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☆ Germany says EU decisions should not be blocked by individual countries
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LISBON, Jan 4 (Reuters) - German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Wednesday that the European Union could no longer afford to have decisions blocked by individual member states. "Qualified majority voting can lead to fairer...results for all of us," Baerbock told a conference in Portugal's capital Lisbon. "We must be capable of acting efficiently and swiftly." Baerbock said that EU countries are often not even able to draft a press release "because they cannot agree on the same wording". Reporting by Catarina Demony; Editing by Andrei KhalipOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Angolan court orders seizure of dos Santos's assets - Lusa news agency
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dos Santos has faced corruption accusations for years. In 2019, Angola's Supreme Court ordered the seizure of her assets for allegedly steering state funds to companies in which she held stakes during her father's presidency, including oil giant Sonangol. Dos Santos's father, Jose Eduardo dos Santos, died in July. A spokesperson for dos Santos did not immediately reply to a request for comment. The order comes after global police agency Interpol issued a red notice for dos Santos last month, asking global law enforcement authorities to locate and provisionally arrest her.

☆ Tesla plans to announce Mexico EV plant as soon as next week -Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 16 (Reuters) - Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) is finalizing plans to build an electric vehicle assembly plant in an industrial area of northeastern Mexico and may announce the factory as early as next week, Bloomberg News reported late Friday. The plant will be located in Santa Catarina in Monterrey city, the capital of Nuevo Leon state in Mexico, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter. It is unclear what models Tesla would produce in the Mexican factory or when it would begin production, Bloomberg said. Two people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters in October that Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk was considering investing in the northern Mexican state of Nuevo Leon, which borders Texas. Musk held a meeting in the state with Nuevo Leon Governor Samuel Garcia along with other local officials, and Ken Salazar, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, one of the sources said.

☆ Portuguese climate activists must pay fine over protest, says court
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LISBON, Dec 16 (Reuters) - A Portuguese court ordered four climate activists to pay a fine on Friday for occupying a university building to protest what they perceived as political inaction around climate change. According to the judge's decision, each activist must pay a fine of 295 euros ($312.61). If they are not able to pay it in one go they can either pay in instalments or do community service. "We think it's not fair that we are being criminalised for fighting for the environment," one of the sentenced students, Ana, told RTP broadcaster outside the court. The Faculty of Humanities was one of several universities and high schools in the city that young people angry about the climate crisis occupied last month.

☆ Investors eye Portuguese golden visas as authorities ponder programme's end
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Catarina Demony | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LISBON (Reuters) - Investments through Portugal’s “golden visa”, which gives wealthy foreigners residence rights, jumped nearly 50% last month, data showed on Sunday, as the government considers whether to scrap the controversial scheme. REUTERS/Rafael MarchanteThe golden visa has been heavily criticised at home for sending house prices and rents up, and the European Commission has called for the end of such national programmes. Murat Coskun, Get Golden Visa CEO, said Costa’s comments had had a “significant impact on the appetite” for the measure, with his company seeing a five-fold increase in inquiries. Data from border agency SEF on Sunday showed investment through golden visas increased 48% in November from October to 65 million euros, and was up 41% from a year earlier. Portugal suspended golden visas for Russians, but 431 had already benefited from the scheme since the time of its launch, according to SEF.

☆ How to make money as a content creator, according to dozens of influencers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Content creators can earn money in many ways. In the past few years, earning money as a content creator and building an influencer career have become more accessible. Here are 11 common ways influencers earn money, based on conversations with dozens of industry insiders. For example, Aisha Beau Frisbey, a full-time lifestyle content creator with 36,000 Instagram followers, recently launched a deck of affirmation cards. Platform creator funds and bonusesSeveral platforms offers bonuses or "creator funds" that pay influencers money for the views they receive on their content, primarily short-form videos.

