The claim has been circulating these days on websites and social media: the richest students would achieve worse academic results than the poorest, according to the latest PISA Report. The official data, however, tell a different story.
The endorsement of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) for the amnesty law represents an important support for the Government’s political strategy and strengthens the rule promoted to close the cases arising from the procés. However, Carles Puigdemont’s judicial situation does not change immediately. The deputy director of La Vanguardia, Lola García, explains that the former president remains subject to an arrest warrant in Spain because the Supreme Court continues to consider that the crime of embezzlement cannot be amnestied in his case.
The new Ebola outbreak detected in the Democratic Republic of Congo has raised alarms among international health organizations. However, the science and health journalist from La Vanguardia, Josep Corbella, sends a clear message: “This Ebola virus is not going to circulate in Europe, it is not going to circulate outside Africa due to the characteristics of the virus.” In his opinion, there is no risk of a global pandemic, but there is a risk of a health crisis of enormous proportions in the heart of the African continent.
The possibility of a motion of no confidence against Pedro Sánchez is once again gaining prominence in the political debate, but the difficulties in forming an alternative majority remain enormous. This is the view of Lola García, deputy director of La Vanguardia, who argues that neither Junts nor the PNV currently find an easy way out of the current situation. “What would interest them is for the current Government to be stronger and more solid, able to present budgets and not be harassed by corruption cases,” she said. In her opinion, the alternative of an Executive led by Alberto Núñez Feijóo with Vox as part of the equation is also not attractive to them.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to order new bombings on Beirut has once again raised tensions in the Middle East and put the United States’ strategy in the region to the test. According to Helena Pelicano, La Vanguardia’s special envoy in Jerusalem, it is “one more step in this military escalation in Lebanon” after a ceasefire signed last April which, in practice, “has not been observed by either side.” The journalist recalled that Israel maintains troops in Lebanese territory and that, until now, the capital had only been attacked once, following an express request from Donald Trump to avoid bombings on a densely populated city.
The battle for the rights to Rosco has once again placed Pasapalabra at the center of television news. However, the conflict goes far beyond the realm of game shows. What is at stake is one of the key pieces of Antena 3’s programming and one of the most profitable time slots in all of Spanish television. This was explained by the specialized journalist Andrés Guerra on Claves del día, where he recalled that behind this legal dispute are millions of viewers, television leadership, and an important source of advertising revenue.
The investigation into the rescue of Plus Ultra continues to accumulate evidence and politically pressure José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, but the judicial uncertainties remain numerous. This was argued by Manel Pérez, deputy director, who distinguished between the ethical and criminal aspects of a case that, in his opinion, raises questions about the activities carried out by the former president after leaving La Moncloa. “Zapatero has a serious problem of credibility and behavior, and of the economic relationships he has woven since leaving the presidency of the Government,” he stated. However, he recalled that the judicial order known so far “still does not clearly reveal what the role of the former president was.”
The Andalusian elections have left an especially harsh picture for the PSOE. Juanma Moreno’s Popular Party came close to an absolute majority, falling just two seats short of governing alone, while the socialists recorded one of the worst results in their history in a community that for decades was one of their major electoral strongholds. For Jaume Aroca, head of the Politics section at La Vanguardia, the scenario left after the polls reveals a deep crisis in Andalusian socialism: “The PSOE is absolutely decimated.”