Madrid - Real Madrid midfielder Ruben de la Red could be suffering from the heart condition myocarditis, according to sports daily AS on Tuesday.

Myocarditis, a serious heart problem, is inflammation of the myocardium, the muscular part of the heart. It may cause chest pain, rapid signs of heart failure, or sudden death.

Barcelona - A Spanish pub owner has been handed the unprecedented sentence of five and half years in prison for the loud music played in her establishment, a Barcelona court said in a verdict which was made public on Monday.

The music was played at more than 43 decibels, far surpassing the legal limit, until 3 am in 2005 and 2006, the court said.

Madrid - Spain is to open up archives from the era of the Franco dictatorship, the daily El Pais reported on Monday.

The country's Defence Ministry will open its military judicial archives from the era of right-wing leader Francisco Franco (1939-75) to the public.

The measure was expected to make it easier for the families of Franco's victims to seek the judicial annulment of sentences handed down after summary trials.

Madrid  - Thousands of Spaniards in Barcelona on Sunday took to the streets to protest mass layoffs and unemployment, in the first such protests against the government of socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero since the onset of the global financial crisis.

Around 15,000 people took part in the protest, according to press reports. Unions that had organized the rally put the number of protesters at 50,000.

In Madrid, meanwhile thousands of police officers took to the streets to demand better pay. Organizers said around 25,000 members of the national police force took part. The Interior Ministry said there were 7,000 participants.

Barcelona  - Microsoft used the recent Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, to unveil the latest generation of Windows Mobile, its operating system for cell phones. Version 6.5 can be expected for Smartphones before the end of 2009, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced.

The company claims that the OS will provide convenient mobile surfing through improved representation of pages. A newly redesigned Start screen is also intended to provide simpler access to frequently used functions like email, telephone, and music.

Madrid - Real Madrid are now just three points behind Spanish leaders Barcelona after a stormy 5-2 win Saturday at Athletic Bilbao.

It was the perfect way for the whites to recover from Tuesday's 4- 0 Champions League meltdown at Liverpool.

Real now have 60 points from 27 games, just three points less than Barcelona, who play Sunday at midtable Almeria.

Two second-half goals from Klaas Jan Huntelaar, who was ineligible to play against Liverpool, tipped the balance in Real's favour after Bilbao had pulled two goals back.