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 People from Spain's south eastern region of Murcia, where tennis superstar Carlos Alcaraz hails from, often take a lot of flack from other Spaniards, to the point where the long-running joke is that 'Murcia doesn't exist'. https://www.thelocal.es/20231213/why-is-murcia-the-butt-of-all-the-jokes-in-spain Wed, 13 Dec 2023 17:13:23 +0100 why-is-murcia-the-butt-of-all-the-jokes-in-spain Southeastern Spain on Friday experienced its second day of torrential rain which already led to floods in Alicante and Murcia on Thursday, causing evacuations, road closures, and communication problems. https://www.thelocal.es/20251010/video-storm-alice-floods-spains-alicante-and-murcia Fri, 10 Oct 2025 18:41:03 +0200 video-storm-alice-floods-spains-alicante-and-murcia Income tax, property transfer tax, wealth tax, deductions for prescription glasses and much more - authorities in the southeastern Spanish region of Murcia have introduced a number of fiscal benefits for residents to enjoy this year. https://www.thelocal.es/20250808/the-key-tax-changes-for-people-living-in-spains-murcia-in-2025 Fri, 08 Aug 2025 13:34:02 +0200 the-key-tax-changes-for-people-living-in-spains-murcia-in-2025 Several people were hurt in a second night of anti-migrant unrest in the Spanish town of Torre Pacheco after a pensioner was beaten up, authorities said on Sunday. https://www.thelocal.es/20250713/several-hurt-in-anti-migrant-unrest-in-spanish-town Sun, 13 Jul 2025 14:51:21 +0200 several-hurt-in-anti-migrant-unrest-in-spanish-town French low-cost rail company Ouigo has launched its new high-speed Madrid to Murcia train, linking the two cities in under three hours and with prices starting for as little as €9. Here are frequencies, stops and other key travel info. https://www.thelocal.es/20240906/train-travel-in-spain-ouigos-new-e9-madrid-murcia-route Fri, 06 Sep 2024 12:55:35 +0200 train-travel-in-spain-ouigos-new-e9-madrid-murcia-route You don’t hear a lot about Murcia. Sandwiched between Alicante and Andalusia, the region is often overlooked by those wanting to relocate to Spain. Former Murcia resident Conor Faulkner has the lowdown on what to expect before buying a home or moving there. https://www.thelocal.es/20211025/9-things-you-need-to-know-before-moving-to-murcia Mon, 25 Oct 2021 12:16:15 +0200 9-things-you-need-to-know-before-moving-to-murcia At least 13 people were killed in a fire in a Spanish nightclub on Sunday morning, authorities said, with fears the toll could still rise as rescue workers sift through the debris. https://www.thelocal.es/20231001/at-least-six-dead-in-nightclub-fire-in-southeastern-spain Sun, 01 Oct 2023 13:17:08 +0200 at-least-six-dead-in-nightclub-fire-in-southeastern-spain Spain’s right-wing Popular Party have agreed to form a government with Vox in the southeastern region of Murcia, the fifth time the PP have agreed to share power with the far-right party.  https://www.thelocal.es/20230904/murcia-to-become-fifth-region-in-spain-where-vox-has-share-of-power Mon, 04 Sep 2023 11:02:55 +0200 murcia-to-become-fifth-region-in-spain-where-vox-has-share-of-power The curious story of how the small Murcian town of Blanca, meaning white, changed its name from Negra, meaning black, instead. https://www.thelocal.es/20230203/the-spanish-village-that-went-from-being-called-black-to-white Fri, 03 Feb 2023 17:55:54 +0100 the-spanish-village-that-went-from-being-called-black-to-white Spain has granted personhood status to Murcia's Mar Menor saltwater lagoon in order to give its threatened ecosystem better protection, the first time such a measure has been taken in Europe. https://www.thelocal.es/20220922/spain-grants-personhood-status-to-threatened-lagoon