Barcelona - The Volkswagen subsidiary Seat will reduce the working hours of about two-thirds of its 11,000 Spanish employees to make up for declining demand, the company announced Thursday.

The employees will rotate in working less hours until Seat begins producing the Audi Q3 model in mid-2011.

Seat made losses of 228 million euros (340 million dollars) in the first nine months of 2009, sinking deeper into red figures.

Madrid - Struggling Spanish club Racing Santander announced on Thursday the appointment of Miguel Angel Portugal as coach.

Portugal, 53, has been given the job until June, with an option to stay on next season if relegation is avoided.

Santander are fourth from bottom of La Liga, having made a poor start. Juan Carlos Mandia was sacked as coach 10 days ago, and club president Francisco Pernia has struggled to find a replacement.

Portugal did well at Santander in the 2006-2007 season, before taking the job of technical secretary at Real Madrid for two years.

Madrid - Spanish Liga club Osasuna has been badly hit by an outbreak of swine flu.

Three players of the Osasuna club - Ruper, Miguel Flano and Juanfran - are currently victims of the virus, and will miss Sunday's match against Valencia.

Osasuna's problems with swine flu started in July, when Hungarian international Krisztian Vadocz returned from his summer holidays with the virus, and quickly passed it on to Oier Sanjurjo and Sergio Fernandez.

Despite the virus, Osasuna have made a solid start to the season and are currently 10th.

Madrid  - Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos denied Wednesday that he is a candidate for heading the European Union's foreign policy arm.

"I am very happy to be Spanish foreign minister," Moratinos, a former European envoy to the Middle East, told Cadena Ser radio.

"It is true I am talked about (as future EU foreign policy chief), but I am not a candidate and do not want the job," Moratinos said.

Madrid - Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has informed the conservative opposition about the "possible release" of Spanish fishermen held by Somali pirates since October 2, an opposition spokeswoman said Tuesday.

Zapatero contacted opposition leader Mariano Rajoy, telling him he expected reports about the imminent release of the fishermen could be confirmed, Soraya Saenz de Santamaria said.

Madrid - Heavy rains sparked flooding Tuesday on Spain's Canary Islands, where rainwater inundated buildings and caused traffic jams in the Gran Canaria capital Las Palmas, emergency services said.

The rains followed heavy flooding on Tenerife, where currents swept away vehicles and sparked mudslides on Monday. Several people were evacuated from homes, schools or shopping centres, especially in the north-west of the island. Some flights suffered delays.

Several roads remained blocked, and many schools were still closed on Tuesday. The rainstorms were described as the worst since 1968. (dpa)

Lanzarote (Spain), Nov 16 : The prominent Western Saharan human rights activist Aminatou Haidar has launched a hunger strike at a Spanish airport, accusing Morocco and Spain of preventing her from entering Western Sahara, local Saharan representatives said Monday.

Dubbed the "Saharan Gandhi," Haidar defends the self-determination of the territory annexed by Morocco after 1975. A winner of several human rights awards, she has spent years in Moroccan jails.

Madrid - Spanish police in Pamplona have arrested a Algerian linked to Islamist terrorism, the interior ministry in Madrid said Saturday.

The suspect is believed to have helped finance terror cells in Algeria as part of an organisation active in several European countries.

Spanish police apprehended the man through an international police cooperation programme including Italy, France, and Austria, as well as Spain. A total of 10 people have been arrested so far through the programme.

Madrid - Spanish police in Pamplona have arrested a Algerian linked to Islamist terrorism, the interior ministry in Madrid said Saturday.

The suspect is believed to have helped finance terror cells in Algeria as part of an organisation active in several European countries.

Spanish police apprehended the man through an international police cooperation programme including Italy, France, and Austria, as well as Spain. A total of 10 people have been arrested so far through the programme.

Madrid - Spanish police in Pamplona have arrested a Algerian linked to Islamist terrorism, the interior ministry in Madrid said Saturday.

The suspect is believed to have helped finance terror cells in Algeria as part of an organisation active in several European countries.

