Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 19^th March

Good afternoon everyone. Without any doubt the headline is the considerable amount of rain we have experienced so far this month. To date Castelo Branco and Beja already have around 4.5 times what is the normal average for March, Évora around 4 times and Faro, Santarém and Setúbal close to 3 times. If the forecast volume associated with Martinho is correct it will reach 4 to 6 times the normal average in most of these districts by Monday. This has resulted in the discharge of water from a number of dams including the Algarve, the first time for a number of years. On Tuesday March 18 morning, a safety water release began at the Odeleite reservoir, which was then at 98% of its total volume.

Civil Protection warns of the possibility of flooding and landslides due to the heavy rain expected until Thursday morning. This is one of the effects of the Martinho depression, which is currently west of the Iberian Peninsula. The deputy commander of Civil Protection operations, Alexandre Penha, is asking the population to avoid unnecessary travel. Civil Protection is also asking the population to be cautious on the roads and to avoid coastal areas and riverside areas. SMS warnings were sent by the ANEPC yesterday. It is therefore important to follow the ANEPC advice and the IPMA.

Madeira has also been affected by Martinho and the maritime authority recommends that “the entire maritime community and the general population take the following precautions, both when preparing to go to sea and when at sea or in coastal areas, namely: Reinforce mooring and maintain close surveillance of moored and anchored vessels; avoid walks near the sea or in areas exposed to rough seas, such as the protective breakwaters of ports, cliffs or beaches, to avoid being surprised by a wave and not to  engage in recreational fishing, especially near cliffs and cliff areas frequently hit by breaking waves, always bearing in mind that in these conditions the sea can easily reach apparently safe areas.

If you are visiting Lisbon be aware that pickpockets do operation in a number of tourist areas, despite the enforcement action taken by the police (PSP). The number of pickpockets attested continues to increase in Lisbon. Last year, 141 people were arrested. The PSP recommends preventive measures such as: carrying your wallet, money and cards in the inside pockets of your clothes and never putting anything in your outside pockets. You should also avoid carrying large amounts of money or valuable objects. Backpacks etc., should always be closed and carried on the front of the body. The Public Security Police also appeals to all people to report crimes of which they are aware, whether as victims or witnesses. They emphasize that the quicker the report is made, the faster the investigations will be carried out to identify the suspects.

Turning to road accidents a recent survey conducted in Portugal found that almost 30% of drivers surveyed in the study indicated that the cause of their last accident was fatigue 20.2% and falling asleep at the wheel 9.5%. According to the survey, professional drivers, shift workers and young people are particularly vulnerable to fatigue while driving, due to irregular working hours and lifestyles that increase the risk of drowsiness at the wheel. According to the GNR drivers are aware of the measures they should take in the event of fatigue. However, as the study shows, this is not the reality and they opt for measures that are not as effective and end up putting their driving at risk, such as (…) talking on the mobile phone. Instead of finding a solution, they are creating yet another problem”. If you are driving and feeling drowsy, the advice is to pull over.

Our team at safe communities wish you all a safe week ahead – with a final reminder to follow the preventive advice being issued by the ANEPC and weather warnings by the IPMA in respect of Depression Martinho.

News:

Spain reduces alcohol limit for driving: experts say Portugal should follow suit

The Portuguese Society of Alcoholism praises the Spanish initiative to reduce the alcohol limit for driving from 0.5 to 0.2 grams per litre of blood.

The Portuguese Society of Alcoholism welcomed this Wednesday the start of the legislative process in Spain to limit alcohol consumption while driving to 0.2 grams per litre of blood, arguing that Portugal should follow this example to combat road accidents.

The Spanish parliament approved on Tuesday, in a first vote (not yet final), a proposal to reduce the maximum amount of alcohol currently permitted in drivers’ blood from 0.5 grams of alcohol per litre of blood to 0.2 grams.

According to the proposal, this tax will be applied to all drivers in Spain, regardless of their profession or the age of their driving license.

