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Photo of an earthquake being measured: Shutterstock

Central Spain rumbles as earthquake hits

An earthquake with a magnitute measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale was felt from Madrid to Murcia on Monday afternoon. READ

Photo of Madrid's financial district: Shutterstock

Scared investors dump Catalonia for Madrid

Madrid received almost five times the foreign investment of Catalonia in 2014, with analysts saying the region's growing independence movement may have turned off many potential investors. READ

Luis de Guindos and Yanis Varoufakis at the Eurogroup meeting last Friday. Photo: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP

Spain leads tough stance on Greece

Spain is enforcing the hard line against Greece during negotiations between Eurozone finance ministers, it has emerged. READ

Photo of a Madrid Metro sign: Shutterstock

Madrid Metro fires head of security for gay gaffe

Madrid Metro has sacked its head of security over a memo warning staff to be suspicious of gays, as lobby groups called on the public transport company to launch an LGBT inclusion campaign. READ

My Spanish Career

Inés Diarte divides her time between Madrid and Paris. Photo: Elena Martin

'In Spain I found a new and marvellous energy'

In the latest instalment of My Spanish Career, The Local chats to Inés Diarte a sculptor whose work is exhibited at Art Madrid 2015 this week. READ

A policeman speaks to Alejandro Gonzales-Davidson in a restaurant in Phnom Penh where he was arrested on Febraury 23rd. STR/AFP

Spanish eco-warrior arrested in Cambodia

A Spanish environmental activist was arrested in Cambodia Monday and will shortly be deported, officials said, a move described by a rights group as the government's latest attempt to stifle dissent READ

Photo: Daniel Boczarski/AFP

Outrage over Enrique Iglesias music video ad

The Galician regional government has come under fire for paying €300,000 for Enrique Iglesias to film his latest music video in the northwestern Spanish region. READ

A man has been fined €60,000 for posting a message on Twitter celebrating the death of a football fan. Photo of someone on Twitter: Shutterstock

Tweeter fined €60,000 over football fan death

A man who posted a message on Twitter celebrating the death of a football fan has been fined over €60,000 ($68,000) for his "threatening and offensive" behaviour. READ

Formula One

Fernando Alonso is shielded by teammates and medical staff as he is stretchered off after crashing. Photo: Quique Garcia

Alonso taken to hospital after testing crash

Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso was airlifted to hospital after crashing his McLaren on Sunday's final morning of the second pre-season test in Barcelona. READ

The Podemos founder says he is the subject of a ‘witch hunt’. Photo: Javier Soriano /AFP

Spain's Podemos denies Latin American financing

A founder of Spanish anti-establishment party Podemos on Friday rejected claims the party was financed by left-wing Latin American governments and said he had been the victim of a "witch hunt." READ 5 comments

Features

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

My Spanish Career

Joel Serra moved to Spain after stints with the Australian Government and consulting with KPMG. Photo: Aldo Chacon

'I want to be known as a gonzo chef'

Chef, entrepreneur, Pilates instructor: meet Barcelona-based New Zealander Joel Serra — a man with many pots on the stove. READ

Photo: Steve Optix

Spain in stats: a portrait of a nation

From a very low crime rate to the largest wealth divide in the European Union, here are ten key statistics that shine a light on modern Spain. READ

More News

A photo of a man holding up a gun: Shutterstock

Spanish ex-soldier led jihadist terror cell

A Moroccan court sentenced a former Spanish soldier to eight years in jail Friday for heading a cell that planned to carry out "terrorist acts" in the north African kingdom, the MAP news agency reported. READ

It’s a story that any dark-humoured scriptwriter would jump on without any hesitation. Photo: Policia Nacional

Sheikh dupes art conmen with photocopied money

An Arab sheikh gave two Spanish brothers a dose of their own medicine by paying them with photocopied money for a fake Goya painting they tried to flog him. READ

Players honour Tito Vilanova who died on April 25th last year. Photo: Lluis Gene

Barça honour Tito with training pitch memorial

Barcelona have paid tribute to former coach Tito Vilanova by naming the principal pitch at the club's training ground after him. READ

Spanish tax boss Cristobal Montoro has already confirmed that 100,000 ‘inspections’ were carried out in 2014Photo: Pierre Philippe Marcou/AFP

Spain to hunt tax dodgers via Twitter

Spain's main tax collecting body is planning to use information available through social networks such as Twitter and Facebook to spy on people it believes are involved in financial fraud. READ

Property in Spain

The euro is the weakest it has been against the pound in eight years, meaning huge savings.

