OH NO! FACEMASKS AGAIN!

 

The Portugal Medical Association has advised the use of facemasks to minimise the impact of respiratory infections such as influenza.

Doctors here and elsewhere say wearing a mask might help, but the best of all protections is a flu vaccine.

Those who suspect they are susceptible or already have a severe cold or flu should wear a mask to stop passing it on to others, doctors advise. This means wearing a mask while among your own household as well as when out and about in public places.

About 96% of patients admitted to Portuguese hospital emergency units recently are being treated for influenza, according to a spokesperson for the National Institute of Health. Don’t be surprised if healthcare workers are wearing a facemask as the bug is the last thing they want to contract while looking after patients.

Influenza can kill. But don’t panic. An annual flu jab for everyone but babies younger than six months is highly advisable.

Frequent hand washing is very important. Wash with soap and water each time for at least 20 seconds.  Otherwise, use an alcohol-based sanitizer. Those close to you should do the same.  Hand washing is especially important after coughing or sneezing.

Often touched surfaces in the kitchen, for example, can hang on to, and pass on, the virus. So make sure they are frequently cleaned.  

The flu virus travels willy-nilly through the air and if you catch it, it usually lasts for five to seven days, but maybe 14 days.

 

Good luck – and Happy New Year!

A very unhappy Christmas for many

 

Christmas, a time of happiness and peace for many of us, but people in the ‘holy land’ where Christmas started, are in a vicious war with no end in sight.

The greatest peacemaker of our time, UN Secretary-General and former Portuguese Prime minister, Antonio Guterres, has been doing everything he possibly can to bring about a cessation of hostilities, but the government of Israel and the Palestinian Hamas militants have both declared they are going to fight on to the bitter end and eradicate their opponents.

The Palestinian authorities say more than 20,000 people, half of them children or women, have been killed by the relentless Israeli bombardment since the Hamas massacre and seizure of hostages on October 7.

The latest United Nations Security Council resolution on the conflict was only agreed upon after a week of delays and indecisions. It contained no mention of the word “ceasefire” and has thus been widely described as “woefully insufficient” and “nearly meaningless.”

The delicately worded resolution does, however, suggest that “all parties immediately facilitate and enable safe and unhindered deliveries of humanitarian assistance to scale” to Palestinians in Gaza.

No Security Council members voted against the motion, but the United States and Russia abstained.

Mr Guterres was clearly disappointed by the wrangled outcome on Friday. He said: “ I hope that today’s Security Council Resolution will help the delivery if much-needed aid, but a humanitarian ceasefire is the only way to meet the desperate needs of people in Gaza and end their ongoing nightmare.”

Mr Guterres has long said the only sustainable way to end the century-old hatred and dispute between Israelis and Palestinians is a two-state solution. The current right-wing Israeli government rejects this outright.

António Guterres faces controversial opposition

 

 United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has been doing his level best to push forward dramatic change on two critical fronts, but he has been facing highly controversial opposition.

After personally appealing for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Israeli-Gaza war, Guterres agreed to a request to have the matter put to a vote in the UN Security Council. Thirteen members of the council last week voted in favour of the draft resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire. The United Kingdom abstained. The United States used its veto. The US was the only member to block the draft.

Guterres said he would continue to do everything possible to bring about an immediate ceasefire.

Yesterday in the UN General Assembly an emergency motion calling for an immediate ceasefire was passed by an overwhelming majority. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is dismissive of the UN as a whole, but President Joe Biden warned Israel it was losing support in the US, Europe and elsewhere for its war in Gaza.  

Two days before the original vote, Guterres warned the 15-member council that a continuation of the war could have global consequences. 

The United States’ deputy UN ambassador said that while the US hoped for a durable two-state solution in which Israel and Palestine could live in peace and security, but described the draft resolution as a rushed text “divorced from reality.”

The US has isolated itself by refusing to condemn the devastating actions of Israel, an ally it is strongly supporting with weapons and funding.

