Deadly Fire in Murcia Nightclub & more – 5th Oct 2023

Buenos días from Gracia! This is the Rorshok Spain Update from the 5th of October twenty twenty-three A quick summary of what's going down in Spain.

Thirteen people sadly died in a fire that broke out over the weekend in Murcia.

According to firefighters, a huge fire broke out in the early hours of Sunday morning at around six a.m. on the bottom floor of the La Fonda nightclub, quickly spreading to neighboring clubs, but those there had time to evacuate. Rescuers, who were searching through debris for victims, said that it was difficult to figure out the cause of the fire because the roof collapsed, covering victims and evidence.

One woman, who sadly died, sent a voice message to her mom after the fire started, telling her what was happening and saying goodbye. Among the victims were also members of a family celebrating a birthday.

The local council has since revealed that Teatre Murcia SL, the company that owns the nightclub, didn’t have a valid permit and was ordered to close in twenty twenty-two. It has obviously raised concerns as people questioned why authorities didn't close the venue sooner. Sunday’s fire is now Spain's deadliest nightclub blaze since the nineteen ninety Zaragoza club fire, which claimed forty-three lives.

Now, an update on the presidential situation.

Unsurprisingly, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the leader of the PP, failed his presidential inauguration debate last week because he didn't have enough seats or parliamentary support to gain a majority.

Now, it's acting president Pedro Sánchez's turn. On Tuesday the 3rd, King Felipe VI formally invited Sánchez, leader of the PSOE, to try and form a government in two months.

Sánchez has until the 27th of November to secure a majority with 176 votes. However, there are several obstacles he has to face to gain parliamentary support, especially the amnesty that Catalan pro-independence parties demand in return for votes.

If he's unsuccessful, parliament will be dissolved, and citizens will have to vote again in another general election next January.

Despite not having a president, Spain is keeping busy with its six months of EU presidentiality.

Fifty-three European leaders, including Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, will meet on Thursday the 5th in Granada at the third-ever informal European Political Community summit.

The discussion topics are expected to be global challenges, Russia's war in Ukraine, AI, green energy, infrastructure, and the future of the EU.

Migration is also expected to be high on the agenda, especially after EU ambassadors reached a preliminary agreement on Wednesday, the 4th, agreeing on unilateral rules for the reception and relocation of arriving migrants.

According to the European Political Community summit program, EU leaders should establish "more effective control of EU external borders" to monitor the amount and flow of illegal immigrants to make it fairer for countries like Greece and Italy which are more accessible and receive a lot of migrants.

Moving to the capital, The Community of Madrid will introduce a new family benefit aid from January twenty twenty-four as part of the region's pledge to safeguard maternity and paternity rights while actively promoting higher birth rates and work-life balance.

The new financial support program is aimed at Madrid families with multiple births or adoptions.

Families who give birth or adopt two children or more— on or after the first of January twenty twenty-four— will receive a one-time payment of thirty-six hundred euros, eighteen hundred per child. For three, it will be fifty-four hundred; for four, seventy-two hundred, and so on. The aim is to assist parents to cover the initial expenses of having multiple children. It will complement other benefits, so parents won't have to give up other government financial support to get it.

As we mentioned laws and policies, you may recall that Spain passed a bill in February allowing those with debilitating period symptoms to take paid menstrual leave from work provided they get a doctor's note. This approved bill was part of a broader package law on sexual and reproductive rights, including allowing anyone over sixteen to change the gender on their ID and another bill pledging to provide free menstruation products in schools and prisons.

However, according to the latest employment statistics, since the menstruation bill was enacted, between February and June, just under 500 cases were filed under the initiative, much less than the Government predicted. Whether these numbers are due to societal perceptions of what qualifies as a "painful menstrual experience," embarrassment, or whether time off is being discouraged by companies remains unsaid. However, one thing is certain: people aren't taking advantage of the bill as the Government intended.

Spanish singer and actress Aitana, hailing from Sant Climent de Llobregat in Barcelona, recently made headlines when parents and critics took to social media to voice their concerns about her provocative dance moves.

Even though Aitana is twenty-four, her audience ranges from early teens to late twenties. With her new album Alpha, Aitana decided to show a wilder sexier side to her music.

On Sunday, the 1st of October, after her first concert of the Alpha Album Tour in Valencia, social media was abuzz with mixed reactions. Some commented that the choreography was akin to teaching the Kamasutra to twelve-year-olds, while others applauded her for reaching out to new audiences.

From the buzz surrounding Aitana to the buzzy creatures of nature...

According to Spanish scientists, the Asian Velutina wasp, also known as the Asian yellow-legged hornet, poses a serious threat to Galicia and is expected to spread throughout Spain.

The population of this pesky hornet has increased by around 50% in twenty twenty-three compared to last year. Not only is the hornet aggressive in nature, but they are invasive, destroying ecosystems of honeybees, wild bees, and wasps, and it has reportedly been known to deliver lethal stings.

While climate change, globalization, and human influence have been contributing to the insects' growing numbers, experts insist a lot can be done to prevent the proliferation of the species, like early detection and destruction of nests.

Next up, Lidl, Spain's third-largest supermarket chain, is set to open a new store at Madrid-Barajas Airport.

Lidl won the contract from AENA, the subsidiary company of ENAIRE —which owns nearly all of the airports in Spain—, to build a supermarket on the airport grounds.

The thirty-year contract includes an eighty-five hundred-square-meter supermarket, with around six thousand square meters dedicated to buildings. The value of the contract exceeds 14 million euros.

Lidl's expansion aligns with its recent growth in Spain, gaining market share and recording substantial increases in turnover.

Speaking of building works, Antoni Gaudí's famous yet unfinished masterpiece, the Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona, is inching closer to completion, nearly 140 years after construction began.

Millions of visitors flock to Barcelona yearly to marvel at Gaudí's creation. However, progress has been slow since Gaudí’s death in nineteen twenty-six, with setbacks like the Spanish Civil War impeding the work.

On Friday, the 29th of September, the Junta Constructora del Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, the private non-profit foundation overseeing the project, excitedly announced on their Twitter account that they had finished building the four towers representing the Evangelists Mark, John, Matthew, and Luke. This means that five out of the six central towers are now complete. While construction is set to continue until twenty twenty-six, they're slowly getting closer to the finish line!

And finally, for the foodies. Upmarket Conde Nast Traveller magazine named Málaga the World's fifth-best gastronomic destination as part of its reader choice awards.

Spain also swept the floor in the annual World's 50 Best Restaurant Awards twenty twenty-three. Gaining second place for Barcelona-born Disfrutar, third with avant-garde dining at Diverso in Madrid, and fourth with Asador Etchebarri in the Basque country.

Restaurant Central, in Lima, Perú, won the top spot.

That’s it for this week! Thanks for joining us!

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¡Hasta la próxima!