Madrid - Traditionally, Spanish football has always revolved around the country's big clubs rather than the national team.

Mighty clubs such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Sevilla, Deportivo lA Coruna, Athletic Bilbao and Zaragoza have, with their strong regional identifications and European achievements, monopolized the football sentiments of Spaniards - as well as the newspaper headlines.

The national team, by contrast, has always been a poor relative, forever raising expectations because of its talented players, but usually flopping on the big stage.

Madrid - The Spanish government will do all it can to keep the oil firm Repsol "independent and Spanish," Industry Minister Miguel Sebastian said Thursday, amid rumours that Russian oil giant Lukoil was considering a swoop for up to a third of the company's stock.

Spanish national radio reported that Lukoil was reportedly targeting a 20-per-cent stake in Repsol held by the construction company Sacyr Vallehermoso, which has been hit by Spain's construction crisis.

Criteria, a holding company of La Caixa bank, meanwhile admitted that it had maintained "informal contacts" with an unidentified party about the possibility of selling all or part of its 12.5 per cent stake in Repsol.

Villarreal, Spain  - A handsome 3-0 defeat of Chile on Wednesday rounded off a wonderful 2008 for the Spanish national team.

Goals from David Villa, Fernando Torres and Santi Cazorla kept intact new manager Vicente del Bosque's 100 per cent record - and stretched Spain's unbeaten run to 28 games.

It is now exactly two years ago since "La Seleccion" suffered their last defeat, a run which lively but naive Chile never seemed capable of ending.

Dhabi, Nov. 19th, 2008 --UAE Foreign Trade Minister HE Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, met today with Spanish's Catalonia region Trade Minister Joseph Hogat, who is visiting the country accompanied by Spanish business persons, representing tourist, health, investment and financial sectors to explore cooperation between the UAE and Catalonia region.

Madrid - A Spanish discotheque Wednesday came under criticism for organizing a prize draw with a breast augmentation operation as the jackpot.

The draw was to be held between all the visitors who paid 20 euros (25 dollars) to enter the discotheque in the eastern city of Valencia.

Madrid - A plan to pay tribute to a Catholic saint in the Spanish parliament was cancelled Wednesday, while parliament president Jose Bono came under criticism for calling his Socialist party comrades "sons of a bitch" over the decision.

The parliamentary committee had earlier agreed to place a plaque in the parliament building in honour of Saint Maravillas de Jesus, a nun who was born in a building now belonging to the parliamentary complex in 1891.