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Tag: Portugal

  • Bosses Can No Longer Text Employees After Hours in Portugal

    Portugal has taken a major step toward protecting remote workers, making it illegal for employers to text employees after hours.

    The pandemic has accelerated the digital transformation and the move toward remote work. While many employees have embraced the change, and don’t want to go back to the office, working from home has blurred the line between personal and professional life. This, in turn, has negatively impacted quality of life for many workers.

    Portugal has taken a major step to help improve remote workers’ quality of life, making it illegal for employers to text them after work, according to Vice.

    “The pandemic has accelerated the need to regulate what needs to be regulated,” said Portugal’s Minister of Labour and Social Security, Ana Mendes Godinho.

  • Madeleine McCann: Questioning in Disappearance to Start in Portugal

    Madeleine McCann was abducted from a vacation villa in Praia da Luz, Portugal seven years ago, when she was just three years old. Portuguese police, while observed by their British counterparts, will soon begin questioning 11 people to see what–if anything–they can share about the little girl’s disappearance. She went missing while her parents were dining at a tapas bar nearby.

    Portuguese police closed their initial investigation back in 2008 after 14 months. At one point they implicated Madeleine McCann’s parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, in her abduction. They have long since been cleared.

    After two years studying the case, Britain officially opened its own investigative review of evidence in the Madeleine McCann case in July of last year. Portuguese authorities reopened their case shortly afterwards.

    Among those being questioned will be British expat Robert Murat. He was first questioned when the toddler was reported missing by her parents, according to reports. Employees of the holiday complex at the time Madeleine McCann disappeared on back on May 3, 2007 are also among those who will be questioned.

    A source close to the investigation says four women and seven men will be questioned. BBC correspondent Christian Fraser said the authorities would be looking for “inconsistencies” with any answers given seven years ago.

    Do you think there is any chance, now seven years after Madeleine McCann went missing, that investigators will discover what really happened to the little girl? For the sake of her parents, who have long been haunted by their daughter’s abduction, one can only pray they find some answers.

  • Madeleine McCann: Detectives to Interview Suspects, Key Witnesses

    Madeleine McCann was just three years old when she disappeared from a hotel room in Portugal back in 2007. Today–more than seven years later–detectives from Scotland Yard arrived back in Portugal to help Portuguese detectives interview both suspects and key witnesses in the little girl’s disappearance. Sources believe that some of those to be questioned include former employees at the Ocean Club in Praia da Luz, where the McCann family was staying while vacationing from England.

    Four people of interest–all men–will be interviewed by both police forces. It is said that each is attending the interrogation of his own free will. Three of the men are Portuguese and one is a Russian national.

    When Madeleine McCann disappeared in May of 2007 her parents–Kate and Gerry McCann–were dining at a nearby restaurant. They came under great scrutiny following their daughter’s disappearance, with many believing they were directly involved. The McCann’s are presently involved in a lawsuit against ex-police chief Goncalo Amaral. He wrote a book about the case and in it stated that Madeleine McCann was dead and that Kate and Gerry McCann lied about her disappearance. The case goes in front of a civil court on July 8th in Lisbon.

    Kate and Gerry McCann issued a statement regarding these new steps in the investigation of their daughter’s disappearance.

    “We are very pleased that significant activity has taken place in Praia da Luz over the last 8 days with police officers and support teams from the UK working closely with the Policia Judicial and the Guarda Nacional Republicana,” the statement on their website reads.

    Locals in Portugal have criticized this most recent facet of the Madeleine McCann investigation. Some tourists have, too.

    “The next three months are when the entire village earns its keep,” town mayor Victor Mata said in an interview with the BBC. “The timing couldn’t be worse. Summer essentially starts today. The people of Luz are not against the searches for Madeleine but seeing as it’s been seven years, they would have appreciated it if they could have started in a few months’ time.”

    A little girl has been missing for seven years and the key to her disappearance could lie with the people who are being questioned in the coming days. What a crass and heartless comment for the mayor of this town to make. It would seem the curiosity factor–as wrong as such a thing may be–would serve to draw even more people to the area.

