Girona has a huge mess in the locker room. “Tsygankov was fine and called up, but he refused to change. That’s all I can say,” admitted Quique Álvarez minutes after the draw against Leganés. Added to the already known situation of the winger, who made it very clear at the beginning of summer that he did not want to play in the Second Division and went directly to the stands, are the rumors of Vladyslav Vanat’s resignation, who was indeed on the bench, to participate in the second half. The club, when consulted by ARA, denies that the forward rejected it and says that Tsygankov's situation will be managed internally. The mess is a big one.

The Mossos d'Esquadra are investigating a brutal group assault suffered on August 12 by a 21-year-old Italian national in the Parc del Fòrum area, between Barcelona and Sant Adrià de Besòs. According to La Vanguardia, the events took place at the exit of a nightclub. The Catalan police received notification of the events around 10:25 PM and the Badalona investigation unit has taken charge of the case.

During the last decade, the expected duration of women's working lives in Spain has increased by one year more than that of men. This progress has helped to reduce the existing gender gap, although they will still work on average 3.4 years less throughout their lives. Specifically, according to the latest data published by Eurostat, the expected duration of working life for those who started their careers in 2025 stands at 36.8 years on average in Spain: 38.5 years for men and 35.1 years for women. In 2016, the forecast was 35.1 years on average: 37.2 years for men and 32.8 years for women.

The artificial intelligence has been the engine of stock market success in recent years. The tech companies leading the AI market have reached unimaginable heights, to the point where the club of companies worth over a trillion dollars is no longer an exclusive affiliation. Nvidia exceeds $5 trillion in market capitalization, while both Amazon, Alphabet (Google), and Apple are above four trillion.

Hansi Flick's third project began a month ago, when the World Cup semifinals still had to be played. Resigned, the German saw that he would have to do a good part of the preseason without the backbone of his team, since at that time up to ten players were still competing in the tournament in the United States and, therefore, would take a few weeks to return.

Amidst tension, an agreement. Despite maintaining cross-accusations between the two administrations, the Spanish government and that of Ceuta have agreed this Monday to open four new humanitarian attention facilities in the autonomous city to assist the migrants who arrived during the massive influx and who are now living in precarious conditions in industrial estates and beaches. In a press conference, the Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, Elma Saiz, announced that these four new centers will offer 1,500 new places to assist migrants.

Singer and actress Selena Gomez has had to defend herself against accusations of fraud following a lawsuit filed against her by several investors in the mental health start-up Wondermind. In statements to People magazine, Gomez's lawyer, Mathew S. Rosengart, assured that the accusations are baseless. "We will file a motion to dismiss the unfounded claims against her," he stated.

Sergi Unanue (Banyoles, 1993) couldn't complain about the life he had. He worked as a journalist at Betevé, had friends, lived in an apartment in Barcelona... but something wasn't quite right. "I had always wanted to tell stories and that's why I had studied journalism. When I was young, I wanted to do radio and I ended up on television. I had a good time. In the news section, every day is different. I was one step away from having job and financial stability, but I dreamed of taking a big trip. I had to decide whether to leave the stable life I was building and take the big leap. And I did it without a return ticket." It was the year 2018 and an adventure was beginning that would lead him to walk across all of Nepal.

This summer Circ Cric has recovered its nomadic spirit and has spent a month and a half on the road. Last weekend they finished an adventure that toured six townsin the Priorat region and the Prades mountains. Precisely for this reason, the clown Jaume Mateu (Tortell Poltrona within the tent) recommends Lo mig del món (Club Editor) by philologist and activist Roser Vernet, born in El Masroig. It is a book of memoirs that is also a literary journey – full of poetry and linguistically well-rooted in the place – through the Priorat, its villages, and its people.

There is a phrase I would like us to stop repeating once and for all: "It's normal for sex to hurt." We've been sold it in many ways: that the first time is like that, that if you haven't had sex in a while it's normal for it to hurt, that it will pass, that you just need to relax... And, without realizing it, we've ended up assuming that pain is part of sex.

The Association for the Recovery of Historical Memory (ARMH) has submitted an official written request to the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, demanding the declassification of documents regarding the assassination of the poet Federico García Lorca that the State keeps hidden, on the 90th anniversary of the crime.

Nine years after the attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils, the call from various groups to clarify the unknowns of 17-A still remains, but at Monday's tribute, controversy erupted due to a clash between the spokesperson for Vox in Parliament, Joan Garriga, and pro-independence demonstrators convened by the platform Exigim Responsabilitats and the ANC. Specifically, the event that was meant to commemorate the victims ended with a brawl in the middle of Plaça Sant Jaume, with a shouting match directed at the far-right and Garriga's attempt to grab a black pro-independence flag, albeit without success.

Car imports at the Port of Barcelona boost merchandise traffic until July. During the first seven months of the year, the infrastructure moved 41.7 million tons of goods, a figure equivalent to a 2% increase compared to the same period in the 2025 fiscal year. According to data presented this Monday by the Port, the increase in car movement was above the average variation of total traffic, thus remaining as one of the main drivers of growth in port activity.

The PSPV-PSOE denounces that the Council of the People's Party and Pérez Llorca has once again increased the price of public protected housing and is setting it at prices that make it increasingly inaccessible for Valencian families, young people, and the middle classes.

The political clash over the situation in Ceuta escalates as the humanitarian crisis is still evident in the city. The tension between the government of Ceuta and Pedro Sánchez's executive has increased in volume after the president of the autonomous city, Juan Jesús Vivas (PP), threatened to go to court if Moncloa does not "solve" the crisis within 30 days. A path, for now unspecified, which has the support of Genoa, that has found in the migratory crisis a new vein to wear down Pedro Sánchez. Meanwhile, the Spanish government avoids direct confrontation, defends its actions and the "collaboration" between institutions, in the words of the government spokesperson and Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, Elma Saiz, who traveled to Ceuta this Monday for the first time since the arrival of thousands of people on July 30, even though her responsibilities include overseeing a reception network for asylum seekers.

Thousands of fans filled the streets of Mumbles, Wales, this Saturday to say goodbye to singer Bonnie Tyler, who died on July 8 at the age of 75. The artist's followers followed the coffin, covered with a Welsh flag and accompanied by a photograph of Tyler, through the town's streets singing one of his best-known hits, which is Total eclipse of the heart, a trending song after the historic eclipse from a few days ago. The singer's final farewell will be held this Monday at the church of Santa Maria, in Swansea. The city was the artist's temporary residence, who died in Faro (Portugal) due to complications arising from an intestinal perforation.

Israel's National Security Minister, the far-right Itamar Ben-Gvir, stated that Israeli forces should "kill 30 or 40" Palestinians every night in Gaza, beyond those who may represent "a danger at this specific moment." Ben-Gvir made these statements to Rom Braslavski – who was kidnapped on October 7 and held in the Strip by Palestinian militias – in an episode of a podcast that was released on Sunday. "There are people there who don't deserve to live. They aren't even people," the far-right extremist added.

Company turnover in Spain is growing at the highest rate in the last 15 months despite the geopolitical instability arising from the conflict in the Middle East. According to the latest provisional data published this Monday by the National Statistics Institute (INE), company revenues compared to last year increased by 8.9% during the month of June, five points more compared to the year-on-year variation registered in May.

