Spanish News Today Editors Roundup Weekly Bulletin Sept 26

TOP STORIES: "Do you live in the happiest town in Spain?" & "Spain lifts ban on blood donations from people who lived in the UK"

Shiny happy people

Roll up your sleeves

Up in the air

Murcia

 

If you’re looking for a way to make the most of September’s warm days without the scorching heat of midsummer, exploring Murcia on foot is a great option. The Region is packed with trails that combine scenery, history and a touch of the unexpected, and this month offers the perfect excuse to get outside.

 

Among the highlights are the Bolvonegro Trail, a six-kilometre walk through dramatic river landscapes steeped in geology and archaeology, and Puerto Lumbreras’ Astronomical Trail, where sundials and moon clocks accompany your journey across the hills.

 

History lovers can follow the footsteps of the Romans along Lorca’s Via Augusta, complete with ancient milestones and lush orchards, while mountain views and heritage combine on the Carche Route in Jumilla, with its snow wells and salt mine.

 

Finally, the Blue Trail between La Manga and Cabo de Palos blends seaside strolls with natural areas and iconic sights like the Cabo de Palos lighthouse.

 

Whether your interest lies in nature, heritage or even the cosmos, Murcia’s walking routes are ready to be discovered this September.

 

Iron Maiden are returning to the Region of Murcia two years after their last visit and fans are already scrambling to secure tickets. The legendary heavy metal band will headline the Rock Imperium Festival in Cartagena from July 3 to 5 next year.

 

Festival organisers had already vowed that this edition would be their most ambitious yet and with the ‘Iron Lady’ topping the bill, they are certainly keeping that promise.

 

Previous line-ups have included icons such as Scorpions, Deep Purple and Kiss, but 2026 looks set to take things to a whole new level.

 

Meanwhile, the property market across the Region of Murcia shows no signs of slowing down. Prices for unrestricted properties continue to rise, with the Ministry of Housing reporting an average of €1,185 per square metre in the second quarter of 2025. This represents a 7.9% increase compared to the same period last year and a 1% rise on the first quarter, marking the highest levels seen in the region since 2012.

 

Across Spain, the average is €2,093 per square metre, up 10.4% year on year.

 

Coastal San Javier is the priciest area in Murcia at €1,647 per square metre, followed by the city of Murcia at €1,388 for older properties, rising to €1,808 for homes under five years old.

 

Rental prices are creeping up as well, with the latest report showing a 5.7% increase over the past year, averaging €9.10 per square metre.

 

Coastal towns again are seeing the biggest rises, with Los Alcázares up 22% to €9, San Javier up 9% to €9.20, La Manga still the priciest at €13 and Torre Pacheco climbing 20.3% to €9.50.

 

Over in Águilas, the Guardia Civil are investigating a horrible case of animal neglect involving two mules found in alarming conditions. The investigation, named Operation Frisón, began in late August after a resident reported seeing a distressed mule on a plot of land.

 

The authorities discovered two severely neglected animals among piles of faeces, rubbish and dangerous debris. One was still standing but incredibly emaciated, while the other was lying down in visible pain. Tragically, the latter had to be euthanised to prevent further suffering.

 

Tragically, the local vet said that the animal could have been saved if help had been sought a little sooner.

 

The Guardia Civil have identified and are investigating the owner, who also faces administrative penalties for missing documentation.

 

If you’re looking for something to do this weekend in Murcia, you’re absolutely spoiled for choice. Los Alcázares is gearing up for a jam-packed World Tourism Day on Saturday September 27, with free activities for all ages.

 

Highlights include the evening “safari” tour starting at 8pm in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento to explore the town’s urban art murals, which continue well into the night. Earlier in the day, a popular bicycle tour begins at 10am from the tourist office, taking riders past more than 200 murals, including works by internationally renowned artists, while sharing history and local stories along the way.

 

A free boat trip on the Mar Menor sets off at 11am from the fishing jetty on Playa de Manzanares, offering another way to enjoy the town.