    It would be a blessing for all involved–most especially for Kate and Gerry McCann–for information leading to the discovery of their daughter, or sadly even her remains, to result from these upcoming interviews. At the very least this poor family could lay their little girl to rest.

    Do you think Madeleine McCann is still alive?

    Image via Facebook

  • Andressa Urach Gets Kicked Out Of Portugal Team’s Training Camp

    It seems that Andressa Urach does not easily give up when it comes to grabbing the attention of her alleged former flame Cristiano Ronaldo.

    Urach, also called Miss BumBum, was on the news just last week for welcoming the Portugal team to the World Cup by painting her body with Ronaldo’s jersey. She also held up a sign that read “Kisses C. Ronaldo.” On Wednesday, Urach was once again the center of attention when she showed up during Portugal’s training session in order to grab the attention of Ronaldo.

    Reports said that Urach gained access to the training session by using her press credentials, as she is working with a Brazilian TV station. Security staff escorted Miss BumBum out of the premises even before Ronaldo and his team started training.

    “I came to say good luck to Ronaldo and got kicked out! Whatever happened to freedom of expression?” Urach said.

    Last year, Urach claimed that she had an affair with Ronaldo while he was in a relationship with girlfriend Irina Shayk. At that time, Ronaldo denied Miss BumBum’s claims on Twitter.

    He wrote that Urach was seeking the limelight on his account. “And I wonder why this happens one day before a very important game for my team. Deeply outraged by a situation intended, in vain, to affect my personal life.” The news broke out just before a Champions League match last year.

    Ronaldo fans showed their displeasure with Urach by leaving nasty comments on Urach’s Instagram and Facebook accounts. They are asking Miss BumBum to leave their hero alone.

    Urach is not new to the spotlight. She is a glamour model and a reality television star who was a contestant on the sixth season of The Farm.

    Portugal’s security has been tightened since last week when a boy rushed to the field in order to get an autograph from Ronaldo.

    Image via YouTube

  • Cristiano Ronaldo: Is Starting Him A Big Risk?

    People can say whatever negative things they want to about Cristiano Ronaldo, but one thing no one should doubt at this stage of his career is his dedication to football.

    Ronaldo has grown into a professional and immensely talented football player at Real Madrid.

    His love of football and competitive spirit has a problematic downside: Ronaldo has a tendency to play through injuries and make them worse.

    It was injuries that benched him for a chunk of Real Madrid’s season, and though he made enough of a recovery to participate in a glorious Champion’s League final, his overall health is still a bit fuzzy.

    The Portuguese captain told a roomful of reporters, “I would like to be 110% fit but I am 100% fit and that should be enough to help the national team.”

    Ronaldo said that he believes he can “make a difference” for his team, but also emphasized that Portugal’s progression in the World Cup will require a team effort.

    He does not expect that he can carry the team on his own, since many have long thought of Portugal’s national team as pretty much a “one man show”.

    Despite his sentiments, it’s not beyond Cristiano Ronaldo to try his best to be that one man that carries a lackluster national team. The star athlete is known to go above and beyond at times and strain himself, which is very concerning.

    There have been numerous injuries already in the World Cup, and we’re not even through the first full week of competition. If Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t truly as fit as he is letting on, is it an unnecessary risk to start him?

    It’s hard to say. Portugal’s first World Cup match will be against the formidable Germany. Denied in the semifinals by defending champion Spain, the nation will be seeking to get their revenge. Anyone in their way, including Portugal, may very well be trampled on their climb towards the top.

    This could be an important game for Portugal, but it may not be winnable regardless of whether or not Cristiano plays. However, games against Ghana and the United States may be far less risky. Giving Cristiano more time to rest and playing for the draw against Germany may make more sense than throwing caution to the wind.

    If Portugal loses its talisman now with those two teams still to face, we could see Ghana or the United States take advantage of a severely weakened Portugal and advance to the next stage.

