SPAIN: León & more – 4th July 2024

Buenos días from Gracia! This is the Rorshok Spain Update from the 4th of July twenty twenty-four. A quick summary of what's going down in Spain.

The debate over Spain's unity is back in the news, and there is renewed interest in León becoming an autonomous region.

León is a historical territory part of the autonomous region of Castilla y León in northwestern Spain. The succession debate sparked last Wednesday, the 26th, when the ruling government's Socialist party, the PSOE, supported an independence motion by the Leonese People’s Union party, the UPL.

The socialists' support of the UPL's proposal has caused a stir, with the government's opposition, the Partido Popular or PP, voting unanimously against the motion.

León's discomfort with the Castilla y León region has been strong since the seventies, creating a movement that led to the formation of the UPL.

Still on politics, Spain's Supreme Court has rejected applying the government's new amnesty law to Carles Puigdemont and other Catalan independence leaders.

On Sunday, the 30th, the court ruled the law doesn't cover crimes of embezzlement affecting the EU's financial interests. Judges argued that the twenty seventeen Catalan independence referendum threatened the EU's financial stability.

Recall that this ruling stems from the twenty seventeen Catalan vote for independence, which the government deemed illegal and led to much unrest in Catalunya and arrest warrants for many Catalan politicians, including former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont.

This decision was a major setback for President Pedro Sánchez, whose minority government depended on the support of Catalan parties in exchange for an amnesty for these leaders.

Moving on, Louis Vuitton has paid over €3,500 in damages to repair Barcelona's famous Park Güell after they held a fashion show there last May. World-renowned architect Antoni Gaudí designed Parc Güell, which is one of Barcelona's most visited tourist hotspots, attracting over four million people last year.

According to a report submitted on Monday, the 1st of July, by Laia Bonet, the Deputy Mayor of Barcelona, May´s incident was accidental but resulted in some damage to one of the park's treasured mosaic walls.

Next up, supermarket chain Aldi announced this week that it has increased its vegetable sales by over 34% over the past four years, with 85% of its vegetables sourced in Spain, making its fresh produce 11% cheaper than the market average.

Between June twenty twenty-three and May twenty twenty-four, Aldi's fruit and vegetable sales rose by over 11% compared to the same period of the previous year. Aldi's strategy of offering quality fresh produce at low prices has attracted over one million new customers in the last two years.

In other news, after three days of searching, on Thursday, the 27th, Spanish authorities confirmed the death of a seventy-year-old British hiker from London, who went missing in the Pyrenees on Monday the 24th

His disappearance triggered a search-and-rescue operation after Interpol alerted Spanish authorities with the coordinates of an electronic bracelet the hiker had on him. However, it’s not clear what this electronic bracelet was for.

In lighter news, Espeluy, a small town in the Jaén municipality, Andalucia, celebrated International Pride Day on Friday the 28th with vibrant festivities to show its support for the LGBTQ+ community.

The town hall, led by Mayor, Sebastián Lijarcio Medina, aims to establish Espeluy as a beacon of equality, joining the national network of Proud Municipalities.

Spanish Proud Municipalities are a network of municipalities openly supporting and promoting LGBTQ+ rights. This initiative encourages local governments to implement policies and actions that protect and uphold the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals.

In the world of art, the Picasso Museum in Barcelona has launched a new online archive, making thousands of Pablo Picasso's artworks, essays, poems, and interviews accessible globally.

This digital collection, including never-before-seen items, coincides with the Picasso: Consuming Images exhibition, which started on the 11th of June but will run until the 15th of September.

The online archive celebrates Picasso's Artistic innovations and explores his significance to the art world. The museum also plans to open a study center later this year to aid architects, researchers, and artists.

Unfortunately, four gazelles and one Barbary sheep have died at a conservation center in Almería because of a nearby music festival.

Dr. Sonia Domínguez from Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas, an ecological research institute, reported that the animals were agitated during the concert, leading to fatal injuries as their irritations led them to run into walls.

Despite requests to relocate the festival, Almería Cultura proceeded, stating the noise levels were within acceptable limits. However, Dr. Domínguez emphasized that the animals are more sensitive to sound and vibrations, particularly during their breeding season.

The deaths have highlighted the need for greater precautions to protect endangered species. The conservation center has urged authorities to consider alternative venues for future events.

In travel news, Spain is projected to become the world's most visited country by twenty forty, surpassing France.

According to a report by Google and auditing company Deloitte, Spain, currently the second most visited country, is forecasted to attract 110 million tourists annually, outpacing France's 105 million and the United States's 100 million.

Spain's popularity is bolstered by its sunny weather, affordable airfare, and rich cultural offerings. In twenty twenty-three, the country welcomed a record-breaking 84 million tourists, leading to a surge in new restaurants, bars, and hotels.

On Monday, the 1st, the Spanish government unveiled the Digital Wallet Beta app, aiming to prevent minors from accessing online pornography.

The “porn passport,” as the media calls it, verifies the users' age, granting those over eighteen a set of thirty porn credits valid for a month —and additional credits can be requested.

Despite criticism over its complexity, the government emphasizes its privacy benefits. The system, set to launch by the end of summer, will be voluntary for online platforms, which can use alternative age-verification methods.

This initiative precedes an EU law that will be effective in October twenty twenty-seven, mandating websites block minors from pornographic content.

In royal news, Princess Leonor of Asturias received the Grand Cross of Military Merit from her father, King Felipe VI in Zaragoza on Wednesday the 3rd.

At the ceremony, she was given the title of student lieutenant after completing her studies at the General Military Academy. The Council of Ministers recorded the appointment in a royal decree on Tuesday the 2nd.

King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, and many other royal family members attended the event, along with Margarita Robles, the Defense Minister. Princess Leonor, who is eighteen, completed two years of training in one year and will continue her military education in the Navy and the Air and Space Force over the next two academic years.

Now, here are a few festivals coming up this month! Next weekend, Asturias will host its oldest cider festival in the town of Nava.

Initially stated in the sixties, the cider festival began as a tribute to the region's iconic drink. The festival now attracts thousands each summer with events such as cider-pouring contests and tons of activities celebrating apples, cider, and Asturian culture.

Nava is a key cider production hub, and the festival showcases both traditional and modern cider-making practices. The village is also home to the Cider Museum, offering interactive exhibits on the history and culture of cider.

Finally, some music! The Festival Internacional de Benicàssim is a renowned music festival held annually in Benicàssim, Valencia. It’s one of Europe's premier music events, attracting top international artists and fans worldwide.

This year's festival will take place between the 18th and 20th of July and will feature headliners such as the Black Eyed Peas, The Libertines, and Royal Blood.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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¡Hasta la próxima!