Three Portuguese citizens die in Gaza bombing // Fallout from investigation that toppled government continues
Portuguese news in English on Tuesday, November 21, 2023.
Three Portuguese citizens die in Gaza bombing
The Foreign Affairs Ministry has confirmed the death of three Portuguese citizens in Gaza, Público reports. The woman and two children died on Wednesday in an Israeli bombing in the south of the occupied territory. Those three victims and another two Palestinian family members were waiting to be evacuated to Portugal. President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa expressed his sorrow at the deaths and said he hoped a group of Luso-Palestinian citizens could make it out of Gaza to Egypt “in the coming days”. Foreign Affairs Minister João Gomes Cravinho said this was “one more proof this is not the way”, saying “we need to stop these bombings now”. At least nine Portuguese citizens have been identified by the Israeli Community of Porto, which played a key role in naturalising descendants of Sephardic Jews under a Portuguese nationality law, as victims.
Fallout from investigation that toppled government continues
Public prosecutors will appeal the bail measures applied to five formal suspects in Operation Influencer, the investigation that led to the government’s downfall, Público reports. The judge, who ordered their release and dropped accusations of corruption, also undermined some of the prosecutors’ claims regarding resigning Prime Minister António Costa. In a very preliminary assessment, the magistrate saw strong evidence of a criminal plan to get around environmental issues getting in the way of construction of a data centre at Sines. The judge said suspect Lacerda Machado had influence due to his public friendship with Costa, but said prosecutors had failed to show this influence was used with the PM.
As far as the controversy over Bank of Portugal Governor Mário Centeno being invited by Costa to consider taking over as prime minister, the central bank’s ethics committee considered Centeno acted in accordance with his duties, Público reports. Even so, it warned the news could harm the bank’s image. In other political fallout, Pedro Nuno Santos and José Luís Carneiro — who are both running to replace Costa as Socialist Party (PS) leader — traded barbs about their ability to defeat right-wing parties, Público reports. Social Democratic Party (PSD) leader Luis Montenegro has insisted he won’t form any coalition with far-right party Chega and will only govern if he wins the election, Lusa reports. Communist Party (PCP) leader Paulo Raimundo said it was time to “intensify the fight”, in workplaces, localities and on the streets, Diário de Notícias reports. He planned a national gathering about the elections for January 13.
Dilapidated schools shut due to bad weather
The recent rains have highlighted serious problems with schools across the country that have been ongoing for years, Diário de Notícias reports. One school in Setúbal, south of Lisbon, shut twice — four days in total — in recent weeks because of bad weather. Sebastião da Gama Secondary School Parents’ Association president Rui Moreira says it rains in the library, some school rooms and the new pavilion. There are windows that don’t open and falling trees. A window fell on a student last year and there’s only one working toilet for the whole school, he says, adding that students were ringing parents for a lift home to use the toilet. It’s one of many schools waiting on €2 billion worth of requalification works due by 2030. A school group director from Póvoa Varzim said the rooms were painted in August but with little school funding and that while his school was considered in urgent need of works, there were many yet more priority cases ahead in the queue.
In brief
Portuguese singer-songwriter Sara Tavares dies aged 45. The death, from a brain tumour, of a woman whose Cape Verdean ancestry shone through in her music provoked a wave of heartfelt tributes from musicians, friends and presidents. (Público)
Foreign workers paid €1.7 billion in Social Security until August. The figure, from 720,000 workers, almost matches the €1.8 billion contributed in all of 2022 and was used by the relevant minister to underline the importance of the country remaining “open”. (Público)
Man shot seven times on the street in broad daylight. The 45-year-old is fighting for life after what police claim was a drug deal gone wrong in Amadora.
Web Summit wants more "technologists" but will only talk about future in Lisbon after elections. Countries rather than companies dominated the eighth event in Portugal with 32 national delegations fighting to attract foreign investment, after a big tech boycott sparked by the former CEO’s Israel-Hamas comments. (Público).
On a lighter note
Activists The Yes Men have claimed credit for a satirical prank using a farcical VR-crypto project to criticise Adidas’ treatment of workers, Diário de Notícias reports. They took the stage pretending to be a company executive and DJ Marshmello to announce the adiVerse, a “virtual oasis” through which badly paid workers would be compensated with adiCoin, a cryptocurrency. A tiny chip implanted in their bodies would monitor their productivity in real time. “In the adiVerse workers who cannot afford even one good meal every day, can live richly beyond their dreams,” the fake executive said. “Even the destitute can live full and rewarding lives, even without real money, because the tiny implanted device measures the labour directly and generates via blockchain, a currency called the adiCoin.”