TOPIC

/ location

Portugal

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Portugal. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Lisbon

Head of State

President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa

Head of Government

Prime Minister Luís Montenegro

Former head of the navy and candidate for the upcoming 18 January presidential election, Henrique Gouveia e Melo, visits the local Monte Abracao market in Queluz, Sintra, Portugal, on Saturday. Gouveia e Melo rose to national prominence after being appointed coordinator of the Task Force for the successful national COVID-19 vaccination plan that saw Portugal have the highest vaccination rates in the world. Photo: EPA-EFE

European Union

Portugal’s 11 presidential candidates debate migration, instability

A government package of labour reforms, a major strike, and a law permitting euthanasia and doctor-assisted suicide will also land on the president’s desk.

4 Jan 2026 - 5:32PM

The Philippines

Not for cars: Philippine fugitive accused of building ‘cash basement’

24 Dec 2025 - 5:55PMvideocam

United States

Trump suspends US green card lottery after Brown, MIT shootings

19 Dec 2025 - 2:46PM

The Philippines

Can UN anti-corruption pact bring Zaldy Co back to Philippines?

The former lawmaker, who is facing charges linked to the Philippines’ flood control scandal, is suspected to have fled to Portugal.

16 Dec 2025 - 9:04PMvideocam

Fugitive Philippine lawmaker Zaldy Co (left) and President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr. Photo: Handout, AFP

Banking & finance

Hong Kong signs tax treaty with Norway, marking fourth such agreement this year

Treasury chief Christopher Hui said the government plans to begin CDTA negotiations with Slovenia and Oman early next year.

16 Dec 2025 - 6:47PM

Lando Norris

WAG to watch? Meet F1 champion Lando Norris’ girlfriend, Margarida Corceiro

Norris – who beat Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri to claim the F1 title at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – celebrated his victory with Corceiro.

11 Dec 2025 - 6:00PM

Americas and the Caribbean

Venezuela airspace should be considered ‘closed in its entirety’, Trump says

The South American nation slammed the US president’s ‘colonialist threat’, and said his comments were incompatible with international law.

30 Nov 2025 - 1:57PM

Latam Airlines planes sit on the tarmac in Bogota, Colombia on Friday. Several other airlines have also cancelled flights in recent days following a security alert issued by the United States related to Venezuela. Photo: AFP

Tourism

‘Hawaii of Europe’: how Madeira’s hiking trails offer movie-set-worthy scenery

Hiking is a huge draw to Madeira, where Earth’s largest surviving expanse of laurel forest is inscribed as a Unesco World Heritage site.

26 Nov 2025 - 3:15PM

Asean

Opinion | East Timor’s membership marks a new chapter for Asean

Dili can bolster Asean’s diplomatic outreach and action on shared concerns, while other members can lend a hand in East Timor’s development.

12 Nov 2025 - 9:30AMvideocam

Technology

‘Western tech dominance fading,’ Web Summit CEO says at ‘Davos for geeks’

Paddy Cosgrave says that situation is clearer ‘this year, more than any year before’, which is evidence of a multipolar tech industry.

11 Nov 2025 - 3:54PM

Portuguese Minister of State Reform Goncalo Matias (left) and Lisbons Mayor Carlos Moedas, right, (right, with microphone) cheer during the opening ceremony of Web Summit 2025 at Parque das Nacoes in Lisbon, on Monday. The summit will run until November 14. Photo: AFP

United States

Shutdown forces some overseas US military bases to stop paying workers

Local staff in Italy and Portugal have been without pay, while governments in some other countries are footing the bill for now.

9 Nov 2025 - 10:44AM

A US Air Force C-5 Galaxy takes off from the joint-use Spanish and US base in Moron, southern Spain, in September 2001. Photo: AP

Asean

Editorial | East Timor’s journey to Asean membership can be source of inspiration

Asia’s youngest country has come a long way from war and occupation to increased investment and strong relationships with its neighbours.

2 Nov 2025 - 6:45AM

Russia

Freed French cyclist describes ‘strange experience’ after Russian detention

Sofiane Sehili, who had faced a possible two-year sentence for illegally crossing the border, did not complain of mistreatment in detention.

28 Oct 2025 - 10:38AM

Food and Drinks

Obituary | The life of Antonio Coelho, founder of Antonio’s in Macau, who died aged 77

A leader in Portuguese and Macanese cuisine, Coelho was a larger-than-life character who was passionate about food and hospitality.