Thu, 22 Sep 2022 11:32:03 +0200 spain-grants-personhood-status-to-threatened-lagoon Spain's environment ministry on Thursday unveiled a roadmap for regenerating the stricken Mar Menor, one of Europe's largest saltwater lagoons that is slowly dying from agricultural pollution. https://www.thelocal.es/20211104/mar-menor-spain-unveils-plan-for-revival-of-crisis-hit-lagoon Thu, 04 Nov 2021 18:42:04 +0100 mar-menor-spain-unveils-plan-for-revival-of-crisis-hit-lagoon Thousands of dead fish have washed up on the coast of Spain’s Murcia region for the past week. What’s behind this environmental catastrophe that keeps getting worse year after year? https://www.thelocal.es/20210824/five-stats-to-understand-why-spains-mar-menor-is-full-of-dead-fish Tue, 24 Aug 2021 19:39:20 +0200 five-stats-to-understand-why-spains-mar-menor-is-full-of-dead-fish The top health official in the Spanish region of Murcia resigned on Wednesday after it emerged that he had jumped the queue for the coronavirus vaccine. https://www.thelocal.es/20210121/murcia-regional-health-chief-resigns-after-jumping-queue-for-vaccine Thu, 21 Jan 2021 13:57:59 +0100 murcia-regional-health-chief-resigns-after-jumping-queue-for-vaccine The southern Spanish regions of Andalusia and Murcia have announced that residents will only be able to spend Christmas with family members and not close friends. https://www.thelocal.es/20201208/andalusia-and-murcia-will-only-permit-christmas-with-family-members Tue, 08 Dec 2020 15:06:00 +0100 andalusia-and-murcia-will-only-permit-christmas-with-family-members With two-week quarantines likely on arrival and departure from other European nations andwith no idea how long travel bans will be in place summer holidays this year look decidedly domestic. https://www.thelocal.es/20200513/staycation-in-spain-why-you-should-consider-murcia-as-your-next-destination Wed, 13 May 2020 11:48:07 +0200 staycation-in-spain-why-you-should-consider-murcia-as-your-next-destination A Spanish military pilot was killed when his plane crashed into the Mediterranean Sea during an aerial acrobatics display on Thursday. https://www.thelocal.es/20200228/spanish-military-piot-dies-as-plane-crashes-into-sea Fri, 28 Feb 2020 10:00:43 +0100 spanish-military-piot-dies-as-plane-crashes-into-sea The far-right wing party Vox won the largest share of the vote in the region of Murcia. Conor Patrick Faulkner examines what's behind the southern region's sudden lurch to the right. https://www.thelocal.es/20191114/analysis-what-made-murcia-vote-for-vox Thu, 14 Nov 2019 16:16:54 +0100 analysis-what-made-murcia-vote-for-vox Thousands of dead fish have washed up on beaches in southern Spain in the aftermath of the recent Gota Fria floods https://www.thelocal.es/20191018/spain-mar-menor-dead-fish-environmental-floods Fri, 18 Oct 2019 16:51:01 +0200 spain-mar-menor-dead-fish-environmental-floods The Spanish region of Murcia exports hundreds of millions of euros of fresh fruit to the UK each year. A no-deal exit by the UK could have a serious impact on jobs and exports from the region, forcing producers and exporters to compensate with new markets. https://www.thelocal.es/20190307/brexit-spanish-fruit-and-veg-exporters-in-murcia-making-contingencies-for-no-deal-scenario Thu, 07 Mar 2019 15:33:54 +0100 brexit-spanish-fruit-and-veg-exporters-in-murcia-making-contingencies-for-no-deal-scenario Sam Michaels relocated to very rural Spain to pursue a life as a writer. Here she describes how she adapted to a quieter pace of life and a house full of adopted animals. https://www.thelocal.es/20190215/my-spanish-story-swapping-the-city-for-a-life-in-the-campo Fri, 15 Feb 2019 13:10:26 +0100 my-spanish-story-swapping-the-city-for-a-life-in-the-campo