Soak up some guilt-free sun in Spain this summer

After years of health warnings, handwringing and skin cancer campaigns backed by the weightiest scientific evidence this side of the anti-smoking brigade, boffins at the University of Edinburgh are now saying that the benefits of sun exposure may outweigh the risks.

Good news, surely, but does it surprise you? If you’ve ever spent a memorable holiday in somewhere hot and sunny – Spain, for instance – you cannot fail to have noticed just how good you feel during your break and in the immediate warm glow afterwards…

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Calmer seas ahead for Spain's job market as the summer season hits

The number of unemployed Spaniards fell for the first time in months in April as the traditional seasonal uplift began.

Spain’s jobless figures have now fallen below five million, which – while hardly anything to crow about – shows that the country’s forthcoming summer season is still a reliable source of income for many beleaguered Spaniards…

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Spain offers the complete - and affordable - package for holidaymakers

We have suspected it for years but now the hard facts have finally arrived: Britons’ love affair with France is over. Sort of.

The UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed that British visitor numbers to France have fallen by a fifth over the past four years. During that same period, Spain has snaffled top spot in Brits’ affections – in 2012, a whopping 2.3 million more Britons visited Spain than France…

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Yuri Koff: 'Immersion'

The largest outdoor art festival in Southern Spain, Arte Marbella once more returns to the resort from 20 – 23 June. A fabulous showcase of artistic talent, since its launch in 2009 more than 300 artists have already taken part in what is one of the most popular and dynamic annual events in Marbella…

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No strain in Spain: If it's a relaxing and varied holiday you're after, head to Spain

Spain is the most popular holiday destination in Europe, according to stats released this week by the European Union.

Of all the 27 EU member states that existed in 2011 (there will soon be 28 when Croatia joins the union in July), 13 per cent of holidaymakers travelled abroad to Spain, putting it in top spot ahead of both Italy and France, who were tied on nine per cent.

While this EU average comes as no surprise, the statistics given as a country-by-country breakdown make for interesting reading. Unsurprisingly, British holidaymakers made Spain their top destination, with 21 per cent of all foreign trips made from the UK heading to Spain…

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Slow and steady: Spain's economy is slowly but surely picking up

Spain’s economy minister Luis de Guindos has reported to the markets that the country’s economy is showing encouraging signs of recovery following its late-2012 slump.

As doubts grew throughout Europe over the viability of southern European economies’ robustness in the face of rising debt and deficits, the Spanish economic chief confidently announced that the country’s economy had improved since the final three months of 2012, when economic output fell 0.8 per cent…

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Are the Spanish snoozing and losing because their clocks are out of sync?

Spain – famously passionate, hot, dry, politicised and, currently at least, undergoing a financial downturn that shows only the merest green shoots of recovery.

These are the ‘facts’, or at least widely held beliefs. But I left one obvious ‘fact’ off that list. Do you know which one I’m referring to? Which famous facet of Spain, Spaniards and Spanish life has been omitted? That they’re good at football? Well, yes they are, but that’s hardly related to the point in hand. That Spaniards are good-looking? I think so, yes, but that’s even more subjective than the actual trait I’m talking about…

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La Liga is a global powerhouse of football, but might its clubs be in financial trouble?

Tapping the word ‘Spain’ into Google news yields a mixed bag of results. Debt, crisis, property, Mariano Rajoy and King Juan Carlos have featured prominently over the past 12 months, but everything – and I mean everything – plays second fiddle to football, particularly if it is international weekend.

Understandable, really. Beneath the gloomy economic cloud that has hovered over Spain for the past few years, the silver lining has been La Selección – Spain’s football team. Winners of three consecutive international tournaments, the Spanish team is nigh-on untouchable. Usually…

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Antonio Banderas getting ready to join in with Málaga's Easter processions

Antonio Banderas may be one of the world’s most bankable Hollywood stars, but he’s also an Andalusian boy who never forgot his roots or his faith.

Every year the star makes a dutiful pilgrimage to Málaga to enjoy and take part in the city’s spectacular Easter processions – and this year was no different.

With wife Melanie Griffith and their 17-year-old daughter Stella in tow, the 53-year-old actor snaffled a supreme balcony spot to watch the procession meander its way through the ancient heart of Málaga on Palm Sunday.

But the Banderas family were no mere onlookers – they joined in with the joy and solemnity of the occasion, throwing rose petals at the appropriate moments before Banderas donned traditional garb and made his way on to the streets to play his part in the service.

The actor is a member of the Virgin of Tears and Favours brotherhood and this year wore the traditional white robe – complete with black hood to preserve his anonymity – during the service, where he was escorted by Baroness Thyssen-Bornemisza, Carmen Cerveza.

Banderas takes his faith very seriously, but he was able to find time to pose for photographs with a group of admiring female fans before continuing with his duties, which included bell-ringing and prayer. Later, he was honoured by the Legion of Honor and awarded the prestigious ‘Chapiri’ cap, which he wore with evident pride.

A return to Málaga is a true return home for Banderas. He is often labelled Andalucía’s favourite son for his humility, fame, talent and unique ability to combine the common touch of an everyman with the stardust of a global icon.

It’s heartening to see that he is embraced as one of their own whenever he is in town.

The team behind Madrid's candidacy bid for the 2020 Olympic Games

Madrid’s bid for the 2020 Olympic Games is supported by 81 per cent of Spaniards, according to Spain’s minister of Education, Culture and Sport, Jose Ignacio Wert, and the president of the Community of Madrid, Ignacio Gonzalez.

All week, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is in Madrid to evaluate the Spanish capital’s bid, which is backed by all of Spain’s main political parties and the majority of the Spanish public…

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