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.

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...

Salgado not worried about inflation
SPAINS Finance Minister Elena Salgado said inflation in its current form is not a matter of concern for the Spanish government. Salgado speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of European Union finance ministers and central bankers did not indicate whether she was referring to the Spanish economy or the...

Endesa sells 7.2% stake in Colombias EEB
SPANISH utility Endesa SA recently sold its 7.2% stake in the Colombian state-controlled energy company Empresa de Energia de Bogota SA EEB on the local stock market. The deal is worth around $247 million. Endesa sold its minority stake in EEB keeping a majority stake in local power-generation company Emgesa...

Actavis launches generic Lipitor in Spain
THE Icelandic drug-maker Actavis recently announced the launch of a generic version through intermediaries of Pfizers blockbuster cholesterol drug Lipitor in Spain. In a statement the company said that its third-party sales division Medis already delivered 30 million tablets of atorvastatin magnesium as opposed to atorvastatin calcium the ingredient in...

Nozar fails to agree with banks over funding
SPANISH developer Nozar failed in its recent attempt to agree with banks for more funding.. However the struggling property group Colonial managed to convince banks to re-refinance debt for €7 billion covering almost 78% of its external financing amounting to €9 billion. Colonials formal and binding agreement has been reached...

Hotel stays drop off in August
OVERNIGHT stays in Spains hotels dropped 5% in August from the same month in 2008 compared with a 5.5% fall in July the National Statistics Institute INE said on 30 September. The decline in hotel rates also eased in August to 4.6% year-on-year compared with a 6% reduction in July....

Proposed tax hikes spark controversy
The Spanish employers were manifestly irked on 29 September as the socialist government presented the proposed tax hikes in the budget bill news agencies reported. The bill proposed to increase the rates of Spains two-tiered value added tax to 8% and 18% respectively. While business leaders and the main opposition...

Spanish mortgage lending plummets in July
SPANISH mortgage lending slumped 19.1% year-on-year in July figures released last week from the National Institute of Statistics INE showed. Altogether the number of mortgages on Spanish homes in July was 58 995 which compared with the previous month represented a 4.5% drop. Accumulated in the first seven months of...

Recurrent Energy announces Spanish deal
RECURRENT Energy RE a California-distributed solar-energy company recently bagged a major deal to install 4.8 megawatts on rooftops in Spain local media reported last week. The projects are expected to be operational by mid-2010 with help from a feed-in tariff from the Spanish government. This is the first of many...

Royal family budget frozen due to crisis
On the request of the royal palace the annual budget of Spains King Juan Carlos 71 and his family will be frozen in 2010 owing to the countrys economic downturn according to an austere draft state budget tabled by Economy Minister Elena Salgado on September 29. The royal family will...

Spain not to raise VAT on products of first necessity
Despite suffering the crunch of recession on its coffers the Spanish government would not go for any popular leeway to dodge the crisis a recent announcement from a top Spanish minister revealed. Turning down some recent suggestions from market experts Deputy Prime Minister Elena Salgado confirmed that the government had...

Repsol to invest in Bolivia natural gas
The Spanish energy major Repsol would be investing about $1.6 billion to boost natural gas output in Bolivia over the next five years local media reports revealed last week citing the head of Bolivias state-run energy company YPFB. In the next five years they [Repsol] have agreed to invest on...

Spanish auto workers protest possible job cuts at Opel
Feared job losses from the possible closure of a local Opel car factory recently prompted thousands to demonstrate in the northern Spanish town of Zaragoza. Local residents are concerned that the full or partial closure of the plant could mean 1 650 of 7 500 jobs disappear in the region....

Zapatero to meet Obama on 13 October
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero will be meeting US President Barack Obama in the White House on 13 October five years after relations cooled under Obamas predecessor George W. Bush local reports recently revealed citing government sources. Zapatero and Obama have met bilaterally once before but the meeting...

Firm asks court to reject US brief in Spain treasure fight
The battle for treasure bet­ween Spain and a US based treasure-hunting firm continues. The Florida firm battling Spain in federal court over rights to more than USD 500 million in gold and silver coins recently urged the judge to reject a motion filed by the US government in support of...

EU gateway for cocaine sees growing addiction
Near Muxia a peaceful fishing village at the heart of Spains so-called Costa da Morte or Coast of Death police seized 4 tons of pure cocaine early this year. On a beach on Spains northwest Atlantic coast the drugs - presumed to have come in from Colombia - were nabbed...

Street prostitution sparks debate in Spain
Press photographs of prostitutes plying their trade right out on the street have reignited a debate about the practice in Spain where it has seen a rapid growth over the past 15 years. Traditionally perceived as relatively marginal prostitution is increasingly seen as normal with ever younger men preferring to...

