Madrid - Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero talked on the phone to his Israeli counterpart Ehud Olmert overnight, offering Spanish help in the search for peace in Gaza, government sources said Friday.

Zapatero and Olmert analysed the conditions for a ceasefire and the possibilities opened by the Franco-Egyptian peace plan.

A ceasefire needed to be "real" and to guarantee the security of both Gaza and Israel, Zapatero told the Israeli premier.

Madrid - In what was taken as an indirect swipe at Israel's actions in the Gaza, Spanish Defence Minister Carme Chacon has announced a military ethical code of conduct to prevent the Spanish army from misusing force, press reports said Wednesday.

Chacon announced the reform in a speech in which she was seen as indirectly criticizing Israel, during an annual military ceremony on Tuesday.

The code of conduct based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international humanitarian law was seen as trying to prevent action such as that by the United States in Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib and by Israel in Gaza.

Madrid  - A year ago, 5-year-old Mari Luz Cortes left her home in the southern Spanish city of Huelva to buy a bag of crisps. She never returned. Two months later, her body was found floating in a river estuary.

"Case Mari Luz" could have been just another tragic killing by a paedophile, but it uncovered serious deficiencies within the Spanish judiciary.

The case is still making headlines as Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's government faces a showdown with judges threatening an unprecedented strike this month.

Madrid  - Lionel Messi gave one of the best performances of his promising career in Madrid on Tuesday, scoring a handsome hat- trick as Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid 3-1 in a one-sided cup fifth round, first leg clash.

The Argentine youngster confirmed his status as one of football's brightest stars, at the same time that Barca confirmed their status as the top team in Spain.

Messi missed Barca's 3-1 defeat of Mallorca on Saturday because he returned late from vacation. On Tuesday, he made up for lost time by driving the flat Atletico defence crazy.

Madrid - Spanish Liga club Osasuna announced on Tuesday that promising young l

Madrid - The death toll of traffic accidents has fallen to the lowest level in 44 years in Spain, Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said Monday.

In 2008, at total of 2,181 people were killed in traffic accidents, 20 per cent down from the previous year.

The death toll has gone down despite the number of cars on the streets and roads increasing from 1 million to 30 million since 1964.

The government attributes the improvement to measures such as a penalty point system for driving licences and tougher penalties for speeding or drunken driving, which can be penalized with up to five years in prison.