The new international media for a changing world – The new international media for a changing world
PASCUAL SERRANO
One of journalism's shortcomings is that it allows itself to be dominated by the frenetic pace of current events and overlooks historical context. In the case of geopolitics, this means that citizens, no matter how much information they consume, cannot fully decipher reality. The most obvious example these days is Iran.
MAHMOUD ASLAN
Minab and Tehran (Iran)
Mohammed Shariatmadar stood before the rubble of the Shajareh Tayyiba girls' primary school in Minab, southern Iran, on Saturday morning, unable to take in what he was seeing.
Her six-year-old daughter, Sara, a second-grade student, was one of dozens of girls who died when the school was bombed in the early hours of the war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran.
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EUGENIO GARCIA GASCON
The number of Palestinians killed in Israeli prisons between October 7, 2023 and January 2026 has risen to 84, an alarming figure that is difficult to explain without considering the torture and systematic abuses committed by prison guards and Shin Bet agents against prisoners, a situation that Palestinians continually denounce without anyone listening to them.
In that regard, the fact that Israeli authorities have completely banned visits to prisons by employees of the International Committee of the Red Cross further exacerbates the prisoners' defenseless situation.
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PASCUAL SERRANO
The prevailing view among the Spanish population, undoubtedly influenced by the monotonous discourse of the media and political leaders, is that China is an undesirable dictatorship from which we should take no note or example. However, I believe it can be a valuable exercise in humility and learning to observe how they address issues that remain a serious problem here.
I'm going to review some current issues that are generating controversy in our country, for which we need solutions, and then we'll see how they are being dealt with in China.
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JAYRO SANCHEZ
Abdulwahed Abu Ras is the Foreign Minister of the Yemeni government based in Sana'a. As one of the country's top political figures, he is the most authoritative voice to describe the crisis that has gripped Yemen for over a decade. We spoke with him about the civil war, the regional chaos in the Middle East, and his Cabinet's positions on Palestine and Syria.
VIJAY PRASHAD
Iran is in chaos. Protests of varying scales have erupted across the country, with escalating violence leading to the deaths of both demonstrators and police officers. What began as work stoppages and protests against inflation has coalesced around a range of discontented groups, including women and young people frustrated by a system unable to provide for their basic needs. Iran has been subjected to a prolonged economic siege and has been directly attacked by Israel and the United States, not only within its borders but also throughout West Asia (including its diplomatic enclaves in Syria). This economic warfare waged by the United States has created the conditions for this unrest, but the unrest itself is not directed at Washington, but rather at the government in Tehran.
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XULIO RIOS
In China, the balance sheet for 2025 points to a year marked by the realization of the difficulty of the challenges to be faced as well as by the depth of the change implemented in substantial areas, especially, underpinning the rapid qualitative modernization of its industrial fabric.
The economy, with that growth target of around 5 percent within reach (5,2 percent in the first three quarters), has confirmed that the goal of achieving high-quality development is irreversible.
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EUGENIO GARCIA GASCON
In the midst of his trial, and after nearly six years in court on several corruption charges, Benjamin Netanyahu has requested a pardon from President Isaac Herzog, who will have to decide in the coming weeks. Many experts believe he will likely pardon the prime minister with some conditions, the extent of which is still unknown.
JAYRO SANCHEZ
Nelson Hadad is a Chilean lawyer and university professor. He served as Chile's ambassador to Iraq, Jordan, and Egypt. At the end of July, in response to the crimes committed by Benjamin Netanyahu's government in the Gaza Strip, he decided to draft a letter requesting Israel's expulsion from the UN. We spoke with him about the conflict in the Middle East.
XULIO RIOS
During the 14th Five-Year Plan, which is now coming to an end, China has continued to advance, even weathering the trade and technology war with some ease, demonstrating that it can no longer be easily intimidated (rare earths have become its main bargaining chip with Washington). Chinese manufacturing output accounts for more than 35% of the world's total, and it is catching up with the US in every field and is already a world leader in some. China is approaching the top.
PASCUAL SERRANO
The Israeli government has hired a conservative startup, Clock Tower X LLC, to create multimedia content that skews social media and AI algorithms in its favor. This was revealed by the Responsible Statecraft website of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a Washington-based think tank dedicated to military-restraint foreign policy with close ties to the business world.
The initial contract is for $6 million, with the goal of placing 80% of Clock Tower's content on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, podcasts, and other relevant digital and broadcast media, with a minimum target of 50 million views per month.
PASCUAL SERRANO
First, journalists held the power of communication, then the media (journalists held the power of the medium in which they reported), then the owners of communication companies (the owner of the printing press). Then came the internet, and social media, which are the means of reaching citizens and the mediators between them and the media, took over (as MacLuhan said, "the medium is the message"). And now it's the algorithm; it's the algorithm that decides what you'll see on social media, which dictates what you'll see in the media.