In the preamble of the PSOE proposal, it is stated that alcohol or drugs “are the main causes of road accidents worldwide” and that in countries such as Sweden and Norway, “world leaders in road safety”, the rate is already 0.2 grams per litre of blood, which is also recommended by international organisations, which understand that “this limit is equivalent to zero tolerance”.

Speaking to Lusa, the president of the Portuguese Society of Alcoholism (SPA), Joana Teixeira, considered the initiative “to be praised” and a “very important measure” in the fight against road accidents associated with alcohol consumption.

The expert argued that Portugal should adopt a similar policy, warning that “it is completely different” to have a blood alcohol level of 0.2 or 0.5 grams (g/l) in terms of the effects it has on the driver’s perception.

“Rates of 0.2 grams are normally associated with a slight feeling of euphoria, a slight reduction in inhibitions and a slight decrease in motor coordination, but when we talk about rates of 0.5, we already have a more pronounced euphoria”, he explained, considering that “there is a lack of awareness in this problem”.

Climate change signals hit record highs in 2024 and consequences “will be irreversible”

ONI report reveals that 2024 was the hottest year in the last 175 years, while the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere also reached unprecedented levels.

The main signs of climate change broke records last year, an international team of scientists from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirmed on Wednesday, warning that some of its consequences “will be irreversible for hundreds, if not thousands of years”.

“The clear signs of human-induced climate change reached new levels in 2024, and some of its consequences will be irreversible for hundreds, if not thousands of years,” reads a report published this Wednesday by the United Nations (UN) science agency.

Scientists put the long-term increase in global average temperature at between 1.34 and 1.41 degrees Celsius, compared to the reference period (1850-1900).

According to WMO experts, every additional fraction of a degree (in the global average temperature) increases the costs and risks for humanity.

2024 was the hottest year in the last 175 years

The report confirms that 2024 was the first year in which the global average temperature exceeded pre-industrial levels by 1.55°C, making it the hottest year on record in the past 175 years.

Furthermore, this estimate implies that the 1.5°C limit established by the international community as the maximum tolerable level of global warming has been exceeded and, beyond this limit, the consequences for humanity will be very serious and irreversible.

WMO scientists stressed that, despite everything, temperatures are “only a small part” of a much more complex situation, in which, for example, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has also reached levels unprecedented in the last 800,000 years.

The situation at the poles is also moving in a very worrying direction: the 18 lowest levels of sea ice in the Arctic have been recorded in the last 18 years, while the three lowest extents of sea ice in the Antarctic have occurred in the last three years.

Furthermore, glacier mass loss in the three-year period 2022-2024 was the largest in history.

The sea is getting warmer and warmer

Sea level rise — where 90% of the energy captured by greenhouse gases in the Earth system is stored — has also accelerated, increasing twice as fast as since satellite measurements began.

According to the report, ocean heat content in 2024 reached its highest level in the 65 years of observational records, and each of the last eight years has set a new record.

Thus, the rate of ocean warming over the last two decades (2005-2024) is more than double that recorded in the period 1960-2005.

In terms of temperatures, the last ten years have been the hottest on record, and each of the last eight years has set a new record for ocean warming.

Record temperatures in 2024 have been attributed to continued increases in greenhouse gas emissions – which cause global warming – and the transition from La Niña to El Niño, while factors such as changes in the solar cycle may also have contributed.

 

Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 12^th March 2025

Good morning. We start with the collision between a Portuguese-flagged cargo ship and an oil tanker in the North Sea which occurred on Monday. One day after the collision, fires on both ships remain active.

Investigations into the cause of the collision are underway after a White House official refused to rule out foul play amid questions about why the Solong cargo ship appeared not to slow down or change course before hitting the Stena Immaculate oil tanker, which was carrying cargo in the form of 220,000 barrels of jet fuel for the US military. There are reports that there was dense fog in the area early that morning, but even so the vessel’s radar would have shown the presence of the oil tanker. The cargo vessel is reported to have been travelling at 16 knots (30 km/h) just before colliding with the Stena Immaculate oil tanker which was stationary.

