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 Spaniards currently feel quite pessimistic about their country, believing it to be less safe, less prosperous and more unequal than a decade ago, a new widely reported study has found. https://www.thelocal.es/20260430/how-spaniards-perceptions-about-spain-have-changed-over-the-past-decade Thu, 30 Apr 2026 09:47:15 +0200 how-spaniards-perceptions-about-spain-have-changed-over-the-past-decade To mark World Book Day, we give you a breakdown of ten fiction and non-fiction ‘libros’ that will help you get to grips with Spain’s history, culture, the Spanish mindset and more. https://www.thelocal.es/20200318/ten-books-that-tell-you-everything-you-need-to-know-about-spain Wed, 18 Mar 2020 11:32:06 +0100 ten-books-that-tell-you-everything-you-need-to-know-about-spain Divorces and separations are on a downward trend in Spain, but the latest data suggests it's more a case of couples begrudgingly deciding to stay together. https://www.thelocal.es/20260327/why-people-in-spain-are-getting-fewer-divorces-even-though-they-want-to Fri, 27 Mar 2026 10:12:43 +0100 why-people-in-spain-are-getting-fewer-divorces-even-though-they-want-to To mark International Women's Day, we celebrate 11 Spanish women who have played pivotal roles in shaping Spain's history, gender rights, science, the arts and more. https://www.thelocal.es/20241011/ten-of-the-most-influential-women-in-spains-history Fri, 11 Oct 2024 21:47:17 +0200 ten-of-the-most-influential-women-in-spains-history Following Iran's attack on a British military base in Cyprus, the first time the country bombs European soil, we find out whether Spain would be able to defend itself against a missile attack like Israel's 'Iron Dome' system does. https://www.thelocal.es/20241003/does-spain-have-its-own-anti-missile-iron-dome Thu, 03 Oct 2024 10:58:36 +0200 does-spain-have-its-own-anti-missile-iron-dome Spain is a fantastic country to bring up kids thanks to the weather, the safety and Spaniards' overall love of children, but that doesn't mean there aren't aspects of Spanish child-rearing that surprise foreigners. https://www.thelocal.es/20240919/the-strange-things-spanish-parents-do-raising-their-children Thu, 19 Sep 2024 13:02:03 +0200 the-strange-things-spanish-parents-do-raising-their-children The first wave of Indian migration to Spain began in the late-19th century with a diaspora of Sindhi traders quickly establishing themselves as a successful and peaceful community, values they still hold onto today. https://www.thelocal.es/20241111/five-interesting-facts-about-spains-indian-community Mon, 11 Nov 2024 21:38:22 +0100 five-interesting-facts-about-spains-indian-community Following news that Spain has once again fallen in international corruption rankings, The Local's political reporter Conor Faulkner looks into the reasons why Spaniards are once again losing trust in their elected and unelected officials. https://www.thelocal.es/20250214/in-depth-how-bad-is-corruption-in-spain-in-2025 Fri, 14 Feb 2025 09:18:20 +0100 in-depth-how-bad-is-corruption-in-spain-in-2025 Spaniards often deal with stereotypes from abroad which paint them as just party-loving and lazy, but even among the inhabitants of the country’s 17 regions there are clichés that live on to this day. https://www.thelocal.es/20241012/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-what-are-the-regional-stereotypes-across-spain Sat, 12 Oct 2024 11:25:24 +0200 the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-what-are-the-regional-stereotypes-across-spain Locals in Grazalema - which just got hit by almost 600 litres of rainfall/m2 in 24 hours - are used to wet weather, albeit not as bad as that caused by Storm Leonardo. How is it that this town in sun-drenched Andalusia is known as the rainiest in Spain? https://www.thelocal.es/20260205/why-is-grazalema-the-rainiest-place-in-spain Thu, 05 Feb 2026 12:05:13 +0100 why-is-grazalema-the-rainiest-place-in-spain To mark Groundhog Day in the US and Canada, a folklore tradition which in popular culture has come to represent a lack of change over time (thanks to the classic US movie of the same name), we take a look at ten things that never seem to change in Spain. https://www.thelocal.es/20220202/groundhog-day-ten-things-that-never-change-in-spain Wed, 02 Feb 2022 19:49:52 +0100 groundhog-day-ten-things-that-never-change-in-spain Ernest Hemingway famously said that Spaniards “delay the day”, and when it comes to eating, this is certainly applicable. https://www.thelocal.es/20241002/why-do-spaniards-eat-so-late Wed, 02 Oct 2024 14:32:56 +0200 why-do-spaniards-eat-so-late The flag of Scotland and the Spanish island of Tenerife are practically the same. Sheer coincidence, historical explanation or conspiracy theory? https://www.thelocal.es/20240614/why-do-scotland-and-tenerife-have-the-same-flag Fri, 14 Jun 2024 17:23:53 +0200 why-do-scotland-and-tenerife-have-the-same-flag Population growth in Spain has been increasingly driven by migration in recent years, and new data from Spain's national stats body reveals just where people are going. https://www.thelocal.es/20251215/the-cities-in-spain-where-the-population-has-increased-the-most Mon, 15 Dec 2025 10:41:55 +0100 the-cities-in-spain-where-the-population-has-increased-the-most The Basque Country and Catalonia are two of Spain’s wealthiest regions according to pretty much every indicator. What’s behind their success? https://www.thelocal.es/20241015/why-are-the-basque-country-and-catalonia-so-rich-compared-to-the-rest-of-spain Tue, 15 Oct 2024 21:24:18 +0200 why-are-the-basque-country-and-catalonia-so-rich-compared-to-the-rest-of-spain Looking for a winter sun escape or hate the cold at this time of year? Here are the warmest places in Spain in winter so that you can see in the New Year dining outside or strolling along the beach in the sun. https://www.thelocal.es/20221207/where-are-the-warmest-places-in-winter-in-spain Wed, 07 Dec 2022 18:19:03 +0100 where-are-the-warmest-places-in-winter-in-spain This word defines a whole new philosophy for how Spaniards like to spend their time. https://www.thelocal.es/20251203/spanish-word-of-the-day-tardeo Wed, 03 Dec 2025 11:54:40 +0100 spanish-word-of-the-day-tardeo If you want to get anything done at the bank in Spain, you better get there early, as the vast majority of 'bancos' close at 2pm and don't open after lunch. https://www.thelocal.es/20240930/why-do-banks-in-spain-close-so-early Mon, 30 Sep 2024 16:28:28 +0200 why-do-banks-in-spain-close-so-early 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 Spain on Thursday marks the 50th anniversary of General Francisco Franco's death with political polarisation exacerbating deep-rooted and bitter divisions over the dictator's legacy. https://www.thelocal.es/20251118/divided-spain-marks-50-years-since-ex-dictator-francos-death Tue, 18 Nov 2025 09:58:39 +0100 divided-spain-marks-50-years-since-ex-dictator-francos-death