Author Topic: News and current affairs from the Portuguese Algarve.  (Read 218601 times)

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Offline Admin

News and current affairs from the Portuguese Algarve.
« on: May 08, 2015, 12:24:02 PM »
Please feel free to post any general interest news items on this thread which originate from the Portuguese Algarve. 

Please do not post any news reports here which relate to Madeleine McCann or the search for her.





Article dated 8 May 2015

Human bones found on rocks in Sagres, Western Algarve.



PJ criminal police are investigating the discovery of human bones found on rocks at the base of a cliff near Praia do Beliche in Sagres on Wednesday morning (May 6).

The bones were discovered at around 11.30am by a shellfisherman. They are believed to be those of an adult man.

Lagos port’s captain Carvalho e Pinto reports that the bones were found in an area with little access. They have now been taken to Portimão’s office of legal medicine, where they will be studied to see if identity can be established.

“This coast is very dangerous,” one of the firemen who recovered the bones told reporters. “Falls here tend to be fatal.”

It is not the first time human bones have been found on cliffs near Praia do Beliche.

In 2011, the bones of an 18-month-old child were found in the same area. The child disappeared after her mother, Angolan Georgina Zito, was allegedly drowned by her German lover, Gunnar Dorries, at Canavial beach in Lagos on July 10 (see story http://portugalresident.com/human-bones-belong-to-missing-child)


http://portugalresident.com/human-bones-found-on-rocks-in-sagres

177
« Last Edit: April 27, 2017, 08:11:47 PM by John »

Offline Carana

Re: News and current affairs from the Portuguese Algarve.
« Reply #1 on: May 08, 2015, 12:53:27 PM »
Whoever it is, at least some family may get closure over a loved one's disappearance, even though it won't be the outcome they hoped for.

Offline Montclair

Re: News and current affairs from the Portuguese Algarve.
« Reply #2 on: May 08, 2015, 01:17:03 PM »
A young man from the town where I live disappeared when he went fishing on the cliffs and his body was never found. It could be his body.

Offline John

Re: News and current affairs from the Portuguese Algarve.
« Reply #3 on: May 09, 2015, 10:27:18 AM »
A young man from the town where I live disappeared when he went fishing on the cliffs and his body was never found. It could be his body.

I suppose with such a rugged Atlantic coastline this sort of thing happens quite often with all sorts of drift being washed up on the shores?
« Last Edit: May 09, 2015, 01:26:39 PM by John »
A malicious prosecution for a crime which never existed. An exposé of egregious malfeasance by public officials.
Indeed, the truth never changes with the passage of time.

Offline ShiningInLuz

Re: News and current affairs from the Portuguese Algarve.
« Reply #4 on: May 09, 2015, 10:45:41 AM »
I am aware of 2 other adult males who have disappeared in this end of the Algarve in the last few years - Scots chef working in Lagos late last year - and a Portuguese male about 3 years ago with personal belongings found in Boa Vista about 3 years ago.

I am not keeping track, so  am sure there are others.

I'll wait and see if there are developments on this one.
What's up, old man?

OxfordBloo

  • Guest
Re: News and current affairs from the Portuguese Algarve.
« Reply #5 on: May 09, 2015, 10:56:47 AM »
This is a very good example of the difference between an open minded approach to events and a close minded approach.

This article demonstrates that in this area it is possible for a body to be left for years before its remains are discovered.

« Last Edit: May 09, 2015, 01:17:20 PM by John »

Offline John

Re: News and current affairs from the Portuguese Algarve.
« Reply #6 on: May 09, 2015, 01:23:52 PM »
The Portuguese coast and countryside afford many opportunities to someone who might want to hide a body.  The countryside in particular is pockmarked with wells and rock crevasses which can swallow up remains to the extent that they might never be found but will decay completely with the passage of time.
« Last Edit: August 02, 2015, 07:57:17 PM by John »
A malicious prosecution for a crime which never existed. An exposé of egregious malfeasance by public officials.
Indeed, the truth never changes with the passage of time.

Offline Admin

Re: News and current affairs from the Portuguese Algarve.
« Reply #7 on: May 21, 2015, 10:30:23 AM »
Off-duty police officer catches beach thieves

IN NEWS · 20-05-2015

An off-duty PSP officer caught and arrested two young thieves on Torre beach on Oeiras on Monday after spotting a trio of them trying to stealing a mobile phone from a woman. After approaching the gang he was kicked and punched and the thieves ran off towards Carcavelos beach.



