Madrid - The volatile world economy has begun affecting international tourism, bringing its growth to a standstill in the second half of 2008, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) said Tuesday.

Overall, tourist arrivals went up 2 per cent to 924 million in 2008, according to preliminary figures released by the UN agency at its headquarters in the Spanish capital of Madrid.

But that growth was based on good results from the first six months of 2008. In the second half of the year, the financial crisis, oil and commodity price rises, and exchange rate fluctuations made tourism decline by 1 per cent.

Madrid/Barcelona  - Some 254 million euros, close to 330 million dollars: that is what it would cost to get the talented forward Lionel Messi away from Barcelona in accordance with Spanish law.

Barcelona have set 150 million euros (195 million dollars) as the fee - required by Spanish legislation - for the young Argentine to unilaterally break his contract with his current employer.

Madrid  - The Colossus, long regarded as one of the masterpieces of Spanish artist Francisco de Goya (1746-1828), was done by another painter, Madrid's Prado museum confirmed Monday in a study published on its website.

The experts who participated in the study suggest that the work, emblematic of Spain's 1808-14 war for independence from France, during which it was created, may have been done by Asensio Julia, a little-known assistant to Goya.

Madrid- Ministers or officials from about 100 countries gathered in the Spanish capital Madrid on Monday for a United Nations conference charting action against the global food crisis aggravated by the economic crash.

There had been little progress in the fight against hunger recently, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said on opening the conference, attributing the problems to rising food prices in 2008 and to the international financial crisis.

Madrid - Spaniards' traditional afternoon nap, the siesta, is on the decline, a poll showed

Madrid - An alleged spying scandal was Thursday rocking Spain's main opposition conservative People's Party (PP) against a backdrop of underlying power struggles.

The Madrid regional government used former police officers to spy on the movements and meetings of mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon's deputy and on a regional senior official close to PP leader Mariano Rajoy, the daily El Pais claimed.

The spying would have occurred in 2008 during a power struggle between Madrid regional Prime Minister Esperanza Aguirre and Ruiz-Gallardon, who are the main candidates to succeed Rajoy.