Royal Spanish Academy Ponders Changes to Spanish Language
Andres Oppenheimer

One of the pleasant surprises I found during a recent visit to Spain is a new trend by the Royal Spanish Academy to officially modernize the Spanish language and make it much easier to read and write.

Spain Nudging European Union to Ease Cuba Stand
Andres Oppenheimer

Spain's announcement that it will seek a major improvement in European ties with Cuba's dictatorship once it takes over the presidency of the 27-country European Union on Jan. 1 is bad news not only for pro-democracy activists on the island, but also for oppositionists in several other authoritarian-ruled Latin American countries.

Spain says no row with Venezuela over ETA FARC
Spain is downplaying the latest suggestions of a row between Madrid and Caracas over possible links between the militant Basque separatist group ETA with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia FARC. Madrid and Caracas had put an end to the controversy with a recent joint declaration in which they pledged...

Spain dismantles a big hacker network
Spanish police detained three hackers suspected of infecting 13 million PCs with viruses to steal valuable personal and bank data from users in 190 countries the German Press Agency Deutsche-Presse-Agentur dpa reported citing police sources who reportedly described the zombie computer network created by the three Spaniards as the biggest...

Ikea forecasts flat profits for 2010
In a rare comment on Swedish furniture giant Ikeas financials on February 22 the firms CEO reported flat profits for 2009 with more of the same forecast for 2010 The Local reported. We do not usually reveal our profits but I can say that the profit earned over the last...

Sweden seeks approval for SAS sale
The Swedish government has announced plans for the sale of its stake in SAS Scandinavian Airlines after seeking parliamentary approval on 19 February official siad. There is no immediate sale in view but we do not see any use in our being a shareholder in an airline and that is why...

CPI falls by 1% in January
Spains core inflation plummeted by 1.6% in January two-tenths below Decembers figures official data from the National Statistics Institute INE showed last week. The figure was excluding changes in food prices and energy. The components of the basket that most influenced the fall in monthly prices were clothing and footwear...

Airports post 3% rise in January passenger traffic
Passenger numbers at Spanish airports leaped 3% year-on year in January the national airport authority Aeropuertos Espanoles y Navegacion Aerea AENA recently reported. The Spanish pains airports handled 11.4 million passengers in the month AENA said. Madrid-Barajas airport recorded a 9.6% increase in its passenger total to 3 438 677...

Government approves decree to boost use of domestic coal
Sparking concern from the environmentalist lobby the Spanish cabinet recently embossed a decree to promote the use of domestic coal in electricity production. The decree was designed to give electricity utilities incentives to increase the amount of coal they use so that coal can meet up to 15% of Spains...

Spain postpones smoking ban in search of consensus
The Spanish government recently postponed a parliamentary debate on tougher anti-smoking legislation in the hope of mustering more support for the controversial plan sources of the Health Ministry said on February 15. The government had intended to present the law during the Spanish European Union presidency in the first half...

EU approves major state aid scheme for Spanish banks
The European Commission has given six-month approval to a major Spanish government plan to help its banks weather the financial crisis. The European Union Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes recently made the formal announcement. The scheme allows a publicly owned institution - the Fondo de Reestructuracion Ordenada Bancaria FROB - to...

Spain suffers 8% drop in use of private vehicles
The latest figures from the Spanish Insurance Business Association UNESP showed a notable plummet in the countrys private vehicles segment. Attributed principally to the ongoing economic crisis use of private vehicles dropped by 8% last year the figures showed. The President of UNESP Pilar Gonzalez de Frutos officially outlined the...

Repsol ONGC Petronas bid for Venezuela block
The Spanish oil major Repsol YPF SA recently placed a bid for Venezuelas Carabobo oil auction along with Indias Oil and Natural Gas Corporation ONGC and Petroliam Nasional BHD of Malaysia Petronas . Other members of the consortium pieced together by the Indian contender ONGC Videsh - the overseas arm...

Popular beats forecasts year profit down 27.2
Beating forecasts Banco Popular Espanol SA posted a 27.2% fall in 2009 net profit to €766 million. Spains third-largest listed bank said it was reasonably optimistic about this year. Popular has been more exposed than some retail banking peers to Spanish property companies feeling the pinch of the sector downturn...

Jordan Spain sign accord for peaceful nuclear cooperation
Jordan and Spain recently inked an agreement for nuclear cooperation for peaceful uses particularly in water desalination and electricity generation. The accord was signed by President of the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission JAEC Khalid Touqan and the visiting Spanish Minister of State for Trade Silvia Iranzo. Jordan and Spain are...

Tourist arrivals drop 8.7 % in 2009
 A recently released statement from the tourism and trade ministry of Spain showed that the number of foreign tourists arriving in the country was 52.2 million in 2009 marking a decrease of 8.7% year-on-year. Nonetheless according to a survey taken by the ministrys institute of tourism studies the decline in...

Secret agent on trial for allegedly selling data to Russia
A suspected Spanish double agent on 25 January denied selling confidential information to Russia as his began in Madrid. Prosecution was seeking a 12-year sentence on treason charges for Roberto Florez a former agent of the National Intelligence Centre CNI new agencies reported. Florez lawyer Manuel Olle denied the charges...

Banco Sabadell acquires US bank
Spains Banco Sabadell last week announced the completion of its acquisition of US based Mellon United National Bank MUNB for €111 million. In a filing with Spanish stock market regulators the Barcelona-based institution said MUNBs branches would now operate as Sabadell United Bank. The acquisition includes $1.68 billion in deposits...

Tourism declines nearly 9% in 2009
Spains tourist arrivals went down 8.7% to 52 million foreign tourists in 2009 in a blow to one of the countrys key industries local media reports recently revealed citing government officials. It was the second consecutive annual fall after the tourism industry made the record of more than 59 million...

