In this week's broadcast, we delve into the 'ninth art', as Madrid hosted the second edition of its comic book fair last week. We visited the fair and spoke to attendees and exhibitors, including Jesús Marugán, owner of Akira Comics, and to Laura Barrachina, curator of the cultural programme. After the fair, we were joined by Marta Kayser, an author who has just published her first graphic novel, La fábrica de papel, the result of a seven-year investigation into her family history, which has changed both her personal and professional life.

We will also discuss the protection of digital rights, a major concern for governments worldwide due to the rise of artificial intelligence and the risks of social networks. To address these issues, Casa de América recently organized a roundtable discussion in Madrid under the title Digital Rights: A Necessary Dialogue Between the EU and Canada.

During the event, we learnt how these issues are being addressed in Canada from Jeffrey Marder, the Canadian Ambassador to Spain, and Karim Benyekhlef, a professor and the Director of the Cyberjustice Laboratory at the University of Montreal. We also heard the Spanish perspective from Eduard Blasi, a lawyer specialising in digital rights and artificial intelligence.

Finally, we address the war in the Middle East, where Lebanon is facing a new and deadly escalation as Israeli strikes intensify across the country, forcing the Lebanese army to withdraw from several villages in the South. Our collaborator in Lebanon, Elsa Yazbek Charabati, gives us the details.

In this week's broadcast, we take you to Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid, a highly anticipated event in the fashion calendar and a major platform for promoting Spanish creative talent internationally. Following last week's Autumn/Winter edition, we shine the spotlight on the EGO runway, a stage for showcasing emerging talent, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

Valentina Suárez-Zuloaga, creative director of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid, highlights the importance of nurturing emerging talent and the many success stories that began on the EGO catwalk, where ten up-and-coming designers had the opportunity to showcase their work this year. We met two of them: Marta Granados, founder of Maison Gracen, and Erik Bruccia, the designer behind Eaftimos. They told us about their creative vision, their sources of inspiration and the challenges in establishing their own fashion brands.

We are also joined by historian Pamela Radcliff, an authority on the history of Modern Spain, who recently presented the assessment '50 Years of Scholarship on the Southern European Democratic Transitions' in Madrid. Professor Radcliff talks to us about this investigation, and also shares her thoughts on recent revelations about the 1981 coup attempt, as well as the surge of revisionist narratives about the Franco dictatorship. She is concerned that 'many people have lost the belief that democracy is making their lives better'.

Ahead of this weekend's Madrid Comic Fair, we also speak to its curator, writer and journalist Laura Barrachina. She gives us a preview of the cultural programme for this edition, which will bring together international authors and feature talks, panel discussions, live podcasts, radio broadcasts, screenings and comic-creation workshops for children and adults.

Finally, we address the war in the Middle East. In Lebanon, the human toll is rising dramatically and cultural sites are being destroyed, as humanitarian organisations warn that Israel is committing war crimes. Our collaborator in Beirut, Elsa Yazbek Charabati, gives us the details.

In this week's broadcast, we analyse the main social changes that Spain has undergone over the last decade. The Centre for Sociological Research (CIS) recently published the fifth volume of 'Spain 2025: Structure and Social Change'. This publication addresses key issues such as demography, inequality, employment, family, politics, migration, and culture.

The project involved 146 experts and was edited by José Félix Tezanos and Constanza Tobío Soler. Tobío, a Professor of Sociology at Carlos III University and recipient of the 2021 National Sociology Prize, joins us to analyse some of the most significant aspects of the evolution of Spanish society over the past ten years.

In addition, we visit an exhibition in Congress commemorating the 1978 Constitution becoming the longest-standing in Spanish history. The display covers the 47-year history of the Magna Carta through photographs from the EFE news agency. It also features artefacts from the congressional archive, including a miniature edition of the Constitution that travelled into space. We had the opportunity to speak with Miguel Ángel Gonzalo, the director of Documentation, Library and Archives of the Spanish Congress, who told us all about it.

Finally, we continue to analyse the conflict in the Middle East and its repercussions for Spain. Israel has announced the launch of ground operations in southern Lebanon, and fighting has already forced around one million people from their homes. Our collaborator in Beirut, Elsa Yazbek Charabati, gives us the details.