Barcelona - Student protests against a European university reform continued Wednesday in Spain, student and university representatives said.

Dozens of students occupied premises at three Barcelona faculties. Some of the occupants vowed not to come out until talks were opened about the so-called Bologna reform.

About 20 students also occupied the vice-chancellor's office at Zaragoza University.

The protests followed clashes between students and police in Barcelona a week ago.

Barcelona - A Spanish pub owner has been handed the unprecedented sentence of five and half years in prison for the loud music played in her establishment, a Barcelona court said in a verdict which was made public on Monday.

The music was played at more than 43 decibels, far surpassing the legal limit, until 3 am in 2005 and 2006, the court said.

Barcelona  - Microsoft used the recent Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, to unveil the latest generation of Windows Mobile, its operating system for cell phones. Version 6.5 can be expected for Smartphones before the end of 2009, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced.

The company claims that the OS will provide convenient mobile surfing through improved representation of pages. A newly redesigned Start screen is also intended to provide simpler access to frequently used functions like email, telephone, and music.

Barcelona  - Barcelona's Sagrada Familia church, which is one of Spain's most famous landmarks despite its unfinished state, will start hosting religious events in
2010, chief architect Jordi Bonet said Thursday.

Bonet said he expected construction work on the interior of the Catholic basilica to be finished by September 2010.

Barcelona  - The McLaren-Mercedes team of world champion Lewis Hamilton have a lot of work to do with less than three weeks to go until the start of the 2009 Formula One season, if this week's testing at Barcelona is any indication.

"We aren't yet where we want to be," admitted Mercedes motorsport director Norbert Haug to Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

"We are far too slow at the moment but are going to work hard to get back to the front."