Although investigations continue, a 59-year-old man has been arrested after an oil tanker and a cargo ship collided in the North Sea on Monday, police have said. Humberside Police said the man had been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in connection with the collision following searches for a missing crew member of the Solong.

Environmental experts said the jet fuel leaking from the 183-metre-long tanker was toxic to humans and animals. Simon Boxall, an oceanography scholar at the University of Southampton, said Jet A-1 fuel had “far greater toxicity” than crude oil and that “the impact on ocean life would be devastating”. The British government has not confirmed reports that the Solong was carrying sodium cyanide, a highly toxic chemical, when it hit the tanker although this has been denied by the owners. We await with interest the impact of the leakage on marine life and the results of the investigation into the cause of the accident.

Yesterday marked the 14^th anniversary of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami that left more than 22,000 people dead or missing, with over 27,000 people still displaced today. In a memorial ceremony held in the city of Fukushima, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said he will pass down the lessons of the disaster to future generations and make Japan, one of the most disaster-prone countries globally, “the world’s foremost disaster prevention country.”

On March 11, 2011, a record 9.0-magnitude quake struck off the coast of Japan’s Tohoku region, triggering a tsunami with waves that reached a maximum height of 40.5 meters. Over 90% of the 15,900 deaths caused by the disaster were from drowning, and 2,520 people are still unaccounted for, according to the National Police Agency.

The tsunami caused the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, primarily the meltdowns of three of its reactors, the discharge of radioactive water in Fukushima and the associated evacuation zones affecting hundreds of thousands of residents. Many electrical generators ran out of fuel. The loss of electrical power halted cooling systems, causing heat to build up. The heat build-up caused the generation of hydrogen gas. Without ventilation, gas accumulated within the upper refuelling hall and eventually exploded causing the refuelling hall’s blast panels to be forcefully ejected from the structure. Residents within a 20 km radius of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and a 10 km radius of the Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power Plant were evacuated.

Also on 11^th March a moderate 5.3 Magnitude earthquake occurred 25 km south-southeast of Faial da Terra, in the Azores in the North Atlantic Ocean and was recorded at the stations of the Azores Archipelago Seismic Network. There were at least aftershocks ranged from 2.1 to magnitude 3.4 (Richter) and this later, according to the information available to date, did not cause any personal or material damage.

CIVISA researcher Rita Carmo told Lusa that events of this magnitude are common in the Azores archipelago. “Let’s say it’s common, but not as frequent as micro-earthquakes. The Azores region is a seismically active region, it’s normal for earthquakes to occur, in fact, we even have many micro-earthquakes frequently, but the truth is that these destructive earthquakes are also part of the history of the Azores. And since the settlement of the Azores, in the mid-15th century, there have been several earthquakes with sufficient magnitude to cause damage,” he explained. The inhabitants of the two islands, he recalled, “must be well aware of the self-protection measures and all the directions issued by the Regional Civil Protection and Fire Service of the Azores (SRPCBA)”.

These act as reminders that we should be prepared for earthquakes especially those of us living in areas such as Lisbon and the Algarve which are of higher risk. How to prepare for earthquakes and action to take during and after can be found here. https://www.safecommunitiesportugal.com/find-information/environment-and-weather/earthquake-tsunami/

Our team wishes everyone a safe and happy week ahead

News

IPMA Tsunami Forecasting Meeting – attended by international experts

At the beginning of March 2025, a meeting dedicated to discussing the problem of the tsunami forecasting took place at the IPMA.

This meeting is part of the activities of the Intergovernmental Coordination Group (ICG) of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) for the Northeast Atlantic, Mediterranean and the Connected Seas Tsunami Early Warning System (NEAMTWS).

The meeting was attended face-to-face by 15 experts in these fields, most of them belonging to the Tsunami Early Warning Centers (TSP – Tsunami Service Providers) from France, Italy, Greece and Portugal, with the online participation of several other experts from Spain, Turkey and Romania.

In particular, a new methodology of probable forecasting and its possible operationalization was discussed, having been agreed to carry out a testing phase to assess its operational potential, and the IPMA should develop work in this regard for the Northeast Atlantic area.