    Portugal may not want to be thought of as a team carried by Ronaldo, but risking Ronaldo early on is something that the manager should think long and hard about prior to their first World Cup match.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Madeleine McCann: Search For Missing Girl Reopens In Portugal

    The search for Madeleine McCann is reopened once again.

    About 30 searchers will be digging in the area where the girl disappeared seven years ago.

    British police will be spearheading the search for the girl, who was only a few weeks shy of celebrating her fourth birthday when she went missing.

    On Monday, press people gathered outside a restricted section of Praia da Luz, the beach resort town where Madeleine was last seen. A source has mentioned that a blue tent will be covering the area and dogs are going to be brought in to aid in the search.

    “It should not be assumed that this substantial upcoming phase of work in Portugal will immediately lead us to the answers that will explain what has happened. What you will see is normal police activity you would expect in any such major investigation,” mentioned Assistant Commissioner, Mark Rowley, who is head of specialist crime and operations about the search for Madeleine.

    On May 3rd 2007, Madeleine’s parents, Gerry and Kate McCann, left her and her twin siblings sleeping inside their apartment as the couple went to dinner with their friends at a nearby tapas restaurant. The couple took turns checking on their children every 30 minutes, but at around 10 pm, Kate found out that her eldest daughter was missing.

    Police sources also mentioned that it’s highly likely that the search will be expanded to other areas of the resort within this week. However, there is a chance that the search might be called off if there are no significant discoveries by Friday.

    Eight months ago, a TV appeal was done and spurred a lot of phone calls about new leads regarding possible suspects and some potential clues that sparked the interest of detectives to rekindle the case once more.

    In 2008, Portuguese police closed the case, stating that no crime has ever taken place. However, last year, a judge in Lisbon decided to reopen the investigation, as new leads that emerged might finally solve the case.

    Image via YouTube

  • Madeleine McCann: Could She Been Found At Last?

    Nearly seven years ago, a blonde-haired little three-year-old vanished from a hotel in Praia da Luz, Portugal, never to be heard from again.

    Madeleine McCann was only a few days shy of turning four when she went missing. That birthday and every one since has passed with seemingly no progress made in her case.

    Prior to her disappearance, she and her younger twin were sound asleep in their room. McCann’s parents left the children unattended, but presumably safe, while they went out to eat and socialize with friends.

    When the couple returned at around 10:00 pm, it was her mother who discovered that the little girl was nowhere to be found.

    Since May 3, 2007, the date of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance, there has been a great deal of speculation as to her fate.

    Some suspect she was kidnapped by someone who had been stalking the family.

    As with the late JonBenét Ramsey, there is even a strongly held belief that the parents themselves are responsible for her death and disappearance.

    Now, nearly seven years from the date of McCann’s vanishing, British authorities plan to begin digging for possible remains in a wasteland not far from where she went missing.

    CNN reports that the digging operation is to be headed by the London Metropolitan Police.

    So much time has passed since McCann’s disappearance that British authorities are now working under the assumption that McCann is dead. Officials are hoping this project will lead to the discovery of remains or clues as to her fate.

    It has been noted that British authorities are not acting in conjunction with Portuguese police and intend to keep the media at bay during the operation.

    “We have made it clear to colleagues in Portugal that we will not be giving operational updates,” said Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley. “If media interfere with police work, that work will stop.”

    Members of the press are gathered outside the section of beach that has been cordoned off for digging.

    It is likely nothing will be said to the media about the operation unless something significant to the case is recovered.

    Should a body be found, Portuguese authorities have indicated they will likely take over the investigation into McCann’s death.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Madeleine McCann Case: Police Hunt Sexual Predator

    Madeleine McCann disappeared four days before her fourth birthday back in 2007 while vacationing with her family in Portugal. British investigators have recently reopened the case and say they’re now actively pursuing a sexual predator who broke into vacation villas in Portugal and sexually abused five little girls between 2004 and 2010. Police say there are incredible similarities between these break-ins and Madeleine McCann’s abduction.

    In most of these aforementioned cases there were no signs of forced entry into the vacation villas. The break-ins occurred between 2:00 A.M. and 5:00 A.M. Two of these break-ins took place in the resort of Praia da Luz, where Madeleine was taken.

    Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood says the suspect has “an unhealthy interest in young white female children.”

    “These offenses are very serious and no one has been charged in connection with them,” he said. “We also need to eliminate this man from our enquiries and ascertain whether these offenses are linked to Madeleine’s disappearance.”

    Redwood’s team is working in conjunction with Portuguese investigators and together they have 38 “persons of interest” in Madeleine McCann’s disappearance. They are also sifting through information about 530 known sexual offenders whose whereabouts are presently unknown. Of these 530, 59 are said to be “high priority,” and some of them are British.

    Madeleine’s parents Gerry and Kate McCann have never given up hope of finding their daughter. Initially thought to have been involved in her disappearance they have long been cleared of anything to do with the crime.

    In 2008, the Madeleine McCann case was closed. London’s Metropolitan Police subsequently spent two years reviewing evidence at the request of the British government. They opened their own investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance about a year ago.

    It would indeed be a miracle if British investigators could find out what actually happened to Madeleine McCann, and even if their findings aren’t happy ones, at the very least they could provide some closure for the little girl’s family.

    Image via Facebook

  • Largest Carnivorous Dinosaur Found in Europe

    On Wednesday, two scientists from Portugal announced the exciting discovery of the largest carnivorous dinosaur from the Jurassic period.

    Two scientists identified the largest carnivorous dinosaur ever found in Europe. The beastly discovery measured in at a whopping 33 feet long.

    The name of the creature is the Torvosaurus gurneyi and apparently he was the one to watch out for.

    “It was indeed better not to cross the way of this large, carnivorous dinosaur,” said paleontologist Christophe Hendrickx of Universidade Nova de Lisboa and Museu da Lourinhã in Portugal.

    The monster of a creature weighed around four to five tons, complete with a powerful jaw that was lined with extremely sharp teeth measuring at five inches long. They were also identified to be covered with an early type of feather.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0-Qcv0qIYc

    With a four-foot long skull, the Torvosaurus gurneyi was a “super predator” preying on other large Jurassic creatures like the herbivorous dinosaurs.

    The two scientists said this is the second species of the genus Torvosaurus. The other one named the Torvosaurus tanneri lived at the same time in North America.

    The fossilized remains were found in the Lourinhã formation in Portugal, along the Atlantic Ocean and 43 miles north of Lisbon.

    The remains of the new species were originally unearthed in 2003 by an amateur fossil hunter.

    Image Via YouTube

  • Madeleine McCann Case Reopened with New Suspect

    Portuguese prosecutors have officially reopened the 2007 missing persons case involving British toddler, Madeleine McCann.

    Madeleine disappeared from her parent’s hotel room at Ocean Club resort in Praia da Luz, Portugal, while her parents were dining at a nearby restaurant in May 2007. She was only three years old, and after further investigation, the case was closed in 2008. Now, after new information surfaced that McCann may still be alive, the police are diving back into the investigation.

    Madeleine’s parents, Gerry and Kate McCann, posted on their official webpage a statement regarding the reopening of their daughter’s case.

    We are very pleased that the investigation to find our missing daughter Madeleine has officially been reopened in Portugal. We hope that this will finally lead to her being found and the discovery of who is responsible for this crime.

    We once again urge any member of the public who may have information relating to Madeleine’s abduction to contact the police in Portugal or the UK.

    Please be patient and respect the work of the police as they endeavor to find the answers we so desperately need. In particular, we request that the media consider carefully Madeleine’s safety and the integrity of the investigation in their reporting.

    Thank you for your understanding and support.

    The new suspect that the police are looking into is Euclides Monteiro, also known as Toni. Monteiro was working in the restaurant at the Ocean Club resort at the same time Madeleine went missing. He was later fired from his position for stealing from the resort. The theory is that Monteiro kidnapped Madeleine while robbing her parent’s room, and then killed her after the media picked up on the case.

    Monteiro was killed in a tractor accident in 2009, and his wife remains supportive saying she knows he was innocent of the crime.

