Portugal's armed forces embroiled in alleged smuggling scandal // Pandemic outlook good for winter
Portuguese news in English on Sunday, November 14, 2021.
By the numbers
We’ve very much settled into the rhythm of rising case numbers, with more than 1000 a day for most of the past two weeks. Deaths are still more or less stable, although increasing slightly, and the number of people in hospital is rising fairly steadily. The number of people in ICU is still in that 60-70 range it’s been in for the past three weeks or so.
Portugal's armed forces embroiled in alleged smuggling scandal
Several arrests have been made as Portuguese police investigate allegations some soldiers smuggled diamonds, drugs and gold into Europe on military planes from the Central African Republic, where they were serving as United Nations peacekeepers, the Reuters reports, in English. More than 300 judicial police officers raided more than 100 addresses across the country on Monday, resulting in 11 arrests at last count. Police accused the "criminal network" of having international links and allegedly smuggling and laundering the money. The armed forces said soldiers may have been used as couriers.
PM and President apparently didn’t know
Defence Minister João Gomes Cravinho, who hasn’t resigned, is under pressure for supposedly not having informed either the Prime Minister or the President, who commands the armed forces, that an investigation was underway. There are questions over whether he had a constitutional duty to do so but PM António Costa left any decision in President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa’s hands, Diário de Notícias reports. A government source said the leaders had spoken about the issue and understood Mr Cravinho’s explanation that he had received legal opinions advising against informing the men. Things didn’t always go smoothly, Público reports, revealing professional assessments of a handful of diamonds the smugglers allegedly bought for €10,000 ended up valuing them at less than €300 thanks to their low quality.
Pandemic outlook good for winter
New coronavirus modelling from Lisbon’s Instituto Superior Técnico points to a relatively peaceful winter, nothing like this year’s disastrously deadly period, Diário de Notícias reports. Researchers estimate about 2500 new cases a day by Christmas, with the likelihood of passing 20 deaths a day considered very low. That’s at a time when the average number of deaths from other respiratory illnesses would be expected to hit about 40 a day. Mathematician Henrique Oliveira highlighted that even though the number of cases has been rising, the average number of deaths per day has been falling since September (until the last couple of days). The researcher said it was still important to keep monitoring the virus and give a third dose of the vaccine as quickly as possible to those over 65 and health professionals, who Público reports start getting boosters from Monday.
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In brief
Recommended reading (with Google Translate, sorry): A lifetime on the minimum wage. The struggles of three Portuguese women fighting to survive on €665/month. (Público)
Socialist Party (PS) won't make official accords with specific parties to govern. Current Prime Minister António Costa says if reelected to minority government, he will negotiate bill by bill with parties on the left and right. (Público)
Portugal has the biggest education gap between generations in Europe. More than half of workers 35 to 64 have only basic education, compared to just a quarter aged 25-34. (Público)
Government wants other police forces to take over SEF's police roles from January. The new forces will be getting regular human rights training, after the death of Ukrainian man Ihor Homeniuk. (Diário de Notícias)
On a lighter note
Portugal’s new working from home rules are making international news on a more positive note thanks to major restrictions on bosses contacting workers outside of work hours. In English, publishers from the BBC and Euronews to CNN and Vice have picked up on the change, which is enforceable by a fine after passing through parliament and coming into effect earlier this month. Público notes the force majeure clause allows for exceptions in unforeseen circumstances which have been left undefined. Attempts to enshrine a right to turn off all work devices outside of shift times failed, with some parties arguing existing laws already establish that right.
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Thanks for the latest update. In the reports you're reviewing, are you seeing any breakouts of the ratio of hospitalizations and deaths in Portugal for those who are unvaccinated vs vaccinated?