From January 1 the ADSE reimbursement for spectacle purchases has been capped at €180 per year. In February the scheme will also apply revised fee schedules for radiology, gastroenterology and surgery. The combined package is estimated to cost ADSE €15.4 million; the changes are likely to shift some costs onto patients, alter provider billing patterns and increase pressure on the public supplementary health fund and wider state finances.

The Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) has called for voters to back António José Seguro in the presidential run‑off to prevent far‑right candidate André Ventura winning, a tactical appeal rather than an endorsement of Seguro. Secretary‑General Jerónimo de Sousa (Raimundo) framed the move as a ‘‘determined and unhesitating’’ effort to defeat a ‘‘candidate of the past’’, noting Seguro’s ability to attract votes beyond the Socialist base — including former AD and IL supporters — while Ventura is making inroads in the north where AD once dominated. The PCP stressed the vote is a defensive measure ahead of the 8 February second round, rejecting the notion this is a simple left‑versus‑right clash given the absence of a left‑wing candidate.

The Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) warns that Depression Ingrid will affect mainland Portugal with rain, snow, strong winds and rough seas through Saturday (with some alerts into Sunday). Showers may include hail and thunder, and hazardous marine and coastal conditions are expected. Authorities and the public should prepare for disruption to travel, coastal activities and other weather-sensitive operations.

The Government has acknowledged the seriousness of issues affecting the SNS and signalled readiness to engage with the Doctors' Federation. The health ministry described FNAM's proposals on medical residency, parental provisions, assessment and career progression as essential, opening a potential dialogue on reforms aimed at strengthening the medical workforce and improving retention within Portugal's public healthcare system.

A preliminary protocol for Banco Português de Fomento’s new Financial Instrument for Innovation and Competitiveness (IFIC) foresees a €1 billion credit line covering projects in reindustrialisation, defence and artificial intelligence. Companies using bank loans to finance the portion of IFIC‑supported projects will benefit from a two‑year grace period, easing early repayment pressures and potentially encouraging private co‑finance. The measure signals a targeted industrial‑policy push to mobilise investment and employment in strategic sectors while leveraging public support to unlock additional bank lending.

The Government and UGT-affiliated unions Fesap and STE will sign an agreement raising the State minimum wage (Public Administration Remuneration Base, BRAP) to €1,116.55 in 2029 — effectively €1,117. The deal, due to be signed on Wednesday, formalises a planned uplift for public-sector pay that will interact with cost-of-living pressures and broader labour-market indicators, signalling the state’s approach to wage policy ahead of 2029.

The Mota‑Engil‑led consortium plans to submit a revised environmental project to the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) for the two Porto–Lisbon high‑speed (TGV) subsections in Gaia that the APA deemed non‑compliant on 20 December. The new submission is expected by the end of Q1; it must address the APA’s compliance concerns — likely shortcomings in environmental impact assessment, mitigation measures or route design — for the scheme to progress. Approval timing will be decisive for the project’s schedule and costs: if the APA accepts the revisions, the programme can move on to later permitting and procurement stages; further objections or additional information requests would delay construction and raise political and commercial risks for the consortium.

Guimarães has been chosen as the site for the presentation of Portugal’s national space strategy, a symbolic starting point for mayor Ricardo Araújo’s plan to turn the municipality — home to the Guimarães Space Hub — into an Iberian leader in the aerospace sector. Local authorities are pursuing rehabilitation of facilities, investment and economic activation to attract industry, create jobs and build a skills pipeline. Realising that ambition will require sustained funding, coordination with national and international partners, and targeted policies to translate strategy into industrial growth rather than a one‑off showcase.

Hans Jørgen Wiberg, who was born in Denmark in 1965 and lives with tunnel vision, co‑founded Be My Eyes in 2015 to reduce everyday barriers for people who are blind or visually impaired. The mobile app connects users with sighted volunteers through live video calls so volunteers can provide remote visual assistance on demand. While the model has strong accessibility impact and low technical complexity, it depends on the scale and quality of a volunteer network and raises operational questions around reliability, privacy and availability. Given the headline framing as an “AI” app, the service also highlights an intersection where human‑in‑the‑loop assistance could be augmented by machine vision — offering potential scalability but bringing technical, ethical and usability trade‑offs that warrant careful deployment.

Inês Lynce, chair of INESC‑ID and co‑director of the Carnegie Mellon Portugal Programme, argues Portugal must act to retain professionals skilled in generative artificial intelligence and adapt education and policy to do so. She urges a wider societal pause to define what we want from AI, calling for clearer public information, informed debate and targeted retention and training measures to align technological development with public interest.