Recall that IPMA, under ICG/NEAMTWS, is one of the Tsunami Service Provider for the Northeast Atlantic, having been accredited in 2019 by the IOC.

Criteria for issuing weather warnings are not the same

The IPMA issues weather warnings for situations of strong winds, heavy precipitation, snowfall, thunderstorms, cold, heat, persistent fog and rough seas.

Some apparently contradictory information about meteorological records and their association with the degree of intensity, i.e., the level of meteorological warning, has raised doubts and even objections. In question, meteorological values ​​that, being higher in relation to others of the same climatic element (for example, wind), represent a lower risk (lower risk meteorological warning).

This is the case of the most significant wind values ​​recorded in the last week in the Madeira archipelago, which DIÁRIO reports in its edition this Tuesday, March 11. The news that the wind blew ‘yellow’ in Areeiro, due to the fact that a gust of 105 km/h was recorded, while in São Jorge a gust of 104 km/h justified an orange warning, gave rise to different interpretations.

Source DN Noticais 

X Outage on Monday affects many thousands of users including those in Portugal

Hours after a series of outages Monday that left X unavailable to thousands of users, Elon Musk claimed that the social media platform was being targeted in a “massive cyberattack.”

“We get attacked every day, but this was done with a lot of resources,” Musk claimed in a post. “Either a large, coordinated group and/or a country is involved. Tracing …”

Later on Monday, Musk said on Fox Business Network’s Kudlow that the attackers had “IP addresses originating in the Ukraine area” without going into detail on what this might mean.

Cybersecurity experts quickly pointed out, however, that this doesn’t necessarily mean that an attack originated in Ukraine. Security researcher Kevin Beaumont said on Bluesky that Musk’s claim is “missing a key fact — it was actually IPs from worldwide, not just Ukraine.”

Specifically, he said it was a Mirai variant botnet, which is made of compromised cameras. He said while he is not sure who is behind the attack, it “Smells of APTs — advanced persistent teenagers.”

Allan Liska of the cybersecurity firm Recorded Future, meanwhile, pointed out that even if “every IP address that hit Twitter today originated from Ukraine (doubtful), they were most likely compromised machines controlled by a botnet run by a third party that could be located anywhere in the world.”

Complaints about outages spiked Monday at 6 a.m. Eastern and again at 10 a.m, with more than 40,000 users reporting no access to the platform, according to the tracking website Downdetector.com. Around 4000 were users in Portugal. By afternoon, the reports had dropped to the low thousands.

A sustained outage that lasted at least an hour began at noon, with the heaviest disruptions occurring along the U.S. coasts.

Downdetector.com said that 56% of problems were reported for the X app, while 33% were reported for the website.

It’s not possible to definitively verify Musk’s claims without seeing technical data from X, and the likelihood of them releasing that is “pretty low,” said Nicholas Reese, an adjunct instructor at the Centre for Global Affairs in New York University’s School of Professional Studies and expert in cyber operations.

Bowel cancer is increasingly affecting young people

Patient association Europacolon is concerned about the increase in bowel cancers and low uptake of screening. The most recent national figures point to almost 7,500 diagnoses per year and 3,500 deaths. Experts also draw attention to the growing number of these tumours in younger people, especially men.

One of the main risk factors for bowel cancer continues to be age and the proof is that the overwhelming majority of diagnoses occur after the age of 50. However, in the medical community, there is notable concern when looking at younger people and observing an increase in cases in 20 years.

A sedentary lifestyle, a diet rich in processed foods, tobacco and alcohol help explain the widespread increase in the disease. In younger people, with the exception of cases of genetic origin, there are still no answers.

“We can admit that there are indeed changes in habits and exposure of intestinal cells that could lead to the development of these neoplasms at earlier ages,” says Flávio Videira, digestive clinical coordinator at IPO Porto.

“The studies that are being carried out do not yet have definitive data, but they indicate that the main cause is, in fact, the way we face life and the environments in which we move”, explains Vítor Neves, president of Europacolon.