The Kremlin intensifies its crackdown on the pacifist opposition a month before the legislative elections. Specifically, it seeks to punish the only party opposing the war in Ukraine that was initially authorized to participate in the elections, Yabloko. The justice system has sentenced one of its vice-presidents, Lev Shlosberg, to 11 years in prison for defending the need for a ceasefire and criticizing Vladimir Putin. This afternoon, the Supreme Court is also set to rule on the party's appeal against the decision to bar them from the electoral process, after Yabloko's surge in polls in recent weeks and a novel wave of support among young people.

Cirque du Soleil is looking for a new location to establish itself in the metropolitan area of Barcelona, after the L'Hospitalet de Llobregat City Council has terminated the agreement it had with the company. For eight years, the Quebecois circus has brought its shows to the esplanade of Travessia Industrial in the city, next to the municipal stadium. Now, however, L'Hospitalet wants to dedicate this space to its own facilities, which is why it has not renewed the contract with the circus and the company will have to look for an alternative. The Councilor for Urban Agenda 2030-2050, José Antonio Alcaide, explains to the Efe agency that "the city has evolved and now needs to have spaces for facilities dedicated to citizens and for green areas".

Carles Ramió (Girona, 1963) is a professor of political science and administration at Pompeu Fabra University, and as of this week formally chairs the commission of experts launched by the Government for the transformation of public administration (CETRA).

The motorcycle market once again features a motorcycle with the Bultaco logo and name, thanks to the impetus of the Leonart Motors brand, based in Mataró. This small Maresme-based brand has created a subsidiary called Bultaco Next SL which is responsible for the commercial rights of the brand created by Paco Bultó in 1953 in Sant Adrià de Besòs, and which operated until its disappearance in 1983. In 2014, there was already a first attempt to revive the brand name, with a newly created company called Bultaco Motors, specializing in electric motorcycles. Despite creating some models with a certain success, such as the Brinco, the venture was not successful and Bultaco Motors ended up closing in 2019.A bet with a Chinese accent

The new roadmap of the promoters of this Bultaco revival includes a business model not very different from that of Ebro, Santana or Galloper. The plan of the new Bultaco involves marketing an already existing motorcycle, the Chinese Chongqing Andes UT 3.5 Rally, which is already sold in our market under the name 300 Rally thanks to the agreement with Leonart from Mataró. This is a trail motorcycle with a power of 28 HP and only 150 kilos of weight, with a price of 3,999 euros, and which can be ridden with the A2 license. It includes as standard a 5-inch TFT digital screen, a front dashcam to record journeys and LED headlights that guarantee good illumination.

]]>

The American actress Hayden Panettiere died this Sunday at the age of 36, as confirmed by sources close to her to People magazine. The family has not reported the cause of death and has requested privacy while the circumstances are being investigated. American media, however, detail that according to recordings from the emergency services that attended her at her home in Greenville, South Carolina, Panattiere would have suffered an overdose and cardiac arrest.

]]>

“They promised me heaven / but for now I'm still stuck on earth, fighting to get by”. That's what Promise the sky, Delgrès' song that, besides inspiring the title ofThe promised sky, setting the pace for the final minutes of Erige Sehiri's third feature film, rounding off the discourse that the film has been organically building. The director ofBetween fig trees (2022) focuses on three women from sub-Saharan Africa living in Tunisia, legally and socially marginalized. Marie used to work as a journalist and is now an evangelical pastor, and she gives refuge to Naney, who wants to reunite with her daughter on the other side of the border but cannot escape her transitional state, and Jolie, a student with her sights set on Europe. Joining this trio is Kenta, a girl who survived a shipwreck and acts as a catalyst for the protagonists' fears and expectations.

]]>

The mother of fashion designer Krizia Robustella wanted her daughters to have a village: “She liked the idea of having a place to go on weekends and spend the summer, but since my family is from outside, we didn't have one and she looked for it”. The chosen village was Benavarri, in Huesca, on the border with Catalonia, where Krizia has been going since she was twelve. From here she usually goes to what is her favorite place, the Mont-rebei gorge, in the Montsec mountain range. “Every time I go there I think the same thing: it's spectacular”, she says with satisfaction.Over the years, he has seen the transformation that has taken place. At first, there were no walkways or fixed routes; you walked through the fields until you reached the narrowest part. Despite the changes, it is an area that is far from the usual crowds of tourist destinations. Robustella doesn't quite understand why people, when they go on vacation or take a getaway, think of the beach or the mountains and forget about Mont-rebei, which is so worthwhile. But at the same time, he admits that he worries a little about whether, after sharing this marvel, it will start to fill up. For the designer, there are plenty of reasons to go because it has everything: there are pools, waterfalls, rivers, reservoirs, and wonderful excursions can be made: “In the summer you can rent a canoe, go to Sert to eat a sausage or have an ice cream, there are the rural murals of Penelles, and you can even go to Benavarri and eat the roasted pork of Hostal Mars”. She only warns that in the reservoirs you must take into account the winds and currents, so as not to have any scares. In winter he goes on hikes and in summer he takes the car and goes looking for water, reservoirs, rivers or waterfalls: “I am very aquatic”. He says it is always beautiful and that each time of year is different, the colors of spring have nothing to do with those of autumn. Routines also change. When it's cold, he gets home earlier to tidy up the house and play board games, and in summer he takes advantage of being outside all day, and has dinner at a restaurant or takes food for a picnic.The turquoise water of the gorge hypnotizes her. For those who get dizzy like her, she recommends staying in the water. She loves it when she gets in the canoe and passes between giant mountains, through the turquoise blue passageway, where if she looks up she feels tiny. On the other hand, for the more adventurous, there are some stairs attached to the mountain and a couple of incredible bridges. When she goes with her friends, they rent a scooter on the Canelles reservoir for three hours. People usually stay for an hour, but they make the most of it, bringing the cooler with lunch and going to the middle of the reservoir, where they set up with music: “It becomes our yacht, it even has a slide! When I slide down, into that very blue, it’s fantastic,” she says, laughing.

]]>

For decades, textbooks have told a relatively simple story about the original human settlement of the Americas. According to this narrative, a group of humans from Asia crossed the Bering region thousands of years ago and, over time, gradually expanded throughout the continent, from north to south. Now, however, one of the most ambitious genomic studies conducted on the descendants of Native Americans suggests that this story is much richer and more complex than previously thought.The research, led by Tábita Hünemeier, a population genetics specialist at Pompeu Fabra University, which involved more than two dozen researchers from around the world, has analyzed complete genomes of indigenous populations from various Latin American countries. According to their publication in the journal Nature, they have discovered more than a million new genetic variants that were absent in large international databases. The result is not only an advance in understanding human history, but also highlights the extent to which a significant part of global human genetic diversity had been practically absent from biomedical research.

]]>

"What the hell happened?", exclaims, flustered, a police officer with the face of Enric Auquer amidst the confusion of the moments after the Rambla attack on 17-A. It is one of the images from the trailer of Cronos, the thriller about the police operation to capture the perpetrators of the Rambla and Cambrils attacks, which will be released in cinemas on September 4. Directed by Fernando González Molina, responsible for box office hits such as Three Steps Above Heaven, Palm Trees in the Snow, or The Invisible Guardian, it will be the first film to bring the 17-A attacks to the cinema. In fact, it is the first cinematic fiction about terrorist attacks in Catalonia.

