https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Spain in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed As Ceuta and Melilla are brought back into the international spotlight via a US Congress report, The Local considers how these two cities in North Africa became Spanish and why do they remain so to this day? https://www.thelocal.es/20220328/why-are-ceuta-and-melilla-spanish Mon, 28 Mar 2022 13:35:45 +0200 why-are-ceuta-and-melilla-spanish Which Spanish king thought he was a frog? Who was a reputed sex addict? Understanding Spanish history can be tough, so we've broken it down into the most important and quirky trivia you need to know about each Spanish king and queen. https://www.thelocal.es/20230512/the-one-thing-you-need-to-know-about-each-of-spains-kings-and-queens Fri, 12 May 2023 17:55:43 +0200 the-one-thing-you-need-to-know-about-each-of-spains-kings-and-queens Madrid hasn't always been the capital of Spain. Here are eight towns and cities that at one point in history were the capitals of various kingdoms that today are part of Spain. https://www.thelocal.es/20230110/eight-spanish-towns-and-cities-that-were-once-capitals Tue, 10 Jan 2023 17:22:22 +0100 eight-spanish-towns-and-cities-that-were-once-capitals Forty years ago to the day an event took place that changed the course of Spanish history: the country signed the Treaty of Accession to the European Economic Community (EEC), as it was known then, now the European Union. https://www.thelocal.es/20250612/how-joining-the-eu-40-years-ago-catapulted-spain-into-modernity Thu, 12 Jun 2025 16:05:18 +0200 how-joining-the-eu-40-years-ago-catapulted-spain-into-modernity Spanish prosecutors on Monday said they were investigating whether General Francisco Franco's dictatorship collaborated with Nazi Germany during World War II to send thousands of exiled Spaniards in France to death camps. https://www.thelocal.es/20250505/spain-probes-deaths-of-thousands-of-spaniards-in-nazi-camps Mon, 05 May 2025 18:24:26 +0200 spain-probes-deaths-of-thousands-of-spaniards-in-nazi-camps Western Europe has a new oldest face: the facial bones of an adult nicknamed "Pink" discovered in Spain are from a potential new member of the human family who lived more than 1.1 million years ago, Spanish scientists said Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.es/20250313/western-europes-oldest-human-face-unearthed-in-spain Thu, 13 Mar 2025 10:43:05 +0100 western-europes-oldest-human-face-unearthed-in-spain Gibraltar has been the main sticking point in Spain-UK relations for centuries. Understanding the history and each side's arguments helps to explain why the issue of who ‘The Rock’ should belong to is likely to rage on for many more years. https://www.thelocal.es/20240920/in-depth-should-gibraltar-be-british-or-spanish Fri, 20 Sep 2024 16:20:18 +0200 in-depth-should-gibraltar-be-british-or-spanish A small upmarket town on the Cantabrian coastline was the Spanish capital for one day in 1881, changing its future forever. https://www.thelocal.es/20211011/the-small-coastal-town-that-was-spains-capital-for-a-day Mon, 11 Oct 2021 15:14:02 +0200 the-small-coastal-town-that-was-spains-capital-for-a-day When cemeteries were filling up in towns around southern Spain a few years ago, some mayors turned to extreme measures to keep their towns alive. https://www.thelocal.es/20240221/the-towns-in-spain-where-it-was-illegal-to-die Wed, 21 Feb 2024 18:41:48 +0100 the-towns-in-spain-where-it-was-illegal-to-die There are almost 900 shipwrecks in Spanish waters with countless more gold and silver than the entire Bank of Spain, historians and the navy both agree. So where can these treasures be found? https://www.thelocal.es/20240206/the-sunken-treasures-in-spanish-waters-from-the-conquistador-days Tue, 06 Feb 2024 11:21:17 +0100 the-sunken-treasures-in-spanish-waters-from-the-conquistador-days A tragic metro crash that killed 43 people in Spain's third