Toyota hybrid car sales increases
Toyota Spain last week revealed in a statement that the company last year sold a total of 3787 hybrid cars with a combustion engine and electric representing an increase of 14.1% year-on-year. Most of these sales were for the third generation Toyota Prius with 2969 units followed by models from...

Moratinos Lavrov discuss EU-Russia cooperation
The foreign ministers of Russia and Spain discussed on 12 January in Moscow preparations for the upcoming visit of the Spanish premier to Russia as well as bilateral relations. Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos arrived in Moscow on 12 January upon an invitation from his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. A...

Industrial production index plummets
Figures released last week by Spains National Statistics Institute INE added to the qualms on Spanish economy. The figures showed that the general industrial production index IPI in Spain dropped 4.1% year-on-year in November last year. Discounting the effects of timing the drop was by 5% according to INE. The...

Wind power production still ahead of nuclear
Spains wind energy maintains a comfortable lead on the countrys nuclear power capacity according to the latest official figures cited by the Spanish media. At times the wind power and hydro power together contributes in large-scale to the electricity consumption in Spain. Wind power was consolidated recently as the second source...

Hotel bookings in Spain down 8.3%
The number of overnight stays in Spanish hotels in November stood at 4.5 million a figure which was 8.3% below last years figure for the same month the latest data from the National Institute of Statistics showed. The new figures released appeared surprising for the experts as they noted that...

Spain inks deal with Bombardier Transportation
The Berlin-based unit of Bombardier Inc Bombardier Transportation recently announced that the company has been chosen by Spains national rail operator to maintain a fleet of high-speed trains for 14 years. The contract is worth about $405 million according to media estimations. A statement from Bombardier Transportation said that the...

Zapatero wants some advice on EU Presidency
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero whose country took over the rotating European Union presidency on January 1 ndash; at the same time that the EU has a new President - said he needs some guidance from Spanish experts on how to handle it and will create a group...

Hackers Strike at Spanish Presidency
The new presidency got a shock yesterday morning to discover that their website had been hacked and a picture of Mr Bean added to the page. This was intended as a satire on President Zapatero who wags suggest is not to dissimilar in appearance. The attack is believed to have...

Madrid warns of possible ETA kidnapping tactic
The Spanish government on 29 December said it was likely the armed Basque separatist organization ETA would try to strike in the near future regional media reported. Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba told Basque radio station Euskadi that ETA silent since a series of bombing attacks which killed two police officer...

La Caixa bank increases stake in Hong Kong BEA
Spains Criteria CaixaCorp SA and Japans Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. will increase their stakes in Bank of East Asia Ltd. For a combined $659 million deepening their commitment to the Asian market La Caixa said on 30 December. Under the agreement La Caixas investment arm Criteria would increase its...

EU to probe funding of RTVE broadcaster
Local media reports confirmed last week that the commission was launching an investigation on the new funding system for Spains state broadcaster RTVE which recently renounced advertising in favor of an industry-wide levy. Advertising revenue has been replaced with a levy on the income of the state broadcasters competitors. This...

General Motors announces 900 redundancies in Spain
Practically putting an end to the market speculations General Motors Europe recently confirmed that 900 jobs will go in its factory in Spain news agencies reported. The number was same as that expected in the Austrian-Canadian factory Magna. Nick Reilly president of the global motor company which is behind the...

Economy improving gradually says BoS
The Spanish economy has started showing signs of improvement as the contraction has eased in the fourth quarter according to the Bank of Spain. The most recent economic indicators are in line with a continued slowdown in the rate of economic contraction the central bank said in its latest monthly...

Cepsa plans maintenance at San Roque Refinery
Cepsa Compania Espanola de Petroleos SA recently outlined a maintenance plan for its 241 000-barrel-a-day Gibraltar refinery at San Roque Spain which will be carried out in June 2010. The turnaround would last no longer than 30 days the company said in a statement. Cepsa plans to carry out maintenance...

IKEA company unveils rapid China expansion
Inter IKEA Centre Group IICG a sister company of the Swedish furniture retailer has announced plans to build two new shopping centres in China an investment worth $1.2 billion The Local reported on 28 November. The company unveiled projects including a sprawling shopping destination in Beijing which will house 450 brands...

Ericssons billing solutions for Libyas Al-Madar
Ericsson is to provide Al-Madar Al-Jadid Libyas leading mobile operator with a convergent charging and billing solution that will enable its mobile subscribers to enjoy benefits such as flexible tariffs and full control of costs bonuses and rewards. Ericsson will also supply related systems integration services The Company reported on...

Spains BBVA to raise stake in China CITIC Bank
Spains Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA BBVA is reportedly mulling plans to strengthen its holding in China CITIC Bank Corp. According to local media reports the second-largest bank in Spain would increase its stake to 15% from the current 10%. CITIC is the listed banking unit of Chinas largest investment...

Spains economy likely to recover by 2011
The Spanish economy will shrink in both 2009 and 2010 but it will make recovery in 2011 the latest speculation from the Paris-based economic adviser Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development OECD said. As per the OECDs semi-annual report Spain will record a reduction of 3.6% in 2009 and 0.3%...

Telia Sonera reports higher third-quarter earnings
Nordic telecommunications group Telia Sonera on October 28 reported higher sales and earnings for third-quarter 2009 topping analysts forecasts DPA reported. Net income rose five percent to 5.6 billion Swedish crowns USD 809 million while third-quarter sales were up four percent year-on-year to 27 billion crowns the group said. Chief...