]]>

The trigger was a trivial matter. The argument started with a comment like "are you looking at me funny" and one of the involved parties left. But he returned with an electric scooter and shot at the group he had argued with. This happened a week ago in the Raval district of Barcelona. Two people ended up arrested and no one was injured. This is one of the cases that shows, according to police sources, that it is being detected how firearms are appearing more and more often in new contexts, situations that are not linked to organized crime or large drug mafias.

]]>

Sixty days. This was the deadline that the United States and Iran gave themselves to transform the memorandum of understanding signed in June into a final agreement. The deadline expires this Monday without this agreement having been reached. And during these two months, the understanding that was supposed to contain the war has been on the verge of causing it to explode again. In fact, in the last few hours Tehran has raised its tone again: a high-ranking commander of the Revolutionary Guard has warned that its defensive stance will become "offensive" and has threatened with "strategic surprises" against the enemy.

]]>

Exactly 90 years ago, the poet Federico García Lorca was shot on the outskirts of Granada, in a place between the municipalities of Alfacar and Víznar that no one has yet been able to confirm with exactitude. His disappearance is not an exception: it is the best-known symbol of a phenomenon that remains open throughout the State and that, right now, is experiencing a silent setback where the PP and Vox share government. Just as the anniversary of Lorca's death is being commemorated, the Junta de Andalucía – the autonomous community where the poet was from and which has the most mass graves in the entire State, with more than 3,000 people buried in the Víznar ravine alone – has set an expiration date for the law that protects the search for the disappeared of Francoism.

]]>

The resumption of parliamentary activity in Congress, in September, will have as one of its pending tasks to unblock the approval of the conclusions on the attacks of August 17 in Barcelona and Cambrils. Two and a half years after the investigation commission on 17-A was established, the parliamentary groups have already drafted their final proposals, but have not yet submitted them for a vote. The differences between the parties of the plurinational majority, which have been noted in the registered documents and during the sessions, have led them to negotiate in an attempt to approve a consensual text. For now, according to various parliamentary sources consulted by ARA, there is no definitive agreement, although the parties have agreed to try again after the holidays. The main obstacle is for PSOE and Junts to agree, as they are the ones with the most opposed positions.

]]>

Jorge Mendes already cashed in with Barça a decade ago. The Portuguese super-agent, today the representative of the best Barça player, Lamine Yamal, was a key player in facilitating the signing, at the end of July 2016, of one of the most coveted midfielders in the League. He belonged to Valencia and stood out for his vertical and elegant play. He was also seen as one of the most attractive footballers in the competition. At 23 years old, André Gomes arrived to take on the world. He chose Barcelona after Real Madrid pursued him for weeks. Just like Rodrigo Hernández these days, he left the white club disappointed when he decided to make the move to end up at Camp Nou.

]]>

The archetype of the tourist who walks around Catalonia and, specifically, Barcelona, remains in the collective imagination as that group of young people who travel with low cost companies, do not contribute to local commerce, saturate Las Ramblas and Park Güell, and desperately seek a bar to drink cheap alcohol. However, a new model has been established in Catalonia for years as an antidote to mass tourism: silver tourism, that segment of the population over 55 or 60 years old, with purchasing power and consumption capacity.

]]>

I suppose the miller's mill, in Balaguer, was called that because the person who operated it was left-handed. And I suppose that when he went to school, as a child – if he went at all – the teachers must have wanted to correct his "anomaly", without success.

]]>

Tarragona is already experiencing the countdown to the Sant Magí festival. The city's four groups are facing the final days of preparation with rehearsals and tests that will finalize the programs they will present on Wednesday, August 19th, in the Plaça de les Cols. The event, starting at noon, will once again bring together Jove, Xiquets, Sant Pere i Sant Pau, and Serrallo for a festival with very different objectives but a common denominator: reaching the highest possible level in one of the most important events of the Tarragona summer.

]]>

In the last article in ARA I focused on the sociological aspects of tourism. In this second one, I would like to analyze some elements surrounding the sector that mark its evolution in the Islands. With the irruption of tourism, in its initial moments (subdivisions, constructions, sale of places to tour operators), the traditional activities of the Balearic Islands lost strength. We do not know what would have happened without tourism, but we do know that, from an entrepreneurial point of view, this new activity ended up swallowing the others, being, as it was, much simpler than the traditional industrial one. Undoubtedly, for those who had surplus to spend, the business alternative in favor of tourist promotions and associated activities was very tempting.From here we have entrepreneurs enriched in real estate transactions (buying to sell again) and others who have made an industry of the tourist offer (productive cycle, with the creation of infrastructures and employment). Without regulation, they all want, even today, more: more buildable land, more hotel rooms, more licenses for ba5824317rs and restaurants. Some think that the existence of more visitors gives more possibilities for new rooms or restaurant terraces to be filled. But it is a reality that more and more visitors are needed to achieve business, as a growing part escapes this legal offer and planned consumption (where they sleep, where they eat, where they spend). And, of course, when the tap is opened, we cannot separate by type of water afterwards. Thinking that our boots are fuller by putting water in them not only serves to deceive ourselves, but also ends up spoiling the good initial wine.The industrial hospitality entrepreneur, neat with his offering and respectful of his environment, will take care of integrating consumption and preserving the brand. All we have to ask him is that he does not expect the business to work on the basis of volume, subsidized by the State and with broad discretion from the administrations. As I have commented in other articles, the sector receives multiple and diverse aid (low taxation, incomplete costs, water prices, sufficiently lax labor regulation) because it suits the State for us to increase stays (we mean foreign currency) at any price, subsidizing costs if necessary to maintain demand at low prices. The good entrepreneur knows, however, that all this cannot have a future.Every islander comes to think that in one way or another they live thanks to tourism. In some cases directly for the job they have, and in others for the auxiliary services that external demand inflates for a few months. Undoing this web is very difficult today. That is why it is always advisable to emphasize that the feasible alternative is not to do more of the same, but to improve the tourism we already have; not to make the web more extensive, thinner, and with more risk of a gust of wind taking everything away. But the sector's workers themselves must be clear that, to secure their jobs, the solution is not to grow more with employment that we don't have and that we have to seek elsewhere. Employers have been complaining for years that they lack workers: carpenters, mechanics, plumbers, technical engineers, minimally trained labor. But by now it should be evident to everyone that, in the past, all the increase in the newcomer population has been absorbed by the hospitality industry, which requires less training, with tasks for "permanently discontinuous" workers that do not allow for the desirable stabilization and professional integration. And every year we continue the same. This is not a question of immigrants yes or no, but of straightening out our own vocational training once and for all!Choosing to have more people come is as easy as it is wrong, and then, socially complex to manage. For example, regarding Menorca, since we are not a "province," the INE does not say how many residents of the island were born on the island, but in certain population groups, we may no longer reach half. It is not at all clear how we will maintain the language and culture of the country, social cohesion, and commitment to inherited heritage.Beware, finally, when ecosystem solutions are proposed: since everything ends up depending on everything else, it's usually a great excuse for doing nothing (perhaps not knowing where to start?). Be attentive when the recipe is the need for a "cultural change", an "institutional" reform, the wait for "political consensus", the modification of "capitalist structures", or the extension and achievement of more "social consciousness"... While all these are correct factors, thinking this way doesn't resolve what we do in the meantime. It's tiring that some want to pull the wool over our eyes with new studies, future initiatives, and various occurrences. Meanwhile, the Balearic Islands are the place with the most housing access problems, with the highest cost of living, with clear symptoms of resources being depleted... And as of June 30th, it was the autonomous community that had increased visitors the most and created the most employment. But with what's happening, regarding gross disposable family income, in real terms of purchasing power, they don't say a peep!

