Year: 2024

Disturbances in several areas of greater Lisbon after death of man shot by PSP

The disturbances that have been going on since Monday following the death of a man shot by the PSP have spread last night to several areas of Lisbon, namely Carnaxide (Oeiras), Casal de Cambra (Sintra) and Damaia (Amadora), a police source told Lusa.

“There are pockets of disorder in several areas of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area”, said the same source.

In the Portela neighbourhood, Carnaxide, shots were fired, some of which were fired by the PSP, which used rubber bullets and has already managed to enter the neighbourhood.

At this location, a bus was set on fire, in addition to several rubbish bins and a light vehicle, said a source from the PSP.

At 11:45 pm, new fires were reported in this neighbourhood, according to television images from the scene.

ATTACKS ON POLICE

PSP rapid response teams were stoned when they tried to enter the Cova da Moura neighbourhood in Amadora, according to SIC Notícias. The PSP says that all officers from the seven police stations in Amadora were mobilized, including those from special units.

In the municipality of Sintra, an object was thrown at the PSP police station in Casal de Cambra, without causing any damage, the source added.

In Damaia there were disturbances in several streets, including the throwing of firecrackers and stones on the public highway, as well as the setting of fires in several rubbish bins.

Earlier, at the beginning of the evening, a bus had been set on fire in the Zambujal neighbourhood, where riots took place for the second night.

In addition to policing in the Zambujal neighbourhood, the PSP reinforced its resources in several locations, specifically in the so-called Sensitive Urban Zones (Zus).

Also tonight, the PSP indicated, in a statement, that a person was arrested for possession of combustible material in the Zambujal neighborhood.

Group tries to set fire to gas station – On the road connecting Alfragide to Damaia, a group used a mattress to try to set fire to a gas station, according to SIC Notícias. PSP officers were able to immediately fight the fire using a fire extinguisher.

Incidents were also reported in other parts of the municipality of Lisbon. In Carnide and Campo de Ourique, rubbish bins were set on fire. In Loures, a car was set on fire.

POLICE STATEMENT

In a statement, the National Directorate of the PSP indicates that, after the disturbances that occurred during the early hours of the morning, following the death of a resident shot by the PSP in Cova da Moura, at the end of the afternoon “situations of disorder occurred again inside the Zambujal neighbourhood”, namely “a serious episode of urban violence”, with the theft of a Carris bus that was set on fire.

“Despite several efforts, it has not yet been possible to detect and intercept the suspects of this violent crime, although an arrest has already been made for possession of combustible material, which indicated its use to start a fire”, adds the PSP.

The SOS Racismo association and the Vida Justa movement disputed the police version of events and demanded a “serious and impartial” investigation to determine “all responsibilities”, considering that there is a “culture of impunity” in the police force. According to reports gathered in the neighbourhood by Vida Justa, what happened were “two shots fired at an unarmed worker”.

On Monday, the Ministry of Internal Affairs ordered the General Inspectorate of Internal Affairs to open an urgent investigation and the PSP also announced the opening of an internal investigation to determine the circumstances of the incident. The officer who shot the man has since been named a defendant, a source from the Judicial Police indicated.

The Zambujal neighborhood is a social neighborhood that began to take shape in the 1970s. It is a multicultural neighborhood with around six thousand inhabitants.

About a third are of gypsy ethnicity. Another third are of African origin or ancestry. In recent years, South Americans and Asians have arrived.

“Multi-force” police and changes in schools. Montenegro’s 7 measures

Montenegro’s speech marked the closing of the 42nd PSD Congress.

PSD leader, Luís Montenegro, left a “special word” in the closing speech of the 42nd PSD Congress to the CDS and PPM, “loyal traveling partners of the democratic coalition”.

“Multi-force teams” to fight “illegal immigration” “without respite”

Luís Montenegro took advantage of his speech to announce some of the next seven measures that will be implemented by the Government. In terms of security, he revealed that “multi-force teams” will be created to combat “illegal immigration” “without respite”.

