There was an air of hopeful anticipation on the streets of Madrid on Saturday morning, as residents looked ahead to the naming of the host city for the 2020 Olympic games.

Jacques Rogge, the International Olympic Committee President, was due to announce the winning bid on Saturday evening in Buenos Aires, Argentina, at 1730 local time - equivalent to 2230 local time in Madrid (2030 GMT).

Madrid was up against bids from Tokyo and Istanbul.

If Madrid is selected, works on the Olympic Stadium for Madrid 2020, which is also set to be the future stadium of local football club Atletico Madrid, are set to accelerate.

In the meantime on Saturday, preparations were underway for a large public event at La Puerta de Alcala, a monument in the centre of the Spanish capital, to accompany the announcement from Buenos Aires.

Picking the city with the least risks shapes up as the challenge for the IOC.

Tokyo has been seen as a slight favourite to win the 2020 games, but its status has been put into question by concerns over the leak of radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima plant.

Madrid, once counted out because of Spain's financial troubles, has generated the most recent buzz and momentum and could be poised for an upset win.

Istanbul, dogged by the war in neighbouring Syria and possible Western military strikes against Bashar Assad's regime, looks like the outsider.

London bookmakers have been taking a rush of bets on Madrid, whose odds have been slashed from 4-1 a week ago to 5-4.

Tokyo remains the betting favourite, though its odds have shortened to 5-6. Istanbul is listed at 6-1.

Madrid resident Charo Garcia confessed that she could not anticipate the outcome of the contest.

"The people of the International Olympic Committee are very weird, so I don't know. Maybe we have had too much excitement, but I think it's our time," she said.

Raquel Meren, a teacher from Venezuela was hopeful Madrid would be victorious, saying: "I like this city and this country and I think they deserve it."

But local resident Cesar Calvo sounded a note of caution, commenting: "I hope Madrid wins, but we have to wait because this costs money."

Istanbul, Madrid and Tokyo were all set to make 45-minute presentations in Buenos Aires on Saturday morning ahead of the vote later in the day by the International Olympic Committee.

The prime ministers of all three countries were set to lead the delegations.

Shinzo Abe of Japan, Mariano Rajoy of Spain and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey all flew to Buenos Aires straight from the G20 summit in St. Petersburg, Russia.

1. Wide of Olympic Stadium "La Peineta" under construction

2. Close of Metro Station "Estadio Olimpico"

3. Various of Olympic Stadium "La Peineta" under construction

4. Wide of Madrid's Puerta de Alcala and workers preparing for evening Olympic event

5. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Charo Garcia, 62, local resident:

"I don't know who will win. The people of the International Olympic Committee are very weird, so I don't know. Maybe we have had too much excitement, but I think it's our time."

6. Various of workers preparing for evening Olympic event

7. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Raquel Meren, 40, teacher from Venezuela:

"I would like Spain to be host of the Olympics, because my parents are Spanish and I have the roots, and because I like this city and this country and I think they deserve it."

8. Various of workers preparing for evening Olympic event

9. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Cesar Calvo, 76, local resident:

"I want Madrid to win, and I hope Madrid wins, but we have to wait because this costs money. Imagine that in the end we don't win. I hope we win, but ..."

10. Mid of workers preparing for evening Olympic event

11. Men running past event venue

SHOTLIST

1. Wide exterior of reception for Olympic Candidate Cities presentation

2. Pan of interior; Madrid Olympic bid logo

3. Wide of naming ceremony

4. Close up Madrid City logo

5. Cutaway photographers

6. Wide guests applauding and cheering news that Madrid had been elected

7. Close up woman clapping

8. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Ernesto Perez Lobo, Sports Coordinator 2016 Madrid Olympic bid

"I am confident in our project, I am confident of our city. We have a popular support that no other bid has. What we have to do know is work and put the finishing touches to make sure the bid is well done. We need to get ourselves known outside of Spain."

9. Various of Deputy Mayor Manuel Cobos having photograph taken in front of Madrid Olympic Logo

10. Wide of park

11. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Local resident, Vox pop:

"We have it all pretty much prepared. As we had it almost ready for the 2012 bid. I think we have an opportunity."

12. Man jogging

13. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Local resident, Vox pop:

"Seeing as we didn't win for the 2012 we should win this time."

14. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Local resident, Vox pop:

"I think we'll win but I don't really care if it doesn't."

15. Women in park

16. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Local resident, Vox pop:

"I would like Madrid to be the Olympic City in 2016."

17. Wide of park, women with prams

STORYLINE

Four cities were picked as finalists on Wednesday for the 2016 Olympics and Spain's capital Madrid was one of them.

The city's mayorship organised an event in the Cecilio Rodr�guez gardens of the Retiro Park to receive the news broadcasted from Athens.

"I am confident in our project, I am confident of our city. We have a popular support that no other bid has. What we have to do know is work and put the finishing touches to make sure the bid is well done. We need to get ourselves known outside of Spain," Ernesto Perez Lobo, Sports Coordinator 2016 Madrid Olympic bid said.

Other cities making the IOC shortlist were Chicago, US; Tokyo, Japan; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Eliminated from the race were Doha, Qatar; Prague, Czech Republic; and Baku, Azerbaijan.

The final field was selected by the International Olympic Committee executive board.

The big four - Chicago, Madrid, Spain and Tokyo - had all been virtually assured of advancing to the final stage.

Madrid citizens enjoying the warm weather in the Retiro park expressed their delight at Madrid's election.

"I would like Madrid to be the Olympic City in 2016," one woman told AP Television.

"We have it all pretty much prepared. As we had it almost ready for the 2012 bid. I think we have an opportunity," said another.

"Seeing as we didn't win for the 2012 we should win this time," said one man.

The finalists now advance to a 16-month race that will culminate on October 2, 2009, with a secret ballot by the full IOC at its session in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The evaluation report, which assessed sports venues, government support, security and other matters, put Tokyo in front, followed closely by Madrid.

In a surprise, Chicago and Doha were tied for third, with Rio fifth. Prague and Baku were sixth and seventh.

The early ranking is not crucial. When the IOC picked the finalists for the 2012 Olympics in 2004, London was ranked third behind first-place Paris and Madrid in the technical report.

London went on to win the games in 2005.

The 2016 race shapes up as a tight battle between strong candidates from the Americas, Europe and Asia.

