Portugal

The memorial honoring victims of sexual abuse by members of the Catholic Church in Portugal will not be presented at the World Youth Day 1-6th August as “it is still being studied”; the memorial was controversial since it was announced

The Government will extend VAT zero basket until the end of the year, an exceptional and temporary application of VAT exemption for 44 essential food products that aims at mitigating the impact of inflation

Applications to obtain Portuguese nationality increased by about 37% reaching 74.506 last year compared to 2021; it is the highest figure in four years, said Foreigners and Borders Service SEF

A new tobacco law has been approved: it bans smoking at beaches, public swimming pools and water parks as well as next to certain public buildings such as schools, hospitals, restaurants and will be effective starting October 2023

Tonight, St. Anthony Day's eve, the matchmaker Saint, 16 couples will be married in Sé Cathedral in Lisbon; a tradition since 1958, now the ritual includes press and TV coverage and live broadcast and is sponsored by the City and local wedding planners

A new 5 euros coin will enter into circulation today 1st June; 30.000 coins will be issued and can be used in Portugal only

Parliament has approved medically assisted dying with 129 pro votes and 81 cons, thus making it compulsory for President de Sousa to sign the reform within eight days from its publication in the official Gazette

There is 'no need' to limit water use, reportedly insisted Environment Minister Duarte Cordeiro, despite the fact that the continental territory is considered 89% drought-affected

A public tender worth €1,48 million has been issued for the purchase of a platform that will manage and store information collected from municipal bodycam and video surveillance systems

The Council of Loulé has officially launched a project to build a Cancer Centre in the Algarve that will open by the end of 2024, addressing the shortage of cancer and radiotherapy care in the Algarve in comparison to the rest of the country

A scientific programme to prevent the risk of dementia in people over 60 is being developed by a multidisciplinary research team, coordinated by the University of Coimbra