Madrid/Paris - French police Tuesday detained eight suspected Basque separatists, French and Spanish media reported.

The arrests were made in connection with an investigation into bars linked with Batasuna, a party regarded as the political wing of the militant group ETA.

The bars were also suspected of financing French Basque radicals who have carried out attacks against restaurants and other establishments, Spanish police sources said.

Arrests were made in different locations in the French Basque region, according to Askatasuna, a group defending jailed ETA activists.

The detainees were taken to a police station in Bayonne. Police searched several addresses.

Madrid - Omar Osama bin Laden, 27, one of the 19 children of al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, has sought political asylum in Spain, Interior Ministry sources said Tuesday.

Madrid  - French police Tuesday detained six suspected Basque separatists, Spanish media quoted Spanish police sources as saying.

The arrests were linked to an investigation into bars suspected of financing violent separatists in France.

The arrests were made in different locations in the French Basque region, according to Askatasuna, a group defending jailed activists of the militant Basque separatist group ETA in Spain and France.

The detainees were taken to a police station in Bayonne. Police searched several addresses.

Madrid - Wednesday will be a very important night for Real Madrid.

That is when the Spanish giants will be trying to turn the tables on their Euro jinx team of recent years, Juventus of Turin, in the week's most high-profile Champions League game.

At the same time, Real will be trying to go back on top of Group H.

"The Old Lady", as Juventus are known in Italy, are currently top of the group, with seven points to Real's six - thanks to their 2-1 home win over the Spaniards two weeks ago.

Madrid - Fans of Spanish football giants Barcelona are confident that their team can stay top of La Liga for the rest of the season, according to an online poll organized by Catalan daily Sport.

Sport asked its readers, most of whom are Barca fans, the question "Will Barca maintain the lead until the end of the season.'"

By Monday afternoon, 71 per cent of readers had voted "yes", with only 29 per cent voting "no".

Madrid - During her 33 years as queen, Sofia of Spain had been known for her gentleness and discretion.

But at the time of her 70th birthday, the Greek-born wife of King Juan Carlos stunned the country with a sudden outburst of outspokenness, reigniting a debate about the role of the monarchy.

The queen opened up to journalist Pilar Urbano, whose book "The Queen Up Close" was published just ahead of Sofia's birthday on Sunday, and continued sparking controversy on Monday.