When the world gets closer.

We help you see farther.

Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter.

TOPIC: portugal

In The News

Israel Targets Gaza Tunnels, Portugal PM Resigns, Marathon Cooking

👋 Ekamowir omo!*

Welcome to Wednesday, where Israel air strikes target Hamas’ tunnel network in Gaza, last month was officially the hottest October ever, and we have a new “sexiest man alive.” Meanwhile, Julio César Londoño, in Colombian daily El Espectador, looks at how a newly put together collection of essays by Gabriel García Márquez shows that the legendary author was more than just a fantasist and man of fiction.

[*Nauruan, Nauru]

Watch VideoShow less

This Happened — September 25: Mozambique War Of Independence

On this day in 1964, the Mozambican War of Independence against Portugal began.

Get This Happened straight to your inbox ✉️ each day! Sign up here.


Keep reading...Show less

"Cancel" That National Anthem? When Patriotic Lyrics Of The Past Hit Wrong Notes Today

Spain's national anthem, dating back to 1770, is the oldest in continual use — it also happens to be wordless. For other nations, what can be done about aging anthem lyrics that may need to be placed in their original context to avoid upsetting or offending contemporary ears.

PARIS — Algeria’s national anthem, Kassaman (Oath), is a war song penned by jailed nationalist and poet Moufdi Zakaria in 1955 during the Algerian War of Independence against the French colonialists. Three out of five verses evoke fighting the colonization of Algeria, with the most controversial verse being the third, which calls out France directly.

In the 1980s, to avoid diplomatic tensions with Paris, Algeria decreed that the third verse could be omitted if the circumstances called for it. But on June 11, a presidential decree restored the controversial third verse, making all five verses obligatory. Now, Kassaman will be performed in its ‘full form’ at official events – allusions to imperialism included.

There was backlash from Paris, as French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna called the decision “outdated.” Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Ataf responded quickly that he was "astounded by the fact that the French foreign minister thought she could express an opinion on the Algerian national anthem."

Alas, this is far from an isolated topic, as people have vehemently expressed their views on whether anthems should be maintained, modified or scrapped for years.

While national anthems are often marches or hymns celebrating a military event, some are considered too bloody and graphic for modern times. Amongst those which literally evoke blood, often that of their enemies, are Algeria’s Kassaman, Portugal’s A Portuguesa, France’s Marseillaise, Vietnam’s Tiến Quân Ca (The Marching song) and Belgium’s La Brabançonne.

Keep reading...Show less

Gùsto! How, What, Where Locals Eat (& Drink) In Lisbon

Lisbon, the capital city of Portugal, offers myriad delightful culinary experiences. Portuguese cuisine is known for its fresh ingredients, bold flavors and a rich mix of Mediterranean and Atlantic influences. From the sweet Pastéis de Nata to the savory Francesinha, local markets, neighborhood eateries or seafood restaurants will have everything you need to try!

A walk through this hilly city will definitely make your stomach growl, so take the time to stop and enjoy a savory port wine with some delicious petiscos, the Portuguese version of tapas!

Here are Worldcrunch’s recommendations to try the best of Portuguese cuisine.

Keep reading...Show less
Economy
Nathalie Villard

Twisting Open The Secrets Of Portugal's Cork Empire

In the hands of the same family since 1870, the world's largest producer of corks almost disappeared in the early 2000s. Today, this gem of Portuguese industry has not only reconquered its historic market, but has made cork the darling of many other sectors.

PORTO DE SANTA MARIA DA FEIRA — In the courtyard, mountains of bark await their turn before moving onto the conveyor belts. Scanned from every angle, they are distributed according to the thickness of their cork layer, before an artificial intelligence system scans them with cameras and tells robots where to drill, turning the bark into small cylinders. Nearby, a dozen human operators perform the same work by hand and eye. "Their expertise is unique, and we reserve it for our best customers," explains Carlos de Jesus, marketing director for cork company Amorim.

