Madrid - Spanish champions Real Madrid have signed up Alipio Duarte Brandao, a 16 year-old Brazilian winger, his agent was on Monday quoted as saying.

The agent, Helder Daniel, said that Alipio will start to train this week with Real's third division nursery side, called Real Madrid Castilla.

News reports quoted Daniel as saying that the teenage winger "is very happy" with the deal.

Alipio was on the books of Portuguese side Rio Ave, who will receive around 550.000 euros (699.925 dollars) from the deal.

Madrid - Two would-be immigrants coming from Africa died while attempting to reach Spain's Canary Islands, while nine were in serious condition, local officials said Monday.

The victims were among a total of 123 migrants on board a boat which landed on El Hierro island on Monday.

One of them was dead on arrival, while the other passed away after landing. One of the victims was believed to be a minor. Others among the immigrants were treated for symptoms including dehydration and hypothermia.

The same morning, about 200 Africans tried to storm the frontier of the Spanish enclave of Melilla on the Moroccan coast, local officials said.

Madrid , - Two would-be immigrants coming from Africa died while attempting to reach Spain's Canary Islands, local officials said Monday.

The victims were among a total of 123 migrants on board a boat which landed on El Hierro island on Monday.

One of them was dead on arrival, while the other passed away after landing. At least three others were reported in very serious condition. Health workers said the immigrants suffered from symptoms including dehydration and hypothermia.

Melilla, Spain - Up to 150 African would-be immigrants tried to storm the frontier of Spain's North African enclave of Melilla overnight in an attempt to get into Europe, police said Monday.

Riot police repelled the migrants, who were throwing stones and tried to tear down the gate of the Beni Enzar border post.

Moroccan police helped to disperse the migrants. Several Spanish police officers were reported slightly injured.

The attempt was the fifth by would-be immigrants to enter Melilla since rains caused part of the border fence to collapse on October 26.

In the autumn of 2005, 14 migrants were killed during repeated attempts by thousands of people to storm the Spanish enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta on the Moroccan coast.

Tokyo  - Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko Monday hosted a welcoming ceremony for visiting Spanish King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia at Tokyo's Imperial Palace.

Madrid - Almost two years after the collapse of peace negotiations with the Spanish government, the militant Basque separatist group ETA is deeply divided, according to police intelligence.

The suspected ETA chief Francisco Javier Lopez Pena, alias Thierry, who was arrested in France in May, had been ostracized by the group, the Madrid-based El Pais newspaper reported Sunday.

The newspaper, quoting a police report, said his exclusion had been enforced by hardliners who wanted to punish the 49-year-old for being against further terrorist attacks.