Latest news with #UniversityofLisbon
1News
29-06-2025
- Politics
- 1News
Brazil's first lady under fire from critics for 'outspokenness'
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's government is grappling with unpopularity that has dented his credentials as the frontrunner for re-election next year. Critics and even some in his administration say his wife's outspokenness hasn't helped, accusing her of overstepping what has traditionally been a ceremonial role. Rosângela da Silva, a 58-year-old sociologist also known as Janja, has also drawn criticism for insulting tech billionaire Elon Musk and advising the president on how to use the military during the January 8, 2023 riots in the capital, Brasilia. Still, the first lady says she will not change course. Meanwhile, Lula has staunchly defended her right to speak up and supporters says she is a strong, independent voice. From a Beijing dinner to assailing Musk In early May, an air of triumph filled a dinner in Beijing, where Lula celebrated a diplomatic victory: Businessmen travelling with him said they had secured billions of dollars in investments as the veteran leader renewed his international prestige standing alongside his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. ADVERTISEMENT But then da Silva raised her hand. Although no one was expected to speak, da Silva addressed Xi, saying that Chinese social media company TikTok posed a challenge for leftists, claiming its algorithm favours right-wingers. China's president reportedly answered. The exchange was leaked to Brazilian media by the time dessert was served. Still, she insists she will speak out whenever it serves the public interest. A Datafolha poll released June 12 found that 36% of Brazilians think the first lady's actions hurt the government, while 14% say they are helpful. It was the pollster's first measure of da Silva's approval. The same poll showed Lula with a 40% job disapproval rating, an 8 percentage point increase from October 2024. 'Undue interference' Under guidelines published by the solicitor-general's office, the president's spouse primarily fulfils "a symbolically representative role on behalf of the president in a social, cultural, ceremonial, political or diplomatic nature." ADVERTISEMENT For many of her critics, this does not grant her the authority to speak as a government representative. Brazilian media have reported that government ministers, lawmakers and staunch leftist campaigners are privately raising concerns she could be a hindrance more than an asset. These worries have skyrocketed since the incident in China — even as Lula himself has praised his wife for speaking out. "It looks like Brazil is governed by a couple," said Beatriz Rey, a political science postdoctoral and research fellow at the University of Lisbon. Brazil's former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks to supporters accompanied by girlfriend Rosangela da Silva after he was released from Federal Police headquarters where he was imprisoned on corruption charges, in Curitiba, Brazil, Nov. 8, 2019 (Source: Associated Press) "When (the first lady) says there won't be any protocols to silence her, she disrespects our democratic institutions for she has no elected office, no government position," Rey said. "It is not about being a woman or a feminist. It is undue interference." Last week, Brazil's presidency in a statement to The Associated Press said da Silva "acts as a citizen, combining her public visibility with the experience she has built throughout her professional career in support of relevant social issues and matters of public interest." 'Present and vocal' ADVERTISEMENT Lula's first wife, Maria de Lourdes, died in 1971. His second, Marisa Letícia, died in 2017. Lula, 79, and Janja said they met in 2017 and started seeing each other frequently during the leftist leader's 580 days in jail in the city of Curitiba between 2018 and 2019. They married in 2022. Many supporters of Lula's Workers' Party partly attribute the criticism against the first lady to misinformation and disinformation. In May, the party launched the "I am with Janja" social media campaign in her defence. But the week-long effort garnered less than 100,000 views and only a few hundred comments. "Janja is an asset because she rejuvenates Lula, everyone in the government understands that, even her critics," a Brazilian government staffer told the AP. "No one wants to alienate her. But many important people in Brasilia, friends and allies of Lula, do understand that by overstepping she brings some of her rejection to the president." The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity for lack of authorization to speak to the media, often travels with the president and the first lady. Adriana Negreiros, a journalist who profiled the first lady for a 2024 podcast titled "Janja," said that allies of the president who criticize her do it with extreme caution. "(Janja) dances, sings, speaks out, appears at official events and meetings with heads of state. She insists on being present and vocal," Negreiros said. "There's a lot of sexism and misogyny directed at her, no doubt. But not all criticism is sexist." Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and first lady Rosangela Silva arrive to a military promotion ceremony, in Brasilia, Brazil, April 4, 2023 (Source: Associated Press) ADVERTISEMENT 'She will say what she wants' Da Silva said she doesn't go to dinners 'just to accompany" her husband. "I have common sense. I consider myself an intelligent person. So, I know very well what my limits are. I'm fully aware of that," she told a podcast of daily Folha de S. Paulo. Da Silva did, however, express remorse during the same podcast for the expletive she used against Musk in 2024, once a close ally of US President Donald Trump. She also faced criticism over her harsh words when a supporter of Lula's predecessor, former President Jair Bolsonaro, took his own life outside the Supreme Court building last November. Many of Lula's adversaries say they want the first lady to remain in the spotlight. "The more she speaks, the more she holds a microphone, the more she helps the right wing," said Nikolas Ferreira, one of Brazil's most popular right-wing lawmakers. ADVERTISEMENT Ferreira, a prominent social media figure, claims the role of regulating social media is a matter for Brazil's Congress — not for the first lady to debate with foreign leaders like Xi. Da Silva is also expected to play as a keen hostess at the BRICS summit in Rio on July 6-7, a role her husband is almost certain to support. "She will be wherever she wants," Lula told journalists in March, following criticism for sending the first lady as his representative to a nutrition summit in Paris that month. "She will say what she wants and go wherever she wants."
