Portugal

LISBON, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Portugal will send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, Prime Minister Antonio Costa said on Saturday, without specifying how many will be shipped.

Costa added that Portugal is in talks with Germany to obtain parts needed for the repair of a number of inoperable Leopard tanks in Portugal's inventory of the weapon.

LISBON, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Portuguese parliament on Friday approved the legalization of "medically assisted death."

A draft law that received the support of a large majority of deputies establishes that euthanasia can be requested "by decision of the person himself," provided they are over 18 years old, and their will is "current, repeated, serious, free and clear."

LISBON, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said here on Friday that Brazil and Portugal need to have a close relationship.

"Portugal is a historic partner, and we need to learn to have a very close relationship," Lula told journalists after meeting with Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Prime Minister Antonio Costa.

Lula, who will assume office for the third time on Jan. 1, 2023, said his government will give more attention to climate issues, including the protection of the Amazon rainforest.

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.

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.

The Authorisation of Residence for Investment Activity for people from non-EU countries, commonly known as the golden visa programme, 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 schemes.

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.

The Authorisation of Residence for Investment Activity for people from non-EU countries, commonly known as the golden visa programme, 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 schemes.

LISBON, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Seventy-two people were arrested for the crime of forest fire so far this year in Portugal, the highest number since 2017, the country's National Republican Guard (GNR) revealed on Saturday.

According to GNR data sent to Portuguese Lusa News Agency, this year's figure was a 38 percent increase compared to that in 2021 when 52 arrests were recorded.

LISBON, Oct 1 (Xinhua) — A new outbreak of avian flu has been confirmed at a commercial unit for raising turkeys in the Portuguese capital Lisbon, announced the Directorate-General for Food and Veterinary Medicine (DGAV).

According to a note released by DGAV, animal disease control measures have already been implemented, such as the slaughter of affected animals.

All poultry farms within the protection zone, a radius of three km of the outbreak, as well as in the surveillance zone within a radius of 10 km, have already been notified and inspected.

LISBON, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- Portugal is set to build a new airport in its capital Lisbon as the country's tourism industry is expected to gradually recover to pre-pandemic levels, said Prime Minister Antonio Costa here on Tuesday.

The government will approve the decision to formally launch the new Lisbon airport project on Thursday, Costa said in his opening speech at the 6th Portuguese Tourism Summit marking World Tourism Day.

He said it is a "decision for the good of the whole country," representing "a unique and irreversible window of opportunity."

LISBON, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Portuguese Health Minister Marta Temido resigned on Tuesday amid widespread criticism of her decision to temporarily close some of the country's emergency care services due to staff shortages, local media reported.

Temido's resignation came hours after reports emerged that a pregnant woman died of a cardiac arrest on Saturday during an ambulance transfer from Lisbon's main hospital Santa Maria, which had no vacancies in the neonatology service, to another hospital in the capital.