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Spain on Islamist Alert, Decade after Train Bombings

A decade since the deadly Al-Qaida-inspired train bombings in Madrid, Spain stands on alert against growing numbers of Islamist "lone wolves" willing to launch fresh attacks, officials say.

The ranks of young radical Islamists in Spain have swelled, recruited for jihad -- or holy war -- not in mosques but in Internet chat rooms and private houses, officials and experts say.

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Spaniards Defend Women's Rights on Jobs, Abortion

Thousands rallied in Spanish cities on Saturday to mark International Women's Day with noisy demonstrations for equality at work and against the government's bid to curb abortion rights.

The annual awareness day drew particular attention this year with campaigners defending women's labor rights as Spain struggles with a 26-percent unemployment rate despite exiting recession in 2013.

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Spain PM Plane Returns to Dublin Due to Warning Light

A plane carrying Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy from Dublin to Madrid returned to the Irish capital on Friday shortly after takeoff because a warning light came on, officials said.

The Spanish air force Falcon plane "returned as a precaution" to Dublin, a spokeswoman for the Spanish government said.

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Police Halt 1,600 Migrants at Spain-Africa Border

Police stopped more than 1,600 migrants trying to cross the border from Morocco into the Spanish territory of Ceuta on Tuesday, an official said.

The migrants were the latest in a tide of desperate people trying to breach the frontiers with Ceuta and Melilla, Spanish-held cities perched on the north African coast.

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More Migrants Enter Spain's North African Territories

Fifteen African migrants, including a young girl, entered Spain's north African territory of Melilla illegally on Monday on a small inflatable boat, Spanish authorities said.

Three other African migrants entered Ceuta, Spain's other north African Territory, by passing underneath a barbed wire border fence, officials said.

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Ronaldo Rescues Madrid in 2-2 Draw at Atletico

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a late equalizer as Real Madrid avoided a bruising derby defeat at Spanish title rival Atletico Madrid with a 2-2 draw on Sunday.

Ronaldo pounced on a loose ball inside the area to net the 82nd-minute equalizer — his 23rd goal of the season for the league leaders.

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Rainy Farewell for Flamenco Star de Lucia in Native Spanish Village

Hundreds of mourners gathered Saturday in Algeciras in southern Spain to bid farewell to renowned flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucia, who was laid to rest in his native Andalusian village.

A crowd of fans of the musician, who died in Mexico on Tuesday aged 66, stood in the rain outside the Notre Dame de la Palma church where the funeral mass was held.

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Basque Group ETA Vows to Put Arsenal 'out of Use'

The Basque group ETA announced Saturday it would put its arsenal of weapons "out of operational use" in a first step by the considerably weakened separatist group towards an historic disarmament.

More than two years after announcing a "definitive end to armed activity", the gestures by western Europe's last major violent separatist movement to officially disarm have been met with shrugs in Spain, which wants the group to disband without condition.

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35 Migrants Injured in Assault on Spain Border Fence

Dozens of sub-Saharan migrants were taken to a Moroccan hospital with injuries Friday, after hundreds of them stormed the border fence into Spain's north African territory of Melilla, rights activists said.

Around 300 people launched the dawn assault to cross into the Spanish city, which lies on the northern tip of Morocco, with 214 making it across, Spanish authorities said, in one of the largest such crossings in years.

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Spaniards Pay Last Respects to Flamenco Legend Paco de Lucia

Spaniards from all walks of life flocked as devoted fans to a Madrid music hall on Friday to pay their final respects to flamenco guitar virtuoso Paco de Lucia.

A stream of visitors ranging from politicians and music stars to ordinary citizens who only knew him from afar streamed past his closed coffin laid out in the Spanish capital's main music venue.

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