Welcome to the Week em Breve, a wrap-up of important Portuguese news to keep you up to date and in the know.
U.S. immigrants in Portugal protest against Trump
Hundreds of Americans living in Portugal gathered at Praça do Comércio, Lisbon, on Saturday to demonstrate against the Donald Trump administration, Euronews reports.
The protest was part of the wider “Hands off!” movement against Trump and tech tycoon Elon Musk, which saw millions gather across more than 1,200 locations in the United States on Saturday.
Speaking to Lusa news agency about the Portuguese demonstration, Caryl Hallberg, 73, said: “We know what fascism is, and that’s what’s happening” [in the U.S.], Euronews reports.
U.S. tariffs to hit Portugal’s iconic products
Portugal will be significantly affected by the 20% tariff on all EU goods announced by the U.S. last week, Público reports.
The U.S. is Portugal’s biggest trading partner outside the EU, and the new tariffs could impact iconic products such as cork, footwear, and wine.
It is too early to know the exact impacts of these tariffs, which are set to come into effect on Wednesday, Apr. 9.
First data center at Start Campus in Sines opens
The first of five data centers planned for the Start Campus in Sines was inaugurated on Friday, Público reports.
In total, the campus will have a capacity of 1.2 gigawatts (GW), which would make it the largest data center in Europe.
Demand for data centers has increased dramatically in recent years, partly because of artificial intelligence, which requires huge computing power.
American investment fund Davidson Kempner and British Pioneer Point Partners plan to invest €8.5 billion in Start Campus over the next five years, Reuters reports.
March saw more than double the average rainfall, says national weather service
Those hoping to enjoy a sunny spring in Lisbon were left disappointed by unusually high rain and low temperatures last month.
It was the fifth rainiest and ninth coldest March since 2000, according to the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera, IPMA).
There was 177.5 mm of precipitation — 100.1 mm more than normal, the agency reported in its monthly bulletin.
Portugal bans deep-sea mining
Portugal has implemented a moratorium on deep-sea mining in Portuguese waters until 2050, Expresso reports.
This makes Portugal the first European country to ban the practice, garnering praise from environmental groups who say deep-sea mining would be detrimental to marine life.
Deep-sea mining extracts minerals, such as copper and cobalt, from the ocean floor at depths below 200 meters.
New dinosaur discovered
A new dinosaur discovered in Portugal is believed to have lived more than 148 million years ago and could be one of the largest bipedal herbivores ever found from the Jurassic era in Portugal, Sabado reports.
The discovery was made by researchers from the Faculty of Science and Technology of NOVA University Lisbon and Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia in Spain.
The researchers said it was too early to name the species, due to a lack of material, but the discovery highlights how much remains to be learned, according to Sabado.