    “It is disgusting they are now looking for a dead man as a scapegoat,” she told the Daily Mirror. “It’s very easy to blame someone who can’t defend themselves any more. My husband would never be capable of committing such a crime.”

    The police are continuing to receive calls and further leads into their investigation. If you have any information about Madeleine please email investigation@findmadeleine.com or call the investigation line at +44 845 838 4699.

    Image via Findmadeleine.com

  • Madeleine McCann: Police To Release Photo Of Suspect

    Madeleine McCann disappeared in 2007, and the police are still investigating the case. She was only a toddler at the time, and if she were to be found, she would now be 10 years old, as of her birthday in May. After years of searching and investigation, the police have finally announced that they will release a photo of the suspect, with the hopes that it will help people identify who it is, and find Madeline after all this time. Her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann are set to appear on Crimewatch, a television program, to accompany Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood.

    The computer-generated photo is part of an active investigation attempting to identify a man who was last seen near the resort hotel in Praia de Luz, Portugal. The child was last seen at the resort when vacationing with her family. According to The Guardian, the British police investigation has identified more than 40 people of interest, but they have revealed that the inquiry team is particularly interested in one individual, who is being viewed as a likely suspect in the case. A number of sexual offenders have been identified as being in the area at the time and are being sought as persons of interest to be questioned. This information was gathered through mined mobile phone data that was obtained from people in the area of the McCann’s vacation apartment at the time of the disappearance.

    Her disappearance has gained national attention after her parents continued to press the authorities to keep looking for their daughter. She was 3 years old at the time when she went missing, and her parents are determined to find her after years of her absence. They know that it is not the kind of thing where she will simply turn up, and as her father Gerry says, “You have got to chase it.”

    Scotland Yard announced it July that she could still be alive and the reopening of the case came after British Prime Minister David Cameron ordered British police to reopen the case in 2011. The prime minister offered his great support for the search for the Madeline. The disappearance of the girl had been considered a closed case as of 2008, before he intervened.

    Image via Youtube

  • Real Madrid: 2 Late Goals Gave Them The Victory

    Real Madrid was able to deliver 2 goals late in a game against Levante, in order to secure the victory. Real Madrid is one of the top teams and was able to keep their hopes of winning a La Liga title alive with their win last night. The team is led by star player Cristiano Ronaldo, who has also gained great fame and popularity through his career playing for Portugal’s national team in the World and Euro Cup tournaments.

    Madrid was the favorite in the game, although looked sub-par in their win against the lower ranked Levante. Levante was able to take the lead twice and then surrendered it twice as Real Madrid scored twice in the final minutes. The team is able to be saved yet again, from the expert play of Ronaldo. The game was scoreless until the 57th minute when an excellent counter attack led Levante to a 1-0 lead. According to SB Nation, three minutes later, Levante fell apart on a corner kick and allowed the veteran Sergio Ramos to execute a header that landed in the back of the net, equalizing the game.

    The tie was finally broken in the 85th minute, due to an excellent individual performance from Nabil El Zhar of Levante. He moved away from the goal, giving him some space and zipped a shot past Lopez to score. Real Madrid was not able to go down that easily and tied the game again at 2-2 in the 90th minute. Following that, as the game seemed to be coming to a 2-2 close, Ronaldo’s heroics came into effect when he deflected a shot off of Juanfran that went wide of a diving Navas and landed in the back of the net. The shot resulted in their 3-2 victory, but after the performance they gave throughout the game, some people may feel that the win is undeserved.

    Real boss Carlos Ancelotti said “It is true that we didn’t play fantastic football, but we deserved to win given the chances we had in the second-half.” Ronaldo also made headlines recently after writing a letter to a fan, who is facing charges for rushing onto the field in order to give the player a hug.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZLGztMPQu0

    Image via Youtube

  • Madeleine McCann: New Theory Linked to Thefts

    Six years after Madeleine McCann went missing in Praia de Luz, Portugal, Scotland Yard has a new theory, according to the Daily Mail. They now think that Madeleine may have been taken after disturbing burglars at The Ocean Club, where they were staying. They have a theory that her disappearance could be connected to a series of thefts at The Ocean Club and elsewhere around Praia de Luz.

