Hischam Mandari went from favourite son of King Hassan to hunted pariah. Elizabeth Nash reports on his assassination amid tales of medieval-style palace dramas involving concubines and treachery

As new-builds continue their advance on the Spanish coastline, there are signs the market is in trouble. Zoe Dare Hall reports

In a slowing Costas property market, is the time ripe for buying at auction? Zoe Dare Hall investigates

Homes on Spanish golf courses, once the preserve of pensioners, are attracting younger Brits. Zoe Dare Hall reports

As the Costa del Sol is overrun with ugly high-rise resorts, British buyers are increasingly looking north to the Costa Blanca for better value and beautiful properties. Ginetta Vedrickas reports

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The Independent Parent: Your Questions Answered

BRITAIN'S PACKAGE holiday industry was thrown into turmoil yesterday when the country's biggest travel company said demand for trips over the millennium period had dried up.

It's not the police giving gangsters and money launderers nightmares - it's the single currency

Geoff Lewis, who rode one of the post-war greats, is finally retiring as a trainer. Epsom may never be the same again.

Sir: I am surprised Roy Hattersley says that his dog Buster doesn't respond to words in foreign languages (Comment, 4 August). I have spoken to my dogs in bad French and worse German (when trying to lean these languages) and, providing the tone of voice was right, their response was always magnificent!

PETER TOWNEND'S first novel, Zero Always Wins, published in 1960, reflects his passion for roulette. His later thrillers, Out of Focus (1971), Zoom (1972) and Fisheye (1974), centre round another passion, photography, and feature a one-eyed photographer as hero. They attracted critical acclaim; a Daily Telegraph reviewer suggested that he might be the new Ian Fleming.

We mocked Japanese tourists for getting the three-quarter length all wrong, says JAMES SHERWOOD, but there is a right way

A Spanish seaside holiday does not have to be overpackaged and overcrowded. Jill Crawshaw selects some lesser-known places for freer spirits