☆ Portuguese airline TAP running reduced service as two-day strike kicks off
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LISBON, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Portuguese flag carrier TAP is running a reduced service as its cabin crew stage a two-day strike to demand higher salaries and better working conditions. The strike, called by the national SNPVAC union representing cabin crew staff for Dec. 8-9, had already forced TAP to cancel 360 flights. The airline said it was only operating the "minimum services" decreed by a court. SNPVAC president, Ricardo Penarroias, told Lusa news agency the majority of TAP cabin crew had decided to walk out but said they were still available to negotiate with the airline to avoid further strikes until the end of January. The ailing airline, 72.5% controlled by the Portuguese state, was saved by a 3.2 billion euro rescue plan approved by Brussels.

☆ Heavy rains trigger floods in Portugal's capital, one dead
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LISBON, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Local authorities put Portugal's capital, Lisbon, on high alert on Wednesday evening and urged people to stay indoors as heavy rains killed at least one person, washed cars away and flooded several buildings. In Lisbon, the Civil Protection authority has reported hundreds of incidents, from flooded streets, train stations, a theatre and even a hospital. Images shared on social media showed flooding in parts of Lisbon's airport, and two flights were diverted. Civil Protection commander Andre Fernandes said at a news conference that a 55-year-old woman had died in a flooded basement in Alges, near Lisbon. "We appeal to people not to leave their homes during these periods of heavy rain," Fernandes said, urging those who live in low-lying areas to "seek shelter" in safer places.

☆ Families rescued from rooftops as heavy flooding hits Brazil
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

In the Santa Catarina area of Brazil heavy flooding has resulted in more than 880 people being evacuated, according to Reuters. Source: CNN

☆ Interpol confirms red notice for Angolan billionaire Isabel dos Santos
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LISBON, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Global police agency Interpol confirmed on Wednesday it had issued a red notice for Angolan billionaire Isabel dos Santos, daughter of the country's former president, asking global law enforcement authorities to locate and provisionally arrest her. Portugal's Lusa news agency reported on Nov. 18 that Interpol had issued an international arrest warrant for dos Santos. But Interpol told Reuters it had issued a red notice instead at the request of Angolan authorities. A source close to dos Santos said on Nov. 19 that she had yet to be notified by Interpol. Dos Santos has given interviews recently, telling CNN Portugal on Tuesday the courts in Angola were not independent" and judges there were "used to fulfil a political agenda".

'REFUGE FOR WINTER' AND BEYONDVisitors and more permanent residents are also arriving from Germany, which was highly dependent on Russian gas before the Ukraine war and is anxious about possible winter energy shortages. Airlines will increase by 31% the number of seats available to the Canary Islands, the regional tourism office said. Airbnb, the short-term rentals firm, said searches for winter stays in southern Europe tripled between April and June. "Even before the energy crisis, we would have liked to be in Portugal because of the weather," the 28-year-old said. "But with the energy crisis, (being in Portugal) gives us more security because of the climate."

[1/2] Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei poses for a picture after an interview with Reuters in Montemor-O-Novo, Portugal, November, 28, 2022. REUTERS/Catarina DemonySummary Ai Weiwei says protests not likely to carry onPolice will use force to silence protestersMovement lacks organisation and leadershipMONTEMOR-O-NOVO, Portugal, Nov 28 (Reuters) - From his Portuguese home, Ai Weiwei, the high-profile Chinese dissident whose art has often criticized Beijing's policies, said the recent wave of protests would not shake Xi Jinping's government because the police would simply crush them into silence. "Even if something happens (on) the Hong Kong scale or 1989 scale it (still) won't shake the government," he added. The protests in China were triggered by a fire in the Xinjiang region last week that killed 10 people who were trapped in their apartments. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson told a regular briefing on Monday that China was not aware of any protests abroad calling for an end to its COVID policy.

LISBON, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Saturday that fiscal responsibility was crucial but that spending to improve the country's economy and welfare was equally important. "We cannot spend more than we earn ... but we also know we can spend to do something profitable, to make the country grow, to improve (it)." Leftist Lula defeated right-wing incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in a tight presidential runoff in October. Since last week, the president-elect has rattled financial markets with speeches in which he underscores the priority of social spending over fiscal responsibility. Lula said that although his party defeated Bolsonaro in last month's presidential race, far-right ideology was still very much alive in Brazil.

