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Received — 1 June 2026 El País - English

Marvin Dunn, the Miami historian challenging Trump’s presidential library: ‘This is commercial benefit for the family directly’

1 June 2026 at 19:09
Marvin Dunn at his community urban farm in Overtown, Miami, May 27.

Marvin Dunn moves with surprising agility among the beds of lettuce, cabbage, and potatoes on his community farm in Overtown, a historic Black neighborhood in Miami that was fractured by the construction of the interstate highway in the 1960s. The farm, squeezed between I-95 and the high-rises packed into nearby downtown, is a kind of oasis where the 85-year-old historian — one of the most recognized voices on the history of segregation in Florida — hosts talks, distributes banned books, and is now preparing a new legal battle to stop construction of Donald Trump’s presidential library a little over 1,000 meters away.

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View of the Miami Dade College land under consideration for the possible construction of Donald Trump’s presidential library, in Miami, Florida.Crops at Dunn’s Overtown Farm.Marvin Dunn inspects crops at Dunn’s Overtown Farm on May 27.

Plants that scent the garden when night falls

1 June 2026 at 14:30

On hot days, sunset and night bring the beneficial effect of falling temperatures. Sitting on a park bench or on the balcony at home offers a different perspective of the garden areas. Taller species will silhouette against the twilight sky, and following their outline with your eyes, as if tracing their shape, is an act of reverence, a connection with the plants. Likewise, the stillness of those hours will add a slowing sensation to the day’s fast pace.

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The whiteness of gardenia flowers stands out on moonlit nights.The silhouette of an oriental plane tree is traced against the twilight sky.A brugmansia and its enormous hanging flowers exhale their perfume at night.Cineraria and its silvery leaves are also a visual draw in a garden at dusk.

© Alamy Stock Photo

The night-blooming jessamine is full of fragrant flowers that can only be smelled after dusk.

Ann Dooms, mathematician: ‘In the real world, human intuition remains irreplaceable’

1 June 2026 at 14:28

After two days in Madrid, Ann Dooms, 47, still hadn’t managed much sightseeing: only a quick visit to the Santiago Bernabéu stadium with her daughter. She was staying at the Residencia de Estudiantes, where she gave a talk at the invitation of the Institute of Mathematical Sciences and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). Public outreach is only one of the many tasks that occupy Dooms. She also leads the Mathematics and Data Science research group at the Free University of Brussels (VUB, by its Dutch initials), where she is a full professor, and chairs both the Belgian Defence Scientific Council and the Education Committee of the European Mathematical Society.

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© Laura Moreno Iraola (ICMAT)

Mathematician Ann Dooms in Madrid.

Ten Marilyn Monroe films to celebrate her centennial

On June 1, Norma Jeane Mortenson would have turned 100. She died at the age of 36, on August 4, 1962, but her artistic alter ego, Marilyn Monroe, became a film legend. The Bombshell Blonde façade concealed a very harsh childhood during which she lived in as many as 12 foster homes, a torturous romantic life, and a career marked by artistic self-doubt and very poor health (she never carried a pregnancy to term).

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© Baron (Getty Images)

Marilyn Monroe in 1954.

Caetano Veloso: ‘Right now concern predominates within me; Brazil seems unable to save itself’

Caetano Veloso, in a video call from Lisbon, Portugal, speaks slowly with that blend of intellectual clarity and Bahian melancholy that for six decades has turned each of his interviews into something more like a philosophical conversation than a mere promotion of new albums or concerts. At age 83, the celebrated musician from Brazil is embarking on a tour titled Caetano nos festivais, which will stop in Madrid on June 4 and which he himself describes, without drama but with honesty, as perhaps his last visit to Spain. That is despite the close relationship he has always maintained with Spanish culture. There is no monumental nostalgia in his words; rather a physical weariness, a wise resignation, political concern and a bitter — though not yet defeated — view of the present. He speaks, without losing passion, about the military dictatorship his country suffered, about Silicon Valley, The Beatles, contemporary confusion and a Brazil that, in spite of everything, he still believes can “say something to the world.”

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© Jota Erre (AGIF via AFP / Europa Press)

Caetano Veloso during a concert in São Paulo, in November 2025.

Latin America seeks to build an Atlantic alliance with Europe and the US: ‘The region has never been so central to the world’

Closing of the CEAPI congress in Mexico.

Just a year ago, Latin America’s major business families — owners of some of the world’s largest fortunes — were watching anxiously for the effects of the tariff wall erected by U.S. President Donald Trump. One year on, they are observing with concern the geopolitical upheaval unleashed by Trump, with an unprecedented change to the liberal international order built after World War II. The new national security strategy outlined by the Trump administration singles out Latin America as a new priority. The Republican tycoon has designated the entire region as his sphere of influence: as both his backyard and his front yard.

