Lisbon - Two soldiers reportedly exchanged fire inside the government palace of Sao Tome and Principe on Thursday, leaving one soldier dead and the other severely injured.

The government of the former Portuguese island colony located off the coast of West Africa said there was no political motive for the shooting.

The incident was the result an argument between the two guards, Portugal's news agency Lusa quoted a government spokesman as saying.

Lisbon  - Guinea-Bissau's interim President Raimundo Pereira praised slain president Joao Bernardo "Nino" Vieira as having represented "humanist values," condemning his killing as an "affront to the republic" at a state funeral for Vieira on Tuesday.

The 69-year-old president was shot dead in his home a week ago by soldiers angered by the killing of army chief Tagme Na Wai, Vieira's long-time rival, a few hours earlier. Tagme was buried over the week- end.

Lisbon - The capital of Guinea-Bissau was gradually returning to normal Tuesday after President Joao Bernardo "Nino" Vieira and army chief Tagme Na Wai were killed, Portuguese media reported.

People were back on the streets, and public transport was functioning again, though schools remained closed in Bissau.

The army said Monday it would talk to the government, and denied that it had staged a coup after Vieira was shot dead in his home.

The soldiers who killed him were believed to hold him responsible for an explosion that killed General Tagme Na Wai a few hours earlier.

Lisbon - The army of Guinea-Bissau staged a coup and shot dead President "Nino" Vieira on Monday, Portuguese media reported.

Lisbon  - Young Argentine winger Angel Di Maria is not a regular starter at Benfica, but he got wide-spread praise on Monday for a goal from 35 metres.

"Brilliant," said the sports daily A Bola of the Argentine's performance in Benfica's 3-2 win Sunday at home against Pacos de Ferreira in the Portuguese championship.

"It was a goal from another world," A Bola said.

Fellow sports daily Record, in turn, described the shot that made the score 3-1 with just three minutes of play remaining as the "Di Maria bomb."

Lisbon- A corruption scandal deepened Thursday in Portugal as media reports said the British authorities had requested information about the possible involvement of Prime Minister Jose Socrates in the so-called Freeport case.