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Pedro Sánchez and Mariano Rajoy. Photo: AFP

'I'm an honest politician' insists PM in televised head-to-head with rival

Mariano Rajoy was accused of being unfit to govern by his socialist challenger on Monday in an unusually ferocious election debate held before this Sunday's general election.

Photo: Jorge Guerrero / AFP

Centrist party shakes up Spanish politics with social media army

Ciudadanos is using an army of cyberactivists to spread its anti-corruption message via social media expanding its support base from young, educated, city dwelling voters to the middle-class.

Supporters of Spain's ruling Popular Party at a meeting in Madrid on Sunday. Photo: AFP

Final polls predict election win for Spanish government in tight race

Polls published in major Spanish newspapers on Monday suggest the ruling Popular Party will pick up the most seats in Sunday's general election but will fall far short of holding onto the absolute majority it currently enjoys.

VIDEO

Photo: GoPro

WATCH: Scottish cyclist in death-defying ride across Spain's rooftops

Watch as Scottish cyclist Danny MacAskill takes an absolutely incredible ride across the rooftops of Las Palmas on the Spanish island of Gran Canaria.

Photo: Tres Molinos/Facebook

Spanish windmills set to become new home for German supermarket

In a move that would probably delight the author of Don Quixote, a group of La Mancha-style windmills in Barcelona are set to house a supermarket belonging to the German chain Lidl.

Photo: Cristina Quicler/AFP

Teenager predicted the collapse of Spain's green energy giant Abengoa

A 17-year-old school student detected the renewable energy giant's massive financial problems during an economics project he wrote over a year ago, it has emerged.

Photo: AFP

Not so sweet: Christmas biscuits renamed to scrap 'bull torture' link

A family business in Spain has reluctantly changed the name of its famous El Toro Vega biscuits after customers threatened to boycott the product named after a highly controversial bull lancing event.

Photo: Dani Pozo/AFP

Could Europe's human rights court kill off Spain's 'anti-protest' law?

A group of journalists are calling on the EU's top court to quash Spain's controversial 'gag law', claiming it attacks freedom of speech and information.

Who owns the estimated $2 billion in loot: Spain or Colombia? Stock photo of treasure: Pixabay

Spain at odds with Colombia over who owns $2 billion treasure trove

Billions of dollars in gold and silver from an 18th century shipwreck have left Spain and former colony Colombia at odds over who rightfully owns the loot.

A child looks on at a group of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas patrolling in a rural area of Colombia. Photo: Louis Robayo/AFP

Spain captures alleged Colombian rebel 'abortion doctor'

A man who allegedly forced female FARC guerrilla fighters to have abortions was arrested in Spain, Colombian authorities said on Saturday.

Features

Two of the Number26 founders, Maximilian Tayenthal (l) and Valentin Stalf (r). Photo: Number26

The startup looking to revolutionize the Spanish banking experience

A German startup is offering Spaniards the chance to avoid the hassle of long queues and awkward opening hours of Spanish banks and do everything on a smartphone - and in English.

Photo: Pierre-Philippe Marcou / AFP

'We've missed you': King honours Jews banished during Inquisition

Spain's King Felipe VI has honoured Sephardic Jews who were banished more than five centuries ago during the Inquisition, after a law allowing dual citizenship for their descendants came into force.

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.

More news

Windmills rotate at Maranchon Wind Farm close to the Spanish village of Maranchon. Photo: Curto de la Torre/AFP

Spain wants to make up for lost ground in renewable energy

In the wake of the historic climate treaty in Paris, Spain, a former global champion of renewable energy, wants to regain the ground it lost during the economic crisis when it reversed its policy slashing subsidies and decimating the sector.

The Spanish interior ministry has said it has arrested around 100 suspected jihadists this year. Photo: Dominique Faget/AFP

Suspected Isis group recruiter arrested in Spain’s Ceuta

A Spaniard has been arrested in the Spanish north African territory of Ceuta on suspicion of recruiting youth to fight for the Islamic State group in Syria, the interior ministry said Saturday.

This handout image shows fake wood pallets imported from Colombia and made of cocaine. Photo: AFP / Spanish Police

Spanish police seize 1,400 kgs of cocaine disguised as wooden pallets

Spanish police said on Friday they have seized 40 pallets made out of 1.4 tonnes of compressed cocaine that was made to look like wood that arrived on a shipping container from Colombia.

British solders from the NATO coalition walk in front of an armoured ambulance after a car bomb attack near the Spanish embassy compound in Kabul. Photo: Wakil Kohsar / AFP

Two Spanish policeman killed in Taliban attack near Kabul embassy

Updated: A second Spanish policeman has died following a Taliban attack near Spain's embassy in Kabul that also killed at least four Afghan policemen, Spain's interior ministry said on Saturday.

File photo: Irina Patrascu Gheorghita/Flickr

Wedding crashers: Spanish friends turn up at wrong reception party

A group of friends from northern Spain have received national attention after accidentally crashing a luxury wedding reception at the other end of the country.

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From our other editions

A Krampus. File photo: Meinbezirk.at

Wild Krampus demons injure five teenagers

A group of out of control Krampus (men dressed as horned creatures who in Austrian folklore punish children who have misbehaved) injured five young people at a pre-Christmas event in Bruck in the state of Salzburg on Monday.

Geneva terror alert

Guards — plus dog — deployed at entrance to UN headquarters in Geneva. Photo: Richard Juilliart/AFP

Geneva still on high alert over terror probe

Geneva remained on high alert Friday as police carried out further searches in the western Swiss city for several suspected jihadists believed to have links to the Islamic State (IS) group, officials said.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

Firefighters battle spate of penis ring mishaps

Firefighters in Osnabrück had to rescue two different men who found their "intimate rings" a bit too tight for comfort on consecutive days last weekend.

Chinese actress Liu Tao said her hotel safe was stolen. Photo: Zhu Ying/Scanpix

Chinese TV star victim of theft in Copenhagen

UPDATED: A Polish national admitted to stealing cash and jewellery totaling millions of kroner from Chinese celebrity Liu Tao during her stay in the Danish capital.