In defence of what many perceive to be indefensible, associations in Spain, France and Portugal have joined forces to promote the culture and practice of bullfighting.

The Bull Foundation of Lydia (Spain), the Observatoire National des Cultures Taurines (France) and ProToiro (Portugal) have agreed a tripartite cooperation, signed on June 18th by the presidents of the three organizations: Victorino Martin (FTL), André Viard (ONCT) and Paulo Carvalho (ProToiro).

Santander is dividing its banking empire into nine autonomous groups, with Portugal being one of them.

Preparing for the next crisis, the Spanish bank, run by Ana Botin, aims to create a more robust geographical structure should one of the new regional businesses suffer insolvency.

Smoother, economical and with a new seating design and layout, the new Airbus 330-900neo aircraft is being flown by TAP pilots on a round-the-world series of test flights, before the company starts to take delivery of the first of 53 aircraft on order.

A batch of 14 aircraft, ordered in 2016 from the Toulouse-based manufacturer, is heralded by an A330-900neo which was delivered to TAP in April, after test flights in France, in March.

Portugal’s weather is verging on the tropical with the hot weather bringing showers and thunderstorms to some regions.

Almost every area of the mainland had a very high risk of exposure to ultraviolet radiation on Tuesday, according to the weather service which gives a reading of UV 9 for the Algarve, one point off maximum danger. High readings will continue.

Mercedes owners in Portugal are to receive notification of a recall so mechanics can update pollution control software.

The operation is for Vito vans and two Class C models with thousands of vehicles due to be booked into to service workshops.

Iñaki Urdangarin, the brother-in-law of Spain’s King Felipe VI, walked into a jail in Ávila today to start his five-year, 10-month sentence for embezzlement, influence peddling and tax crimes in the Nóos Institute case.

The husband of Princess Cristina de Borbón, the King’s sister, reported to Brieva penitentiary in Álava having flown in from Geneva the night before.

As international media awaits information from the Portuguese police, questions are being asked about the death of Australian, Michael Kearns and his British girlfriend, Louise Benson who plunged 30 metres to their death onto Praia dos Pescadores at the west coast town of Ericeira, 35  kilometres north-west of Lisbon.

Initial comments suggested that they had been taking a selfie and somehow fell over a low wall to their doom. But this was at 04:00 in the morning and there was light rain, hardly ideal conditions for a photo opportunity.

Portugal’s climate change aspirations rank second only to Sweden’s in the European ‘Off target: Ranking of EU countries' report.

Portugal is way ahead of its European cousins in the ranking of ambitions and actual measures to comply with the Paris agreement on climate change.