panic in Barcelona Zoo on Wednesday morning after two wolves, both females, a four year old adult and her pup, escaped from their cage.

There was panic in Barcelona Zoo on Wednesday morning after two wolves, both females, a four year old adult and her pup, escaped from their cage.The youngest was captured just a few minutes later, but the adult female was missing for more than an hour and it was feared that she had managed to escape outside the zoo. The local police and the Mossos d’Esquadra were called in to help the staff of the zoo in their search for the missing animal.There...

Prince Charles and his wife Camilla arrived on Wednesday in Madrid from Portugal for the start of their first official visit to Spain which will also include a stop in Seville

. Spain's Crown Prince Felipe and his wife Letizia, the official hosts of the visit, welcomed the British royals as they stepped out of the black Mercedes that took them to the Pardo Palace on the outskirts of Madrid where they will stay while in the Spanish capital. Letizia, who...

52 year old I.U. councillor in Madrid, Milagros Hernández, is reported to be a stable but serious condition in hospital after allegedly being stabbed by her son

52 year old I.U. councillor in Madrid, Milagros Hernández, is reported to be a stable but serious condition in hospital after allegedly being stabbed by her son in a family argument at their home on Friday night. Neighbours heard the fight and called 091. Police arrested the son...

British singer Pete Doherty has announced a visit to Spain in April

British singer Pete Doherty has announced a visit to Spain in April when he will be playing songs from his first solo album, ‘Grace/Wastelands’ released in 2009. Doherty, usually in the news for his drugs problems, especially when the leader of The Libertines, and then later with...

Banco Base, Spain’s third-largest savings bank, will apply for €2.8bn ($4bn) from the state-backed bank restructuring fund

Banco Base, Spain’s third-largest savings bank, will apply for €2.8bn ($4bn) from the state-backed bank restructuring fund – nearly twice the capital shortfall estimated by the Bank of Spain. A spokesman for Alicante-based CAM, one of the banks that merged to form Banco Base, was unable to say on Tuesday why the bank would apply for more than the central bank’s estima...

British Airways cabin crew have agreed to back a new wave of strikes

British Airways cabin crew have agreed to back a new wave of strikes which could cause major flight disruption over the upcoming Easter holidays. The industrial action is calling for the reinstatement of travel concession to striking workers. The news came late Monday night of the...

Portugal felt the pressure to seek a bailout build

Portugal felt the pressure to seek a bailout build as its borrowing costs once more hit a euro lifetime record, on the back of downgrades of its banks' credit ratin...

1 Million People Rally Against Abortion in Spain

Between 130,000 and 160,000 people demonstrated in central Madrid, Spain, on Saturday against laws that make abortion easier, according to organizers. Demonstrators hold a banner reading 'women against abortion' during a march against a bill to ease restrictions on abortion, in Madrid,...

Visitor numbers in Spain are expected to increase over the coming few months once the much-anticipated terminal at Alicante Airport is opened.

Visitor numbers in Spain are expected to increase over the coming few months once the much-anticipated terminal at Alicante Airport is opened.The new facility is due to be completed and ready for operation in time for the busy Easter period.Currently, Alicante is Spain's sixth busiest airport by passenger numbers and the largest in the Murcia region, with the two terminals handling in excess of nine million visitors last year.The new complex could...

Spain may not block big retailers from setting up shop because of concerns that they may disadvantage smaller players

Spain may not block big retailers from setting up shop because of concerns that they may disadvantage smaller players, as this breaches European Union rules, Europe's highest court said on Thursday.The Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice was ruling on a case brought by the European Commission against Spain for letting its northeastern autonomous region of Catalonia restrict retail licences based on economic considerations.Some of the conditions...

Thai court on Thursday sentenced a Spanish woman to life in prison

A Thai court on Thursday sentenced a Spanish woman to life in prison for attempting to smuggle 2.9 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine out of the country. The Bangkok Criminal Court initially handed Maria Nieves Garcia Alcaraz, 52, the death sentence but commuted it to life imprisonment...

Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates has resigned after parliament rejected an austerity budget.

Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates has resigned after parliament rejected an austerity budget.The defeat is likely to trigger a bailout similar to the rescue packages Greece and the Republic of Ireland had to accept last year.All five opposition parties voted against the austerity measures, which included spending cuts and tax rises.Mr Socrates had earlier said he would no longer be able to run the country if the budget was not adopted.Elections...

breed of bloodsucking tick normally found in continental Europe has been discovered in the UK for the first time.

Researchers from the University of Bristol also found that the number of dogs infested with all species of parasites was far higher than previously thought. They raised fears that there is an increased risk of disease carried by the ticks infecting people and animals in this country. Some...

