International

Argentine Jorge Fernández Díaz wins the 81st Nadal Award with ‘El secreto de Marcial’

The Argentine writer and journalist Jorge Fernández Díaz has won the 81st edition of the Nadal Novel Award, endowed with 30,000 euros, with his autobiographical work ‘El secreto de Marcial’, which the winner of the award, Editorial Destino, will publish on February 5.

In the proclamation ceremony, Fernández Díaz, who had presented himself to the award under the pseudonym of Daniel Ocampo, has won the Nadal with a novel that had the provisional title of ‘Marcial’.

Previously, in the same evening, the winner of the 57th edition of the Josep Pla Prize for Catalan Prose was announced, endowed with 10,000 euros, which has fallen to the scientific popularizer and educator David Bueno, hidden behind the pseudonym of ‘Carro de Foc’, for ‘L’art de ser humans’, an essay that proposes a fascinating journey through the arts, neuroscience and education, which he had presented with the fictional title ‘Quan l’esser humà despierta’.

After the jury’s verdict was made public, Fernández Díaz, whose name coincidence with the former PP Minister of the Interior has not prevented any jokes, recalled that Nadal “is one of the world’s great prizes.”

“I am the son of two Asturians who emigrated to Argentina in the midst of hunger and fear of the post-war period after the Spanish Civil War and who built an epic emigrant in an immense Spanish community, forgotten and today in the process of extinction,” confessed the Argentine journalist, who wants to dedicate the winning novel precisely to “that forgotten community in which I grew up.”

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A few years ago, in 2001, Fernández Díaz wrote the successful novel ‘Mamá’, which he dedicated to his mother Carmina, an Asturian who was sent to Argentina at the age of 15 to flee poverty in the post-war period of Francoism.

The author now focuses on ‘El secreto de Marcial’ on “the most mysterious person”, his father, Marcial Fernández, who in ‘Mamá’ was “a secondary character, a chapter, because for some reason he was a hermetic person, who was present in an exceptional way.”

For the winner of the dean of the Hispanic literary awards, “there is only one mother, but every father is an enigma” and, for that reason, he decided to solve it: “My father did not have the tools to communicate with me, and his only way, the only sentimental education he bequeathed to me was to watch together some of the classics of old Hollywood, some films that I have later revisited.”

Since Marcial Fernández died in 2005, his father became “a kind of literary ghost” who challenged him to try to write about him.

“My father gave me for lost when he found out that I wanted to be a writer and it is an ironic turn that my father returns to Spain in the form of a novel and tonight,” he said excitedly.

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In Fernández Díaz’s opinion, his father was the archetype of “those tough men not trained for the paternal-child relationship, a facet that he left exclusively in the hands of the mother.”

Although he tells the life of Marcial, the writer has also wanted to narrate the life of the Spanish community in Argentina, which “had great importance at the time and is on the verge of extinction with some of its members already in the ages.”

The novel, the author points out, takes place in a different Buenos Aires from that of Marcial, where a family investigation takes place looking for the secrets of this enigmatic man, a research that takes the reader to Asturias.

In the same evening, previously, the 57th Josep Pla Prize for Catalan prose was presented to the biologist, researcher and science popularizer David Bueno, for his work ‘L’art de ser humans’.

After knowing the verdict, Bueno said that “this award is not the end of anything” and about the award-winning work he commented that it is “a fascinating journey through the arts, neuroscience and education, which redefine the way we perceive the world and ourselves.”

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In the usual evening that opens the literary course of the year every January 6 in Barcelona, which this year has remembered the centenary of Ana María Matute, personalities from the cultural, political and economic world have attended, headed by the president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, and the Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun.

International

Federal Judge Blocks Trump Policy Allowing Deportations to Third Countries

A federal judge ruled on Wednesday that the policy of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration allowing immigration authorities to deport foreign nationals to third countries without prior notice or the opportunity to object is unlawful. The decision marks another legal setback for the administration on immigration matters.

