While The wars in Gaza and Ukraine dragged the world to the historic peak of armed conflicts since World War IIMeanwhile, someone on the other side of the planet was rubbing their hands together: the arms manufacturers. In 2024, the top 100 arms-producing companies reached record revenues of $679 billion; an unprecedented figure that is almost 6% higher than the previous year, according to data published this Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

2024 was the year with the most active wars in the last twelve years and the year with the most displaced people in history. These are the conclusions of the Alert 2025 report! These are high-intensity wars, meaning they cause more than a thousand deaths per year. Furthermore, there are 116 tension scenarios, contexts in which armed conflict could easily break out, a figure that is the highest since 2010.

Ukraine's rare earths could be the key to unlocking a future peace agreement, following the agreement signed this week by the Donald Trump administration and Volodymyr Zelensky's administration. The United States' hunger for these metals and other critical minerals, such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, and tantalum, is at the heart of its involvement in the war in Ukraine, but also the reason why Donald Trump is threatening to annex Greenland and Canada. But the United States is not the only power immersed in the rush for critical minerals. The European Union has also defined as a strategic priority "achieving a secure and sustainable supply chain" for 34 critical raw materials, which include these and other minerals. essential for green technology and digital, but also, and now more than ever, for the growing military industry.

This Sunday's dossier is dedicated to rare earths. We've talked a lot about this these past few days, because the United States and Ukraine have finally signed an agreement to exploit them. These critical materials are now the new oil, and the global race to control them has begun. Let's review the conflicts around the world caused precisely by these materials, from Africa to Greenland. We'll also explain exactly what materials we're talking about from a geological perspective and what they're used for.

Nowadays it is difficult to imagine a school without a canteen, especially in urban environments. The lunchtime is essential for families to be able to balance their work schedules with the students' school hours. For many families, it is almost a necessity. In addition, the canteen is a space that contributes to guaranteeing a healthy and balanced diet for schoolchildren. However, it is not part of the school schedule and no regulations require it to be part of the school's educational project.