Category: Uncategorized

 

 

High price of olive oil leads to increased fraud: ASAE warns of increasing criminal networks in Portugal

 

ASAE opened 54 criminal proceedings and 30 related administrative offences due to fraud in the olive oil sector until the end of October this year, which, according to ‘CNN Portugal’, is due to the price increase. “Most of them are related to fraud in the product itself”, indicated the inspector general Luís Lourenço. “If there is a greater possibility of economic gain, it is normal that there is a tendency for there to be more cases of fraud.”

There are an increasing number of criminal networks operating in Portugal, which has led the Food and Economic Safety Authority to make olive oil one of its top priorities for investigation this year, having even sent teams from other projects to investigate supply chains. “This year, we have seen this increase, we have already registered around ten more criminal proceedings compared to last year”, said the official – in the European Union, the number of cases has soared: in the first three months of the year, there were 50 infractions, three times the number recorded in the same period in 2018, when the price began to rise.

Counterfeiting networks are becoming increasingly sophisticated, the official pointed out. “It is not possible to commit this type of crime individually, because the product has to go through several stages. A large part of the chain has to be aware of it,” he said, arguing that frauds involve lower quality products. “The issue is the remaining product, which may not be of such high quality, and in this case, there has to be a network that makes this type of change.”

ASAE seized at least 350 thousand euros in operations related to olive oil fraud, which became widespread in the falsification of labels, which brought great economic advantages to criminal networks when the price of olive oil reached substantially high levels. “In previous years, there was no economic advantage in producing this type of label, so they did not appear on the market, which brings a new complexity in terms of investigation. We need to investigate the entire chain”, highlighted Luís Gonçalves. “We also found false mentions of organic production, misleading consumers into buying products that do not correspond to what is promised.”

Throughout the year, ASAE seized nearly 100,000 litres of counterfeit cooking oil and olive oil, and closed at least five establishments, having seized more than 350,000 euros related to fraudulent practices in the olive oil sector. “This increase in prices, combined with the lack of the product itself, smaller productions and the market itself working, led us to take greater action”, said the inspector general. “ASAE’s intervention was aimed at ensuring the quality of the national product, and maintaining this quality so that there is no distrust in the market.”

 

 

 

Human trafficking: number of victims increases by 25%, majority are women and girls

 

The conclusion is from a UN report, which states that the majority of women and girls identified among the victims continue to be trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation.

The global number of victims of human trafficking has increased again (25%), after falling during the Covid-19 pandemic, with women and girls remaining in the majority, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said on Wednesday.

The conclusions are from the ” Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2024 ” , released this Wednesday by UNODC, and which covers 156 countries from all regions and sub-regions of the world (95% of the world population), with data from the period 2020-2022 and other preliminary data from 2023 provided by only 72 States.

The report points to a 25% increase in the number of trafficking victims detected globally in 2022, compared to pre-pandemic figures from 2019. Between 2019 and 2022, the global number of victims of trafficking for forced labour increased by 47%.

In total, between 2020 and 2023, the number of trafficking victims reported by Member States amounted to 202,478.

“This trend can be attributed to the 31% increase in children detected compared to the period before the Covid-19 pandemic,” the report points out.

Victims are trafficked globally through an increasing number of international routes, with African victims to the largest number of destinations.

Most victims are women and girls, child victims are increasing

In 2022, the majority of human trafficking victims were women and girls (61%). Although the number of underage victims has increased since 2019, adults remain the most common age group, with adult women accounting for 39% of victims.

The majority of women and girls identified among the victims continue to be trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation. However, female victims are also trafficked in large numbers for forced labour, particularly domestic work, and for other types of exploitation, including forced marriage and criminality.

While previous editions of this report have shown how child trafficking, especially in the context of forced labour, typically occurred in low-income countries, recent data show that while child trafficking is still detected in these areas, it has been increasing in high-income countries.

This occurs mainly in the case of girls trafficked for sexual exploitation (60%).

“Trafficking of girls for sexual exploitation is on an alarming rise in many regions of the world. The international community and national authorities must step up efforts to prevent this form of trafficking, to ensure victim-centred and trauma-informed investigations, as well as tailored protection and assistance programmes for girl victims.”

The growing number of children along migration routes may explain the rising number of trafficked boys. After the pandemic, more unaccompanied and separated children were registered at the borders of Europe and North America, regions where more boys are victims of trafficking.