The off-duty special agent managed to call for help and the three youths, one of them a fifteen-year-old, were later intercepted.

The minor was handed over to his parents, and the other two, aged 19 and 21, had their mobiles phones and a quantity of drugs seized from them.

http://www.theportugalnews.com/news/off-duty-police-officer-catches-beach-thieves/34835

Offline Admin

Re: News and current affairs from the Portuguese Algarve.
« Reply #8 on: May 21, 2015, 10:39:41 AM »
Outrage in Portugal over police beating of man in front of his children




20 May 2015

Video footage of Jose Magalhaes being struck by police at Benfica football match has put family at centre of national scandal over alleged police brutality.

Video footage of a Portuguese policeman beating a middle-aged football fan in front of his two young sons has caused a national scandal in the country.



Jose Magalhaes took his sons and his 66-year-old father to watch their team, Benfica, play an away fixture against Vitória de Guimarães. The 0-0 draw meant Benfica won the league title.

The video, which also shows the police officer punching Magalhaes’s father, has sparked outrage in Portugal and led to an official investigation by authorities of alleged police abuse of power.

Magalhaes, 42, told AP on Tuesday that police had allowed him and his sons to leave the stadium before others because his children, aged nine and 13, were being crushed as Benfica fans inside celebrated.

“It was supposed to be a day of celebration,” Magalhaes told AP in his hometown of Matosinhos.

The police force’s national headquarters said it has opened an investigation into the incident. The government department that oversees the police is also analysing police conduct.

The dramatic footage, played widely on Portuguese TV and social media, shows the Magalhaes family by a low wall outside the stadium, where the youngest child sat down and drank a bottle of water.

There were few other people in the vicinity because police were holding rival fans inside the stadium in northern Portugal, to avoid clashes in surrounding streets.

An officer questioned Magalhaes, then punched his father before using a truncheon to beat Magalhaes on the ground while his nine-year-old screamed: “Dad! Dad!”

“The policeman came over ... and asked us why we had brought children to a stadium if we knew there might be trouble,” Magalhaes said.

“I told him, gesticulating, that he should be more concerned about the problems inside the stadium.

“The next thing I know he’s on top of me.”

Another policeman in riot gear with a shield kept the 9-year-old child away and tried to pick him up as he cried.

Magalhaes said his first worry was his youngest son.

“The kid didn’t understand what was going on. I wanted to get over to him and comfort him ... and calm him down,” he said. Instead, Magalhaes was handcuffed and taken away.

Magalhaes said the policeman alleged at an initial court hearing on Monday that Magalhaes spat at him, a claim Magalhaes denied. Magalhaes said the police had previously been kind to him and his family by letting them leave the stadium early.

The incident has brought a flurry of investigations and charges.

Magalhaes’s lawyer, Sonia Carneiro, said police have brought a complaint of threatening behaviour and obstruction against Magalhaes.

After an initial hearing on Monday, the public prosecutor’s office is now investigating whether there is enough evidence to proceed with a formal charge against Magalhaes. There is no deadline for a decision.

Magalhaes said he and his father intend to file a complaint against the police, though he acknowledges that the one officer who hit him does not represent the entire police force.

Meanwhile, he has to explain what happened to his children. He and his wife had taught them that the police are their friends, he said, and they “couldn’t understand why the police acted like they did”.

As he nurses his bruises and stiffness, Magalhaes hopes an invitation from Benfica to watch next weekend’s final game of the season will help banish the bad memory.

“The physical part will heal faster than the psychological part,” he said.


http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/20/outrage-in-portugal-over-police-beating-of-man-in-front-of-his-children
« Last Edit: May 21, 2015, 11:20:49 AM by John »

Offline Brietta

Re: News and current affairs from the Portuguese Algarve.
« Reply #9 on: May 23, 2015, 10:07:49 AM »

'Baton attack' policeman faces 8 years in jail
 Created: 22 May 2015

Filipe Silva, the policeman who violently attacked two men after a football match in Guimarães last Sunday, has put himself at risk of an eight year jail sentence.

Silva has not apologised to José Magalhães (pictured) or his father, both of whom were attacked by the PSP commandante in front of José's 9 and 13 year-old children outside the Guimarães stadium.

A formal complaint against Silva’s violent behaviour was presented in court yesterday with statements from eight eye-witnesses who saw an attack which appeared to lack and credible legal motivation.

Businessman José Magalhães formally has accused the officer of two crimes of bodily harm each carrying a possible prison term of four years.

The complaint refers to an abuse of power, excessive use of force, and of aggression in the case of the 70-year-old father who twice was punched in the face by the angry officer.

