The residents said the cat that was burned in a container at the top of a flaming pole was only singed. This latest example of Portugal’s attitude to animal welfare was claimed by locals to be ‘traditional.’

The GNR has opened an investigation in Mourão concerning a filmed incident at which a crowd of onlookers stood watching flames rise up a pole until a container in which a cat was held crashed to the ground in a burst of sparks, releasing the animal which they ran around in circles.

The director of Spain’s Alhambra palace is under investigation for alleged embezzlement of public funds.

Along with Maria del Mar Villafranca are four other members of the board of trustees.

China has sounded off about the planned appearance of the Dalai Lama at the Glastonbury Festival.

The Tibetan spiritual leader’s office has confirmed that the Dalai Lama would speak at the festival during his trip to the UK next week.

The first black vulture to be born in the Alentejo for decades has been announced by the League for the Protection of Nature.

There are two nesting pairs in the Moura area in Beja which arrived in March and have been monitored ever since to see if they successfully will breed.

The pharmaceutical division of multinational F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, which currently is engaged in more than 50 clinical trials in Portugal, today announced it will invest in a further €20 million over two years.

The company stated today that the current 50 clinical trials are taking place in 30 hospitals and 143 test centers involving 400 patients and over 500 health professionals.

The recent news item 'Faro GNR to prosecute woman for Facebook complaint' naturally has provoked some spirited 'readers comments' so David Thomas from Safe Communities Algarve contacted the man in charge to find out the GNR's point of view. 

He writes:

"Safe Communities Algarve have raised this case with the GNR at a senior level which has explained that the only reason why the woman is being prosecuted, is for "defamation" by making a false accusation of corruption, which is a serious crime.

Portugal’s regional train company is to extend its popular tourist ticket scheme to the Algarve.

The discount system was tested on tourists in Lisbon last year and now is to be rolled out in the Algarve.

A gradual rise in Portugal's mainland temperatures will continue until June 30 at a rate of two to four degrees per day, starting on Friday until a scorching Tuesday next week.

Temperatures will click up by an average of 2.4 degrees per day with up to 44 degrees Celsius now expected in the Alentejo. (44 degrees Celsius is 111F - in old money.)