Euro property bargains up for grabs in Spain

British buyers are leading the pack when it comes to snapping up properties in Spain encouraged by a weak euro and a property market at rock bottom. READ

Online comments and conversations with Spanish expats working abroad are instigating many unemployed Spaniards to take the leap of faith. Photo: Stephanie Pilick/AFP

'Expat networks worsen Spain's brain drain'

Spain's central bank has warned that more and more Spanish talent is being steered abroad by the success of their expat counterparts and the reassurance they're giving them on online platforms, “a potential threat to Spain’s economic production”. READ

In 2013, each Chinese tourist that visited Spain spent an average €2040 on a package deal plus €167 euros a day on shopping. Chinese tourist in Barcelona: Shutter

Big-spending Chinese tourists choose Spain

Chinese tourists are flocking to Spain in record numbers, with data showing they are now even bigger spenders than their Russian neighbours. READ

A taxi driver protests against Uber in Madrid, October 2014. Photo: Pedro Armestre/AFP

Uber now offers home food deliveries

US smartphone app firm Uber reappeared in Spain Thursday as a home food delivery network after a court banned it from operating its taxi service following complaints from professional drivers READ

Luis Barcenas represented in papier mache form ahead of Las Fallas Photo:Jose Jordan/AFP

Barcenas latest: He's off on a ski holiday

Luis Barcenas, the disgraced former treasurer of Spain´s ruling party, could be heading for the snowy slopes of the Pyrenees for a spot of skiing while he awaits trial. READ

The Spanish franchise-model business last year grew to 34 restaurants nationwide since opening in 2000. Screen grab: YouTube

Spain sticks by 'Mafia' restaurant chain

A request by the Italian government to get the Spanish crime-inspired restaurant chain ‘Mafia’ to change its name has been rejected, Italian media have reported. READ

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From our other editions:

Photo: APA/dpa

Man blackmailed with online sex video

A 20-year-old Austrian man who was unwittingly filmed during a sex act was then told he had to pay €3,000 to prevent the video being made public. He has filed a complaint with police in Upper Austria. READ

The accident happened at 6.45am on Friday. Photo: Michael Buholzer/AFP

Updated: several injured in train collision

Two trains slammed into each other in the Swiss town of Rafz north of Zurich early on Friday, leaving passengers injured and train carriages upturned, police and media said. READ

A mannequin of Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen tops a Bundeswehr-themed carnival float in Cologne. Photo: DPA

Troops tote broomsticks at Nato war games

Germany's defence ministry scrambled on Tuesday to counter media reports that its forces were so under-equipped they had to use broomsticks instead of machine-guns at Nato manoeuvres in Norway. READ

Copenhagen shootings

Men take part in Friday prayers at the Islamic Society of Denmark before Omar El-Hussein's burial outside of Copenhagen. Photo: Jens Alstrup/Denmark

Copenhagen gunman's burial attracts hundreds

At least 500 people turned out Friday as the gunman who killed two people in twin attacks in Copenhagen nearly a week ago was laid to rest. READ

Inside a Parisian sex club. Photo: AFP

Sex clubs touted as latest fashion in Paris

There are nearly 500 swingers clubs in France - but what exactly happens inside? With the DSK pimping trial turning heads worldwide, here's a closer look at an age-old habit that's apparently becoming "fashionable" among French people from all walks of life. READ

Opinion

Alleged Isis militants stand next to an Isis flag atop a hill in the Syrian town of Ain al-Arab. Photo: Aris Messinis/AFP

Could Isis terrorists really invade Italy?

Italy has been on heightened alert since an Isis video warned that Libya could be used as a springboard for attacks in the country. But how big is the threat? READ

Oslo's synagogue. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Muslims plan 'peace ring' around Oslo synagogue

A group of young Norwegian Muslims plans to create a human ring around Oslo’s synagogue following the Shabat celebration this Saturday, in a gesture they are calling a ’Peace Ring’. READ

The Local List

Sweden has strong gender equality in the workplace. Photo: Cecilia Larsson/Image Bank Sweden

Ten phrases you'll only hear at work in Sweden

Sweden's global reputation as a hub for gender equality, efficiency and work-life balance can also result in some baffling conversations for those new to doing business with Swedes. Here's The Local's guide to the ten catchphrases all foreign workers need to know. READ