The United Kingdom’s UN ambassador said her country had abstained in the UN Security Council vote because the draft resolution contained no mention of Hamas’ involvement in the war.

António Guterres, 74, who was Portugal’s prime minister from 1995 to 2002, has served as the UN secretary-general since 2017 and is in his second term. As he was elected by the UN General Assembly in 2005 to become the high commissioner for refugees, a position he held for a decade until December 2015, he has a special insight into what he repeatedly calls the “humanitarian catastrophe” now being faced by Palestinians in Gaza.

He warns that with the war in Gaza “we are at a breaking point. The situation is simply becoming untenable.”

He has emphasised that “the people of Gaza are looking into the abyss. The international community must do everything possible to end their ordeal.”

That is not going to happen until Israel stops killing thousands of Palestinians with its relentless bombing campaign, and through starvation and spreading diseases because of its blockade on sufficient essential supplies getting into Gaza.

 

 

Guterres and most political leaders and scientists around the world were deeply concerned that the draft agreement near the end of the United Nations COP28 Climate Summit did not include any mention of phasing out fossil fuels.

On day one of the two-week conference in Dubai, capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Guterres pleaded with leaders from the more than 160 countries taking part to reach an agreement to take immediate action to stop temperatures rising above the critical 1.5C limit. Instead of unanimity, there was a fundamental division of opinion between the fossil fuel producing countries and most of the others, including Portugal.

 

This was partially put to rest by a last minute deal in the early hours of this morning in which there was an overall agreement to make "a transition" from fossil fuels, but with no specific timeline.

Global warming is caused by the billion of tonnes of man-made CO2 greenhouse gases being emitted into the atmosphere, most of it from the use of coal, oil and natural gas. The countries causing the highest levels of CO2 emissions – China, the United States, India – have not been keeping their promises to hugely reduce use of fossil fuels that are causing the emissions. Worse, the countries producing the most fossil fuels, especially Saudi Arabia, do not really want to phase out fossil fuel production and export.

The president of COP28, who is the chief executive of the UAE’s huge oil industry, said there is “no science” behind claims that a phase-out of fossil fuels would restrict global heating to 1.5C. 

António Guterres, along with most climate scientists in the world, as well as most participants in the summit, were shocked by this opinion, but it had the full backing of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

As Guterres has made abundantly clear, today’s deal is far from perfect, but it could be an historic turning point in the future of human existence.

 

 

 

CHRISTMAS GIFT?

Insights into Adventure, Mystery and Intriguing Personalities throughout the History of the Algarve.

 

An undated eBook and soft cover edition by Len Port has just been published by Amazon Kindle.

PORTUGUESE OFFICIALSL AT THE CRITICAL COP28 CLIMATE SUMMIT

 

 

Portugal has a very significant presence in the United Nations Global Climate summit (COP28) in the United Arab Emirates, which started last Thursday and runs until December 12.

 

It opened last week with an impassioned speech by António Guterres. The UN secretary-general told delegates from the more than 160 nations: “Humanity’s fate is hanging in the balance. This is a sickness only you global leaders can cure.” He pleaded for an end to dependence on fossil fuels and the long over-due promise of justice in the shape of funds to pay for the most devastating impacts of climate change in the world’s less developed and most vulnerable communities and countries. 

 

The world is heating up at an unprecedented pace, according to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). It says that temperatures this year have risen to 1.4 Celsius above pre-industrial levels, just short of the critical 1.5C.

 

“We are living through climate collapse in real time,” the UN chief told COP28 delegates.

“This year has seen communities around the world pounded by fires, floods, and searing temperature – and the impact is devastating,”

He continued: “Record global heating should send shivers down the spines of world leaders. And it should trigger them to act.”

The record temperatures shattered this year have caused a trail of “devastation and despair,” says the WMO. It expects next year to be even hotter.

