The avalanche of immigrants who entered Ceuta last week not only captured attention due to the humanitarian emergency but also because of its geopolitical consequences and diplomatic implications. International media featured front pages and news reports with images from El Tarajal, but have maintained coverage focusing on the reasons behind what happened and have analyzed who wins and who loses in this whole story.
The Government has avoided in recent days blaming Morocco for the migratory avalanche that took place in Ceuta last week. This Monday it went a step further by having kind words about the “collaboration” of the neighboring country in the return of “the vast majority” of the people who crossed the border through the El Tarajal breakwater to Moroccan soil between Thursday and Friday, although there is no unanimity and that message is not conveyed the same way from all ministries. For now, rather than looking south, the criticisms are directed both at the opposition parties –PP and Vox– and at other European Union member states –especially Italy– that have questioned Spain’s role in this whole matter and that tomorrow Tuesday will address the issue in an extraordinary meeting of the community interior ministers. And at the “reactionary international” that according to the Government spread “lies and false news.”
The Russian journalist Xenia Fedorova, against whom there was an expulsion order from France and whose assets were frozen last week, has been outside French territory for days, according to her lawyer, Emmanuel Piwnica, who informed the AFP agency this Monday.
After the humanitarian crisis experienced in Ceuta, it has gone viral on social media that the United States Congress recently approved “transferring Ceuta and Melilla to Morocco,” a measure that would have facilitated the events of last Thursday. One of the most viral messages was posted by Congressman Thomas Massie, from the liberal wing of the Republican Party, and several Spanish accounts have circulated it: “Two weeks ago, the House of Representatives passed a law that gave the green light to the transfer of [Ceuta and Melilla] to Morocco. All Republicans, except me, voted in favor, and now they act surprised by the invasion.” It is MISLEADING.
War and the change of an era begin with a helmet thrown on the ground. When in January 2025, the rebel group M23 invaded the city of Goma, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Congolese army soldiers abandoned their uniforms and helmets in their chaotic retreat. Without equipment that could give them away, there was less chance of being shot in the temple. The fear lasted for weeks: the military gear remained scattered in the streets – no one wanted to pick them up and be mistaken for a soldier – and it became the symbol of a sustained change of times.
The French government was one of the members of the European Union that did not sign the letter that censured Spain’s immigrant regularization policy and linked that strategy to the crisis that occurred this weekend in Ceuta. The letter had been promoted by the far-right government of Giorgia Meloni and by other European countries such as Germany.
After nine days in the preseason stage. Hansi Flick closed the Barcelona training camp at St. George’s Park with a very positive assessment of the stay in England. The German coach described the stage as “one of the best training camps” of his career and highlighted both the quality of the facilities and the growth the squad has experienced since his arrival at the club in 2024.
The Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, has called on Morocco this Monday to investigate “to the end” the massive entry of migrants into Ceuta and has defended the work of the Spanish intelligence services, both those of her department and those under the Interior Ministry.
The British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca is in talks to merge with its American rival Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), in a deal that would create one of the largest pharmaceutical groups in the world, valued at nearly $400 billion (around €347 billion). According to the Financial Times on Monday, these two companies have been in contact about a possible merger over the past few months. These negotiations could culminate in an agreement in the near future, but they could also be delayed or fail, sources cited by the British newspaper indicate.
The MMM group, a historic manufacturer of automotive tubes, has closed its Molins de Rei plant unable to overcome the bankruptcy proceedings. However, the Chinese group PXI Automotive, with a presence in Catalonia, has decided to save part of the business.
