The third weekend of May has confirmed the good feelings that were already sensed in rehearsals, with various colles taking a step forward and, in some cases, advancing schedules. The squares of Valls, Vilafranca, and Gràcia have been the great epicenters of a weekend that is already leaving the first notable milestones of the season.

The world of castells has traditionally been explained through emotion, tradition, and major festivals. But in recent years, a new way of understanding this universe has been gaining strength: the scientific perspective. Physics, mathematics, psychology, and architecture are some of the disciplines that help explain why castells work and what happens within a group beyond what is seen in the square.

Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3 that in recent years has not stopped gaining ground in all kinds of cosmetic formulas. Its triumph is explained because it offers several benefits to the skin. According to various scientific studies, it helps to reduce acne; it reduces dark spots and unifies skin tone; it strengthens the skin barrier, as it helps the skin retain more moisture; it reduces oil production, and has an anti-inflammatory effect. For all these reasons, it is easy to find it in creams, serums, and toners of all price ranges. Furthermore, even though its success is recent, it is a product with a long history, as the industry has been using it for decades. Below, some cosmetics that include it in their composition.

Spanish strawberries, mostly produced in Huelva, have flooded French supermarkets for decades. Their price is clearly lower than French varieties. But little by little, strawberries produced in France have been gaining ground. According to the sector, for the first time, 50% of this fruit consumed in France has been grown in the country. The rest is imported, mainly from Spain. "It hasn't happened suddenly. Over 15 years, we have gained 10% of the market share from Spanish strawberries. It hasn't been a sudden change," explains Emeline Vanespen, director of the main French association of strawberry producers (AOPn Fraises et Framboises de France).

The legend tells that when the land was still wild and peoples were just learning to call each other by name, a winged shadow began to soar through the skies, drawing a disturbing trajectory. No one knew where it came from. Only that, when night fell, the air thickened with a smell of sulfur and a suffocating heat that crept along the paths like an omen.

The human tower event of the second weekend in May has delivered the first major blows with the debut of the 9-story towers. The Castellers de Vilafranca completed the first 9-story tower of the season in Les Cabanyes by unloading the 3d9f, in a performance that also served to consolidate 8-story structures and those in the mid-range of 7. The 'verds' completed the 4d8 and the 2d7, in addition to the 9d7 and the 7d7.

The 2026 human tower season has already kicked off with a momentum not seen in a long time. For weeks now, rehearsal spaces have been buzzing with activity and that typical early-season excitement: new faces, reunions, shirts ready, and the shared feeling that this could be a special year. And it's no coincidence. As happens every even year, the calendar is marked by the Concurs de Castells, the major biennial event that ends up conditioning the objectives, rhythms, and strategies of all the human tower groups.

In the square, everything is ephemeral. It passes very quickly. The tower rises, trembles, is crowned, and comes down. It's a matter of minutes, very few. The epic lasts seconds. Afterwards, only the hugs remain, a photograph, and that feeling of having experienced something often inexplicable.

When Noemí Selfín felt strong enough to return to the labor market after 16 years away from work, she knew she had to reinvent herself. At 52, with a disability resulting from an aggressive cancer and a career interrupted for over a decade by treatment, she sensed her resume would hardly compete on equal terms. “So many years out of the labor market made my profile unattractive. I needed to retrain,” she explains. During the pandemic, she began to orient herself towards tech profiles and enrolled in one of the tech bootcamps – intensive training courses – driven by Eurofirms Foundation.

When the good weather arrives, it's not just our clothes that change, our footwear also adapts to the new temperatures. That's why brands are starting to present their star models before the heat arrives, for all those who like to get things done before it's completely mandatory. These are 4 models of women's shoes that will be very popular this summer.

Hotel Majestic in Barcelona is once again claiming its place as a meeting point for art lovers –or perhaps we should say for the arts– in the Catalan capital and beyond. This April, it celebrates Majestic Art Month, an initiative dedicated to seven artistic disciplines, which, for very reasonable prices, will allow you to enjoy a varied series of proposals within the hotel. We highlight some of them below.

