Portugal

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Suspect in Madeleine McCann's Disappearance Leaves Prison

Christian Brueckner to be fitted with ankle monitor

(Newser) - The prime suspect in the disappearance of British 3-year-old Madeleine McCann in Portugal has walked free from a German prison, where he was serving time for the 2005 rape of a woman at the same hotel where Madeline vanished two years later, per the Independent . Christian Brueckner, 48, left...

Streetcar Derailment Killed Mostly Foreign Visitors

Lisbon mourns victims as investigations begin

(Newser) - Police in Portugal said Friday that 11 of the 16 people killed when a Lisbon streetcar derailed were foreigners. The dead included five Portuguese nationals, three British citizens, two Canadians, two South Koreans, one American, one French, one Swiss, and one Ukrainian, police said in a statement, the AP reports....

Ocean Plate May Explain Riddle of Portugal Quakes
Ocean Plate May Explain
Riddle of Portugal Quakes
new study
Sep 5, 2025 1:28 PM CDT

Ocean Plate May Explain Riddle of Portugal Quakes

Scientists detect a fissure off the coast

(Newser) - Portugal has a history of powerful earthquakes, a fact that has long baffled scientists because it's not near any known fault lines. A new study, however, may finally provide the answer: Researchers found a fissure in the tectonic plate on the ocean floor about 120 miles off the...

First One Streetcar Glitched. Then Another Went Flying

Witnesses say both streetcars encountered issues in Portuguese capital of Lisbon before fatal crash

(Newser) - A witness in Lisbon said it sounded like a bomb went off just after 6pm Wednesday. In fact, a carriage on the Portuguese capital city's famous Gloria funicular derailed , descending about 800 feet down a steep hill and quickly gaining speed until it crashed into a building, crumpling and...

At Least 15 Dead in Lisbon Derailment

Famous electric streetcar crashed into building in center of Portuguese capital

(Newser) - At least 15 people were killed and 18 others were injured Wednesday in a horrific accident on Lisbon's famous Elevador de Gloria electric streetcar. The car on the funicular cable railway, which carries people up and down a steep hillside, derailed, and crashed into a building in the city...

Bullfighter Fatally Gored in Debut Performance

Manuel Maria Trindade, 22, attempted to stop the bull in front of thousands

(Newser) - A Portuguese 22-year-old was killed Friday in his bullfighting debut. The New York Post reports Manuel Maria Trindade appeared in front of 7,000 people in Lisbon's Campo Pequeno bullring and began running toward the animal, which then charged toward him. Video shows the bull slam into Trindade, lift...

Wildfires Descend on Major Greek City

Thousands flee as blazes sweep Greece and southern Europe

(Newser) - As wildfires driven by scorching winds and relentless heat creep toward the heart of Patras, Greece's third-largest city, a wave of evacuations and devastation sweeps across southern Europe, highlighting the mounting toll of an unforgiving heatwave, the BBC reports. Fanned by high winds and temperatures nearing 100 degrees...

Madeleine McCann Suspect Could Walk Free Early

After fine was paid, Christian Brueckner to now complete sentence on Sept. 17

(Newser) - An outstanding fine against the main suspect in the 2007 disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann in Portugal has been paid off, German prosecutors said Monday, meaning he could be released from prison in a separate case in mid-September instead of January 2026. Prosecutors in Braunschweig confirmed that an unpaid...

Spain Has a Culprit for Its Massive Blackout

April power failure was caused by cascade of grid failures and 'poor planning,' not a cyberattack

(Newser) - Six weeks after Spain and Portugal suffered a massive power outage , authorities in Madrid issued an official report saying the blackout that left tens of millions disconnected in seconds was caused by technical and planning errors—not a cyberattack. Spain's Ecological Transition Minister Sara Aagesen, who manages the nation'...

Far-Right Party Ascends in Portugal's Election

Anti-immigration Chega will lead the parlilamentary opposition

(Newser) - Portugal's anti-immigration Chega party notched another political gain for Europe's far right on Wednesday after it was assigned the second-most seats in parliament—meaning it will become the head of the parliamentary opposition to the new government. That shatters the pattern of Portugal's center-right and center-left mainstream...

