — in one of the first examples of the U.S. president killing a potential lucrative arms deal. The country’s air force has recommended buying Lockheed Martin F-35s, but when outgoing Defense Minister Nuno Melo was asked by Portugese media Público …

Politico Europe reports: Portuguese police raided Prime Minister António Costa’s official residence and detained his chief of staff, Vítor Escária, as part of a corruption investigation, Portugal’s attorney general said Tuesday. The probe is linked to lithium exploration schemes in the north of the country and a green hydrogen mega-project in Sines. Police searches of the prime minister’s residence and …

The Hill reports: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending that Americans avoid travel to France, Jordan and Portugal and several other countries because of a “very high level of COVID-19” within their borders. The CDC on Monday also issued Level 4: Do Not Travel advisories for Tanzania, Liechtenstein, Cyprus and Andorra. The agency noted, however, that …

The New York Times reports: Portugal’s health care system was on the verge of collapse. Hospitals in the capital, Lisbon, were overflowing and the authorities were asking people to treat themselves at home. In the last week of January, nearly 2,000 people died as the virus spread. The country’s vaccine program was in a shambles, so the government turned to …

Reuters reports: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and State Department on Monday both warned against travel to Spain, Portugal, Cyprus and Kyrgyzstan because of a rising number of COVID-19 cases in those countries. The CDC raised its travel advisory to “Level Four: Very High” for those countries telling Americans they should avoid travel there, while the …

The New York Times reports: The Portuguese authorities ordered a weekend lockdown of the capital region of Lisbon starting on Friday in an attempt to blunt a recent surge of new infections, offering a powerful reminder that even as Europe seeks to reopen more fully, the virus still poses challenges. The decision came after Portugal registered this week its highest …

The BBC reports: A man stormed the stage while the UK’s entry, SuRie, was performing at the Eurovision Song Contest. SuRie was singing her song Storm when a man wearing a rucksack ran onto the stage, grabbed her microphone, and appeared to say: “Nazis of the UK media, we demand freedom.” He was swiftly dragged off stage and SuRie continued …

NBC News reports: Today, the EU is more fragile than at any point since its founding in 1993, and yet Eurovision is still one of the highest rated global events of the year, beating out more U.S.-centric events like the Oscars and the Super Bowl handily. Eurovision encourages songs to stay “universal” in their messaging.  But most that perform are …

I really thought Italy and the dancing gorilla had this, especially since the video for their entry has over 114 million views on YouTube. Sky News reports: Portugal has won its first-ever Eurovision Song Contest for Salvador Sobral’s performance of Amar Pelos Dois. Sobral, who has fought ill health to take part in the competition, was crowned winner during a …

He doesn’t like it but he had no choice. The Perchy Bird reports: Portugal was once the only country with gay marriage but no adoption rights for couples. That changed today when news emerged that out-going President, Aníbal Cavaco Silva, signed the same-sex adoption bill ushered in by a new Left-leaning Parliamentary majority. The Portuguese Assembly approved the adoption bill …

Portugal’s Parliament today voted to override last month’s veto of a gay adoption bill by President Anibal Silva, who must now sign the law into effect. Portugal was the only nation that had legalized same-sex marriage but had not done the same for adoption by married gay couples. The override vote largely came via support from Socialist Party and Communist …

AFP reports: Conservative Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva vetoed on Monday a bill giving adoption rights to gay couples in one of his last political moves before newly-elected Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa takes the office. The law allowing gay couples to adopt passed through parliament on December 18, and was one of socialist Prime Minister Antonio Costa’s campaign promises. “It …

The Associated Press reports: Portugal’s Parliament has approved laws allowing same-sex couples to legally adopt children and permitting lesbians to obtain medically assisted fertilization. Left-of-center parties used their outright parliamentary majority to ensure the bills passed Friday. The Socialist Party, Communist Party and Left Bloc had promised those measures during their campaigns for last month’s general election. Parliament in 2013 …

The Canadian statistics site 10 And 3 has examined same-sex marriage rates in several nations, comparing the number of weddings that took place two years after legalization in each country. Their analysis suggests that same-sex marriages happen at a lower rate in strongly religious nations. They write: We dug into the numbers, and discovered that in some nations, like Belgium, same-sex …

Portugal’s Parliament yesterday rejected a bill that would have legalized adoption by same-sex couples. The draft laws, presented by the opposition Socialist, Left Bloc and Green parties were all defeated by some 30 votes by the chamber in which 220 deputies were present. The majority ruling right, led by the Social Democrats, had already refused to back similar propositions in …

Via Portugal News: According to the head of the Portuguese homosexual Catholics’ association Rumos Novos, gay members of the Catholic church are to ask the Vatican for an “urgent change” in attitude that will promote their acceptance and integration in local communities and parishes. Speaking to Lusa News Agency ahead of the first World Congress of Homosexual Catholics’ Associations, which …

JMG reader Gerard tips us to the Portuguese bear series Barba Rija (Rough Beard). Three episodes have gone up in the last couple of weeks: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3.  The clips are subtitled in English – click play then the CC button.

Buzzfeed’s Copyranter writes: Every September, Lisbon hosts Queer Lisboa, “the sole Portuguese Film Festival dedicated exclusively to screening gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and transsexual themed films.” And every year, for several years now, Queer Lisboa comes out with an epic promo video ad. Last year, it was “The Death of the Gay Cliche.” In 2011, it was “Mister Pink,” a …