Chicago is a contender to take the games back to the US for the first time since the 1996 Atlanta Games.

Madrid is back again after a third-place finish in the vote for the 2012 Olympics, which went to London.

Cities that made the cut will have to submit their detailed bid files to the IOC by February 12, 2009.

After that, a panel of IOC experts will visit each of the cities, tour the proposed sites and meet with bid and government leaders.

The panel will release an evaluation report to the IOC members a month before the October 2009 vote.

The 2016 cutoff was the centrepiece of a three-day IOC board meeting in Athens, the last before the committee gathers in Beijing on the eve of the August 8-24 Olympics.

Rafael Nadal named 'adopted son' by city of Madrid

SCRIPTING INFORMATION:

Tennis world number one Rafael Nadal was made an adopted son of Madrid in a ceremony in the Spanish capital on Monday (May 5).

The honour was bestowed on the Majorca-born Nadal by Madrid mayor Ana Botella at the Palacio de Cibeles (Madrid Town Hall).

This week Nadal will begin the defence of his Madrid Open title.

He is coming off back-to-back quarterfinal exits at clay court events he once dominated in Barcelona and Monte Carlo.

Madrid, Spain - 5th May 2014

1. 00.00 Various of Palacio de Cibeles (Madrid Town Hall) and Madrid mayor Ana Botella and Rafa Nadal approaching the media.

2. 00.19 Various of Botella and Nadal posing for media to the two of them walking forward.

3. 00.34 Back view of Botella and Nadal walking into building

4. 00.39 Botella and Nadal walking into assembly room

5. 00.44 Wide of assembly room

6. 00.48 M/s of Botella and Nadal sitting down

7. 00.54 Wide of ceremony

8. 00.59 SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Ana Botella, Madrid mayor

"Rafa, you have the admiration and the permanent fondness of this city, and we want to show you it by designating you Adoptive Son of Madrid. If you accept, many thanks!"

9. 01.17 Medium of Ana Botella presenting Nadal with the medal of Adoptive Son of Madrid.

10. 01.28 SOUNDBITE: (Spanish), Rafael Nadal

"To be named Adoptive Son of Madrid is a responsibility. It is a very important recognition, and because of this I would like to commit to Madrid and to be always at your disposal. I would like to thank for naming me to a place besides other people that are part of history in capital letters. For me is a great honour to be beside figures such as the great musician Pablo Sorozabal or the Nobel Prizes winners Camilo Jose Cela and Mario Vargas Llosa."

11. 01.56 Wide of Nadal and Ana Botella entering the Palacio de Cibeles hall

12. 02.07 Set up shot media.

13. 02.10 Close up of Nadal.

14. 02.16 Wide of Rafa Nadal and Ana Botella in the Palacio de Cibeles hall

Crowds gathered on Sunday in central Madrid to mark the fifth anniversary of a protest movement that led to the creation of Podemos, now Spain's third most-popular political party.

The Democracy Now platform has urged protesters to "occupy squares" in world cities to protest austerity, corruption and a lack of transparency in government.

Madrid's Puerta del Sol square became the scene of a protest that lasted 28 days in 2011, sparking a movement that spread to other Spanish cities and similar "Occupy" movement sit-ins across the world.

The protest by those calling themselves "Indignados", or people angered by Spain's existing political parties, led to the emergence of Podemos, which will vie for power in a 26 June election.

Crowds gathered on Sunday in central Madrid to mark the fifth anniversary of a protest movement that led to the creation of Podemos, now Spain's third most-popular political party.

The Democracy Now platform has urged protesters to "occupy squares" in world cities to protest austerity, corruption and a lack of transparency in government.

Madrid's Puerta del Sol square became the scene of a protest that lasted 28 days in 2011, sparking a movement that spread to other Spanish cities and similar "Occupy" movement sit-ins across the world.

The protest by those calling themselves "Indignados", or people angered by Spain's existing political parties, led to the emergence of Podemos, which will vie for power in a 26 June election.

Madrid - 15 May 2016

1. Various top shots of protest

2. Various of protesters playing drums

3. Various of protesters marching city centre

4. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Pablo Soto, Councillor for Participation and Transparency at Madrid City Council; former programmer and activist:

"When there was an assembly to talk about a topic I was interested in, I joined and took part in it. This is what was new about the 15 May Movement (against austerity), many people in small groups talking about politics, talking about how to build a better and different country, and about how to solve our common problems on our own."

5. Soto in wheelchair

6. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Pablo Soto, Councillor for Participation and Transparency at Madrid City Council; former programmer and activist:

"How is it to get into politics after taking part in the 'indignados' movement (against austerity)? I always answer the same: I haven't got into politics now; I entered politics on the night of May 15th, 2011, when I decided to go to the streets, camp with other people together, and say no to a political situation that was completely unsustainable."

7. Protesters holding a banner in favour of public health service

8. Protester holding a sign

9. Protesters throwing an effigy of corrupt politician up in the air

10. Effigy

11. Protesters chanting (Spanish) "From east to west the fight goes on, whatever it takes"

12. Protesters chanting (Spanish) "Tomorrow, Spain will be a Republican country"

13. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Ana Garcia, leader of the National Students' Union:

"The May 15 movement ignited the rage of millions of people that said 'no' to paying the bill of a crisis for which they were not responsible, that we were not going to pay with our education, our health care and our rights for a bunch of capitalists who live lavishly, and the most important lesson is not only to realise what's happening but also know how to solve problems, and the only way to achieve our goals is to fight in the streets."

14. Various of protesters holding banners and signs

15. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Maria Moran, Peruvian who has lived in Spain for 22 years, joined anti-eviction movement since being evicted from home in 2011:

"I wish we can get all the things for which we fought and I wish as well that the people who were part of these social movements and will get into the government and rule the country meet the expectations and change things for the common good."

16. Moran

17. Various of protesters marching and holding signs

18. Protester playing violin

19. Various top shots of protest

Privately hired cars were attacked in Madrid on Thursday during a protest by taxi drivers over the regulations of online taxi services such as Cabify and Uber.

Police were at the scene to try and disperse angry taxi drivers who were throwing eggs and stones at the VTC vehicles.

The protest march came during a 24 hour stoppage by 30 percent of taxi unions and associations which left Madrid empty of working taxis.

Spanish taxi drivers complain that an agreement that there would only be one VTC vehicle to every 30 taxis has not been honoured.

