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.

Barcelona, Spain - A Spanish opponent of capitalism defrauded 39 banks of 492,000 euros (699,820 dollars) to "denounce the banking system," media reported Wednesday.

Enric Duran, 32, sought credits for buying a flat, a car or for investments by companies which only existed in name.

He gave false information about his profession and income without being discovered by the banks' security filters, the daily El Mundo reported.

Duran used the credits to launch a magazine called "Crisis. Free publication to survive economic turbulences," which was being distributed Wednesday in the Barcelona area.

Madrid - Spain's National Court has handed 21 members of a Basque separatist organization prison terms ranging from eight to 10 years, the court said Wednesday.

Madrid - Spanair has instructed pilots to increase checks on takeoff warning systems of MD planes after the August 20 crash at Madrid airport that killed 154 people, press reports said Wednesday.

A commission investigating the accident has found that the wing flaps of the MD-82 which crashed were not correctly deployed, according to a preliminary draft report leaked to the media. Spanair confirmed that it had received a copy of the report.

The flaps are moveable panels on the rear edge of a plane's wings that help lift it on take-off.

The take-off warning system that should have alerted the pilots about the problem did not sound, the report was quoted as saying.