English Language Broadcast 2v3q57

Nicolas Muller was born in Hungary in 1913, but as a Jewish man, he was forced to flee his home country as the Nazis grew in power. From Hungary to Paris to Portugal to Tangier, the photographer finally found a home in Spain, which was under a dictatorship at the time. He was a witness to a difficult period of Europe's history, and his photography expresses as much, capturing the souls of those who lived through the times. The San Fernando Fine Arts Royal Academy in Madrid has a collection of his photographs in its custody, photographs on exhibition until March. In today's broadcast, we talk to Member of the Academy and National Photography Award Winner, Isabel Muñoz, about the life of the photographer and the legacy he left behind. Escuchar audio

Language comes hand in hand with culture, and an argument could be made for Madrid becoming more and more multicultural, for a new bookstore just opened in the Madrilian neighbourhood of Lavapiés: Parenthesis or Paréntesis, a bilingual bookstore that offers books in English and in Spanish. We visited the store to learn more about it with their co-founders Eitan Felner and Giedre Pavalkyte. Escuchar audio

In the face of international instability, and uncertainty about the relations between the European Union and the United States, last week, the European Commission presented its plan for a more competitive Union. A guideline with 3 areas of focus and 5 enablers. Spokesperson Lea Zuber, told us more about the "Competitiveness com". And also last week, in the early hours of Thursday morning, space technicians and engineers gathered in a Operation Center 37 kilometers from Madrid to witness the launching of the Spanish Satellite: Spainsat NG-1 Secure Communications Satellite from across the ocean, in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Escuchar audio

Language tourism is on its way to becoming one of Spain's biggest assets when it comes to foreign visitors. In 2024, 158 thousand students visited Spain to learn Spanish in one of its schools. Elena Fernandez, head of international systems in FEDELE (the Spanish Federation of Associations of Spanish Schools for Foreigners), tells about what they do in the federation and the value of learning Spanish in Spain.  Escuchar audio

During the Spanish civil war in the 1930s, many foreigners came to Spain to the Republican forces in the fight against fascism. One of those foreigners was British author George Orwell. His time in Spain exposed him to the complexities of war and later influenced many of his writings. On the 75th anniversary of his death, we speak with Quentin Kopp, chair at the Orwell society and son of Georges Kopp, Orwell’s then-commanding officer. After that, we learn about FEDELE, the Spanish Federation of Associations of Spanish Schools for Foreigners, and the value of learning Spanish in Spain. We hear from Elena Fernandez, head of international systems in the federation.  Escuchar audio

Spain is one of the big five countries within the Eurovision song contest, the televised phenomenon that is celebrated every spring where countries from Europe and beyond compete with their own songs to win the iconic glass microphone, but.... How does each country choose which song will represent them? This week, Spain celebrates Benidorm Fest, the pre-song contest song contest. The winner of the competition will be going to Switzerland under the Spanish flag... And this is the first year that this station, Radio Exterior de España, is broadcasting the competition final. It airs live on Saturday at 9PM UTC. And so, to familiarize people abroad with the process and event that is BenidormFest, on today's broadcast we'll be ed by our colleague Claudia Fernández, "Eurofan" and journalist. Escuchar audio

FITUR, one of the biggest tourism fairs in the world, has closed its 45th edition after a busy five days in Madrid. Over 9,500 companies from 156 countries from all over the world filled the halls of the IFEMA complex to share ideas and learn about the ever-changing world-wide landscape of tourism. Sustainable tourism has become a focal point of the tourism industry in the past few years. Tourism that seeks not to disturb the local habitats, and some initiatives hope to leave their destinations better than they found it. But a new concern has arisen within the tourism industry: Who is the future of tourism for? FITUR now has a space dedicated to accessible and inclusive tourism. To learn more about this new horizon, at the fair we were ed by Stelena Angelova, Accessible Tourism Consultant of the Impulsa Igualdad organization, Ángela Lozano, head of the FITUR 4ALL section of the fair, and Emilio Zuñiga, co-founder of Il Viaggio Travel. Escuchar audio

Almost a week has ed since the ceasefire agreeement between Israel and Hamas was signed. For the past few days, we've been watching hostages return to their homelands, and refugees return to what remains of the Gaza strip. In this special broadcast, we take a closer look both at the ceasefire agreement, and the situation on the ground in Gaza. We are ed by Ana Salinas de Frías, International Law Professor at the University of Malaga, to learn about the agreement and what it entails. And after that, we speak with Jonathan Fowler, spokeperson for the The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. Escuchar audio

It's the dawn of a new era. Donald Trump has begun his second term as President of the United States. This is his third day in office, and in today's broadcast, on Spanish National Radio, we're going to seek a Spanish and European perspective of this new era. After Donald Trump mentioned Spain alongside the BRICS, and with Donald Trump's rhetoric at the opposite end of the spectrum to the EU's, we might be facing a difficult era. We have with us Antonio Alonso, Professor of International Relations at the CEU San Pablo University, to discuss. Escuchar audio