Ericsson acquires Nortel now a US leader
Ericsson strengthens global position with completion of Nortel acquisition in North America. Ericsson completed its acquisition of substantially all of Nortels CDMA business and LTE assets in North America. With this acquisition Ericsson enhances its leading global telecommunications equipment supplier position and will further its quest to bring high-speed data...

Wind power meets 53.7% of total electricity demand
Spains wind power reached a new record on 8 November. On the night wind energy provided at its peak 53.7% of Spains total electricity demand according to figures provided by Spanish electricity grid Red Electrica. The figure surpassed the previous record set in November last year by 10.7%. Red Electrica...

Spain unveils aid to aeronautical sector
To help the ailing aeronautical industry of Spin the government recently approved a €3.7 billion $5.5 billion aid package to help it through the economic downturn. Spain houses an arm of the European airplane maker Airbus. The aeronautical sector is strategic for Spain because it develops products with high added...

Spanish Cuban companies sign cooperation agreement
The Spanish and Cuban companies penned within the framework of Havanas 27th International Trade Fair a letter of intent to improve the quality of the sanitation products made at the Ironwork Plant in Havana Cuban news reports revealed. The accord was signed by Jose Tomas Vazquez Garcia director of the...

Zapatero calls for joint EU repatriation of illegals
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero on 2 November stressed the need for European Union countries to jointly repatriate undocumented immigrants. The EU needed to step up political and diplomatic efforts to stage joint repatriation flights Zapatero said when appearing before the media with his Maltese counterpart Lawrence Gonzi. Zapatero...

BA AA and Iberia tie-ups to cost landing slots
British Airways BA and its alliance partners American Airlines AA and Spains Iberia could be forced to give up valuable take-off and landing slots if they want their transatlantic tie-up to go ahead the Financial Times reported on 26 October. The report said that documents seen by the Financial Times...

Spanish Opel employees ratifying deal with Magna
Trade unions at a Spanish Opel plant said on 26 October they are in the process of ratifying an agreement reached with the Canadian-Austrian Magna consortium on the future of the plant near Zaragoza. A committee representing Spanish Opel employees was expected on 27 October to call off four days...

Environmentally protected wetlands drying up
The European Union is investigating Spain over the condition of an environmentally protected wetlands area which is drying up and has begun burning underground the daily El Pais reported. Las Tablas de Daimiel national park is located in La Mancha in south-central Spain. It is on the list of international...

Zapatero clears first budget hurdle
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero on 21 October secured sufficient initial support for the governments 2010 budget despite heavy criticism of his economic policies. Zapatero heads a minority Socialist government which depended on other parties to take the draft budget to the amendment phase of the process. The...

Spain Lebanon stress refugee problem
Spain and Lebanon on 20 October reiterated their commitment to achieving peace in the Middle East saying the solution needed to include the fate of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. The definitive solution to the situation in the Middle East had to include all the problems including that of the refugees...

Cigarette sales face heavy tax
As of next year the Spanish smokers would be paying the third-highest taxes in Europe recent media reports revealed. A whopping 78.9% of the cost of each packet of cigarettes sold in Spain will go straight into the governments coffers when IVA value-added tax increases next year the reports noted....

Spain to grant €359 mln to A350 subcontractors
The subcontractors of the Airbus A350 long-haul passenger aircraft would be getting up to €359 million $521 million in loans from the Spanish coffer local media reported last week citing a recent governmental decision. The companies must be subcontractors for top-level programmes of its new A350 XWB Airbus and its...

Spains Gas Natural to sell 63.8% EPSA stake
Spains Gas Natural as part of its plan to sell assets worth €3 billion recently inked an agreement to sell its 63.8% stake in Empresa de Energia del Pacifico SA to Colombias holding company Colinversiones SA. The price of the deal has been fixed at $1.1 billion. Gas Natural expects...

ECJ to comment on real estate case
In a bid to end certain obstacles in the way of free movement of real estate services in Portugal the European Commission recently said it would be taking Portugal to the European Court of Justice. The Commissions decision stemmed from its rules regarding estate agent services and property mediation companies...

1,000 foreigners march in MΓ‘laga against the demolition of their homes
The Junta de AndalucΓ­a has asked for patience from the foreign community

Barcelona man sent to prison after forcing his wife to perform fellatio on the family dog
The Supreme Court has confirmed the sentence from the Barcelona Court of two years eight months in prison

Spain Business Brief - Wednesday March 17 2010
The European Commission considers that the Spanish Government is too optimistic

Spanish link to the kidnapping of Sahil Saheed from Oldham
Three people have been arrested by Spanish Police in Tarragona

Two properties to be demolished in Forest Hills, Estepona
Recent storms have caused serious land subsidence in the urbanisation

Residents of Chiclana to march on Saturday
The event is organised by the 'Chiclana Plataforma' against what they consider to be abuse by the Town Hall

New foreigners political party being set up in MΓ‘laga
The new party is based in CoΓ­n

Why some bargain property in Spain still fails to sell
Property where a violent death has occurred is refusing to sell

How Shakespeare was inspired by Cervantes
Agreement has been reached on the authorship of 'Double Falsehood'

Madrid's plan to cut traffic noise
Whole neighbourhoods will see a 30km/hour speedlimit

Half price condoms in CataluΓ±a
A new advertising campaign is being directed at the young

Workers stop a domestic violence attack in BenalmΓ‘dena
A female employee was attacked at her workplace, the Sunset Beach Club

MΓ‘laga's new airport terminal works perfectly
There were no problems on the first day of T3 use by the public on Tuesday

Spain Papers Review - Wednesday March 17 2010
The murder of a French policeman by ETA dominates the papers in Spain today

Spain Weather - Wednesday March 17 2010
Calmer weather across the country

Sevilla knocked out of Europe
The club has failed to make the Champions League quarter finals yet again

ETA for the first time kill a French policeman
The 53 year old was shot during an attempted robbery at a car dealership in Paris

Partido Popular VAT/IVA rebellion defeated in Congress
The Government won the day but by only six votes

The news about to go up in flames in Valencia
The Fallas in Valencia are about to reach their climax

Parents arrested for child abuse in MΓ‘laga
The three year old remains under observation in hospital in the city

One dead and several injured as train derails in Vizcaya
A train driver died and several passengers were injured when the Euskotren they were travelling was derailed in Lezama station this afternoon. The accident occurred at 4.25pm, when the train collided with the buffers at the end of the...

