Madrid - Madrid's Prado art museum drew a record number of visitors in 2008 despite the economic crisis, sources of Spain's top art museum said Friday.

Madrid - Spain will become the first major buyer of surplus carbon dioxide emission rights from eastern Europe in an attempt to comply with the Kyoto Protocol, the daily El Pais reported Friday.

Spain has sealed with Hungary the purchase of a quota of 6 million tons of CO2, and is in talks about similar deals with Poland, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, the daily quoted government sources as saying.

The Kyoto Protocol allows eastern European countries to sell surplus emission rights after closing contaminating factories in the early 1990s.

Madrid  - Spanish giants Valencia announced Thursday evening that Nikola Zigic had been loaned to Racing Santander until the end of the season.

Santander president Francisco Pernia intends to present Zigic to the media on Monday.

The gigantic Serbian striker was a great success when playing for Santander in the 2006-2007 season, scoring 11 league goals. He was then sold to Valencia, where he has failed to hold down a regular first-team place.

Madrid, Dec 22 : A group of archaeologists has found in the northern Spanish region of Leon a ceramic lamp dating from the beginning of the 1st century that shows a representation of the gynecological exam performed on a sick woman.

A report by the Latin American Herald Tribune said that the find is of an oil lamp, which according to Archaeology professor at Madrid's Universidad Complutense Angel Morillo, is a unique find without parallel in the Roman world.

It is an exceptional piece that illustrates the presence of doctors in the city, and - specifically - a military hospital, according to Morillo.

Madrid  - Spanish Liga club Almeria announced at midnight Monday the sacking of coach Gonzalo Arconada.

Club president Alfonso Garcia made the announcement five hours after Sunday's 1-0 defeat away to Sporting Gijon, which leaves Almeria fifth from bottom, with 16 points from 16 games.

According to the digital version of Marca, the favourite to replace Arconada is former Mallorca and Betis boss Hector Cuper.

Madrid - In the midst of the Christmas rush, there's a long line of people waiting patiently in central Madrid. They're not after this year's must-have item; they want a Christmas lottery ticket.

Despite rising unemployment and the ongoing financial crisis, Spaniards' enthusiasm for the annual Christmas lottery remains strong. After all, when the winning numbers are drawn Monday, the biggest lottery in the world could shower up to 2.3 billion euros (3.2 billion dollars) on some lucky people.

Indeed, the crisis seems to have spurred, not dampened, interest in the lottery. Now Spaniards who are having problems paying their mortgage or have lost their jobs have begun to see the lottery as a way out of financial problems.