 

Bookings and information are available at the Los Alcázares tourist office on Avenida 13 de Octubre or via phone or email.

 

Jumilla is also celebrating World Tourism Day with two free guided tours of the town’s architectural gems, mostly dating from the late 19th century. The tours include dramatised performances and anecdotes from Jumilla’s colourful past.

 

Meanwhile, Puerto de Mazarrón is offering a free guided history tour on the same day, highlighting the legacy of Romans, Phoenicians and other settlers who shaped the area over the centuries.

 

See our EVENTS DIARY for more events and activities coming up soon in the Region of Murcia:

Spain

 

Spain’s Health Minister has been busy this week with the rather welcome news that condoms will soon be free for young people in Spain. If you are aged between 14 and 22 you will be able to get hold of them at no cost at all by the end of the year, the idea being to cut down on sexually transmitted infections which are unfortunately on the rise.

 

The stats aren’t great with more than 23,000 cases recorded in 2022, with gonorrhoea and syphilis leading the pack, and the Ministry says most cases are among younger adults, especially men.

 

Given that around 30% of younger people apparently don’t use condoms at all, it seems a sensible move. They have already invested €10 million into making sure the scheme gets off the ground.

 

Now, if preventing disease is important here on Earth, over at NASA they are looking at even bigger horizons. The space agency is inviting anyone and everyone to join its Artemis II mission, not physically but in name.

 

You can literally send your name to the moon, hitching a ride on the Orion spacecraft when four astronauts loop around our lunar neighbour and back. All you have to do is sign up on NASA’s website, and your name will be loaded onto a memory card that goes on board.

 

It’s completely free, it comes with a fun digital boarding pass and you have until January 2026 to get your spot secured. Not quite the same as strapping into a rocket yourself but definitely one to impress your mates.

 

Signing up is simple. Visit https://go.nasa.gov/YourArtemisName, enter your first name, last name and a PIN, and you are officially part of the mission.

 

Artemis II will be the first crewed flight in NASA’s Artemis campaign, lasting approximately 10 days with a launch scheduled "no later than April 2026."

 

Back on Earth and much closer to home, we are all still feeling the pinch at the supermarket tills. Facua, Spain’s consumer watchdog, has crunched the numbers and found that basics like oranges, lettuce and garlic have jumped in price yet again this month.

 

In some shops, oranges are up more than 30% compared to August, which is pretty steep for a fruit that used to feel like a cheap go-to. Lettuce has been creeping up too and garlic isn’t far behind.

 

On the flip side, there is finally some relief with olive oil dropping by over 40% on average, and potatoes and grapes also cheaper than they were a month ago. Onions, mushrooms, carrots, and even whole milk have all softened their prices slightly as well.

 

It is a bit of a mixed bag really but it does mean you’ll want to keep your eyes peeled for the odd bargain among the rising costs.

 

And while we are on the topic of things that stick around, Spain Today Online isn’t letting the grass grow under its feet either. Our very own media group has just picked up the Indalo Restaurant Guide and the Indalo Health, Fitness and Beauty Guide, two long running publications in southern Spain that have been the go-to for locals and visitors for years.

 

These guides are a bit of an institution, pointing people towards the best restaurants, gyms, spas, salons and more. Now, with fresh digital plans including an app alongside the print editions, the reach is set to grow even further.

 

For the businesses who advertise, it’s a great way to be seen by the right people at the right time, and for the rest of us it just means even more handy recommendations at our fingertips.

 

Five regional editions of the Indalo Guides are planned, covering Cartagena to San Javier, Mojacar and Almeria, Almeria to San Javier, San Javier to Alicante, and Torrevieja.

 

By joining the Indalo Guides, restaurants and health businesses place themselves directly in front of the audiences who matter most, at the very moment they are making decisions.

 

Spain Today Online is proud to bring these iconic guides into its family and looks forward to helping businesses across the region grow, thrive and be remembered.

