A Europol-supported operation, led by German authorities and involving law enforcement from eight countries, including both the National Police and Guardia Civil in Spain, has led to the takedown of the two largest cybercrime forums in the world.

The two platforms, Cracked and Nulled, had more than 10 million users in total. Both of these underground economy forums offered a quick entry point into the cybercrime scene. These sites worked as one-stop shops and were used not only for discussions on cybercrime but also as marketplaces for illegal goods and cybercrime-as-a-service, such as stolen data, malware or hacking tools. Investigators estimate that suspects earned EUR 1 million in criminal profits.

The operation took place from 28 to 30 January and led to:

• 2 suspects arrested
• 7 properties searched
• 17 servers and over 50 electronic devices seized
• Around EUR 300 000 of cash and cryptocurrencies seized

Throughout the course of the action day, 12 domains within the platforms Cracked and Nulled were seized. Other associated services were also taken down; including a financial processor named Sellix which was used by Cracked, and a hosting service called StarkRDP, which was promoted on both of the platforms and run by the same suspects.

The Department of Health has participated in a European initiative on cancer research in which the Valencian Community has been designated to lead one of the key points of the project, which is the coordination and scientific communication of the event, as well as its results.

The project, called ‘JANE2’ (Joint Actions on Networks of Expertise 2), involves more than 29 countries, as well as 121 institutions, and is funded by the European Union with a total of 40.5 million euro. The aim is to create work networks made up of scientific research staff and healthcare professionals to promote cancer research at a European level.

In this regard, the Director General of Research and Innovation, Mariola Penadés, has travelled to Milan to participate in the presentation of the project and give a talk on scientific research.

According to Mariola Penadés, “the organisational reinforcement carried out by the Ministry of Health, through the creation of the new service for the Promotion of Networks and Centres of Excellence, together with the incorporation of professional profiles with extensive experience in research and management of European projects, has made it possible to guarantee the presence of the Valencian Community in the main European biosanitary research projects”.

Participation in European research

The Ministry of Health has boosted the Valencian presence in European research initiatives such as ‘CancerWatchJA’ or ‘JANE2’ itself, integrated into the ‘EU4Health’ programme; which is endowed with more than 5.3 billion euro and constitutes one of the key pillars for the future constitution and consolidation of the European Health Union.

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Likewise, it has also participated in the development of the innovative FECYT R&D projects for public innovation, which, following the recommendations of the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, plan, through the ‘Science4Policy’ paradigm, to improve the design and implementation of public biosanitary research policies, and the transfer of their results, in the form of better clinical treatments.

In short, “the efforts coordinated by the Ministry of Health in the field of biomedical research aim to consolidate the presence of the Valencian Community at the heart of European biomedical research, as well as to import, for the benefit of the health of Valencian citizens, the best continental research practices and results,” Penadés concluded.

The Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències (City of Arts and Science) in Valencia has sold more than 3.5 million tickets in 2024, exceeding last year’s figures. By building, a total of 1,125,954 sales have been recorded at the Museu de les Ciències, which is 4.3% more than in 2023, while at the Oceanogràfic this figure rises to 1,952,916 tickets, 3% more.

In 2024, the Hemisfèric stands out in ticket sales with a total of 479,415, 18% more than in 2023. The commitment to renew the cinema offer of the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències has led to the premiere of three films: the nature documentary ‘Animal Kingdom’, the screening ‘Auroras. Luces del norte’ and the musical planetarium ‘Pink Floyd. The Dark Side of the Moon’, which has attracted more than 18,776 spectators, on the billboard from July to December. New editions of the live planetarium ‘Las Nocturnas’ have also been launched, both winter and summer.

Looking to 2024, in addition to the good results of the summer, with a total of 1,251,662 tickets sold from June to August, reservations for school tickets stood out, with 12% more than the previous year.

The flood on 29 October affected bookings and ticket sales in November, with school visits and general public visits cancelled during the first few weeks and around 50% of the total for the month. In addition, the Museu de les Ciències, the Hemisfèric and the Oceanogràfic were closed on 2 and 3 November.

During the Christmas period, from 20 December 2024 to 6 January 2025, more than 143,817 ticket sales have been recorded. It is also worth noting that during these festive weeks, a total of 11,487 people from towns affected by the COVID-19 pandemic visited the Museu de les Ciències free of charge. Of the total number of invitations handed out, 8,022 were for adults and 3,465 for children.  

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Content renewal in 2024

In 2024, the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències has dedicated a large part of its content to space with new exhibitions and activities linked to this theme. The Museu de les Ciències’ offer has been renewed with three new exhibitions on space exploration (‘Up to Space. Space Mission’, ‘The Moon within reach of your hands’, ‘Mediterranea’), new educational activities such as observations with telescopes and scientific workshops, and the launch of the competition dedicated to astrophotography ‘AstroCiutat’, which also includes the exhibition of the award-winning photographs. 

Also noteworthy in 2024 is the public art exhibition outside the complex ‘Hacia el futuro’, with sculptures by the artist Pablo Atchugarry and the installation of a baby grand piano on Calle Menor, which was a great success among the visiting public. 

For its part, Oceanogràfic reaffirms its commitment to marine conservation and animal welfare. Among the most relevant milestones is the international rescue of the two belugas from the NEMO aquarium in Kharkiv, Ukraine, which will soon be seen alongside the other two resident animals, Kylu and Yulka.

In the area of ​​dissemination, initiatives such as the OceanFest festival and the dialogue series ‘The Tide of Change’ have been maintained and strengthened, attracting broad participation from the public. In addition, educational experiences have continued to arouse great interest among visitors, with proposals such as the ‘Backstage Tour’ and the visit to the Sea Animal Recovery Centre, where the work of rehabilitating sea turtles can be observed first-hand.

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