]]>

There are objects that acquire value as soon as we bring them through the door of our home. Before buying them, we examine them with coldness, distance, and even distrust. Afterwards, when they are already ours, they seem different. A normal, everyday mug becomes special. The armchair that was in the window of a furniture store retains an unexpected authenticity. The home we want to sell is always worth more than any of the apartments in the same building. This phenomenon is known as the "endowment effect". Ownership modifies our perception and valuation. We ask for more money to part with something than we would have been willing to pay to acquire it. The object, however, is exactly the same. Only its relationship with us changes: it has gone from being in the world to being part of our world. Possessing creates bonds.This explains many difficult negotiations. Whoever sells a house incorporates years of memories into the price. Whoever buys it only sees square meters, state of preservation, and location. The seller hands over a part of their biography. The buyer acquires a property. Both believe they are talking about the same thing, but they value different objects.It also happens in companies. A founder overvalues his company because he created it. A team defends a mediocre project because it is theirs. A manager resists closing a business line to which he has dedicated years. All ownership has an emotional dimension.The endowment effect explains the full closets and the eternal exclamation during a move: "But why am I keeping all this!?" We keep clothes we don't use because giving them away is perceived as a loss. We keep books we'll never open again just in case we feel like flipping through them one day. We accumulate cables from old devices, lest one day we decide to reconnect them. Each object seems to contain a future option: one day it might be useful. The reality is that we keep them only because they are ours.Online marketplaces offer a magnificent portrait of this bias. The seller sets a price inspired by affection. No one makes an offer. That's why so many stationary bikes, lamps, and furniture continue to be advertised for months.One way to correct the endowment effect is to ask ourselves this question: if this object were not mine, how much would I pay for it today? The answer usually lowers its value with surprising speed.The most interesting thing is that things don't change when we own them. We change ourselves. We confuse belonging with value and end up belonging a little to everything we believe we own.

]]>

It hasn't even been four months since Levante last visited the RCDE Stadium. That night, cold for April, very few would have imagined that in 2026 both teams would meet again in the First Division. Espanyol, who hadn't won for 16 matchdays, was on the path to the abyss, and Levante, who didn't take the three points because they hit the crossbar in the final play, were halfway to the Second Division.

]]>

Traumas are not overcome from one day to the next, but Montilivi and Girona took the first step to begin forgetting the enormous disappointment that the relegation a few months ago represented. Far from reproaches, discomforts, or notable scoldings, both the fans and the team put on a good face. Everyone knows this will be a long haul, and it's better to be comfortable with it. The reward for the energy was Abel Ruiz's last-minute goal, which salvaged a hard-fought point against an effective Leganés (1-1).

]]>

Rodrigo Hernández, Rodri, will be a Barça player. The blaugrana club reached a preliminary agreement this Sunday with Manchester City for the signing of the Madrid-born midfielder. The operation will be official during the week, once all the documentation has been drafted and signed. The intention is that Rodri, who will sign for four seasons, can be presented as early as Wednesday during the Joan Gamper Trophy, according to blaugrana sources.

]]>

Often when we see old photos of mountain villages, there's something that catches our attention: there are far fewer trees than now. Indeed, until the mid-20th century, wood was the main fuel that heated houses and there was an entire economic sector dedicated to it. With the change in the energy paradigm and the introduction of fossil fuels and electricity, forests and wood ceased to be profitable, and the result is that the forest mass has multiplied to such an extent that it now occupies 70% of the territory in Catalonia. Less wood is consumed, and moreover, what is consumed is mostly from abroad, specifically 80%.

]]>

A member of the Military Emergencies Unit (UME) died this Sunday while participating in the operation to extinguish the fire declared on Monday in Las Peñas de Riglos (Huesca). According to the Efe agency, the man died as a result of a traffic accident during the work to put out the fire. The president of the government of Aragon, Jorge Azcón, has conveyed his condolences to the lieutenant general of the UME, as reported by the Aragonese government.

]]>

In s’Alguer, the cove where the new Estrella Damm advertisement was filmed, one person lives all year round. This is Miquel Carós (Palamós, 1948), who has been living for twelve years in one of the fishermen's houses with coloured doors in this spot of crystal-clear waters on the Costa Brava. Now he is no longer the sole inhabitant. Six years ago, another man settled there with his son. None of the three would be living there if Franco had not died on November 20, 1975. "It was close, the machines were already prepared to demolish the shacks, but since he died, everything stopped," he explains.

]]>

The weekend has been marked by quiet mornings and unstable afternoons, with locally intense showers and thunderstorms that in some cases have left more than 50 or 60 mm. Good news after a very dry July and early August in a large part of the territory. The temperature has also relaxed practically everywhere, although intense heat has been maintained on the coast. Next week will begin with increasingly intense heat, but from the middle of the week a change in weather will arrive that will lower the temperature and leave more widespread precipitation.

]]>

One of these days, chatting with some celestial bodies, they all agreed that this eclipse in Catalonia had been unique. They know what they're talking about: they are professionals at getting in each other's way. They always want to get ahead… But what surprised the celestial family (stars, planets, asteroids, satellites, comets) was that this eclipse could only be seen "in the territory". A phenomenon more earthly than astronomical.

]]>

A new front is opening up for the Catalan education sector. Municipal music schools, with more than 50,000 students throughout Catalonia (15,000 more than 15 years ago) and under the management of city councils (in a system similar to nursery schools), are making yet another cry for help. With a new demand addressed to all parliamentary groups, the Catalan Association of Music Schools (ACEM) is calling on the Generalitat to substantially increase its budgetary allocation "for proper funding".

]]>

As every Saturday, at eight in the evening, nearly a thousand people have gathered in Avlabari Square, near the center of the Georgian capital. The protest atmosphere, with a profusion of national flags and anti-government slogans, and their demands are not very different from those of other countries suffering an authoritarian drift in the current global populist wave.

]]>

The arrival of summer is the arrival of the main festivals and, with them, the same ritual: the mayor goes out onto the balcony at the moment of the proclamation. But increasingly often this ritual also becomes a headache: the moment when organized citizens take advantage of the most media-friendly stage of the municipal calendar to express their discontent with those in power or the politician who shows up. It repeats year after year, and takes different forms depending on who is on the balcony, who is shouting from below, and what is at stake.

]]>

There are no more woodcutters. This forest trade from the mid-20th century disappeared due to the energy transition – the substitution of natural resources for fossil fuels – and the rural exodus towards cities. It is an example of how the economy of many territories has transformed and, consequently, their landscape, especially the forest. Reflections like this have been brought back to the table due to the major fires that have ravaged Catalonia and the State, and which have put the need – although some speak of an obligation – to manage a forest that, added to the climate crisis, has an unprecedented fuel load, in the spotlight. And behind it all, a key but wasted resource: wood and its potential. "It has much more than we are giving it", anticipates Mario Beltrán, technician at the Centre de Ciència i Tecnologia Forestal de Catalunya (CTFC). This doesn't mean that wood isn't used in our country, but a lot of it comes from abroad. Today, Catalonia imports 80% of the wood it consumes. Of this amount, 40% comes from other parts of Spain and the rest from abroad. In Spain as a whole, more wood is also imported than exported, especially in the form of products with higher added value such as sawn timber and paper pulp.

