1.   The killings have damaged relations between the governing Popular party in Madrid and the Basque regional government.

2.   Rubial became their titular president and served as a senator from Viscaya and chief of the Basque regional government since then.

3.   The Basque government likes the attention.

4.   The Basque regional government kept its riot police at a distance to avoid confrontations during the march, which was authorized.

5.   When the Guggenheim project was brought up for debate, however, the Basque government had more than culture in mind.

6.   A car bomb exploded Thursday morning in this Basque city, causing damage to buildings but no injuries, the Basque regional government said.

7.   A newspaper executive died of several gunshots to the head in this Basque city on Thursday, the Basque government said.

8.   After the shooting, hundreds of people including the president of the Basque regional government gathered before the town hall in Tolosa to protest the slaying.

9.   Along with Catalonia, the Basque regional government sets much of its own tax policy and has its own police force.

10.   Basque regional police fired into the air twice to disperse the protesters, the Basque government said.