Madrid - The Spanish transport ministry rejected claims it leaked confidential details of its investigation into the August 20 Spanair air crash which killed 154 people and left 18 injured in Madrid, the Spanish media reported Saturday

"I am also disgusted by this. This is a lack of respect for the survivors," Minister Magdalena Alvarez was quoted as saying, adding she would ensure that those responsible for the leaks would be brought to justice.

Earlier this week, a preliminary report of the commission investigating the crash was leaked, revealing that the Spanair MD-82 jetliner's wing flaps were not properly extended and that the plane's take-off warning system failed to alert the pilots of the problem.

Madrid - The Spanish government Friday adopted measures aimed at encouraging jobless immigrants to return home amid a deepening economic crisis.

Migrants who leave Spain will be paid their entire unemployment benefit in two parts, 40 per cent in Spain and 60 per cent in the home country, Labour Minister Celestino Corbacho said.

The migrants will not lose rights gained in Spain earlier on, the minister added.

Madrid- The credibility of a commission investigating the August 20 plane crash that killed 154 people in Madrid was questioned Friday after the main pilots' representative Valentin Villarroel resigned from it over leaks to the press.

Two other pilots had left the commission earlier. Infrastructure Minister Magdalena Alvarez said she would not accept Villarroel's resignation as long as the pilots' association APCC did not propose a substitute for him.

Madrid  - The Spanair MD-82 jetliner that crashed in Madrid on August 20 was started by the co-pilot, press reports said Thursday.

The reports quoted a preliminary report by a commission investigating the accident, which has been leaked to the media.

The plane crashed at the airport after take-off, killing 154 and injuring 18 people.

The information transmitted to the plane's black box originated in the computer of the 31-year-old co-pilot, who had more than 1,050 hours of experience flying similar planes, according to the daily El Pais.

It was not unusual for the captain and co-pilot to take turns during flights, sources of the aviation sector were quoted as saying.

Madrid - The Ibex-35, the main index of the Madrid stock exchange, dropped 0.09 per cent after trading started Thursday morning.

The main banks evolved unevenly, with Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA) and Santander up 1.24 and 0.8 per cent respectively, while Banesto fell by 1.78 per cent.

The energy company Iberdrola rose by 0.72 per cent and the oil company Repsol 1.89 per cent, while the telecommunications giant Telefonica lost 0.24 per cent.

Madrid - More than three decades after the death of Spain's dictator Francisco Franco, many elderly people still close the curtains and lower their voices before speaking his name.

Despite Spain's attempts to leave the Franco era (1939-75) behind, the dictator's ghost continues to loom large over the nation, with increasing calls for an investigation into his human rights abuses and a definitive settling of accounts with his legacy.