Spanish police apprehended the man through an international police cooperation programme including Italy, France, and Austria, as well as Spain. A total of 10 people have been arrested so far through the programme.

Port-of-Spain, Nov 13 : The work and vision of India's first minister of education Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad was highlighted during the celebration of International Scholars' day in Chaguanas in central Trinidad.

Indian High Commissioner Malay Mishra addressed graduates of the Mahatma Gandhi Institute for Cultural Co-operation (MGICC), the Indian cultural centre, Nov 11.

Mishra praised the work, vision and philosophy of Azad who worked tirelessly for Hindus and Muslims to live in harmony and peace with each other.

Madrid  - The Spanish flag carrier Iberia, which has agreed to merge with British Airways (BA), continued making losses, the company announced Friday.

Iberia lost 182 million euros (270 million dollars) in the first nine months of this year, after making a profit of 51 million euros in the corresponding period of 2008, Iberia told the stock market watchdog CNMV.

In the third quarter, however, the result improved, with the losses of 16 million euros amounting to less than in the previous quarters. (dpa)

London  - British Airways and Spain's largest airline Iberia agreed to a merger forming the world's third-biggest airline, both companies announced late Thursday.

The merger, which was agreed after 16 months of negotiations, is to be completed by the end of 2010, keeping both brands in operation. British Airways (BA) would control 55 per cent of the combined airline with Iberia holding 45 per cent.

London/Madrid - British Airways (BA) and Spanish national carrier Iberia said Thursday they were holding separate board meetings to discuss long-standing merger plans which could result in a "potential transaction."

But in statements released in London and Madrid, both airlines cautioned that no decisions had been taken and there could be "no guarantee" that a deal would be agreed.

London/Madrid - British Airways (BA) and Spanish national carrier Iberia said Thursday they were holding separate board meetings to discuss long-standing merger plans which could result in a "potential transaction."

But in statements released in London and Madrid, both airlines cautioned that no decisions had been taken and there could be "no guarantee" that a deal would be agreed.

Madrid - A Spanish judge will ask Italy to take over an investigation into alleged art smuggling by former Real Madrid president Lorenzo Sanz, because it could have links with the Italian mafia, judicial sources said Thursday.

Sanz was questioned by police Wednesday over charges that he used art works worth 7.5 million euros (11 million dollars) as an advance payment in his failed attempt to buy Italian Serie A club Parma in 2005.

Madrid - Spain's biggest airline, Iberia, cancelled 185 flights on Wednesday as cabin crew staged their fourth one-day work stoppage over pay, sources of the carrier said.

The cancelled flights included 120 national and 65 international ones, affecting some 20,000 passengers. A similar number of flights was called off on Tuesday.

Madrid airport was reported to be functioning normally except for the complaints of some passengers at Iberia counters. The airline has offered affected passengers the possibility of changing their tickets or getting their money back.

Port-of-Spain, Nov 11 : Hundreds of billboards and welcome signs have sprung up in this capital city as Trinidad and Tobago prepares to welcome Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and 51 other leaders at the opening Nov 27 of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting(CHOGM) at an $80 million conference centre built by a Chinese firm.

The government has also announced a special drainage project to ensure that no flooding takes place in the city.

Madrid - Troubled Spanish giants Atletico Madrid have extended the contract of playmaker Jose Manuel Jurado until 2013, the club said Tuesday.

Jurado, 23, has been one of the few Atletico players in acceptable form this season, though he failed to make an impact in Saturday's 3-2 defeat at home to crosstown rivals Real Madrid and was taken off at half-time.

Juarado is an elegant Spanish Under-21 international. He started his career at Real but was signed by Atletico in 2006. Last season he did well when on loan at Mallorca.

Madrid - Spain's top airline Iberia said Tuesday it was cancelling 185 flights because of a pay strike by cabin crew.

Trade unions representing stewards and stewardesses are staging four one-day work stoppages in an attempt to win pay hikes while Iberia is trying to cut costs.

A total of 368 flights were due to be cancelled on Tuesday and Wednesday, following the cancellation of 430 flights on October 26 and 27.