France 24
27-06-2025
- Business
- France 24
Renters struggle to survive in Portugal housing crisis
The former kitchen assistant, 80, has never found a stable home since foreign investors bought his apartment and has placed his hopes on a charitable institution to find a solution. "How can you pay a rent of 400 or 500 euros for a room?", asked Lemos, whose monthly pension barely amounts to 500 euros ($580). "Age is catching up, and I'm scared." Successive governments of all political stripes have tried and failed to solve the problem, according to Luis Mendes, a researcher at the University of Lisbon's Institute for Geography and Territorial Organisation. "Year after year, real estate breaks new records," Mendes told AFP. The market spike began during the eurozone financial crisis in 2011, when the country attempted to resuscitate its stricken economy by attracting foreign capital through so-called "golden visas". The scheme offered visas to foreigners who invested in real estate and tax advantages to retirees or globe-trotting digital nomads but is viewed as having contributed to the problem. Housing prices in Portugal have jumped 124 percent since 2015, well above the EU average of 53 percent, according to Eurostat. The current centre-right government has made tackling the crisis a priority, but in the first three months of 2025 prices spiked by more than 16 percent, according to the Portuguese national statistics institute. Falling interest rates and public guarantees for young people's mortgages, a measure introduced by the government last year, has driven the latest increase. A group campaigning for the right to housing has called for protests this weekend in a dozen cities. 'Unacceptable' Similar to neighbouring Spain, public housing only represents two percent of households and many properties are converted into short-term holiday lets in the popular tourist destination. Renters like Carlos are bearing the brunt. The municipal gardener, who declined to give his surname, has been living for five years in a freight container surrounded by building sites in the Portuguese capital. A basic mattress, a handful of personal belongings and some birds in a cage to keep him company make up the interior of his humble abode. The 55-year-old used to live with his mother, but after her death the lease was cancelled and he found himself homeless overnight. "I have found nothing at less than 800 euros. To have a salary and not be able to pay rent is unacceptable!" Carlos, whose income reaches around 1,000 euros, told AFP. In a country where more than 70 percent of the population own their home, the new centre-right government that emerged victorious from May's snap election intends to build almost 60,000 new social homes. It also plans to simplify public aid for renters, convert vacant public buildings and offer fiscal advantages in a bid to accelerate renovation and construction. But for Mendes, "it is not with more homes that this crisis will be solved" because it risks "overheating the market". The Lisbon renters' association has criticised "the illusion of supply as the only solution" and singled out a "lack of regulation and political courage". The European Commission has suggested Portugal regulate rents to protect the most affected groups of people or introduce more controls for short-term tourist lets.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Tectonic Plates Can ‘Infect' One Another with Earth-Shaking Subduction Zones
Subduction zones, where one tectonic plate dives underneath another, drive the world's most devastating earthquakes and tsunamis. How do these danger zones come to be? A study in Geology presents evidence that subduction can spread like a contagion, jumping from one oceanic plate to another—a hypothesis previously difficult to prove. This result 'is not just speculation,' says University of Lisbon geologist João Duarte, who was not involved in the research. 'This study builds an argument based on the geological record.' Because subduction drags crust deep into the earth, its beginnings are hard to examine. The new study provides a rare ancient example of potential subduction 'infection.' Its authors say they've discovered evidence that neighboring collisions triggered East Asia's 'Ring of Fire,' a colossal subduction system currently fueling earthquakes and volcanoes from Alaska to the southern Indian Ocean. [Sign up for Today in Science, a free daily newsletter] Nearly 300 million years ago China was a scattering of islands separated by the ancient Tethys and Asian oceans. Established subduction zones consumed these oceans, welding the landmasses into a new continent and raising mountains from Turkey to China. By 260 million years ago this subduction seems to have spread and begun pulling down the neighboring Pacific plate. 'The dying act of those closing oceans may have been to infect the Pacific plate and start it subducting westward under the Asian continent,' says study lead author Mark Allen, a geologist at Durham University in England. 'In one form or another, it's been diving down ever since.' The smoking gun in this case is the 'Dupal anomaly,' identified by a geochemical fingerprint from the ancient Tethys Ocean and what is now the Indian Ocean. When the study authors unexpectedly found this signature in volcanic rocks from the western Pacific, they surmised that material from the Tethys had spread eastward across a plate boundary from one subduction zone to another—triggering the neighboring plate's descent. 'It's like seeing someone's fingerprint at a crime scene,' Allen says. But the mechanism of spread remains mysterious. The researchers suspect that transform faults—boundaries where plates slide past one another, like the San Andreas Fault—may act as weak spots where slight changes in collision angle or speed can destabilize dense oceanic crust, causing it to sink. Duarte compares the scenario to aluminum foil in water. 'The foil floats,' he says, 'but the slightest tap will cause it to sink.' If subduction spreads this way, could the Atlantic Ocean's relatively quiet plate margins be next? The massive 1755 Lisbon earthquake hints at early subduction invasion there. Duarte suggests parts of Iberia and the Caribbean are undergoing this process's initial stages: 'In another 100 million years a new Atlantic 'Ring of Fire' may form—just as it once did in the Pacific.'
