Havanna - Spain on Thursday issued its first passport to a Cuban of Spanish heritage under a law that recognizes the citizenship of descendants of immigrants and has attracted thousands of applicants on the communist island.
The Spanish law in effect since December 29 allows the children and grandchildren of Spaniards who fled the country during the Spanish Civil War and the beginning of the Franco dictatorship to apply for citizenship.
The Spanish embassy in Havanna has received 25,000 applications.
The first Cuban to receive a passport was a 38-year-old doctor who plans to leave for Spain on Sunday.
Madrid - Barcelona have one foot in the final of the Spanish King's Cup after a handsome 2-0 home win over Mallorca on Thursday, in a one-sided cup semifinal first leg clash.
Barca have not made it to a final since 1998.
Veterans Thierry Henry and Rafa Marquez scored the goals, which reflected Barca's total domination.
Madrid - Is Cristiano Ronaldo the best football player in the world, or is it Lionel Messi? England manager Fabio Capello thinks the Argentine has an edge over his Portuguese rival.
"No one in the world has the talent that Messi has," Capello said in an interview which Spanish sports daily Marca published Thursday.
For the Italian coach, there are players who are "very good," like Ronaldo of Manchester United, or Real Madrid's Dutchman Arjen Robben.
But Barcelona's Messi is different, according to Capello.
Madrid - Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone on Thursday indirectly criticized Spain's liberal social reforms such as homosexual marriage, downgrading religious education in schools and plans to liberalize abortion.
Cardinal Bertone stressed the right to life and the importance of the heterosexual family in a lecture he gave at the headquarters of the Spanish Bishops' Conference after meeting Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, King Juan Carlos, the deputy prime minister and the foreign minister on Wednesday.
Madrid - Cristiano Ronaldo's mother wants the World Footballer to leave Manchester United for Real Madrid, according to fellow-Portugal international Pepe.
"Cristiano Ronaldo's mother has a dream: seeing her son play for Real Madrid. And everybody knows that mothers carry great weight," Pepe told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa in an interview.
Madrid - Barcelona have one foot in the final of the Spanish King's Cup after a handsome 2-0 home win over Mallorca on Thursday, in a one-sided cup semifinal first leg clash.
Madrid - Is Cristiano Ronaldo the best football player in the world, or is it Lionel Messi? England manager Fabio Capello thinks the Argentine has an edge over his Portuguese rival.
Alicante, Spain - A man who had been arrested for burgling a house robbed his fellow detain
Madrid - Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone on Thursday indirectly criticized Spain's liberal social reforms such as homosexual marriage, downgrading religious education in schools and plans to liberalize abortion.
Madrid - Cristiano Ronaldo's mother wants the World Footballer to leave Manchester United for Real Madrid, according to fellow-Portugal international Pepe.