The patient association Europacolon appeals to younger people not to underestimate symptoms and to doctors not to ignore statistics.

During the month of the fight against bowel cancer, Europacolon wants to raise awareness of the importance of screening – the search for hidden blood in feces – and criticizes the government.

National data for 2021 indicate an increase of almost 800 diagnoses compared to the previous year. More than 3,500 people died from the disease. Data from 2022, but from the World Health Organization, show an even more worrying scenario. 10,500 diagnoses and 4,800 deaths.

European centre warns that measles virus is circulating in several countries

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) warned today of a “considerable increase” in measles cases in the last year, indicating that transmission of the virus is circulating in several European countries.

Data from the monthly update on this contagious disease point to “continued transmission of measles in several EU/EEA [European Union and European Economic Area] countries, with a sharp increase in reported cases during 2024,” the ECDC said in a statement.

According to the data now released, between 1 February 2024 and 31 January 2025, a total of 32,265 people were diagnosed with measles, with Romania (27,568), Italy (1,097), Germany (637), Belgium (551) and Austria (542) presenting the highest number of cases across the EU/EEA.

During this period, Romania recorded 18 deaths attributed to measles and Ireland one death, the European Union agency added, warning that the continued transmission of the virus is due to “gaps in vaccination coverage against this preventable disease”.

According to the ECDC, which expects cases to rise next spring, eight out of 10 people diagnosed with measles in the EU/EEA in 2024 were unvaccinated.

Preventing measles outbreaks and protecting vulnerable populations requires that at least 95% of the eligible population receives two doses of the vaccine, the statement stressed, adding that vaccination levels in the EU/EEA still fall short of this target.

Provisional data from 2023 indicate that only four countries – Portugal, Hungary, Malta and Slovakia – have reached the coverage target for both doses of the vaccine.

Measles is an infection caused by a virus, characterized by fever, cough, conjunctivitis, runny nose and red spots on the skin.

 

Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 5^th March 2025

Good afternoon. Firstly we hope that you had an enjoyable time at one of the many carnival held throughout the country and managed to avoid the many heavy showers that were around. The one we visited on Tuesday in Alte was very well attended indeed and we were very lucky with the weather. Congratulations to the organisers.

Some time ago we shared this info from the Order of Veterinary Doctors (OMV), concerning a scam involving the disappearance of pet animals, but yesterday we received similar information concerning this scam which appears to be still in operation.

“Owners of a missing animal, who had publicized the disappearance on social media, have received a telephone call from someone who, calling himself a veterinarian, states that the animal had been found and that it needed urgent medical care. To provide clinical assistance, it requests holders to immediately pay a certain amount.”

However it is likely a scam and the victim, will be left without money and without animals, warns the Order of Veterinary Doctors. Firstly do not pay. Instead ask the callers identity: including full name, the “número de cédula professional” (the professional card number of the veterinarian) and name of the clinic.

Then check on the OMV website under “Pesquisa Membros – OMV – Ordem dos Médicos Veterinários” that the person is a registered veterinarian and contact the clinic (making sure the telephone number matches that of mentioned clinic) to confirm the information transmitted in the telephone call. If possible, go to the veterinary clinic in person to check if it is your animal and its health status. If you have lost money to such a scam report this to police.

In report released today the UN International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) Annual Report, stated that Europe faces a growing threat from the expansion of synthetic drugs. It explained that the increased production and distribution of these substances poses a significant challenge for authorities, who are struggling to contain their spread and minimise the impacts on public health.

The reported that in Portugal, the use of synthetic drugs has been growing, especially among young people. Although the country is recognized for its innovative approach to decriminalizing drug use, new substances pose an additional challenge. The Intervention Service for Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies (SICAD) warns of the increasing presence of synthetic cannabinoids and stimulants in recreational settings. The authorities reinforce the importance of preventive campaigns and adapting public policies to effectively respond to this phenomenon. Parents should be aware of this and explain the risks to their children.

I have written a two part feature for the Portugal Resident on protecting your home against rural fires. The first part was how to protect the building itself especially roof’s, doors and windows which are the main ways flames can enter a building. However, the main objective is to reduce the risk of a fire reaching the property in the first place, by reducing the amount of surrounding flammable vegetation through fuel management (land cleaning). This is the subject of part two which will appear in the Resident tomorrow (5^th March)

Fuel management is the reduction of vegetable and woody materials to make it difficult for fire to spread vertically (from the herbaceous layer to the shrub layer and, in turn, to the crown) and horizontally (throughout the various layers). In short, it means cutting weeds, shrubs and trees in some areas. When a fire reaches the areas where fuel management has been performed, it decreases in intensity. Homes and villages will be safer. Firefighters can intervene more effectively and safely in areas where fuel management has been performed.

With increasing episodes of extreme weather, it is essential that we understand the risks to our homes in the event of rural fires. We do not know precisely when or where fires will occur but those living in rural areas, particularly high risk areas, should be prepared. The deadline for cleaning your land if you live in a rural area is 30^th April. Please refer to our website for details.

Our team at Safe Communities wish you a safe and happy week ahead.

News

Half of the world’s CO2 emissions come from just 36 companies, study finds

Half of the carbon emissions that cause global warming come from fossil fuels produced by just 36 companies, a new study has found, cited by the British newspaper ‘The Guardian’: according to the researchers, the data – which relates to 2023 – strengthens the case for holding fossil fuel companies accountable for their contribution to global warming.

According to the report, the 36 major fossil fuel companies, including Saudi Aramco, Coal India, ExxonMobil, Shell and several Chinese companies produced coal, oil and gas responsible for more than 20 billion tonnes of C02 into the atmosphere in the year in question.

If Saudi Aramco were a country, it would be the world’s fourth-largest polluter, after China, the US and India, while ExxonMobil is responsible for roughly the same emissions as Germany, the world’s ninth-largest polluter, according to the data.

Global emissions must fall by 45% by 2030 if the world is to have a good chance of limiting temperature rise to the internationally agreed 1.5°C target. However, according to the International Energy Agency, new fossil fuel projects starting after 2021 are incompatible with achieving net-zero emissions by 2050: most of the 169 companies in the Carbon Majors database increased their emissions in 2023.

“These companies are keeping the world addicted to fossil fuels with no plans to slow production,” said Christiana Figueres, the UN climate chief. “The science is clear: we cannot move backwards to more fossil fuels and more extraction. Instead, we must move forward to the many possibilities of a decarbonized economic system that works for people and the planet.”

US Defence Chief Pete Hegseth pauses cyber offensive against Russia: Reports

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered a pause on all of the country’s cyber operations against Russia, including offensive actions, multiple US media reports said on Sunday.

The order was part of an overall re-evaluation of US operations against Moscow, according to the New York Times, with the duration or extent of the pause unclear.

The Pentagon declined to comment when queried by AFP.

“Due to operational security concerns, we do not comment nor discuss cyber intelligence, plans, or operations,” a senior defence official said.

“There is no greater priority to Secretary Hegseth than the safety of the Warfighter in all operations, to include the cyber domain.”

The reported change comes as US President Donald Trump has been pushing for negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, and days after the US leader berated his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a stormy White House meeting.

Western countries have accused the Kremlin of masterminding a string of incidents aimed at trying to undermine support for Ukraine as it battles Russia’s invasion.

Trump, meanwhile, has cast himself as a mediator between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy, sidelining Kyiv and Europe while pursuing rapprochement with Putin.

“We should spend less time worrying about Putin,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform late Sunday.

US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, speaking Sunday to broadcaster CNN about reopening links to Russia, denied reports of the cyber policy change.

“That has not been part of our discussions,” Waltz said. “There will be all kinds of carrots and sticks to get this war to an end.”