17 Oct 2025 - 5:26PM

Antonio Neves Coelho was a prominent ambassador for Portuguese cuisine in Macau. Photo courtesy of Mercy Granada Neves Coelho

China consumption

China sees uptick in ‘super golden week’ spending amid record travel surge

China’s transport hubs handled a record 2.4 billion trips during the extended holiday, though consumers favoured value-for-money deals.

9 Oct 2025 - 4:05PM

China recorded a record surge in travel during the just-concluded “golden week” holiday, with the country’s transport hubs handling more than 2.4 billion passenger trips. Photo: AFP

Germany

Madeleine McCann suspect tries to confront prosecutor who accused him of murder

Christian Brueckner, chief suspect in the 2007 disappearance of the UK child, was denied a meeting with Hans Christian Wolters in Germany.

30 Sep 2025 - 6:45AM

International Property

As Fed lowers rates, which real estate markets should investors eye?

Researchers from Knight Frank and Juwai IQI share their insights into various markets – and the factors investors need to be thinking about.

28 Sep 2025 - 9:30AM

Israel-Gaza war

Editorial | Israeli-Palestinian compromise vital to secure a two-state solution

The growing worldwide recognition of a Palestinian state will not be enough to create one. Much remains to be done.

24 Sep 2025 - 6:45AM

Displaced Palestinian children wave Palestinian flags as they stand among the rubble at the Bureij refugee camp in the Gaza Strip on September 22. It should be clear to the far-right government of Benjamin Netanyahu that the almost unconditional US support cannot last. Photo: AFP

Israel-Gaza war

France joins other Western nations in recognising Palestinian state

‘We must do everything within our power to preserve the very possibility of a two-state solution,’ French President Macron told a UN summit.

23 Sep 2025 - 9:10AMvideocam

China-EU relations

Flagging imbalances in China, EU chamber urges course correction in 5-year plan

Exhorting the need for a ‘new, productive development model’, latest chamber position paper airs members’ grievances.

17 Sep 2025 - 5:01PMvideocam

Malaysia

Malaysian comedian Uncle Roger marries best friend in star-studded wedding

Ng, better known as Uncle Roger, tied the knot with the US-based lawyer in a lavish three-day celebration in Sintra.

17 Sep 2025 - 9:36AM

Nigel Ng and his wife Sabrina Ahmed during their wedding in Portugal in July. Photo: Instagram/mrnigelng

Tourism

2 Koreans and a Swiss national among 16 dead in Lisbon tram crash

A cable on the popular tourist attraction appears to have snapped, causing it to hurtle down a hill and crash into a building.

5 Sep 2025 - 2:47AMvideocam

Police officers inspect the site where a tourist streetcar derailed and crashed in Lisbon, Portugal on Thursday. Photo: Reuters

Crime

Alarm as ‘dangerous’ Madeleine McCann suspect set to be freed in Germany

Christian Brueckner, suspected of killing British three-year-old Madeleine McCann, has a history of violent sex crimes.

5 Sep 2025 - 3:47PM

Tourism

16 dead in Lisbon tram crash as Portugal observes day of mourning

Authorities declared Thursday a day of national mourning after tragedy hits popular tourist attraction.

4 Sep 2025 - 9:18PMvideocam

China's military weapons

Western leaders parse China military parade displaying national pride

US President Donald Trump says America deserves more credit for helping China gain its freedom.

4 Sep 2025 - 10:45PMvideocam

Military personnel take part in a parade in Beijing on Wednesday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Japan’s World War II surrender. Photo: AP

Trip Inspiration

8 sustainable getaways: are these the world’s most eco-friendly destinations?

Singapore, Copenhagen, Bhutan and others put the planet and local communities first.

25 Aug 2025 - 6:00PM

Sunbathers near the Royal Library in Copenhagen, beside a harbour that is clean enough to swim in. Photo: Getty Images

Spain

‘Like a hurricane’: Spain, Portugal battle wildfires as death toll mounts

More than 343,000 hectares of land – the equivalent of nearly half a million football pitches – destroyed this year in Spain, in new record.

18 Aug 2025 - 9:10PM

Climate change

‘Extreme danger across nation’: 500 extra troops sent to fight Spain fires

Fires in Spain have burned 390,000 acres in 2025 - around the size of metropolitan London - with Europe warming twice as fast as the global average.

17 Aug 2025 - 11:53PMvideocam

Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.

SUPPORT NOW

Portugal

Portugal’s 11 presidential candidates debate migration, instability

A government package of labour reforms, a major strike, and a law permitting euthanasia and doctor-assisted suicide will also land on the president’s desk.

Not for cars: Philippine fugitive accused of building ‘cash basement’

Trump suspends US green card lottery after Brown, MIT shootings

Can UN anti-corruption pact bring Zaldy Co back to Philippines?

