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Breaking news and developing stories from across Portugal.

A black-and-turquoise Lisbon taxi crossing a cobbled square lined with pastel yellow and pink buildings under a clear blue sky.

A 25 Percent Ceiling on What Uber and Bolt Keep: Portugal's Rewritten Ride-Hailing Law Lands in the Official Gazette

Lei n.º 59/2026 was published on Tuesday and takes force on 1 November. It caps the platform's commission at 25 percent of the fare before VAT, bars platforms from owning cars or operators, puts a QR code on the windscreen sticker, and makes in-car video opt-in for both sides.

The Portugal Brief 25 Aug 2026

Riders in traditional Portuguese dress on Lusitano horses working the sand arena at the Feira Nacional do Cavalo in Golega at night, watched by a crowd.

The Feira da Golega Enters Public Consultation for Portugal's Intangible Heritage Inventory, With UNESCO the Stated Goal

Patrimonio Cultural, IP has opened a 30-day consultation on the draft decision to inscribe the fair in the national inventory. Deputy mayor Diogo Rosa calls it one more step, and says the main objective is for the process to move on to UNESCO. That would be the council's second UNESCO recognition.

The Portugal Brief 25 Aug 2026

A bronze statue of Justice holding a sword and chains, seen from below against the stone facade and carved relief of a Portuguese courthouse.

Two Olhao Police Officers Go on Trial on 8 September Over the Death of a Handcuffed Man

The Ministerio Publico charged the two PSP agents in July 2025 with sequestro and homicide. Aissa Ait Aissa died of a brain contusion 20 days after being beaten on a track at Pechao, outside the officers' patrol area, while handcuffed. The Tribunal de Faro sits on 8, 11 and 25 September.

The Portugal Brief 25 Aug 2026

An aerial view of five circular grey-domed anaerobic digester tanks at a biogas plant, set in green fields with farm buildings alongside.

A EUR 20.5 Million Biomethane Plant at Mares Draws 'We Want to Live in Peace' From Alenquer Residents

Gas da Terra wants to treat 84,000 tonnes of livestock effluent a year at Abrigada e Cabanas de Torres, with 30 lorries a day. The mayor says the council approved only a preliminary information request and sets one test: guarantee no odours, or it cannot be built.

The Portugal Brief 25 Aug 2026

The lit facade and emergency vehicle entrance of the Hospital de Santa Maria in Lisbon at night, with a blue direction sign reading excepto viaturas de emergencia.

Health Ministry Sets End of November to Name Portugal's First Wave of Regional Emergency Departments

The current network of more than 160 emergency services rests on an architecture defined over a decade ago. A working group under anaesthetist Antonio Marques da Silva is assessing which specialties should be concentrated regionally, with orthopaedics in Lisbon and Vale do Tejo named as a candidate.

The Portugal Brief 25 Aug 2026

A yellow Lisbon funicular car standing on the cobbled tracks of a steep narrow street lined with pastel buildings and wrought-iron balconies.

Portugal's Funiculars, Trams and Historic Lifts Move Under One Safety Regulator, a Year After the Gloria Disaster

President Seguro promulgated the decree-law on Monday. It covers metro and light metro, classic and modern trams, tourist light rail, and the lifts and funiculars that entered service before 1 January 1986. The IMT licenses the activity; the AMT takes safety certification and enforcement.

The Portugal Brief 25 Aug 2026

A yellow INEM ambulance marked Ministerio da Saude and 112 parked on cobbles in Lisbon, with the Castelo de Sao Jorge hillside behind it.

Two Emergency Ambulances in Every Council That Has None: The Terms INEM's Technicians Take Into Wednesday's Ministry Meeting

STEPH's strike notice for 14 and 28 September asks INEM to keep all 56 emergency ambulances, drop the plan to turn life-support ambulances into cars, and open two emergency ambulances in every council without one by the end of 2027. Only five councils have two or more today.

The Portugal Brief 25 Aug 2026

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