 

Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 26^th February

Good morning everyone. We start the day with some good news that the Algarve’s reservoirs are at 54% of their total water storage capacity after the recent rains, 20% more than a year ago. However the recovery is asymmetrical, with those in the west region still at low levels, according to the APA. While the reservoirs in the eastern Algarve have greatly increased their storage and are at a capacity above 70%, those in the western Algarve continue to have difficulty filling, probably due to less abundant rainfall.

On the east side, the Odeleite reservoir is now at 79% of its capacity and the Beliche reservoir at 72% together with a total of 137.65hm3 of water stored. In the west the percentages are Odelouca registering 43% of its capacity, Arade 18%, Bravura 17% and Funcho 50% totalling 101.89hm3 of water stored in the west.

On Monday there was a traffic accident involving several vehicles on the A22 east bound between Loule service station and the exit to Quarteira resulting in a tail back of over 4 kms. Both lanes were cut in the Loulé/Faro direction with reports of people waiting 30 minutes without traffic movement. Regretfully, however, some irresponsible drivers were seen reversing their vehicles BETWEEN LANES against direction of traffic towards the Boliqueime exit, a dangerous manoeuvre provoking arguments between drivers. Such actions could have resulted in further accidents, with a risk to other drivers who were waiting in the queue. Enough said!

We often come across various scams the latest being emails claiming to come from ANSR. These emails notify recipients of the existence of fines and include a link for the supposed payment. These are “Phishing” emails, that is, attempts to obtain personal information by scammers using the name of an official entity. We emphasize “Not to click on the links contained in these emails or make any payment. If you do and have lost money as a result report to police. Please remember that notifications from ANSR are always sent by Post.

March 1st is International Civil Protection Day, established worldwide by the International Civil Protection Organization (ICOP) and nationally by Order of the Minister of Internal Affairs. In Portugal and around the world, the celebration of this date aims to raise awareness of the importance of civil protection in safeguarding life, property, cultural and environmental heritage in the face of serious accidents and catastrophes; to pay tribute to all civil protection agents and to promote reflection and dialogue around the risks to which populations and territories are subject, and the role that each of us, citizens, plays in the collective effort to create resilient communities.

And if Civil Protection has always been an essential partner for people as a way of staying safe or recovering their safety, never before has it become so essential as it is today, as it assumes the preponderance of a crucial element for the safety of communities. Understanding its importance involves recognizing the need to adopt and promote a culture of safety and understanding which risk factors can affect us.

In this approach of viewing Civil Protection as a system that involves everyone, it is essential that each person understands their importance for collective well-being. And to do this, we must all work on processes that aim to raise awareness among people about appropriate behaviours and attitudes in situations of collective risk, serious accidents and catastrophes. This includes educating the population on how to protect themselves and act safely in the event of an emergency. This is part of the remit of Safe Communities in terms of creating risk awareness and preparedness.

Lastly GNR Operation Carnival 2025 has begun! The festivities associated with Carnival celebrations, is a time of leisure and fun, but cause a significant increase in road traffic, resulting from those travelling to and returning from Carnival locations. In this context, the GNR will carry out, until March 5, 2025, an intensive operation which includes: the festival venues, commercial establishments where fireworks are sold and on the access roads to the main areas where festivities associated with Carnival take place, providing to all citizens that the festivities and travel take place safely, throughout the continental territory. Ewe advise if you are attend to arrive early to allow adequate time for parking as the demand will be heavy on those days.

We hope you have a great week ahead and enjoy the carnivals.

News

Meta exposes users to “giant wave” of misinformation. End of fact check could lead to an era of hate

The new moderation policy of Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, risks increasing “misinformation and dangerous content” on these two networks, an NGO that combats online misinformation warned today.

According to a study by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), Meta’s announced abandonment of its fact-checking program and hate speech detection systems could result in the cessation of 97% of its current moderation work and, therefore, a “tidal wave” of harmful content for Internet users.

The NGO made this estimate by analysing the main changes announced by Meta on January 7, including the replacement of fact-checking with community notes, or the abandonment of its rules on “immigration, gender identity and gender”.

“Meta must explain to its users why it is abandoning an approach that it presented as effective against disinformation and polarization” of opinion, the CCDH points out in its report.

