Former Portuguese president Aníbal Cavaco Silva defended the government’s handling of protest encampments during a State Council meeting, according to reporting by Observador. He reportedly warned that what he described as political manipulation of demonstrations by groups on the radical left, along with incidents of disrespect toward authorities, could undermine the state’s authority if the situation in the streets is not managed effectively. He also backed Prime Minister Luís Montenegro and the interior minister. The meeting’s main focus, however, was finding solutions to the housing crisis, rather than police actions, Observador reported.
There was no overnight encampment in Lisbon’s Rossio Square, although activist Renata Câmara put up a tent symbolically following a ruling by the Lisbon Administrative Court allowing her to do so. Protesters left shortly before 2 a.m. and said they planned to return that night. At a televised interview, Social Democratic Party parliamentary leader Hugo Soares argued that the ruling applied only to Câmara’s individual case. The court decision allows her to pitch a tent in the square after midnight and until November 24.
In Porto, demonstrators spent the night at Praça Dom João I, setting up more than a dozen tents. The movement welcomed Mayor Pedro Duarte’s willingness to hold a public meeting but said conditions were not yet in place. Activists listed four demands for a meeting: subsidised rents in all municipal homes, changes to eligibility rules for social housing, action to bring more than 20,000 identified vacant properties onto the market, and a ban on new short-term rental licences in residential properties, alongside the withdrawal of existing licences.
The United States has carried out new military strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing government sources. A White House source described the operation as defensive, saying it was aimed at Iranian forces using surface-to-air missiles against US assets and was intended to help keep the Strait of Hormuz secure. The strikes came hours before the US midterm elections, in which voters will decide control of Congress and elect governors in 36 states.
A new round of trilateral talks involving Ukraine, Russia and the United States is scheduled for November 10 and 11 in Abu Dhabi, US special envoy Steve Witkoff announced. Washington will mediate the discussions.
In football, Benfica beat Alverca 1-0 at the Estádio da Luz to close the 10th round of Portugal’s Primeira Liga. Vangelis Pavlidis scored the only goal from the penalty spot. Benfica coach Marco Silva called it the team’s worst performance of the season. Benfica remain second with 25 points, five behind leaders Porto and four ahead of Sporting.
Sporting face Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League in London, with Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge serving as the Ukrainian side’s temporary home ground. Interim coach Tiago Fernandes will lead Sporting until Paulo Fonseca takes over. Fernandes said the squad was confident ahead of the match, which could affect the team’s chances of reaching the competition’s next-stage playoff.
Sources: Observador.