2010 FIFA World Cup Champions: La Furia Roja

"The Champions" Painting by Paul Junior Kasemwana Source: Adidas

The Blaze roars in delight as he gets his hands on the FIFA World Cup™ trophy. He leads his team-mates in historic celebration after a tense 1-0 extra-time victory over The Netherlands, in this brilliant painting by Paul Junior Kasemwana; the 36th and last in adidas' 'Live Quest' series. Led by David Villa's five goals in the tournament and the precision passing of Xavi in midfield, La Furia Roja became the eighth country to lift the FIFA World Cup and only the third team to be both European and World Champions at the same time. So 'The Quest' is at an end - it was La Furia Roja and The Blaze that burned the brightest.

2010 FIFA World Cup Final Photos:

Tapas Bar

Eating Tapas in Spain
Rick Steves

I never tire of tapas. Sure, you can find them in some American cities, but for the true tapas experience, you must go to Spain. When I'm there, I can't resist stopping in local bars to munch on these small portions of seafood, salads, meat-filled pastries, deep-fried tasties, and on and on.

2010 Census: We Don't Fit Neatly Into Little Boxes
Ana Veciana-Suarez

Eager to be counted and get my fair share, whatever that might be, I recently filled out my Census form like a dutiful citizen -- and stepped into a controversy along the way. It wasn't intentional, but that's what happens when, for practical reasons, we box in the complex.

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.

Government foresees economic contraction in 2010
The Spanish government his year foresees an economic contraction of 0.3% this year Spanish Finance Minister Elena Salgado said.We are continuing to maintain our forecast: there wont be any negative growth quarters and the year will end with a drop of 0.3% in gross domestic product Salgado was quoted as...

Canal Plus Spain readies for new channel
Canal Plus Spain recently confirmed its plans of launching a new channel Canal Plus Dos local media reports revealed.Since its 1990 launch the channel has followed its French namesake and co-founder offering firstrun movies and soccer in a single channel.Recently it announced it would revise that 20-year business model for...

Spain to invest more on infrastructure projects
Indicating further spending cuts Spanish Finance Minister Elena Salgado recently announced that Spain would spend €500 million more than planned on infrastructure projects.The fund would be fed by drawing money from other areas the minister said.Salgado stated that the new higher spending limit came as a result of improved market...

Economy recovers in second quarter though sluggishly
Spanish economy experienced a hoist for the second straight quarter between April and June the latest set of official statistics showed. That means that the Spanish economy has adhered to the growth path again. The economy registered a surge 0.2% in the June quarter hailing a decent momentum in its...

EU pays out $11 million to help workers find jobs
The European Unions executive hitherto paid out €8.5 million to help more than 2 000 Spanish ceramic and carpentry workers find jobs after they were laid off because of the economic crisis EU officials recently announced. The European Commission set up the EU Globalization Adjustment Fund EGF to help retrain...

Inditex to expand in Australia South Africa
The largest European cloth retailer Inditex last week unveiled an ambitious expansion plan that would strengthen its international presence. The Spanish retailer said it would move into Australia and South Africa next year as part of its aggressive international expansion. A statement from the Zara owner revealed that the decision...

Hypercom speeds up self-service ticketing
Hypercom Corporation recently bagged a major Spanish contract which would see more than 1 000 Hypercom Artema Modular self-service card payment terminals being installed at 293 Metro de Madrid stations a statement from the company revealed last week. It said the new systems being installed by system integrators Indra and...

Parliament approves labor market reform
The Spanish parliament recently waived green to a controversial labor reform in a vote marked by the abstentions of most legislators. According to the ruling side the reform would make Spains rigid labor market more flexible which in turn would help to slash the countrys 20% unemployment rate and to...

Sabadell launches takeover of smaller rival
The board of Banco Sabadell BS recently waived green to a takeover deal which would see BS acquiring smaller rival Banco Guipuzcoano. Observers noted that the operation would be the first of its kind between two listed Spanish banks since the start of the financial crisis at the end of...