Madrid - 27 July 2017

1. Protesters throwing eggs and other items at private taxis during a strike in Madrid

2. Police with batons running to try and push back protesters

3. Various of protesters chanting

4. Car with smashed windscreen

5. Protesters chanting

6. Various of taxi drivers on strike, driving their vehicles slowly

7 .Close of protest sign reading (Spanish) "Taxi drivers demand that the law is observed. No more VTC." (VTC is a transport service using a car with a driver - usually available through platforms Uber or Cabify)

8. Wide of protesters walking down a main road led by a taxi

9. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) David Gutierrez, Madrid taxi driver:

"Right now, there is one VTC to every 6 taxis. There are no rules. Here in Madrid there are a lot of them (VTC). A lot of the time in Madrid, taxis are not earning. At night, taxis are not making money. Instead of seeing the green lights of taxis, you see stickers - VTC stickers (on cars). You see them more than taxis. It is a real shame."

10. Various of protesters marching through the city

Protesters staged a rally on Saturday in Madrid as Spanish lawmakers voted to approve acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's bid to form a new minority government.

They marched in central Madrid, voicing their dissatisfaction with the conservative government of Rajoy.

Rajoy, leader of the conservative Popular Party, won a second term as prime minister on Saturday with a 170-111 vote and 68 abstentions.

Rajoy needed a majority in the 350-seat Parliament during a first confidence vote on Thursday but was rejected.

Madrid - 29 October 2016

1. Various of police at demonstration

2. Various of demonstrators

3. Wide of Congress building

4. Pablo Iglesias, the leader of far-left Podemos, and others walking

5. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Pablo Iglesias, the leader of far-left Podemos:

"I believe PM Mariano Rajoy represents the epilogue of something which is old and which is slowly dying."

6. Convoy driving past

7. Various of demonstration

8. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Jose Maria Alonso, 60-year-old, train worker from Madrid:

"As a worker and a person of this country, we are against the government that has governed until now and that looks like to govern us for four more years."

9. Various of demonstration

10. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Marina Arevalo, 19-year-old, student from Madrid:

"I think it is an illegitimate government because it didn't even get 30 percent of the votes, and therefore doesn't represent the citizens, which is what a government should do. And I thinks there's a lot of disinformation and, in my opinion, all this has been rigged."

11. Various of demonstration

Residents in Madrid reacted positively to Sunday's general election which saw a pair of new parties ending Spain's traditional two-party system.

Former bank employee Eugenio Garcia said he was happy with the result because "it forces the parties to negotiate to make a pact and discuss their politics."

Diplomat Ainara Gomez said it was "in general, positive" but it was still unclear what would happen in terms of forming a government.

The ruling Popular Party received the most votes but fell far short of a parliamentary majority and is at risk of being ousted from power.

The new far-left Podemos and the business-friendly Ciudadanos parties gained strong support from voters weary of high unemployment, a seemingly endless string of official corruption cases and disgust over the country's political status quo.

If forced out of government, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's Popular Party would become the third European victim this year of a voter backlash against austerity following elections in Greece and Portugal.

Residents in Madrid reacted positively to Sunday's general election which saw a pair of new parties ending Spain's traditional two-party system.

Former bank employee Eugenio Garcia said he was happy with the result because "it forces the parties to negotiate to make a pact and discuss their politics."

Diplomat Ainara Gomez said it was "in general, positive" but it was still unclear what would happen in terms of forming a government.

The ruling Popular Party received the most votes but fell far short of a parliamentary majority and is at risk of being ousted from power.

The new far-left Podemos and the business-friendly Ciudadanos parties gained strong support from voters weary of high unemployment, a seemingly endless string of official corruption cases and disgust over the country's political status quo.

If forced out of government, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's Popular Party would become the third European victim this year of a voter backlash against austerity following elections in Greece and Portugal.

Madrid - 21 December 2015

1. People walking around newspaper stand

2. Various of newspaper headlines reading (Spanish) "Spain drops bipartisanship and leaves the government up in the air"

3. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Eugenio Garcia, 59, former bank employee:

"Well, with the type of politics that we have had in this country for the past 30 years, with the main two parties, and the policies that they have both adopted, they brought these consequences and a disappointment among the people. And obviously we see a support for both new parties that have recently emerged. Well, that was expected. I am happy with the situation and it forces the parties to negotiate to make a pact and discuss their politics, and I think this is a good thing."

4. Newspaper front pages

5. El Pais newspaper

6. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Ainara Gomez, 38, diplomat:

"I think the results are, in general, positive. It will open a new scenario. This is expected in all real democracies, that the parliament plays a real role and that different political forces negotiate and reach an agreement, that is the hope. Now it is up to the agreements between them so that they can form a government. We have to wait. Nothing is clear."

7. Various exteriors of Madrid Stock Exchange

8. Various of electronic boards inside Madrid Stock Exchange

SHOTLIST:

Pool

1. Exterior Municipal Congress Centre, venue of International Summit on Democracy, Terrorism and Security

2. Close up ''International Summit on Democracy, Terrorism and Security'' written on exterior of venue

3. Interior wide shot hall, opening of conference

4. Speakers enter and take seats for opening ceremony, including Spanish Crown Prince Felipe (with bandaged hand)

5. Wide shot as they take seats

6. Madrid mayor Alberto Ruiz Gallardon, and (on right) Esperanza Aguirre, President of Madrid region

7. Wide shot as Prince Felipe speaks at opening ceremony

8. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Spanish Crown Prince Felipe

"... this ceremony on the eve of the first anniversary of the terror attacks carried out on the 11th of March 2004 in Madrid. We take this as an opportunity to reiterate in no uncertain terms our firm and absolute condemnation of such barbaric acts and our repulsion of terrorism with its attendant contempt for our fundamental rights and freedoms."

9. Prince''s wife, Leticia Ortiz, and (on right) Fernando Enrique Cardoso, President of Club de Madrid

10. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Spanish Crown Prince Felipe

"Allow us at the same time to offer up a heartfelt tribute of recognition and respect to all the victims of terrorism, and to express once more to all the victims'' families our deepest sympathy and support, and our recognition of the debt of solidarity that society owes them."