Nadal survives marathon to book place in China Open quarter-finals
Rafa Nadal, has made it through to the quarter-finals of the China Open in Beijing after beating America's James Blake in three marathon sets - 7-5, 6-7 and 6-3. Top seed at the event, Nadal had to fight hard to overcome the 24th...

49% of Spaniards admit they're struggling to pay the mortgage
According to a Janus Capital survey on household economies published today, 49% of Spaniards are struggling to make their monthly mortgage payments.

Traps set to catch wild dog mistaken for lioness
Officers from the Rural Police force have set cage traps to try and catch the wild dog, mistaken for a lioness, that has been spotted on the loose in the area around La Senia over the past few days. Miquel Àngel Garcia, head of the Ebro...

Pioneering work at Valencia's Hospital La Fe corrects diabetic blindess
Valencia's Hospital La Fe has developed a medical technique that allows doctors to replace complicated retinal surgery to correct refractory macular edema with a ten-minute out patient procedure. The technique and its results have...

Spanish soldier dies in Afghan mine blast
A Spanish soldier, Cristo Ancor Cabello Santana, has been killed and five others injured when the armoured vehicle they were travelling in detonated a massive anti-tank mine on the road in the Afghan town of Siah Washan near Herat in...

Nadal back to full fitness at China Open
Rafa Nadal got back on court and back on track today after a month off nursing another injury, with a win over Marcos Baghdatis in the China Open in Peking. In his first match since suffering from abdominal strain in the US Open last...

Sunken galleon found off coast of Menorca
The remains of a sunken 17th or 18th century galleon have been found by a fisherman in Fornells, on the north coast of the island of Menorca.
 
According to information provided by the Argo Maris foundation investigating the...

Lioness on the loose
Officers from the Guardia Civil's Nature Protection Service (SEPRONA), along with Mossos d'Esquadra, local and rural police officers will today continue their search for a lioness spotted on various occasions over the weekend in...

Swine flu vaccination to begin in November
Health minister, Trinidad Jiménez, reported today that vaccination programme against the AH1N1 flu virus could begin as early as the first fortnight in November. After a visit to the Hospital Son Llàtzer in Palma de Mallorca, Jiménez told...

Police swoop for suspects linked to kidnapping of British boy
Police have arrested five people in Spain and France who are linked to the kidnapping of a 5-year-old British boy in Pakistan, Spanish police said Wednesday.

No room for error on U.S. debt
The United States isn't in jeopardy of losing its gold-plated credit rating, though by one measure America is closer to the ratings-downgrade danger zone than Spain.

Spain: Aid worker snatched by al Qaeda freed
A Spanish aid worker kidnapped by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) last November in Mauritania has been freed unharmed, but the group continues to hold two other Spanish workers, Spain's deputy prime minister said Wednesday.

The view from Spain's solar power tower
Cresting the brow of autovia A-49 in Andalusia, 10 miles outside of Seville, the world's first commercial solar "power tower" appears on the skyline like a giant obelisk.

Three Spaniards arrested in alleged global hacking scheme
Authorities have arrested three Spaniards suspected of infecting 13 million computers with a program that allowed them to steal personal and financial data worldwide, Spain's Civil Guard said Wednesday.

'Monster of Grbavica' held in Spain for Bosnian war crimes
Spanish police have arrested a man wanted for war crimes during the Bosnian conflict from 1992 to 1995, the Interior Ministry said in a statement Tuesday.

Spanish police nab fugitive ETA suspect
Police arrested a suspected member of the Basque separatist group ETA Tuesday on a train in northern Spain, saying he was carrying a revolver and five forged identity documents.

Judge: ETA tried to kill Spanish PM but missile failed
The Basque separatist group ETA plotted to kill Spain's prime minister three times in 2001 but a shoulder-fired missile that apparently was to be aimed at his aircraft repeatedly malfunctioned, a Spanish judge concluded Tuesday.

'Most-wanted' ETA suspects arrested
Police arrested four of the "most-wanted" suspected members of the Basque separatist group ETA overnight in France and Portugal, including one who stole a police car to try to escape, Spain's Interior Ministry said Sunday in a statement.

Spain: Aid worker kidnapped by al Qaeda is wounded
One of three Spanish aid workers kidnapped in Mauritania a month ago by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) was wounded during the abduction, the Spanish government said late Tuesday.

Spanish Parliament approves abortion bill, sends to Senate
The Spanish Parliament approved a controversial bill on Thursday to make it easier to get an abortion in Spain, and sent it to the Senate.

Spain: 11 guilty of belonging to terror group
A Spanish court convicted 11 Islamic militants Monday of membership in a terrorist group, but acquitted them of a "specific" conspiracy to carry out an attack on Barcelona's metro subway system, as prosecutors alleged.

Spain abortion bill clears parliamentary hurdle
In its first major test in parliament, the Socialist government's bill to make it easier to get an abortion in Spain won enough backing Thursday to defeat amendments that would have totally blocked the proposed law.