Sacresa to file for bankruptcy
A major Spanish real-estate developer reportedly was poised to file for bankruptcy after its financial plan was rejected by a group of about 15 banks holding nearly €1.8 billion in debt Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa reported last week citing radio reports. The bankruptcy of Sacresa which is based in the north-eastern...

IMF downplays Spains economic troubles
International Monetary Fund IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn recently stepped in to calm market concern about Spains financial stability saying he had enormous trust in the countrys economy. The austerity measures adopted by Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapateros government were very efficient Strauss-Kahn said after holding talks with the premier...

Bank of Spain to publish stress tests soon
The Spanish banking sector is eagerly waiting for a pending report card currently being prepared by the Bank of Spain BoS which is stress testing all of the countrys banks. BoS Deputy Governor Javier Ariztegui recently announced that they would publish the results in coming weeks. In the text of...

Zapateros labor market reform draws union reactions
The Spanish trade union confederation CCOO on 14 June announced a general strike against a planned reform aimed at making firing workers cheaper and the labor market more flexible. The general strike would be the first faced by Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero who recently announced the austerity...

BBVA eyes Indonesia bank stake
As the Spanish Banking sector is increasingly facing dire apprehensions on its future Spains BBVA looks set to expand its access this time into the Asian market. According o recent media reports BBVA was eying the Gunawan familys $1.4 billion stake in Indonesias Panin Bank. Standard Chartered was also reportedly...

Merger to create Spains biggest savings bank
Spanish savings banks Caja Madrid and Bancaja recently announced that they were merging to create the countrys biggest savings bank. The boards of the two banks approved the merger. The new company will also include five smaller savings banks with which Caja Madrid had agreed to join operations. The merged...

Labor reform could sideline unions
A further unpopular move by the Spanish government aimed at refurbishing the countrys ailing coffer appears invoking a fresh brawl with the labor unions. According to local media reports the new rules would make it easier for companies to bypass unions to lower workers pay and conditions. However such a...

Spain to extend smoking ban
The Spanish Smoking ban is set to be extended. Recent reports said citing the Spanish Health Minister Trinidad Jimenez that the country would amend its anti-tobacco law to extend a smoking ban to bars cafes restaurants and all other enclosed public spaces next year. However the minister assured that the...

Spains poor have increased 3.4% since crisis began
A recent study revealed that the crisis hit Spanish economy is resulting in a notable increase in the number of poor Spaniards. Since the crisis began the number of poor people in Spain hitherto increased by 3.4% the figures from a study prepared by the Faessa Foundation for the Spanish...

Spains measures strong says IMF chief
Despite visible skepticism from within the country the austerity measures proposed by Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapateros government were applauded by the International Monetary Fund IMF . According to IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn the Spanish governments package of austerity policies is strong and moving in the right direction. The measures...

Bank of Spain sees costs for bad loans rise
Increased provisioning costs would spur the woes of the Spanish banking sector next year the Bank of Spain BoS recently said. According to a BoS estimate tougher rules on bad loans and real estate on the books of the countrys banks could increase provisioning costs for the industry by almost...

Parliament approves austerity package
Spains parliament on 27 May approved an austerity package aimed at restoring the countrys financial credibility with the majority of only one vote while some parties urged Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero to resign. The package was approved with 169 votes from Zapateros Socialist Party while 168 legislators from...

Four Spanish savings banks announce merger
Four Spanish savings banks announced on 24 May they would merge a part of their operations to form the countrys fifth- largest lender amid concern over the solidity of the countrys savings banks. Cajastur Caja de Ahorros del Mediterraneo CAM Caja Extremadura and Caja Cantabria informed the Bank of Spain...

Nestle to make sweets with fewer trees
Nestle announced that it would take steps to end its use of palm oil purchased from suppliers whose activities are destroying vulnerable tropical forests DPA reported. The Vevey based food company said it will focus on the systematic identification and exclusion of companies owning or managing high risk plantations or...

