Lisbon  - Jordan and Portugal will launch joint diplomatic efforts to push for an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians over the next few months, Jordan's King Abdullah II said after meeting Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva on Monday.

The two countries wanted Israel and the Palestinians to start negotiating "as soon as possible," the king said at the start of his two-day state visit to Portugal.

Portugal and Jordan were to sign cooperation agreements in sectors including education, science, technology, culture and social communication.

Lisbon - The state funeral ceremony began Tuesday at Guinea-Bissau's parliament for slain president Joao Bernardo "Nino" Vieira, Portuguese media reported.

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.

The room where Vieira's coffin lay-in-state was so crowded that some diplomats could not sit down.

Lisbon - Portugal is excluding foreign military intervention in Guinea-Bissau, where the army and the civilian authorities have given the former colonial power assurances of their will to maintain peace, a senior official was Wednesday quoted as saying.

Portugal's Foreign Affairs Secretary of State Joao Gomes Cravinho spoke to the Portuguese news agency Lusa in Cape Verde after visiting Guinea-Bissau, the president of which Joao Bernardo "Nino" Vieira was shot dead on Monday.

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.

Lond