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Luis Barcenas, former treasurer of Spain's ruling party. Photo: Pedro Armestre/AFP.

Spain ruling party ran illegal slush fund: judge

A court probe has found that Spain's ruling Popular Party ran an illegal slush fund for 18 years, a judge said on Monday, reviving a corruption scandal that has embarrassed the government. READ

King Juan Carlos salutes during military parade October 2011. Photo: Dani Pozo / AFP

Row over King Juan Carlos sex-act sculpture

A controversial sculpture of former king Juan Carlos of Spain being sodomized has finally gone on display in Barcelona. READ

Property

Photo of Palma: Shutterstock

Palma de Mallorca named 'best place to live'

Palma de Mallorca has topped a Sunday Times list of "the best places to live" beating destinations across the world with its "picturesque old town", "fancy shops" and "slow-paced charm". READ

Toys made up the greatest portion of dangerous products removed from European markets. Photo: Shutterstock

Spain third highest in EU for harmful products

Spain reported the third highest number of dangerous products in 2014, according to new figures released by the European Commission on Monday. READ

Andalusia election

President of Andalusia's regional government Susana Díaz during a press conference in Seville. Photo: Jorge Guerrero/AFP

Regional vote proves political game-changer

A minority win for the PSOE, devastation for the PP, and the rise of two newcomers. What do the Andalusian election results mean for Spain's political parties? READ

Photo of the seized cargo that was mistaken for drugs. Photo: Guardia Civil

Prison error after cops mistake soap for dope

A French businessman has been awarded €8,400 in compensation for serving jail time after Spanish police mistook the soap he was transporting for cocaine. READ

Shane Walford was arrested in Fuerteventura on Saturday. Photo: Crimestoppers

'Most wanted' killer found hiding in Canaries

A convicted killer has been arrested in the Caranry Islands just days after appearing on a “most wanted” fugitives list. READ

Spanish economy minister Luis de Guindos meeting his Greek counterpart, Yanis Varoufakis. Photo: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP

Spain pressures Athens ahead of Berlin meet

Spain's economy minister turned the screw on Athens ahead of a meeting between the leaders of debt-wracked Greece and economic powerhouse Germany in Berlin on Monday. READ

Andalusia election

Teresa Rodriguez speaks after the closing of polls in Andalusia. Photo: Gogo Lobato / AFP

Podemos fails to break two-party hold

Spain's anti-austerity Podemos party on Sunday took third place in a regional vote in Andalusia seen as a crucial test for the political newcomer ahead of the country's most unpredictable general election in decades. READ

Andalusia election

Andalusian polling stations opened on Sunday morning. Photo: Christina Quicler/ AFP

Andalusia vote a key test for Podemos

Polls opened on Sunday in Andalusia, one of the poorest parts of Spain, in a regional vote that will be a key test of anti-austerity party Podemos ahead of the country's most unpredictable general election in decades. 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

Half of Spain's youth are currently jobless. Photo: Gerard Julien/ AFP

Madrid anti-austerity rally gathers thousands

Thousands of people took part in a "march for dignity" in Madrid on Saturday to protest against austerity measures on the eve of a closely-watched regional election in southern Spain. READ

A staffer to Esperanza Aguirre is being questioned in a corruption scandal that has implicated many of the ruling conservative People's Party members. Cristina Quicler / AFP

Aguirre aide named a suspect in graft probe

The campaign director for Spain's 'Iron Lady' and Madrid mayoral candidate Esperanza Aguirre has been called in for questioning in an ongoing corruption investigation. READ 3 comments

Andalusia election

Candidates Juanma Moreno of PP, Antonio Maillo of IU, and current president Susana Diaz ahead of TV debate. Photo: Jorge Guerrero / AFP

Andalusia warm-up sees parties jostle for power

A regional vote on Sunday in Andalusia, one of the poorest parts of Spain, will be a key test ahead of the country's most unpredictable general election in decades. READ

Crimestoppers

Nowhere to hide on Spain's Costa del Crime

British police are determined to keep up the pressure on fugitives hiding out on Spain's Costa del Crime. The Local speaks to the head of the NCA about tracking down the most wanted. READ