Swiss gold assists National Banks Profits
The Swiss National Bank SNB reported a first quarter profit of 1.5 billion Swiss Francs $1.34 billion largely due to both rising gold prices and losses on foreign currency DPA said. The central bank made 1.26 billion Francs on increases in gold valuations but a loss of 2.91 billion resulting...

SMEs start to find their feet again
Small and medium-sized Swiss enterprises SMEs have succeeded in stabilising their turnover in the first quarter at last years levels according to a UBS survey. The bank noted that although SMEs are reporting an improvement in business profits and employment decreased modestly in the first quarter. While SMEs in the...

SAS signs deal to sell Estonia Air stake
Scandinavian airline SAS has signed a letter of intent to sell its stake in Estonian Air the Estonian government confirmed on 10 May The Local reported. Estonias Economy Minister Juhan Parts signed the preliminary accord with SAS executives in Tallinn his ministry said. The parties confirmed plans to change the collective...

Saab: Out of reverse gear
Saab CEO Jan Ă…ke Jonsson has said the iconic Swedish brand is showing good signs of recovery after its sale to the Dutch luxury car maker Spyker. The company was very close to being liquidated and now has to rebuild its sales from scratch. We had been closed down for...

Spain announces more austerity measures
The Spanish government recently announced new austerity measures as unemployment mounted and the countrys economic solidity was being increasingly questioned. Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapateros Socialist government said it would save €16 million $21 million annually by cutting the number of public companies and societies by 29 to 77...

Used car sales increase in Q1
Sales of used cars and SUVs in Spain accounted for a 6.5% surge during the first quarter of this year compared to the corresponding quarter of 2009 according to a recently published report from the National Association of Motor Vehicle Dealers Ganvam . The report showed sales in this segment...

Government tries to protect copyrights
Internet downloading in Spain has now increased piracy to the point that some movie studios are considering abandoning the Spanish market according to media reports. Even the Spanish book industry lost €150 million in earnings in 2009 because of digital pirates who targeted especially manuals and academic books. Mozart lived...

Muslim headscarf Sparks debate in Spain
The use of the Islamic headscarf hijab in schools has become increasingly pressing as Spains Muslim population has grown rapidly over the past decade Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa reported. The country now has 1.3 million Muslims. The vast majority of them are of Moroccan origin. About 60% of schools in the...

Banco Popular nears sale of 800 branches
Spains Banco Popular Espanol SA would be disposing up to 800 branches the 26 April edition of El Economista reported. The sale is expected to generate capital gains of some €700 million. Banco Popular has been cutting costs by reducing headcount and the number of branches it operates after completing...

Medgaz pipeline delayed to July
The Medgaz gas pipeline connecting Algeria and Spain is set to be delayed further. The head of Algerias national oil company Sonatrach said on 19 April the startup of the pipeline would be delayed again to July. Speaking to reporters on the side of a gas exporters forum in Oran...

Industrial new orders turnover increase in February
Figures released last week from Spains National Institute of Statistics showed that Spains industrial new orders increased 7.9% on an annual basis in February faster than the 2.1% growth in the previous month. New orders for intermediate goods grew 7.9% annually in February while new orders for capital goods rose...

Market shows first tentative signs of recovery
The Spanish property sector has started showing signs of a turnaround news agencies reported. According to the latest figures to be published by the countrys National Institute of Statistics the Spanish property market grew by 16% in February compared to the same month last year.  Not including social housing there were...

Iberia inks merger deal with British Airways
Spanish carrier Iberia and British Airways BA recently signed a merger agreement designed to create one of the worlds biggest airline groups by the end of 2010 the companies announced in a joint statement. The deal agreed last November is expected to save the airlines €400 million a year and...