Once cut into perfect-looking corks, they undergo a final test. Conceiçao Loja, bending over bags ready for shipment, spots some with micro-defects. "Does it change the quality of the wine? No. But if you're a prestigious château, you expect everything to be perfect," proudly says the technician with 37 years' experience under her belt.

It's impossible to miss the factories along the 25 kilometers that separate Porto, Portugal from Santa Maria da Feira, Amorim's stronghold. Similar to the one we surveyed on this March morning, they're everywhere, churning out over 6 billion corks a year, which is half of the world's entire production. But wine and champagne houses, the company's long-standing customers, are not the only ones to benefit: from shoe soles to surfboards, insulation panels to rocket noses, stadium floors to ship decks, Amorim cork is everywhere.

Watch VideoShow less
In The News
Anne-Sophie Goninet and Chloé Touchard

Le Weekend: Killers’ Georgian Apology, Portrait Photographer Of The Year, AI & Pink Floyd

👋 សួស្តី*

Welcome to Saturday, where we take a look back at what’s been happening in the culture world this week, from the Georgian apology of U.S. rock band The Killers to the AI reconstruction of a Pink Floyd song using brainwaves and the rediscovery of a long lost Korean artwork. For our special Summer Reads edition of Worldcrunch Today, we feature an article by Ana Narciso in Portuguese news website Mensagem — and three other stories from around the world on culture and tradition.

[*Susadei - Khmer, Cambodia]

Watch VideoShow less
In The News
Emma Albright and Anne-Sophie Goninet

Ambush Kills Niger Troops, Drones Hit Ukraine Grain Silos, Harrison Ford Snake

👋 Adishatz!*

Welcome to Wednesday, where at least 17 Niger soldiers are killed in an attack by suspected jihadists near the border with Mali, Russian drones strike grain silos along the Danube River and, yes, Harrison Ford, it had to be snakes. For our special Summer Reads edition of Worldcrunch Today, we feature an article by Jan Schulte in German daily Die Welt — and three other stories from around the world on architecture.

[*Occitan, France]

Watch VideoShow less
Society
Marcelo Girardi Schappo

Case Of Fake Brazilian Doctor Sparks Outrage — But Is "Alternative Medicine" Any Safer?

Fear and anger spread in Brazil after a man posing as a doctor was found treating patients. But it raises the question of the dangers of those openly using “alternative medicine.” Who should be regulating these practices?

-OpEd-

SÂO PAULO — Earlier this spring, Thiago Celso Andrade Reges was arrested in the Brazilian state of Ceará for illegal practice of medicine, after having worked in several hospitals in the region.

He had previously gone to court in Brazil to get a validation of his Bolivian diploma, which turned out to be false. The Regional Council of Medicine of Ceará (Cremec) suspended his professional license and opened an internal investigation.

Easy question: why arrest someone who commits fraud by impersonating a doctor? I imagine the answer should not generate great disagreement among readers: it put people's health and lives at risk. Fake doctors don’t have adequate training, and they prescribe medicines and treatments, and issue diagnoses, which are not reliable. There is no reason to assume that their advice is based on a scientific background, or on the best knowledge available in the medical field.

But there's more to it than that. The case raises another intriguing question: would not the practice of “alternative medicine” be just as responsible for putting the lives and health of patients at risk as the practice of medicine without a degree?

Watch VideoShow less
Society
Álvaro Filho

The Brazilian Singer Trying To Shake The Sexism Out Of Samba

The Brazilian singer Nega Jaci has performed a new version of the well-known samba “Mulheres,” by Martinho da Vila, adapted by two Brazilian women to remove the sexist tone of the original lyrics.

LISBON — It's Saturday night in Lisbon, Portugal, and on stage at the bar Samambaia, in the Graça neighborhood, the beating of the tambourine and the strumming of the guitar signal the beginning of a hit by the carioca samba singer Martinho da Vila, which lists the various women who passed through the life of a man.

