Prime Minister Antonio Costa took to Twitter on Wednesday to say that “Portugal remains one of the safest countries in the world. This is extremely important for who lives here and who visits us, but also essential for an environment that attracts investment, promoting the growth and progress of our country”. The Prime Minister congratulated law enforcement professionals for their dedication, “24 hours of the day, every day of the year”.

Presidi ao Conselho Superior de Segurança Interna que analisou o Relatório Anual de Segurança Interna 2021. Mantém-se em níveis historicamente baixos a criminalidade participada, incluindo a criminalidade violenta e grave, cerca de 10% abaixo da média dos anos de 2016 a 2019.

— António Costa (@antoniocostapm) May 25, 2022

His statement comes after the release of the Annual Report of Internal Security (RASI) 2021 which says that violent and serious crime is 10% lower than the average in 2016 and 2019. Violent and serious crime represents 4% of all crimes reported and investigated in 2021.

However, crime in general increased by 0.9% in 2021 to 301,934 cases. Certain crimes also increased substantially, including youth crime, group crime, and rape in comparison to 2020.

Group crime increased by 7.7% to 4,997 cases and youth crime increased by 7.3% to 1,120 cases. Group crime is a crime committed by three or more suspects, regardless of the nature o the crime. Its increase is the second largest in the last decade after it increased in 2019 by 15.9%. Youth crime refers to crimes committed by individuals between 12 to 16 years old and there is an increase in violent crimes in this age group.

Rape increased by 26% in Portugal in 2021, being one of the largest increases in violent and serious crimes. There were 315 cases of rape reported in 2020 and 397 cases in 2021. According to RASI, the defendants are mostly men between the ages of 21 and 30 and the victims are women of the same age. In 46% of the cases, the defendant and victim knew each other.

Along with a decrease in violent and serious crime, domestic violence decreased by 3.9%, as well as thefts in homes (-8.2%).

The districts with the most incidents of crime are Lisbon (72,183), Porto (47,552), Setubal (28,679), and Faro (20,788). However, Porto saw a decrease of 2.9% for the year 2021, with around 3,000 fewer cases than in 2020. Other areas with the largest decrease in crime were Portalegre (-8.5%) and Madeira (-7.9%).

The University of Madeira announced on Wednesday that it is developing a cryptocurrency to be used in Madeira, in partnership with a cybersecurity company called Naoris Protocol. The cryptocurrency is set to be developed by the new Research Center of the university, Osean. The creators are looking to replicate a cryptocurrency project in the Bahamas where the digital coin can be used to pay for a variety of different services.

The project is a partnership between the University of Madeira and the company Naoris Protocol, which specializes in cybersecurity. The CEO of Naoris Protocol David Carvalho argues that the cryptocurrency will energize the local economy, facilitating transactions and allowing money to stay in the region.

The cryptocurrency’s value will be equivalent to the euro, with David Carvalho stating its use will be simple. He said, “It will be similar to Revolut or TransferWise, except, in this case, a card is not necessary and no bank connection will exist. A person only needs an application, in any situation, to buy fruit, or pay for a hotel or restaurant. All they need is the app to read a QR code, without needing a service or machine for payment. A business only needs to have the app to receive the payment”.

The company Cypher by Holt Global Digital Banking will support the implementation of the cryptocurrency in Madeira. The president of the company, Scott MacAndrew says “that people do not need to fear the cryptocurrency” due to its security.

JM Madeira reported that the Regional Government of Madeira is not involved in the creation of the cryptocurrency or its management.

In April, the President of Madeira, Miguel Albuquerque said at the Bitcoin 2022 conference that he believes in the future of Bitcoin, vowing to “create in Madeira a fantastic environment for Bitcoin”. Other statements led audiences to believe Madeira would be accepting Bitcoin as legal tender, but this is currently not the case.