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Russians make mass cash withdrawals amid internet shutdowns and transfer controls

Russians, accustomed to living with constant unpredictability, have been stashing rubles for months in the drawers of their homes. Cash withdrawals have been so massive since the start of the year that the Bank of Russia has carried out a substantial upward revision of the financial system’s liquidity needs through the end of 2026. Internet shutdowns — and, by extension, disruptions to payment systems — ordered by the authorities for alleged “security reasons” have driven Russians to withdraw money from ATMs. Added to this, in a bid to raise revenue to fund the war against Ukraine, is a new bill that would tighten controls on cash payments to businesses.

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© ALEXEY MALGAVKO (REUTERS) (EL PAÍS)

A woman pays in cash in Tara, Russia. 

Tony Leung, actor: ‘I considered quitting because I was on the verge of an existential boredom, but working with Wong Kar-wai transformed me’

Tony Leung (Hong Kong, 63) enters the lobby of a Madrid hotel and brings with him an absolute sense of calm. The pace slows; you even get the impression the temperature has dropped slightly. Leung’s image in the film collective was sealed by his role in In the Mood for Love, Wong Kar-wai’s masterpiece that earned Leung the best actor award at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival. A man anchored in melancholy, unable to confront his unfaithful wife or to declare his love to his neighbor. That introspection turned Leung into one of the coolest men on the planet.

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© FRANCIS TSANG (EL PAÍS)

Tony Leung, photographed in Madrid.

‘Macondo York’: The gaze of a García Márquez overwhelmed by the Big Apple

Few associate Gabriel García Márquez with the asphalt jungle of New York. Collective memory places the Nobel Prize-winner in the heat of Mexico, the hustle and bustle of Barranquilla or the elegance of Barcelona. But for Colombian graphic designer and author Iván Onatra, the Big Apple was a crucial — and at times, forgotten — stage in the scribe’s life. García Márquez’s time in the city that never sleeps takes on new life in Onatra’s bilingual design book Macondo York, in which he explores the writer’s love-hate relationship that lasted for six months, while he worked as a journalist for the Prensa Latina news agency.

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© Daniel Mordzinski

Colombian designer Iván Onatra.

Sweet dreams for $2,000 a night: Luxury sleep tourism and how it works

30 May 2026 at 05:00

At some paddleball courts, the sound of rackets can be heard until close to midnight. Many gyms and swimming pools have expanded their hours of operation, as users wake up earlier, or else want to come during times of the evening once reserved for being at home or at the pub. Streaming platforms automatically queue one episode after another of their series in an attempt to keep you hooked until the next morning. Batch cooking takes place at night, and those with complex skincare routines perform them just before bed, adding steps to a ritual that seems to get longer and longer. Though today, many jobs necessitate a graveyard shift, or to be constantly available, there are also everyday leisure activities invading moments that traditionally have been dedicated to rest.

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© Fine Art (Corbis via Getty Images)

Several industries compete with TV to rob the hours we once spent sleeping.

What will happen to tourism in Cuba? Inside GAESA, the military conglomerate on Washington’s radar

When a Cuban person on the island wants to refer to “those in charge,” they lightly tap their shoulder with two fingers. The subtle gesture, shaped by nearly seven decades of censorship, is a reference to the epaulet of a military uniform. In Cuba, people do not speak of the government or the party (the Communist Party of Cuba, the only legal one), but rather of the “country’s leadership.” It is a euphemism that points to the real political and economic power: the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR).

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The adult tribe that is transforming Disney: ‘Everything outside ceases to exist’

29 May 2026 at 20:46
Disney influencer iDanny, at his home in Parla, Madrid.

At 35, Daniel Pontón is what is known as a Disney adult. His fans crowd outside his home in Parla in Madrid where he lives with his fiancé. His passion for Disney is such that he is considering removing the bed from the guest room/museum to make way for the invasion of stuffed Disney toys. On the fluffy pillows, there are Mickey, Stitch, Jack Skellington, Olaf, Chip and Chop. The shelves and walls are also plastered with Disney images. All this memorabilia, and other collector’s items, such as park keys, are mementos from his time browsing Disney stores and enjoying theme parks.

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The book 'Disney Adults', by A. J. Wolfe.Objects that the Disney influencer iDanny collects in his house in Parla.

Simone Biles: ‘I hate exercise; after doing it for so long, I deserve a break’

Simone Biles at Madrid City Hall, May 28.

There is no sign of a lack of sleep in the sharp gaze of Simone Biles (Columbus, Ohio; 29). It’s still early, but the American, one of the greatest gymnasts in history — 11 Olympic medals and 30 world medals, 23 of them gold, an absolute record for men and women and more than double the total of her two nearest rivals, Russia’s Svetlana Khorkina (9) and Romania’s Gina Gogean (9) — poses and smiles shyly beneath the glass ceilings of Madrid City Hall. She is the star of the Future Health event, organized by health insurance company Sanitas in the capital. And everyone is watching her: muscles intact, makeup immaculate. Around her neck jingles a chain bearing the surname of her husband, fellow athlete Jonathan Owens, a player for the NFL’s Colts. A dense air of mystery hangs over the room. No one dares guess Biles’ intentions: she has now gone two years without competing, the same amount of time that remains until the Los Angeles Olympic Games, where, if she decides to remain active, she will be 31.