Alex Wolff: The Spanish male athlete is Sportsman of the Year
Sports Illustrated will announce its choice for Sportsman of the Year on Nov. 30. Here's one of the nominations for that honor by an SI writer.

Spanish PM: Somali pirates free fishermen
All 36 crew members of a Spanish fishing boat hijacked by Somali pirates more than a month ago have been freed along with their vessel, the Spanish prime minister said Tuesday.

Somali pirate suspects indicted in Spain
A Spanish judge indicted two Somali pirate suspects in Madrid on Monday, while pirates held a Spanish fishing boat and its crew off the Somali coast for the 46th day.

Spanish judge considers pirate prisoner swap
A Spanish judge would consider sending two Somali pirate suspects held in Madrid back to Africa, as demanded by pirates holding a Spanish fishing boat and its crew off the Somali coast, it was reported Friday.

Binging on barnacles in Spain
I'm tucked away in Santiago de Compostela, in the northwest corner of Spain. I have a three-part agenda: see pilgrims reach their goal in front of the cathedral, explore the market and buy some barnacles in the seafood section -- then have them cooked for me, on the spot, in a cafe.

Thousands protest abortion in Spain
Thousands flocked to Spain's capital Saturday to protest the Socialist government's move to make it easier to get an abortion.

Bombing wave marks ETA campaign's 50th year
The separatist group behind a series of bombings on a Spanish vacation island marks the 50 year anniversary of its struggle this year, a milestone that sees it no closer to achieving its goal.

Forest fire rages in Spain's Canary Islands
A massive forest fire continued to burn out of control on Monday on the island of La Palma, part of Spain's Canary Islands, a regional government spokeswoman told CNN.

Car bomb in Spain injures 40
A car bomb exploded early Wednesday outside the Civil Guard barracks in the northern Spanish city of Burgos, injuring at least 40 people and causing substantial damage, an Interior Ministry official said.

Bryan Armen Graham: U.S. vs. Spain live Confederations Cup blog
FULLTIME: It is finished. Spain's 35-match unbeaten streak ends on a frigid night in Bloemfontein, where the United States men's national team has engineered an improbable 2-0 upset of the reigning European champions.

Spain leads the way in organ donation
Earlier this week, the case of Hiroki Ando, the Japanese 11-year-old boy who was denied a heart transplant in Japan, highlighted the vast cultural divide in attitudes towards organ transplant and availability worldwide.

More EU protests planned over unemployment
Protests are expected to continue in Brussels on Friday after tens of thousands marched on the streets of Spain's capital Thursday to demand better protection for workers hit hard by the economic crisis.

Spanish protesters demand protection for jobless
Tens of thousands of protesters marched on the streets of Spain's capital Thursday to demand better protection for workers hit hard by the economic crisis.

Woman dies from mad cow disease in Spain
A Spaniard has died from the human form of mad cow disease, the fifth such death in Spain since 2005, the Ministry of Health said in a statement late Friday.

Man held over Spanish, Moroccan terror plots
Spanish authorities have arrested a Moroccan man wanted for alleged terrorist plots in Spain and Morocco, Spain's Interior Ministry announced Thursday.

23 injured as Spain ski chairlift breaks
A chairlift broke on Monday morning, sending skiers into the snowy hillside at a ski resort in southern Spain, according to the Sierra Nevada resort.

Spain: Footballers and agent held in cocaine bust
Court hearings began Friday for 11 people, including two Spanish professional football players and a Serb-French football agent, who were arrested this week on charges of cocaine smuggling, a police source told CNN.

Blog: Spain's solar cemetery
We traveled by metro to the Barcelona suburb of Santa Coloma de Gramenet, where the phrase over my dead body takes on a new meaning; it's the first town in Spain that has placed solar panels in its municipal cemetery and has been attracting global attention and causing local discussion.

Spain's famed anti-terror judge hospitalized
Spain's best-known investigating magistrate, Judge Baltasar Garzon, was rushed to a hospital in Madrid on Friday, where he remained under observation in the coronary unit, CNN partner station CNN+ reported.

Spanish soldier arrested over 'jihad' videos
Spanish police Tuesday arrested a Spanish soldier and his Russian girlfriend for allegedly posting videos on the Internet promoting Islamic extremist views and calling for attacks in Spain, a Ministry of Interior statement said.

19 migrants drown off Spanish tourist island
Nineteen Africans perished when their small boat sank just off the coast of Spain's Lanzarote Island, a Spanish government official told CNN on Monday.

Spain's chic hotel chains
Thanks to a vibrant design culture and growing tourism industry, Spain now has some of the best boutique hotels on the continent -- including a recent wave of hotel chains that's making chic accommodations affordable.

Spanish troops to join piracy fight
Spain will send up to 395 troops to combat piracy off the coast of Somalia as part of a European Union task force, the Spanish Parliament agreed on Wednesday.

Spain: Pakistan nationals held in tax fraud swoop
Spanish Civil Guards arrested six Pakistani nationals Tuesday, accused of sales tax fraud, a Civil Guard spokesman in Madrid told CNN.

Fast food puts Med diet on 'endangered list'
Famed for keeping people slim, healthy and living longer, the Mediterranean diet has followers all over the world.

Spain: Son of Osama bin Laden deported
One of Osama bin Laden's sons has left Spain after he was denied asylum in the country, an Interior Ministry spokeswoman told CNN Saturday.

Bin Laden's Son Loses Political Asylum Bid in Spain
Omar bin Laden is held at Madrid's airport while his case rumbles on and experts puzzle over why he made the request in the first place

Bin Laden son in Spain asylum plea
One of Osama bin Laden's sons has asked Spain to grant him asylum, a spokeswoman for Spain's interior ministry said Tuesday.