]]>

Barça has left good feelings in the friendly match played in Basel, which they won 2-5. The important thing was not the score, but to see how the team reacted against an opponent who, although not of the highest footballing level, is more seasoned and took the match very seriously. Adeyemi, with a goal and an assist, was one of the protagonists of a match that also served for the young Bisiwu to debut with a brace.

]]>

There is a popular street conversation about the fact that sardines are smaller than ever. Summer is the peak season for these fish, because that's when they eat a lot to accumulate fat for autumn; then they will be able to lay eggs and reproduce. For this reason, it has always been said that sardines should be eaten in months that do not have an R: June, July, and August, because that's when they have more fat and are tastier.In the city of Porto, sardines are the typical dish in many restaurants. Both in street food and in Michelin-starred cuisine. At the hotel The One Monumental Palace, located in the heart of the city, chef Julien Montbabut has a menu that travels through Portugal dish by dish. It is a journey through traditional cuisine, filtered through his French sensibility after years living in Portugal, and which earned him a Michelin star last year. Sardines are, of course, a must. He cooks them to perfection, with bread and oil, and they are a meaty and flavorful bite. Meanwhile, in street restaurants, near the river, you will find grilled sardines. Also meaty. And it is that in the Atlantic, sardines are big, very big.In the Atlantic, bigger“In the Mediterranean, in general, many marine species are smaller than in the Atlantic,” says scientist Anna Bozzano, who assures that it is due to the environmental characteristics of the sea; the Mediterranean has a higher temperature and less nutrient availability than the Atlantic. When the sea temperature is lower, fish have a slower metabolism and, therefore, can grow more, says Bozzano. In the Mediterranean, there are many other factors that could explain why sardines are small. All together, they could lead us to understand it. To begin with, there is plankton, which has lost quality and quantity due to the warming of the water. If the sardine's food is less nutritious, it will not favor its growth.To continue, there are microplastics that sardines ingest. “They feel like they have eaten, that they are full, and then they do not eat their food. Microplastics worsen the metabolic condition of sardines, which end up being smaller and thinner,” says scientist Anna Bozzano, who points to the rise in sea temperature as a factor that stresses sardines. “They may end up laying smaller eggs than usual because environmental stress can accelerate sexual development,” she says. Therefore, multifactorial reasons explain why our sardines have nothing to do with those from the Atlantic.To conclude, let's look at the data to confirm that we have fewer sardines than ever (beyond whether they are small). According to data from the Catalan Institute for Research for Maritime Governance, in 2025, 3,935.7 tons of sardines were caught, counting all Catalan fish markets. This figure represented a reduction of 33.3% compared to the average catch between 2022 and 2024. So we eat smaller sardines than ever, and fewer than ever. Probably, overfishing also explains this decrease. All of this makes us envy the city of Porto, with its large, plump sardines. Ours are meager. And all of this doesn't seem to have a solution.

]]>

A few weeks ago, the Parliament of Catalonia approved a motion presented by the Comuns parliamentary group and endorsed by the votes of ERC, PSC, Junts, and the CUP to introduce a new vignette payment system for vehicles that circulate daily on the AP-7, an essential communication artery for the country's mobility that has been on the verge of collapse since the lifting of the old toll booths in September 2021.

]]>

"They brought me here to kill me. I don't think I'll get out alive." This is the last message that pediatrician Hussam Abu Safiya was able to convey through his lawyer from his captivity. He had recently been transferred to Rakefet, an Israeli underground prison where inmates never see the light of day. When lawyer Nasser Odeh visited him on July 2, he barely recognized him: his face was full of bruises, he had difficulty speaking and breathing, and he could barely stay seated. Several times he seemed on the verge of losing consciousness.

]]>

The 59-year-old actress Nicole Kidman told the magazine "Vogue how the first vacation went after her separation from Keith Urban: the interpreter has lived a "European summer" that has taken her from London to Paris, through Italy and to the clubs of Ibiza. As she explained to the magazine, Kidman's nights on the island have always followed the same pattern: dinner around quarter past ten at night and, afterwards, partying at a club from one in the morning. To go unnoticed among the crowd, the actress explained that she resorts to a very simple trick: she wears glasses and, sometimes, a short dark wig. This way, she assures, she can limit herself to dancing without attracting attention. Kidman also admitted that she needs to be accompanied by trusted people to feel comfortable when she goes out partying.

]]>

The North American actor Matthew McConaughey turned down the lead role of Joel Miller in the HBO series "The last of us, the character that Pedro Pascal eventually played. During an interview on the podcast Happy sad confused, McConaughey explained that during that period he was away from acting and focused mainly on writing and taking on leadership roles off-screen. The performer says he preferred not to tie himself to a continuous television project, because beyond "}the first season of True detective, I wasn't very active. The actor has acknowledged that he seriously considered accepting the offer, but that, in the end, he decided against it due to the involvement the series required.

]]>

When I was starting to worry about not finding good merchandise to start my summer shift in replacement of Àlex Gutiérrez, I came across a piece that, on its own, would be enough to write a whole week of Pareu màquines (don't worry, I won't). It's a piece from the supplement Yo Dona, from El Mundo, titled as follows: “Isabel Díaz Ayuso wears her summer fetish dress to La Paloma: plunging neckline and cut-outs at the waist to show off her abs”. I really don't know where to start.

]]>

Since the massive entry into Ceuta, thousands of migrants are living in precarious conditions in industrial estates and natural areas of the city. Some have injuries and illnesses, and health workers and NGO members attend to them in the street. However, according to the Spanish Minister of Health, Mónica García, it is not true that the city's health services are collapsed, as denounced by local authorities and health workers themselves. García, who visited Ceuta this Sunday for the first time since the beginning of the migratory and humanitarian crisis, limited herself to saying that some services, such as primary care, are "strained." Words that have outraged the regional government and the national PP, which has once again called for her resignation.

]]>

This summer's migration crisis has once again placed Ceuta and Melilla at the center of the political debate between Spain and Morocco. In an interview with the Arab television channel Asharq News, the Moroccan Minister of Justice, Abdellatif Ouahbi, acknowledged on Wednesday that the claim of sovereignty over both cities "remains on the table," although he called for "calm" and a long-term solution through dialogue. "Inside Ceuta there are Moroccans and there are Spaniards, and we continue to hold onto our territories," Ouahbi stated.

]]>

They are some of the most terrifying images in cinema history: the two twins from The Shining, the adaptation Stanley Kubrick made of the Stephen King classic. They played two girls who had been murdered by their father in the dreadful Overlook Hotel and who appeared to the film's child protagonist. "Hello, Danny. Come play with us, forever, forever and ever" was their only line. But Kubrick's way of filming, and editing that alternated the living girls with flashes of their dismembered bodies, made it traumatic not only for Danny, but also for the viewer. 