“We will reinforce the proximity and visibility of the police on the streets and increase video surveillance systems. We will create multi-force teams that will include the Judicial Police, Public Security Police, National Republican Guard, Food and Economic Security Authority, Authority for Working Conditions and Tax Authority under the coordination of the internal security system to go into the field to combat, without respite, drug trafficking, human trafficking and abuse and illegal immigration”, announced Montenegro.

The Prime Minister also revealed that the Executive will sign, “this week”, a “historic water agreement” with Spain.

“We will guarantee minimum daily flows in the Tagus River, payment for water from Alqueva and its use by Spanish farmers,” said Montenegro.

Increased support for victims of domestic violence

The Government will also increase support for victims of domestic violence, “an inexcusable crime”.

“We will double the amount of support for the empowerment of victims of this crime: we will invest an additional 25 million euros in tele-assistance and transportation tools for victims and we will ensure that women who are welcomed into shelters outside their area of ​​residence will have immediate access to health care in the host locations,” he said.

New association contracts with the private sector for preschool

For Lisbon, Montenegro announced a ” major rehabilitation project for the Lisbon Metropolitan Area ” to unite the two banks of the capital. The “riverside arch” will be rehabilitated and will be renamed Parque Humberto Delgado.

In Education, the Government plans to “expand the public, private and social offer”, testing new association contracts in pre-school education, looking at the “interest of children and not any ideological blockage”.

The primary and secondary education programs will also be reviewed. A review that will include the subject of Citizenship, where the “cultivation of constitutional values” will be reinforced to free “the subject from the constraints of ideological or factional projects”.

Hospital medicines in pharmacies and reception centers for immigrants

Finally, Montenegro also announced that the Government will give “around 150 thousand patients” the possibility of receiving their medicines at the pharmacy closest to their home, so that they do not have to travel hundreds of kilometres to the hospital to pick them up.

Focusing again on immigration, he mentioned the construction of “two temporary installation centers in Lisbon and Porto” to “accommodate cases of illegal or irregular immigration”, while at the same time launching “a program to attract talent abroad” for Portuguese companies and higher education institutions.

In closing, the Prime Minister cited figures from Portuguese history such as King Dom Afonso Henriques, Vasco da Gama and Luiz de Camões to promise a Government with a spirit of conquest , innovation and discovery and expressed his conviction that “the streets” have given him “encouragement and confidence”.

Support measures for families, companies, farmers and local authorities affected by the fires

The Council of Ministers approved, this Thursday, a set of support measures intended for the populations and regions affected by the recent fires. This decision follows the declaration of calamity approved on September 15, 2024.

In an action coordinated by the Multidisciplinary Working Group, under the leadership of the Deputy Minister for Territorial Cohesion, an exhaustive survey of the damages was initiated, in close coordination between the Municipalities and the Regional Coordination and Development Commissions. The affected areas cover a total of 69 municipalities and 291 parishes.

The measures aim to provide immediate and comprehensive support, including assistance to families, housing recovery, support for businesses and farmers, restoration of infrastructure and forests, as well as the replacement of destroyed equipment. The support package covers several areas, ensuring a rapid and effective response to local needs.

People:

. Support for families in need

. Specific measures of the National Health Service (SNS)

. Support for farmers to acquire immediate goods

. Exemption from Social Security contributions

. Reinforcement of social action technicians

. Simplified lay-off to support companies in crisis

. Exception regime in active employment measures

. Professional training actions for the unemployed

. Extension of the deadline for compliance with tax obligations

. Support for IPSS and similar institutions

Support for the reconstruction or rehabilitation of permanent housing, with State financing of 100% up to 150 thousand euros and 85% of the excess amount

Economic Activities:

. Creation of a treasury support line

. Support for the replacement of production – buildings, raw materials and machinery.

Agriculture:

. Special subsidy to compensate for agricultural losses up to 6 thousand euros

. Support for agricultural production capacity for the replacement or repair of animals, agricultural machinery and equipment and agricultural warehouses.