11. Audience applaud Prince''s speech

APTN

12. Wide shot of press conference of 11th March Victims'' Association, held in Madrid suburb of Vallecas

13. Closer shot of speakers, on left (speaking) is Pilar Manjon, president of 11th March Victims'' Association (she lost her 20-year-old son in attack)

14. Sign reading: ''11th March Victims'' Association''

15. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Pilar Manjon, President of 11th March Victims'' Association

"We do not want to be anybody''s photo opportunity. For a whole year we have not been given the answers, and we don''t want to be the focus of media attention or sympathy now just because it has been a year since our loved ones have no longer been with us."

16. Audience

17. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Pilar Manjon, President of 11th March Victims'' Association

"By the request of our members, we ask for this silence, this respect, but that after that life should go on. We don''t want to be forgotten but we are also keen to return once more to our everyday lives and resume normality."

18. Wide shot of press conference

STORYLINE

Police in Spain on Tuesday arrested a Moroccan described as a close collaborator of ringleaders of the Madrid train bombings.

The announcement on the arrest came as the country prepares for the first anniversary of the attacks, which killed 191 people.

Ahead of the anniversary, experts and government leaders were gathered in Madrid for the start of a four-day summit on terrorism, which aims to identify the causes of extremist violence and to explore ways of reducing the threat it poses.

It will tackle questions such as whether countries are cooperating enough, how the financing of terror can be blocked and the role of the media.

The conference was opened by Spanish Crown Prince Felipe, who paid tribute to all victims of terrorism, and offered to all the victims of terrorism and their families "our deepest sympathy and support, and our recognition of the debt of solidarity that society owes them."

There followed panel discussions, but the highlight of the summit is expected to be an appearance on Thursday by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who will make a policy statement on terrorism.

The meeting will include a commemoration ceremony for the victims of the bombings, which were blamed on Islamist extremists.

About two dozen presidents, prime ministers or kings are to join about 200 experts from 50 countries who will present their research on the causes and financing of extremism and religious-based violence.

World leaders scheduled to attend include Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, while US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator for the Palestinian Authority, were also expected.

But the Association of Victims of March 11 - which has repeatedly complained that Spanish media treat them like a "spectacle" and that politicians couldn''t care less about them - appealed on Tuesday to be left alone for private mourning on the anniversary.

The main act of homage will be a short, silent vigil in a park and the association will not even be represented at that.

"We implore you to respect our silence," said the association''s president, Pilar Manjon, who lost her 20-year-old son Daniel in the bombing.

Security measures have been increased throughout the Spanish capital in the wake of the Paris attacks.

Madrid saw increased police officers at key embassies and transport points including Atocha train station which saw its own extremist attack in 2004.

Security measures have been increased throughout the Spanish capital in the wake of the Paris attacks.

Madrid saw increased police officers at key embassies and transport points including Atocha train station which saw its own extremist attack in 2004.

AP TELEVISION

Madrid - 17 November 2015

1. Various of police outside Madrid airport

2. People just landed in Madrid's airport

3. Various of flights arrivals' screen

4. Woman looking at flights arrivals' screen

5. People standing with their luggage

6. Suitcases

7. Various exteriors of Atocha train station

8. Interior of Atocha train station

9. Zoom out from banner reading "Luggage control", to travellers putting luggage through security scanner

10. Various of train travellers putting luggage in scanner

11. Police officer holding a machine gun while guarding the US Embassy

12. US Embassy logo

13. Police officers and vehicles outside US Embassy

14. Police officer's gun

15. Two police vans in front of US embassy

16. Various of Guardia Civil car in front of French embassy

17. French embassy logo and a picture of an eye coloured in blue, white and red crying

18. People looking at memorial for the victims in Paris

19. Police car in front of Puerta de Alcala

Senior members of Spain's government held a minute's silence in Madrid on Monday for the victims of the attacks in Paris.

Local residents also went to the French embassy to place candles, flowers and written messages of support for France.

Senior members of Spain's government held a minute's silence in Madrid on Monday for the victims of the attacks in Paris.

Local residents also went to the French embassy to place candles, flowers and written messages of support for France.

AP TELEVISION

Madrid - 16 November 2015

1. Wide of Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria surrounded by Chilean ambassador to Spain Francisco Marambio and Spanish government officials outside Moncloa Palace

2. Saenz de Santamaria surrounded by Marambio (on her left), the Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Madrid, Krishna R. Urs (on her right shoulder) and workers of Spanish Foreign Affairs ministry, Spanish Interior Ministry and the Spanish National Intelligence Centre (CNI)

3. Tilt of Soraya Saenz de Santamaria and Marambio

4. Cutaway of media

5. Tilt from officials outside Moncloa Palace to Spanish flag at half mast

6. Wide of Madrid's city hall and Cibeles fountain with French and Spanish flags at half mast

7. Cibeles fountain with French and Spanish flags at half mast

8. Close of French flag at half mast

9. Woman putting a rose on French embassy's main door while a Guardia Civil agent passes by

10. Guardia Civil agent helping the woman to put the rose on French embassy's main door

11. Tilt down from banner reading (French): "French embassy" to various messages of support for France

12. Man removing hat while looking at flowers

13. Various of flowers and tributes

14. Sign reading (French): "France is great. Spain loves you. Together we will defeat terrorism."

15. Woman leaving a letter written by her daughter, and then she cries out (Spanish) "Long live France. Long live Spain"

16. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Cristina Garcia, vox pop:

"Times have changed. And (my daughter) she asked me: 'Mum, why are there wars?' And I answered 'There should be no wars, my daughter. We have to find ways to avoid wars.' And she asked me 'How do we do it mummy?' and I said, 'We have to be good people, my daughter'."

17. Various of candles and tributes and people paying their respects

SHOTLIST

1. Various of security outside the Spanish high court compound in Plaza del Campo on the outskirts of Madrid

2. Group of people taking outside court

3. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Mr. Gutierrez (no first name given), Relative of victim of Madrid bombings:

"I feel very deceived. There are many things undiscovered and the principal culprits are free."

4. Police outside court

5. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Relative of victim of Madrid bombings, no name given:

"I'm disillusioned in our justice system. Our justice system is very soft."

6. Media waiting outside court

7. Pan of media

8. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Juan Carlos Rodriguez, lawyer, Association of Victims of Terrorism:

"In principle (the verdicts) were a bit surprising because of some of the acquittals which we don't understand much. The indemnities seem a bit confused. We have to see what the documents say, because these still haven't been handed over to us."