 

WMO data up to the end of October showed 2023 was about 1.4C (2.5F) above pre-industrial levels, driven largely by the continued rise in carbon emissions that the major polluting countries claim they are trying to reduce.

 

The WMO has pointed out that, “These are more than just statistics. Extreme weather is destroying lives and livelihoods on a daily basis – underlining the imperative need to ensure that everyone is protected by early warning services. We cannot return to the climate of the 20th century, but we must act now to limit the risks of an increasingly inhospitable climate in this and coming centuries.” 

In his remarks to the COP28 summit, Mr. Guterres mentioned his recent trips to both Antarctica and Nepal where he witnessed at first-hand the extent of melting polar and glacier ice.

“These two spots are far in distance, but united in crisis,” said Mr. Guterres. It is just one symptom of the sickness bringing our climate to its knees, he said.

The former Portuguese prime minister also said that global heating is busting budgets, ballooning food prices, upending energy markets, and feeding a cost-of-living crisis.

“We are miles from the goals of the Paris Agreement – and minutes to midnight for the 1.5-degree limit.”

Mr. Guterres emphasized that the success of the Dubai conference will depend on the outcome of the so-named ‘Global Stocktake’ – where countries will for the first time assess progress on curbing global warming – which can get the world on track to achieve the temperature, finance, and adaptation goals.

He underscored that the stocktake must prescribe a credible cure for our ailing planet in three key areas.

The UN press office has explained: First, a drastic cut in emissions since current policies are leading us to an earth-scorching three-degree temperature rise.

Second, acceleration towards a just, equitable transition to renewables, since a burning planet cannot be saved with a firehose of fossil fuels. “The 1.5-degree limit is only possible if we ultimately stop burning all fossil fuels. Not reduce. Not abate. Phase out – with a clear timeframe aligned with 1.5 degrees.”

Third, fulfillment of the long overdue promise of climate justice in an unequal and divided world – a surge in finance, including for adaptation and loss and damage.

Mr Guterres has urged developed countries to double adaptation finance to $40 billion a year by 2025 and provide details on how they plan to deliver on the $100 billion promise for financial support for developing countries.

Joe Biden and Xi Jinping have been absent from this so-called “Action” COP summit, but Prime Minister António Costa has attended and welcomed delegates for the first time to Portugal’s own pavilion to hold side events. On previous COP gathering Portugal has shared the European Union’s overall space.

Portugal has an excellent record in dealing internally with climate change, particularly in the phasing out of fossil fuels and relying on renewables. It seems hypocritical that the current summit is being hosted by one of the world’s most fossil fuel producing countries, but there we are.  And worse, the main greenhouse gas polluting countries – China, the United States, India and Russia – have long indulged in rhetoric about global warming, but hopelessly failed to deliver on promises of immediate action to adequately curtail the dire situation. 

FAR-RIGHT 2024 ELECTION HOPES

 

Leaders of European far-right parties gathered in Lisbon at the end of the week to show solidarity with Portugal’s Chega Party that hopes to win the snap election in March next year.

Chega’s leader, Andre Ventura, welcomed his counterparts, including France’s Marine Le Pen. The gathering celebrated the surprise gains by Geert Wilder’s far-right party in the Dutch general election a few days earlier.

Chega, third in Portugal’s dissolved parliament, is hopeful of taking over from the long-standing Socialist Party, currently disgraced by a corruption investigation.

Chega, meaning “enough”, is a national conservative party, formed by Ventura in 2019, that has been gaining much support ever since.

Similar parties are the strongest, or gaining strength, in Switzerland Italy, Greece, Hungry, Poland, Finland, Sweden, Serbia and Spain.

The move to the far-right has included a convergence with centre-right groups.  This has involved national coalitions as well as shifts within the European Union - and it looks set to continue.

It is expected to change major policies in Brussels after the EU election in less than a year from now.  For example, it could press for an eastward expansion of the EU in the continent, and maybe a change in trading arrangements with China.

