PORTUGAL AND PALESTINE

The Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Friday that as of today, Sunday 21 September, it will officially recognise a state of Palestine.

 

In doing do, Portugal is joining a number of other countries, including the United Kingdom, Spain, Ireland Norway and Sweden. Further countries that have announced intentions to support the creation of an independent Palestinian state include France, Canada and Australia.

 

The declaration of Palestinian autonomy comes ahead of this week’s

United Nations General Assembly meeting on the subject in New York, at which the United States will be the main opponent.

 

Under President Donald Trump, the U.S is Israel’s closest ally and about to supply a massive quantity of additional military equipment.

 

The United Nations Secretary-General and former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres has long advocated a two-state solution to settle the Israel-Gaza war, but such a solution continues to be to be rejected by Israel.

 

While outraged by Palestine being identified as an independent state, Israel is facing mounting condemnation globally for its unrelenting devastation and brutality by means of starvation in Gaza, which, in addition to multiple deaths every day, is causing many Palestinians to flee the region.

 

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denounced the recognition of Palestine as a sovereign state saying it “rewards terror” in the aftermath of the deeply shocking killing of innocent Israeli civilians by Hama’s attack on 7 October 2023.

The total surrender or annihilation of the Sunni Islamic Hamas movement remains Israel’s top priority.

All the countries recognising a state of Palestine are adamant that Hamas must have nothing to do with running it. 

LOCAL CHARITY

HELP AVAILABLE

 

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

Lisbon: +351 21 361 04 60

Portimão: 96276 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.

Phone

+351 282 61 375

Email: admin@madruada-portugal.com

 

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

 

 

 

 

NO END TO MADELEINE MYSTER Y

Christian Bruckner has just been released from prison in Germany and now faces another torrent of speculation as the “prime suspect” in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann

 

People have opposing opinions on the subject, but most of the mainstream media show little doubt that his whereabouts and activities when Madeleine vanished in May 2007 need further investigation.

 

Having just served a seven-year sentence in a German prison for the rape of an elderly woman in the Algarve village of Praia da Luz in 2005, Bruckner, 49, still totally denies any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance from the same village nearly two decades ago. .

 

Just days before his release in Germany, he rejected an international letter of request for an interview from the British Metropolitan Police Neither the British or German police have sufficient evidence to charge him with any crime against Madeleine.

Still consider a possible danger to society Bruckner will wear an ankle bracket to monitor his movements.

 

 

The Week print and digital publication has noted that in October last year Bruckner was cleared by a German court of unrelated sexual offences alleged to have taken place in Portugal.

 

The Guardian has reported that Bruckner was driven away from the prison entrance this Wednesday morning by his lawyer, Friedrich Fulscher. The Telegraph in the UK,  the New York Times and ABC Australia are among the top news outlets that have today. reported on the release. Rare support for Broukner’s declaration of innocence in the McCann case has come from a Norwegian private detective, Bernt Stellander, who spent seven years studying the area next to the village of Praia da Luz where Madeleine was staying with her parents and two siblings in a rented holiday apartment.

 

In his 843-page book, Stellander makes it abundantly clear that he believes Bruckner had nothing to do with Madeleine’s abduction, or indeed that she was abducted by anyone else.

FREEDOM FOR CHRISTIAN B.

 

Christian Brueckner, the so-called “prime suspect” in the Madeleine McCann mystery, is expected to be released from prison in Germany this week after serving a seven-year sentence for the rape of a woman in Portugal.

 

Many mainstream newspapers and TV channels, particularly in the UK, have continued to closely associate Brueckner with the disappearance of three-year-old Madeleine while she was on holiday with her family in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz in May 2007.

 

Brueckner, now 48 years old, has always denied any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance. Bernt Stellander, a Norwegian private detective, wrote a book, The Sudden Impulse, based on his seven-year on-site investigation, in which he concluded that Brueckner had nothing to do with Madeleine’s disappearance. In this, the most detailed document ever published on the subject, Stellander suggests that Brueckner’s opponents repeatedly produced hearsay allegations against him.

 

Authorities in Germany have suspected Brueckner of involvement in the McCann case, but “sadly for the Germans, the crime they were investigating never happened,” says Stellander. He has also told us: “It amazes me that after having had CB’s memory sticks in their possession for nine years, the German prosecutor still let the media speculate that there is something on them in relation to Madeleine. If there was, they would have charged him almost a decade ago.”

 

Stellander added: “It is fascinating to watch the media assist the German prosecution with their desperate attempt to frame this almost perfect  patsy. The only problem they have, besides that he’s innocent, is that he is alive.”

 

 “CB was seeing his lover every night that week, and with a breakdown of driving time from Luz it is very likely that he has what could be an alibi for the reported Thursday evening disappearance."

 

“The truth is sometimes too hard to accept, so people would rather see a perfect patsy take the fall, than to face their own poor judgement.. 

 

“As Mark Twain wrote: ‘it's easier to fool people, than to convince them they have been fooled.'"

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.