9. Wide of Rodriguez walking through media

10. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Jose Maria De Pablo, lawyer, Association of Help for Victims of 11 March Attack:

"Another evident thing is the absence of masterminds (of the attack), that is, the acquittal of Rabei Osman "The Egyptian", and the fact that Youssef Belhadj and Hassan el Haski have only been accused of belonging to an armed group, but not of being masterminds. This means that, if there aren't any masterminds in this judgement, then, they must be looked for, because all attacks have their masterminds. Therefore for us, as representatives of the victims, this means that it's necessary to carry on with the investigations."

11. Wide of De Pablo with media

STORYLINE

Relatives of victims of the 2004 Madrid train bombings reacted with disillusionment after three lead defendants were convicted of murder and other charges on Wednesday.

Another accused ringleader was acquitted in the culmination of a politically divisive trial over Europe's worst Islamic terror attack.

There was tight security outside the Spanish high court compound in Plaza del Campo on the outskirts of Madrid as Judge Javier Gomez Bermudez read out the verdicts.

The backpack bomb attacks killed 191 people and wounded more than 1,800 on March 11, 2004.

The three lead suspects convicted of murder and attempted murder each received sentences ranging from 34-thousand to 43-thousand years in prison, although under Spanish law the most time they can spend in jail is 40 years.

Spain has no death penalty or life imprisonment.

Those three are Jamal Zougam, a Moroccan convicted of placing at least one bomb on one of the trains; Emilio Suarez Trashorras, a Spaniard and former miner found guilty of supplying the explosives used in the attacks; and Othman Gnaoui, a Moroccan accused of being a right-hand man of the plot's operational chief.

But Rabei Osman, an Egyptian accused of helping orchestrate the attacks, was acquitted.

"I feel very deceived. There are many things undiscovered and the principal culprits are free," Gutierrez said.

A relative of another victim accused the Spanish justice system of being "very soft".

Osman, who is currently in jail in Italy, had allegedly bragged in a wiretapped phone conversation that the massacre was his idea.

Four other accused masterminds, Youssef Belhadj, Hassan el Haski, Abdulmajid Bouchar and Rafa Zouhier, were acquitted of murder but convicted of lesser charges including belonging to a terrorist organisation.

They received sentences between 12 and 18 years.

A lawyer for the Association of Help for Victims of the 11 March Attack expressed his concern at the verdicts.

"If there aren't any masterminds in this judgement, then, they must be looked for, because all attacks have their masterminds. Therefore for us, as representatives of the victims, this means that it's necessary to carry on with the investigations," Jose Maria De Pablo said.

Six lesser suspects were also acquitted on all charges.

Fourteen other people were found guilty of lesser charges like belonging to a terrorist group, bringing the total number convicted to 21 of the 28 defendants.

SHOTLIST

1. Various of security outside the Spanish high court compound in Plaza del Campo on the outskirts of Madrid

2. Group of people taking outside court

3. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Mr. Gutierrez (no first name given), Relative of victim of Madrid bombings:

"I feel very deceived. There are many things undiscovered and the principal culprits are free."

4. Police outside court

5. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Relative of victim of Madrid bombings, No Name Given:

"I'm disillusioned in our justice system. Our justice system is very soft."

6. Media waiting outside court

STORYLINE

Relatives of victims of the 2004 Madrid train bombings reacted with disillusionment on Wednesday after three lead defendants were convicted of murder and other charges on Wednesday.

Another accused ringleader was acquitted in the culmination of a politically divisive trial over Europe's worst Islamic terror attack.

There was tight security outside the Spanish high court compound in Plaza del Campo on the outskirts of Madrid as Judge Javier Gomez Bermudez read out the verdicts.

The backpack bomb attacks killed 191 people and wounded more than 1,800 on March 11, 2004.

The three lead suspects were each handed sentences that stretched into the thousands of years.

They include Jamal Zougam, a Moroccan convicted of placing at least one bomb on one of the trains, Emilio Suarez Trashorras, a Spaniard who is a former miner found guilty of supplying the explosives used in the attacks, and Osman Gnaoui, a Moroccan accused of being a right-hand man of the plot's operational chief.

But Rabei Osman, an Egyptian accused of helping orchestrate the attacks, was acquitted.

Mr. Gutierrez, whose daughter was killed and wife seriously injured in the attacks, was far from satisfied with the verdicts.

"I feel very deceived. There are many things undiscovered and the principal culprits are free," Gutierrez said.

A relative of another victim accused the Spanish justice system of being "very soft".

Osman, who is currently in jail in Italy, had allegedly bragged in a wiretapped phone conversation that the massacre was his idea.

Four other accused masterminds, Youssef Belhadj, Hassan el Haski, Abdulmajid Bouchar and Rafa Zouhier, were acquitted of murder but convicted of lesser charges including belonging to a terrorist organisation.

They received sentences between 12 and 18 years.

Six lesser suspects were also acquitted on all charges.

Fourteen other people were found guilty of lesser charges like belonging to a terrorist group, bringing the total number convicted to 21 of the 28 defendants.

Pro and anti-Castro demonstrators in Madrid on Saturday expressed their joy and sadness at the passing of the former Cuban leader.

A small crowd, both pro- and anti-Castro, met in front of the Cuban embassy, in a rain-soaked Spanish capital.

Spanish public television showed people waving Cuban flags and flags of the former Soviet Union.

Police kept a close watch as some members of the pro- and anti-Castro camps exchanged insults.

Madrid - 26 November 2016

1. Various pro-Castro demonstration outside Cuban embassy

2. Wide anti-Castro demonstrator complains to police he has been punched, pro-Castro demonstrators jeering

3. Castro protesters outside embassy

4. Wide anti-Castro demonstrator taken away by police

5. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Vox pop, Madrid resident (no name given):

"We, the working class of Spain, have met here outside the doors of the Cuban embassy in Madrid in solidarity and to remember a giant of all the peoples of the world - Fidel Castro Ruz. These others are not dissidents, they are criminals who just come here to cause trouble."

6. Various pro-Castro protesters, black ribbon on Cuban flag

SHOTLIST:

Madrid, 29th July 2004

1. Exterior of Spanish Parliament, Madrid

2. Former Spanish minister of Foreign Affairs, Ana Palacio, entering commission

3. Palacio taking seat

4. Commission members

5. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Ana Palacio, Former Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs:

"The objective of telegram 395 (a telegram to Spanish embassies around the world) was to counteract the statements by Arnaldo Otegi (a politician close to ETA) which were having a strong and profound echo in the international media. In the second case we were trying to put an end to the problem that ETA was being treated as a separatist or independence group by the foreign media instead of being called what they are: a terrorist group. So the first fax sent was to take away the credibility being given to the statement by Arnaldo Otegi and the second reason to send the fax was to call ETA by its true name. It was as if they called Al Qaida a radical Islamic group. No, it is a terrorist group!"

