Portugal

UPDATED: Lisbon mourns 17 victims of cable car crash as investigation begins

Flags flew at half-mast in Lisbon on Thursday after at least 17 people were killed and 21 injured in a crash of a hillside funicular railway popular with tourists, while…

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Portugal’s Porto Cracks Down on Public Drinking in Tourist Hotspots

Porto is implementing new restrictions on daytime alcohol sales in its downtown core, part of an effort to reduce public disturbances and promote a safer, more family-friendly atmosphere in the…

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Portugal tightens naturalisation rules, doubles residency requirement

Portugal's centre-right minority government, under pressure from the far right to reduce immigration, said it would double to 10 years the amount of time most foreigners need to be legally…

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Police conclude searches in Portugal in Madeleine McCann investigation

Searches for Madeleine McCann in Portugal on land a mile from where the British toddler was last seen in 2007 have concluded. German and Portuguese investigators embraced each other on…

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Abandoned buildings examined as search for Madeleine McCann resumes

Searches for Madeleine McCann are due to resume on Thursday morning near to where she disappeared from Praia da Luz, Portugal. German and Portuguese investigators have until Friday to look…

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Police launch new search for Madeleine McCann in the Algarve

German police are to carry out new searches in Lagos, in the Algarve, as part of the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in 2007, according to information provided…

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Portugal PM’s party wins snap election but falls short of majority

Portugal's governing right-of-centre Democratic Alliance has won snap parliamentary elections - the third in as many years - again falling short of a majority. Its leader Luís Montenegro promised supporters…

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Portugal’s election: what are the parties running on Sunday

Following are the main parties running in Portugal's general election on Sunday, its third in just over three years. Opinion polls are pointing to another fragile minority government and a…

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Portugal police arrest crime ring over fraudulent permits for 10,000 foreigners

Portuguese police have arrested 13 people they believe provided an estimated more than 10,000 foreigners with residence permits and documents allowing them to stay in Portugal and the European Union…

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Portuguese president calls elections for May 18

Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa announced on Thursday he would dissolve the country’s parliament on March 19 and called for snap national elections to be held May 18. The…

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Portugal’s government collapses after no-confidence vote

Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro and his center-right government lost a confidence vote in parliament Tuesday. In a 142-88 vote with no abstentions, opposition lawmakers ousted Montenegro's administration after only…

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Portugal’s government faces likely defeat, fresh collapse in confidence vote

Portugal’s parliament is set to vote on a confidence motion in the minority centre-right government on Tuesday, with rejection likely to trigger the country’s third early general election in just…

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At least two die as wildfires hit Portugal, Europe sends help

At least two people died as wildfires raged in central and northern Portugal, forcing authorities to evacuate villages, close motorways and ask the European Union to send more water-bombing aircraft.…

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Moderate earthquake off the coast of Lisbon, Portugal

A moderate 5.4-magnitude earthquake has struck the Atlantic Ocean off Portugal, making it the strongest earthquake in the region in 15 years, according to seismologists. Shaking was felt in Lisbon…

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Former Portuguese PM ‘optimistic’ as EU Council top job decision nears

Former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, a front-runner to become the next president of the European Council, said he was optimistic ahead of the bloc's summit this week during which…

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Portugal tightens anti-corruption rules to confiscate assets

Portugal's minority centre-right government approved on Thursday a set of tougher measures to combat corruption, including allowing courts to confiscate suspects' assets without a criminal conviction. Former Portuguese premiers, politicians, bankers,…

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Portugal to use golden visa scheme to help migrants, build affordable homes

Portugal plans to adapt its golden visa scheme to allow wealthy foreigners seeking residency rights to invest in affordable housing for locals or accommodation for migrants, the cabinet affairs minister…

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Portugal’s new government tightens immigration rules

Portugal repealed a key migration policy on Monday as it aims to limit the number of new arrivals. The changes put an end to a rule that allowed non-EU migrants to…

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Portugal’s rightist AD and populist Chega clash after election, signalling instability

Portugal's newly elected Democratic Alliance (AD) minority government had its first clash on Tuesday with the far-right, accusing it of teaming up with the incumbent Socialists to block the appointment…

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Portugal’s president names centre-right leader Montenegro as PM

By Sergio Goncalves, Catarina Demony and Andrei Khalip LISBON, March 21 (Reuters) - Portugal's president named Luis Montenegro, head of the centre-right Democratic Alliance (AD), as the country's new prime…