☆ Angola's dos Santos not aware of Interpol arrest warrant, representative says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In a statement sent to Reuters, dos Santos' official source said her lawyers had "consulted the Interpol database and, so far, there was no reference to the issuance of a warrant". Portugal's Lusa news agency reported on Friday that Interpol had issued a warrant after public prosecutors in Angola asked the agency to "locate, arrest" and extradite dos Santos. According to Friday's report by Lusa, the arrest warrant mentions dos Santos is often in Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates. Authorities are aware of dos Santos' location, the official source said. Dos Santos' father, Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who died in July, ruled Angola for almost four decades until 2017.

☆ Interpol issues arrest warrant for Angola's Isabel dos Santos, Lusa reports
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LISBON, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Global police agency Interpol has issued an international arrest warrant for Angolan billionaire and daughter of the country's former president Isabel dos Santos, Portugal's Lusa news agency reported on Friday. According to Lusa, citing an official document, the INTERPOL warrant was issued after Angola's public prosecutors requested the agency to "locate, arrest" and extradite dos Santos. INTERPOL and the public prosecutors did not immediately reply to Reuters' requests for comment. According to Lusa, the arrest warrant mentions the businesswoman is often in Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates. Dos Santos' father, Jose Eduardo dos Santos, died in July this year and ruled Angola for almost four decades until 2017.

For more than 70 days this summer, a marine heatwave cooked the waters of the western Mediterranean. "We've been witnessing marine heatwaves during the last 20 years," said Garrabou, who's also coordinator of the T-MEDNet marine monitoring network. A 2016 marine heatwave along Chile's southern coast caused huge algae blooms that wiped out fish farms and cost the aquaculture industry some $800 million, said scientist Kathryn Smith with the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. As the world warms, marine heatwaves are expected to become more frequent, according to the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Though economists have yet to account fully for the impacts of marine heatwaves, recent experience has many concerned.

Holding banners and chanting slogans, protesters demanded climate action. "COPs are not designed to face climate change because it would need more participation from civil society, less participation from lobbyists from the fossil industry," said Pedro Franco, a 27-year-old student. Joao Duarte, 23, also pointed a finger at governments for favouring the "monetary interests" of big companies instead of putting climate change at the top of the political agenda. "What we do or do not do in this decade will have a great impact on climate security." Reporting by Catarina Demony, Miguel Pereira and Pedro Nunes in Lisbon; Editing by Diane CraftOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/2] An Ukrainian start-up desk is seen at the Web Summit, Europe's largest technology conference, in Lisbon, Portugal, November 2, 2022. REUTERS/Pedro NunesLISBON, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Ukrainian entrepreneurs brought a message of hope to this week's Web Summit in Lisbon, Europe's largest tech gathering that ended on Friday: the war has made them more resilient than ever. "Many more Ukrainians came to the Web Summit this time," he added, standing in front of the Ukrainian pavillion. Web Summit chief Paddy Cosgrave told Reuters last week 59 Ukrainian startups were at the 2022 event. "This is a good sign that the Ukrainian tech and startup ecosystem is developing even during a time of war," said Sobolenko.

LISBON, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Ukraine trusts Elon Musk to continue providing internet access through his SpaceX rocket company's Starlink satellite system despite a wobble last month, but is also seeking additional providers, one of its deputy prime ministers said on Thursday. Mykhailo Fedorov, in Portugal for Europe's largest tech conference, the Lisbon Web Summit, said Ukraine had discussed Starlink directly with Musk and was confident the Tesla and Twitter boss would not shut the service down in Ukraine. Starlink has "worked, is working and will definitely work in Ukraine", Federov, who runs Ukraine's digital transformation ministry, told a news conference in response to a question about the service from Reuters. Fedorov spoke at a joint news conference with Microsoft President Brad Smith, who announced around 100 million dollars of additional technology aid for Ukraine throughout 2023. "This will enable the government and other organisations in Ukraine to continue to run their services and serve Ukraine citizens through the Microsft Cloud and our public data centres spread across Europe," Smith said.

