Aitor Hernández-Morales
@aitorehm.bsky.social
Journalist covering cities and Iberian affairs. Formerly in Miami, Madrid, Lisbon, Rome; now in Brussels (but often elsewhere). 🔁≠👍
When current European Council President António Costa became Portugal’s PM in 2015, the country took pride in being the only European nation without a far-right political presence. This weekend’s elections have cemented a very different reality.
Costa’s legacy: The far right in Portugal
The ultranationalist Chega party is thriving by campaigning on issues the president of the European Council failed to address while prime minister.
politico.eu
Center-left candidate António José Seguro will become Portugal’s next president, defeating far-right leader André Ventura by a comfortable margin in runoff elections held in the midst of ongoing storms and floods on Sunday. www.politico.eu/article/exit...
Exit poll: Center left wins Portuguese presidency
Center-left candidate António José Seguro is projected to defeat far-right leader André Ventura and become the country’s next head of state.
politico.eu
Reminder that today’s the day to watch that beloved romantic New Year’s Eve film… ̶A̶n̶ ̶A̶f̶f̶a̶i̶r̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶R̶e̶m̶e̶m̶b̶e̶r̶ ̶W̶h̶e̶n̶ ̶H̶a̶r̶r̶y̶ ̶M̶e̶t̶ ̶S̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ … PHANTOM THREAD
Cecília Giménez, the octogenarian amateur whose botched restoration of the Ecce Homo fresco made headlines around the world, has died at age 94. elpais.com/espana/2025-...
Muere Cecilia Giménez, la anciana que hizo famoso el Ecce Hommo de Borja
La mujer ha fallecido en la residencia donde vivía, según ha confirmado el alcalde de la localidad, Eduardo Arilla, a la SER
elpais.com
Denmark's PostNord is set to deliver its final paper letters on Dec. 30, putting an end to a service first offered in 1624. The company has also spent the past few months uninstalling the country's 1,500 red postboxes, the majority of which are being auctioned off. www.politico.eu/article/plea...
Please, Mr. Postman! Denmark bids farewell to letter delivery and mailboxes
In a bid to address its financial woes, the country’s national postal authority will deliver its final letters on Dec. 30, ending a service that stretches back 401 years.
politico.eu
This week we wrapped our nearly four-year run of @politico.eu's Living Cities, our long-running exploration of Europeans' relationship with the cities in which they live. In our final issue, we reflect on the state of Europe’s cities and how they can be even greater. www.politico.eu/newsletter/g...
Living Cities: The city limits
A conversation on what makes a livable city. By AITOR HERNÁNDEZ-MORALES Send tips here | Tweet @aitorehm | View in your browser Happy Thursday, city lovers! This week marks the conclusion of POLITI…
politico.eu
This week, Brussels lays out its ambition to do something about the bloc-wide housing crisis with the EU's first-ever Affordable Housing Plan. In an exclusive interview with me in @politico.eu, Housing Commissioner Dan Jørgensen previewed the policy package. www.politico.eu/article/brus...
Brussels to free up cash, target tourist flats in EU’s first-ever Affordable Housing Plan
Housing Commissioner Dan Jørgensen warns member countries to take home affordability seriously — or prepare to cede power to far-right populists.
politico.eu
For decades, the EU’s view on housing has been simple: not our problem. Now all the institutions are determined to take on the housing crisis, but different views on how much Brussels should intervene could lead to clashes between the Commission and EU leaders. Story: www.politico.eu/article/the-...
EU finally takes ownership of housing crisis
The pressure is now on Brussels to adopt real measures — or risk pushing more voters into the arms of the far right.
politico.eu
Huge turnout on the second day of @stratosferica.bsky.social’s annual Utopian Hours conference in Turin … Come say hi if you’re here!
La noticia que ‘La Reme’ — la mujer conocida como ‘la mataviejas’ por asesinar a tres ancianas en 2006 — ha sido detenida por matar a otra anciana casi 20 años después, me ha hecho volver a dar con esta crónica magistral: elpais.com/diario/2011/...
Historia de una asesina compulsiva
La cocinera Remedios Sánchez mató a tres ancianas y lo intentó con otras siete en Barcelona a lo largo de 24 días del verano de 2006
elpais.com
Asked if he'll resign if his center-right party performs poorly tonight, Portuguese PM Luís Montenegro employs the finest Lusitanian phrase: "Tira o cavalinho da chuva." To "get the pony out of the rain" is equivalent to telling folks to not hold their breath waiting for something that won't happen.
