The Federation of Hunters of the Algarve, with help from hunting clubs and associations, and hunting tourism companies, are scouring the countryside today to clear up any rubbish left by hunters and walkers in preparation for the annual slaughter of wildlife.

The traditional walkabout to tidy up hunting zones in the region’s farms and forests has the full support of Parish Councils who are to benefit from the proceeds of the sale of any scrap metal collected. Any money thus raised will go to local charitable causes and needy citizens.

Portugal's security police bosses have tried to shrug off the implications of a list of police vehicles that has appeared on Facebook.

The PSP said that the list of vehicles released by "Anonymous Portugal" is an old one.

A chastened Superior Council of Magistrates next week must submit to Portugal's Supreme Court of Justice a detailed rationale for its selection of several of the judges chosen to preside in the new 'judicial map' of 23 courts.

In a pointed commentary, the Supreme Court concluded that the decisions made by the Superior Council of Magistrates were plainly "unfair and incomprehensible," as well as infringing any number of selection standards and protocols.

A 16-year old cyclist died from his injuries having been hit by a car driven by an off-duty GNR officer on the way back from a birthday party - at 09.20 in the morning.

The accident occurred near Aquapark on the Quarteira to Albufeira road on Thursday morning, May 1st. Leandro Carvalho was taken to Faro hospital where later he died from his injuries.

The government is raising VAT and social security contributions in a plan to restore the drop in wages paid to civil servants and in pensions, over the next five years.

The Government is to increase the standard VAT rate by 0.25% to 23.25% and contributions to Social Security to 11.2% and promises to restore the wage cuts by 2020.

The 12th and final review of the Troika has been completed, but it is not all over as the IMF, European Commission and European Central Bank that make up the Troika again have insisted on deep and durable changes in Portugal which represent a "break with the past."

The Troika statement was mirrored by an address by Paulo Portas, the deputy prime minister, at a press conference this afternoon and noted that the economy is making a stronger recovery than anticipated, Portugal’s access to international funding markets has improved "markedly," and structural reforms demanded by lenders have been implemented.

The eurozone welcomed a slight drop in its average unemployment rate.

Unemployment in March stood at 11.8%. Although this was the same as the previous month, it is down from 12% in March 2013.

Real wages in the UK have suffered a drop of nearly 8% over the last six years.

The average person in work is now some £2,000 worse off since the financial crisis hit, according to the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) which called the fall “unprecedented”.