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UPDATED: Portugal’s centre-right prepares to rule, far-right warns of instability

By Patricia Vicente Rua and Catarina Demony LISBON, March 11 (Reuters) - Portugal's centre-right Democratic Alliance (AD) won Sunday's general election by a slim margin and is preparing to govern…

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Who are the candidates running in Portugal’s snap election

(Reuters) - Portugal will hold a snap general election on Sunday that is likely to produce a hung parliament and give more political clout to the far right. Opinion surveys…

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What’s at stake in Portugal’s general election

By Andrei Khalip LISBON (Reuters) - Portugal's election on Sunday is unlikely to produce a clear winner, opinion polls show, and the far right could play a decisive role in…

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Portugal wants EU Recovery Fund to become permanent investment tool

The European Union must transform its pandemic recovery fund into a permanent instrument for structural investments to face competitiveness challenges that can only be overcome on an EU scale, Portugal's…

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Portugal’s far-right closes in on mainstream parties before March election

LISBON, (Reuters) - Portugal's far-right Chega party jumped to 21% of voting intentions in a new opinion poll ahead of a March 10 snap election, closing in on the mainstream…

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Amid drought, water curbs in Portugal’s Algarve, Spain’s Catalonia

By Sergio Goncalves and Joan Faus LISBON/BARCELONA, (Reuters) - Portugal's caretaker government has ordered cuts to the amount of water used in farmland irrigation and in urban environments including hotels…

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Portugal delaying fight against graft, GRECO watchdog says, amid new concerns

LISBON, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Portugal has been slow to implement new measures to combat corruption in government and law enforcement, a top European anti-graft monitoring body said on Wednesday,…

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Portugal extends tax breaks for foreign residents despite house price concerns

By Sergio Goncalves Portugal's parliament on Wednesday extended tax breaks for foreign residents until the end of next year despite criticism that the scheme has stoked housing prices to levels…

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Portugal’s attorney general says she’s not responsible for PM Costa’s downfall

By Sergio Goncalves LISBON, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Portugal's Attorney General Lucilia Gago rejected criticism from the ruling Socialist Party (PS) that she was responsible for Prime Minister Antonio Costa's…

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Portuguese fear March snap election won’t solve political crisis

By Catarina Demony and Miguel Pereira LISBON, (Reuters) - Portugal goes to the polls in March following the abrupt resignation of the prime minister amid a corruption probe, but voters…

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Portugal president calls March snap election

By Sergio Goncalves, Catarina Demony and Andrei Khalip LISBON(Reuters) - Portugal will hold a snap parliamentary election on March 10, its second in as many years, President Marcelo Rebelo de…

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Deals targeted in corruption probe that led Portugal PM to step down

By Sergio Goncalves Portugal's Prime Minister Antonio Costa stepped down on Tuesday after the prosecutor's office announced it was investigating alleged corruption in multi-billion dollar lithium, "green" hydrogen and data…

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Updated: Portugal’s PM Costa resigns over corruption investigation

Updated 1533 LISBON, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Portugal's Prime Minister Antonio Costa resigned on Tuesday amid an investigation into alleged irregularities committed by his majority Socialist administration in handling lithium…

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Portugal to increase civil servants’ wages by average of 3.8% in 2024

By Sergio Goncalves LISBON, (Reuters) - Portugal's government said it would increase the wages of civil servants by an average of 3.8% next year, but unions say that is not…

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Photo Story: Maltese President attends the 18th Arraiolos meeting in Porto

Portugal's President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa (L) receives Maltese President George Vella (R) to the 18th Informal Meeting of the Non-Executive Heads of State of the European Union (EU), also…

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Youth vs Europe: ‘Unprecedented’ climate trial to kick off at rights court

By Catarina Demony Sept 27 (Reuters) - Six young people from areas in Portugal ravaged by wildfires and heatwaves will on Wednesday take 32 European governments to court over what…

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Portugal to extend zero VAT rate on basic food until end 2023

LISBON, Sept 7 (Reuters) - The Portuguese government on Thursday will extend the zero rate of value-added tax (VAT) on basic food staples by two months to the end of…

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Portugal wildfire rages as strong winds and heat fan flames

LISBON (Reuters) - More than 1,100 firefighters and 14 water-carrying aircraft battled a wildfire in central Portugal's Castelo Branco area as civil protection authorities said hot, windy conditions meant it…

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Closing youth festival in Portugal, Pope shares ‘old man’s’ dream of peace