Judge Brian Murphy of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts struck down the regulation issued last year, which stated that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was not required to notify migrants if they were to be sent to countries other than the one listed in their removal order, provided that receiving nations offered assurances they would not face persecution or torture.

Murphy ordered the measure vacated but granted a 15-day delay before the ruling takes effect, giving the Trump administration time to file an appeal.

In his decision, the judge concluded that the policy violates federal immigration law and migrants’ due process rights. He also questioned the lack of transparency surrounding the alleged assurances provided by receiving countries, stating that “no one really knows anything about these supposed ‘assurances.’” He added, “It is not right, and it is not lawful.”

The ruling follows several legal disputes involving deportations to third countries. Last year, the executive branch deported more than 200 Salvadorans to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador, invoking an old wartime law. The White House also held talks with Costa Rica, Panama, and Rwanda about receiving migrants who are not citizens of those countries.

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In May, the same judge determined that the government violated a court order when it attempted to remove a group of immigrants with criminal records to South Sudan without prior notice or an opportunity to raise claims of fear of persecution.

Although President Donald Trump took the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, which temporarily allowed the deportations to resume while a final decision was pending, the White House is expected to again appeal to higher courts to overturn this latest judicial ruling.

International

Cocaine Production Surges 34% in 2023 as Market Expands into Africa and Asia

The global cocaine market is the fastest-growing among all illicit drugs worldwide, the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) warned on Thursday in its annual report presented in Vienna.

The body attributes this expansion to the sustained rise in production in South America — particularly in Colombia — as well as increasing demand in emerging regions such as Africa and Asia.

According to the report, global cocaine production surpassed 3,700 metric tons in 2023, marking a 34% increase compared to 2022. This growth is largely driven by the expansion of illicit coca cultivation in Colombia and the greater production capacity of clandestine laboratories.

The INCB noted that the market has not only grown in volume but has also diversified and become more globalized. While Europe and North America remain the primary destinations, trafficking routes now reach “all regions of the world,” including Africa — traditionally considered a transit zone — and Asia, where the presence of cocaine was previously marginal.

In Western and Central Europe, for the fifth consecutive year, seizures in 2023 exceeded those in North America, consolidating the region as the leading destination market. Between January 2019 and June 2024, more than 1,826 metric tons of drugs bound for European ports were seized, of which 82% was cocaine, equivalent to 1,487 metric tons.

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The report also highlights that seizures in Africa rose by 48% in 2023 compared to 2022, reflecting the expansion of the market on the continent. Globally, the number of cocaine users increased from 17 million in 2013 to 25 million in 2023.

International

Clinton Accuses Republican Committee of Using Epstein Case to Shield Trump

Former U.S. Secretary of State and former First Lady Hillary Clinton denied on Thursday before a congressional committee that she had ever met convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in person or had any knowledge of the crimes he committed.

Clinton testified behind closed doors from New York before the House Oversight Committee. The wife of former President Bill Clinton — who is scheduled to testify on Friday — accused the Republican-controlled committee of summoning her in order to “distract attention” and “cover up” the activities of President Donald Trump, who had past ties to Epstein.

“I do not recall ever meeting Mr. Epstein. I never flew on his plane nor visited his island, his homes, or his offices. I have nothing further to add,” she stated.

The former Secretary of State emphasized that she “had no idea about the criminal activities” of the financier, who died in prison in 2019. “Like any decent person, I was horrified when I learned of his crimes,” she said.

Clinton described the Epstein case as “a tragedy” and “a scandal” that deserves “a thorough investigation,” but criticized the committee for failing to summon what she called the truly relevant individuals.

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“Instead, you have asked me to testify, knowing that I have no knowledge that would serve your investigation, with the purpose of distracting from President Trump’s activities and shielding him despite the legitimate demand for answers,” she said.

The questioning, conducted behind closed doors in Chappaqua, New York — where the Clintons reside — took place one day before former President Bill Clinton was scheduled to appear at the same location.

Although the Clintons initially declined to testify before Congress, the threat of being held in contempt ultimately led the former presidential couple to agree to appear and explain their relationship with Epstein.