 A predominantly far-right European Council would have a different attitude to the United States should Donald Trump be re-elected president.

The most concerning problem for far-rightists in Europe is mass immigration from Africa.

 Results in next year’s election in Portugal - and even before that elections in other EU countries - are sure to play a key role in the way Europe progresses in the next few years with illegal immigration.

What Portugal and all other countries in Europe want to stop is an unmanageable number of illegal of immigrants being smuggled in by human traffickers.

Turkey, Greece and Italy have been inundated. The problem continues to move westward, confronting coast guard and other services in Spain and Portugal.

In Britain, politicians from the Labour left to the conservative right are alarmed not only by the number of illegal immigrants crossing the English channel from mainland Europe, but the tens if not  hundreds of thousands of legal immigrants annually seeking to study, or get employment as care workers or nurses, in many cases at 20% discount wages.   

In contrast, the number of Portuguese citizens going to live in Britain fell by 41% in the 12 months to September this year, according to official statistics published by the British government.

Portugal wants its useful citizens back from the UK and everywhere else, including the United States.  A support programme is in place until at least the end of this year to financially help emigrants and their families returning from abroad who want to find jobs for themselves or set up companies.

The arrangement includes citizens who left Portugal between the end of 2015 and started working in this country before the end of this year. It is not yet clear, but it seems very possible this deadline will be extended.

SNAP ELECTION NEXT MARCH

 

 

A snap general election is to be held in Portugal on 10th March next year. The dissolution of the government following the resignation of Prime Minister António Costa is expected in mid-January. Meanwhile Mr. Costa will remain in a caretaker position.

 

President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has called for the election because of  Mr. Costas’s sudden resignation amid a corruption scandal. The speaker of parliament said on Friday that parliament would “continue to scrutinise” the Socialist government until it is dissolved. 

 

 

Mr. Costa, prime minister since November 2015, resigned because of a major investigation into his administration’s handling of concessions for lithium mining and a hydrogen project. The Portuguese Prosecutor’s Office has been investigating Mr. Costa and several members of his cabinet for alleged crimes of active and passive corruption, prevarication, and influence pedalling.

 

Mr. Costa announced his resignation on Tuesday this week in a televised statement just hours after prosecutors detained his chief of staff over the corruption allegations.

 

“The duties of the prime minister are not compatible with any suspicion of my integrity,” he told to a televised press conference. “In these circumstances, I have presented my resignation to the President of the Republic.”

 

When the prime minister met with the president to inform him of his decision he said his conscience was clear, but that he would not stand for another term as prime minister or leader of Portugal’s Socialist Party.

 

He said that he totally trusts the justice system and has promised to collaborate with it over the scandal. “I want to say eye to eye to the Portuguese that my conscience is clear of any illicit or censured act,” he said.

 

In accepting Mr. Costa’s resignation, President de Sousa summoned the various political parties for consultations. Observers had expected the president to call not only for the dissolution of government, but to propose a date for a new general election, which he has now done rather than accept any proposal for replacement Socialist leader. . 

 

This crisis comes at a particularly awkward time as parliament is due to vote on Portugal’s 2024 budget later this month.

 

In addition to Mr. Costa’s chief of staff, Vitor Escaria, four other people, including a business consultant, have been detained, according to the prosecutor’s office. They are due to appear shortly before a judge.

 

About 140 detectives reportedly searched many residential and government premises, including that of Mr. Costa and the infrastructure and environment minister, João Galamba, as well as municipal offices in Sines.

 

With the “green transition” in mind, the European Union wants to reduce its imports on lithium and other raw materials from China, Africa and South America. Europe’s increasing demand for electric cars is highlighting Portugal’s valuable lithium reserves in the north of the country and a huge green hydrogen project in the historic coastal town of Sines in the district of Setubal south of Lisbon. The projects have been highly controversial and provoked environmental protests.

 

 

This developing story will be updated.