U.S. - PORTUGAL RELATIONSHIP

 

         

2. Portugal's Prime Minister  Luís Montenegro

 

Portugal’s Prime Minister Luís Montenegro has held a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump, reaffirming Portugal’s commitment to strengthening the long-standing ties between the two nations.

 

The Portuguese American Journal (PAJ) is currently reporting that during the conversation, both leaders discussed expanding cooperation across economic, political, and cultural areas, underscoring the shared values and strategic partnership that unite Portugal and the United States.

 

The report quotes President Trump’s words of solidarity and condolences to Prime Minister Montenegro following the funicular crash in Lisbon on 4 September, which claimed 16 lives and left many injured.

 

“President Trump conveyed heartfelt support to the Portuguese people during this time of national mourning,” Prime Minister Montenegro said in a statement on social media.

“We remain committed to advancing our bilateral relations while honouring the memory of those affected by this tragedy.”

 

The PAJ editor, Carolina Matos, has noted that the close cultural and strategic ties between Portugal and the United States have long included cooperation through NATO and vibrant Portuguese heritage communities throughout America, most of them with roots in the Azores.

 

The states with the largest Portuguese populations are California (330,974), Massachusetts (279,722), Rhode Island (99,445), New Jersey (78,196), Florida (48,974), and Hawaii (48,527).

EXPANDING WAR CONCERNS

 

Portugal’s Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, met with China’s President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Tuesday and urged him to use his influence on Russia’s Vladimir Putin to help bring about peace in Ukraine.

 

Montenegro is the first Portuguese government leader to visit Beijing in nearly a decade. His visit came just a week after China’s spectacular parade of top military equipment, which seemed to equal, if not exceed, that of its major opponent, the United States.

 

The parade marked the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Japan. However, it also hinted at the possibility of a Third World War looming.

 

Montenegro told the Chinese leader:

“We really count on your contribution and the close relationship that China maintains with the Russian Federation in order for us to build, as fast as possible, a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.”

 

This appeal was fully in line with the condemnation by Portugal, together with its European Union and NATO allies, of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

 

Economically, China is being accused of flooding the world with cheap goods, thereby supporting Russia’s war effort. At the same time, President Trump’s tariffs are crippling the exports of many countries, including those of Portugal.

 

Direct investment from China into Portugal in 2024 is estimated to have reached €12 billion by the end of the year. While Portugal’s economic relationship with China has been growing closer, there is still some way to go.

 

Meanwhile, Portugal continues to condemn Israel’s relentless devastation in Gaza, particularly this week’s extraordinary attack in Qatar, a key participant in peace talks and a close ally of the pro-Israel United States.

 

Then, on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, came Russia’s unprecedented violation of Poland’s airspace by numerous drones. The Polish government described it as “an act of aggression that posed a real threat to our citizens.”

 

It was regarded as a serious provocation and an example of worsening relations between Russia and both the European Union and NATO. Other EU countries are now taking steps to intercept Russian drones, while NATO—of which Portugal has long been a founding member—remains on high alert.

 

Portugal stands in full solidarity with the Polish and Ukrainian people.

THE LISBON TRADGEDY

 

During today’s nationwide mourning for the victims of yesterday’s tragedy in Lisbon, three different official groups have been continuing their separate investigations into the exact cause of the funicular tram crash that killed at least 17 people.

 

Initial speculation in the press suggests a cable attached to one of the funiculars snapped and caused the tram coming down to accelerate out of control, leave the tram lines and crash into a building in the centre of the city.

 

If this is correct, the company operating the funicular trams will have to explain how it could have happened as they regularly check their maintenance yearly and monthly, and also make inspections daily.

 

The system, whereby the cable on the tram one up, has been in operation without major problems for 150 years. 

 

The iconic system in the beautiful hilly capital city has long been commonplace for all residents and particular popular among tourists.

SUMMER HAS GONE, BUT CLIMATE CHANGE STILL HERE

Now that autumn has arrived, temperatures are dropping significantly after an exceptionally hot summer.

In the Algarve, highs a little above 25 C are replacing those often between the mid-30s and 40 C. Lows just a little above 15 C have already become the new norm.