PM: Spain to cut deficit whatever the cost
Spain would fulfill its commitment to reduce the budget deficit whatever the cost Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero commented in a recent interview. We have a plan a credible quantified plan which we have already begun to implement a plan to reduce the public deficit the socialist premier was...

Residents of LAquila gather to remember 2009 earthquake
Thousands gathered in the cathedral square of the Italian city of LAquila early on 6 April to remember an earthquake that devastated the city a year before. Gathering at precisely 3:32 am 0132 GMT - the time of the quake - more than 25 000 people with candles and torches...

Gazeley leases space for photovoltaic installation
Solergy AG recently inked a deal with Gazeley a part of Economic Zones WorldEconomic Zones World group headquartered in Dubai taking on lease a 24 000 square meters of roof space of one of Gazeleys buildings in Ontigola to build a photovoltaic PV installation. According to a Gazeley statement the...

EIB grants big loan to ICAF
The Instituto de Finanzas de Cantabria ICAF recently received a €75 million loan from the European Investment Bank EIB for investment in education in the region local media reports revealed last week. The finance contract was signed by the Vice-President of the Cantabrian government Dolores Gorostiaga Saiz bank Vice-President Carlos...

Epoque opens hotel in Spain
Epoque Hotels recently flagged off a new boutique hotel in Spain. The Hotel Viura is situated in Villabuena de Alava 40 kilometers from the city of Logrono in the wine region of La Rioja. The hotel has 33 guestrooms including 13 doubles 13 deluxe and seven suites. It also has...

Spanish current account deficit soars
The latest set of figures from the Bank of Spain showed Spanish current account deficit rose for the first time in 11 months in January compared to a year earlier. According to the figures the improvement came on improved imports though analysts said that changed little in the picture of...

France Spain to redouble anti-ETA terrorism fight
The recent killing of a French policeman by the Basque militant group ETA would intensify the cooperation between France and Spain in the fight against the group Spanish Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said. The murder of the police officer will lead the security forces in France and Spain to...

Spain moves to save €3 billion a year on energy
Spanish Prime Minister Luis Rodriguez Zapatero recently unveiled a new cost cutting plan which would see the Spanish coffer saving €3 billion a year on the states energy bill. According to the premier this would further boost the governmental initiative to tackle the countrys economic crisis. The plan would cut...

Majority of employers expecting a VAT-hit
A VAT hike in Spain would adversely hit the local businesses findings of a new survey revealed. According to the survey conducted by the Fundacion Ortega y Gasset with Metroscopia 74% of employers were found to believe that the VAT hike would adversely affect its business compared with 63% in...

EIB loan to improve infrastructure research
Spains Madrid region recently received a €280 million grant from the financial arm of the EU bloc the European Investment Bank EIB for improvement of infrastructure and research. Of the amount two loans of €200 million would be used for renovating municipal infrastructure and €80 million for building a few...

Spain Bahamas sign tax information exchange deal
Spain recently inked an agreement on exchange of information on tax matters with the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. The government of The Bahamas welcomes the conclusion of this agreement with Spain which is the product of a collaborative and cooperative negotiations process The Bahaman authority said in a statement cited...

European grant for Spanish wave energy project
The European Commission recently gave the final go-ahead to a €4.5 million grant to a consortium for building a wave energy plant in Spain. The grant has been assigned to an international consortium established for the construction of the facility in Spain using American PowerBuoy OPT Ocean Power Technology wave...

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...

Teddy bear thief caught in Cantabria
The man stole items, mostly teddy bears, from the inside of parked cars

Largest fire of the summer now under control in Galicia
The Minister for Defence has attacked those who deliberately start such blazes

Thousands of traffic fines incorrectly issued in Spain
The margin of error in radar equipment has not been taken into account as the law demands

Spain Weather - Friday September 3 2010
There are no Spanish Meteorological Agency alerts in place today as storms which have affected the east of the country move away and a general stability returns.

