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IN PICTURES

Shane Walford is wanted for manslaughter

Hunt for ten fugitives on the run in the Costas

Authorities have called on the public to help track down the ten most wanted fugitives believed to be on the run in Spain. READ

Photo of a Ryanair aeroplane: Shutterstock

Ryanair refused to fly transplant child

A child from the Canary Islands who was due to travel to Madrid for an emergency double transplant was not allowed onto a Ryanair flight after his family arrived too close to take off time. READ

One of the ninots representing Mariano Rajoy. Photo: Jose Jordan / AFP

Las Fallas: Red hot satire at explosive spring fiesta

This week will see the noisy finale of Las Fallas in Valencia when hundreds of satirical scupltures will go up in flames to celebrate the start of Spring. READ

The King and Queen and their two daughters on holiday in Mallorca, August 2014. Photo: Jaime Reina / AFP

Jihadi cell threat to Spanish royal family

A jihadist cell that was ready to launch an attack on Spain before being dismantled by police last week had plans to target King Felipe VI, it has emerged. READ

Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy speaking during a recent visit to Guatemala. Photo: Johan Ordonez/AFP

Rajoy: 'Greece must honour its commitments'

Spain raised the pressure on Greece on Monday to "honour its commitments" to its European partners to end its debt crisis and prevent its dropping out of the eurozone. READ

My Spanish Career

Brendan Murphy: "As an actor I've cornered the fat, ugly, 50-something with a moustache, niche"

'Spaniards would go to opening of an umbrella'

The Local talks to Brendan Murphy, Irishman, actor, sausage-maker and sometime pub landlord about why the Spanish go crazy for St. Patrick's Day. READ

In pics

Photo: Jorge Guerrero/AFP

'World's most dangerous footpath' reopens

El Caminito del Rey, dubbed "the world's most dangerous walkway", is set to reopen on March 28th after extensive repairs. READ

A photo of Madrid's Plaza Mayor Shutterstock

Now Madrid slammed as 'miserable' in Edurne row

Following Edurne's slur on the city of Manchester, the Manchester Evening News printed an editorial calling Madrid "miserable" and "one of the worst cities" ever visited. READ

German economist, Jürgen Donges has compared Podemos to the rise of Hitler. Screen grab: La Sexta

'Podemos is like Hitler', says Merkel advisor

An advisor to German Chancellor Angela Merkel has compared the leader of Podemos to Hitler, expressing his concern over the rise of the left-wing political party in Spain. READ

Screen grab: EdurneVEVO/YouTube

Spain Eurovision hopeful in Manchester 'ugly' slur

A Manchester councillor has offered to show Spain's Eurovision entry, Edurne, around the city after she called it "uglier than the back of a fridge". READ

Features

Madonna with a dancer dressed as a bull at the Grammy Awards on February 8th. Photo Robyn Beck/AFP.

Matador Madonna in 'glamourizing gore' row

Animal rights activists have called on Madonna to stop 'glamourizing gore' by dressing as a bullfighter, as the US star announces a Barcelona date on her upcoming tour. READ

Anna Allen appearing on Spanish programme, Pasapalabra. Screen grab: YouTube/bogo xoer.

Exposed: actress who faked Oscar glory

The invented life of a Spanish actress has been revealed after Spanish media discovered she had not actually attended the Oscars, but used Photoshop to place herself on the red carpet. READ 3 comments

My Spanish Career

Samantha Chappell is an English primary school teacher in Oviedo

'There is joy in learning something new yourself'

Samantha Chappell took a sabbatical from a publishing job in London to spend a summer living in the northern city of Oviedo. She loved it so much that eight years later she is still there and has discovered her vocation. READ

Madrid Podemos rally

Photo: Pedro Armestre/AFP

Young and old, rich and poor join left-wing march

Not just young radicals: Spaniards of all ages and backgrounds came out in their thousands to support a left-wing political party currently making waves in Spain. The Local caught up with some of them to find out why they are such big fans of Podemos. READ

Opinion

Photo of a lady in Spanish glasses: Shutterstock

The five strangest things about Spaniards

After two years at the helm of The Local Spain, George Mills is moving on. Here he reflects on some of the most puzzling aspects of life in a country he believes is one of the greatest places to live in the world. READ 2 comments

More News

Photo: Gerard Julien/AFP

Breaking: Banco Madrid files for bankruptcy

Banco Madrid is to enter insolvency proceedings, announced administrators on Monday, just days after the striken bank was taken over by Banco de España. READ

Javier Espinosa is greeted by his son as he arrived in Madrid, March 30, 2014.

