Updated

The Huffington Post on Wednesday announced the launch of its newest version, a Spanish language site called "El Huffington Post" produced in Madrid at the headquarters of Spain's leading newspaper.

Founder Arianna Huffington said the new site introduced by her and the El Pais newspaper will try to draw in a global audience by attracting Spanish speakers in Europe, the United States and Latin America.

She told The Associated Press that the global economic crisis hitting traditional media hard is an opportunity for new web sites and new technology.

El Huffington Post will go online Thursday. It will focus on news from Spain but will include stories and commentary from the rest of the Spanish-speaking world, which numbers about 350 million people, Huffington said.

The Huffington Post already has a version aimed at Hispanics in the United States, and Huffington said she is considering launching other country-specific sites in Latin America.

The parent company of El Pais, Prisa SA, has a 50 percent stake in El Huffington Post.