Berlin - Giant US carmaker General Motors' German offshoot Opel confirmed Friday that it will need greater state guarantees than requested to date.

The German government has said Opel required a total of 3.3 billion euro (4.2 billion dollars) in state guarantees, according to weekly Spiegel magazine. Previously, the car manufacturer had requested 1.8 billion euros of state securities.

Adam Opel GMBH confirmed an upward revision of the figures, but would not specify the amount.

Madrid (Spain), Feb.

Miami - The king and queen of Spain on Thursday celebrated the 450th anniversary of the first Spanish settlement in Pensacola, Florida, believed to be among the earliest European colonies in the United States.

In a speech in English from the balcony of the TT Wentworth Jr Florida State Museum, King Juan Carlos I said the settlement of Pensacola represented "an extraordinary example of Spain's valuable contribution" to the United States.

Queen Sofia and the king were cheered by an enthusiastic crowd of about 3,000 people.

Madrid  - Spanish news agency EFE announced on Thursday night the birth of a son to Atletico Madrid star Sergio Aguero - and of a grandson to Diego Maradona.

Giannina Maradona, one of the daughters of the Argentine national manager, gave birth to a healthy baby boy in a private hospital on the outskirts of Madrid on Thursday evening.

Giannani Maradona is married to Atletico idol Aguero, 20.

This is the first child of the couple and the first time that Diego Maradona, who was present at the hospital, has become a grandfather. According to Aguero, the boy will be called Benjamin Leonel.

Madrid - Sevilla striker Ernesto Chevanton will b

Brussels - Italy, Spain and Greece are the worst countries in the European Union for breaking the bloc's laws on creating a single market, with Poland catching up fast, a study published by the European Commission in Brussels on Thursday showed.

Italy is currently facing legal action - known as "infringement proceedings" - from the commission in no fewer than 112 cases, the highest figure in the bloc, the EU executive's report said. Spain was second with 103 cases.

Greece came in third, with 91 cases, closely followed by Germany, with 90.