Spain's King Felipe VI has spoken out forcefully against Catalonia's independence drive, saying all Spaniards must respect each other and the law.

French investigators questioned a leading presidential hopeful about a writer's claim that former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn tried to rape her.

Flights to and from Greece were grounded, trains and ferries suspended their routes and public services were paralysed today as angry workers went on strike in protest over huge spending cuts.

EU monetary affairs commissioner Pedro Solbes yesterday said that he has accepted the post of Finance Minister in Spain's incoming Socialist government, following a meeting with Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.