Silva claims that Magalhães spat in his face, an allegation denied by Magalhães and the eye-witnesses. Even if this were true, the violence of the resulting attack was far in excess of any legitimate response.

As the attack was filmed and broadcast live, fans who had gathered in Lisbon watched it on the big screen in Marquês de Pombal square and reacted violently, later clashing with police in a night of violence.

Alongside the court action by Magalhães vs Comandante Silva there also is an internal investigation in to the Guimarães incident and into the violent clashes in Lisbon. A report must be produced within 30 days.

Peace-loving Portugal is let down by this sort of incident which not only was broadcast live, but later was seen across the world with the clip available almost instantly on YouTube.

The point of contact for many visitors to Portugal is at roadside police inspections which are intimidating and scary with officers often noted for their fundraising skills rather than communication abilities.

Riot police in full battle dress called to the open market at Barão de São João in the Algarve market hit the headlines as an example of disproportionate police action which left some in tears and many visibly distressed and intimidated.

'Proportinality' is often the complaint from the public which understands the need for a robust police force, but feels there has been an increasing in heavy-handedness, especially where motoring fines are concerned.

Filipe Silva, already known as a ‘handy’ policemen, filmed using a baton to hit a man already down on the ground, claims that Magalhães ‘provoked him’ because he know there was a cameraman nearby. The clip of the incident now has been viewed worldwide.

Knowing there was a film crew nearby was all the more reason for Silva to behave in a dignified manner that would have been a credit to his uniform, rather than making a name for himself for batoning an unarmed man already on the ground and thus gaining unwanted worldwide attention.

Whatever the result of the inquiry and court case, the damage to Portugal’s peace-loving image is done.

 

See also the BBC News report 'They hate black people'

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-32419952?post_id=10153329395644948_10153330000884948#_=_

http://www.algarvedailynews.com/news/5681-baton-attack-policeman-faces-8-years-in-jail
"All I'm going to say is that we've conducted a very serious investigation and there's no indication that Madeleine McCann's parents are connected to her disappearance. On the other hand, we have a lot of evidence pointing out that Christian killed her," Wolter told the "Friday at 9"....

Offline ShiningInLuz

Re: News and current affairs from the Portuguese Algarve.
« Reply #10 on: May 23, 2015, 04:31:39 PM »

...

Riot police in full battle dress called to the open market at Barão de São João in the Algarve market hit the headlines as an example of disproportionate police action which left some in tears and many visibly distressed and intimidated.

...

See also the BBC News report 'They hate black people'

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-32419952?post_id=10153329395644948_10153330000884948#_=_

http://www.algarvedailynews.com/news/5681-baton-attack-policeman-faces-8-years-in-jail

We've got friends who run a bar/restaurant in nearby Barão de São João, and I hadn't heard of this incident .  Must put some feelers out on this one.

As to the black people story, I can only tell you of my personal experiences.

I have never seen any form of discrimination or intolerance, whether by the locals or by the local police, towards black people on the Algarve.  Or, for that matter, to Russians who work here for economic reasons, homosexuals who live and visit here, lesbians who live and visit hear, Chinese and Italians who work here, Germans, Irish or even the Brits.

This doesn't mean it does not happen.  I have not visited Lisbon, let alone the poor parts of Lisbon, so I'm not rubbishing the BBC story.

All I can say is that there are lots of black people here in the Algarve, typically from the former Portuguese colony of Angola, who typically work hard and typically are given respect.   They get employed, they make friends and they do really odd things like socialise with white and non-white people alike.

(So when someone tells you Euclidies had no reason to be in Luz on 3rd May 2007, you might wonder if he was here having a beer with his friends.)

 8((()*/
What's up, old man?

Offline John

Re: News and current affairs from the Portuguese Algarve.
« Reply #11 on: May 28, 2015, 10:35:16 AM »
English girl has hair shaved as revenge

18-year-old English girl found abandoned.



After being found in Alcantarilha the young girl was transported to hospital.



By José Carlos Eusebio, Rui Gomes Pando
28 May 2015

They shaved her hair and made cuts to various parts of her body.  The English girl, about 18, was then abandoned in a quiet area in Alcantarilha, in the municipality of Silves.  The authorities suspect that she was the victim of a crime of passion.

The British girl was in complete panic when she was found late on Thursday night, near Alcantarilha station.  Her hair was cut short and she had wounds inflicted on her chest, face, head and arms.

