Madrid  - Spain's new fund to shore up banks facing the international financial crisis will raise public debt by up to 2.8 percentage points to a maximum of 41.6 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2009, officials said Wednesday.

Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero on Tuesday announced the creation of a government fund of 30 billion euros (41 billion dollars) to buy assets from banks and to thus support lending to companies and individuals.

Valencia, Spain  - The new Volvo XC60 crossover model is ready for European showrooms by November 2008 with the basic model to sell at 33,900 euros (49,416 dollars), the Swedish car maker announced at a presentation in Spain.

First unveiled as a concept at the Detroit Motor Show in 2006, the XC60 is lauded by the manufacturer as "the safest Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) in the world".

It features six airbags, electronic stability programme (ESP) and the so-called City-Safety-System.

Madrid - Spain will increase its guarantees for bank deposits from 20,000 to 100,000 euros (27,000 to 137,000 dollars) per account holder and bank, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero announced Tuesday.

Zapatero also announced the creation of a government fund of 30 billion euros to guarantee liquidity to the financial system through the purchase of "maximum quality" and "non-toxic" assets from banks.

Madrid - The Spanish airline Spanair has lost 51.7 million euros (70 million dollars) in ticket since after its MD-82 jetliner crashed in Madrid on August 20, killing 154 people, its mother
-carrier SAS said Tuesday.

Spanair transported 680,000 passengers in September, 25.4 per cent less than during the same month in 2007. Demand went down 20.8 per cent.

Madrid - Spanish police interrupted the wedding banquet of a suspected drug trafficker, detaining him and 10 guests, police said Tuesday.

Police used the wedding party in Madrid to capture all the suspects, most of whom were Colombian citizens.

The ring was suspected of importing cocaine hidden in cargoes of legal merchandise, distributing it in Spain and laundering the proceedings through front companies.

Madrid - Spain's Supreme Court on Tuesday lifted prison sentences handed to 14 among a total of 20 Islamists who were convicted in February of membership or collaboration with cells planning attacks, including a scheme to blow up the main anti-terrorism court.

The National Court had sentenced the 14 to prison terms ranging from seven to 11 years for belonging to a terrorist organization.

The court confirmed the sentences handed to six others, but lowered one of them.