Spain Papers Review - Friday September 3 2010
It’s politics which leads most of the papers in Spain today

'Not a penny In La Linea'
A backlash is underway against the Mayor of La Linea's plan to introduce a five Euro toll on visitors to Gibraltar

Russian wanted in connection with 156 deaths is arrested in Barcelona
The man fled Russia after 156 people were killed in his disctheque in Perm

19th Century Bomb defused in the centre of Cartagena
The bomb is thought to have been fired in the Cantonal War

Marta del Castillo case will be heard by professional judges
The murdered girl's father has complained about the Judge's change of mind, and says he will appeal for a jury to hear the case

Spain Business Brief - Thursday September 2 2010
Sony is to close its only factory in Spain with the loss of more than 1,000 jobs

Mariano Rajoy says Francisco Camps should be the P.P. candidate in Valencia
The Partido Popular leader did not refer to a new police report in the press yesterday which alleged the illegal funding of the PP in Valencia

Unemployment rises in Spain in August
It ends four months of falls in the number out of work

Olive pips for a good night's sleep
A CΓ³rdoba company is selling pillows filled with charred olive pips

Spain Weather - Thursday September 2 2010
More rain and heavy storms are forecast for the centre and east of the Spanish mainland today, Thursday.

Child Prosecutor warns of gang activity in Alicante
The 2009 report says that Latin gangs are a problem in the south of the province

Doubts raised over the AVE arrival in Alicante
The Partido Popular claims that delays could be caused by the Government's plans for a private/public partnership

Indian sets new record for swimming the Strait of Gibraltar
The 20 year old made the crossing without any neoprene wet suit

New GΓΌrtel allegations of illegal funding of the Partido Popular in Valencia
A police report claims businessmen paid in money to an account used to fund the party

Spain Papers Review - Thursday September 2 2010
New revelations in the GΓΌrtel case make the front pages of some of the papers in Spain today, but are absent from all the right wing journals.

How Dare Aznar?
Typically Spanish Editor, Howard Brereton, is not impressed by JosΓ© MarΓ­a Aznar

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 dismantle male prostitution ring in Spain
National Police said Tuesday an investigation that began in February has resulted in the arrests of 14 people involved in an organization dedicated to the sexual exploitation of men, Spain's first such bust of its kind.

Lithuania rallies from 18 back to upset Spain, 76-73
IZMIR, Turkey (AP) -- Lithuania rallied from an 18-point second-half deficit to beat Spain 76-73 Tuesday in a game between the two Group D favorites at the basketball world championship.

Sid Lowe: La Liga 2010-11 season preview
Every summer, football clubs all over the world throw their money away. In Granada CF's case, quite literally. One morning in July, the Spanish second-division team awoke to find that the money earned from season-ticket sales -- which it had handily "stored" in bin bags -- had been thrown out by the cleaner. Already racked by debt and in administration, Granada had lost an estimated $500,000 thanks to a woman with a mop and bucket. Luckily, in the end most the cash was found in a recycling box.

Terror suspect from Spain arrested in Belgium
One of Spain's most wanted terror suspects was arrested in Belgium on Saturday, Spanish interior ministry officials said.

Jeff Pearlman: American sports can learn from Spain's ban on bullfighting
ARBUCIES, Spain -- The bill to ban bullfighting here in Catalonia passed last week, and -- to cite the excellent B.o.b. --after all the pandemonium and all the madness, there comes a time where you fade to the blackness.

Michelle Obama and daughter arrive in southern Spain
U.S. first lady Michelle Obama and her youngest daughter, Sasha, 9, arrived Wednesday on Spain's southern Mediterranean coast for a vacation with friends at a luxury hotel here.

Spain's Catalonia bans bullfighting
Catalonia became the first Spanish mainland region to ban bullfighting after its parliament voted Wednesday to outlaw the tradition on animal cruelty grounds.

5 more Cuban political prisoners released, Spain says
Five Cuban political prisoners and their families boarded an airplane to Madrid, Spain, on Thursday night, bringing the number of prisoners released into exile in the past two weeks to 20, according to the Spanish Embassy in Havana.