Forests:

. Support for forest recovery – stabilization and recovery of affected areas

. Support for the replacement or repair of machinery, forestry equipment, forestry warehouses and other buildings supporting forestry activities

Infrastructure and equipment:

. Support for the repair of public infrastructure

. Support for operational equipment and vehicles – Firefighters

. Removal of debris

Social networks associated with self-inflicted injuries in children and adolescents

The exposure of children and adolescents to social media is significantly associated with an increased risk of self-harm behaviours , with mild to moderate severity, warns a study released this Friday by the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP).

A team of researchers examined dozens of studies carried out in different regions of the world, namely in the United States of America, the United Kingdom and China, and concluded that social networks are associated with self-inflicted injuries, although a cause-and-effect relationship cannot be discussed.

The final study was published in April and, in a statement, FMUP quotes the authors, according to whom “ there has been an increase in cases of children and adolescents who intentionally inflict harm on themselves , for example through cuts, scratches or blows, usually in accessible and easily hidden areas of the body, such as wrists, arms, stomach and legs”. This is considered a public health problem in adolescence.

These self-injurious behaviours are “ a mechanism to relieve negative and difficult-to-deal with emotions (such as anger or anxiety), express distress, punish oneself or, more rarely, punish other people .”

At the same time, researchers warn that the use of social networks, such as TikTok and Instagram, has grown, which has changed the way young people relate to each other and the world around them, from increasingly early ages.

Published in the Journal of Affective Disorders Reports, this work concluded that there is an association between exposure to social networks and self-harm behaviors in children and young people between the ages of 9 and 24 , whether in a psychiatric hospital setting or in the community.

The results point to a possible “social contagion effect” and “imitation” of social networks on the behavior of younger people, with children and young people admitting that they followed online platforms with posts about self-harm before they also did so.

“The possibility of a contagion effect remains an open question, as does the causality of the association between social networks and self-harm behavior ,” the researchers point out, however, for whom “causality cannot be generalized for now.”

The authors suggest that studies be carried out to analyse the experiences and perspectives of children and young people over time, in order to understand, for example, whether self-harm occurs before or after watching or participating in such content on social media.

They also suggest that children and young people’s self-reporting be supplemented with available technology, in order to objectively track the time they spend on social media and study the importance of the number of hours of exposure and the role of gender.

This work is signed by Luís Guilherme Spínola and Irene Carvalho, from FMUP, as well as Cláudia Calaboiça, from the Psychology Center of the University of Porto (CPUP).

On Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that problematic use of social media is on the rise among young Europeans, who are also more likely to develop a gambling addiction .

“We need immediate and sustained action to help adolescents stop potentially harmful use of social media, which has been shown to lead to depression, bullying, anxiety and poor academic performance ,” WHO Europe Director Hans Kluge said in a statement.

In 2022, 11% of adolescents (13% of girls and 9% of boys) showed signs of problematic social media use, compared with just 7% four years earlier, according to data obtained from 280,000 young people aged 11, 13 and 15 from 44 countries in Europe, Central Asia and Canada.

The symptoms are similar to those of drug addiction: inability to control excessive use, feelings of giving up and abandoning other activities in favor of social networks, and negative consequences in daily life .

Change of Commander for GNR Faro Territorial District

I was privileged this week to be able to meet both with Coronel Carlos Almeida the current Commander of the GNR Faro Territorial Command (pictured right) and his successor Coronel Marco Henriques (pictured left) just ahead of his swearing in as the new commander, on 5th September 2024.

Coronel Almeida, has held the command position for 3 years and is now transferring as Police Liaison Officer at the Portuguese Embassy in East Timor. This is the number three position at the Embassy. I thanked Carlos Almeida for all his work over this period, where he has faced many challenges and helped to maintain the Algarve as a safe place to live and visit.

I have known and worked closely with his successor Coronel Marco Henriques since Safe Communities was formed in 2011. At that time he was the Captain of Albufeira Division and has risen through the ranks holding positions such as chief of operations for Faro District and until recently second in Command of the District. It has been my great pleasure to work closely with him over the years and his promotion and appointment as Commander, is very well deserved.