Scientists emphasise that the exceptional summer heat that caused many deaths and devastating wildfires across northern and central Portugal in July and August were due to climate change. Portugal has long taken climate change very seriously with proactive and ambitious efforts, including reducing reliance as quickly as possible on fossil fuels, such as oil, natural gas and coal that cause the increase in C02 greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere.

The leaders of three of the world’s top greenhouse gas polluters – China, India and Russia - have just attended a summit meeting in China, but have shown no intention in minimising world  concerns about global warming. On the contrary, China and India intend to continue buying massive amounts of crude oil from Russia. Turkey is another major buyer of Russian oil and other fossil fuels.

In addition to Russia, the two  biggest sellers of crude oil are Saudi Arabia and Iran. It means so much to their economies that there is no prospect of them stopping.

The Labour Party government in the United Kingdom is planning to produce offshore clean energy from wind and hydrogen. However, it has recently supported issuing new licences for the extraction of oil from existing fields in the North Sea to end existing infrastructures. The opposition Conservative Party last week announced its plan to maximise extraction of North Sea oil and gas and remove climate commitments, a major shift from the previous 2050 net zero emission goals.

Two hundred countries, including Portugal and the UK, signed up to the Paris Agreement in 2015 pledging to pursue efforts to limit temperature rises to 1.5 C and keep them well below 2.0 C compared with pre-industrial levels. Portugal is keeping that commitment. Many other countries are not.

Portugal, particularly the Algarve, is one of the most vulnerable regions in Europe to climate change. An autumn of temporary respite is all the more welcome.

EARTHQUAKES EXPLAINED

A millions-of years-old fissure in the tectonic plate off Cape St Vincent in the Algarve has just been discovered and thought to have revealed the mystery of the Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755.

That earthquake devastated Portugal’s capital city and surrounding area as well as all along the Algarve coast and beyond. It had a magnitude of 7.7 in its epicentre in the Atlantic Ocean  200 kilometres (120 miles) west-southwest of Cape St Vincent near Sagres, which is about 290 km (180 miles) southwest of Lisbon.

Saturday 1st November, normally celebrated in Portugal as All Saints Day, has also been described as Portugal’s “Darkest Day”. Between 20,000 and 30,000 people died in the capital and thousands more in the Algarve, Spain and Morocco.

The 1755 catastrophe, Europe’s worst earthquake ever, was accompanied by wildfires and massive tsunamis. Although unprecedented, it was the third major earthquake in the region, lesser ones being in 1332 and 1531. Scientists were again left questioning a 7.8 or 7.9 level earthquake in Portugal in 1969.

The study published this week suggests that the dense, hot mantle below the Earth’s surface causes a process called ‘declamation,’ causing severe stress. The result of the study could resemble the Pacific Ocean’s “ring of fire” that fuels about 430,000 earthquakes each year, and about 68% of all volcanic eruptions since 1960. 

WILDFIRES – THE WORST EVER

 

Most Portuguese newspapers continue to feature wildfires on their front pages as this is the worst year for wildfires in Portugal’s history.

 

It has been announced that an extraordinary debate on wildfires will be held in the Portuguese parliament next week.

 

More areas have been burnt across the country than ever before, with the destruction helped at times by strong winds, low humidity, and always because of parched earth due to a lack of rain.

 

So far, 261,000 hectares (645,000 acres) have been destroyed this year compared to 143,000 hectares (353,000 acres) last year.

 

This week a third man died and at least 15 others were injured – one critically – while fighting different blazes The latest man killed was working for a company hired to help the northwastern municipality of Mirandela The injured men were battling fires near the city of Setubal, about 50 km south of the capital Lisbon where two water-bombing aircraft sent by Sweden were operating. These aircraft and further foreign assistance have been deployed by the European Civil Protection Agency.

 

By mid-week, the four fiercest wildfires were still in the north and central parts of the country and occupying the attention of more than 2,000 ground firefighters and about 20 aircraft.

 

The situation has also been extremely serious in neighbouring Spain, as well as France Turkey and the Balkans, though hopes are now rising that temperatures seem to be cooling after weeks of extreme heat.

In the Algarve, a few relatively small wildfires have neem quickly been brought under contra.

While it is thought that lightning strikes may have sparked some wildfires in Iberia, arsonists are strongly suspected.