 

Alicante

This week got off to an explosive start in Alicante province when a robbery went wrong, blowing up the glass walls on two sides of a bank in Orihuela Costa but leaving the cash machine they were trying to steal stubbornly fixed in place.

The blunder was compared by one local paper to the classic scene in The Italian Job movie, when Michael Caine’s character berates his accomplice for completely destroying a replica of the van they are planning to rob, when “You’re only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!”.

Another local paper spoke with a taxi driver who had pulled up outside the branch of BankInter in Los Dolses commercial centre just beforehand, and was tersely warned to "Get out of here!” by one of two masked men he saw tampering with the ATM.

Instead, the cabbie hid out of sight and witnessed the explosion, before seeing the culprits make a run for it.

He called the Local Police, who confirmed that nothing was stolen in the end, and the Guardia Civil have taken over the investigation.

The incident has fuelled residents’ concerns about insufficient police presence in Orihuela Costa.
It was at least the third time that this particular branch has been targeted by robbers, including once when the manager’s family was held hostage in her home.

Meanwhile, Local Police in Benidorm have been making the streets a safer place in a different way, by confiscating electric scooters that do not comply with the law.

Officers have removed 450 e-scooters so far this year, many of which were defective or had been illegally modified.

More than 200 of these vehicles had to be scrapped and sent for recycling, either because the software had been tampered with and could not be restored, or documentation was missing (such as a receipt for a second-hand sale, for example), which would be required to return them to their owners.

The town hall warned that modifying e-scooters’ firmware to make them more powerful or go faster is totally prohibited and can result in the vehicle being confiscated and a fine for the owner.

Also as part of Benidorm’s campaign against unsafe scooter use, students at Pera Maria Orts i Bosch secondary school attended a talk from the Town Hall and Local Police.

Officers explained that e-scooters must be approved, properly insured, and fitted with a bell and reflectors. Riders must wear helmets, stick to designated roads and park in the correct places.

Councillor for Mobility Francis Muñoz emphasised: “Skateboards are not toys.”

One road that is particularly unsafe for people on e-scooters, bicycles or on foot, is the bridge over the AP-7 motorway by Lomas de Cabo Roig urbanisation in Orihuela Costa.

This busy thoroughfare connects a huge swathe of the area with Cabo Roig, the coast, shops and essential services, including the medical centre.

However the narrow bridge has no pavement or street lighting, putting more vulnerable road users, particularly pedestrians, at serious risk of being hit by passing vehicles.

The developer of Lomas de Cabo Roig urbanisation was contractually obliged to provide a footbridge when it started building work back in 2004, but never did.

After 20 years of complaints and protests from residents, the current council has promised to build the footbridge itself, and reclaim the €1.37 million cost from the developer’s deposit.

However, the town hall still has not awarded the contract to draw up the plans for the footbridge, almost six months after the deadline for bids closed.

According to residents’ association Unidos por la Costa, by the time that all the bureaucratic stages of the project have been completed and the work has been carried out too, it could well be the middle of 2027.

And finally, a video of a woman taking a pigeon on a lead for a walk in Torrevieja has garnered over 400,000 views and almost 1,000 comments on social network TikTok.

Some were critical and claimed that it was cruel, but a few noticed that the pigeon seems to be missing a wing, venturing that it may have been rescued and gets taken for a walk because it is unable to fly.

Maybe the bird just doesn’t leave its human companion’s side because it has “coo-dependency” issues.
Certainly the pigeon in question appears content enough to be strutting its stuff and stopping for occasional snack breaks.

Nevertheless, it is unclear whether the woman walking it brought bags to pick up her peculiar pet’s poo.

Andalucía

The sombre search for a missing British man in Estepona came to an end on Saturday 20 September, when authorities found a body believed to be the 65-year-old who disappeared on 15 August.

The extensive search involved Policía Nacional, Protección Civil, local police, and firefighters working tirelessly through dense undergrowth near the Paraíso neighbourhood, close to where he was last seen.

While official confirmation and a forensic autopsy are still pending, sources say the man was preparing to return to the UK. He had gone missing with only his mobile phone and wallet, leaving those who knew him describing his disappearance as uncharacteristic.

The dedication and teamwork of search teams have been widely commended.

Turning to housing, Andalucía is stepping up its fight against squatting in public homes. The new Housing Law bans anyone caught squatting or evicted for illegal occupation from applying for public housing for five years.

Minister Rocío Díaz highlighted that from 2019 to 2024, the regional agency AVRA conducted 141,000 inspections and recovered over 4,500 properties.

The law also targets overcrowding, requiring local councils to investigate and, if necessary, seek court orders to address unsafe housing conditions.

A new Coordination Commission on Evictions and Illegal Occupation will oversee implementation, supported by a system advising vulnerable tenants and homeowners.

President Juanma Moreno hopes to have the law approved before the next elections, aiming to ensure homes reach genuine applicants and discourage illegal occupation.

With housing issues tightening up, it’s also a good time to look after our health as flu season looms. Andalucía’s flu vaccination campaign kicks off on Tuesday 30 September, prioritising children under five, pregnant women, and teachers of young children.

Regional Minister Rocío Hernández stressed the success of vaccinating children, which has cut severe flu hospitalisations by 70% over recent years.

Intranasal flu vaccines administered at schools to three and four-year-olds will continue, alongside a new option for household members living with vulnerable groups to get vaccinated together, boosting protection.

Vaccinations will then extend throughout October to nursing homes, older adults, healthcare workers, and essential personnel.

In addition, a third immunisation campaign against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is underway for babies under six months, following a sharp reduction in hospitalisations. Eligible infants born since April have been contacted for appointments, with new-borns since 22 September vaccinated before hospital discharge.

And after all that serious talk of vaccines and viruses, it’s time for something a bit lighter and more entertaining. Marbella is about to get a whole lot funnier thanks to the new British sitcom, Ketchup.

Following a hapless couple trying to run a bar amidst a colourful cast of locals and expats, this show promises plenty of laughs and a cheeky glimpse into life on the Costa del Sol.

With a stellar cast including Kevin McNally (think The Crown and Pirates of the Caribbean) and Sandra Dickinson (yes, the very one from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy), Ketchup’s launch on 4 October is set to be the must-see event of the Marbella International Film Festival.

So, whether you’re into red carpets, witty banter, or just fancy a good giggle with a stunning seaside backdrop, this sitcom might just be the perfect mix of sunshine and silliness to brighten your week.

You may have missed…

1. San Javier Airport starts its transformation into a technology hub
   The former San Javier Airport is about to take on an entirely new life. What was once a bustling passenger terminal is now being positioned as the Region of Murcia’s latest innovation space, with work about to begin on a cutting-edge technology hub specialising in aerospace and satellite applications.
2. Savour the flavours of Thailand this autumn in the heart of Alicante
   Imagine stepping into a place filled with atmosphere, smiles and aromas that instantly transport you to Thailand. Right here in the heart of Alicante, that experience is waiting for you at Thai Food Khon Kaen.
3. Discover the vibrant new art gallery in Cartagena bringing global creativity to the heart of the city
   Cartagena’s art scene has a fresh new face thanks to a unique gallery founded by American artist Travis Moore. Nestled in the historic Plaza de La Merced, this exciting space blends creativity, community, and sustainability in a way that’s truly inspiring.
4. Train hits heavily pregnant cow in Gijón, calf born on impact and human body found nearby
   What began as a remarkable birth story quickly took a darker turn when the Guardia Civil, called to investigate the scene, discovered the body of a man nearby.
5. Scared and grounded: Guardia Civil rescues a young griffon vulture in Mula
   A young griffon vulture left stranded and unable to fly was rescued in the Casas Nuevas area of Mula thanks to a concerned neighbour’s quick action.

And that’s all we’ve got for you this week. See you again next Friday.

Happy weekend