As of now, cryptocurrency is not taxed in Portugal. You will not be charged VAT or Personal Income Tax (IRS) as an individual for cryptocurrency gains. However, the new Minister of Finance Fernando Medina announced on May 13 that cryptocurrencies will be subject to taxation in the new future. While details are not yet set in place for the taxation of crypto in Portugal, the government has said the future plan will include, among others, a tax on the gains of selling cryptocurrencies.

The Directorate-General of Health of Portugal (DGS) is investigating the increase in maternal deaths as the rate is the highest in 38 years, reports the Jornal de Noticias. In 2020, the maternal mortality rate reached 20,1 deaths per 100,000 births. The only value to surpass this occurred in 1982 when 22,5 deaths per 100,000 births were recorded, according to the National Statistic Institute (INE).

In total, 17 women died in 2020 within the period stipulated by the World Health Organization to be considered maternal mortality. Of these deaths, eight occurred during pregnancy, one during childbirth, and eight during puerperium (up to 42 days after birth). All cases were caused by pregnancy, birth, and puerperium complications and were not related to the covid-19 pandemic.

The DGS told JN that since the beginning of the year the priority has been made to understanding maternal mortality rates “so that the process of investigation through an epidemiologic inquiry can be the fasted possible to guarantee the quality information necessary for the study and investigation of the phenomenon”.

Diogo Ayres-de-Campos, a specialist integrating the Commission of Maternal Mortality told JN that the increase in the maternal mortality rate can be explained by a “degradation of obstetric care”, “the increase in age of pregnant women”, and the “increase in pathologies”.

According to Our World in Data, the average maternal death rate in the European Union is 8 maternal deaths per 100,000 births. Therefore, the maternal mortality rate in Portugal is over double that of the average in the EU.

There are 37 confirmed cases of monkeypox in Portugal and there are still more suspected cases awaiting results. 35 of these cases have been detected in the region of Lisbon and Vale do Tejo. The two other cases have been detected in the North of Portugal and the Algarve. According to the Directorate-General of Health of Portugal  (DGS), the confirmed cases belong to a less aggressive subgroup of the virus monkeypox. Last week, there were only 5 confirmed cases of monkeypox. 

The DGS has said that the 37 confirmed cases in Portugal are being monitored by the health services and remain stable. Those with suspected symptoms should avoid “physical contact with other people and sharing clothes, towels, sheets, and personal objects while having lesions or other symptoms”, according to the DGS.

Monkeypox can be transmitted via broken skin like a wound, the respiratory tract, or the mucous membranes (eyes, nose, or mouth). Margarida Tavares,  the director of the National Program for STDs and HIV for DGS has told the public to look out for symptoms such as fever, myalgia, headaches, and skin or mucosal lesions.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) confirmed 85 cases in the European Union on Monday and has recommended that countries update their diagnostic and tracking methods.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that the monkeypox virus outbreaks are containable in countries outside of Africa, where the virus is usually not detected. Experts say the overall risk to the broader population is very low, according to the BBC. 

Belgium has been the first country in Europe to introduce a mandatory quarantine of three weeks. The United Kingdom has recommended a three-week quarantine, but this is not mandatory.

People Animals Nature’s (PAN) proposal for a menstrual leave for up to 3 days for “people with a uterus that suffer severe pain during menstruation” has not passed in Portugal’s parliament. The Socialist Party (PS), the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the Liberal Initiative (IL), and Enough (Chega) voted against the proposal. The Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) voted in favor of the menstrual leave, while the Left Bloc (BE) and Free (Livre) abstained.

No dia em que se inicia a votação do #OE2022, o PAN viu rejeitada a proposta da Licença Menstrual com os votos contra do PS, PSD, Chega e IL e abstenção do BE. pic.twitter.com/nREnYGeDUx

— PAN (@Partido_PAN) May 23, 2022

Ines Sousa Real, the only member of parliament for the party PAN, said that the proposal allows missing work for up to 3 days of the month, without “losing any rights, except for remuneration”. In essence, the menstrual leave would allow people to miss work, but not be paid.