Champions League

Zlatan Ibrahimovic will miss the first leg against his old club Barcelona. Photo: AFP

PSG to face Barcelona and Messi in last eight

Paris Saint-Germain were drawn to play against Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals on Friday, while Monaco will face Juventus. Do PSG stand a chance against Messi, Neymar and Suarez? READ 2 comments

The eclipse as seen from Granada on March 20th. Photo: Paco GonzalezN/Flickr Creative Commons

Spaniards get clouded view of solar eclipse

Spaniards stepped outside on Friday morning to witness the first solar eclipse visible to the country in 10 years, managing to share some stunning pictures on social media as well. READ

Tunisian security forces secure the area outside the Bardo Museum in Tunis. Photo: Fethi Belaid/AFP

Bardo survivor pair hid in cleaning cupboard

The Spanish couple who survived the terrorist attack in Tunisia spent 17 hours hiding in a cleaning cupboard within the Bardo museum after hearing gunshots. READ

In pics

Ninots are burnt on the last night of Las Fallas. Photo: Jose Jordan / AFP

Burning end in Valencia to Las Fallas fiesta

Valencia celebrated the finale of its annual Las Fallas festival on Thursday night with the dramatic burning of the festival sculptures, known as La Cremà. READ

Photo: Carl Court / AFP

British TSB agrees takeover from Sabadell

TSB, a division of Britain's bailed-out lender Lloyds Banking Group, has accepted a £1.7 billion takeover from Spanish bank Sabadell, the pair said Friday. READ

Photo: Shutterstock

Younger Spaniards happier than older ones

Younger Spaniards are on average more satisfied with their lives than older Spaniards, according to a Eurostat report released to mark International Day of Happiness on Friday. READ

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From our other editions:

Traditional painted eggs. Photo: austria.info

How to celebrate Easter in Austria

The sun is shining and Spring is in the air for much of Austria. With Easter just around the corner, The Local looks at how the holiday is celebrated across the traditionally Catholic country, where it tends to be a religious rather than commercial occasion. READ

Photo: AFP

Clear skies forecast for partial solar eclipse

The Swiss federal public health office has issued a warning against watching without special protective eyewear the partial eclipse of the sun to take place on Friday morning. READ

Photo: DPA

Liveblog: Blockupy anti-ECB demo in Frankfurt

Frankfurt remains on alert after a morning of violence, burned cars and hundreds of arrests gave way to what is hoped to be an afternoon of peaceful protest. Organizers of the "Blockupy" demonstration against the new European Central Bank (ECB) building said they distanced themselves from the violence. Follow the latest updates here. READ

A 2008 photo shows Russian Topol ICBMs missiles during a rehearsal for the nation's annual May 9 Victory Day parade. Photo: Dima Korotayev

Russia delivers nuclear threat to Denmark

Russia's ambassador to Denmark warned on Saturday that Danish ships will become Russian targets if Denmark joins Nato's missile defence system. READ

International French Language Day

The French language benefits from demographic growth in sub-Saharan Africa where the language is given pride of place. Photo: Issouf Sanogo/AFP

So what future does the French language have?

Is the French language slowly dying? Does it have a future? As France celebrates International French Language Day, The Local looks at the current status and future prospects of the language of Molière in the world today. READ

A 42-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly kidnapping, raping and beating a Swedish model. Italian police photo: Shutterstock

Swedish model 'raped and kidnapped' by Italian

UPDATED: A 22-year-old Swedish model has been hospitalized after allegedly being kidnapped, raped and beaten over a six month period by an Italian man in a town near Milan. READ

Icelandair's flight ICE 342 loops for its customers' delight. Photo: Flightradar24

Pilots wow passengers with eclipse detours

At least three pilots in Norway decided to take extra, unscheduled detours on Friday to give their passengers extended breathtaking views of the day's solar eclipse. READ

Gothenburg shooting

Swedish PM Stefan Löfven meets with Gothenburg residents. Photo: Adam Ihse/TT

BLOG: Swedish PM visits mourning Gothenburg

Sweden's Prime Minister Stefan Löfven paid a visit to Gothenburg to meet with residents and council representatives following a fatal shooting at a restaurant in Sweden's second largest city on Thursday night. READ