Spain Perplexed by Cause of Power Blackout

Deputy PM defends country's reliance on renewable energy

(Newser) - Tens of millions of people in Spain and Portugal lost power in a massive blackout on Monday—"Pain as Spain mainly off the mains," as the Metro put it. But two days later, authorities don't appear to be any closer to finding out how it happened. "...

'Complete Collapse' of EU Power Grid Remains a Mystery

Officials still searching for answers after disruption in Spain, Portugal, France triggered travel chaos

(Newser) - Flights were grounded, trains halted, and millions left in the dark as one of Europe's largest blackouts swept through Spain and Portugal, leaving experts searching for answers. Power was almost fully restored to Spain and Portugal by Tuesday morning after the blackout caused widespread disruption on Monday, reports...

'Extraordinary' Blackout Shuts Down Spain, Portugal

The 2 countries grind to a halt, with limited cell phone service, trains, flights, and ATMs

(Newser) - A blackout brought much of Spain and Portugal to a standstill Monday, halting subway trains, cutting phone service, and shutting down traffic lights and ATM machines for the 50 million people who live across the Iberian Peninsula. Spanish power distributor Red Eléctrica said restoring power to large parts of...

Off Coast of Portugal, a Massive Cocaine Bust on a Submersible

6.5 tons of the drug were confiscated, about a quarter of the haul over the course of 2024

(Newser) - Portuguese police have seized a semi-submersible vessel transporting 6.5 tons of cocaine destined for Europe, authorities in Lisbon said on Tuesday. Portuguese officials said they arrested five crew members after intercepting the vessel in the Atlantic Ocean, around 500 nautical miles south of the Azores, reports the AP . The...

Scores of Hamsters Make a Break for It on Flight

Plane was grounded for 4 days at Portuguese airport to recover every single escaped rodent

(Newser) - A flight from Portugal's capital to an island in the Azores ended up grounded for four days after more than 130 hamsters busted out of their holding containers and overtook the plane carrying them to their destination. The Telegraph reports that the TAP Air Portugal jet traveled Wednesday from...

'Tide' of Plastic Pellets Washes Up in Spain
Spain Faces 'Tide' of Nurdles
Jan 10, 2024 11:25 AM CST

Spain Faces 'Tide' of Nurdles

The tiny plastic pellets spilled off of Portugal prompts environmental emergency

(Newser) - Volunteers on the northern coast of Spain are painstakingly picking up what could amount to hundreds of thousands of tiny plastic pellets after millions spilled from a cargo ship, raising concerns of an environmental disaster. Up to six containers carrying tires, tomato sauce, plastic wrap, and some 55,000 pounds...

This Is Not Your Father's Catholic Priest

Catholic priest Guilherme Peixoto spreads the gospel as a DJ

(Newser) - Guilherme Peixoto, a village priest in northern Portugal, has been busy this month celebrating Masses at his two parishes, presiding over remembrances for the dead—and, as the AP reports, preparing the electronic music set for his next international DJ gig. What started nearly two decades ago as a novel...

Portugal's PM Quits After Chief of Staff Arrested

Antonio Costa says he's not a crook

(Newser) - Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa resigned Tuesday after his government was involved in a widespread corruption probe, sending a shock wave through the normally tranquil politics of the European Union member. The 62-year-old Costa, Portugal's Socialist leader since 2015, asserted his innocence but said in a nationally televised address...

Portugal Police to McCanns: We're Sorry

Law enforcement delegation offers apology to parents of missing toddler over handling of case

(Newser) - Madeleine McCann vanished in 2007 from a Portuguese holiday home while vacationing with her family, and now, more than 16 years later, police there have extended an apology to her parents for the way they handled the investigation at the time. The BBC reports that a senior law enforcement...

In This Tiny European Town, an 'Alcoholic Flash Flood'

Distillery's storage tanks burst, sending 600K gallons of red wine into streets of Portuguese town

(Newser) - There's too much wine in Europe, if that can be believed—and some of that excess ended up flowing through the roads of a Portuguese town over the weekend. NBC News reports on the "alcoholic flash flood" on Sunday in Sao Lourenco do Bairro, where a river of...

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