· February, 2013

Stories about Spain from February, 2013

The Spanish Government's ‘Obscene’ Hashtag Makes Waves on Twitter

  21 February 2013

The Spanish governing party launched the hashtag #QuelaenseñeRubalcaba [#ShowyoursRubalcaba] in order to urge the leader of the opposition to publish his income tax return. The hashtag has been received with great furore on Twitter and became a Top Trend within a few hours. In this article we've collected some of the wittiest tweets, as well as numerous images which surfers have been uploading on the social network. [All links lead to Spanish language pages unless otherwise stated]

Global Voices in Sesión de Control

  21 February 2013

We are pleased to announce that, as of a few weeks ago, Sesión de Control, an online Spanish political affairs magazine, is republishing articles from Global Voices on its website.

Spanish Parliamentarians Tweet Secret Mario Draghi meeting

  18 February 2013

El Presidente del Banco Central Europeo (BCE) Mario Draghi pidió que su intervención en el Congreso español se realizara a puertas cerradas. Pero dos diputados desobedecieron la petición de Draghi y transmitieron en tiempo real en Twitter las intervenciones de Draghi bajo la etiqueta que ellos mismo crearon #OpenDraghi.

Crowdfunders Empty Pockets for Catalan Independence

  18 February 2013

‘L'endemà. Respostes per a decidir‘, a documentary project about Catalonia's potential independence from Spain, produced by Isona Passola [ca], earned a record-breaking €150,000 on the crowdfunding platform Verkami on February 15, 2013. Passola, who produced the award-winning film Pa Negre [ca], hoped to reach that amount in 40 days, but reached that goal in just eleven....

Eurovegas in Spain: Panacea or Plunder?

  17 February 2013

Officials have announced that Eurovegas, the future city of leisure that will supposedly create hundreds of thousands of jobs for Spain, will be built on the outskirts of Madrid. Why, then, are so many people raising their voices against the project, which should be a godsend for a country with more than five million people out of work?

Under Pressure, Spain Opens Door to Foreclosure Reform

  14 February 2013

The Plataforma de Afectados por la Hipoteca (PAH), joined by an impressive social movement, fought for Congress to change mortgage legislation in Spain. In the end, the Popular Party bowed to intense public pressure mobilized via the #ILPescrache hashtag.

Spain: €8.1 Million Bail for the King's Son-in-law

  12 February 2013

Iñaki Urdangarín, Duke of Palma, accused of embezzlement of public funds, fraud, breach of trust/corruption and forgery of documents since 2012, has been in and out of the courts with less than enviable frequency. Recently, a warrant for Urdangarín was issued in relation to misappropriation of public funds.

Listening to Colours

  12 February 2013

Original de Vilaweb. Neil Harbisson és primer ciborg reconegut oficialment per un govern i el protagonista del documental guanyador al Festival Sundance 'Cyborg Foundation', del cineasta català Rafel Duran. Harbisson va néixer amb acromatòpsia, una condició que li impedeix distingir els colors. Aquest artista visual i compositor, amb l'ajuda d'un enginyer, va inventar l'Eyeborg, un dispositiu que li serveix per percebre les freqüències que emeten els colors.

An Online Campaign Demands Quality Journalism from La Vanguardia

  4 February 2013

The Catalan Association for Scientific Communication, the Spanish Association of Scientific Communication and the Society for the Progression of Critical Thinking have started an Internet campaign via online petition platform Change.org asking for scientific accuracy in La Vanguardia, one of the widest circulated Catalan newspapers and part of the Grupo...

Massive Political Corruption Causes Outrage in Spain

  2 February 2013

The former treasurer of the governing Popular Party, Luis Bárcenas, is being investigated for paying bonus salaries under the table to well known public officers. The case has caused strong reactions that had led to protests on the streets and on the web.