    Therefore, Scotland Yard said they would like to hear from anyone that was on vacation and was burgled around Praia de Luz prior to Madeleine’s disappearance. Any information would be helpful to the investigation into who took Madeleine.

    Detectives have also been collecting an extensive list of phone records for calls made and received in the area, in order to be able to tell who was around. As detectives continue to pour over these phone records, Scotland Yard has said anyone that was around Praia de Luz on May 3, 2007 could receive a phone call from them. From this new line of investigation, that has gone on for two years, came the information about the break-ins and also began the phone record blitz. The new inquiry has yielded 41 new “people of interest“.

    Because of these new findings, the Kate and Gerry McCann are going on T.V. with the new information to make another plea to the public for help in finding Madeleine. The McCanns will appear live in the studio during an episode of BBC Crimewatch on Monday next week, which will also feature a reconstruction. Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, of the Metropolitan Police, described the program’s content as “substantially different. It’s not just a bland ‘can you help us’ appeal, there is some different material and a different understanding to be presented,” he said.

    Image via youtube

  • Madeleine McCann: Phone Records Yield New “People Of Interest”

    Madeleine McCann, who was just 3-years old when she disappeared from her parents’ apartment in Portugal in 2007, is now the subject of a new investigation that might involve a ring of pedophiles.

    McCann’s case was reopened earlier this year after detectives put together a new case based around all-new leads, and now police say they want to look into a massive database of phone records that might show who was new to the Praia da Luz area that weekend. Scotland Yard–working with Portuguese police–say they have about 41 leads from those records and for anyone who was vacationing in Praia da Luz in 2007 to expect a call from them.

    “This is not just a general trawl,” said Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood. “It’s a targeted attack on that data to see if it assists us to find out what happened to Madeleine McCann at that time.”

    More information about the new leads in the case are expected on October 14th, when Madeleine’s family and the lead investigators during a BBC Crimewatch appeal. Although Portuguese police ended their investigation into the case in 2008 after finding nothing but dead ends, Scotland Yard remained committed to the case and spent two years building up a new file before reopening the investigation formally in June of this year.

    “The Home Office remains committed to supporting the search for Madeleine McCann. We have agreed to provide the Metropolitan Police with the resources they need to investigate her disappearance,” a Scotland Yard spokesman said in a statement.

    Image via Thinkstock

  • Google Play Music Hits Five New Countries

    Google Play Music Hits Five New Countries

    Google announced this morning that Google Play Music is launching in five new European countries: Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg and Portugal.

    “Music first launched on Google Play in Europe in November 2012, and the fast rollout to more countries today is due to the multi-territorial licensing process, as recommended by the European Commission last year,” explains Google Play head of international music partnerships, Sami Valkonen. “We have 14 multi-territorial licenses for composition rights covering Europe and representing the vast majority of the world’s music, and have recently welcomed the members of AKM/AUME in Austria, SABAM in Belgium, SPA in Portugal, and IMRO in Ireland into our growing list of author’s society partners.”

    Google is also launching Artist Hub in these countries. This is a platform for independent musicians to sell their music directly to fans. This is discussed a bit more here.

    In addition to the five new countries, Google Play Music is available in the following European countries: the UK, Germany, France, Spain and Italy.

  • Google May Soon Pay Publishers In Portugal

    Publishers in Portugal want Google to pay for the right to include links and snippets of articles in Google News. The story is always the same from country to country. In recent months, we’ve seen Google playing ball with publishers, and it seems other countries are seeking solutions similar to those Google has proposed elsewhere.

    Reuters is reporting:

    Alberico Fernandes, head of the Portuguese Confederation of Social Communication Media, told Reuters that the global Internet services group’s Iberian and Portuguese units rejected the demand at a first meeting last week but agreed to continue negotiations.

    He said Google “showed readiness to collaborate with media groups to help us modernize and make our content more profitable”, something it had agreed to do in France earlier.

