Madrid  - Atletico Madrid moved up to joint second in the Spanish Liga on Saturday with an important 3-2 win away to lowly Espanyol.

Maxi Rodriguez scored twice for Atletico, fellow Argentine Sergio Aguero netted the other goal.

They now have 30 points from 16 games, the same as Sevilla and Valencia, who lost 1-0 away to fifth-placed Real Madrid earlier on Saturday.

"It was really important for us to win tonight, but we had to work hard for it," said Aguero.

Madrid  - Real Madrid came back to life on Saturday with a tight, tense 1-0 home win over Valencia.

Real won thanks to an early goal from Gonzalo Higuain and a stellar display from goalkeeper Iker Casillas.

Valencia left the Estadio Bernabeu complaining about the sending- off of captain Carlos Marchena, and bemoaning their lack of precision in attack.

Real only had 43 per cent possession, due to the counter-attacking style imposed by new coach Juande Ramos.

The win takes Real from sixth to fourth, with 29 points from 16 games.

Madrid - The Spanish government on Friday approved plans to tighten the conditions for immigration, lengthening the maximum detention of undocumented migrants from 40 to 70 days.

The planned law will also make it more difficult for immigrants to bring family members to Spain, allowing them to bring parents only if they have lived in Spain for at least five years and if the parents are more than 65 years old.

The law will also grant more rights to undocumented immigrants, such as the right to form associations and to stage demonstrations, and the right to education for minors.

Madrid  - For Maria G., a 40-year-old Ecuadorian immigrant in Madrid, it is a grim Christmas ahead.

"Since my husband lost his construction job six months ago, we have only relied on my earnings," says the bakery employee and housemaid, one among hundreds of thousands of immigrants to have been hit hard by Spain's deepening economic crisis.

"We could not even dream of giving each other presents this Christmas," Maria sighs, explaining that she always sends more than half of her monthly income of about 1,000 euros (1,400 dollars) to her children and other relatives back in Latin America.

Madrid- The "human ads" that have become one of the colourful features of Madrid will continue strolling in the Spanish capital, press reports said Thursday.

Mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon cancelled a planned ban on the ads after it sparked widespread protests.

An estimated 30 people walk around, mainly near the central Puerta del Sol square, wearing placards on their chests and backs.

The placards advertise pawn shops, with the text "I buy gold," tattoo shops, and the like.

Madrid  - Troubled Spanish giants Real Madrid announced on Wednesday evening the return of Dani Parejo.

Parejo, 19, had been on loan at English club Queens Park Rangers since July.

However, he has failed to settle down in London and started only 10 matches for the West London club.

New Real coach Juande Ramos is keen to strengthen his squad, which has been ravaged by injuries in recent weeks, particularly in midfield.