6. Commission members

7. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Ana Palacio, Former Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs:

"You are trying to tell me that the foreign governments were reluctant to vote for a resolution at the (UN) security council (the Aznar government wanted a UN Security Council Resolution condemning ETA). But, if they had really thought it wasn't ETA, if they were convinced that it wasn't the terrorist group ETA, who in this commission, knowing how the security council works, really believes that such a resolution would have been passed."

8. Midshot of scene

FILE - Madrid March 11th 2004

9. Various of scene of bombing

Madrid, 29th July 2004

10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Ana Palacio, Former Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs:

"The (former PM Jose Maria) Aznar government, I think, has explained once and again, and this enquiry commission will show this, that we did not mislead, that we did not lie, that we did our best in very difficult circumstances. We informed in real time, we did not hide anything, all these accusations that were made against us have been, in my opinion dispelled, but let's wait and see what the final report says. I am not a member of the commission and it is up to them to decide."

11. Palacio leaving

STORYLINE:

Three former Spanish ministers have steadfastly defended their government's insistence that Basque separatists, not Islamic militants, were to blame for the Madrid train bombings and roundly denied they had manipulated information in a bid to win elections three days after the attacks.

In one of the longest sessions of the parliamentary commission probing the March 11 attacks - it started at 9 a.m. (0700gmt) on Wednesday and continued past midnight (2200gmt) - former Foreign Minister Ana Palacio, former Interior Minister Angel Acebes and former government spokesman Eduardo Zaplana insisted the government of then-Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar behaved impeccably.

"The government told the truth with all the diligence it was capable of in those moments," Palacio, who appeared last, told the 16-member commission. "It acted with honesty and transparency."

The three were the first former government members to appear before the commission which started on July 6.

The former ministers withstood a barrage of questions from lawmakers from other parties about why the former Aznar government insisted that the Basque group ETA was to blame for the March 11 attacks even though evidence grew within hours of the bombings that the culprits were Islamist militants.

Palacio insisted that she authorised telegrams to Spanish embassies around the world on the day of the attacks urging officials to insist that ETA was responsible precisely because a politician close to ETA, Arnaldo Otegi, was trying to confuse things by denying the group's involvement.

ETA leaders had quickly denied involvement in the attacks.

After more than 50 arrests and 16 jailings, mostly of Moroccans, there is now little doubt that Islamist radicals were responsible for the blasts on four commuter trains that killed 191 people and wounded some 1,600.

Hours after the 10 near simultaneous bombings, investigators found a van containing detonators, explosives and a tape with Quranic verses near a train station that the doomed trains past through. In addition, Islamist radicals claimed the attacks in a video found days later.

Throughout Wednesday's session, lawmakers pestered the three ministers to give examples of any evidence they had those days pointing toward ETA. But the ministers responded uniformly that simply they had no evidence to think otherwise.

Critics say that Spain's governing Popular Party misinformed the public to shield itself from a feared voter backlash in elections three days away, worried the attacks could be perceived as retribution by Islamic militants for their support for the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

In contrast, they say, if the attacks were seen to have been carried out by ETA, Aznar's party might have stood to benefit in the elections given that it had made its largely successful battle against the Basque group one of its main government policies.

In the March 14 vote, Spaniards - who overwhelmingly opposed Spain's involvement in Iraq and saw the bombings as a result of it - did reject the Popular Party, sweeping to power the Socialists, who promised to withdraw Spain's 1,300 troops from Iraq.

Since the hearings began, several police officials have intimated that the focus to Islamic militants had shifted long before the government acknowledged. Police now say there is nothing to indicate any link with ETA.

The hearing resumes on Thursday with scheduled appearances by Socialist party parliamentary spokesman Alfredo Perez Pedro Rubalcaba and new Interior Minister Jose Antonio Alonso.

SHOTLIST

1. Mid of demonstrators with flags

2. Wide of demonstrators standing behind banner and waving flags

3. Close up of poster, reading (English) "Rice, Poison, No!"

4. Tilt down to demonstrators chanting and waving flags

5. Demonstrators walking along street

6. Wide of demonstrators marching holding banner

7. Various of demonstrators playing instruments.

8. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) No Name Given, Demonstrator, Vox Pop:

"This is a protest against the Bush's policy, of which Condoleezza Rice is the maximum expression. We protest not only because of the aggressions against Cuba but the attitude in Palestine, Iraq etc. In general this is a protest against Bush's policy."

9. Demonstrators marching

10. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) No Name Given, Demonstrator, Vox Pop:

"I hope they stop defending a wrong discourse against Cuba. I hope Spain still keeps the diplomatic relation. If we talk with Cuba I hope false words like "democracy" will disappear. I hope they follow the same rules they use for a real (and normally cruel) dictatorship. I hope nobody breaks the diplomatic relation with Cuba under no circumstances. In my opinion, the European government which will do this would be an unjust government and it could mean they do not know anything about the world or the reality of Latin America."

11. Wide of demonstrators in street

12. Close up of poster, tilt down to demonstrators

13. Demonstrator chanting behind banner

14. Wide of demonstrators marching

STORYLINE

Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of the Spanish capital on Friday, to protest against US foreign policy during a visit to the country by US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice.

"This is a protest against the Bush's policy, of which Condoleezza Rice is the maximum expression. We protest not only because of the aggressions against Cuba but the attitude in Palestine, Iraq etc. In general this is a protest against Bush's policy," said one demonstrator in Madrid.

Another demonstrator was concerned that US policy on Cuba would influence the policies of other European nations towards the country.

The demonstrations came as Rice said in an interview with Spanish television that Spain's decision to pull its troops out of Iraq in 2004 was made hastily and without giving its allies time to prepare for it.

Rice was interviewed by Spain's state television TVE at the US Embassy in Madrid at the end of her six-hour trip to Spain.

Earlier she had met with King Juan Carlos, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos.

Rice, whose words were translated into Spanish, said that Iraq was and continues to be a very dangerous place.

