Madrid - Spain's opposition Thursday expressed concern over the possibility of the oil and gas company Repsol YPF coming partly under Russian control.

Companies from outside the European Union should not get involved with strategic sectors in Spain, Cristobal Montoro of the conservative People's Party (PP) said amid reports that the Russian oil giant Lukoil was planning to swoop for just under 30 per cent of Repsol's stock.

Valencia, Spain - A Spanish discotheque Thursday cancelled a prize draw which had sparked a storm by advertising a breast augmentation operation as the jackpot.

The discotheque in the eastern city of Valencia apologized to those who might have felt offended, after the local authorities and the health ministry announced the possibility of sanctions.

Madrid - Spanish judicial experts expect no major new investigations into alleged human rights abuses during the 1936-39 civil war and General Francisco Franco's ensuing 36-year dictatorship, the daily El Pais said Thursday.

High-profile judge Baltasar Garzon's decision to drop the first such inquiry on Tuesday was described as a big blow by representatives of Franco's victims.

Madrid - The Union for the Mediterranean will not work unless sufficient funding is provided to increase the equality between the sea's two shores, Tunisian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi warned Thursday.

The project launched by French President Nicolas Sarkozy could lead to disappointment like its predecessor, the 1995 Barcelona Process did, Ghannouchi said in Madrid.

The premier was visiting Spain to discuss bilateral relations especially in the economic, energy and health cooperation sectors.

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.