☆ Brazil's Bolsonaro urges protesters to lift road blockades
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Ana Mano | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SAO PAULO, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro for the first time on Wednesday asked protesters blocking roads nationwide to lift blockades as demonstrations are restricting people's right to come and go and bringing losses to the economy. In a video posted on social media, Bolsonaro said he understood people's frustration at the result of the election. The president said blocking roads make the ongoing protests illegitimate. Bolsonaro added the Federal Highway Police (PRF) had mobilized to help dispel protesters and clear roads. In remarks on Tuesday, the Brazilian president said the protests resulted from "indignation and a sense of injustice" over the vote.

The video, which was posted to Twitter, shows a crowd of people, some carrying and others draped in the Brazilian flag, with many apparently performing a Nazi salute as the Brazilian national anthem plays. It’s unclear who posted the video and CNN has not been able to verify its authenticity. Nazi incitement is a crime in Brazil. Brazilian authorities will investigate the video. @CentralEleicoes/TwiiterA Brazilian Jewish organization, the Brazilian Israeli Confederation, released a statement condemning the image as “disgusting.”“Brazilian society cannot tolerate gestures like this.

LISBON, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Portugal is likely to scrap its "golden visa" programme giving wealthy foreigners residence rights, Prime Minister Antonio Costa said on Wednesday, saying that the 10-year-old scheme had already fulfilled its role. Speaking at Lisbon's Web Summit, Europe's largest tech event, Costa said several visa schemes offered by Portugal were currently being re-evaluated and the golden visa was one of them. Costa said Portugal wanted to continue to be attractive, with one example being its recent law, enacted on Monday, that created the so-called digital nomads visa. It gives foreigners with high monthly income from remote work to live and work from Portugal for a year. read moreReporting by Catarina Demony; Additional reporting by Patricia Rua; Editing by Andrei Khalip and Angus MacSwanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

LISBON, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Plans by central banks to launch digital currencies are not a threat to other cryptocurrencies as they would validate blockchain technology and build trust among sceptics, the CEO of the world's largest crypto exchange, Binance, said on Wednesday. Most major central banks, including the U.S. Federal Reserve, the Bank of England and the European Central Bank, are studying the potential launch of a digital version of their currencies, dubbed CBDC. read more"Is it (CBDC) a threat to Binance or other crypto-currencies? He said the blockchain technology behind cryptocurrencies should be available for CBDC and adopted by governments. Still, he said, recently cryptocurrency has been highly correlated with the stock market, with both assets correcting sharply as central banks hike interest rates to control record inflation.

"Number one is that we want to be extremely supportive of free speech," Zhao said at the opening event of Europe's largest tech conference, the Web Summit, in Lisbon, adding that Twitter is "where people express their opinions". "It is an important free speech platform - that's the number one reason," he added. Binance said last week it is creating a team to work on how blockchain and crypto could be helpful to Twitter. "I'm a heavy Twitter user," Zhao said, adding Binance planned to be a long-term investor in the platform. Asked about other ideas Musk has for the platform, Zhao said: "Elon Musk is a very hard guy to predict."

☆ Main road to Brazil's Paranagua port, major grain export hub, still blocked
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Ana Mano | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Ricardo MoraesSAO PAULO, Nov 1 (Reuters) - The main access road to Brazil's Paranagua port, the country's second busiest for grain exports, remained blocked by political protesters on Tuesday, according to a statement from the port authority, hobbling shipping from one of the world's top food producers. Farm states like Santa Catarina, where many meatpackers operate, and Mato Grosso, Brazil's biggest grain producer, were among the most affected by the protests that started after polls closed on Sunday, police data showed. The port authority at Santos, Latin America's biggest port, said things were normal as protests had not disrupted its terrestrial operations, according to a statement sent to Reuters. Yet due to bad weather, navigation in the port's estuary has been suspended since 4:00 a.m. (0700 GMT), the statement said. Reporting by Ana Mano Editing by Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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