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The non-binding resolution is expected to be challenged in Spain's Constitutional Court. Photo: AFP

Catalan politicians give green light to controversial independence plan

UPDATE: Catalan MPs on Monday voted in favour of a resolution that would see the region becoming independent from Spain within just 18 months. Spain's central government will challenge the vote in court.

The Spaniard, declared legally dead in 2010, has been found living as a hermit in a forest in Tuscany. Photo: Patrice Wangern /Flickr

'Dead' Spanish doctor found alive in tent in Italian forest after 19 years

A Spanish doctor, declared legally dead in 2010, has been found living in a tent deep in the forest of Tuscany by two Italian mushroom pickers.

It seems unlikely Catalan President Artur Mas will be handed a third term at the head of the regional parliament. Photo: AFP

Catalan MPs to vote on secession plan in showdown with Madrid

UPDATED: Catalonia's regional parliament kicked off a hugely anticipated debate on Monday that will culminate with a vote on whether to launch a secession process, in its latest showdown with the central government of Spain in Madrid.

Presented by Cigna Global

Photo: Cigna

How to figure out healthcare abroad

If you haven't got your health, you haven't got anything, they say. That’s why it's critical to secure your peace of mind – and health of body – when you've relocated to a new country. But one size doesn't fit all, so how do you choose?

Madrid demonstrators on Saturday. Photo: Curto de la Torre/AFP

Thousands protest in Madrid against domestic violence

"Stop male chauvinist violence" demanded tens of thousands of feminists from all over Spain in a demonstration in Madrid on Saturday.

Surveillance scandal

The BND spy station in Bad Aibling, Bavaria. Picture: Diether Endlicher/DPA

German intelligence 'spied on Spanish embassy': new report

The German spying scandal is more wide-ranging than previously known. Among the targets are several embassies in Germany, including the Spanish, and international organisations such as the Red Cross.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. Photo: AFP

Madrid will go to court if Catalonia launches secession bid, govt warns

Spain's government said it would go straight to court if Catalonia's regional parliament votes to launch a secession process next week, in what has become a major headache for Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

Photo: Dani Pozo/AFP

Media groups urge Spain's future government to repeal 'gag law'

Spain's next government after elections in December should repeal a highly contentious "gag law" that a raft of critics say is muzzling the media, a group of press freedom groups said.

Photo: Screenshot from Spanish National Police video.

Police detain female suspected Isis member at Spanish airport

The Spanish National Police reported on Friday that they had arrested a woman at Málaga airport upon her arrival back in Spain after allegedly trying to join Isis.

A flamenco protest in a bank. Photo: Flo6x8

Flamenco flashmob: how the dance became a form of protest in Spain

Political protest and social activism might not come to mind when you think of flamenco, but for some performers it has been a powerful tool for voicing political protest.

Features

Opinion

Photo: Simon Paulin/Imagebank Sweden

The end of the expat? Europe's cities fight for 'Inpats'

Mention expats and many minds are drawn to stereotypes of workers sent abroad for three years to live in a compound and sip gin. But today’s mobile professionals aren't posted overseas – they just get up and go, writes The Local's Managing Editor James Savage.

Gallery

Photo: auroland2014/Instagram

10 stunning autumn shots of Spain

At this time of year Spain puts on a splendid show of autumn colours. Here are some of our favourite photos taken by The Local readers.

Refugee crisis

Photo: Pro-Activa Open Arms

'Women put their babies into our arms begging us to keep them safe'

As more and more refugees crowd into rubber dinghies to reach Europe, a Spanish volunteer lifeguard tells The Local how he's swapped the tourist packed beaches of Catalonia to go on patrol in Lesbos.

Startups

Trying an IoT device at the 2015 Internet of Things Solutions World Congress in Barcelona Photo: Josep Lago / AFP

Inside the Spanish startup world: 13 takeaways from the ecosystem

Just what is going on in the Spanish startup scene? The Local takes a look.

The Local list

Photo: Alameda County Community Food Bank / Flickr

Six unmissable dishes from Toledo, Spain's 2016 Capital of Gastronomy

Toledo has been chosen as Spain's Capital of Gastronomy for 2016 due to its "creative combination of cultural and gastronomical heritage". So what is so tasty about Toledo?

More news

People shopping in Ibiza. Photo: Jaime Reina / AFP.

Spain has one of the highest rates of store thefts in Europe: report

Spain has the third-highest rate of store thefts in Europe and the sixth-highest worldwide according to a new report.

Screen shot: The Last Two/Aeon Video

The Spanish couple who have lived in an abandoned village for 45 years

La Estrella was once a bustling village, but for nearly half a century it has been home to just one couple.

Photo: Thomas Kienzle/AFP

The latest must-have item for rich Europeans? Olive trees from Spain

A growing number of wealthy Germans are paying tens of thousands of euros to move olive trees from their sunny habitats in southern Spain to cold northern climes.

The leaders of the Socialists, Ciudadanos and the Popular Party in Catalonia filing their appeals. Photo: AFP

Top Spanish court rejects blocking motion on Catalan independence

Spain’s Constitutional Court has unanimously rejected blocking the debate and vote on the motion declaring the start of the Catalan independence process.

The Local list

Photo: andreasmarx / Flickr

Nine sure-fire ways for Spaniards to improve their English skills

After a report placed Spain 23rd out of 70 countries in the new world English learning ranking, The Local asked experts to suggest ways the nation could improve.

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From our other editions

Refugee Crisis

Heinz-Christian Strache. Photo: FPÖ

Strache plans to sue ministers over refugees

The leader of Austria’s right-wing Freedom Party, Heinz-Christian Strache, has said that he intends to bring a lawsuit against some members of the government for state-organized people smuggling.

Lorange Institute's buildings overlooking Lake Zurich. Photo: Lorange Institute of Business Zurich

Chinese acquire private Zurich business school

One of Asia’s top business schools has acquired a management school in the canton of Zurich, which plans to train hundreds of Chinese managers starting later this month.

Refugee crisis

A tent at a refugee centre in Hanover. Photo: DPA

Germany unable to house 300,000 refugees

Germany doesn't have the capacity to house hundreds of thousands of the refugees set to arrive in the country over the remainder of the year, a study released on Monday claims.

The study found that people who took a Facebook break felt happier and were less sad and lonely. Photo: Iris/Scanpix

Drop Facebook and be happy: Danish study

The Copenhagen-based Happiness Research Institute has a simple formula for increasing your happiness, social activity and concentration, but it might not be something you’re willing to do.