Half an hour left before polling stations close in continental Portugal in nationwide local elections in which the far right is expected to make significant advances. www.politico.eu/article/port...
Portugal’s local elections poised to be another win for Europe’s far right
Who will govern the biggest cities is anyone’s guess, but anger over the housing crisis may help the ultranationalist Chega party conquer smaller city halls.
politico.eu
Las facultades de periodismo harían bien en compartir esta crónica para mostrar cómo se trata un tema extremamente complejo sin sensacionalismo. Enhorabuena, Silvia Rodríguez Pontevedra; 10/10. elpais.com/espana/galic...
Vida “tranquila” junto al asesino y agresor sexual múltiple en andador
El valenciano Antonio Gali cumplió condena por tres asesinatos, entre ellos el de una niña, y al salir de prisión, con la salud perdida, eligió una aldea de Ourense. “Hay que dejarlo vivir”, opinan su...
elpais.com
I’m randomly in Oslo on the day the Nobel Peace Prize is to be announced.
Poor Michel Barnier, whose record as the Fifth Republic's shortest-serving prime minister has held up for less than a year. All hail Sébastien Lecornu, whose 27-day stint as head of government is now the one to beat.
Una clara señala del éxito en el mundo del periodismo es que tus compañeros hagan eco — o, en su lugar, copien — algo que has escrito. Según ese criterio, el triunfo de Albert Nogueras Tarrero con este tema, publicado en @eldiario.es hace un mes, es espectacular...
No joke, this once happened to me: showed up at Reagan to catch a flight leaving from Dulles. I’m still in awe of the cab driver who manoeuvred rush-hour traffic expertly enough to get me to the right airport with just enough time to make it onto the plane right before boarding completed.
The Washington Post@washingtonpost.com · 10mo agoHeading to catch a flight? Make sure you’re going to the right airport. Seriously. Customer service managers at Dulles and National said travelers confuse the D.C.-area airports on an almost daily basis.
"There is no room in Europe for selfish speculation on a basic need like our homes," Housing Commissioner Dan Jørgensen said Monday, stressing the need to tackle the "financialization" of the EU's housing stock. Story: www.politico.eu/article/eu-h...
EU housing plan to tackle speculation, short-term rentals
Brussels wants more public cash to build homes — and insists they be genuinely affordable.
politico.eu
I'm glad the stats prove I wasn't just imagining things during the years I spent in Portugal, during which I concluded its drivers were notably reckless, death-wishing lunatics. That said, let's all spare a prayer for anyone who has to drive in Serbia. Source: www.gov.uk/government/s...
In case you missed it, we clarified the confusion about the timing of the European Commission's long-awaited Affordable Housing Plan in today's edition of Living Cities. For future clarifications of complex matters, make sure to sign up: www.politico.eu/livingcities/
One key takeaway tonight is that one historic trend has been broken.
Reaparece la exvicepresidenta Soraya Sáez de Santamaría en la comisión de investigación parlamentaria sobre la llamada Operación Cataluña y mi única pregunta es ¿CUÁNDO DECLARA EL BOLSO?
In the past, urban development in Valencia paid little attention to the dangers posed by building in flood-risk areas. Accepting that, sooner or later, the waters will rise again, locals are demanding their cities be rebuilt prioritizing resilience and sustainability. www.politico.eu/article/insi...
Inside the grassroots movement rebuilding flood-ravaged Valencia
Residents are demanding a role in the reconstruction of their cities.
politico.eu
This headline sums up the exhaustion in Spain, where the nationwide blackout comes in the same five year span that has included a pandemic, massive snowstorms, prolonged droughts, deadly floods, a war in Europe, etc. etc. etc.: "Here we are, living through yet another historic moment..."
Big fan of the @diariodenavarra.bsky.social's quick thinking here: They identified the exact hour the blackout began by stepping outside to see the time at which the clock on a neighboring school had stopped. www.diariodenavarra.es/noticias/nav...
El reloj de Pamplona que marcó la hora del apagón
El reloj de las escuelas de San Francisco, en la plaza del mismo nombre, se paró a las 12.35
diariodenavarra.es
Also a big day for Commissioner @hadjalahbib.bsky.social and her once-ridiculed-and-now-highly-desired emergency kit.