 

Meteorologists say that heat extremes are becoming more intensive and common because of human-induced climate change.

CHARITIES

ALZHEIMER 

PORTUGAL

Alzheimer Portugal is a nationwide organisation created more than 30 years ago specifically to promote the quality of life for people with dementia, as well as their families and carers.

It is there for you should you need their professional advice.

Alzheimer Portugal actively participates with its European and worldwide partners to gather and disseminate the latest information about dementia.

Website:

https://alzheimerportugal.org

Email:

info@alzheimerportugal.org

Phone Contacts:

Lisbon: +351 21 361 04 60

Faro: 289 803 747

Portimão: 965 276 690

Lagoa: 965 276 690

⸻MADRUGADA

This unique Algarve organisation provides a home-based, end-of-life palliative nursing care service for people wishing to spend their final days professionally cared for in their own home.

Established in 2009, they are now renowned for the excellence of palliative care, which is provided free of charge.

Based in Praia da Luz in the western Algarve, their specialist clinical teams work extensively to help people, and those important to them, manage the challenges of life-limiting illnesses through counselling, therapeutic and creative activities, complementary therapies, advice, and education.

For more information:

Call: +351 282 761 375

Email: admin@madrugada-portugal.com

The more donations they receive, the more their specialist volunteers are able to care for the community.

 

 

 

 

COMPETING WITH THE HEATING

 

Intensifying heat due to climate change has caused a surge in ocean temperatures, including the sea along the coast of the Algarve.

 

Holidaying and resident beachgoers can expect local sea temperatures to be between 23 and 24 degrees C this Saturday (tomorrow).

 

The whole of Portugal is experiencing high temperatures with some averaging 34 C mid-week. Forest fires are still raging in northern and central regions, some fuelled by high winds and being battled by exhausted firefighters.

 

Heat alerts published by the national meteorological agency are warning citizens across the mainland to take special care.

 

Severe as the situation now is, it was worse at this time last month when records were broken. July had the hottest marine temperatures ever recorded in Portugal. The warming was widespread with 95% of the Mediterranean showing above average temperatures.

 

The western Mediterranean has been the most affected by “extreme anomalies”

 

Other Mediterranean countries are struggling with high temperatures too. Greece has been doing its best to cope with a dozen major wildfires, including one threatening the third largest city.

 

Spain, France, Italy and the Balkans have been struggling with extreme temperatures that scientists say are due to climate change and the lack of action taken to control harmful greenhouse emission by the world’s major powers.

 

The comfortably warm sea may be helping illegal immigrants, such as the group washed ashore in a wooden boat in Vila de Bispo in the western Algarve last Friday. They appeared in court on the next day and ordered to be removed from Portuguese territory 

 

Meanwhile, a new study has revealed that climate change heat waves are forcing a “staggering decline” in bird populations around the world. The first-of-its-kind analysis published the NatureEcology and Evolution journal says the decline has occurred mainly in the tropics, but also everywhere else.

CHARITIES

ALZHEIMER 

PORTUGAL

Alzheimer Portugal is a nationwide organisation created more than 30 years ago specifically to promote the quality of life for people with dementia, as well as their families and carers.

It is there for you should you need their professional advice.

Alzheimer Portugal actively participates with its European and worldwide partners to gather and disseminate the latest information about dementia.

Website:

https://alzheimerportugal.org

Email:

info@alzheimerportugal.org

Phone Contacts:

Lisbon: +351 21 361 04 60

Faro: 289 803 747

Portimão: 965 276 690

Lagoa: 965 276 690

⸻MADRUGADA

This unique Algarve organisation provides a home-based, end-of-life palliative nursing care service for people wishing to spend their final days professionally cared for in their own home.

Established in 2009, they are now renowned for the excellence of palliative care, which is provided free of charge.

Based in Praia da Luz in the western Algarve, their specialist clinical teams work extensively to help people, and those important to them, manage the challenges of life-limiting illnesses through counselling, therapeutic and creative activities, complementary therapies, advice, and education.

For more information:

Call: +351 282 761 375

Email: admin@madrugada-portugal.com

The more donations they receive, the more their specialist volunteers are able to care for the community.