]]>

Assumpta Serna, one of the most popular and beloved actresses in the country, has generated enormous controversy on social media after denouncing the "hell" that, she says, it means to face Catalonia's dependency system. Serna published a message on Instagram on Saturday denouncing the slowness and ineffectiveness of the Catalan Government's dependency aid system. "It is not humane nor fair," says the actress, who takes care of her mother, who is one hundred years old. Her publication, in which she asks to collect testimonies to "gain more strength" and demand "more budget and trained caregivers," has gone viral.

]]>

"For me, entering La Central is like entering a candy store. I go there to look for sweets!", confesses the actress Muntsa Alcañiz. It was during one of these excursions that, "patapam!", she stumbled upon the first two volumes of the tetralogy Joseph and His Brothers by Thomas Mann, which Comanegra has published in Catalan with translation by Ramon Monton. "They stick to my fingers", assures Alcañiz, who is a great reading enthusiast. Only the study of her theatrical roles can take her away from books, such as this summer's at Heartbreak Hotel, Factory, but once she has memorized them, she returns to her daily reading. "When a book grips me, I like to get up very early and, as soon as it gets light, I'm already on the rooftop reading. I really enjoy listening to the birds and reading", she explains.

]]>

Borja Thyssen has projected very different images throughout his extensive media life, which dates back to the day of his own birth. From being a shy and discreet child in the shadow of his iconic mother and adoptive father – Tita Cervera and Baron Heinrich von Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kászon et Impérfalva, respectively – he became a kind of pioneer of the reggaeton malemuscular and tattooed in his younger days to eventually, at 46 years old, become a low-profile figure who only appears in the media voluntarily for matters related to art collecting. This change of direction in his public image, however, has been interrupted by a controversy with an Andorran bank that has spread to all the Spanish gossip media, as expected, in the midst of a news drought.

]]>

Perhaps you've heard of it, or perhaps its vintage name sounds more familiar: sadomasochism. But BDSM is much more than an imaginary world loaded with leather, myths, and misunderstandings. Under these acronyms are grouped erotic practices such as bondage, discipline, domination, submission, sadism, and masochism. And, above all, there is an indispensable condition: consent.

]]>

A zero-emission sustainable city, with large green spaces, advanced internet connections, and an industrial fabric dedicated to innovation, is the future dream of Chinese President Xi Jinping. And the dream is becoming a reality about a hundred kilometers southwest of Beijing, and the name of the new city is Xiong'an. The project began in 2017, but after some difficulties and delays, this year Xi Jinping has given it a new impetus. The objective, according to the propaganda of the Chinese administration, is that by 2035 the metropolis will be fully completed and become the model of a “socialist modern city”.

]]>

We interview the president of the DO Cava, Marta Vidal (Puigdàlber, 1984), in the town where she lives, Vilanova i la Geltrú. She took office on June 11th, after elections she won against four other candidacies. Marta Vidal is also the general director of the Vallformosa winery, which brings between ten and twelve million bottles of cava to the market annually. Her father, Vicenç Vidal, is one of the winery's shareholders, and it was the partners who proposed to the father that he give the position of general director to his daughter, who was educated at Pompeu Fabra University, Esade, and has work experience in banking, specifically at Bankinter. When she was thirty years old, she left everything and went to live in the USA, in San Francisco and New York. Upon her return, in 2017, she joined the winery, located in Vilobí del Penedès. Marta Vidal arrives at the interview prepared with written pages, with underlined phrases, and with a very clear discourse, which she summarizes with constant words: dialogue, future, and sustainability.

]]>

For a long time, Brazil has been an inexhaustible source of footballing talent. Some of the best foreign players who have passed through Barça in recent decades come from the nation that exports the most footballers to other countries in the world. According to the global report by CIES Football Observatory, this year 1,455 Brazilian professionals are playing far from their homeland. But this data does not include footballers of a lower profile, who play in semi-professional leagues and do not move millions. This is the case of three young men in their early twenties, evangelicals, born and raised in Brazil, who in the coming weeks will do their pre-season with the first team of UE Balàfia. The historic neighborhood club of Lleida needs to strengthen its squad for the upcoming season, which they will play in Primera Catalana after being promoted last campaign.

]]>

“Which floor are you going to?” asks a girl to a woman who is walking with a child by the hand, carrying a large travel bag and waiting for the elevator in the building’s entrance. “To the sixth,” replies the woman. Coincidentally, both are going to the same floor, and both are also dressed in a strictly Islamic manner: black tunic and headscarf, and a mask covering part of their faces. Inside the elevator, they don’t exchange many words either: like everyone else, they comment that it’s too hot in Kabul these days. When they reach the sixth floor, they realize they are not only going to the same floor, but also to the same place.

]]>

One year after the historic summit in Alaska between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, a peace agreement in Ukraine seems much further away than at that moment, although in reality it has never been close. During these months, Russian diplomacy has coined the concept spirit of Anchorage –the military base where the meeting was held– to argue that in Alaska the Americans had accepted the Kremlin's conditions to end the conflict. However, the passing weeks have shown that this spirit was an evanescent chimera. Relations between Russia and the United States are now going through one of the worst moments since the Republican's return to the White House,, and the thawing process that peaked a year ago is heading into a dead end.

]]>

The summer of 1936, Federico García Lorca (Granada, June 5, 1898 - between Víznar and Alfacar, Granada, August 18 or 19, 1936) decided to leave Madrid and go to Granada for a short stay. The assassination of the Minister of Finance during the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera, Calvo Sotelo, on July 13, had left him very uneasy. "July 18 was his saint's day and his father's, and they were going to celebrate it, and also to say goodbye to the family because he was leaving for Mexico with the actress Margarida Xirgu. His intention was to return to Madrid in the autumn, because he was to premiere La casa de Bernarda Alba and publish Poeta en Nueva York", explains journalist and writer Víctor Fernández.

]]>

Catalonia now has double the forests it had in the 1950s – forest cover has gone from 35% of the territory to almost 65% – and the fires of recent weeks — the latest this Friday in Collserola — and a legislative plot twist have strongly reopened a debate that already existed in the sector: who should bear the responsibility – and in whose name should the bill go – for maintenance? Currently, only 30% of forests are managed, meaning active work is being done through felling, undergrowth clearing, or new plantations. In this context, a small change in a discreet article has revolutionized the sector. As reported by ARA a few months ago, decree-law 21/2025, which obliged owners to maintain their land in condition and enabled the administration to do so at a cost – meaning passing the bill to the owner – mutated during parliamentary processing and changed from "obliging" to simply requesting "collaboration". A direct request from the forestry sector.

]]>

(As every summer, L'ARA dedicates a series of Sunday Media articles to reviewing television history. This year we rescue some of the most notable channel changes that historical fictions underwent).

]]>

In a context where the housing market is more strained than ever, any alternative that provides solutions to the housing emergency, however imaginative, is good news. This is the direction in which Sostre Cívic works, which advocates for cooperative housing: apartment blocks where residents, members of the cooperative, are neither owners nor tenants, but enjoy an indefinite right of use cession, with collective self-management and fees set at cost price, outside the speculative logic of the real estate business, with no possibility of purchase or resale.

