Brazilian President Lula visits Portugal in 10-year first // Major Lisbon traffic restrictions to last for a year
Portuguese news in English on Tuesday, April 25, 2023.
Brazilian President Lula visits Portugal in 10-year first
A Brazilian president has visited Portugal for the first time in a decade, restoring the bare minimum of diplomatic relations between the countries, Público reports. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's days-long state visit is the first since Dilma Rouseff in 2013 and the first bilateral summit in seven years. Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro and Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa only spoke once in four years, a diplomat told the newspaper. Lula and Costa signed 13 new accords on topics ranging from energy and science to education and cinema, highlighting a decision to consider secondary education equivalent among both countries, Público reports.
Brazil's minister of racial equality, Anielle Franco, is among Lula’s delegation, as officials use the president’s first European visit to fight racism faced by Brazilians in Portugal and other countries, Reuters reports, in English. "We're not going to be able to solve 523 years of problems in just one visit but I hope we can move forward because that's why we're here," she told journalists. Nearly 6 million Africans were taken into slavery on Portuguese ships, mostly to Brazil. A study by migrant association Casa do Brasil found 91% of the 300,000 Brazilians in Portugal faced some sort of racism accessing public services.
Major Lisbon traffic restrictions to last for a year
A great swathe of downtown Lisbon will be restricted to local traffic throughout the day for at least a year as an array of major road, drainage and metro works carry on, Público reports. The restrictions start Wednesday and apply from 8am-8pm in the area between Avenida Infante Santo next to Alcântara and Avenida Mouzinho de Albuquerque near Santa Apolónia train station, stretching north to roughly Jardim da Estrela and Martim Moniz. Local residents, people who work in the affected area, public transport and taxis can still travel through the zone but not TVDE vehicles such as Uber and Bolt. Alternatively, drivers can use the so-called Quinta Circular (fifth ring road), a route that passes through Estrela, Rato, Conde Redondo, Praça do Chile and Paiva Couceiro. Mayor Carlos Moedas said “improvement demands change”. The restrictions are set to be enforced by police, who can fine drivers not meant to be entering the restricted zone.
Final Covid-19 mask requirement dropped
Masks and visors are no longer compulsory in medical facilities and nursing homes, Público reports, more than three years after the pandemic first hit Portugal. A degree published in the Diary of the Republic said masks continued to be an important tool in preventing coronavirus transmission but a range of factors including public knowledge of how to keep safe and high vaccination rates means the requirement can be dropped. The Health Ministry still recommends more-vulnerable people wear masks in closed-in spaces or large groups. They’ll also still be used in certain medical situations within health centres, hospitals and nursing homes. In response, two of the biggest private health groups, CUF and Lusíadas Saúde, have scrapped the so-called “Covid taxes” they’d been charging based in part on these requirements, Público reports.
In brief
More than 27,000 wealthy foreigners arrived in the past four years. Digital nomads, remote workers and slow travellers compete for limited housing in the big urban centres. Most are on D7 visas but about 800 digital nomad visas have also been issued. (Dinheiro Vivo)
President vetoes euthanasia law again. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa sent the medically assisted dying law back to the parliament, asking it to clarify two points: who decides whether a patient is capable of self-administering the necessary drugs and who supervises the act. (Lusa)
Several kids threaten attacks on schools in 'bad taste joke'. Policing levels were reinforced after audio messages and photos threatened attacks on multiple Lisbon schools. (Público)
Government refuses to reveal advice to fire TAP CEO. Finance Minister Fernando Medina has denied accusations the government is hiding the advice from the commission of inquiry, saying it doesn’t exist. (Público)
On a lighter note
Today is the 49th anniversary of 25 de Abril (the Carnation Revolution), which freed the country from the decades-long Estado Novo (New State) authoritarian regime. If you’re a bit lost as to what it means or how to celebrate, Público has a few suggestions. In Lisbon, there’s a party in the prime minister’s official residence, the Palacete de São Bento. Fado singer Ana Moura, rapper Nenny and heaps more will be performing at the free event that runs from 2.30pm to 6.30pm. In Porto, there are traditional games in honour of the revolutionaries from 10am in Praça do General Humberto Delgadom as well as a photo exhibition, Olhares de Abril, in the atrium of the São Bento station.