FM cancels Israeli meeting
Visiting Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos canceled a scheduled meeting on September 10 with his Israeli counterpart Avigdor Lieberman after being called back to Madrid Israels Foreign Ministry said. The ministry statement gave no reason for the cancellation except to say that Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero had...

Santander to open 600 branches in Brazil
A recent official document from the Spanish bank Santander divulged its plans to open around 600 branches in Brazil. Santander is eyeing to increase its market share in the largest economy of Latin America by 2013 through its subsidiary in the country. We plan to open 600 new branches by...

Court blocks vote on Catalonia independence
A court in Spains north-eastern Catalonia region in a recent verdict blocked one villages planned referendum on independence for the state judicial sources said. The vote had been called for September 13 by Arenys de Munt a village of 8 000 near Barcelona. In a preliminary ruling the Barcelona court...

Lagging behind rest of EU in recovery
While several European countries appear to be emerging from the economic downturn Spain remains mired in its worst recession in six decades with the full recovery expected to last years rather than months. The worst has passed officials said recently as figures showed the contraction of the economy to have...

Repsol seals oil field deal as Brazil-Venezuela
In a bid to boost its Venezuelan production capacity Repsol the Spanish oil major recently agreed to spend USD 207 million for the right to develop its output capacity. The development would be carried out at an oil field in west Venezuela which currently produces 25 000 barrels a day...

Smokers paradise plans tougher ban
When Spain toughened anti-smoking legislation in 2006 the measure was hailed as an important step forward in the battle against addiction in the country formerly known as a smokers paradise. Three and half years later however smoke is again floating in bars restaurants and even some places of work prompting...

As terrorism strikes tourism pressure on ETA mounts
Spanish authorities are increasing pressure on supporters of the militant Basque separatist group ETA banning pro-ETA rallies and ordering the removal of pro-ETA posters from public places according to local reports. The Basque regional government early last week prohibited a separatist rally planned for August 21. Prosecutors and an anti-terrorism...

Slow economy stems influx of illegal immigrants
The number of would-be immigrants crossing from Africa to Spain went down 40 percent in the first seven months of this year compared to the corresponding period in 2008 a recent report from the Spanish interior ministry revealed. Nearly 4 500 illegals were detained between January and July this year....

Future of tourism industry feared
This years symbol of Spains tourism industry is the empty beach chair. In the first five months of 2009 the number of foreign visitors went down by nearly 12 percent with a fall of about 10 percent expected for the entire year. In 2008 the number of tourists already plunged...

Environment vs nuclear plant
Spain would allow the countrys oldest nuclear power plant to operate until 2013 despite an initial pledge to close it by 2011 Industry Minister Miguel Sebastian recently announced. The government decided to keep the plant functioning only until April 2013 Sebastian said describing the decision as coherent responsible technically justifiable...

Spain asks nuclear watchdog about Garonas future
The Spanish government of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero appears clearly skeptical with its stance regarding an ageing nuclear power plant near Burgos. Spains Nuclear Safety Council CSN recently announced that the government had asked for renewal of a permit for Garona for a period of two four or...

Spain plans heavy film funding
Spains Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts ICAA has been working on a plan which would see the introduction of a new Euro 90 million film funding scheme the new director general of ICAA Ignasi Guardans revealed last week. The scheme aims to tie together script development with a projects...

Aging nuclear plant becomes a trap for Zapatero
Facing a difficult decision over the possible closure of the Garona nuclear power plant near Burgos Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero could regret himself once saying that he is the most anti-nuclear member of the government. With time Spains oldest nuclear plant has become a symbol both for...

Spanish airports lose because of decentralisation
The economic inefficiency of most of the Spanish airports is due to excessive decentralisation of airport services says the recent study published in the Journal of Productivity Analysis. Based on an analysis of 37 Spanish airports and data provided by Spanish Airports and Air Navigation AENA the analysis assumed that...

Spains Telefonica partners with DeviceAnywhere
A new remote testing service for the Spanish telecom major Telefonica Telefonica movistar Virtual Developer Lab VDL had recently been launched the developer of the service DeviceAnywhere announced. DeviceAnywhere is a well known name in the field of end-to-end mobile application development solutions. The new VDL is a remote testing...

Spanish voters dump govt for economic crisis
Spanish voters long for change. Expressing a will for change Spanish electorate condemned the socialist governments handling of the countrys economic recession conservative opposition leader Mariano Rajoy rejoiced after his Peoples Party won the European elections. The victory reaffirmed Rajoys leadership and strengthened the party stormed by a corruption scandal....

