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Benidorm on Spain's Costa Blanca. Photo: Jose Jordan / AFP

Benidorm: Cultural wonder of the world?

It may not rival the Taj Mahal, Stonehenge or the Pyramids but Benidorm, home of the package holiday and the all-day English Breakfast is making a bid for UNESCO World Heritage status. READ

Gallery

The Alhambra fortress in Granada. Photo: Bernjan/Flickr

Ten best UNESCO world heritage sites in Spain

As Benidorm mades a bid to be recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site and earn a place alongside some of Spain's most celebrated destinations, we take a look at some of the country's best. READ

Photo: Shutterstock

Spain still holds one of highest deficits in EU

Spain is still spending much more than it earns, racking up the second-highest deficit in the EU as a percentage of GDP last year, according to a report on Tuesday. READ

Barcelona school attack

A woman lights a candle in memory of teacher, Abel Martínez, who was killed on Monday. Photo: Quique García/AFP

Tributes paid to hero teacher slain at school

Abel Martínez Oliva was passionate about Barcelona FC and comics, and was a dedicated teacher, friends have revealed, one day after the teacher was killed by a 13-year-old pupil. READ

A photo of a Guardia Civil van Photo: Cesar Manso / AFP

Meat grinder clue in serial killer probe

Police believe they may be dealing with a serial killer who carried out satanic rituals and disposed of women using a meat grinder. READ

Queen Letizia showing off her new bob at the Woman Awards in Madrid. Photo: Royal Palace/Twitter

Off with her hair! Queen Letizia debuts new do

Spain's Queen Letizia has shunned her classic style for a new modern twist, showing off her new blunt bob at an awards ceremony in Madrid. READ

Photo: Richard Pohle/AFP

British expats fall victim to NHS clampdown

Brits living in Spain could find themselves falling victim to a clampdown on expats using the UK's National Health Service. READ 4 comments

Punta Cana International Airport in the Dominican Republic. Photo: Michael Gerard Burns/Wikimedia

Spanish tourists killed in Dom Republic air crash

Six tourists including two from Spain and their local pilot were killed on Monday when their small plane crashed into a golf course after takeoff from Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, authorities said. READ

Rival militias fighting around Tripoli in August 2014. Photo: Mahmud Turkia / AFP

Bomb explodes outside Spain's embassy in Libya

A bomb exploded outside Spain's embassy in the Libyan capital on Monday night without causing injuries, a security source told AFP, an attack later claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group. READ

Champions League

PSG players listen to coach Laurent Blanc before Tuesday's match against Barcelona. Photo: AFP

PSG hope for miracle against Barcelona

French champions Paris Saint-Germain need something akin to a miracle to overcome Barcelona in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday night. PSG coach Laurent Blanc is not optimistic. READ

Features

Gallery: Almodóvar's most iconic leading ladies

Pedro Almodóvar at the Cannes Film Festival. Photo: Loic Venance/AFP

Almodóvar unveils cast for latest film 'Silencio'

Celebrated Spanish film director Pedro Almodóvar has unveiled the cast for his next film, Silencio, including his two new "chicas Almodóvar". READ

In pics

Tonymadrid Photography and Bryan Ledgard

Battle of the cities: Madrid vs Manchester

In a vicious war of words, "ugly" Manchester has been pitted against "miserable" Madrid. Who will be victorious in the battle of the cities? The Local finds out... 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

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

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

Barcelona school attack

Emergency service members outside Joan Fuster school, Barcelona. Photo: Josep Lago/AFP

What we know about the crossbow killer

A 13-year-old secondary school pupil armed with a crossbow and machete killed a teacher and injured four others on Monday in Barcelona in the first ever such incident in Spain. READ

My Spanish Career

Morgan Howie surfing at El Sardinero (La Concha) Santander

'If the surf's up I head straight to the beach'

In the latest installment of My Spanish Career, The Local talks to Morgan Howie, an American surf enthusiast and graphic designer who traded land-locked Columbus, Ohio for windswept Cantabria. READ

Yanis Varoufakis, the Greek finance minister, dislikes his popularity. Photo: Louisa Gouliamaki / AFP

Yanis Varoufakis: 'I am a reluctant politician'

While Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis has established quite a fanbase since taking up the post, he has revealed that the personality cult surrounding him "is unpleasant" in an interview on Spanish television. READ

Barcelona school attack

Police officers stand guard outside Joan Fuster secondary school in Barcelona. Photo: Josep Lago/AFP

Student kills teacher with crossbow in Barcelona

UPDATED: Police have detained a 13-year-old after a teacher was shot dead with a crossbow and several others injured in a Barcelona secondary school. READ

UK General Election

Time is nearly out to register for UK election. Photo: AFP

Expats face deadline to register for UK election

British expats across Europe have until midnight on Monday to register to vote in the upcoming UK general election. Here's how to do it. It only takes a matter of minutes. READ

Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa. Photo: Anne Christine Poujoulat/AFP

Nobel writer Vargas Llosa backs Islam critic

Nobel-winning writer Mario Vargas Llosa on Sunday praised Somali-born Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a women's rights advocate and leading critic of Islam, calling her "one of the most valuable" adversaries of "Islamic fanatics". READ

Migrant boat tragedy

A boat tarnsporting migrants arrives at port of Messini, Sicily after a rescue operation April 18th. Photo:Giovanni Isolino / AFP

Rajoy urges EU to take action after latest tragedy

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Sunday urged the EU to do more to prevent further loss of life at sea after 700 migrants were feared drowned in a shipwreck in the Mediterranean. READ

Photo: Gerard Julien/AFP

Real suffer double blow ahead of Atletico clash

Real Madrid suffered two injury blows ahead of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday as Gareth Bale and Luka Modric hobbled off during their 3-1 win over Malaga on Saturday. READ

The port of Las Palmas. Photo: Pneumanan

Canaries pollution fears after trawler sinks

Bad weather Friday hampered efforts to prevent the spreading of an oil leak from a Russian trawler that sank near the Canary Islands, Spanish rescuers said. READ

Photo: Crimestoppers

Two 'most wanted' Brits nabbed within 24 hrs

Two suspected drug traffickers who featured in the Operation Captura fugitive campaign have been arrested in the space of 24 hours. READ

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Photo: Shutterstock

Salzburg city to introduce begging ban

The city of Salzburg has confirmed that it will outlaw begging in many parts of the city centre, as well as in markets and cemeteries. The local government will agree on the terms of the ban by May 20th. READ

Photo: AFP

Nestlé posts better than expected sales growth

Swiss-based Nestlé, the world's biggest producer of packaged food, on Friday posted better-than-expected growth in the first quarter despite currency exchange rates that hampered sales. READ

An international German class point to where they are from on the map. Photo: DPA

German is world's fourth most popular language

After 15 years of research and a 1,300 page book on the subject, sociolinguistics professor Dr. Ulrich Ammon found that German is surprisingly popular with language learners all over the world. READ

Artists' illustration of how the sculpture will look when placed in Kultorvet. Photo: Invivia/Folkedrab100

Turkey angered by Copenhagen sculpture

Plans to install a sculpture commemorating the Armenian Genocide in one of Copenhagen's busiest squares have Turkish officials up in arms. READ

A quokka in western Australia. Photo: OzinOH/Flickr

When French tourists behave badly abroad

As two French tourists are fined for burning a small Australian mammal, we take a look at some of the worst examples of the French misbehaving abroad - including orgies in Pompeii to near-naked dancing in Roman fountains... READ

Photo: HO Italian Navy

Migrants thrown into sea 'for being Christian'

Italian police said on Thursday they had arrested 15 African Muslim migrants after witnesses said they had thrown 12 Christian passengers overboard following a brawl on a boat heading to Italy. READ

The mystery worms spotted lying on the snow by Karstein Erstad on Sunday. Photo: Karstein Erstad

Earthworms rain from sky over Norway

Earthworms have been raining down from heaven over large areas of southern Norway, leaving biologists and meteorologists scratching their heads. READ

Presented by ConnectSweden

Shoes from a previous collection of Swedish Hasbeens. Photo: Swedish Habeens

Is the world wrong to link Sweden with sexiness?

The world has misunderstood why Sweden is sexy, claims the woman behind one of Sweden’s hottest new brands who now travels the world promoting a new generation of Swedishness. READ