On January 7, on the eve of Donald Trump’s inauguration, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that he would “get rid of fact-checkers and replace them with community ratings,” believing that the election marked a “cultural turning point” that “prioritizes free speech.”

The Californian group added that it intends to “simplify” its rules and “abolish a certain number of limits on issues such as immigration and gender, which are no longer in the dominant discourse”.

This turnaround was recently followed by the announcement of a change in policy at Elon Musk’s social network X.

Donald Trump’s close adviser promised on Thursday to “fix” a feature of X allowing users to deny or qualify potentially false posts, accusing “governments and traditional media” of having seized on them, amid dissent over Ukraine.

Backsliding on fact-checking and content moderation on social media paves the way for more hate, UN chief António Guterres warned on Monday.

The UN Secretary-General said that in this context, people are increasingly afraid to participate in social media, which in turn leads to a reduction in freedom of expression.

“As new technologies permeate every aspect of our lives, I am deeply concerned that human rights are being undermined,” he told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Guterres said that at best, social media is a place for people to exchange ideas in a respectful environment, but at worst it can be a place for arguments and “blatant ignorance.”

“A place where the poisons of misinformation, racism, misogyny and hate speech are not only tolerated, but often encouraged,” he said.

Graça Freitas’ warning: the next pandemic “will be much more complex, much faster, and much noisier”

Former Director-General of Health Graça Freitas predicts that the next pandemic will be “much more complex”, fast, noisy and with a significant increase in “social fractures” on issues such as confinement and vaccination.

With experience in public health emergencies since 1997, Graça Freitas spoke, in an interview with the Lusa news agency, about the challenges of a “next major epidemic or pandemic” in a more complex world, with many more sources of true, but also false, information.

Five years after the first cases of Covid-19 appeared in Portugal, on March 2, 2020, the public health specialist believes that a lot has been learned during this period and that the health system and authorities are better prepared to face a new pandemic, but warned that “the next one will be at another level”.

“I don’t think it will be perfect [the fight]. It’s impossible, especially because the world is much more complex and there are many more sources of true and false information,” he said, recalling that when he began working on epidemics and pandemics, such as the swine flu in 2009, “the world was much less complex.”

There were sources of scientific information, experts advised politicians and traditional media outlets dominated.

“It was a world with fewer connections, interactions, less fast and more secure”, while in the current scenario, “things are increasingly faster and more complex”, she commented.

Therefore, she warned: “The next major epidemic or pandemic — which we will certainly have — will be much more complex, much faster, much noisier and with many more social fractures.”

According to the expert, there will be “more social friction and divergent opinions between movements in society” in relation to lockdowns, vaccines and medicines.

“I don’t know if we’ll ever have such an orderly lockdown again as we had”

“Unless the next pandemic is so serious, so serious, so serious that it brings us all together again,” he stressed, considering that the population’s adherence to the authorities’ guidelines during the Covid-19 pandemic “was absolutely exemplary,” which is unlikely to happen in such an orderly manner in the next pandemic.

“I don’t know if we will ever have such an orderly lockdown again as we had in Portugal and in the vast majority of countries in the world,” said Graça Freitas, one of the faces of the fight against Covid-19 in Portugal.

Graça Freitas argued that the population’s adherence to the authorities’ guidelines was “an absolutely unique act of civic spirit and social participation”, also praising the role of those who remained working to ensure that essential goods, such as water, electricity, gas and food, were not lacking for those who were confined at home.

Asked whether she ever thought she would go down in history as one of the faces of the fight against the pandemic, she said no: “And even if I thought there could be an epidemic (…), I never, ever thought that I could be identified as a face of the pandemic”.

During the pandemic, Graça Freitas faced several challenges, such as threats, criticism, and breast cancer, but giving up “was never an option”.

She said that sometimes, minutes before falling asleep, she would think: “I can’t take this anymore, I’ll leave tomorrow (..) I’m so tired, this is so difficult”. However, “it was an instant discouragement, the next day it was no longer there”.