Andalucia, Navarre, Valencia and the Canaries in turn have more extensive powers than some other regions.

BBC: Spain profile

Campaigners hope to extend the ban across the country, but they face a tough task in traditional bullfighting heartlands like Andalucia and Madrid.

BBC: Live bullfights return to Spanish TV after six-year ban

But Kaymer, who has won his last three events, will play at the Andalucia Valderrama Masters in Spain and could still overtake both Westwood and Woods.

BBC: Kaymer could beat Westwood to world number one spot

The 27-year-old sealed victory with a par on the final hole, adding to his breakthrough win in the Andalucia Open on the European Tour earlier this year.

CNN: Oosthuizen seals runaway victory in British Open

He enjoyed instant success in Andalucia, scoring in the club's 4-0 2006 Uefa Cup final win over Middlesbrough and, the following season, finishing as Spain's second highest goalscorer in all competitions.

BBC: Spurs boss Harry Redknapp baulks at Luis Fabiano price

Then in March he finally won his first European Tour event at the Open de Andalucia in Spain beating England's Richard Finch and Peter Whiteford of Scotland, who were tied second by three strokes.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Oosthuizen, a former farmboy with a gap-tooth smile, learned his trade at the academy run by South African star Ernie Els, winning his first title at the Andalucia Open on the European Tour this season.

CNN: Oosthuizen leads way at British Open as winds cause havoc

Westwood, 37, who has played only once in three months because of a calf injury, took the top spot as German Martin Kaymer failed to record the top-two finish he required at the Andalucia Masters last weekend.

BBC: Lee Westwood & Phil Mickelson paired at HSBC Champions

The central Spanish region said it would request 848m euros from the 18bn-euro Regional Liquidity Fund, joining Valencia, Murcia and Catalonia, who have collectively requested 3bn euros, and Andalucia, which has yet to specify how much it needs.

BBC: Spain budget imposes further austerity measures

The fact that there has not been a big terrorist attack against the West since the one in Madrid last March does not mean that the threat has gone away: as Osama bin Laden's reference to the wrongs done to Muslims in 8th-century Andalucia shows, Islamist terrorists work on a longer time-scale than most people.

ECONOMIST: Terror suspects in Britain