Tim Vickery: Spain's success could be a valuable lesson learned by Brazil
The status of the Brazilian national team -- and its value to its international sponsors -- does not rest solely on the fact that it is the only country to have won the World Cup five times.

Four more Cuban prisoners bound for Spain
Another four Cuban political prisoners are expected to leave Havana for Madrid, Spain, no later than Wednesday, the head of Cuba's independent Commission on Human Rights and National Reconciliation told CNN.

Freed Cuban dissidents heading for Spain
The first group among 52 Cuban political prisoners to be freed is expected to arrive in Spain Tuesday, officials and family members said.

Spain: Freed Cuban political prisoners to arrive Tuesday
The first of 52 political prisoners to be released in Cuba are scheduled to arrive Tuesday in Spain on two commercial flights, a Spanish Foreign Ministry spokesman told CNN on Monday.

More than 1 million protest court ruling in Barcelona
More than a million people took to the streets in Spain to rally for greater regional autonomy, police said.

Locking horns over the running of the bulls
A 400-year-old tradition is facing some new challenges this year at this week's annual running of the bulls in Spain.

Subway strike causes commuter chaos in Madrid
Chaos reigned in Madrid Tuesday as a strike shut down the Spanish capital's metro system, forcing roughly 2.5 million riders to fill buses and taxis, reported CNN's sister network CNN Plus.

Euro rises as concern cools
The euro pared gains against the dollar Thursday, as debt concerns sparked in the previous session abated after Spain held a strong bond auction.

Treasurys rise on renewed Spain fears
Treasurys turned higher Wednesday after renewed fears about Spain's debt pushed investors back to the safe-haven appeal of U.S. bonds.

Spanish civil servants strike over cuts
Spain's civil servants went on strike Tuesday to protest the government's decision to cut their pay 5 percent this year and freeze it next year as part of an austerity plan to reduce the country's deficit.

Afghan, Pakistani officials to attend forum for first time
Afghan and Pakistani government officials will attend for the first time a meeting in Madrid on Monday with special envoys from 33 other nations, including the United States and China, to discuss peace efforts in the war-torn region, a senior Spanish diplomat said.

Oil slips on Spain concerns
Oil prices ended lower Friday after Fitch downgraded Spain's credit rating, renewing investors' fears that Europe's debt crisis could cut global demand for fuel.

3 ETA members sentenced to more than 1,000 years
Spain's highest court has sentenced three members of the Basque separatist group ETA to more than 1,000 years in prison for a terrorist attack against one of the nation's busiest airports in 2006, officials said Friday.

Sid Lowe: Conspiracy theories abound on La Liga's final weekend
Desperation makes for strange bedfellows. And no, we're not talking about David Cameron and Nick Clegg coming together to find the keys for No. 10 Downing Street after a British general election that left a hung parliament and no outright winner -- although there is certainly plenty of politics involved.

Spain's 'Coast of Death' bears evidence of oil spill 8 years later
Wooden sailboats and steering wheels from ships decorate the cavernous Nosa Senora da Barca, or "Our Lady of the Boat" church. Last week, a small congregation from the neighboring fishing village of Muxia gathered to pray in this stone chapel, which stands 100 feet from where the foaming Atlantic Ocean pounds the rocky coast.

A tapas tour of Spain
I never tire of tapas. Sure, you can find them in some American cities, but for the true tapas experience, you must go to Spain.

Even the bears aren't bearish enough on Spain's coming sovereign debt problem
We often say that investors can be bullish, bearish, or not enough of either. "Our debt is clean, we will not have to ask for help," said Elena Salgado, Spain's finance minister, on April 30th, appealing to the bulls. That is, if there are any bulls left in sovereign debt.

Spain unemployment tops 20 percent
Unemployment in Spain has reached 20 percent, meaning 4.6 million people are out of work, the Spanish government announced Friday.

