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Diphtheria was wiped out in Spain in 1986 thanks to a vaccination programme. Photo: Sanofi Pasteur / Flickr

Parents of diphtheria boy 'feel terrible guilt'

The parents of a child who this week became the first recorded case of diphtheria in Spain for three decades have said they feel terrible about taking the decision not to vaccinate. READ

A beach in Barcelona. Photo: Ivan Lian / Flickr Creative Commons.

Free Wifi coming to Barcelona beaches

Surf the waves and surf the web this summer in Barcelona as city officials roll out plans to offer free Wifi along the city's Mediterranean shore. READ

Gallery

Girona is Spain's hottest travel destination. Photo: Andrew Moore/Flickr

Ten amazing reasons to visit Girona

Home to the world's best restaurant and now chosen as the location for scenes from the next series of Game of Thrones, Girona is Spain's hottest travel destination. READ

Football

Spain's women's football team are taking part in their first ever World Cup. Photo: AFP

Spain's women strive for glory in World Cup debut

Spain might be world famous for the beautiful game, but its women's team is about to compete in its first ever World Cup, could they give the men a run for their money? READ

A Spanish Civil Guard patrol car. Photo: Outisnn / Wikimedia Commons.

Spanish cop jailed after arresting lover's husband

An officer was out on patrol in the Canary Islands when he was confronted by the husband of his lover. What he did next has now landed him in the slammer for nearly two years. READ

A man has been arrested for planning the kidnap of his three children. Photo: Ajith Kumar/Flickr

Father arrested after his three children 'disappear'

The man, who claimed his three young children has disappeared while on a visit to a park, has been arrested for masterminding their kidnap. READ

Zombies have taken over the Spanish village of Olias. Photo: AFP

Spanish zombie games welcome the living dead

A small Spanish village recently transformed into the set of a zombie invasion, welcoming hundreds of horror fans for a night of the living dead. READ

An environmental protest last year when Spanish oil giant Repsol was searching for oil near the Canary Islands. Photo: Desiree Martin / AFP.

Environment is a 'victim' of the crisis: Greenpeace

Spain's economic crisis and successive corruption scandals have led to looser environmental regulations which have taken a huge toll on the environment, Greenpeace said in a report published on Wednesday. READ

A Moroccan flag and a rainbow flag for gay rights in a protest in the Netherlands. Photo: Alex Proimos / Flickr Creative Commons.

Spanish feminist expelled from Morocco

A Spanish feminist with ties to Femen was expelled from the conservative Muslim kingdom and two Moroccan men who kissed in public were arrested after a pro-gay protest, officials said on Thursday. READ

Photo of a Cantabrian brown bear. Photo: neusitas Flickr / Creative Commons.

Bear attacks man on scenic hiking trail

A man was injured on Wednesday after a brown bear attacked him while he was taking photos along a common hiking trail by a Cantabrian mountain. READ

Features

My Spanish Career

Rob Craig, a craft beer brewer in Valencia. Photo: Daniel Tortajada/Levante-EMV

'Not shaken, not stirred, but well poured'

For this week's My Spanish Career The Local chats to craft beer brewer (and cousin of Daniel), Rob Craig, an Australian living in Valencia. READ

My Spanish Career

Amy Elliott acts in a production of Jack and The Beanstalk. Photo: Steppingonstage.com

'Americans laugh louder, Spaniards are reserved'

In the latest instalment of My Spanish Career, The Local talks to Amy Elliott, an American born and raised in Pennington, New Jersey who has managed to combine a passion for theatre with Spain’s ever growing thirst for English learning. READ

Opinion

2.2 million Brits live in another EU country. 2.3 million people from elsewhere in the EU live in the UK. Photo: Charles Clegg.

Give us a vote: we've got most to lose if UK quits

Brits in the rest of the EU should all be given a vote in the country’s upcoming referendum - as should Europeans who live in the UK. We’re the ones with most to lose, argues The Local's managing editor James Savage. READ

My Spanish Career

Darren was a professional player before coaching the Spanish Rugby League team

'Have fun, smile and let's play some rugby'

In the latest installment of My Spanish career, The Local talks to Darren Fisher, an English rugby league player turned coach who came to Spain to establish the Spanish rugby league. Quite a task in a country where football is the national obsession. READ

The Local list

Photo: Peter Zuco/Flickr

7 reasons why Spain's the best place on earth

Don't get us wrong, Spain isn't perfect. It has struggled out of a crippling economic crisis as well as having high pollution levels and a perpetually corrupt political system. But despite all that, it is still the best place to live in the world. And here is why: READ

More News

Fighters from a coalition of Islamist forces greet their comrades on March 28, 2015 in the Syrian city of Idlib. Photo: Omar Haj Kadour / AFP.

Interpol: Over 4,000 foreign jihadists on radar

Interpol head Jurgen Stock said at an anti-terrorism meeting in Barcelona on Wednesday that the agency has identified over 4,000 foreign fighters who have joined jihadists groups in conflict zones, mainly in Syria and Iraq. READ

Health Minister Alfonso Alonso. Photo: Angel Diaz / Pool / AFP.