Car bomb injures 27 in Spanish university city
A car bomb exploded Thursday in a parking lot at the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain, sparking a massive fire, but "luckily," no one was nearby and there were no deaths, Spain's interior minister said.

Spain: 27 held in university degree scam
Spanish police have arrested two people for selling fake university degrees and 25 people who bought them to work under false pretenses, including a fake medical worker who nearly some killed senior citizens with improper pharmaceutical prescriptions.

Spain Tries to Buy Out Immigrants
Enthusiasm for Madrid's attempt to head off growing unemployment is muted for a simple reason: even the bad times are better in Spain

Spain eagerly watches for change from U.S.
Even by late-night Spanish standards - where most restaurants don't open for dinner before 9 p.m. - the U.S. election debates were very late, starting at 3 a.m. Madrid time (9 p.m. New York).

121 arrested in Spain for child porn
Spanish police have arrested 121 men and seized millions of computer files in the country's biggest operation against child pornography on the Internet.

Spanish Police Arrest 121 over Child Porn
Spanish police arrested 121 people in the country's biggest-ever crackdown on child pornography, seizing discs containing millions of video and photo files shared by a network that distributed them in 75 countries

Mad cow disease kills mother and son
The mother of a Spanish man who died from the human form of mad cow disease has also died from the illness, Spain's Ministry of Health says.

Woman dead months after son died of mad cow disease
The mother of a Spanish man who died from the human form of mad cow disease has also died from the illness, Spain's Ministry of Health said Wednesday.

Car bomb in northern Spain kills soldier
A car bomb exploded early Monday in northern Spain, killing an army soldier and wounding 10 others in an attack authorities blamed on the Basque separatist group ETA.

World Soccer: Spain looks to parlay Euro glory into solid La Liga season
The warm glow of the 2008 European Championship continued to spread across Spain well into the summer. Even the transfer stories were set aside, for a while at least, in favor of the accolades. And when the screaming headlines and astronomical figures began once again to be splashed across the covers of the country's newspapers, there was something different about it.

Spanish jet makes unscheduled landing
A Spanair MD-82 jet made an unscheduled landing at an airport in southern Spain Sunday, just five days after another MD-82 operated by the airline crashed at Madrid's airport killing 154 people, Spain's airport authority said.

Spain Aviation Chief Wants Glitch Investigated
Spain's top aviation official said Friday that a glitch in an air temperature gauge that forced a Madrid jetliner to abandon its first takeoff attempt an hour before it crashed should be closely examined to see if it contributed to the accident

14 Bodies ID'd in Spain Plane Crash
Spain began three days of mourning for the 153 people who died when a jetliner crashed shortly after takeoff in the nation's worst air disaster in nearly 25 years

153 Killed in Spain Plane Crash
A Spanish airliner bound for the Canary Islands at the height of the vacation season crashed, burned and broke into pieces Wednesday while trying to take off from Madrid, killing 153 people on board, officials said

Alexander Wolff: Team USA is walking a fine line
The U.S. men will be walking a line no more than a few microns wide at the Beijing Olympics, where they're set to open play against China on Sunday.

Spain's Sporting Supremacy
Nadal, Gasol, Sastre, a European Cup-winning Soccer team. Why does a country suddenly produce so many sporting champions?

Blast to the past in Spain's Galicia
Perched on a high ridge, the impossibly quaint hobbit hamlet of O Cebreiro welcomes visitors to Galicia -- a hilly, damp, green region in northwest Spain that feels vaguely Irish. O Cebreiro is a time warp to an uncomplicated, almost prehistoric past, when people lived very close to nature in stone igloos with thatched roofs. With sweeping views across the verdant but harsh Galician landscape, O Cebreiro (pronounced oh theh-BRAY-roh) is constantly pummeled by some of the fiercest weather in Spain.

In Spain, Human Rights for Apes
The motherland of bullfighting is about to adopt a new law protecting humans' closest relatives. Rights for bulls, though, is otra cosa

Spain: Boat migrants die, bodies cast into sea
The Spanish Interior Ministry says the death toll among migrants found packed aboard a boat trying to reach one of Spain's Canary Islands has risen to at least six.

15 dead as migrants attempt to reach Spain
Fifteen Africans died while trying to reach Spain's southern coast in a small, overcrowded boat, Spanish officials told CNN on Thursday.

Gabriele Marcotti: Spain's date with destiny was blowing in the wind
VIENNA, Austria -- Dr. Monkey-Be-Gone. Or How Spain Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Its Own Distinct Brand of Soccer.

Soccer's Reign of Spain
A free-flowing attacking game prevailed and made European champions out of the continent's perennial underachievers

Euro 2008: The Final Countdown
As Turkey and Russia's glorious run comes to an end, the world prepares for a Germany vs. Spain final

Euro 2008: And Then There Were Four
The semi-final line-up is complete and Turkey and Russia will be hoping that their thrilling form can take them through to the final

Euro 2008: The Energy and the Agony
As the group stages finish, and with it France's golden generation, the remaining eight nations strive to make progress

Spain extradites alleged arms dealer to U.S.
A suspected arms dealer accused of conspiring to sell weapons to Colombian guerrillas was extradited Friday from Spain to the United States, the U.S. Justice Department said.

Jonah Freedman: Spain defender Puyol on why this could be the year
If it's international-tournament time, that means Spain is officially on red alert. For all of the quality players and international prestige Spain has earned over the years, its national team still can't win when it counts. Its best finish at the World Cup was way back in 1950, when La Furia Roja finished fourth.

