Portugal's Salvador Sobral has won the Eurovision Song Contest and ends 53 years of national embarrassment .

The bookies’ favourite sung, ‘Amar Pelos Dois’ at the competition hosted in Ukraine at the International Exhibition Centre in Kyiv.

While the media focus was on Pope Francis and the centenary celebrations of the miraculous apparitions at Fátima, a Vatican-sponsored academic conference was debating more scientific celestial goings-on.

Before getting on to revelations about the papal interest in cosmology and astrophysics, let’s recap on the more down-to-earth issues.

A virus that hijacks computer disks is affecting companies worldwide, not least in Portugal where large businesses such as PT, EDP, Santander and KPMG have been affected.

The National Center for Cybersecurity’s Pedro Veiga admitted that today’s computer attack is affecting companies worldwide and may have started in Brazil.

The off-duty GNR officer that attacked a customer in the Finanças office in Montijo, Setúbal has been made formal a suspect, or ‘arguido’, accused of abuse of power.

The attack, filmed by the victim and posted live on his Facebook page, shocked social media viewers yesterday as the soft-spoken Brazilian was choked until he passed out.

This latest stage of a prospecting project that has being going on for three years is part of a contract that allows Bolt Resources to drill for gold, silver, copper, zinc, lead, tin, tungsten, antimony and any other metals it might come across between 3 and 5.6 kilometres in depth.

Alcoutim Mayor, Osvaldo Gonçalves, said "We have been informed that these are five drillings to be carried out in parishes in Alcoutim, namely along the Foupana river and in the Palmeira area."

The idiocy of local government again is to the fore as Lagoa council attempts to justify its decision to tarmac its streets and paint them red.

Thankfully, this childish activity has been limited to the area around the historic market square that has been subject to a long-running ‘intervention’ to make it more pedestrian friendly.

Portugal's government decided to give public sector employees the day off on Friday, May 12th to mark the Pope’s arrival in the country in preparation for Saturday and Sunday’s celebrations in Fátima. The visit marks the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary in 1917, witnessed by three children.

The controversial extra day’s holiday has not gone down well with some, pointing out that the celebrations are on Saturday and question why there should be a day off on the preceding Friday.

GNR officers at a border post, this afternoon arrested two Chinese men found to be in possession of €480,000 in banknotes.

Operation ‘Fronteira Branca’ has seen unprecedented inspection levels at Portugal’s land, air and sea entry points before and during the Pope’s visit to Fátima.

The two Chinese men were arrested for money laundering at the border at Caia, Elvas, in the Portalegre district.