Spain suffers 20% unemployment
The unemployment rate in Spain reached 20% in the first quarter, the Spanish government announced Friday, with 4.6 million people out of work in the country.

Spain unemployment soars
Unemployment in Spain has reached 20%, meaning 4.6 million people are out of work, the Spanish government announced Friday.

S&P slashes Spain's debt rating
Standard and Poor's downgraded the sovereign debt ratings of Spain to a lower investment grade status Wednesday, citing "risks to budgetary position" for the troubled European nation.

World's 50 best restaurants list released
Danish cuisine reigns supreme, according to some of the planet's most prominent eaters.

Q&A: Who gets to fly first?
With more flights beginning to take off on schedule, airlines are attempting to clear the backlog of passengers who have been waiting for days because of the volcanic ash cloud over Europe.

Earthquake hits southern Spain; damage said unlikely
A strong earthquake struck near the Spanish city of Granada early Monday, but at a depth that made damage to the medieval Moorish capital unlikely, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

Police arrest 9 in Spanish counterfeit ring
Police in Spain have arrested nine people suspected of bringing the equivalent to $40,000 a week (30,000 euros) in fake bills into Spain, authorities said Friday.

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.

Spain Breaks Up a Trafficking Ring for Male Prostitution
The police said 14 people, almost all of them Brazilian, were arrested over recent weeks as part of an inquiry into a human trafficking network’s activities begun in February.

Lithuania Rallies to Top Spain at Basketball World Championships
Lithuania rallied from an 18-point second-half deficit to beat Spain, 76-73, Tuesday in a game in Izmir, Turkey, between the two Group D favorites at the basketball world championships.

At Barcelona, the Price of Dreams Varies
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s multimillion-dollar moves from Italy to Spain, and now back, are merely a sign of the times.

France Beats Spain at FIBA World Championships
France made 10 of its last 12 free throws and beat defending champion Spain, 72-66 in a tournament opener.

Spain Claims 2 Victories in Relations With Africa
Two hostages were released in Mauritania, and an agreement was made with Morocco after a recent commercial blockade of Melilla, a Spanish enclave.

Players Shift, Spain Freezes, and Americans Celebrate
Leading by a point with 16.9 seconds left, the United States showed its typical man-to-man before shifting to the 2-3 zone and holding off Spain in an exhibition.

Animal Welfare Activists to Protest Bullfighting in Spain
About 150 semi-naked animal welfare activists plan to stage a protest on Saturday at the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao to demand an end to bullfighting.

Counting the Cost of Machismo
Europe's southern fringe shares a sunny climate, shaky economic fundamentals and a long-entrenched machismo that is costing it dearly.

Google Sued in Spain Over Data Collecting
A court is investigating charges that Google broke Spanish law while gathering photographs for Street View, its photo-mapping service.

The Soccer World Moves on After Cup
Spain is back in action, Brazil has introduced new talent and Fabio Capello abruptly ended David Beckham’s international career.

Fewer Tickets on Spanish Roads as Officers Protest Bonus Plan
Spanish highway police officers have cut back on fining drivers for traffic violations to protest a government attempt to base part of their salary on performance.

Feliz Cumpleaños, and Adiós
Where’s the first lady when the president needs her? Going her own way.

Michelle Obama Criticized for Spain Vacation
The image of Michelle Obama vacationing abroad while Americans struggle back home struck some as ill-timed.

Polishing the Future in Barcelona and Madrid
Spanish youth players are receiving mixed messages from the country's two most prominent clubs on how to succeed in soccer.

European Bank Stress Tests Worked: Sort Of
Market data is starting to provide an indication of whether the stress tests on the largest European banks had the desired effect on confidence.

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 Espańa (Spanish) / Kingdom of Spain

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

Spain (Spanish: Espańa), officially the Kingdom of Spain (Spanish: Reino de Espańa), 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 km˛, 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