Hundreds of African migrants hurling stones stormed a border fence from Morocco into Spanish territory in a "violent" assault on Wednesday, authorities said, the latest in a series of such attempts.

A local Spanish government spokeswoman said there was a "massive assault" in the early hours at one point of a six-meter (20-foot) fence separating the Spanish enclave of Melilla from Morocco on the Mediterranean coast.

Spain flatly denied Wednesday allegations that its police shot at a jet ski in waters off Gibraltar and criticized Britain for giving credence to rumors.

The alleged incident on Sunday off the disputed rock has escalated into a diplomatic row.

Spain's job-destroying recession is set to ease in the second quarter of 2013 as activity improves, the Bank of Spain said Wednesday, adding its voice to an optimistic chorus emerging from the government.

The central bank saw light ahead for Spain, wallowing since 2011 in a double-dip recession, which has pushed the unemployment rate to towering record of more than 27 percent.

Spanish security forces on Friday broke up an al-Qaida-linked network in north Africa suspected of sending fighters to Syria, arresting eight people in early morning raids.

Police launched operations against the ring in Ceuta, a Spanish territory in north Africa, the government said.

The International Monetary Fund says recession-wracked Spain is making progress but is urging policymakers both within the country and in Europe to take "urgent action" to slash the country's crippling 27 percent unemployment rate.

An IMF report released Wednesday praised Spain's reforms for stabilizing the economy, particularly its public finances, but said unemployment was "unacceptably high and the outlook difficult."

Three women staged a topless protest Wednesday outside the Tunisian embassy in Madrid calling on Tunis to free three fellow activists detained for a bare-breasted anti-Islamist demonstration in the north African nation.

The members of radical feminist group Femen removed their shirts to show their breasts and messages daubed on their bodies calling for the release of the trio who are behind bars in Tunis.

Spain's national police has built up an army of over half a million followers on Twitter, using them to help swoop on fugitives and get tip-offs on drug dealers in an open dialogue that has helped bring the force closer to the people.

Since it was set up four years ago, the Spanish feed has become one of most popular police Twitter accounts in the world, with the force regularly sending humorous tweets to attract followers.

Spanish police detained two suspected ETA commandos in a pre-dawn raid Tuesday, striking a new blow against the already-weakened network of the armed Basque group, the government said.

The pair -- Jon Lizarribar Lasarte, born 1976, and Ruben Gelbentzu Gonzalez, born 1974 -- are accused of taking part in four attacks in 2002, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

Spaniards are buying fewer cars, fewer clothes and even cutting back on smoking as a grinding recession and rising unemployment force them to slash spending, dealing a severe blow to manufacturers and shops.

Last week, the headlines surrounding big brands such as Spanish fashion retailer Blanco and tobacco group Altadis highlighted the fallout of the consumer slump in Spain.

Despite ramming through austerity measures that sparked popular protest in the streets, Spain's right-leaning government seems to be hesitating on a potentially more divisive reform: tightening the abortion law.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's Popular Party promised, in a manifesto ahead of its 2011 election victory, "to reinforce protection of the right to life".