MulherEndo, a Portuguese association that supports people with endometriosis told TSF that although it is a shame the proposal did not pass, PAN’s document did not go far enough. Susana Fonseca, the President of MulherEndo said that “the leave in the proposal by PAN did not include remuneration” and that other parties should reformulate the proposal in a more complete manner.

Moreover, under the failed proposal, to benefit from menstrual leave, workers would need to present a declaration from a doctor, health center, or hospital. Moreover, Ines Sousa Real said that “presenting to an employer a fake medical declaration” would warrant the legal conditions for firing an employee.

A member of parliament for the Socialist Party, Miguel Costa Matos argued on Twitter that the proposal was “redundant” as Portugal already has a medical leave measure with the same terms of three days, without remuneration through a doctor’s note.

The proposal by PAN was one of 1,400 amendment proposals to the State Budget 2022 drafted by parties. The members of parliament began voting on Monday on these amendments.

PAN’s proposal came after the Spanish government approved last week a draft law that grants workers the right to paid sick leave for menstrual pain derived from illnesses such as endometriosis.  The menstrual leave would allow access to leave without a limit of days and be fully paid for by social security. If this leave is enacted, Spain would be the first country in Europe to provide paid menstrual leave. Countries such as Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea already provide paid menstrual leave.

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa arrived in Kyiv on Saturday and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. During his one-day trip, Costa announced that Portugal will provide lethal and non-lethal materials to Ukraine, including “military, humanitarian, and financial equipment”. The Portuguese Prime Minister called Zelensky “a leader that inspires the world” and “an example of determination and courage”.

The Prime Minister told Zelensky that Portugal is available to participate in the reconstruction of schools and kindergartens in Ukraine and the reconstruction of a “geographic zone”.

Antonio Costa also said the European Union (EU) must remain united in the sanctions against Russia and invest in alternative fuel options for Europe. He also said that Portugal will support Ukraine in its adhesion to the EU, promoting that Ukraine is welcomed “with open arms”. Ukraine took the first official steps to join the EU on April 18, completing an initial questionnaire for its membership application.

The Prime Minister of Portugal also confirmed a 250 million euro financial support to Ukraine and signed an Agreement on Financial Cooperation.

O Primeiro-Ministro reuniu hoje com o Presidente @ZelenskyyUa, reafirmando a posição de #Portugal ao lado da #Ucrânia. @antoniocostapm salientou que Portugal irá reforçar o apoio humanitário, financeiro e militar a este país.#StandWithUkraine️ pic.twitter.com/i6BAKERv78

— República Portuguesa (@govpt) May 21, 2022

Before heading to Kyiv, Costa headed to Irpin, a city that had 70% of its territory destroyed by Russian troops. Costs said that “seeing it in person is absolutely devastating due to the brutality of the attack, the cruel way cars were destroyed, with people inside. In fact, it is very hard to see”. He says that although we already know war is dramatic, this is not a “normal” war as it involves helpless civilians.

A visit to the Portuguese embassy in Kyiv was also made, with the Prime Minister thanking staff for never closing the embassy in Ukraine, despite uncertain times. Representing the President of the Republic Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Costa also attributed the Order of Freedom to Andrii Putilovsky for his work in the repatriation of citizens during the first days of the war.

Condecorei hoje, em #Kiev, um funcionário ucraniano da nossa Embaixada que, no fundo, representa o trabalho de toda uma equipa. É uma honra poder atribuir, em nome do senhor Presidente da República, as insígnias da Ordem da Liberdade a Andrii Putilovsky. pic.twitter.com/71LWA6qC9f

— António Costa (@antoniocostapm) May 21, 2022

Antonio Costa’s visit was accompanied by the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Francisco Andre and the ambassador of Portugal in Ukraine, Antonio Alves Machado. Costa accepted the invitation to visit Kyiv at the beginning of May. The Prime Minister of Portugal also visited Romania and Poland this weekend, congratulating Poland for its support for refugees.