UK’s Timothy Garton Ash awarded Princess of Asturias Award for Social Sciences, Spain bans prediction platforms Polymarket and Kalshi, Santiago de Compostela Airport to reopen and more news on Wednesday May 27th.
Judge postpones ex-PM Zapatero testimony
The judge leading the investigation into ex-Prime Minister José Luis Zapatero has postponed his scheduled testimony following an appeal from his legal team.
Judge José Luis Calama decided to postpone Zapatero‘s testimony following a request submitted by the former president’s defence team, which had asked for the hearing to be postponed as they had not had full access to the case file until Monday of this week.
The hearing, originally scheduled for 2nd June, will now take place on the 17th and 18th June at 9.00 am. Zapatero is being investigated for suspected influence peddling and corruption relating to the bailout of an airline.
Santiago de Compostela Airport to reopen on Thursday
Galicia’s Santiago-Rosalía de Castro Airport will reopen from Thursday 28th May.
According to an Aena press release, following the completion of resurfacing, painting and lighting works on the airport’s airfield, checks are now being carried out on all systems and the local airport is entering the system calibration phase ahead of its reopening.
The formal reopening to air traffic is scheduled for Thursday but renovations will continue with further improvements.
Timothy Garton Ash awarded Princess of Asturias Award for Social Sciences
The British historian, journalist and essayist Timothy Garton Ash, a columnist for Spanish daily El País, has been awarded the 2026 Princess of Asturias Award for Social Sciences.
A press release from the Fundación explaining the decision states: “His blend of erudition and personal testimony of crucial moments in recent European history makes him both an exceptional and inspiring thinker.
His publications and discourse in the public sphere combine rigour with a passionate and lucid defence of democratic values whilst warning against the dangers that threaten liberal democracy, such as authoritarianism and populism.”
Spain bans prediction platforms Polymarket and Kalshi
The prediction platforms Polymarket and Kalshi will temporarily no longer be able to operate in Spain after the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and the 2030 Agenda opened disciplinary proceedings against them for having operated to date “without the required administrative authorisation”.
The Ministry, fronted by Minister Pablo Bustinduy, announced the decision following the publication of the case in the Official State Gazette, stating: “prediction markets are platforms where users buy and sell stakes on the prediction of future event outcomes, assigning prices that reflect the probability of one outcome or another occurring in those events”.
They are also known as “peer-to-peer betting”.