]]>

The photographer Andrea Rosemercy is from Girona, lives in Barcelona, and is very clear that her favorite place is Calella de Palafrugell, where her parents have lived for a few years. Beyond the charm of the village and the natural surroundings, what makes it truly special is that it has become the meeting point for the whole family: the parents, the brother who also lives there, and the sister who is in France: “The landscape is very different from that of the city. You can be very quickly close to the sea and nature. In Barcelona you also have sea and mountain, but it is less wild and more prefabricated”. Surely that's why she says it's perfect for resting and where she disconnects very easily from her routine, both in summer and winter. Here she finds tranquility and inspiration for her photos. When she goes there, always, regardless of the time of year, she goes to see the sea: “Sometimes I take the opportunity to create. By the sea I am much more inspired”. She particularly likes the coastal path between Calella and Llafranc, an unfrequented rocky area, where no anchored boats are seen, it is easily accessible and she has the feeling of being alone. She says it might not be as spectacular a stretch as the one from Calella to Cap Roig, which is beautiful, but where there are usually many people. She admits that there is always something that catches her attention and she takes the opportunity to take photos with her analog camera. "And if I don't have it with me, then with my mobile," she points out. Ever since his older brother settled in the town, almost 30 years ago, he has visited it assiduously. Since then, he doesn't think it has changed much and the best thing is that it has kept its essence. The town has grown, there are more people, more services, more commerce, everything is tidier, but the first franchise café has just opened: “It’s a good sign that they haven’t reproduced like in other places”. And he adds that both in Calella and Palafrugell there are people from the town who are opening businesses. In addition to meeting with family, during stays in Calella, try to rest. He admits that in the summer there are many people, but says it's a matter of having different schedules from the tourists and going to less crowded places. When bathing, he prefers to move away from the most popular spots, which quickly fill up. And when it's less hot, he takes the opportunity to walk along the coastal path, go for a vermouth, or have a drink near the sea. He associates Calella with family gatherings and also with friends: “From time to time, I meet up with them to share all this that I like so much, especially what is less typical, and enjoy the quieter areas”.

]]>

Driving to where the mainland ends has a hard-to-explain appeal. It is an almost irrational impulse that pushes us to cover kilometers and more kilometers towards the horizon, tracing steep coastlines until we hit that exact point where the continent capitulates, defeated by the uncatchable immensity of the ocean. On this road trip, we won't go to coves full of parasols nor will we stretch out on a lounger; we want to travel to the abysses. We seek the rough smell of saltpeter, the Atlantic wind buffeting our faces and the vertiginous certainty that, beyond that cliff where we have stopped the car, there is nothing else. These geographical extremes, those ancient dead ends where it was once believed the universe ended, have today become the perfect refuge for those who need a dose of raw beauty. From Ireland to Patagonia, passing through Galicia or the frozen confines of Iceland, we propose a route through the great limits of the Atlantic. Lower the windows, turn up the radio volume, and let yourself be swept away by the unavoidable call of the void.

]]>

Today I visit the science place closest to my home. And despite that, I had never set foot there. It is located on Carrer de la Llum – yes, they have given it a tailor-made name – in Cerdanyola del Vallès, bordering Sant Cugat, where I have lived for many years.

]]>

The rainstorm this Saturday afternoon in León has caused two fatalities. The strong storm caused the Oza river to overflow, which caused a flood and a landslide that reached Manzanedo de Valdueza and Bouzas, two municipalities belonging to Ponferrada. According to initial information from emergency teams, the provisional toll is two fatalities and two injured people.

]]>

Summarizing more than 1,200 pages divided into three books and more than nine hours of film divided into three films –and, therefore, apologies to the fans–, The Lord of the Rings tells the story of how the hobbits, elves, men, and dwarves of Middle-earth – J.R.R. Tolkien's alternative and fantastic world – united to fight evil and to try to destroy the one ring, an evil jewel with which the world could be dominated. Just when a new season of the series "The Rings of Power" is about to premiere, and a new film in this universe is being filmed, the Gràcia neighborhood is proposing itself as a luxury setting for new productions. Right now in the center of Barcelona there are several Gollums – the owner of the ring for many years, a creature that inspires both fear and pity – dragons, a magical forest, and a wizard Gandalf. But Gràcia does not only remember The Lord of the Rings for this.

]]>

In Spain, the past is not the past, but a political weapon of daily use. Unlike in Catalonia, where the anti-Francoist consensus of all Catalanist forces allows for a greater consensus, Spain has not resolved its historical memory. And the symbol that best represents this failure is the figure of the Granada-born poet Federico García Lorca, murdered 90 years ago, and whose remains have not yet been found. This is undoubtedly an uncomfortable anniversary for the Spanish right, as it breaks the narrative that one must look forward and opt for "concord". What "concord" is possible when there are thousands and thousands of families who do not know where their loved ones are, including a pivotal figure in Spanish and even world literature, studied in all universities worldwide?

]]>

"We all carry death behind us and no one is aware of it. From the moment you are born, they are giving you life and they are giving you death. Fortunately, not so many children die or not so many sons die, but it happens," reflects Paula Miras. She is the creator of the podcast Un dia més, focused on grief and its management, a personal project created from her experience as the mother of a son, Blai, who died when he was two years and five months old. "He died in September 2024 suddenly and totally unexpectedly due to a common virus. He was diagnosed on a Wednesday, due to a very high fever spike, and his viral condition worsened day after day. And even though we took him to the hospital on repeated occasions in a very short period of days, the doctors' hypothesis all along was that it was a viral condition and that everything that was happening to him was within normal limits. On Sunday he went into cardiac arrest at home and died suddenly," recalls this teacher by profession.

]]>

Ramon Mirabet had been playing on the street for years when life took him to Glenfinnan, in the Scottish Highlands. “I slept in a train carriage in the middle of the woods, alone, and there was a very small TV in the driver’s compartment – he explains–. One day I turned it on and the Estrella Damm summer advert came on. I heard it and thought: one day it will be my music that plays in the advert.” Years later, when he had already made a name for himself on stage, he received the commission: “Do you want to record the song for this summer’s advert?” I still remember my answer: “I’d been waiting for that message for a long time!”

]]>

The mercury has relaxed across the board after a few days of intense heat and this Saturday it reached 36°C or 37°C where it climbed the most. Normal values for the season that suggest a cooling down because we are coming from very high temperatures. Storms were also the protagonists during Saturday afternoon and evening in many places, especially in the northern half and the center of the country, where they were locally accompanied by hail. Notable are the 50 mm accumulated in Artés, in Bages, the 34 mm in Sant Pau de Segúries, in Ripollès, and the 33 mm in Gisclareny, in Berguedà. On Sunday afternoon, instability will already be decreasing and less extensive and intense showers will form.