Spain's lost treasure battle in U.S. court
A battle royale over an estimated $500 million treasure that a Florida deep-sea salvage company found last year is due for a fresh round in court in Florida on Monday.

Grant Wahl: The importance of Freddy Adu
Five things we learned from Spain's 1-0 win over the U.S. on Wednesday in Santander, Spain:

Soccer America: U.S. may be in for rough ride before, after Spain game
The U.S. begins its quest to qualify for the 2010 World Cup on June 15 against a team ranked 117th in the world. On Wednesday, the U.S. faces No. 4-ranked Spain (live on espn360.com at 4 p.m. ET, on delay on ESPN2 at 5:30 p.m.).

Donovan rejoins U.S. roster for Spain friendly
U.S. national-team coach Bob Bradley, in the wake of his team's 2-0 loss to England, has named a 24-man roster for the June 4 friendly in Spain that includes all 17 European-based players who were on the roster for the England game.

Anonymous warning precedes Spain bomb blast
A bomb exploded in the northern port city of Zarautz in Spain's Basque region Sunday, slightly wounding three people.

Suit by Princess's Sister Backfires
A judge in Spain ruled that Telma Ortiz, sister-in-law to the heir to the Spanish throne, is a public figure

Spain: Car bomb kills one, injures four
A car bomb explosion at a civil guard barracks in northern Spain killed a guard member and wounded four others Wednesday, a Basque regional police spokeswoman told CNN.

Spain Claims Sunken Treasure
A shipwreck and its precious cargo, which is at the center of a legal tussle between Spain and U.S. treasure hunters, has possibly been resolved

ETA bomb hits northern Spain
For the second time in three days, a bomb went off in northern Spain Sunday preceded by a warning call by the Basque separatist group ETA.

Spain suffers worst drought
Spain is reeling from its most severe drought in 70 years with the nation's reservoirs on average just half full, the Environment Ministry reports.

Spain's Pregnant Defense Minister
Carme ChacÓn is not only the first woman to head Spain's armed forces. She is also seven months pregnant

Police: ETA behind Spanish car bomb blast
Authorities have blamed the Basque separatist group ETA for a car bomb that exploded Friday outside a police station in northern Spain, CNN sister network CNN+ has reported.

Madrid bomb victims remembered
Spain commemorated victims of the March 11, 2004 Madrid train bombings with somber ceremonies on Tuesday at three stations in the capital where 191 people died in the Islamic terrorist attacks.

Spain PM seeks support after election
Spain's governing Socialists were on Monday seeking the support of smaller parties after an election that left the country deeply divided politically.

A Polarized Win for Spain's Socialists
The country's prime minister wins reelection with promises of unity, but the opposition's strong stance against his progressive agenda suggests otherwise

Q & A: Spanish elections
As Spain votes in a general election, CNN's Madrid Bureau Chief Al Goodman gives his analysis.

Killing Chills Spain's Election
The murder in Basque country is a tragic parallel to the eve of the 2004 elections, when terror also struck the country. But how will it affect the vote?

Spain's Tough Race Enters Final Stretch
The race between Spain's governing Socialists and the Popular Party grows tighter as the March 9 elections approach

Bomb blast in Spain ahead of elections
A bomb has exploded at a political party office in northern Spain early Friday, causing damage but no injuries -- just 10 days ahead of national elections.

Spain on highest terror alert ahead of general elections
Spain put its security forces on maximum alert on Thursday ahead of the general elections on March 9 -- four years after the Madrid train bombings shook the last elections and continue to reverberate through the conscience of society.

Spain arrests suspected Islamic extremists
Police arrested three Algerian men early Thursday in the northern Basque city of Vitoria on suspicion of promoting radical ideology among the Muslim community, the Basque regional government said in a statement.

9/11 terror suspect extradited to Spain
A Moroccan terror suspect held in Britain was extradited Friday to Spain, where he faces possible charges of conspiracy in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in the United States and membership in a terrorist group, a Spanish court source told CNN.

'Council of Sages' Advises Zapatero
A panel of international experts counseled the Spanish Socialists on key electoral issues. Will the Prime Minister pay attention?

Spain still speechless over anthem
The search is back on for words to the Spanish national anthem.

Spain Unstirred By New Anthem
After four months, six experts, and 7000 entries to propose lyrics for the Spanish national anthem, the country has finally found a winner

Spain: ETA suspects bombed airport
Two ETA members arrested over the weekend were responsible for a fatal bombing at a Madrid airport in 2006, an attack which effectively ended the group's cease-fire, Spain's interior minister said Wednesday.

New solar systems
Widespread anxiety about the damaging effects of burning fossil fuels, coupled with a genuine fear that oil and gas will become scarce before the century ends are fueling a renewed interest in renewable energy and, in particular, solar power solutions.

Spain's dire straits for immigrants
Spain is still the preferred route to Europe for many Africans seeking a better life through illegal immigration, but the number of those making the dangerous ocean crossing in flimsy boats has been sharply reduced this year.

The Pain in the Reign in Spain
Royal family problems may be at the root of King Juan Carlos' uncharacteristic loss of composure with Hugo Chavez

Franco Lives Again -- on Spanish TV
If art can be held up as a mirror to life, then one of Spain's most popular programs is reflecting one of its most traumatic periods

39 affordable hotel chains
Many Americans don't realize that there's a world of reliable hotel chains beyond Marriott and Motel 6. Here are 39 chains worth a stay.

Spanish Anthem to Get Words
In a country of diverse cultures and languages, it's hard finding the right lyrics for the national anthem

Mourinho Returns as 'the Enemy' and Wins
Inter Milan, the side Jose Mourinho is building, eliminated Chelsea, a team that is still two-thirds of his choosing, in the Champions League.