Guascor looks to the sun and wind
Grupo Guascor the Spanish renewable energy company recently announced its intention to put up the worlds biggest wind farm in the Patagonia region of southern Argentina. Reflecting Spains growing reliance on renewable energy sector which has seen a soaring development in the recent years the whole project is worth 2.4...

Rival Prisa and Imagina fuse after disputes
Spanish media giant Prisa has announced an upcoming merger of its televisions operations with rival company Imagina. The two companies have agreed to give themselves a month to sign a merger deal with the aim of joining up their audiovisual activities in a newly-created company a Prisa statement read. Prisa...

Pressure mounts to ban bullfights in Catalonia
Admirers of bullfighting see it as one of Spains most powerful cultural expressions - the only art in which the artist risks his life as the late US writer Ernest Hemingway put it. Increasing numbers of Spaniards however see the countrys national spectacle in a different light - as a...

Industry falls new orders tumble for eighth month
The National Statistical Institute of Spain on May 19 released the March industrial turnover figures which showed that the Spanish industrial turnover dropped 20.6 percent year-on-year in the third month of the year. However the plummet was slower than a 31.3 percent fall in February the figures showed. This was...

Nespresso continues local expansion
The coffee chain subsidiary of Nestle Nespresso recently unveiled its plans to continue growing in Spain after revealing new investment plans for the country. The unit said it would invest 10 million Euro this year to open another six new boutique bars adding to the 12 such outlets it already...

Government moves unemployment legislation for the self employed forward
However the Federation of Autonomous Workers has said it considers the measure to be insufficient

Alicante teacher in court for setting a pupil lines
The Primary School child was given 100 lines for not doing her homework

Britain promises to investigate the target practice incident off Gibraltar
The Spanish Guardia Civil claims it interrupted the Royal Navy firing on a buoy in the colours of the Spanish flag

Spain Business Brief - Friday November 20 2009
Spain facing court over public adjudication law

Alakrana crew meet family as they arrive in the Seychelles
Most of the families were flown to the islands by the Spanish Air Force, and the Captain of the vessel says he will not sail again

Los Monteros Hotel in bankruptcy proceedings
It means a judicial administrator will take control of the five star establishment

AVE high speed train to reach Alicante in 2012 and Murcia 2014
The dates were given by the head of the ADIF infrastructure company who was on a visit to the region on Thursday

Three companies bid for Terra MΓ­tica
The Benidorm Theme Park is expected to see a deal done by the end of the year

Spain Papers Review - Friday November 20 2009
The Spanish papers cover the two new posts created by the European Union

New threat to palm trees across Spain
A moth from Uruguay is said to be as dangerous as the Red Palm Weevil

Spain Weather - Friday November 20 2009
An unsettled weekend on the way for most of the country

Royal Navy accused of firing at the Spanish flag off Gibraltar
The British Ambassador has been called to give an explanation of the incident

Cristiano Ronaldo caught having a crap
The Real Madrid player finds himself part of a Catalan tradition

Two Spaniards missing after tourist boat sinks in the Red Sea
They were with a diving expedition from Spain to the Ras Mohammed National Park

Emergency flood aid for Tenerife
The Canaries President has promised 8,500 Euro for every home affected

Torrox to open Civil War grave
Another is to be exhumed in the village cemetery in Alfarnatejo

Another Spanish trawler repels possible pirate attack in the Indian Ocean
Security guards fired warning shots at a suspicious boat

Spain Business Brief - Thursday November 19 2009
Spain last of the OECD countries to exit recession

Italian gang of bank robbers busted after MΓ‘laga robbery
The remaining gang members are in custody after the initial 3 arrests after the MΓ‘laga robbery

Marina management company embargoed in Guardamar del Segura
It's understood to relate to a debt from some years ago

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...

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.

Alex Wolff: The Spanish male athlete is Sportsman of the Year
Sports Illustrated will announce its choice for Sportsman of the Year on Dec. 1. Here's one of the nominations for that honor by an SI writer.

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

Spain arrests Basque leaders
Spanish police have arrested 23 leaders of an outlawed Basque pro-independence party on suspicion of aiding the armed separatist group ETA, a judicial source told CNN.

Gwyneth Paltrow Will Eat Her Way Across Spain
The woman once known for her alcohol-free, macrobiotic diet - and then admitted to a weakness for pinot noirs - has loosened up even further.

International business etiquette 101
In Spain, a business dinner will last well into the early morning hours -- many restaurants don't even open until 9 p.m. and don't get busy until 10 or 11 p.m.

Upsets shaking up European championships
MADRID, Spain (AP) -- The European Basketball Championship is living up to its billing as one of the most competitive in history.