“In 2022, children accounted for 38% of detected victims globally. Girls (22% of total victims) were most typically trafficked for sexual exploitation and, to a lesser extent, for forced labour and other forms of exploitation, such as forced marriage. Boys (16%) were primarily trafficked for forced labour and other forms of exploitation, typically forced criminality.”

Since 2019, there has been an increase of approximately 31% in child victims, 38% among girls.

Types of Human Trafficking: Forced Labor Sees One of the Biggest Increases

Already in the context of ongoing conflicts and climate-induced disasters, the risk of human trafficking is increasing as one of the direct consequences of global instability and climate change, resulting in forcibly displaced populations, the report concludes.

Looking more broadly at the types of human trafficking, since 2019 forced labor has seen greater increases (per 100,000 inhabitants) than trafficking for sexual exploitation and other purposes.

“Trafficking for forced labour has increased by 47% globally when compared to the period before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Although trafficking for forced labour is now more commonly detected than trafficking for sexual exploitation, far fewer traffickers are convicted of this crime.

In 2022, more than 70% of traffickers were convicted of trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and only 17% were convicted of trafficking for forced labour, in contrast to 42% of victims detected in 2022.

According to UNODC, most human trafficking is perpetrated by organized crime groups.

In 2022, men accounted for around 70% of those investigated, prosecuted and convicted for human trafficking and the number of people convicted globally returned to slightly below 2019 levels, but with an increase of around 36% compared to 2020.

 

 

 

 

With over 70% of Europeans living in urban areas, cities are key to implementing the European Green Deal and fostering a sustainable, low-carbon society. Since 2010, the European Green Capital Award has recognised cities’ efforts to become greener and cleaner.

On 27 November 2024, the European Commission announced Guimarães, Portugal, as the European Green Capital of 2026 thanks to its commitment to continuously improving sustainable development and its results in seven environmental management areas. The city has made sustainability a central part of its culture, as exemplified in its motto, ‘One Planet City’.

The Commission announced the winners of the 2026 European Green Cities Awards on Wednesday (27 Nov), with Guimarães (Portugal) taking the European Green Capital prize and the European Green Leaf award for smaller cities going to Águeda (Portugal) and Vaasa (Finland).

This Copernicus Sentinel-2 image, acquired on 17 November 2024, shows Guimarães from above.

 

 

Third fugitive from Vale de Judeus Prison recaptured in Italy

 

The Judicial Police (PJ) recaptured this Tuesday, in Italy, Shergili Farjiani, who had escaped from the Vale de Judeus Prison Establishment, in Alcoentre, at the beginning of September, this police force said.

The operation took place in the city of Padua, in northern Italy, and led to the arrest of Shergili Farjiani, one of the five escapees from Vale de Judeu and the third to be recaptured, a source from the PJ told Lusa. Fábio Loureiro and Fernando Ribeiro Ferreira) had already been found

In a statement, the PJ said that the capture of Shergili Farjiani, 40, was the result of “persistent, complex and uninterrupted investigation and information gathering work”.

“The police operation had the collaboration of the Italian authorities to recapture this Georgian citizen with an extensive criminal career, including crimes of violent theft and document forgery,” it reads.

 

 

Marcelo hopes to resume talks with firefighters in 2025 to review the statute

 

The President of the Republic stated today that he hopes to resume talks between the Government and representatives of professional firefighters in 2025 to review their status, which in his opinion is outdated.

“It’s been 22 years, it’s a long time. Therefore, I hope that there will be an opportunity, next year, to resume talks to modify a statute that is quite outdated”, declared Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, in response to questions from journalists, in a hotel in Amsterdam, where he is on a state visit.

On this occasion, the Head of State once again separated “the content of the demonstrations” by firefighters, in relation to which he stressed that he had already expressed reservations, and “the justice of having gone 22 years without a review of the statute”.

According to the President of the Republic, this is the result of a “ping-pong that exists between the Government and the Assembly, between the Government and local authorities, between local authorities and the Government and the Assembly”, and the matter must be resolved.

 

 

Large amount of waste produced by tourists has a significant impact on the Algarve.

 

The production of waste by tourists during peak season has a significant impact on the management of municipal solid waste in the Algarve, with an urgent need to define sustainable solutions, according to a study presented in Vilamoura at the end of November.

The study “The implications of tourist activity in the Algarve region for urban waste management”, which brought together researchers from five universities in Portugal and the United States, reveals the “urgent need to define sustainable solutions to address the environmental and economic impact, caused by the high tourist seasonality” in this region.