She said the US troops were facing danger at the time Zapatero withdrew the Spanish troops from Iraq and that they should have been advised beforehand to prepare for such a move.

Zapatero pulled the troops out of Iraq a month after taking office in 2004.

The war has been deeply unpopular in Spain, particularly after a terror attack by militants that killed 191 people on Madrid commuter trains.

The militants said they targeted Spain because of its participation in the peacekeeping force in Iraq.

However, Rice acknowledged that the withdrawal happened a long time ago, and although she said both countries have had their differences, she highlighted that their relationship was warming.

She said the US is the world's biggest human rights defender and that it was fighting to stop terrorists from committing attacks and killing innocent people as they have done in the United States and in Madrid.

A divided Spain is voting in its third general election in four years, with all eyes on whether the rise of conservative nationalism will allow the right wing to unseat the prime minister.

The fragmentation of the political landscape is the result of austerity that followed the economic recession, disenchantment with bipartisan politics and the recent rise of far-right populism.

Polls said that about one third of the nearly 37 million eligible voters hadn't decided who to vote for a week ago.

Their decision and the expected high participation could swing the result between the left and right-wing blocs that have taken shape during the electoral race.

On the splintered right, three parties are competing for leadership: the once dominant conservative Popular Party, the centre-right Citizens, and the upstart national-populist Vox, which is set to grab about one tenth of parliamentary seats. The party has currently none.

Voting stations opened at 9 a.m. (0700GMT) Sunday and will close at 8 p.m. (1800GMT), with results expected a few hours later.

Madrid - 28 April 2019

1. Various of people coming out of mass

2. Schedule of masses in the church

3. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Juan Antonio Fernandez, 73, retired:

"It's important because we play a lot (in the elections), then we always complain throughout the legislature, so we must know how to choose according to the ideas of each (of the candidates)."

4. Various of people in the main door of the church

5. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Jose Del Rio, 78, retired:

"Finally today, I imagine that the course of this country will change a little, since we have had a government that has been a mess because several groups came together to kick out the former president (of the government or prime minister Mariano Rajoy). Because, I believe, that people have already realised that in those nine months (the time they were governing), a great ruin was generated for Spain."

6. Various of people in the street, exterior of church

7. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Maria del Carmen Castanon, housewife:

"I think it's good that there are more parties (than in the previous elections), we all have to be represented, but we need a strong government with a majority. I think that they should have united the left and the right and presented a common government plan, I think that's what they should have done and they haven't done, but well, I'm going to vote, I'm going to do what I can (as a citizen)."

8. Various of streets in Madrid

9. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Chema Lopez, teacher:

"I believe that as any election day is an important day because we decide our future, our lifestyle and this time we are also defending rights and freedoms that have cost us many years, much effort and much struggle to conquer, so, I believe that today is a very important day."

10. Various of people at flea market

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy paid his respects at the French Embassy in Madrid on Saturday following the deadly attacks in Paris.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy paid his respects at the French Embassy in Madrid on Saturday following the deadly attacks in Paris.

AP TELEVISION

Madrid - 14 November 2015

1. Wide of French Embassy

2. French and European Union flags at half mast

3. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy entering Embassy

4. Close of Rajoy

5. Various of Rajoy signing book of condolences

6. Various of people leaving flowers and candles outside the French Embassy

7. Spanish flag with black ribbon displayed on balcony

8. Flowers and candles outside the embassy

SHOTLIST

POOL

1. Wide shot Jose Maria Aznar, former Spanish prime minister, and others walking along hall towards the International Room at Spanish parliament, where commission is being held

2. Aznar enters room and takes his seat

3. Wide shot interior

4. Panel of witnesses

5. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Jose Maria Aznar, Former Spanish Prime Minister

"A search has been under way for the smoking gun of the alleged lie of the government I presided over, the evidence that will conclusively place the blame, in the eyes of the public, on the government. After months of investigation, after so many hours of testimony, that evidence has not appeared."

6. Wide shot hearing in session

7. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Jose Maria Aznar, Former Spanish Prime Minister

"Because now there are no excuses, your honour. Now the time for excuses is over. How do people explain the detention of an Islamic cell in Madrid who aimed to blow up the Supreme Court and the High Court? What's the explanation for this? We all heard that by withdrawing the troops from Iraq, a 'state of happiness' would be declared in Spain and that it would end the threats against the country."

8. Wide shot pan hearing in session

9. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Jose Maria Aznar, Former Spanish Prime Minister

"In those days (following 11 March attacks), we knew of the existence of coincidences between Basque terrorism and Islamic terrorism: coincidences in their objective, their modus operandi and timing."

10. Cutaway official

11. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Jose Maria Aznar, Former Spanish Prime Minister

"I have always said that all forms of terrorism are the same and that in the end all terrorists end up having connections with each other. Today, we know of things that we didn't know then. I demand that we investigate these links and we find out the truth."

12. Cutaway hearing

APTN

FILE: 11 March 2004

13. Wide shot wrecked train

14. Closer shot of wrecked carriage towards front of train

15. Closer shot of wrecked carriages towards back of train

16. Emergency workers at work in wreckage

17. Wide shot pan of wrecked train

STORYLINE

Former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar on Monday defended his government's handling of the immediate aftermath of the Madrid train bombings as he began his testimony before legislators investigating the attacks.

In opening remarks at the parliament in Madrid, Aznar said criticism that his government was too quick to blame the armed Basque separatist group ETA for the attack was unfair because opposition politicians did so even before the government did.

The local government of Spain's northern Basque region also immediately blamed ETA and so did officials of the then-opposition Socialist Party.

Aznar began his address by remembering the 191 people killed in the attack, now thought to have been carried out by Islamic extremists with links to al-Qaida.

He said his government's security forces acted quickly and efficiently after the train bombings and shared new information as it emerged.

Aznar was called to testify by centre-left parties that allege that his Popular Party underestimated the threat of Islamic terrorism in Spain and misled Spaniards by continuing to blame ETA for the train bombing, even after evidence of an Islamic link emerged.

Critics say the government's primary concern was the national elections three days later, adding it feared Islamic involvement in the attacks would be seen as revenge for Aznar's support of the Iraq war in the face of vehement opposition at home.

But Aznar denied his party had lied when it blamed ETA.

"A search has been under way for the smoking gun of the alleged lie of the government I presided over," Aznar said.