    Earlier this year, Google announced an initiative to “help stimulate innovation and increase revenues” for French publishers. Google agreed to create a €60 million fund called the DIgital Publishing Innovation Fund to “help support transformative digital publishing initiatives for French readers.” Google said it would also “deepen” its partnership with French publishers to help increase their online revenues using Google’s ad technology.

    The announcement followed a similar one Google made in December, when it reached an agreement with publishers in Belgium after six years of litigation, which saw publishers sue Google claiming that it violated their copyrights by displaying snippets in Google News and linking to cached copies of their pages in Google search.

    As part of the agreement in Belgium, Google said it would advertise its services on publishers’ media, and publishers would optimize their use of AdWords. Google would also work with Belgian French-language publishers to “help increase publishers’ revenue,” collaborating on ways to make money with Paywalls and subscriptions, and with AdSense and the Ad Exchange. Google would also work with Belgian publishers to implement Google+ social tools and launch YouTube channels.

    At the time, Google said it would like to come to similar terms with publishers around the world. Perhaps Portugal is next.

  • Bieber Cancels Concert in Portugal

    This week has been a tough one for fans of live pop music. First, singer Rihanna this weekend cancelled her show in Boston due to laryngitis. Now, it appears that Justin Bieber has cancelled a concert that was scheduled to take place in Portugal tomorrow, March 12.

    CBS News is reporting that Bieber’s second Lisbon, Portugal concert has been cancelled due to “unforeseen circumstances.” Current rumors are pointing to “logistical issues” with unions as the reason fro the concert cancellation. Bieber’s first Lisbon show, scheduled to take place tonight, is still a go and the singer began tweeting about the concert this afternoon:

    There doesn’t appear to be any connection between the cancellation and the odd journey that Bieber endured in London last week. After being spotted walking London streets with his shirt off early last week and having shown shown up late for a concert, the pop star went on a Twitter tirade against “rumors” and “fake stories.” Rumors about the star’s “diva-like” behavior persisted, however, as he collapsed during one of his London shows later in the week. Bieber’s European tour will take him through France, Switzerland, Italy, and Germany in the coming weeks.

  • File Sharing Is Now Legal… In Portugal

    File Sharing Is Now Legal… In Portugal

    Portugal has a piracy problem. The European country has been the focus of anti-piracy group ACAPOR for some time now. It all came to a head last year when the organization delivered over 2,000 IP addresses of alleged file sharers to the Attorney General’s office. The Attorney General’s office was silent for a year, but they have finally come to a decision.

    The Department of Investigation and Penal Action has decided not to take action against the 2,000-plus IP addresses brought to their attention. Even better, the Attorney General ruled that file sharing for personal use isn’t against the law. Here’s the full statement provided courtesy of TorrentFreak:

    “From a legal point of view, while taking into account that users are both uploaders and downloaders in these file-sharing networks, we see this conduct as lawful, even when it’s considered that the users continue to share once the download is finished.”

    He went on to say that the right to education, culture and freedom of expression shouldn’t be restricted in cases of non-commercial copyright infringement. The very thought of such a statement being uttered out of a public policy maker is astounding as countries around the world continue to demonize file sharers as street peddler bootleggers or even worse.

    In another encouraging note, the office also said that an IP address is not a person. Various courts around the world have also come to this conclusion. It’s been proven time and time again that IP addresses are not exactly foolproof when it comes to identifying a person. The RIAA knows this better than anyone else when they sued a dead woman based only on the IP address.

    For their part, ACAPOR thinks the Attorney General’s office is just being lazy. The organization says that the “prosecutors just found a way to adopt the law to their interest.” They claim that the Attorney General’s office just didn’t want to send 2,000 letters or hear 2,000 cases.

    Either way, it shows that Portugal is once again being one of the most progressive nations on Earth. In 2000, the country decriminalized all personal drug use. The change in law led to a decrease in drug related violence and crime while leading to a decrease in recreational drug use among teenagers. The decriminalization of file sharing for personal use may just have similar effects, but only if content providers make it easy for Portugese citizens to access the content legally and easily.