According to researcher Eduardo Cardadeiro, coordinator of the study, a tourist in the Algarve produces, on average, twice as much waste per day as a resident of the region, and the fact that there is “strong seasonality” causes an increased difficulty in managing solid waste.

“Tourism is fundamental to the Algarve’s economy, but it is necessary to ensure that its growth does not compromise the region’s sustainable development,” added the professor from the Autonomous University. According to Eduardo Cardadeiro, the study will continue to be developed, having in this first phase, among other things, characterised the relationship between tourism and waste management and analyzed the production of municipal solid waste by tourism.

“If we can better understand the impact of tourism on waste production and better manage this process, we will perhaps be in a better position to achieve targets in the waste sector, to have more sustainable management, and to promote the Algarve as a destination that sustainably manages waste, promoting the circular economy,” he said.

The study concluded that in 2023 the Algarve recorded 29 million overnight stays, of which 82% occurred in the high season, which created significant pressure on the region’s waste management services.

During the month of August, tourism was responsible for 41% of waste production, equivalent to 3.6 kilos per night, that is, more than double the per capita production of local residents. Waste production in the high season also has an economic impact, since the total cost of waste management in 2023 was 81.3 million euros, with significantly higher average costs in the high season, reaching €436 per tonne for unsorted waste, compared to €147 per tonne in the low season.

The study also reveals that, currently, more than 80% of municipal waste in the Algarve is deposited in landfills, while recycling and reuse rates are below 15%, which is below the targets set by the European Union for 2035.

The document also identified the need to implement measures to meet the targets defined by the European Union, and promote a circular economy and sustainable practices for the Algarve region.

In a second phase of the study, in 2025, a pilot project will be implemented to optimize waste management, such as dedicated collection circuits, through the involvement of regional partner entities, such as Algar, responsible for the selective collection of waste at ecopoints, the Algarve Intermunicipal Community (AMAL), tour operators, hotels and restaurants.

Environmental, social and sustainability performance indicators will also be developed, to monitor progress and adapt solutions to local needs.

Finally, in a third phase, the measures successfully tested in the pilot project will be extended to the entire Algarve region.

The study on the treatment of municipal solid waste in the Algarve was promoted by the Center for Research in Economic and Business Sciences (CICEE),in partnership with the University of Algarve and with the support of Algar.

 

 

 

Disturbances in several areas of greater Lisbon after death of man shot by PSP

 

The disturbances that have been going on since Monday following the death of a man shot by the PSP have spread last night to several areas of Lisbon, namely Carnaxide (Oeiras), Casal de Cambra (Sintra) and Damaia (Amadora), a police source told Lusa.

“There are pockets of disorder in several areas of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area”, said the same source.

In the Portela neighbourhood, Carnaxide, shots were fired, some of which were fired by the PSP, which used rubber bullets and has already managed to enter the neighbourhood.

At this location, a bus was set on fire, in addition to several rubbish bins and a light vehicle, said a source from the PSP.

At 11:45 pm, new fires were reported in this neighbourhood, according to television images from the scene.

ATTACKS ON POLICE

PSP rapid response teams were stoned when they tried to enter the Cova da Moura neighbourhood in Amadora, according to SIC Notícias. The PSP says that all officers from the seven police stations in Amadora were mobilized, including those from special units.

In the municipality of Sintra, an object was thrown at the PSP police station in Casal de Cambra, without causing any damage, the source added.

In Damaia there were disturbances in several streets, including the throwing of firecrackers and stones on the public highway, as well as the setting of fires in several rubbish bins.

Earlier, at the beginning of the evening, a bus had been set on fire in the Zambujal neighbourhood, where riots took place for the second night.

In addition to policing in the Zambujal neighbourhood, the PSP reinforced its resources in several locations, specifically in the so-called Sensitive Urban Zones (Zus).

Also tonight, the PSP indicated, in a statement, that a person was arrested for possession of combustible material in the Zambujal neighborhood.

Group tries to set fire to gas station – On the road connecting Alfragide to Damaia, a group used a mattress to try to set fire to a gas station, according to SIC Notícias. PSP officers were able to immediately fight the fire using a fire extinguisher.

Incidents were also reported in other parts of the municipality of Lisbon. In Carnide and Campo de Ourique, rubbish bins were set on fire. In Loures, a car was set on fire.

POLICE STATEMENT

In a statement, the National Directorate of the PSP indicates that, after the disturbances that occurred during the early hours of the morning, following the death of a resident shot by the PSP in Cova da Moura, at the end of the afternoon “situations of disorder occurred again inside the Zambujal neighbourhood”, namely “a serious episode of urban violence”, with the theft of a Carris bus that was set on fire.

