Madrid - A former leader of Basque separatist party Batasuna was released from prison on Saturday, having served a 15-month sentence for "glorifying" terrorism.

Arnaldo Otegi, 50, was met by dozens of supporters as he left the jail in the northern coastal town of San Sebastian.

He was imprisoned following a failed appeal against charges of glorifying terrorism in a speech praising a member of ETA, the Basque separatist group.

Madrid- Spain opposes retaliatory measures against Russia over its policy on t

Zaragoza, Spain  - Spanish scientists have invented packaging that keeps bread and other baked goods from going mouldy for up to 10 days, authors of the study said Friday.

The wax paper packaging contains cinnamon oil, which has high antimicrobial activity.

Packaging containing 6 per cent of cinnamon oil inhibited 96 per cent of mould growth, while plain wax paper did not prevent it, according to the study carried out at Zaragoza University.

Scientists have earlier made less efficient attempts to fight mold with different methods, including ultraviolet light, sterile packaging and chemical preservatives, the authors of the study said.

Madrid  - Spanish police intend to question technicians who failed to inform them that a reverse thruster of the plane involved in the Madrid crash was faulty and had been blocked, the radio station Cadena Ser said Friday, quoting police sources.

The MD-82 belonging to the airline Spanair crashed on August 20, just after take-off for the Canary Islands, killing 154 and injuring 18 people.

Three days earlier, technicians found a fault in the plane's right-hand reverse thruster and locked it. The reverse system helps planes to brake prior to landing.

Safety regulations allow the procedure, but the technicians failed to inform police about it during questioning after the accident.

London, August 29 : Researchers from Spain have said that they have evidence that the weekends are more rainy in some parts of Europe, a result of air pollution produced by humans.

According to a report in New Scientist, the research establishes the fact that the weather in certain parts of the world, including the US, Japan and China, can be driven by the weekly cycle of human activity.

This is because human activities result in the production of more air pollution during the week and less at the weekend.

Evidence that such an effect occurs in Europe is controversial and has been harder to come by.