General Daily Briefing: Friday, 25 September 2026
Good morning. Here is your Friday briefing for 25 September 2026: the day's essential Portugal stories for residents, immigrants and anyone keeping an eye on the country, from a night of wildfires in the south to a school lunch row in the Ribatejo, plus two new practical guides.
- Wildfires: more than 400 firefighters were still on a fire in Odemira at dawn, and a blaze in Ourique held about 500 train passengers on the Linha do Sul.
- Farming: the Shamonda cattle virus has reached seven farms in Spain, and the DGAV asks for suspected cases in Portugal to be reported.
- Porto: the council cleared a viaduct where 30 to 40 homeless people lived and pointed them to a new 120-bed night shelter.
- Security: Maritime Police inspectors say 17 narco-boats were seized this year and all 37 suspects went free.
- Universities: NOVA's trustees have refused to confirm Paulo Pereira as rector, citing illegalities in his election.
- Schools: Entroncamento has been withholding school lunches from pupils whose families owe money since 21 September.
Donating Your Body to Science in Portugal
How to leave your body to a Portuguese medical school, from signing up with the faculties in Porto and Lisbon to what happens after death, what it costs and who pays, when a school can say no, and how to object if you do not want your body used.
Emergency Numbers in Portugal and When to Call Them
Which number to call for police, fire, an ambulance, poisoning, sea rescue or victim support, when the SNS 24 line is the better call than 112, how warnings reach you in wildfire season, and a printable list of every number.
A Night of Fires From Odemira to Resende
A wildfire that started at 16:51 on Thursday near Nave Redonda, in the parish of Sabóia in Odemira, was still active at dawn, with 439 firefighters and 149 vehicles on it at 05:45. It had two fronts overnight and came close to some houses; two Portimão firefighters were slightly hurt when their engine crashed and burned. RTP reported at 01:00 that it had reached São Marcos da Serra, in Silves. A separate fire in Ourique closed the Linha do Sul between Ermidas do Sado and Funcheira from 17:49 to about 23:00, holding about 500 passengers, including an Alfa Pendular and two Intercidades. In Resende, a firefighter was seriously injured by a falling tree. Anyone travelling south by train today should check CP's service information, and live incident data is on prociv.gov.pt.
A New Cattle Virus Reaches Iberia
The Shamonda virus, a midge-borne relative of Schmallenberg that reached Europe for the first time this summer, has been confirmed on seven cattle farms in Córdoba and Toledo, the first cases on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal's veterinary authority, the DGAV, has published a note asking for closer surveillance and for suspected cases to be reported through its disease notification system; it does not report any case in Portugal. In adult cattle the virus causes fever, diarrhoea and a 10 to 20 percent drop in milk for 7 to 10 days, and most animals recover. In pregnant cows it can cross the placenta and cause abortions or malformations. Cattle keepers who see those signs should call their vet.
Porto Closes the Grijó Viaduct Camp
Porto City Council cleared and closed the Grijó viaduct in Lordelo do Ouro on Thursday, where between 30 and 40 homeless people had been living, some for years. The mayor, Pedro Duarte, said they can now sleep at the council's new Centro Municipal de Pernoita, a 120-bed night shelter that opened about a week ago with showers, clean clothes, breakfast, social and health follow-up, and room for pets. "We are offering everything," he said, and in return the council will be "relentless" with anyone who degrades public space. If the shelter works, he plans others elsewhere in the city. Porto ended 2025 with 526 people living on the street, the council said in July.
Arrested at Sea, Released on Land
The association of Portugal's Maritime Police inspectors and chiefs says the force has seized 17 high-speed narco-boats since January, with five tonnes of cocaine, about a tonne of hashish and more than nine tonnes of fuel, and detained 37 suspects, all of whom were released with light coercive measures. "We will go on arresting at sea only to release on land," its president, Manuel José Serrano Faustino, wrote, calling for the PolÃcia Judiciária to coordinate operations at the scene. The association blames years of neglect under the Navy-led Maritime Authority: no recruitment between 2009 and 2015, four new boats since 2009 and no budget of its own. It wants one, with more officers and a direct link to the GNR's coastal surveillance.
NOVA Still Has No Confirmed Rector
The Board of Trustees of the Universidade Nova de Lisboa voted unanimously on Thursday not to confirm Paulo Pereira's election as rector, citing "illegalities committed throughout the process" and calling its own decision "unprecedented and serious". Pereira was re-elected on 13 May with 15 votes after a court ordered the 2025 election repeated; in August the Lisbon Administrative Court annulled that vote too, finding the date had been set at eight days' notice instead of a month and that the General Council's mandate had expired. The university appealed. Pereira has said he will use every legal means to suspend the trustees' decision. A new higher education law in force since 1 August provides for rectors to be elected by direct vote, but not in elections already under way.
No Lunch Until the Account Is Paid
Entroncamento City Council has confirmed that since 21 September it has been suspending school meals for pupils whose families owe money on their meal accounts. The practice came to light when a father, Fernando MaurÃcio, told Tuesday's council meeting that he was phoned at about 11:30 and told his daughter at the Escola Básica António Gedeão would have no lunch. He admitted the debt but called it "inadmissible" to leave a child without a meal, and said staff had phoned more than 50 parents. The mayor, Nelson Cunha (Chega), said three emails had been sent and promised to review how families are warned. Families on lower incomes can apply for Ação Social Escolar, which makes meals free in bracket A and cheaper in bracket B.