“Despite several efforts, it has not yet been possible to detect and intercept the suspects of this violent crime, although an arrest has already been made for possession of combustible material, which indicated its use to start a fire”, adds the PSP.

The SOS Racismo association and the Vida Justa movement disputed the police version of events and demanded a “serious and impartial” investigation to determine “all responsibilities”, considering that there is a “culture of impunity” in the police force. According to reports gathered in the neighbourhood by Vida Justa, what happened were “two shots fired at an unarmed worker”.

On Monday, the Ministry of Internal Affairs ordered the General Inspectorate of Internal Affairs to open an urgent investigation and the PSP also announced the opening of an internal investigation to determine the circumstances of the incident. The officer who shot the man has since been named a defendant, a source from the Judicial Police indicated.

The Zambujal neighborhood is a social neighborhood that began to take shape in the 1970s. It is a multicultural neighborhood with around six thousand inhabitants.

About a third are of gypsy ethnicity. Another third are of African origin or ancestry. In recent years, South Americans and Asians have arrived.

 

 

 

“Multi-force” police and changes in schools. Montenegro’s 7 measures

 

Montenegro’s speech marked the closing of the 42nd PSD Congress.

PSD leader, Luís Montenegro, left a “special word” in the closing speech of the 42nd PSD Congress to the CDS and PPM, “loyal traveling partners of the democratic coalition”.

“Multi-force teams” to fight “illegal immigration” “without respite”

Luís Montenegro took advantage of his speech to announce some of the next seven measures that will be implemented by the Government. In terms of security, he revealed that “multi-force teams” will be created to combat “illegal immigration” “without respite”.

“We will reinforce the proximity and visibility of the police on the streets and increase video surveillance systems. We will create multi-force teams that will include the Judicial Police, Public Security Police, National Republican Guard, Food and Economic Security Authority, Authority for Working Conditions and Tax Authority under the coordination of the internal security system to go into the field to combat, without respite, drug trafficking, human trafficking and abuse and illegal immigration”, announced Montenegro.

The Prime Minister also revealed that the Executive will sign, “this week”, a “historic water agreement” with Spain.

“We will guarantee minimum daily flows in the Tagus River, payment for water from Alqueva and its use by Spanish farmers,” said Montenegro.

Increased support for victims of domestic violence

The Government will also increase support for victims of domestic violence, “an inexcusable crime”.

“We will double the amount of support for the empowerment of victims of this crime: we will invest an additional 25 million euros in tele-assistance and transportation tools for victims and we will ensure that women who are welcomed into shelters outside their area of ​​residence will have immediate access to health care in the host locations,” he said.

New association contracts with the private sector for preschool

For Lisbon, Montenegro announced a ” major rehabilitation project for the Lisbon Metropolitan Area ” to unite the two banks of the capital. The “riverside arch” will be rehabilitated and will be renamed Parque Humberto Delgado.

In Education, the Government plans to “expand the public, private and social offer”, testing new association contracts in pre-school education, looking at the “interest of children and not any ideological blockage”.

The primary and secondary education programs will also be reviewed. A review that will include the subject of Citizenship, where the “cultivation of constitutional values” will be reinforced to free “the subject from the constraints of ideological or factional projects”.

Hospital medicines in pharmacies and reception centers for immigrants

Finally, Montenegro also announced that the Government will give “around 150 thousand patients” the possibility of receiving their medicines at the pharmacy closest to their home, so that they do not have to travel hundreds of kilometres to the hospital to pick them up.

Focusing again on immigration, he mentioned the construction of “two temporary installation centers in Lisbon and Porto” to “accommodate cases of illegal or irregular immigration”, while at the same time launching “a program to attract talent abroad” for Portuguese companies and higher education institutions.

In closing, the Prime Minister cited figures from Portuguese history such as King Dom Afonso Henriques, Vasco da Gama and Luiz de Camões to promise a Government with a spirit of conquest , innovation and discovery and expressed his conviction that “the streets” have given him “encouragement and confidence”.

 

 

 

 

 

Support measures for families, companies, farmers and local authorities affected by the fires

 

The Council of Ministers approved, this Thursday, a set of support measures intended for the populations and regions affected by the recent fires. This decision follows the declaration of calamity approved on September 15, 2024.

In an action coordinated by the Multidisciplinary Working Group, under the leadership of the Deputy Minister for Territorial Cohesion, an exhaustive survey of the damages was initiated, in close coordination between the Municipalities and the Regional Coordination and Development Commissions. The affected areas cover a total of 69 municipalities and 291 parishes.

The measures aim to provide immediate and comprehensive support, including assistance to families, housing recovery, support for businesses and farmers, restoration of infrastructure and forests, as well as the replacement of destroyed equipment. The support package covers several areas, ensuring a rapid and effective response to local needs.

People:

. Support for families in need

. Specific measures of the National Health Service (SNS)

. Support for farmers to acquire immediate goods

. Exemption from Social Security contributions

. Reinforcement of social action technicians

. Simplified lay-off to support companies in crisis

. Exception regime in active employment measures

. Professional training actions for the unemployed

. Extension of the deadline for compliance with tax obligations

. Support for IPSS and similar institutions

Support for the reconstruction or rehabilitation of permanent housing, with State financing of 100% up to 150 thousand euros and 85% of the excess amount

 

Economic Activities:

. Creation of a treasury support line

. Support for the replacement of production – buildings, raw materials and machinery.

 

Agriculture:

. Special subsidy to compensate for agricultural losses up to 6 thousand euros

. Support for agricultural production capacity for the replacement or repair of animals, agricultural machinery and equipment and agricultural warehouses.

 

Forests:

. Support for forest recovery – stabilization and recovery of affected areas

. Support for the replacement or repair of machinery, forestry equipment, forestry warehouses and other buildings supporting forestry activities

 

Infrastructure and equipment:

. Support for the repair of public infrastructure

. Support for operational equipment and vehicles – Firefighters

. Removal of debris

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Social networks associated with self-inflicted injuries in children and adolescents

 

The exposure of children and adolescents to social media is significantly associated with an increased risk of self-harm behaviours , with mild to moderate severity, warns a study released this Friday by the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP).

A team of researchers examined dozens of studies carried out in different regions of the world, namely in the United States of America, the United Kingdom and China, and concluded that social networks are associated with self-inflicted injuries, although a cause-and-effect relationship cannot be discussed.

The final study was published in April and, in a statement, FMUP quotes the authors, according to whom “ there has been an increase in cases of children and adolescents who intentionally inflict harm on themselves , for example through cuts, scratches or blows, usually in accessible and easily hidden areas of the body, such as wrists, arms, stomach and legs”. This is considered a public health problem in adolescence.

These self-injurious behaviours are “ a mechanism to relieve negative and difficult-to-deal with emotions (such as anger or anxiety), express distress, punish oneself or, more rarely, punish other people .”

At the same time, researchers warn that the use of social networks, such as TikTok and Instagram, has grown, which has changed the way young people relate to each other and the world around them, from increasingly early ages.

Published in the Journal of Affective Disorders Reports, this work concluded that there is an association between exposure to social networks and self-harm behaviors in children and young people between the ages of 9 and 24 , whether in a psychiatric hospital setting or in the community.

The results point to a possible “social contagion effect” and “imitation” of social networks on the behavior of younger people, with children and young people admitting that they followed online platforms with posts about self-harm before they also did so.

“The possibility of a contagion effect remains an open question, as does the causality of the association between social networks and self-harm behavior ,” the researchers point out, however, for whom “causality cannot be generalized for now.”

The authors suggest that studies be carried out to analyse the experiences and perspectives of children and young people over time, in order to understand, for example, whether self-harm occurs before or after watching or participating in such content on social media.

They also suggest that children and young people’s self-reporting be supplemented with available technology, in order to objectively track the time they spend on social media and study the importance of the number of hours of exposure and the role of gender.

 

This work is signed by Luís Guilherme Spínola and Irene Carvalho, from FMUP, as well as Cláudia Calaboiça, from the Psychology Center of the University of Porto (CPUP).

On Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that problematic use of social media is on the rise among young Europeans, who are also more likely to develop a gambling addiction .

“We need immediate and sustained action to help adolescents stop potentially harmful use of social media, which has been shown to lead to depression, bullying, anxiety and poor academic performance ,” WHO Europe Director Hans Kluge said in a statement.

In 2022, 11% of adolescents (13% of girls and 9% of boys) showed signs of problematic social media use, compared with just 7% four years earlier, according to data obtained from 280,000 young people aged 11, 13 and 15 from 44 countries in Europe, Central Asia and Canada.

The symptoms are similar to those of drug addiction: inability to control excessive use, feelings of giving up and abandoning other activities in favor of social networks, and negative consequences in daily life .