The crime was committed elsewhere and the young girl then taken to the area and abandoned.  Authorities believe she had been the subject of a violent 'punishment', due to some romantic relationship.  The Morning Post has discovered that suspicion now falls on two other women.

The English girl was assisted on site and then transported to the hospital.  In addition to the physical wounds she has also suffered a great deal of psychological trauma.  The girl came to fear for her life because of the violence to which she was subjected and is still now very frightened.

Due to the severity of the crime, the Judicial Police have taken over the investigation.  Until yesterday, the authorities had still not made any arrests, but investigations are ongoing.

www.cmjornal.xl.pt/nacional/portugal/detalhe/raparam_cabelo_como_vinganca.html
« Last Edit: May 28, 2015, 10:57:40 AM by John »
A malicious prosecution for a crime which never existed. An exposé of egregious malfeasance by public officials.
Indeed, the truth never changes with the passage of time.

Offline John

Re: News and current affairs from the Portuguese Algarve.
« Reply #12 on: May 31, 2015, 12:31:52 PM »
Refúgio invites readers to celebrate ‘British Friendship’



 in News · 28-05-2015

To celebrate World Child Day on 1 June, which falls next Monday, the Refúgio Aboim Ascenção
 children’s home in Faro will be hosting a day of festivities to honour its close connections with the UK, for which it is extending an invitation to all members of the foreign community who would like to visit the institution on that day, meet its residents and learn more about its work.
 


Currently home to 82 babies and young children, the Refúgio Aboim Ascenção is one of Portugal’s leading institutions in terms of child protection and early intervention.
Established in 1985 it is a private, internationally-recognised non-profit Christian Charity organisation dedicated to bettering the lives of abused, abandoned and neglected children under the age of six.
It follows a specialised model of ‘Infant Emergency’ (Emergência Infantil) care, dedicated to infants and young children at risk, which has earned numerous national and international awards including the prestigious Diana Princess of Wales Award in 1998.
In 1992 the Refúgio also became an honorary member of the council of the British NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children), and remains a role model for infant care around the globe.
But that is not where the British connection stops; over the years many members of the foreign community and well-known personalities of the UK, such as the late Sir Bobby Robson, have made major contributions towards the home’s development and raising its profile.
The celebrations to be held next Monday will be a nod to “British friendship.”
“Next Monday, 1 June, we are celebrating as usual World Child Day here at the Refúgio. This time there will be no government representatives, but we have invited the Ambassador of the UK to Portugal and the president of  BP Portugal, among many other ‘familiar friends’, as you all are to us”, Luís Villas Boas, the intuition’s outspoken director told The Portugal News, in a message to its readers.
“We are having a very special day celebrating British friendship and togetherness. We will be inaugurating two new 18-seat vans acquired with funds from the last Sir Bobby Robson golf tournament gala dinner”, he explained, adding: “All readers are invited!”
During the ceremony on Monday, 1 June, which starts at 11am, a protocol of support will also be signed with BP Portugal, which will guarantee diesel supply for the eighth time for all of the institution’s nine vehicles.

For more information, see: www.refugio.pt, or call: 289 822 039.

www.theportugalnews.com/news/refugio-invites-readers-to-celebrate-british-friendship/34908
« Last Edit: May 31, 2015, 12:37:44 PM by John »
A malicious prosecution for a crime which never existed. An exposé of egregious malfeasance by public officials.
Indeed, the truth never changes with the passage of time.

Offline G-Unit

Re: News and current affairs from the Portuguese Algarve.
« Reply #13 on: May 31, 2015, 12:54:22 PM »
How refreshing to see a positive story from Portugal  8((()*/
Read and abide by the forum rules.
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Offline John

Re: News and current affairs from the Portuguese Algarve.
« Reply #14 on: June 01, 2015, 09:26:10 PM »
Portugal: Two toddlers drown in pools



in News · 01-06-2015

Two young children have drowned in swimming pools over the weekend in unrelated incidents.
 


A three-year-old Portuguese boy drowned on Saturday evening in a pool at a private property in Albardeira, Lagos, in the Algarve.

According to newspaper Correio da Manhã emergency medics were called out at around 5.30pm.

Also that same evening a British toddler of the same age also drowned in a pool in a villa in Praia d’El Rei, in Óbidos, where he had been staying with his parents.

www.theportugalnews.com/news/two-toddlers-drown-in-pools/34925#comments
« Last Edit: June 01, 2015, 09:30:22 PM by John »
A malicious prosecution for a crime which never existed. An exposé of egregious malfeasance by public officials.
Indeed, the truth never changes with the passage of time.