city is rarely spoken about or even known by many today, with rumours that it was deliberately brushed under the carpet by officials to avoid being charged with negligence. https://www.thelocal.es/20231003/the-2006-valencia-metro-crash-that-youve-probably-never-heard-of Tue, 03 Oct 2023 15:41:42 +0200 the-2006-valencia-metro-crash-that-youve-probably-never-heard-of There are fears that the pace of exhumations of victims of the 1936-39 civil war and the dictatorship of Francisco Franco that followed could slow down if the right wins Spain's July 23rd snap election, as polls suggest. https://www.thelocal.es/20230714/spains-election-raises-concerns-over-fate-of-franco-victim-exhumations Fri, 14 Jul 2023 14:06:44 +0200 spains-election-raises-concerns-over-fate-of-franco-victim-exhumations A village in Málaga province in southern Spain celebrates the 4th of July every year due to the fascinating story of a local man's role in the American War of Independence. https://www.thelocal.es/20230703/the-spanish-village-that-celebrates-american-independence-day Mon, 03 Jul 2023 11:21:25 +0200 the-spanish-village-that-celebrates-american-independence-day Football is as synonymous with Spanish culture as paella and flamenco, but Spain’s oldest club has its roots in British-run mines. We dig into the history of Recreativo de Huelva, Spain's oldest football club. https://www.thelocal.es/20220502/the-scottish-roots-of-spains-oldest-football-club Mon, 02 May 2022 16:10:21 +0200 the-scottish-roots-of-spains-oldest-football-club Far-right protesters in Madrid tussled with police Monday as the remains of a fascist party founder were to be re-buried in a simple grave as Spain works to reckon with its authoritarian past. https://www.thelocal.es/20230424/far-right-and-police-clash-as-spains-fascist-leader-re-buried Mon, 24 Apr 2023 19:04:22 +0200 far-right-and-police-clash-as-spains-fascist-leader-re-buried The remains of Spain's fascist Falange party founder Primo de Rivera will be exhumed next week and relocated to a more discreet spot, the government said Thursday. https://www.thelocal.es/20230421/spain-to-relocate-remains-of-fascist-party-founder Fri, 21 Apr 2023 11:34:24 +0200 spain-to-relocate-remains-of-fascist-party-founder Spain’s National Research Council has presented the incredible findings of an excavation which brings greater understanding of an ancient and enigmatic civilization that emerged in southern Spain several centuries before Christ.  https://www.thelocal.es/20230419/groundbreaking-discovery-sheds-light-on-spains-mythical-tartessos-civilization Wed, 19 Apr 2023 13:21:32 +0200 groundbreaking-discovery-sheds-light-on-spains-mythical-tartessos-civilization Spain will give the descendants of International Brigade fighters who fought fascism during the Civil War an expressway to Spanish citizenship and dual nationality, with people from the UK, the US and many other countries eligible. https://www.thelocal.es/20221201/descendants-of-international-brigades-can-get-fast-track-spanish-nationality Thu, 01 Dec 2022 16:28:50 +0100 descendants-of-international-brigades-can-get-fast-track-spanish-nationality Two volumes of "Don Quixote", the epic Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes, will go up for auction in Paris, where they are expected to fetch between €400 and €600K combined. Here's the incredible story of how they were unearthed. https://www.thelocal.es/20221130/rare-editions-of-spains-don-quixote-go-up-for-auction-in-uk Wed, 30 Nov 2022 10:41:03 +0100 rare-editions-of-spains-don-quixote-go-up-for-auction-in-uk A team of researchers has cracked a five century-old code which reveals a rumoured French plot to kill the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain Charles V. https://www.thelocal.es/20221125/spains-emperor-charles-vs-secret-code-cracked-after-five-centuries Fri, 25 Nov 2022 10:41:12 +0100 spains-emperor-charles-vs-secret-code-cracked-after-five-centuries