In Canberra, the rumor is that this year's budget –which must be presented in May– is the most important of the century. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has gone in three months from boasting about banning social media for under-16s to giving a televised speech about an economic shock that “will be with us for months.” The war of the United States and Israel against Iran has caused, according to Goldman & Sachs, “the largest energy supply disruption in history.” “We have seen the destruction of gas wells in Qatar and Iran,” emphasizes Tony Wood, Energy researcher at the Grattan Institute, “if the conflict stops tomorrow, it will still take a long time for this infrastructure to be repaired.

Far from the Principality of Catalonia, there is an island territory where the Catalan language and the feeling of belonging make it feel surprisingly close: l'Alguer. This city, incorporated into the Crown of Aragon in the 14th century, still preserves a living variant of Catalan today. There, identity beats strongly, sustained by words, traditions, and celebrations that are passed down from generation to generation. Festivals, like languages, are mirrors in which people rediscover that version of themselves that endures over time.

With the arrival of good weather, it's time to take out the sunglasses from the drawer, which have been hidden from the light during this long winter. Precisely because the time to show them off has arrived, many brands have presented new collections so that everyone can find some that suit them well and look good. We review some of the most notable ones.

A hidden door behind one of the benches in the chapel of the baptistery of Girona Cathedral leads to a dimension suspended in time. It is the entrance to the bell tower of the largest medieval nave in the world. On the Gothic walls, the names of the bells can still be read, and the ropes hang from the ceiling to ring them. Climbing a beautiful and humble spiral staircase leads to one of the rooms that the Girona writer Prudenci Bertrana surely trod in the early 20th century. It is where the bell ringer lived until before the Civil War. Behind a large window overlooking the Plaça dels Apòstols hides a two-story dwelling with three cells, as if it were a stage. The same one where we can imagine the protagonist of Josafat living, the hunched bell ringer, with a pointed skull, eagle's nose and rough hair, who lives isolated, constrained between lust and the weight of sin to fall into the seduction of a prostitute.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine precipitated the end of Swedish neutrality with its entry into NATO. Now the Nordic country is opening the debate towards a new historical turn after decades of reticence: the adoption of the euro. As a member of the European Union for over 30 years, Sweden is one of the few countries that have maintained their own currency, the krona. Brussels' laws stipulate that the Scandinavian country will one day join the euro, but in reality, this issue has been postponed without ever setting a date. However, closer integration with the EU is beginning to seem more attractive to Stockholm, which is seeking a shield against increasing geopolitical instability and the deterioration of transatlantic relations with the United States under Donald Trump.

Viruses and bacteria live with us, as do doubts about how to prevent them. In Catalonia, the vaccination calendar has been expanding over the years and today protects against 18 microorganisms. However, disinformation still exists about how they work, what benefits they have, or what risks they entail. Today we want to talk about vaccination without alarmism or slogans. With data, real experiences, and clear answers. What is true and what is a myth? How can we make informed decisions? To do this, we are joined by Montse Martínez, head of the Preventive Medicine Service of the Department of Health of the Generalitat de Catalunya; José Ángel Franca, Secretary of Associates of Polio and Post-Polio of Catalonia; Anna Magde, biologist; and Aina Badia, journalism student. A podcast from Diari ARA, with the support of the Generalitat de Catalunya.

“Demand has doubled, but usage has not”, said Chris Bowen, Australia’s Minister for Climate Change and Energy, in a parliamentary debate that more closely resembled a farce, were it not for the fact that following the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz, a liter of gasoline has surpassed 3 dollars (1.80 euros) and more than a hundred gas stations have run out of fuel.

Every winter, the city of Girona reconnects with the deep-rooted pulse of fire. The Foguerons de Sant Antoni arrive in the capital of Girona as a ritual that evokes memory, gathering, and community. This festival finds its symbolic reference in Sant Antoni Abat – patron saint of animals, farmers, and the rural world. His presence transcends mere devotion, conjuring a bond between people and their land.

Zara has announced a two-year creative collaboration with designer John Galliano, whose aim is to reinterpret the brand's archives across various collections with an innovative and contemporary approach. Galliano will work with pieces from past Zara seasons, deconstructing and transforming them to create entirely new designs. As the Inditex flagship brand explained in a statement on its social media channels, the signing of the designer represents a firm commitment to reinterpreting the brand's legacy and identity, which spans more than 50 years.