High-Speed Rail Gains Traction in Spain
The Alta Velocidad Española, or AVE, has made train travel in Spain the way to go, both environmentally and in comfort and convenience.

Davis Cup Short of Stars but Not of Heroes
Under attack again from inside and outside the game and short on star power, the Davis Cup showed why it is worth saving in a memorable first round.

Trumpeting Catalan on the Big Screen
A local bill requiring that at least half the copies of every film from outside Europe be dubbed in Catalan is the latest attempt to assert Catalan culture.

Spanish March On in Davis Cup
David Ferrer swept Stanislas Wawrinka aside in straight sets to put defending champion Spain into the Davis Cup quarterfinals, while David Nalbandian secured Argentina's 3-2 victory over Sweden.

Solar Industry Learns Lessons in Spanish Sun
A national commitment to solar power transformed one community but big subsidies led to unsustainable growth.

Spain's Royalty Reasserts Its Claim
Real Madrid's goal of chasing down Barcelona on all fronts is being met.

Some Wannabes Seize Stage in Rehearsals
On a night of World Cup rehearsals, some merely went through the motions, but other grabbed their chances.

Traders Seek Out the Next Greece in an Ailing Europe
As Greece pledged anew to rein in its budget deficit, traders weighed the risks and potential rewards posed by the debts of other European governments.

Spanish Judge Accuses Venezuela of Aiding Basque and Colombian Militants
Judge Eloy Velasco accused the government of Venezuela and its armed forces of facilitating high-level contacts between Colombian rebels and Basque separatists.

Economy of Spain on the Edge
The idea that Spain could become a target of the world's markets, an economic basket case weighing down the euro, is a preposterous notion, but not an unthinkable one.

Spain Says It Arrested Basque Militant Leader
The leader of armed Basque separatists ETA was arrested in France on Sunday, with Spanish authorities saying the group had been preparing an attack in Spain.

A Player’s Attacks Pay Off, Even When They Shouldn’t
Veselin Topalov’s aggressive style (some would call it reckless) was on display in his victory at the Linares Tournament in Spain.

Lisbon Pact Failing to Lift the E.U. on Global Stage
Has the Lisbon Treaty, which was supposed to consolidate the European Union’s power and streamline its increasingly unwieldy bureaucracy, actually made things worse?

Persistent Unemployment, Without Lingering Pain
This Andalusian outpost is best known for two things: its famous carnival, which wraps up Monday after two raucous weeks, and its chronic unemployment.

Eurofighter Typhoon trounces F-15 in war simulation

Vatican Fights Spanish Secularism
Will Spain be the next domino to fall?

Foreign Energy Firms Plunder Britons to Keep Energy Bills Down in Europe
Britons pay the price for selling off essential utilities.

The Vatican's Not-So-Secret Weapon
Pope Benedict and his Catholic hierarchy are using the abortion issue to take down national governments that oppose their will—but what comes next?

Politicians Must Be "Put in Their Place," Says Archbishop
With the pope in Washington, let’s look at what his colleagues are saying back in Europe.

Benedict the King-Breaker
Is the Vatican about to bring down another European government?

Vatican Assaults Prodi, Again
The Roman Catholic Church shows just how much power it really has.

The Weekend Web
Historic groundbreaking ceremony in Edmond; plus the Pentagon submits to Islam and Congress lies to get votes!

America for Sale
European, Asian and Middle Eastern corporations are taking advantage of a weak dollar to grab technology and wipe out American competition.

Scotland: Sold to the Highest Bidder

Will Germany Control Europe's Power Switch?
If E.On successfully completes its takeover bid for Spain’s national power company Endessa, Germany will take the lead in controlling Europe’s strategic power switch.

Forging a More Efficient Europe
Leaders plan to overhaul the massive bureaucracy that is the European Union.

Same-Sex Marriage Gains Legal and Religious Recognition

Church Uses Same-Sex Marriage Issue to Rally Catholics
Despite Spain’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage, the run-up to the parliamentary vote was frought with mass protests from its Catholic citizens. Other events in Poland and Italy show the increasing power the Roman Catholic Church holds over European politics.

Britain Dislodged Over the Rock
The EU, like a kind uncle, has been good to Spain, lavishing it with high agricultural subsidies and Europe’s priciest road system. Will the EU now help Spain retrieve Gibraltar?

Rock of Ages

Reino de España (Spanish) / Kingdom of Spain

Motto: "Plus Ultra" (Latin) / "Further Beyond"

Spain (Spanish: España), officially the Kingdom of Spain (Spanish: Reino de España), is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The Spanish mainland is bordered to the south and east almost entirely by the Mediterranean Sea (except for a small land boundary with Gibraltar); to the north it is bordered by France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay; and by the Atlantic Ocean and Portugal to the west. Spanish territory also includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the African coast, and two autonomous cities in North Africa that border Morocco. With an area of 504,030 km², Spain is the second largest country in Western Europe (behind France).

Spain is a constitutional monarchy organised as a parliamentary democracy, and has been a member of the European Union since 1986. It is a developed country with the ninth largest economy in the world and fifth largest in the EU, based on nominal GDP.

The Spanish nation is organizationally composed in the form of called Estado de las Autonomías ("State of Autonomies"); it is one of the most decentralized countries in Europe, along Switzerland, Germany and Belgium. For example, all Autonomous Communities have their own elected parliaments, governments, public administrations, budgets and resources, therefore, health and education systems among others are managed regionally, besides, the Basque Country and Navarre also manage their own public finances based on foral provisions. In Catalonia and the Basque Country, a full fledged autonomous police corps replaces some of the State police functions (see Mossos d'Esquadra and Ertzaintza).

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spain