By Philip Pullella and Catarina Demony LISBON, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Pope Francis closed an international festival of Catholic Youth on Sunday with a huge outdoor Mass and his own…

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Photo Story: Pope Francis at the Parish Center of Serafina

Pope Francis meets pilgrims during a meeting with representatives of some charity centres at Centro Paroquial de Serafin, in Lisbon, Portugal. Pope Francis visited a Church-run social centre in a…

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UPDATED: Pope, arriving in Portugal, promises to ‘stir things up’

By Catarina Demony and Philip Pullella LISBON, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Pope Francis promised on Wednesday to continue to "stir things up" in the Catholic Church as he moves…

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Orchestra from Rio’s violent slum crosses Atlantic to play for pope

By Catarina Demony and Miguel Pereira LISBON, July 29 (Reuters) - Born in one of the most violent slums in Rio de Janeiro, Caué Santos could have never imagined that…

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Portugal bans tourist boats from approaching orcas after incidents

LISBON (Reuters) - Portugal banned tourist boats from approaching pods of orcas and issued instructions on what to do when approached by the so-called killer whales after a series of…

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EasyJet cancels 350 Portugal flights ahead of strike – union

British airline easyJet has cancelled 350 flights arriving to or departing from Portugal due to a five-day cabin staff strike scheduled for later this month, the SNPVAC union of civil…

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Slim chance of breakthrough seen as police wrap up Madeleine McCann search

SILVES, Portugal (Reuters) - Police wrapped up the latest search effort in the 16-year-old hunt for missing British girl Madeleine McCann after collecting unspecified samples by a reservoir in Portugal,…

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Madeleine McCann search at Portuguese reservoir resumes with sniffer dogs

SILVES, Portugal, May 24 (Reuters) - Police with sniffer dogs on Wednesday resumed a search at a remote reservoir in Portugal for possible evidence linking a German suspect to the…

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Police to search Portuguese dam 16 years after Madeleine McCann vanished

Portuguese police will on Tuesday search a reservoir inland from where British three-year-old Madeleine McCann disappeared in 2007, authorities said, in the first formal development in the case in Portugal in several…

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Portuguese president passes law allowing euthanasia

LISBON (Reuters) - Portugal's conservative President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has signed a bill decriminialising euthanasia into law in the Catholic-majority country after parliament on Friday overturned the last of…

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Severe drought spreads in Portugal, officials seek EU help

LISBON (Reuters) - Drought spread across almost all of mainland Portugal during an unusually hot and dry April, the meteorology agency IPMA said , and officials have requested aid from…

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Portugal to ban smoking in most places, restrict tobacco sales

LISBON (Reuters) - Portugal's government on Thursday presented legislation to extend a ban on smoking to outdoor areas including covered terraces and to restrict tobacco sales, as it hopes to…

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Portugal risks political crisis amid rift between prime minister and president

By Sergio Goncalves and Andrei Khalip LISBON (Reuters) - Portuguese opposition parties called on the president on Wednesday to use his power to dissolve parliament over a growing scandal around…

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Foreign tourism to Portugal has best first quarter ever

LISBON (Reuters) - The number of foreign tourists visiting Portugal surpassed 2.8 million from January through March, making it the best first quarter on record despite high global inflation and…

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Spain and Portugal break temperature records for April

By Mariano Valladolid CORDOBA, Spain (Reuters) - Mainland Spain and Portugal have broken temperature records for April, as the Iberian neighbours swelter in an early-season heatwave that has exacerbated a…

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Four people shot dead in Portugal

LISBON, April 30 (Reuters) - A man shot three people dead and then committed suicide on Sunday in the Portuguese city of Setubal, about 45 km (28 miles) south of…

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Angry at Brazil’s Lula, Ukrainians protest in Lisbon as official visit starts

By Catarina Demony and Miguel Pereira LISBON (Reuters) - Waving flags and holding photographs depicting conflict atrocities, Ukrainians gathered outside the Brazilian embassy in Lisbon on Friday to protest recent…

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Portugal’s government ups growth forecast for 2023 to 1.8%

By Sergio Goncalves LISBON, April 17 (Reuters) - Portugal's government on Monday raised its 2023 economic growth forecast to 1.8% from 1.3% predicted in November, still a sharp slowdown compared…

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Photo Story: Spain, Portugal joint operation dismantles one of Europe’s largest cocaine labs

The material seized during an operation carried out by Spain' National Police and Portugal's Judicial Police sits on a table during a press conference in Madrid, Spain, 13 April 2023.…

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