Minister: Not vaccinating is 'irresponsible'

Spain's health minister condemned those who choose not to have themselves or their children vaccinated on Wednesday after a six-year-old child was admitted into hospital for contracting an illness that had been eradicated in Spain nearly 30 years ago. READ

Barcelona's bike sharing programme is one of best in the world. Photo: Bike and Love Barcelona

Barcelona most bike-friendly city on the Med

Barcelona has been recognized as the most bike-friendly city on the Mediterranean, appearing 11th in the world according to a newly released index of cycling in urban environments. READ

Hollywood actress Dakota Johnson is starring in a Spanish beer advert. Screen grab: Estrella Damm/Youtube

Spanish beer advert gets the Hollywood treatment

Hollywood's hottest young actress and star of Fifty Shades of Grey, Dakota Johnson, has a new starring role…in a Spanish beer commercial. READ

Photo: freeimages.com.

Spain world's second best for work-life balance

Spaniards are the second best in the world at balancing work and play, a new study has found, ranking them just behind Denmark. READ

Military plane crash

The crash site on May 9 outside Seville. Photo: Cristina Quicler / AFP

Airbus: A400M suffered triple engine failure

Black box analysis shows three of the four engines of the A400M suffered failure on lift-off causing the aircraft to crash killing four crew. READ

The Local List

Barcelona is a romantic place to cycle around. Photo: Bike and Love Barcelona

7 reasons why Barcelona is best seen by bicycle

Barcelona is one of the most bicycle-friendly cities on the Mediterranean, with its fine weather, designated cycle routes and secret corners of the city just waiting to be discovered. The Local gives you seven reasons why Barcelona is best seen by bike. READ

Podemos supporters pictured in Madrid on May 22nd. Photo: Pedro Armestre/AFP

Spaniards welcome rise of nontraditional parties

A new survey has revealed that 70 percent of Spaniards think the rise of left-wing party, Podemos, is a good thing. READ

Football

Rafael Benitez, who will be taking up the post of coach at Real Madrid. Photo: Genya Savilov/AFP

Rafa Benitez named new coach of Real Madrid

Rafael Benetiz will return to Real Madrid where he started out as a youth coach after signing a three-year deal with the club giants. READ

Military plane crash

A stock image of the Airbus A400M in flight. Photo: Remy Gabalda / AFP

Safety protocol breaches blamed for Airbus crash

Several safety protocols were allegedly ignored during the final assembly of the A400M military plane which crashed in Spain, killing four, reportedly to make up for delays in delivery. READ

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From our other editions:

The FPÖ's Mario Kunasek with supporters. Photo: FPÖ Steiermark/Facebook

Historic election gains for FPÖ in Styria

The Social Democrats (SPÖ) and conservative People’s Party (ÖVP) have been left licking their wounds after a historic drubbing in Styria's state elections on Sunday. The right-wing Freedom Party made significant gains, increasing its share of the vote by 16,3 percent. READ

Genuine Geneva police officers in action. Photo: Geneva cantonal police

Fake Geneva cops rip off tourists — and UN staff

Crooks posing as Geneva police are stealing money from victims in tourist areas and near the city’s international organizations in a well organized scam, according to a security warning issued to staff by the United Nations. READ

Adolf Hitler and the Wasserschloss Moritzburg. Photos: Wikimedia Commons

Restaurateur stumbles on Hitler's cognac stash

As the German army was in retreat at the end of 1944 and the country starved, Hitler stashed away his precious liquor, where it lay hidden for 76 years - until now. READ

Not how you want to go to the beach in June. Photo: Henning Bagger/Scanpix

Sorry Denmark, summer is cancelled (for now)

Sun-starved Danes will have to wait even longer for the much-desired summer warmth to finally arrive. READ

IN PICTURES

The "Pont des Arts" in Paris got a makeover on Monday. Photo: AFP

Paris begins removal of a million love locks

Paris, known worldwide as the city of romance, on Monday began the process of removing nearly one million "love-locks", padlocks chained to the city's bridges by love-struck couples. Many in the city say the "heart-breaking" move is long overdue. READ

Italian President Sergio Mattarella. Photo: Fillippo Monteforte

Yes, it's still a crime to insult Italy's president

The Italian Senate has moved to scrap a jail term of up to five years for insulting the president. But don't go making derogatory remarks just yet, as the bizarre fascist-era law has not been completely abolished. READ

NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. Photo: Guardian

'Snowden could come to Norway to collect prize'

The Norwegian academy which on Tuesday awarded Edward Snowden its “freedom of expression” prize is lobbying its government government to allow him to come to Norway to collect the prize, meaning he may be able to leave Russia for the first time since claiming asylum in 2013. READ

India’s President Pranab Mukherjee and Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria at Uppsala University. Photo: Janerik Henriksson/TT

Indian president safe after crash with royals

UPDATED: India’s President Pranab Mukherjee, Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria and her husband Prince Daniel were unharmed in a car crash in Uppsala on Monday evening. But nine people they were travelling with were taken to hospital. READ

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