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Simone Biles, at Madrid City Hall.Simone Biles, beneath the glass ceilings of Madrid City Hall.

Camila Morrone takes center stage, free from the shadow of her past relationship with Leonardo DiCaprio

28 May 2026 at 19:00

As a child, Camila Morrone (Los Angeles, 28) found it odd when she heard her mother and father arguing and repeating the same lines over and over in her family living room. She later understood that her parents’ profession — they are both actors — required long hours of learning lines, rehearsing scripts, and attending auditions that did not always have the hoped-for outcome. The actress has said she grew to feel some aversion to acting during her teens, though deep down she knew it was the path she would follow.

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© Maya Dehlin Spach (WireImage)

Camila Morrone at the premiere of 'Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen,' March 19, 2026, in Los Angeles.

University demands against Argentina’s Milei escalate with student protests and faculty strikes

28 May 2026 at 12:20

The demand over funding and salaries at public universities in Argentina shows no signs of abating. Protests and strikes resumed this week to demand that the government of Javier Milei respect the university financing law, while the academic community awaits a ruling from the Supreme Court of Justice on the government’s noncompliance. Since Tuesday, schools affiliated with the country’s largest university, the University of Buenos Aires (UBA), have been occupied by students. And faculty unions are staging strikes across the country all week.

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© UBA

Classes being held outside the University of Buenos Aires on May 26.

ICE expands use of iris scanners in its operations through a multi-million-dollar contract

Amid growing concerns about surveillance and privacy in the Trump administration’s immigration policy, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is significantly expanding its biometric identification infrastructure. According to NPR, the agency entered into an agreement with BI2 Technologies—a company specializing in biometric technology—that includes the deployment of iris scanners, access to private databases, and real-time verification tools for field agents.

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© Shannon Stapleton (REUTERS)

ICE agents in Newark, New Jersey, on Wednesday.

Sheinbaum’s approval ratings drop seven points after Sinaloa and Chihuahua crises

27 May 2026 at 16:57

Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, is going through her most delicate moment just as she reaches a year and a half in office. Faced with multiple open fronts, the president is showing signs of wear, with a seven-point drop in approval since last March. It is the steepest fall so far in her term, although approval ratings remain high at 68%, according to an Enkoll poll conducted for EL PAÍS and W Radio. To the crisis triggered by the indictment of the governor of Sinaloa, along with nine other senior officials accused by a New York prosecutor of collaborating with drug traffickers, is added a worrying economic weakness that threatens the viability of social policies—a flagship of the leftist Morena government. Insecurity, corruption and the economy are the president’s main shortcomings and the principal concern of Mexicans, with rates slightly up since the last poll in early March.

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May 16 to 19, 2026.

1,207 interviews with men and women aged 18 and over, with valid voter ID and resident in Mexico.

© Quetzalli Nicte-Ha (REUTERS)

Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum speaks during her daily conference on May 26, 2026.

Trump receives Flávio Bolsonaro in the Oval Office three weeks after Lula

U.S. President Donald Trump gave a boost on Tuesday to the presidential bid of Brazilian senator Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, by receiving him in the Oval Office, 19 days after meeting there with Brazil’s president, former union leader Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Barring a surprise, Lula and Bolsonaro’s son are expected to face each other at the ballot box in October. Flávio Bolsonaro’s team hopes the photo with Trump will help him overcome a popularity crisis and consolidate his candidacy.

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© @FlavioBolsonaro (EFE)

Flávio Bolsonaro and Donald Trump in the Oval Office.

The battle to redraw electoral districts ahead of the midterms: Where changes have been confirmed and where they are awaiting approval

27 May 2026 at 10:27

The redrawing of electoral districts, or gerrymandering, in the United States is reaching unprecedented levels. After the Supreme Court’s late-April ruling changed electoral rules and curtailed minority rights, Republicans have stepped up efforts to dismantle majority-Black districts, especially in the South, though the strategy extends to states beyond that region.

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© Jay Janner (The Austin American-Statesman vía Getty Images)

Redistricting map of Texas congressional districts at the Capitol in Austin, August 20, 2025.

Iran’s frozen assets, the last major stumbling block in negotiations with Washington

Talks to end the war with Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz appear, for the first time in three months, to be moderately on track. At least that is the impression conveyed by public statements and leaks from both sides: water is beginning to fill the deep negotiating well, which until now had been practically dry.

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© ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH (EFE)

Memorial ceremony for those fallen in the war, Sunday in Tehran.
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