Nearly a year after seeking refuge in Portugal, a Ukrainian family faces challenges with schooling their child, Dmytro, who is among over 14,000 minors that arrived in Portugal since the war began. Only 32% of these children attend Portuguese schools. Dmytro tried a local school but struggled without Ukrainian peers and understanding Portuguese, leading to a decision to continue his education online with a Ukrainian school. Daily classes are sometimes disrupted by bombings or power outages. Alyona Smertina from the Association of Ukrainians in Portugal explains that many Ukrainian families opt out of Portuguese schools due to plans to return to Ukraine or to complete the school year online before integrating. The Portuguese Minister of Education has expressed concern over the low enrollment of Ukrainian refugee children in Portuguese schools.

On February 13, the final report of the Independent Commission for the Study of Sexual Abuse in the Portuguese Catholic Church will be made public. The commission had already validated 424 testimonies by October, with most cases being legally expired. The president of the commission highlighted the consistency of the testimonies, indicating endemic proportions of abuse in some places. Carla Ferreira of the Portuguese Association for Victim Support (APAV) and psychologist Ricardo Barroso provided insights, suggesting that the number of reported cases is just a fraction of the actual situation. The commission received the 2022 award from APAV. The Catholic Church in Portugal is preparing to take appropriate measures, with a plenary assembly of the Portuguese Catholic episcopate scheduled for March 3 to further analyze the report.

Portugal is facing a healthcare crisis as several obstetric emergencies have closed due to a shortage of specialists. The crisis intensified after the death of a baby in June north of Lisbon when the hospital's obstetrics service was closed. Healthcare professionals are demanding higher wages and better working conditions. Diogo Ayres de Campos, head of the Emergency Obstetric and Childbirth Care team, mentioned ongoing reorganization efforts. Amidst the crisis, two babies died, and a pregnant woman passed away while being transferred to another hospital. Former Health Minister Marta Temido resigned a week ago. The crisis is partly attributed to an increase in pregnant women from other countries choosing to give birth in Portugal.

Portugal's presidential election is set to occur under challenging circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the country in lockdown and traditional campaigning disrupted.

Portugal is preparing for its presidential election on Sunday, with current president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, supported by the center-right PSD and the Christian Democrat CDS, expected to win decisively. Prime Minister António Costa of the Socialist Party also unofficially supports Sousa. The Socialist Party, which governs in minority with support from left-wing parties, has recently lost the backing of the Left Bloc. Political Science students and professors from the University of Minho provide insights into the election's implications for the power dynamics between the Presidency and the Government, especially during the ongoing health and social crisis caused by the pandemic.

The large market in Valença, Portugal, has reopened after over two months of closure due to COVID-19, but vendors like Deolinda Martins are experiencing a lack of customers, primarily because Spanish customers cannot cross the closed border. The historic center's businesses, mostly reliant on Spanish tourism, remain largely shut. Valença's mayor, Manuel Lopes, questions the continued closure, citing no active coronavirus cases in Valença and a less severe pandemic impact in neighboring Galicia, Spain. A press conference is planned on the historic bridge connecting northern Portugal with Galicia by the mayors of the eurocity Valença-Tui to request the reopening of the border.