Portugal Faces Its Worst Drought in More Than 20 Years

Barry Hatton / AP Sep 11, 2017 While parts of the United States and the Caribbean are drowning amid ferocious hurricanes, Portugal struggles to allocate scarce water resources. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Here’s Why the U.N. and WHO Both Want to Decriminalize Drugs

Staff / Truthdig Jul 10, 2017 It started with a little country called Portugal, which in 2001 opted to treat possession and use of small quantities of drugs as a public health issue, not a criminal one. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Energy Milestone: Renewables Power Portugal for Four Days Straight

Staff / Truthdig May 18, 2016 The achievement "comes just days after Germany announced that clean energy had powered almost all its electricity needs" on Sunday, The Guardian reports, adding that "power prices [turned] negative at several times in the day—effectively paying consumers to use it." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The Most Important Issues for Activists in 2016: An Interview With Kevin Zeese

Staff, Kevin Zeese / Truthdig Jan 8, 2016 The longtime political activist pinpoints what activists should be paying attention to in the new year, including the killing of people of color by the government through police violence, the climate crisis and the duopoly scam of American politics. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Something Remarkable Is Happening on the Political Left in Portugal

Staff / Truthdig Nov 29, 2015 After a general election left political options in Portugal a bit hazy this month, a coalition made up of the Socialist, Communist, Green and Left Bloc parties ousted a conservative government that held the reins for a mere 11 days. And that's not all the anti-austerity Portuguese have done in recent weeks. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Portugal’s Approach to Drugs Is Saving Lives; Why Aren’t We Copying It?

Natasha Hakimi Zapata / Truthdig Jun 16, 2015 In 2001, the Southern European country tackled drug use with what seemed like a radical plan. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Western Europe’s Right-Wing Parties Are Sensational but Ineffectual

William Pfaff / Truthdig Apr 16, 2015 The current transatlantic view of Europe is one of continental political decline, elegant at best but ominous at worst. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Is There Still Hope for the European Union?

Natasha Hakimi Zapata / Truthdig May 27, 2014 Far-right, Eurosceptic political parties won significant victories in the recent European parliament elections, but does this spell the end of the EU? Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

The True Actor

Natasha Hakimi Zapata / Truthdig Feb 14, 2014 Jacinto Lucas Pires' award-winning novel, "The True Actor," is the perfect illustration of writer Pedro Mexia's statement: "Portugal is traveling through a black tunnel where the light at the end is merely a train about to crash into it." The novel "The True Actor" is the perfect illustration of writer Pedro Mexia's statement: "Portugal is traveling through a black tunnel where the light at the end is merely a train about to crash into it." Dig deeper ( 7 Min. Read )

SparkNotes No More—Your Teacher Will Know

Staff / Truthdig Apr 10, 2013 With e-books, educators can see whether you've skipped pages or even bothered to open your textbook; a Spanish study claims there will be fewer people living on earth in the next century than now; meanwhile, although Portugal's government has failed to impose austerity, it's now come up with equivalent replacement measures. These discoveries and more after the jump. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

EU Debt Crisis

Luojie, Cagle Cartoons, China Daily, China Apr 2, 2013 Dig deeper

Austerity and the Threat to Democracy Around the World

Juan Cole / Truthdig Mar 4, 2013 The “sequester” is actually, of course, the American form of austerity, or cutbacks in government spending during a recession. Austerity, or stingy government in Europe has kept employment extremely depressed compared to what it would have been with government stimulus, as Paul Krugman argues. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )