In a remarkably forceful address, Felipe VI of Spain on Tuesday asserted Ceuta’s ‘sovereignty’ and ‘territorial integrity,’ two and a half months after more than 80,000 people crossed illegally from Morocco in an unprecedented mass incursion into the Spanish exclave city in northern Africa.

Speaking from Ceuta in his first official visit since his accession to the throne in 2014, the monarch underscored his role as ‘head of state’—something he does not often invoke in this type of speech—and said that ‘the breach of our border continues to have an enormous impact on all of Spain.’

The king mentioned Morocco, saying Spain bore ‘the responsibility of maintaining a good neighborly relationship,’ but one based on ‘mutual respect’ between the two countries. EL PAÍS recently revealed that on July 30 and 31, besides the tide of migrants who walked or swam into Ceuta, several Moroccan war ships also entered Ceuta territorial waters repeatedly and without authorization, and only retreated after the Spanish Navy deployed vessels in the area as well as high-level involvement by the Defense Ministry. On Tuesday Morocco appeared to be officially ignoring the Spanish royals’ visit to the city, which it claims historical sovereignty over.

‘That breach of our border by a vast crowd of people was a shock for everyone, especially for you, and it continues to have an enormous impact—social, political, economic and psychological—on your lives, on the city and, to a large extent, on all of Spain, even though since then the majority of those who entered have returned and many others have been placed in reception centers,’ the king told a crowd of local residents in a speech just after 7.30 pm at Parador Las Murallas.

‘Ceuta and Melilla [another exclave city in northern Africa] are an indispensable part of the political and national reality that is Spain. The sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country are not negotiable: they are indisputable. And faced with any risk, our duty is their defense and preservation,’ he added.

‘Ceuta is Spain…, and Ceuta is Europe. Therefore, its border—as Melilla’s—is a border of the Union. Any threat it suffers is a threat to the entire EU,’ he stressed. This part of the speech drew sustained applause from the crowd.

Two and a half months after the sudden influx, the central government of Spain is housing thousands of migrants in 10 improvised facilities with room for 7,400 people. Around 12,000 people have returned to Morocco, the vast majority voluntarily via the El Tarajal border crossing. ‘Those who entered our country irregularly must—as a rule—return to their place of origin as soon as possible and by the legally established channels. While they remain among us they must always be treated with dignity and humanity, and with all the guarantees provided by our laws,’ Felipe VI said. ‘But they must also be required to show scrupulous respect for the rules of civic coexistence and for the rights and freedoms of Ceuta’s residents. So that when we look back on these very difficult days, we can do so with the calm and satisfaction of having done things right.’

Support in Brussels

The Ceuta crisis is still fresh in Brussels, the heart of the European Union. Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, on Tuesday supported “reinforcing” cooperation with Morocco on immigration issues, and said that “lessons” should be learned from the late July incident. Von der Leyen also reiterated support for Spain in achieving the rapid return of undocumented migrants to Morocco.

Von der Leyen also insisted on the need for an “emergency response network” that will enable migration rules to be “flexibilized” in the event of a crisis or weaponization of migration flows by third countries.

With additional reporting by Silvia Ayuso, Miguel González and Juan Carlos Sanz.

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On Tuesday, three weeks before the midterms, the White House went back to its news conferences after a 47-day hiatus following the departure of former press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Her successor, Katie Zacharia, made a very brief appearance in which she only took three questions and fell short of the cool aplomb with which Leavitt made a name for herself defending the policies of her boss, President Donald Trump, resorting to lies when necessary.

Perhaps to honor that tradition, Zacharia, who made up for her lack of poise with a great deal of loyalty for Trump (whom she apparently got confused with her husband at one point), began the briefing with a falsehood and ended it with a piece of news.

The news is that the White House has asked the United States ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, to resign following corruption allegations revealed by The Wall Street Journal. The new press secretary did not provide any additional details about a scandal allegedly involving the ambassador asking a Republican donor to pay off her $100,000 credit card bill ahead of her Senate confirmation. In exchange, she promised political favors.

“Serving as the United States ambassador to Greece has been the honor of my life,” Guilfoyle said on her X account, calling the “recent allegations” against her “false.” “I intend to vigorously defend my name, my reputation and my integrity.”

After his return to power, Trump appointed Guilfoyle — who was engaged to the president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., for four years — to the ambassadorship. The scandals unearthed by the Journal began last month, when the newspaper reported that the ambassador had boasted in a private conversation about plotting to force the fall of the four-party government led by liberal Ilie Bolojan in early May in Romania. According to that investigation, Guilfoyle also threatened Greek Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou with doing the same to his country.

The influence of a ‘lobbyist’

The Journal also reported on the controversial influence of a Greek ‘lobbyist’ named Christos Marafatsos over the ambassador, saying he had flown her on his private plane on multiple occasions.

This administration has provoked more corruption complaints than any in decades. It is also notable that Trump, who became famous on a television reality show shouting “You’re fired,” forced Guilfoyle’s resignation publicly through Zacharia rather than dismissing her himself.

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There is something curious about birthdays. The most celebrated ones are children’s and those of very elderly people. Reaching 100 years or more is often hailed as a special event. But the birthday of Don Manuel Álvarez Escudero, 105, is really exceptional. Every year he receives a singular tribute: a chess tournament that bears his name.

Manuel is the oldest active registered chess player in the world, according to the ranking of the International Chess Federation, FIDE. The tournament held its fifth edition this Monday in a Madrid neighborhood, Moratalaz, and he sat down at the board again. He also won games again.

Manuel, known to his friends as Manolo, Manolín or don Manuel, has a genuine legion of admirers in Madrid’s chess community. The tournament that bears his name proved that again on Monday: 180 people signed up and many other fans were left out because there wasn’t room — the organizers simply didn’t have enough boards and pieces to expand capacity.

He arrived at the Moratalaz sports center with a smile on his face, escorted by his daughter Elena. As soon as he entered, the usual ritual began: hugs, congratulations and photos with players of all ages who wanted a memento with the dean of world chess. As usual, he cracked jokes with everyone who came up to him. And when someone asked him how he was feeling, he answered with the same mix of irony and warmth:

—I feel like garbage.

He said it with a smile, and shortly after sat at the board to show that, despite the joke, he remains in good shape. Manuel is getting a little frail, but he retains enviable mental agility. His wit is quick and he fires back answers instantly, although he admits many are part of his usual repertoire. He plays chess just as fast. His opponents watch in amazement as he moves pieces with purpose after barely a few seconds’ thought.

The tribute tournament was played in a seven-game rapid format, with each game lasting only about ten to fifteen minutes. Manuel won two: against a 10-year-old boy and a 61-year-old man; he drew with a 55-year-old; and lost to four adult opponents, aged 42, 49, 52 and 65.

During the brief breaks, players came over to take photos with him or to get his autograph. The children used the chance to play an informal game so they could boast one day that they, too, had played against Don Manuel. The older players also wanted their moment with the most illustrious player in miles around. A veteran 73-year-old chess player showed on his phone the photo he had taken with him: “I’m taking home a treasure, look.” Another player who was paired with him by lot, Gaspar Gil, 55, said: “I hit the jackpot. The best prize was either winning the tournament or playing against Manuel.”

During the games, a fan named Luis Reyes took note of every move to record them in his own database. He has written a 260-page digital document that circulates among aficionados where he gives a brief overview of Manuel’s life and where he has compiled Manuel’s 60 best games.

Manuel Álvarez Escudero, a Madrid native who trained as an engineer and physicist, took up chess quite late, at age 25. According to Reyes’ book, Manuel reached an Elo rating of almost 2,200 at his peak. That placed him among the top 1% or 2% in the world. He defeated, among others, a Cuban champion, Jesús Nogueiras. But the tournament he remembers most fondly is the Melon tournament in the Madrid town of Titulcia. As a prize, he took home 12 delicious melons.

For some time Manuel has become a admired rarity among chess experts. The runner-up in the tournament, 23-year-old International Master Marcos Linares, recalled that he first faced him when he was nine and Manuel was 89. “Even then it was rare to see someone so old playing chess,” he remembers. “One thing is to ask an elderly person to solve a math problem and another to compete in chess.”

A year ago, this newspaper witnessed how he sat three hours at the board to deliver checkmate to a 38-year-old opponent. In August, he again demonstrated his skill at the El Escorial tournament, where he won five of the seven games he played. So Monday’s tally left him wanting more, and he commented on the result with a mix of resignation and humor: “I expected that when I got older I would play better. What a nuisance!”

Manuel was recently widowed; his wife Pilar died at age 95. He has three children, two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. At 105, he has joined another select club. Only 810 people in Spain are that age or older. His daughter Elena believes the secret to longevity is genetics because several members of Manuel’s family of eight siblings nearly reached a century. He has provided another clue in interviews: not drinking or smoking. Manuel’s chess colleagues point to another secret: his sociable nature and good humor.

Surrounded on Monday by his chess colleagues, he laughed at himself: “I used to measure 1.75 and now I measure 1.62. I’ve shrunk a ridiculous amount.” He said goodbye amid wishes to see him again next year.

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