Barcelona - Russian Nikolay Davydenko checked in for another successful work day on the clay Friday while Rafael Nadal took advantage of a quarter-final walkover as the pair prepared for a Saturday semi-final clash at the Barcelona Open.

Top-seeded world number one Nadal put in some practise time after learning the day before that seventh-seeded Argentine opponent David Nalbandian would not be fronting up for their match due to hip problems which intensified during the previous round.

Madrid

Madrid - A Spanish judge has ordered an illiterate young thief to learn to read and write as punishment for his crimes, Spanish media reported Friday.

The 17-year-old, who lived in a village in the southern province of Granada, was convicted of stealing a dog, but returned it on request.

It was discovered during the trial that he was illiterate, despite having attended school until age 11.

Ceuta  - Two more African would-be immigrants have died while attempting to cross to Spain, police said Friday in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on the Moroccan coast.

The bodies of the victims were found floating in the water at about 9 kilometres north-east of Ceuta late Thursday.

Autopsies showed the men, who were between 20 and 25 years old, died of hypothermia.

The victims wore life vests, which led police to conclude that they had tried to swim into Ceuta or had been on board a vessel smuggling migrants to mainland Spain.

Madrid - Spain's unemployment rate soared to 17.36 per cent in the first quarter of 2009, up from 13.9 per cent in the fourth quarter of last year, the National Statistics Institute (INE) said Friday.

Last year's fourth quarter figure was already the highest in the European Union.

The number of jobless broke through the level of 4 million - which the government had previously ruled out.

More than one million households have all their members out of work.

Madrid - Villarreal moved up to fifth in the Spanish Liga on Thursday with a 2-1 home win over lowly Recreativo Huelva.

Their first win in five games leaves the Yellow Submarine with 52 points from 32 games, three points behind fourth-place Valencia and two ahead of sixth-place Malaga.

Javier Camunas gave Huelva the lead after just two minutes, but Joseba Llorente made it 1-1 for Villarreal with a powerful drive four minutes before half-time.

The winning goal, in the 68th minute, was controversial, to say the least.