Portugal

Abundant rainfall has brought dams throughout Portugal near full capacity; the warning that controlled, temporary discharges of water from Odeleite and Beliche dams will be carried out, was saluted with curiosity and surprise as it didn't happen for years

For the centenary of Carlos Paredes, regarded as the father of Portuguese guitar music, Lisbon will host the first-ever Portuguese Guitar Festival on 7-8 March across five prominent venues, including Cinema São Jorge, Capitólio, and Variedades

The Nova University of Lisbon is organizing an Intergenerational Speed Dating event today to address the housing crisis and loneliness; the initiative aims to connect senior citizens with vacant rooms and students looking for accommodation in Lisbon

46.824 pending Immigration and Asylum Cases were registered at the end of 2024 in the Lisbon Administrative Court, 80 times more than in 2023; the figure is in contrast with the general trend of decreasing pending cases in the area

Remote work contracts have surged by 30% in just one year, marking the fourth consecutive annual increase; thousands of permanent contracts specifically include telecommuting, reflecting the popularity of this work model even after the pandemic ended

Portugal’s average net salary saw a 9,6% rise in 2024, reaching 1.142 euros, the largest increase in a decade; the rise was fueled by a 22% jump in the salaries of the Armed Forces, the strong rise in public sector wages, solid gains for farmers

LusoSpace, a pioneering national company, will launch its first satellite, PoSat 2, via SpaceX, to join the ATON constellation, focused on mapping oceans with crucial data on maritime traffic, illegal activities, spills, and drifting icebergs

The Convent of Christ in Tomar, a World Heritage monument, will undergo two requalification projects in 2025 for 5,2 million euros, fully funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan to "give new functional values ​​and qualified visiting conditions"

Hotel occupancy on New Year's Eve in Madeira is expected to be around 100%, according to the Secretariat of Economy, Tourism and Culture; “a reflection of the continuous effort to promote the region” according to stakeholders

Wolf presence decreased over the last two decades notwithstanding efforts of conservation that failed to reach their goals: latest census shows the area of ​​presence in Portugal was reduced by 20% and the number of packs decreased by 8% to 58

70 beaches have been closed this season, 58 of which in the Centre, Tagus and West regions, according to data from Agência Portuguesa do Ambiente published following the official end of the summer season on 31 October in mainland Portugal

A plane was grounded in the Azores for five days, unable to fly back to Lisbon, due to the escape of 132 hamsters from the hold, part an an order for hamsters, ferrets and some birds for a pet store