Moderate M 5.4 Earthquake – 52 km W of Sines, Portugal

Moderate Earthquake with epicentre in the sea, southeast of Sesimbra.

UPDATE:

ORIGINAL POST

The earth shook in Portugal at 5:11 a.m. this morning, with a tremor felt mainly in the Lisbon and Setúbal areas. The earthquake had a magnitude of 5.3, according to data from the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA). The epicentre of the earthquake was in the Atlantic, 70 km southeast of Sesimbra.

The quake had a very shallow depth of 17.5 km (11 mi) and was felt over a large region. The shallow depth of the quake caused it to be felt more strongly near the epicenter than a deeper quake of similar magnitude would.

Civil Protection told Lusa that it had received reports that the earthquake had been felt throughout the Lisbon metropolitan area, including the capital, but also in the district of Setúbal.

Other entities, such as the Euro-Mediterranean Seismology Center, initially pointed to a scale of 5.9. And the United States Geological Survey estimated the impact at 5.4.

There was no news of any damage, either human or material. There were reports of the impact of the earthquake in other parts of the country, such as Gaia and Viseu.

Did you feel the earthquake?

Madeira Fires – Major incident log

A record of the Madeira fires which started on 14th August 2024 and remains active, can be downloaded here.

This contains updated information,  maps and charts, photographs and contact information.

Number of rural fires is the lowest since 2014

Lisbon, 25 Jul 2024 (Lusa) – A total of 1,812 rural fires were recorded between 1 January and 30 June this year, causing 2,964 hectares of burnt area, the lowest number of fires since 2014, according to a report released today.

According to the first provisional report on rural fires from the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF), of the 2,964 hectares of burnt area recorded, 577 hectares are settlements, 1,664 are scrubland and 723 are agricultural.

According to the data collected, comparing the figures for the year 2024 with the history of the previous 10 years, it is noted that there were 60% fewer rural fires and 80% fewer burnt areas compared to the annual average for the period between 2014 and 2023.

“The year 2024 presents, up to June 30, the lowest number of fires and the second lowest value of burned area, since 2014”, highlights the report.

The distribution of the number of rural fires by class of burnt area shows, on the other hand, that in 2024, fires with a burnt area of ​​less than 01 hectare are the most frequent (83% of all rural fires). As for larger fires, there were three fires with a burnt area of ​​between 100 and 500 hectares.

“Large fires are considered whenever the total burnt area is equal to or greater than 100 hectares. Until June 30, 2024, three fires were recorded in this category, which resulted in 615 hectares of burnt area, around 21% of the total burnt area”, the report states.

Regarding the causes, the report states that of the 1,812 rural fires recorded in 2024, 1,254 were investigated and the process of determining the causes has been completed (69% of the total number of fires – responsible for 78% of the total area burned). The ICNF indicates that the most common causes for the total number of fires investigated (1,254) are extensive burning of shrubland (20%) and arson (19%).

“Of these, the investigation allowed the attribution of a cause for 969 fires (77% of the fires investigated – responsible for 66% of the total area burned)”, says the document.

“Together, the various types of fires and burnings represent 57% of the total causes determined. Rekindlings represent 3% of the total causes determined, a lower value compared to the average of the previous 10 years (8%)”, mentions the report.

From the analysis by district, the districts with the highest number of fires, in decreasing order, are Porto (278), Braga (186) and Viana do Castelo (186).

“In either case, the fires are mostly small in size (they do not exceed 1 hectare of burnt area). In the specific case of NUTS3 of the Porto Metropolitan Area, the percentage of fires with less than 1 ha of burnt area is 91%”, highlights the report.

In contrast, the most affected district, in terms of burnt area, is Viana do Castelo with 657 hectares, around 22% of the total burnt area, followed by Braga with 418 hectares (14% of the total) and Évora with 392 hectares (13% of the total).

At the same time, the municipalities with the highest number of fires are all located north of the Tagus, with the exception of the municipality of Almada, and are characterized by high population density, the presence of large urban agglomerations or the traditional use of fire in agroforestry management.

“The report states that the burnt area in the 20 most affected municipalities represents 74% of the total area, with the municipality of Reguengos de Monsaraz standing out. The municipalities of Montalegre, Arcos de Valdevez, Aljustrel, Arouca and Melgaço also stand out.

The total number of occurrences in these 20 municipalities represents 21% of the national total.

The report also highlights that this year and to date, June is the month with the highest number of rural fires, with a total of 660 fires, which corresponds to 36% of the total number recorded.

To date, June is also the month with the largest burnt area, with 1,041 hectares (35% of the total recorded).

Fires | Médio Tejo on high alert with rising temperatures

More than 50 municipalities in several districts, including Santarém, are at maximum risk of fire on 22nd July 2024. due to the hot weather. In the Médio Tejo region, temperatures could exceed 40 degrees, at least until Wednesday, with commander David Lobato ensuring that firefighters are on standby and appealing to the population to act as civil protection agents. The Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) has placed almost the entire mainland under an orange alert.

The Sub-regional Emergency and Civil Protection Commander of Médio Tejo, David Lobato, told mediotejo.net that the risk of rural fires increases substantially from today with the rise in temperatures, which could exceed 40 degrees, in a context with easterly winds, having assured the state of readiness of the device to respond to possible occurrences.

The focus, he noted, is on surveillance and pre-positioning of resources, including vans with first response kits, in order to carry out a quick and powerful attack on an initial ignition. “No fire starts out big,” he recalled, to justify the importance of a strong and effective initial attack. David Lobato appealed to the population for support, to remain alert and vigilant and to alert the authorities to suspicious behaviour of people in the forest.

The rural firefighting device (DECIR) in the Médio Tejo sub-region for the most critical phase, from July 1st to September 30th, with around 600 operatives, 145 vehicles and three aerial resources, among other resources and entities.

David Lobato said that the operational device (DECIR 2024) “is similar to last year’s”, counting in the most critical phase, in addition to the 600 operational personnel, vehicles and aerial resources, with three tracked machines and the support of human and material resources from various entities, such as ICNF, UEPS/GNR, Afocelca and municipalities, along with new technologies, with decision support systems through georeferencing and real-time monitoring of wind and terrain conditions.

“The analysis that was made is that these resources are sufficient for our history and we maintain the same men, the same resources, and we have not changed the dynamics”, he stated, regarding a device that is based on premises such as “pre-positioning of resources”, “permanent monitoring”, “early detection” and “immediate and muscular dispatch of resources

David Lobato recalled that, in addition to the 600 operational personnel in the Delta phase, from July 1 to September 30, “the sub-region has around 900 firefighters on active duty and who are also available for mobilization, if there is a need” for support.

“If [the fires] don’t all happen at the same time”, the device has the “capacity to put them out at a very early stage”, he assured.

Eight districts and 50 municipalities at maximum risk of fire

Today, more than 50 municipalities in the districts of Faro, Portalegre, Castelo Branco, Viseu, Santarém, Bragança, Vila Real and Guarda are at maximum risk of fire. The highest maximum temperature expected for today will be reached in Évora and Santarém, with 42 degrees Celsius. The district of Beja will have a temperature of 40 degrees, Portalegre 39, Castelo Branco 38, Vila Real 36, Bragança and Viseu 35, Guarda 33 and Faro 31.

The IPMA also placed several municipalities in all districts of mainland Portugal, except Viana do Castelo, at very high and high risk of fire.

According to IPMA calculations, the fire danger will remain high in some districts at least until Friday.

This risk, determined by IPMA, has five levels, ranging from low to high, and calculations are obtained from air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and amount of precipitation in the last 24 hours.

Due to the heat, IPMA issued an orange warning for 11 districts between today and Wednesday due to the forecast of hot weather.

The districts of Évora, Setúbal, Santarém, Beja and Portalegre will be under an orange warning between