Every day I see stray dogs. A good day is when I only see one

Stretching along the blue flag beaches, restaurants and bars of the Murcia region's Costa Blanca, past the Costa del Sol resorts to the Costa de la Luz and Malaga, capital of the Costa de Golf, there's something to cater for everyone, whether it's a family holiday, golf or sightseeing inland in Granada, Cordoba or Seville, capital of Andalucia.But there's a dark side to Andalucia and Murcia, which you won't find mentioned in the tourist guides or...

Spain will take part in establishing a no-fly zone in Libya with a tanker aircraft and four F-18 fighter jets that will carry out air patrol missions.

Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero announced Saturday that Spain will take part in establishing a no-fly zone in Libya with a tanker aircraft and four F-18 fighter jets that will carry out air patrol missions. They were to fly Saturday afternoon to an air base in Italy.Spain...

Six firemen were killed on Saturday when a helicopter crashed in the northeastern Spanish province of Aragon.

Six firemen were killed on Saturday when a helicopter crashed in the northeastern Spanish province of Aragon.The chopper crashed at around 1:30 p.m. local time (1230 GMT) as it flew to join efforts to fight a wildfire about 30 km from the city of Teruel.A survivor was hospitalized with fractures.The cause of the accident is unknown although bad weather conditions have been ruled out.Spanish King Juan Carlos and Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero have...

fighter jet has crashed in flames after apparently being shot down over the rebel stronghold of Benghazi in eastern Libya

fighter jet has crashed in flames after apparently being shot down over the rebel stronghold of Benghazi in eastern Libya, reports the BBC's Ian Pannell in the city.He reports seeing the jet plummet to the ground around 0900 (0700 GMT), but said it was unclear exactly what brought the plane down.Explosions and gunfire have been heard across Benghazi despite Col Gaddafi's government declaring a ceasefire on Friday.Meanwhile, leaders from the US, the...

Authorities say radiation outside the Japanese plant is not high enough to cause harm. Still, the 20 km (12 mile) exclusion zone around the plant may end up as a permanent no-man's land, a major problem for small, populous country.

Authorities say radiation outside the Japanese plant is not high enough to cause harm. Still, the 20 km (12 mile) exclusion zone around the plant may end up as a permanent no-man's land, a major problem for small, populous country.A 30 km (19 mile) exclusion zone remains around Chernobyl.Tokyo, though, is likely to remain largely unscathed no matter what happens because of its distance from the reactors, no matter how nervous its citizens may be.It...

Police have charged two more people in the killing of Brandon Hatcher, which they say was part of a continuing battle between two Halifax gangs.

Police have charged two more people in the killing of Brandon Hatcher, which they say was part of a continuing battle between two Halifax gangs."With these charges today and any additional charges that follow . . . we have disrupted the activities of two competing youth gangs in the Spryfield area," RCMP Insp. Ken Goodine told reporters at a news conference Wednesday.Halifax Regional Police and RCMP announced that major crime investigators had arrested...

30 to 50 Somali pirates have hijacked Indonesian flagged and owned bulk cargo carrier approximately 320 nautical miles North East of the island of Socotra in the Somali Basin

30 to 50 Somali pirates have hijacked Indonesian flagged and owned bulk cargo carrier approximately 320 nautical miles North East of the island of Socotra in the Somali Basin, EU anti-piracy mission said on Thursday.EU Naval Force Somalia spokesman Paddy O’Kennedy said the MV Sinar Kudus was pirated on Wednesday and within 24 hours of being taken, she was used to launch an unsuccessful attack on the MV Emperor.He said the MV Sinar Kudus, which is...

Forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi bombarded the rebel-held town of Misrata in western Libya on Friday with heavy weapons, Al Arabiya satellite television reported.

Forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi bombarded the rebel-held town of Misrata in western Libya on Friday with heavy weapons, Al Arabiya satellite television reported."The bombardment started about two or three hours ago, and has continued until now," Saadoun al-Misrati, a member of an anti-Gaddafi movement, told Al Arabiya, saying it was a heavy bombardment using tanks and heavy artillery targeting civilians.Al Arabiya also said there were an unspecified...

Spain is redoubling its efforts to lower the country's chronically high unemployment rate and labor costs this month, under intense pressure from the European Union and international investors.

Spain is redoubling its efforts to lower the country's chronically high unemployment rate and labor costs this month, under intense pressure from the European Union and international investors.The reform received new impetus from an EU agreement last week on measures to boost employment, competitiveness and budget discipline among euro-zone countries. Germany had demanded the measures—which it sees as a way to address some of the root causes of the...