The former lawmaker, who is facing charges linked to the Philippines’ flood control scandal, is suspected to have fled to Portugal.

Hong Kong signs tax treaty with Norway, marking fourth such agreement this year

Treasury chief Christopher Hui said the government plans to begin CDTA negotiations with Slovenia and Oman early next year.

WAG to watch? Meet F1 champion Lando Norris’ girlfriend, Margarida Corceiro

Norris – who beat Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri to claim the F1 title at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – celebrated his victory with Corceiro.

Venezuela airspace should be considered ‘closed in its entirety’, Trump says

The South American nation slammed the US president’s ‘colonialist threat’, and said his comments were incompatible with international law.

‘Hawaii of Europe’: how Madeira’s hiking trails offer movie-set-worthy scenery

Hiking is a huge draw to Madeira, where Earth’s largest surviving expanse of laurel forest is inscribed as a Unesco World Heritage site.

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Opinion | East Timor’s membership marks a new chapter for Asean

Dili can bolster Asean’s diplomatic outreach and action on shared concerns, while other members can lend a hand in East Timor’s development.

‘Western tech dominance fading,’ Web Summit CEO says at ‘Davos for geeks’

Paddy Cosgrave says that situation is clearer ‘this year, more than any year before’, which is evidence of a multipolar tech industry.

Shutdown forces some overseas US military bases to stop paying workers

Local staff in Italy and Portugal have been without pay, while governments in some other countries are footing the bill for now.

Editorial | East Timor’s journey to Asean membership can be source of inspiration

Asia’s youngest country has come a long way from war and occupation to increased investment and strong relationships with its neighbours.

Freed French cyclist describes ‘strange experience’ after Russian detention

Sofiane Sehili, who had faced a possible two-year sentence for illegally crossing the border, did not complain of mistreatment in detention.

.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Obituary | The life of Antonio Coelho, founder of Antonio’s in Macau, who died aged 77

A leader in Portuguese and Macanese cuisine, Coelho was a larger-than-life character who was passionate about food and hospitality.

China sees uptick in ‘super golden week’ spending amid record travel surge

China’s transport hubs handled a record 2.4 billion trips during the extended holiday, though consumers favoured value-for-money deals.

Madeleine McCann suspect tries to confront prosecutor who accused him of murder

Christian Brueckner, chief suspect in the 2007 disappearance of the UK child, was denied a meeting with Hans Christian Wolters in Germany.

As Fed lowers rates, which real estate markets should investors eye?

Researchers from Knight Frank and Juwai IQI share their insights into various markets – and the factors investors need to be thinking about.

Editorial | Israeli-Palestinian compromise vital to secure a two-state solution

The growing worldwide recognition of a Palestinian state will not be enough to create one. Much remains to be done.

France joins other Western nations in recognising Palestinian state

‘We must do everything within our power to preserve the very possibility of a two-state solution,’ French President Macron told a UN summit.

Flagging imbalances in China, EU chamber urges course correction in 5-year plan

Exhorting the need for a ‘new, productive development model’, latest chamber position paper airs members’ grievances.

Malaysian comedian Uncle Roger marries best friend in star-studded wedding

Ng, better known as Uncle Roger, tied the knot with the US-based lawyer in a lavish three-day celebration in Sintra.

2 Koreans and a Swiss national among 16 dead in Lisbon tram crash

A cable on the popular tourist attraction appears to have snapped, causing it to hurtle down a hill and crash into a building.

Alarm as ‘dangerous’ Madeleine McCann suspect set to be freed in Germany

Christian Brueckner, suspected of killing British three-year-old Madeleine McCann, has a history of violent sex crimes.

16 dead in Lisbon tram crash as Portugal observes day of mourning

Authorities declared Thursday a day of national mourning after tragedy hits popular tourist attraction.

Western leaders parse China military parade displaying national pride

US President Donald Trump says America deserves more credit for helping China gain its freedom.

8 sustainable getaways: are these the world’s most eco-friendly destinations?

Singapore, Copenhagen, Bhutan and others put the planet and local communities first.

‘Like a hurricane’: Spain, Portugal battle wildfires as death toll mounts

More than 343,000 hectares of land – the equivalent of nearly half a million football pitches – destroyed this year in Spain, in new record.

‘Extreme danger across nation’: 500 extra troops sent to fight Spain fires

Fires in Spain have burned 390,000 acres in 2025 - around the size of metropolitan London - with Europe warming twice as fast as the global average.

Opinion | East Timor’s membership marks a new chapter for Asean

Obituary | The life of Antonio Coelho, founder of Antonio’s in Macau, who died aged 77