Registrations for the first phase of the national secondary school exams opened on 6 March and run until 19 March; students may also register for self‑proposed 9th‑grade tests. The Directorate‑General for Education (Direção‑Geral da Educação) published the registration rules: internal and self‑proposed students must register, take a Portuguese exam and choose two additional subjects according to the instructions. Students and parents should complete registrations before the 19 March deadline and follow the DGE guidance on subject choices.

Full circulation on Lisbon Metro's Red Line was restored at about 16:45 after service paused for roughly two hours following smoke detected between Oriente and Moscavide near a ventilation shaft. Fire crews said the incident involved smoke rather than active flames and the disruption began at 14:59; authorities identified a pile of rubbish near the ventilation entrance as the likely cause. Commuters and travellers using the Red Line should check for residual delays or alternate routes this evening.

The Institute for Employment and Professional Training (Instituto do Emprego e Formação Profissional or IEFP) approved 390 applications for an extraordinary fund to maintain jobs and support self‑employed workers hit by storm Kristin, allocating just over €11 million. The measure complements parliamentary emergency support for storm‑affected workers and aims to preserve payrolls in damaged businesses. Employers and affected workers should consult IEFP guidance on eligibility and payments.

Portugal and Spain formalised a joint, equal application to build a European artificial‑intelligence 'gigafactory', pitching an estimated €8 billion of investment and planning infrastructure on both sides of the border — with the Portuguese site expected in Sines. The proposal aims to compete for EU support in a spring selection process that will choose several projects under a public‑private framework. Regional businesses, universities and local planners should monitor the bid for procurement and employment opportunities.

More than a hundred people marched in central Lisbon in a protest organised by the General Confederation of Portuguese Workers (Confederação Geral dos Trabalhadores Portugueses or CGTP) demanding equality and opposing a labour package they say will worsen conditions for women. The march moved from Largo de Camões towards the parliament with banners and leaflets criticising the proposed changes. Workers and those concerned about labour rights should follow union and parliamentary developments.

Fitch Ratings kept Portugal's sovereign rating unchanged at A but upgraded the outlook to positive, citing expectations that public debt will decline significantly over 2026–2029 thanks to prudent fiscal policy. The move follows a similar outlook upgrade from S&P at the end of February, suggesting rating agencies are seeing lower medium‑term deficits. The change could help Portugal's borrowing costs and influence investor confidence; residents who follow government borrowing and interest‑rate trends should note possible knock‑on effects.

Évora Hospital has begun using an artificial‑intelligence system to improve the accuracy of cervical cancer screening, the first national public hospital to adopt the method. The pilot aims to support earlier detection and reduce diagnostic errors, with hospital teams integrating AI results into clinical review. Patients and those who attend public screening programmes should ask their local health unit about screening methods and follow-up procedures.

Parliament approved a simplified lay‑off measure guaranteeing 100% of gross salary (capped at €2,760) for workers affected by recent storms, but deputies from PSD, IL and CDS‑PP voted against the final text and delayed sending it for promulgation to the presidential office. The amendment — driven by left‑wing parties and supported by the rest of the assembly — targets about 4,500 workers in affected firms. Workers in storm‑hit areas and employers should note the political opposition has postponed immediate formal promulgation.

Bluepharma will open a new production unit in Coimbra for complex injectable medicines related to gene therapy, with operations expected to start in April; the project is the result of a consortium of ten entities and marks further investment in pharmaceutical innovation. The unit is intended to support manufacturing capacity for advanced therapies and may create specialised local jobs. Healthcare and biotech workers, and regional suppliers, should watch hiring and procurement notices as the unit becomes operational.

Mariana Fonseca, the former nurse sentenced to 23 years for the 2020 murder of an IT worker in the Algarve, was arrested by Interpol in Jakarta and placed in custody on 5 March as Portuguese authorities prepare extradition. The Judicial Police executed an international arrest warrant after months on the run. Family members of victims and anyone with safety concerns should monitor court and consular updates as extradition procedures proceed.

The Polícia Judiciária (PJ) and Spain's National Police coordinated an operation that dismantled a cross‑border network that used Portugal to traffic and exploit immigrants in Spain. Authorities carried out arrests and are investigating the group's routes and labour‑exploitation methods. Those involved in recruitment or employment of migrant workers should expect continued police scrutiny and possible legal action in cross‑border cases.

AIMA has launched a digital portal that is gradually streamlining Golden Visa renewals and other administrative residency steps, and reports say processing times are starting to improve. The portal aims to reduce paperwork and speed routine steps in the residency process, though rollout is gradual. Visa holders and applicants should watch AIMA communications for portal access and guidance on which steps can now be completed online.

The DE‑SNS has instructed public hospitals to halt planned increases in consultations and surgeries and told managers there is no room for additional hiring beyond planned staffing levels as a cost‑control measure. Hospital managers have expressed dissatisfaction, saying the move forces tighter local rationing of services to meet budget constraints. Those relying on public care should expect slower expansion of services and possible delays for non-urgent appointments.

The Azores will expand local services for immigrants in July so residents outside Faial, Terceira and São Miguel no longer need to travel to those islands to handle documentation. The change will affect about 9,000 immigrants in the archipelago and aims to decentralise consular/immigration procedures. Immigrants living on smaller Azorean islands should plan to use local services from July rather than travel between islands.