Benidorm is enjoying a bit of a renaissance and represents great value at the moment; it’s the perfect recession destination where you can have a good time without spending a fortune,’ he added

endless squabbling, sunburn and family drama, the Benidorm comedy series does not exactly show the Spanish resort as top holiday destination.But now the ITV hit has triggered real life interest in Costa Blanca’s top budget destination.Searches for Benidorm package deals more than double when the show is on TV, according to the comparison website www.travelsupermarket.com.Interest shoots up by 159 per cent when the programme is aired at 9pm on Friday...

Spain's largest grouping of savings banks, Bankia, on Monday named four banks to handle its planned share flotation: Bank of America-Merrill Lynch, Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan and UBS.

Spain's largest grouping of savings banks, Bankia, on Monday named four banks to handle its planned share flotation: Bank of America-Merrill Lynch, Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan and UBS.Along with investment bank Lazard, which has been appointed advisor, the banks will be charged with drawing up the structure of the major initial public offering.Deloitte will handle the accounting."It is one of the largest entries into the (Madrid) stock market in the...

The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg on Tuesday announced a ruling against Spain

The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg on Tuesday announced a ruling against Spain in which it considered that the country violated the freedom of expression of former Batasuna spokesman Arnaldo Otegi, when it condemned him to spend one year in prison for injurious crimes against the King, whom he had named as "responsible for acts of torture".The ruling, announced by the Human Rights court on Tuesday, orders Spain to pay Otegi 20,000 euros...

Spain is the only country in the EU which has nuclear reactors of the same design as those seen in Fukushima in Japan

Spain is the only country in the EU which has nuclear reactors of the same design as those seen in Fukushima in Japan, now seriously affected by the earthquake and tsunami which hit the NE of the country last Friday.The boiling water design can be found in Spain at Cofrentes, Valencia, and in Santa María de Garoña in Burgos. The former was opened in 1984 but the latter opened in 1971, the same year as the Japanese plant.The boiling water design came...

100 billion euros of problematic loans and owns buildings and sites that they have seized and whose value has plummeted.

Spain's economy plunged into recession in late 2008 when the bubble burst on the real estate market. It only emerged last year with meagre growth.And the banking sector, which had been handing out mortgages with abandon, now has more than These are "the bodies in the cupboard," said...

living the dream on the Costa del Sol – but their lavish lifestyles were paid for by the misery of others.

Today, a gang of conmen who fleeced £10m out of hundreds of hard-working families and pensioners by selling them worthless shares, are facing years behind bars.Led by four gang members from the North East, the tricksters targeted their trusting investors during the two-and-a-half year “boiler room” con – which is when bogus stockbrokers call ordinary private traders to pressure them into buying non-existent shares.After pocketing millions, the group...

The suspected head of armed Basque separatist group Eta has been arrested in northwest France

The suspected head of armed Basque separatist group Eta has been arrested in northwest France, reports say.Alejandro Zobaran Arriola was among four Eta suspects held in an operation by French police near the Belgian border, Spanish national radio reports.Mr Arriola was described as the group's "new military chief".Eta's campaign for independence for the Basque region has cost more than 800 lives since 1968 but it called a halt to armed attacks last...

Twelve Spanish lenders need to raise 15.2 billion euros ($21 billion) to meet new minimum capital levels or risk partial nationalization, the Bank of Spain said.

Twelve Spanish lenders need to raise 15.2 billion euros ($21 billion) to meet new minimum capital levels or risk partial nationalization, the Bank of Spain said.Eight savings banks need to raise capital, including Galicia-based Novacaixagalicia, which needs to find 2.6 billion euros, the central bank said in a statement in Madrid today. Spanish units of Barclays Plc (BARC) and Deutsche Bank AG (DBK) also need to raise funds and have committed to...

last year was the worst year on record for the Spanish property building industry

Official figures released by the Spanish government show that last year was the worst year on record for the Spanish property building industry, which could prove to be good news for the Spanish property market.The collapse in Spain property prices since the market peak of 2007 has been caused mainly by a severe oversupply of properties.Spain accounted for around two-thirds of homes built in the EU between 1999 and 2007, which explains much of the...

Explosions Rock Strategic Oil Town Near Hospital and Mosque - NYTimes.com

Explosions Rock Strategic Oil Town Near Hospital and Mosque - NYTimes.com: "Forces loyal to the Libyan leader, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, renewed ferocious attacks on rebel fighters Thursday around and within this strategic refinery town, with explosions rocking a hospital and striking a mosque as insurgents said they feared the onslaught had broadene...

Fighting in the country has reduced Libya's oil output to 500 million barrels a day from 1.6 million barrels before the conflict broke out,

"Fighting in the country has reduced Libya's oil output to 500 million barrels a day from 1.6 million barrels before the conflict broke out, according to Mr. Ghanem. He said that the National Oil Corp. was intent on honoring all agreements with foreign oil companies and wasn't contemplating...

Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi's security forces detained and beat up a BBC news team who were trying to reach the strife-torn western city of Zawiya.

The three were beaten with fists, knees and rifles, hooded and subjected to mock executions by members of Libya's army and secret police.The men were detained on Monday and held for 21 hours, but have now flown out of Libya.Government forces are in a fierce fight to wrest Zawiya from rebel control.Artillery and tanks have pounded the city - which lies 50km (30 miles) from the capital Tripoli - over the last four da...

rebels said Muammar Gaddafi's forces had hit an oil pipeline leading to Es Sider and dropped bombs on storage tanks in the Ras Lanuf area.

The rebels said Muammar Gaddafi's forces had hit an oil pipeline leading to Es Sider and dropped bombs on storage tanks in the Ras Lanuf area.Libyan state television blamed the explosion on al "Qaeda-backed" armed elements who had blown up an oil storage tank as pro-Gaddafi forces advanced into Ras Lanuf.A rebel official in Benghazi accused Gaddafi of playing a "dirty game" by hitting pipelines.&nb...

Europe Braces for a Possible Migrant Influx

Europe Braces for a Possible Migrant Influx  "About 1,000 North African migrants traveling in a dozen boats reached the Italian island of Lampedusa early Monday, with other small craft headed there, testing the tiny island’s capacity to accommodate them even as Italy and the...

'Poison gas! Poison gas! Gadhafi is using poison gas!' one of the fighters told me."

A wake-up call in Libya's Ras Lanuf  "'Down! Down!' the man at my hotel room door said. It was 4:30 a.m. Monday in Ras Lanuf, and I had hoped to get a decent night's sleep for the first time in weeks. Yet again, my hopes were dashed. Through the haze of sleep deprivation and...

Two ferries bring Libya escapees to Morocco

Two ferries bring Libya escapees to Morocco: "Aid workers in Morocco welcomed thousands of people escaping the violence roiling across Libya Sunday, as two ferries carrying some 4,000 people docked at the port of Tangiers. Le Mistral vessel arrived in the afternoon with some 2,000 passengers, mainly women and children, who had been picked up in the Libyan capital Tripoli. Many of the women were in tears as they stepped off the boat, children in their...

Morocco royals to lower bank stake amid protests

Morocco royals to lower bank stake amid protests : "Controlled by the royal family, the conglomerate Societe Nationale d'Investissement (SNI) and its affiliate ONA Group have stakes spanning mines, steel, cement, supermarkets, sugar refining, banking, telecommunications, insurance and renewable energy. Led by a youth movement that calls itself the February 20 Movement for Change, thousands of Moroccans took to the streets in 53 towns and cities...

Libya revolt: Rebels say no talks unless Gaddafi goes

 Libya revolt: Rebels say no talks unless Gaddafi goes: "The National Libyan Council in the city of Benghazi also called again for foreign intervention to stop government air raids against the rebels. The International Criminal Court meanwhile said it would investigate Col...

Egypt's Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq resigns

 Egypt's Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq resigns: "Egypt's Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq has resigned, the country's ruling military council has announced in a statement. A former transport minister, Essam Sharaf, has been asked to form a new government, the statement adds. Mr Shafiq was appointed days before President Hosni Mubarak was forced out of office following days of anti-government protests. Protesters saw Mr Shafiq as too closely associated...

Gaddafi family asset probe has only just begun

 Gaddafi family asset probe has only just begun: "The UK's decision to freeze assets owned by Libya's Muammar Gaddafi and his family is only just the start of the process. Now the authorities have to identify exactly what those assets are, and how much they are worth. The...

Gadhafi Says Libyan Oil Fields Are Secure

Gadhafi Says Libyan Oil Fields Are Secure | News | English: "Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi says his country's oil fields are secure, but that foreign oil companies are worried they might be attacked by 'armed gangsters.' The Libyan leader said Wednesday in a speech in the capital Tripoli that international oil firms are 'afraid' about continued operations as fighting for control of the country continues. But Gadhafi said Libya's oil fields and ports...

Spain freezes Gaddafi tourism project, sends aid

Spain freezes Gaddafi tourism project, sends aid "Spain has frozen a tourism project on the Costa del Sol owned by Muammar Gaddafi and is seeking other assets and bank accounts linked to the Libyan leader, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.Gaddafi's land lies in the municipality of Benahavís, to and from Marbella, Estepona and Ronda.  The embargo on the land prevents Gaddafi and his family from "using the property for financial gain".The...

Battle rages over Libyan oil port

Battle rages over Libyan oil port  "The Libyan air force has bombed the oil refinery and port town of Marsa El Brega as battles between forces loyal and against Muammar Gaddafi raged in several towns across the North African country. 'We just watched an air force jet ... fly...