]]>

L'Ésdansa arrives at its 44th edition with the aim of projecting dance towards the future through tradition. The traditional root dance festival, which will take place from August 17 to 23, will this year pay tribute to the trajectory of the esbart through the Marboleny Circle of Traditional and Popular Culture, which celebrates its 50th anniversary. The Garrotxa municipality will receive five companies from Indonesia, Peru, Cuba, Serbia, and South Africa, who will present their dances and invite attendees to learn to dance them. In parallel, the festival's program will feature local proposals such as Allò que som, by Esbart Marboleny and Horabaixa from Radicel·la, the young root dance company born after sharing the Viver of the Program for the Promotion of Root Dance.The president of Marboleny, Roger Casalprim, assures that "traditional root dance projects us towards the future" and represents "a meeting point, a window to the world of Catalonia's cultural richness". In the same vein, the mayor of Les Preses, Albert Danés, emphasizes the importance of preserving culture. "It is essential to maintain dance, as well as language or tradition, as we are in a critical situation," says Danés. The previous edition of Ésdansa brought together more than 10,000 people in a municipality that does not reach two thousand. Creation through a look at the past

The Ésdansa program will pay special attention to Basque dance. On August 21 and 22, exhibitions by companies such as Bilaka, an artistic collective based in Bayonne, or Kemen Dantza Taldea, from Irun, can be seen. National dance groups such as Esbart Ciutat Comtal, from Barcelona, will also participate with Fars, a contemporary rooted dance proposal that explores the relationship between people, the sea, and light. As is well known, the festival has an inseparable connection with the Garrotxa region. Therefore, for the second consecutive year, a gathering will be held where dance, music, and gastronomy will serve as a shared experience.Dance, in the same way as all the cultural elements of a country, is in constant change, as Heraclitus warned. Carol Duran, general director of Popular Culture and Cultural Associationism of the Generalitat praises the festival's progression and its vision for a "living popular culture, but always with respect for tradition". Duran makes it clear that it is essential to have "a vision of innovation and creation through the root", that is, to keep tradition in mind. Tickets for the paid performances are now on sale and the registration period for the various workshops is also open. According to Núria Feixas, director of Ésdansa, this "learning line in which the youngest members of the household, and also adults, will be able to learn traditional root dance together" is also fundamental.

]]>

After years of calls and stabilization processes, the Catalan public administration has achieved one of the objectives set by law 20/2021, which established reducing temporality in public employment as a prior step to the reform of the administration and the improvement of public services. According to data accessed by ARA, the Generalitat has registered the lowest level of temporality since there are data in the public employment database, the tool that collects the evolution of the Catalan public sector's staff and which has not been available online for months.

]]>

In February 2025, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the White House after Donald Trump returned to power to guarantee American military support. It was the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders after the Republican regained the presidency in the US and also a time when Patriot missiles, crucial for defense against Russian attacks, were already beginning to be scarce in Kyiv. That day Trump berated Zelensky, telling him he had no cards. What the leader perhaps did not imagine was that, a year and a half later, he would find himself in a similar situation: the Pentagon is having trouble resupplying its Patriot missiles.

]]>

At just 28 years old, Marcela was already running a newspaper with almost a hundred collaborators in Colombia. Despite having to deal with threats due to border conflicts – several journalists from the area were killed – and promoting dozens of initiatives to revive her town's community, what finally blocked Marcela was motherhood. After fleeing the country pregnant and accompanied by her partner, she arrived in Catalonia a year and a half ago, and when her son, Fer, was born, she collapsed. "You have 20,000 personal things inside, but then motherhood arrives and it hits you like a slap," she admits.

]]>

It doesn't matter which corner of Africa you are in. Whether you are in a small village on the outskirts of Bobo-Dioulasso, in Burkina Faso, in a provincial capital in Guinea, or in a large city like Lagos, Nigeria, you will always find a recurring figure: a product, a project, or a major infrastructure made in China. The Asian giant presents itself to Africans with a very effective narrative: during the 19th century, they too suffered the effects of foreign domination, and now they have become a world power by following their own path, ignoring the criticism of the countries that had previously dominated them. If Africans unite with China, they will be able to follow the same path towards a new global order, breaking the monopoly of Western power. On the ground, this translates into the construction of roads, hospitals, schools, and airports, structural investments to guarantee the mobility and future of the continent.Not everything is idyllic. Across the continent, African workers from Chinese companies denounce cases of labor exploitation, and in the most serious cases they have been accused of acting as new colonizers. Resource extraction has generated pollution of rivers and forests, scarcity of fish and an increase in food prices, while part of the available supply is packaged and sold in China. Trade relations with China continue to have the same contradictions that globalization generates everywhere.While the trade war between the United States and China occupies most of the headlines, another reality has remained hidden: 2025 was the year in which Africa's trade deficit with China broke its historical record. 100 billion dollars, 61% more than the previous year. For now, Africa mainly sells unprocessed raw materials, and China sells manufactured products and machinery. It is a trade pattern that does not solve the structural problems of the African continent, and both African capitals and Beijing are aware of this.The revolution of value chains

“Nowadays, countries like Zimbabwe, Namibia, Mozambique, Ghana, and Guinea are dismantling this system: prohibiting the export of raw materials and enforcing local processing standards,” wrote Kenyan journalist Jevans Nyabiage this week in the South China Morning Post. The importance of so-called critical minerals has generated a small negotiation margin for Africans. Aware of the scarcity of these resources, African countries attract Chinese investments to process their minerals. Jumping from selling unprocessed lithium to the first phase of refining means that, per kilogram, Zimbabwe can earn between 3 and 5 times more. Chinese investors respond positively to these requests: it is a way to reduce costs in their own value chain.The purchase of Chinese technology linked to renewable energies has also skyrocketed in the last four years. Energy is the essential condition for achieving industrialization. The joint package of energy and technological transfer is, for Africans, a loophole through which to access industrialization. The last year and a half has confirmed the differences, from the African perspective, between the hegemonic blocs of the global economy. The United States is increasing tariffs and reducing development aid; Europe is also reducing this aid – with fewer alarmist headlines – and prioritizing migration control. China has been facilitating the entry of African students into its universities for years, and has wide-open doors for its products: since May of this year, 53 African countries can sell tariff-free to China. Despite the contradictions, in many parts of Africa they see China as a reliable partner that will allow them to change their living conditions, and some countries are willing to try.

]]>

With wild enthusiasm I read in ARA that the Government, the ministry, Renfe and Adif have announced "the deployment of a million-dollar works plan, distributed among various stations, which aims to transform these transit points into "dignified" infrastructures while the major works are pending". The major works will take years and perhaps, when they are done, we will already be stardust, to put it poetically. "The station is the gateway to the system, and its comfort speaks of what the user will find afterwards," said the Minister of Territory, Sílvia Paneque. For example, at the Molins de Rei station, they will carry out works with an investment of "more than nine million after two years of being stalled". At Llinars del Vallès and Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, more than two million. At Sants, 150 million.

]]>

The consultation to change the name and recover Catalan identity in the department of Pyrénées-Orientales, the French nomenclature for Northern Catalonia, has ended. This Saturday was the last day of a vote held since June 22, although the results will not be known until August 28. With the participation data available (10% of the electorate with around 35,000 votes, according to departmental sources consulted, pending the publication of definitive data this Monday) and the positioning of the various actors, is a Catalanist shake-up expected? Will Pyrénées Catalanes win, will Pyrénées-Orientales remain, or will there be the cosmetic change of Pyrénées Méditerranée? This is the unknown after the departmental government rejected País Català because it believed the Council of State would veto it.

]]>

Nené, Milosevic, Domoraud, Juanfran Torres, Coutinho, Ben Sahar, Lucas Vázquez, Asensio, Osvaldo, Kumbulla or Carlos Romero. The list of loaned players who have left their mark on Espanyol is very long. Also, the list of players on loan who have passed through the Catalan team with more pain than glory. This is the case of Finnan, Arlauskis, