SPAIN: Royal Support for Ukraine & more – 6th Mar 2025

Buenos días from Gracia! This is the Rorshok Spain Update from the 6th of March twenty twenty-five. A quick summary of what's going down in Spain.

To start this week, during his opening speech at the annual Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Sunday the 2nd, King Felipe VI reaffirmed his support for Ukraine and reinforced the country’s right to defend its land and people. Since his speech, many news outlets have labeled it an “act of solidarity.”

His statement comes as a response to the tense meeting between Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US president Donald Trump held at the White House, on Saturday the 1st. The two leaders had a heated conversation, with most media outlets calling it an attack on Zelenskyy, and highly inappropriate.

In other news, on Monday, the 3rd, Fernando Martín, the former president of the Martinsa property group and football club Real Madrid, admitted to paying twenty-five million euros to secure a contract from the Madrid city council as part of the complex Gürtel case.

The Gürtel case, which first came to light back in two thousand nine, was a major political corruption misconduct in Spain involving illegal party financing and bribery linked to Partido Popular or PP. The case has led to many convictions, resignations, and it was ultimately responsible for the downfall of Mariano Rajoy, Spain’s former president.

Around twenty people are still on trial for corruption, and many, like Fernando Martín, have admitted guilt in exchange for reduced sentences. If the court accepts Martín’s confession, he could see as little as three years in prison, or potentially bypass prison altogether with a hefty fine.

Over to Catalunya now, where on Tuesday the 4th, the Socialist PSOE Party and the Junts Party proposed a new law granting Catalunya more immigration powers. This agreement would allow Catalunya to shape its immigration policy, with Spain providing the necessary resources while aligning with European and national laws.

The biggest issue the regional government has faced so far regarding the new law has been what to do with border security. To solve this, Junts pushed for the Catalan police force, Mossos d'Esquadra, to take on a much more active role in border security, inspired by the Bavarian police in Germany, who oversee ports, airports, and key areas with their national forces.

Catalunya also wants to manage some expulsions, residency permits, and detention centers, and gain nearly 2,000 more officers to help support these new roles.

Now for updates on fossil fuel-induced weather events, after the devastating floods in southern Spain in November twenty twenty-four, the country once again is dealing with large amounts of rain and flash floods, potentially posing a significant danger to life.

On Monday the 3rd, heavy rains trapped around twenty vehicles on the AP-4 motorway near Jerez, in the south, causing flooding at the Jerez Motorcycle Circuit and marking the highest levels of rainfall in the area since nineteen forty-six.

Firefighters and emergency services are still working to deal with the areas affected. An orange alert was issued on Tuesday the 4th, and was extended from Andalucia in the south, to Valencia in the east, where more severe storms were expected.

Authorities continue to recommend road closures and school suspensions, while rail and air traffic remain unaffected.

Follow Spain's state Meteorological Agency, Aemet, to stay up to date and learn more about the developing weather situation. Link in show notes!

Could AI help with flood prevention efforts? Well, Amazon Web Solutions, or AWS, stated on Monday the 3rd that it will use artificial intelligence to reduce flood risks in Spain's northeastern region of Aragon, where it is currently building data centers.

The AWS said it wanted to spend seventeen million euros to reduce flood risks in the region by modernizing infrastructure and using AI to optimize water use for agriculture. Spain's highest-flowing river, the Ebro, travels through Aragon on its way to the Mediterranean Sea and is prone to flooding. So, keep your eyes peeled as this could be the future!

Let’s take a look at policing. The Guardia Civil, Spain’s national police force, launched a campaign on Monday the 3rd against card knives, concealed weapons designed to look like credit cards but unfold into sharp weapons. They are small but capable of inflicting significant harm and are prohibited under Spain’s Law of Public Safety. Carrying these card knives will result in fines of up to 30,000 euros.

From safety to security, El Corte Inglés, Spain’s largest department store chain, suffered a major security breach on Monday the 3rd, leaking a large amount of El Corte Inglés card customer data.

The breach occurred through an external provider, exposing customer identification, contact details, and card numbers for purchases only at El Corte Inglés. Despite the breach, the store assured that third-party information wasn’t leaked, only data belonging to purchases made with an El Corte Inglés Card, so it doesn’t affect individual banks or credit cards. They also said that the issue was quickly identified and fixed through security protocols.

Customers were reminded that El Corte Inglés will never ask for passwords or personal info via email or phone, so if you ever receive such messages, stay safe, and don’t share your information.

The end of last week saw the first-ever Turium Connecting Excellence Award ceremony, and the winner was one of Spain’s most beloved actors, Antonio Banderas.

He received the inaugural award in Madrid on Thursday the 27th, for his role as an ambassador of Spanish culture and excellence. Presented by Ignacio Ybarra, chairman of media group Vocento, the award recognized Banderas' work in promoting Spanish culture internationally.

Banderas has been working in the entertainment industry for over forty years and is most famous for his roles in films such as Desperado, and Puss in Boots.

Speaking of awards, the Spanish-language French musical crime film Emilia Pérez won two Oscars. It won Best Original Song for El, and Mal Zoe Saldaña won Best Supporting Actress.

Despite winning two awards, the musical faced controversy. Originally nominated in thirteen categories, its backlash stemmed not from the film but from resurfaced offensive tweets by lead actress Karla Sofía Gascón in twenty twenty-twenty twenty-one, targeting Muslims in Spain and Islam. The tweets have since been deleted, but this backlash undoubtedly affected the film and award results.

Returning to the annual Mobile World Congress, it started on Sunday the 2nd, and is the go-to place where major tech brands from around the world showcase their latest innovations. Here are some highlights from this year's edition:

Vodafone unveiled its Plan Vuela, a public Wi-Fi network to cover 700 Andalusian municipalities with 27,000 access points and 800 kilometers (around 400 miles) of cable, improving the area's connectivity.

Meanwhile, Huawei announced a strategic partnership with Barcelona’s city hall to promote tech innovation and training for its workers.

Now for some interesting news. The Ministry of Culture has ordered the removal of a Guanche mummy from Madrid’s National Archaeological Museum as part of efforts to decolonize state museums.

The mummy, dating from the 12th to 13th century, was originally displayed in twenty fifteen. It belonged to the Guanches, indigenous people of the Canary Islands. The removal follows a government policy requiring human remains to be treated with respect and in accordance with the beliefs of the communities of origin.

The regional government in the Canary Islands has long campaigned for its return, a request Spain initially approved in twenty ten but later rejected due to the mummy’s fragility.

Here’s one for the bird watchers amongst our listeners and an interesting local sighting. The Eurasian Pygmy Owl has reportedly made its home in Spain, with its first recorded presence in Catalunya

Traditionally found in the Pyrenees and parts of France, the species has been expanding its range. The initial expansion was first noted after sightings in France in twenty fifteen, followed by additional discoveries near the Spanish border, including a recent sighting just a few weeks ago!

And finally, if you’re a fan of the night sky, you will want to put a date into your calendar. A rare total lunar eclipse will occur in Spain on Friday, the 14th, turning the moon a deep red during the blood moon event. The eclipse will peak around 8 AM Spanish time (6 AM GMT+0) and last for roughly an hour.

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

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¡Hasta la próxima!