In today's broadcast we talk about one of the most popular celebrations in Spain. Carnival comes to an end after a week of parades, costumes, singing and dancing that identify this exhilarating festival celebrated in many places all over the country. To find out more about this celebration, we talk to Javier Bañasco, co-director of the Carnival Parade that took place in Madrid last Saturday, organised by the Theatre Company Yllana. We also interview Jaime Mejías, regional councillor for tourism in the city of Badajoz, who tells us about how the city celebrates Carnival with the largest parade in Europe; and talk to Luis Alemán, visitors reception assistant and tour guide of the Museum Casa del Carnaval of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, who gives us information about the museum (www.casacarnavalsantacruz.com). The end of Carnival festivities in Spain coincide with a very special tradition called 'El entierro de la sardina' (the burial of the sardine). Julio Nieto is a member of the brotherhood that organises the tradition in Madrid, who explains what it consists of.

In today's broadcast we talk to 'El Arpa Media', an Irish-Spanish cultural initiative based here in Madrid, made up of the Irish-Spanish duo Enda Kenneally and María Correas. They have published 3 books, organize walking tours in the city and host their own podcast, constantly bridging the gap between Spain and Ireland... as well as the rest of the English-speaking world. We talk about their origins, María's latest book ('The Stuff of Life: Ancient Inspiration for Sustainable living') and an upcoming project of theirs...Find them at @_elarpa_ on instagram, their website https://irishsliceofmadrid.com, and listen to their podcast 'People Will Talk' wherever you get your podcasts.

In today's broadcast, after taking a look at the news, we find out about how two environmental organizations, SEO/Birdlife and Ecoembes, are spearheading a drive to clean up Spain's countryside—its forests and fields and streams, rivers and lakes, and its shores and beaches.  Essential to the success of this initiative, called Libera Project (proyectolibera.org), are the tens of thousands of volunteers across the country who help pick up 'basuraleza,' a new term coined by project leaders to talk about trash and litter (basura) in nature (naturaleza).  The Libera Project's motto says it all:  United against 'basuraleza.'

In today's broadcast, after taking a look at the news, we welcome Ricardo Antonio Fernández González in the studio to talk about his book 'Mucain - El Museo de la Carrera de Indias' and the actual historic events described in the novel. His book also served as inspiration for the creation of the virtual museum MUCAIN, which visitors can see at www.mucain.com. The project intends to disseminate that period of Spanish History through paintings, articles and recreations of different aspects of life in the 16th century.

February 13th is UNESCO's World Radio Day, and here at Spanish National Radio, the day was celebrated with the broadcasting of a Ukranian Radio Station from Madrid and Barcelona. After taking a look at the act that took place at midday on Monday, we visit Madrid's Sorolla Museum, which recently begun a series of celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of painter Joaquín Sorolla's death with the exhibition 'Sorolla: Origins'... an exhibition museum curator, Blanca de la Válgoma, walks us through.

In today's broadcast, after a look at the news and another report from our correspondent in Beirut, Elsa Yazbek, we hear from Amnesty International about the crisis in public healthcare in Madrid--where a large protest demonstration has been called for this coming Sunday--as well as in other Spanish regions.  We also hear about the discovery of a new play by Félix Lope de Vega, one of Spain's great Golden Age playwrights.  And we talk to Gorka Hermosa and José Luis Montón, two virtuoso musicians who have just released "Flamenco Etxea 2," their second album of music written for the unusual combination of accordion and flamenco guitar. 

In today's broadcast, we talk about Integrated Systems Europe, the largest Audio Visual systems integration trade show in the world. More than 1.000 exhibitiors from 155 different countries gathered in Barcelona for four days, in a space to showcase the latest audiovisual products to be released in the market, as well as facilitate networking opportunities. We attend some of the 'tech talks' offered by the organisers and speak to experts of different fields within the audiovisual industry: Vincent Dal, a solution architect manager for Poly-HP and Mathieu Felix, co-founder and creative director of Tigrelab, a Spanish company based in Barcelona that uses different kinds of technologies for artistic purposes.

In today's broadcast, we see a British play adapted to Spain with the Abadía Theatre's production of 'Decadence'. The play was originally written and performed by actor, playwright and director Steven Berkoff in 1981, who visited Madrid on ocassion of the play's opening night... We also discuss a recent investigation that has proved one of the few original 10th century Castilian parchments is actually a fake... forged by monks in the 12th century to win a dispute over the ownership of a church.

In today's broadcast, after taking a look at the news, we talk to Madrid-based strategic sustainability advisor Leonardo Martins Dias, who carries out multi-lateral projects in sustainability and gives classes on and conducts research in what he terms "a more genuine sustainability."  Author of a recent article in the Madrid daily El País carrying the headline "The Assault on the Three Branches of Government in Brazil: A Social Analysis on the Ground," he talks about this event and the challenge of creating hope for the future among "the orphans of the state."

In today's broadcast we talk about the project 'Healthy Cities' that aims to contribute to the creation of sustainable cities and healthy urban environments. This is an initiative promoted by the health care provider Sanitas. We talk to its chief of sustainability and corporate affairs, Yolanda Erburu, who explains why programmes such as 'Healthy Cities' are necessary. The highlights of the programme include a 6,000 steps daily challenge and taking public transport to work once a week. This year's edition of 'Healthy Cities' will also have a global dimension as it expands its borders beyond Spain.