Ex-hostage reveals torture by Isis jihadists

Islamic State extremists staged mock executions of Western captives held in a Syrian compound intended to be the jihadist answer to Guantanamo, former hostage Javier Espinosa revealed Sunday READ

Anti-abortion demonstrators hold signs with slogans at a protest in Madrid on Saturday. Photo: AFP

Spain anti-abortion rally challenges government

Thousands of Spaniards marched in Madrid on Saturday warning the government that its decision to abandon plans to restrict women's access to abortion will cost it conservative votes in this year's general election. READ

Lluis Gene/AFP

Rise in opposition to Catalan independence

A poll released on Friday shows that the number of Catalonians opposing independence rose to nearly 50 percent. READ

Spanish face of the week

Screen grab: Armando Ferreira/YouTube.

Spain's Giggler goes global in Macbook spoof

A Spanish man has leapt to worldwide fame after a spoof about the new Apple Macbook went viral. The Local introduces you to the real Juan Joya Borja, aka Giggles. READ

The 'estelada' flag, often flown by Catalonian separatists. Photo: Friviere/Wikipedia Commons

Policeman urinates on Catalan separatist flag

An off-duty police officer in the Catalonian town of Calella has been criticized for urinating on an 'estelada' flag, often flown by Catalonian separatists, after denouncing the independence movement. READ

Image of Neanderthal man courtesy of Clive Finlayson

Strait of Gibraltar was 'Serengeti of the Med'

The Strait of Gibraltar was the 'Mediterranean Serengeti' of its time and the last refuge on the planet for hominids before their complete extinction. READ

Photo: Courtesy of the Museum of Funeral Carriages.

The ten weirdest museums in Spain

Spain is home to some of the finest museums in the world, but it also boasts some of the most bizarre. From the museum dedicated entirely to melons to the museum of toilets, The Local counts down Spain's weirdest. READ

Photo: AFP

Paternity suit filed against Salvador Dalí

Spain’s former King Juan Carlos might have just got out of a paternity suit, but another Spanish icon is now facing a paternity challenge, 26 years after he died. READ

Paintings found in the Aurea cave in Cantabria. Photo: Government of Cantabria

Caver finds 20,000 year-old drawings

Prehistoric cave drawings have been discovered in the northern region of Cantabria, dating back about 20,000 years, making the area "the European capital of rock art". READ

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From our other editions:

Tax reform

Reinhold Mitterlehner (L) and Chancellor Werner Faymann. Photo: APA/NEUBAUER

Tax reform good news for lower earners

Austria’s coalition government has agreed on a plan for wide-ranging reforms of the tax system, after three hours of negotiations on Thursday. READ

Photo: AFP

Jay Z to pay royalties for 'stolen' Swiss tune

American rap star Jay Z has agreed to pay half the royalties from one of his songs to Swiss jazz musician Bruno Spoerri after using Spoerri’s music without permission. READ

David Bardens all smiles after court ruling. Photo: DPA

Measles doubter must pay doctor €100,000

A regional court has decided that a biologist must pay a doctor €100,000 after the resolution of a bizarre dispute over the very existence of the measles virus. READ

The Local List

A bird's eye view of the true capital of Scandinavia. Photo: Colourbox

Ten ways Copenhagen beats Stockholm

Stockholm often claims to lead the way when it comes to all things tech, culture and equality, but here at The Local Denmark, we're convinced Copenhagen trumps the Swedish city as the true capital of Scandinavia. READ

The front page of regional French paper Oise Hebdo which left a few readers shocked.

French newspaper stuns readers with porn pics

One of France's top regional newspapers has been ridiculed and criticized in equal measure after it splashed still images of a pornographic film that was being recorded in a local park on its front page as well in an inside spread. Warning: This story contains graphic images. READ

Locals believed the jacket to be an Isis flag. Photo: Il Resto del Carlino

Italian police: 'Isis flag' was jacket in tree

Police called to investigate an alleged Isis flag hanging outside an apartment building in Italy made a surprise discovery, finding what they feared may be extremist propaganda was, in fact, a resident’s washing put out to dry. READ

Monica Lewinsky on stage with motivational speaker Cecilia Andvig after her lecture. Photo: Gorm Kallestad/NTB scanpix

Why is Monica Lewinsky in a tiny town in Norway?

A week before her much-heralded TED talk on cyberbullying, Monica Lewinsky spoke in a small town in Norway, warning the audience about the “immeasurable humiliation” it can cause. READ

A Swedish teenager unconnected to this case. Photo: TT

'Well-developed' teen loses child rape case

A Swedish girl who says she was raped by a 27-year-old man when she was just 13 has lost her appeal against his acquittal after a court ruled that the man could not have known she was under age because of her “well-developed” body. READ