Spanish TV Says No to Bullfighting
It's the end of an era, but the national broadcaster's decision may have more to do with money than animal rights

In Spain, No Ole for Bullfights
While protests mount against Spain's archetypal sport, aficionados have begun exporting the game -- even to China

French police arrest ETA suspects
French police arrested the suspected logistics chief of the Basque separatist group ETA and two of his accomplices Thursday, raising to 22 the number of ETA suspects detained in France and Spain since last month, when ETA ended its cease-fire, Spain's Interior Ministry said in a statement.

Spain swoops on 2 terror suspects
Spanish police have arrested two Syrian-born men in Madrid for collaboration with an Islamic terrorist group, including one who was acquitted two years ago at a major trial of al Qaeda suspects in Spain, the country's Interior Ministry says.

2 Gored in Spanish Bull Run
Spain's largest fighting bulls gored two and crushing at least seven people as thousands of daredevils sprinted down narrow streets Sunday in Pamplona's annual bull run

Zapatero's Basque Problem in Spain
Analysis: The Prime Minister who promised peace by negotiating with a Basque terror group is left with egg on his face

Three ETA suspects held in France
Police arrested three suspected members of the Basque separatist group ETA early Thursday in France, the first such detentions since ETA announced in Spain the end of its long cease-fire on Tuesday, Spain's Interior Ministry said in a statement.

Rice: U.S., Spain allies with differences
The United States and Spain share concerns on many fronts, but Spain is going its own way in its relations with Cuba, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says.

Spain arrests 15 terror suspects
Spanish police have arrested 15 suspected Islamic terrorists believed to be supporting attacks on American forces and their allies in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the Spanish Interior Ministry and an anti-terrorism official.

Ancient Myth Meets Star Wars in Staging of Berlioz's 'Les Troyens'
The audacious Catalan theater company La Fura dels Baus offers a glittering staging in Valencia, Spain, of the five-act opera in its full and unabridged form.

Spanish Captives in Somali Waters Plead for Help
Crew members of a Spanish fishing ship seized by Somali pirates over a month ago pleaded with their relatives to press the Spanish government to do more to gain their release.

Soccer Strike Is Avoided in Spain After a Tax Increase
The owners of Spanish soccer teams backtracked Friday on their threat to halt the country's top league, deciding instead to open negotiations with the government over a fiscal reform plan that would almost double the tax burden on foreign players.

Pirates Threaten Spanish Captives
Pirates on Friday threatened to kill three Spanish crew members of a ship seized a month ago, a day after the crew pleaded with their relatives to press the Spanish government for their release.

Recent ETA Arrests Raise Hopes in Spain of Ending Violence
Spain’s interior minister said Tuesday that with detentions more frequent, it is becoming harder for ETA to adapt, forcing it to resort to younger, less-trained militants.

Spanish Market Shows a Few Glimmers
Foreclosure sales are producing some activity but opinions are mixed on how soon Spain's real estate market will recover, especially along the Costa del Sol.

Spain Arraigns Somalis Suspected of Piracy
Two men were arraigned on kidnapping charges in a case that underscores the legal ambiguity of bringing suspected pirates in international waters to justice.

Madrid Feels Deflated as It Comes Up Short Again
People were enthused as the Spanish capital made it to the final round in its bid to host the Olympics, but hopes were dashed when the final announcement was made.

The Smart Choice for Olympic Host
Yes, President Obama is pushing for the 2016 Summer Olympics to be held Chicago, but Rio de Janeiro is the city that can best afford it.

The Four Candidates Make Their Final Olympic Push
After years of work and days of frantic, last-minute lobbying, the four cities hoping to host the 2016 Olympics are nearing the finish line.

In a Spanish Region, a Twilight of the Matadors
Dwindling interest and pressure from animal-rights advocates and Catalan nationalists has crippled bullfighting in Catalonia. Now it may be outlawed.

Zapatero Unveils Budget Plan With Tax Increases
Spain's politically weakened government plans to increase taxes amid a crippling recession in an effort to rein in one of Europe's highest budget deficits.

El País in Rare Break With Socialist Leader
Some suspect the newly muscular coverage of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is a result of a backstage clash with a rival newspaper company.

Dutch Treat for Spanish Tour Before the Heights of Home
The next Tour de France will start in Rotterdam, the next Giro d'Italia will start in Amsterdam and the next Vuelta a España will start Saturday in Assen, the capital of the Dutch province of Drenth.

Barrichello Edges Hamilton to Win European Grand Prix
After a bad pit stop by the McLaren Mercedes team, its reigning world champion driver handed victory to the man behind him, Rubens Barrichello.

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