Barcelona, Spain - Authorities in the north-eastern Spanish region of Catalonia on Wednes

Madrid - Spanish football giants Valencia on Wednesday announced the signing of left-back Thiago Carleto from Brazilian club Santos.

Madrid - A debate was going on in Spain Tuesday about the presence of religious symbols in public places after a court in the northern city of Valladolid ordered a school to remove crucifixes at the request of some parents.

The crucifixes violated the constitution, which said Spain was a non-confessional state, the court said.

The Socialist government and the conservative opposition initially steered clear of a confrontation over the sensitive subject.

Education Minister Mercedes Cabrera said schools could take individual decisions on crucifixes based on what parents wanted.

Madrid - Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero on Tuesday announced measures to shore up the country's car industry, the slowdown of which is endangering an estimated 50,000 jobs.

The government is preparing a 2009-2010 plan to revive an economy hit by the global crisis. The plan includes measures to help the "important" car industry, Zapatero said.

"We will make efforts up to where we can legally," said Zapatero. But Spain could not act "outside the lines marked by the European Union," and would wait until the European Commission presented its plans for the car industry on Wednesday, the premier said.

Madrid - A planned deal for the Russian oil giant Lukoil to become the biggest shareholder of Spain's top oil company Repsol YPF could collapse over lack of financing and Spanish political opposition, media reported Tuesday.

Lukoil is interested in buying nearly 30 per cent of Repsol in a deal estimated at up to 9.8 billion euros (12.5 billion dollars).

The purchase would include a 20-per-cent stake now held by the debt-ridden construction company Sacyr Vallehermoso and part of a

Madrid- A planned deal for the Russian oil giant Lukoil to become the biggest shareholder of Spain's top oil company Repsol YPF could collapse over lack of financing and Spanish political opposition, media reported Tuesday.

Lukoil is interested in buying nearly 30 per cent of Repsol in a deal estimated at up to 9.8 billion euros (12.5 billion dollars).

The purchase would include a 20-per-cent stake now held by the debt-ridden construction company Sacyr Vallehermoso and part of a 12.5-per-cent stake owned by Criteria, a holding of La Caixa bank.