Scientific American
13-06-2025
- Science
- Scientific American
Tectonic Plates Can ‘Infect' One Another with Earth-Shaking Subduction Zones
Subduction zones, where one tectonic plate dives underneath another, drive the world's most devastating earthquakes and tsunamis. How do these danger zones come to be? A study in Geology presents evidence that subduction can spread like a contagion, jumping from one oceanic plate to another—a hypothesis previously difficult to prove. This result 'is not just speculation,' says University of Lisbon geologist João Duarte, who was not involved in the research. 'This study builds an argument based on the geological record.' Because subduction drags crust deep into the earth, its beginnings are hard to examine. The new study provides a rare ancient example of potential subduction 'infection.' Its authors say they've discovered evidence that neighboring collisions triggered East Asia's 'Ring of Fire,' a colossal subduction system currently fueling earthquakes and volcanoes from Alaska to the southern Indian Ocean. On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. Nearly 300 million years ago China was a scattering of islands separated by the ancient Tethys and Asian oceans. Established subduction zones consumed these oceans, welding the landmasses into a new continent and raising mountains from Turkey to China. By 260 million years ago this subduction seems to have spread and begun pulling down the neighboring Pacific plate. 'The dying act of those closing oceans may have been to infect the Pacific plate and start it subducting westward under the Asian continent,' says study lead author Mark Allen, a geologist at Durham University in England. 'In one form or another, it's been diving down ever since.' The smoking gun in this case is the 'Dupal anomaly,' identified by a geochemical fingerprint from the ancient Tethys Ocean and what is now the Indian Ocean. When the study authors unexpectedly found this signature in volcanic rocks from the western Pacific, they surmised that material from the Tethys had spread eastward across a plate boundary from one subduction zone to another—triggering the neighboring plate's descent. 'It's like seeing someone's fingerprint at a crime scene,' Allen says. But the mechanism of spread remains mysterious. The researchers suspect that transform faults—boundaries where plates slide past one another, like the San Andreas Fault—may act as weak spots where slight changes in collision angle or speed can destabilize dense oceanic crust, causing it to sink. Duarte compares the scenario to aluminum foil in water. 'The foil floats,' he says, 'but the slightest tap will cause it to sink.' If subduction spreads this way, could the Atlantic Ocean 's relatively quiet plate margins be next? The massive 1755 Lisbon earthquake hints at early subduction invasion there. Duarte suggests parts of Iberia and the Caribbean are undergoing this process's initial stages: 'In another 100 million years a new Atlantic 'Ring of Fire' may form—just as it once did in the Pacific.'
Morocco World
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Morocco World
‘Horizons Croisés': Hajar Lmortaji's Art Exhibition Merges Rabat and Lisbon
Rabat – Moroccan artist Hajar Lmortaji is presenting a new exhibition titled 'Horizons Croisés' (Crossed Horizons) at the National Gallery Bab Rouah in Rabat. The show, which opened on Friday and runs through May 31, brings together abstract works inspired by the cities of Rabat and Lisbon. The exhibition aims to explore what connects the two capitals, drawing on shared cultural elements, personal experiences, and visual symbols. Lmortaji uses abstraction to represent emotional and symbolic themes, including human presence, memory, and dream-like states. According to the artist, the exhibition reflects impressions and feelings shaped by time spent in both cities. In a statement to the Moroccan news agency MAP, she said the works were guided by lived experiences, such as listening to fado music in Lisbon or walking under jacaranda trees in Rabat. Her paintings incorporate floral forms, fragments of human figures, and textures that suggest both emotion and structure. One recurring motif is the azulejo, the traditional ceramic tile found throughout Portuguese architecture. Lmortaji describes it as a 'thread' linking her work to Lisbon, evoking patience, craftsmanship, and place-based memory. While grounded in abstraction, the exhibition hints at a broader interest in how cities shape artistic expression and personal identity. The works do not directly depict either Rabat or Lisbon but instead attempt to translate emotional and cultural similarities into visual form. 'I simply let my emotions guide my creation,' she said, noting that the exhibition is my way of sharing those feelings with the public and showing the deep connection between these two cities. Lmortaji is a self-taught artist who paints as a form of personal expression and therapy. Born in Rabat and a Ph.D. holder from the University of Lisbon, she began painting as a child and developed her own unique style over time. She focuses on abstract and figurative expressionism, using colors and emotions to guide her work. Tags: Arthajar lmortajiLisbonRabat