"After months of investigation, after so many hours of testimony, that evidence has not appeared. We told the truth about what we knew."

Aznar's testimony was expected to focus on what former Interior Minister Angel Acebes and former Foreign Minister Ana Palacio already told the commission: that the attack was unpredictable, most assailants and ringleaders were already in jail and the Popular Party never misled voters.

The 16-member commission began hearings last July 6.

Its investigation has focused in part on whether the bombings were linked to Aznar's decision to endorse last year's US-led invasion of Iraq.

Despite the war's unpopularity among Spaniards, Aznar sent 13-hundred troops to support the military occupation.

The Madrid bombings were regarded by many as retribution for that support and Aznar's conservative government lost elections to the Socialists days later.

Other goals of the commission were to examine whether the attack could have been prevented and how to strengthen defences against another one.

But the hearings are also political.

Conservatives link the attack to the election outcome, in effect questioning the Socialist government's legitimacy.

The new Socialist government of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has responded by focussing on what it calls the failures of Aznar's Popular Party.

Fifty-one people have been detained in connection with the bombings, of which 16, mostly Moroccans, were jailed on provisional charges of mass murder or terrorism.

Zapatero is scheduled to testify on December 13.

The hearings are set to conclude December 15 with a final report that will be presented to parliament.

Colombian President and Nobel Peace prize winner Juan Manuel Santos received a Honoris Causa degree from the Alfonso X University in Madrid on Tuesday.

Santos, who was recommended for the academic title by former Spanish Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez, said that the peace process in Colombia should serve as example of conflict resolution.

The doctor honoris causa, which is the University's highest honour, was given to Santos for his contribution to peace in Colombia and his achievements in improving social development and education.

Madrid - 13 December 2016

1. Colombian President and Nobel Peace prize winner Juan Manuel Santos enters hall at Alfonso X University

2. Santos and Former Spanish Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez walk onto stage

3. Santos and Gonzalez on stage with University professors

4. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Felipe Gonzalez, Former Spanish Prime Minister:

"Today Mr President I think that it would be appropriate that both of us remember with a fair sadness - as we did on Saturday - that Gabo (Gabriel Garcia Marquez) could not be here to share this moment. He fought very hard for this, no one knows how much he fought."

5. Santos receives medal from Rector of the University

6. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Juan Manuel Santos, President of Colombia:

"What seemed to be impossible a few years ago is today a reality. We are very proud to share this with the World: In Colombia the last armed conflict affecting the Western hemisphere has finished. Our process can be seen as a model for other conflict solutions in a world stunned by conflicts."

7. Wide audience applauds

8. Santos leaves hall

SHOTLIST:

AP TELEVISION

1. Wide of parliament with police vans parked outside

2. Wide of police cordon made from police vans outside parliament

3. Wide of policemen standing by vans

4. Mid of policemen

5. Wide of police vans

6. Wide of policemen standing by police vehicles

7. Wide of policemen about to put chains on temporary barriers placed outside parliament

8. Close of chains

9. Mid of policemen tying chains to barriers

10. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) vox pop, no name given:

"I think this (protest) is absolutely understandable but I do not support any action containing violence or coercion. That is not right."

11. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) vox pop, Victor Meca:

"If they know there is going to be a protest I do not think it's logical. They are prepared as if it was going to be World War Three."

12. Wide of people walking in front of barriers outside parliament

13. Wide young people attending an entrepreneurs workshop

14. Mid of attendees

15. Close zoom out group members cheering when they find out they have been named the winning group at the workshop

16. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Carlos Parra Navarro, 25-year-old unemployed business student:

"Right now I am on the dole, although I am finishing my university project. It is a shame that despite the degree, the masters and my language skills, I may have to leave Spain. I know that if I have no alternative, I will have to leave."

17. Wide of young entrepreneurs during workshop

18. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Natalia Molino, 22-year-old student:

"I think that the majority of us want to stay here, in fact of all the people I know they are trying to stay here or start a business here because this is our country and we have been trained here. We want to stay here but we see that it isn't an option. So we see that the easiest option is to leave."

19. Wide Rolf Campos, Economics Professor at the IESE (Instituto de Estudios Superiores de la Empresa) Business School

20. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Rolf Campos, Economics professor at IESE Business School:

"The number of unemployed has reached six million, 200 thousand. This is 27 percent of the working population. This is a very large number, a lot bigger than the government had forecasted in the budget of 2013. The problem with this number is that it is going to require cuts in public spending or an increase in taxes. The figure (unemployment numbers) could mean these actions take place."

21. Mid of Campos talks to colleague

22. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Rolf Campos, Economics professor at IESE Business School:

"Any sort of regulatory change will take time to work, people get used to certain working conditions. We shouldn't expect any quick change in the reduction of the youth unemployment figures. We should, however, see improvements over time in the figures."

23. Mid of IESE sign

STORYLINE:

More than a thousand police were deployed around the Spanish Parliament in Madrid on Thursday, ahead of an evening anti-austerity demonstration.

Parliament cancelled its session for the day but blamed reasons other than the rally.

Several previous rallies close to parliament have ended in clashes with police.

The Interior Ministry said police arrested four people and confiscated material they believe was to be used to start fires at bank offices in the city.

The ministry claims violent, anti-establishment groups are behind the rally.

The demonstration comes on the day that new figures showed that the unemployment figure in Spain has hit six (m) million people for the first time.

According to the National Statistics Institute, Spain's jobless rate shot up to a record 27.2 percent in the first quarter of 2013.

The agency said the number of people unemployed rose by 237,400 people in the first three months of the year, a 1.1 percent increase from the previous quarter.

The total out of work stood at 6.2 (m) million people.

The number of people considered long-term unemployed, out of a job for more than a year, increased to 3.5 (m) million while the unemployment rate for those aged under 25 was a staggering 57 percent.

This number is spread over all sorts of professional groups.

At a meeting of young entrepreneurs in Madrid on Thursday, participants spoke of the looming possibility of having to leave Spain to find work.

Twenty-five year old Carlos Parra said that despite having qualifications and language skills, he has to accept the fact he will probably have to leave his home country to find employment.

Telecommunications student Natalia Molino, who will finish her degree this year, told The Associated Press that many of her friends were actively considering leaving Spain.

The country has been in recession for much of the past four years as it struggles to deal with the collapse of its once-booming real estate sector in 2008.

In the previous decade its economy was thriving, generating (m) millions of jobs.