Berlanga, Bardem, Saura, Bartolomé... Huge names in the world of Spanish cinema with one thing in common: they went to school together. The Escuela Oficial de Cine is where the great minds of Spanish cinema learned their craft, in the time period from the late 40s to the 70s. That is, under the dictatorship, which was notorious for its censorship and control over artistic expression. However, the Film School managed to garner a reputation as a "nido de rojos" (nest of reds). The Spanish Film Institute is nown holding an exhibition about the school, titled Los 100 metros libres. Vida y milagros de la Escuela de Cine, featuring items from its expansive archive, an archive that has been named an asset of cultural interest. In today's broadcast, we hear all about it from Noelia Sastre, head of film-related materials of the Spanish Film Insitute. Escuchar audio

26 years ago, Spanish chef, José Pizarro, moved to London with the mission of bringing Spanish cuisine closer to British diners. And today, we can say that he has succeeded in this mission. With 6 very popular restaurants in the British capital, and one more on the way, it is no surprise that he was unofficially appointed as "The Godfather of Spanish cuisine in the UK". He ed us in this broadcast to tell us more about his journey.  After that, we hear from Alex Lora, director of "The Masterpiece" a Spanish short film included in this year's Oscar's shortlist.  Escuchar audio

For 87 years, the comic strip "Bringing up father" captivated generations of readers in the United States with its irony and humour. Now, 112 years after it was first published, publisher Diábolo recently released a Spanish volume of the comic that captivated generations of readers from 1913 to the year 2000. The person behind this translation is Francisco Sáez de Adana and he ed us to tell us about the proces of bringing this beloved comic strip closer to Spanish-speaking readers. Escuchar audio

Since 2007, students in bilingal public schools in the region of Madrid have the opportunity to participate in what is called "Global Classroom", a series of debates that simulate the debates by the United Nations. Every year, a relevant theme is selected and participants have to debate and discuss possible allyships and collaborations. In this broadcast we learn about the "Global Classrooms" program with David Cervera, director general of bilingualism in the Region of Madrid, Andrea Ors Conde, History and Geography teacher in the Torcuato Fernández Miranda high school, and Kathrine Mae Apporo, English assistant in the same school. We also hear from this year's participants and former students who won the trip to New York.  Escuchar audio

150 pieces by 36 artists to tell the story of Spain, its history and culture, as well as the evolution of the art of photography. The exhibition "Beyond the single image" brings a small part of the Foto Colectania Collection in Barcelona to the American public in Miami. The exhibition will run in The Margulies Collection at the Warehouse until the 26th of April. In this broadcast we speak with its, Carles Guerra.  Escuchar audio

More than 30 years after the end of the conflict between the USSR and the USA, experts have begun to speak of a new cold war, this one between the USA and China. In the book "The New Cold War: How the Contest Between the US and China Will Shape Our Century", author and former director of Chatham House, Robin Niblett, reflects on how the rivalrly between these two countries began, how it is developing, and the consequences it could have. The book was recently translated to Spanish and we had the chance to speak with Robin Niblett in a meeting organized by the Aspen Institute. Escuchar audio

'Dana' was chosen as Spain's word of the year in 2024... it translates to 'cold drop', and its a term used in Spain to refer to high impact rainfall. A choice very different to Oxford and Cambridge's words of the year, which were 'brain rot' and 'manifest', respectively. 'Dana' is also one of the additions to the Spanish dictionary in December of last year, when 4074 updates were made to the RAE, including loan words (espóiler, sérum, fitness, rapear), expressions and removals. In today's broadcast, we'll talk to Amalia Pedrero, Spanish Language Professor at the CEU San Pablo University in Madrid, about Spanish words and language. Escuchar audio

2024 has come to an end, and for today's broadcast we decided to look back on the year we're leaving behind. From the Spanish entries in the Oscars, to the political ups-and-downs, to Rafa Nadal's retirement, and the tragedy of the flooding in Valencia, we recap 2024 in this special broadcast to ring in the new year! Escuchar audio

In Spain, only 20% of entrepeneurs are women... and according to the Closing Gap Index, published in February of 2024, at the current pace it is estimated that Spain will achieve gender parity in 2063: 39 years from now.  In our last broadcast of the year, we learn about Female Startup Leaders, an association that offers a space for businesswomen and women entrepeneurs to share ideas and exchange their experiences. Their objective is building a friendlier future for women who want to start and grow a business in Spain. We talk to Esther Molina, the association's co-founder, about the initiative. Escuchar audio

Alegría is one of the Cirque Du Soleil's most iconic shows. It first premiered in 1994, and toured the world until 2013... For its 25th anniversary, the show was reworked and taken on tour. Alegría is currently in Spain's capital, where we had the chance to learn all about circus life, going backstage to talk to Rachel Lancaster, Alegría's artistic director, and performers Ghislain Ramage (Cyr Wheel) and Nicolai Kuntz (Synchronized Trapeze Duo). Escuchar audio

Last year, the smallest Christmas tree in Spain was only 2 centimeters tall and was put up by the neighbours association Breogan de O Piñeiriño in the northern town of Vilagarcia de Arousa, in Galicia... This year, they have gone even further and with the collaboration of the MERLN Institute in the Neetherlands, they have created the smallest 3D-printed Christmas tree in the world! It's only 10 micrometers tall and can only be seen with an electron microscope. Galician Adrián Seijas was the creator of this tiny Christmas tree. After that, we'll also be learning all about the mouth-watering Christmas treats traditional to Spain, turrón and roscón de reyes! Jacobo Moreno, one of the owners of Mallorca Bakeries, will be ing us to tell us about these traditions! Escuchar audio