But this Saturday, the original version re-emerged as a new, liberating and empowered reinterpretatio, sung by Brazilian artist Nega Jaci.

Instead of "I've had women of all colors," Nega Jaci sings “We are women of all colors,” from an updated version created by Brazilian artists Doralyce and Silvia Duffrayer in 2018 – an adaptation that rewrites some stanzas of the original lyrics and which, since then, has become an anthem of female resistance in the “patriarchal” universe of samba.

The rewritten version by the Brazilian duo removes references to “unbalanced and confused” women in the lyrics, replacing them with feminist heroes in Brazil, including Chica da Silva and Elza Soares. Jaci also included a tribute to former Carioca councilwoman Marielle Franco, murdered in 2018.

The new lyrics reposition the woman's role, from being responsible for the man's happiness, finally concluding, in a liberated and independent tone, that the woman is everything that she one day dreamed to be.

Samba lyrics tend to be super sexist and prejudiced, looking at women either as objects to serve men or as someone who needs to be taken care of, without giving due value to female power,” explains Jaci, who was born in Bahia, Brazil as Jacilene Santos Barbosa and has been living in Lisbon for eight years.

The feminist version of the well-known samba is unmissable in her set, and the moment when Jaci sings it in the presentation is preceded by a call to the women in the audience. It is for them that the performance is dedicated.

“I sing in honor of the women, but the men end up listening and reflecting on the theme in their own way,” she says.

This reflection has led other musicians to also look for a way to reposition themselves. Jaci recalls that not even Chico Buarque himself, universally loved among Brazilian musicians and apparently incontestable, is immune to the slippage of lyrics written in other times and contexts, but which now seem to no longer find space in a repertoire governed by political correctness.

Watch VideoShow less
Society
Ana Narciso and Inês Leote

Marchas Populares, A Great Lisbon Tradition Is Missing Men

The Marchas Populares, Lisbon's summertime carnival parades, are a spectacle of dancing and music — but a shortage of money, free time and men who want to dance are endangering this midsummer tradition.

LISBON — With evictions in the city's “soul” neighborhoods and the aging of residents who have carried on traditions, it sometimes seems that a basic sense of community in Lisbon is fading away.

Nine years shy of their 100th year, Lisbon's traditional Popular Marches — nighttime carnival parades through the city's neighborhoods — are having a hard time finding participants to join the march, especially men.

Meanwhile, just across the river from Lisbon, in nearby municipalities Setúbal and Charneca da Caparica, the solution is to take marchers from one bank to the other.

For many of the participants in this traditional choreography, it no longer matters whether they dance for the neighborhood São Domingos de Benfica, Bica or Campo de Ourique. What they want is to keep going every year, and to save the future of this tradition, which for years has been struggling with a lack of men.

Watch VideoShow less
In The News
Emma Albright, Ginevra Falciani, Inès Mermat and Anne-Sophie Goninet

Sudan Prison Break, Taliban Kill ISIS Leader, Bye Bye Belafonte

👋 Allegra!*

Welcome to Wednesday, where a war crime suspect has been freed in Sudan after a prison break-out, the Taliban report the killing of the Islamic State leader believed to be behind the 2021 Kabul airport bombing, and we mourn the death of “Calypso King” Harry Belafonte. Meanwhile, in Ukrainian news website Livy Bereg, Oleksandr Kalinichenko looks at Ukraine’s expectations ahead of the July NATO summit.

[*Romansh, Switzerland]

Watch VideoShow less
In The News
Emma Albright & Ginevra Falciani

Zelensky Invites Xi, King Charles In Germany, Amsterdam v. British Lads

👋 Hyvää päivää!*

Welcome to Wednesday, where Volodymyr Zelensky formally invites Xi Jinping to Kyiv, top French banks raided in fraud probe, and Amsterdam is trying to keep British bachelor parties at bay. Meanwhile, Chinese-language media The Initium shines a light on the quiet emergence of China's gay senior community.

[*Finnish]

Watch VideoShow less