MADRID (Reuters) – Basque separatist group ETA called a permanent ceasefire on Monday, Basque regional newspaper Gara said on its website, three months after the weakened group announced a halt to armed attacks.

ETA, which has killed more than 850 people in half a century of armed struggle for an independent state in northern Spain and southwest France, has been crippled by arrests and a rise in support among Basques for peaceful methods.

MADRID/BERLIN (Reuters) – Ratings agency Moody’s warned Spain on Wednesday that its debt could be downgraded and Portugal took steps to revive its economy amid concerns about euro zone debt contagion on the eve of a European Union summit.

Moody’s said it was worried about Spain’s high debt funding needs, its heavily indebted banks and its regional finances, but it did not expect Madrid would have to follow Greece and Ireland in seeking an EU bailout.

MADRID/BERLIN (Reuters) – Ratings agency Moody’s warned Spain on Wednesday its credit rating could be downgraded, highlighting concerns about euro zone debt contagion on the eve of a European Union summit.

Moody’s said it was concerned about Spain’s high debt funding needs, its heavily indebted banks and its regional finances, but it did not expect Madrid would have to follow Greece and Ireland in seeking an EU bailout.

MADRID/BERLIN (Reuters) – Ratings agency Moody’s warned Spain it could be downgraded and frustration at Germany and France over their handling of the euro zone debt crisis boiled over on Wednesday, ahead of a European Union summit.

Moody’s said it was concerned about Spain’s high funding needs and its indebted banking sector, but that it did not expect Madrid to have to resort to an EU bailout like Greece and Ireland. The euro briefly weakened on the news.

MADRID/BERLIN, Dec 15 (Reuters) – Ratings agency Moody’s
warned Spain it could be downgraded and frustration at Germany
and France over their handling of the euro zone debt crisis
boiled over on Wednesday, ahead of a European Union summit.

Moody’s said it was concerned about Spain’s high funding
needs and its indebted banking sector, but that it did not
expect Madrid to have to resort to an EU bailout like Greece and
Ireland. The euro briefly weakened on the news. [ID:nL3E6NF0D8]

MADRID (Reuters) – Spain cannot defy markets that are betting on a rising default risk, without the heavy artillery of the European Central Bank behind it.

The spread of the fast-paced crisis could drag the euro zone’s No. 4 economy into the same unsustainable debt spiral that has swallowed Greece and Ireland and threatens Portugal.

MADRID (Reuters) – Spain cannot defy markets that are betting on a rising default risk, without the heavy artillery of the European Central Bank behind it.

The spread of the fast-paced crisis could drag the euro zone’s No. 4 economy into the same unsustainable debt spiral that has swallowed Greece and Ireland and threatens Portugal.

MADRID, Nov 26 (Reuters) – Spain said it will publish
results of extra health checks on its banks next spring and give
monthly updates on its public debt, offering concessions to
markets focused firmly on fears Europe’s debt crisis may spread.

But despite investor unease continuing to push up its debt
costs, the country would resist pressures to accelerate fiscal
reforms, a source at the prime minister’s office said.

MADRID (Reuters) – Spain is praying a restructuring of its weaker banks, an austere 2011 budget and progress on deficit cuts will help it stave off an Irish- or Greek-style debt meltdown, though mounting market pressure will test its resolve.

Euro zone policymakers are keeping their fingers crossed too, as a call for outside help from the region’s fourth largest economy would come close to extinguishing the huge reserves of capital they and the International Monetary Fund have set aside to contain the fiscal crisis, leaving the single currency area facing a bleak future.

MADRID (Reuters) – Spain is praying a restructuring of its weaker banks, an austere 2011 budget and progress on deficit cuts will help it stave off an Irish- or Greek-style debt meltdown, though mounting market pressure will test its resolve.

Euro zone policymakers are keeping their fingers crossed too, as a call for outside help from the region’s fourth largest economy would come close to extinguishing the huge reserves of capital they and the International Monetary Fund have set aside to contain the fiscal crisis, leaving the single currency area facing a bleak future.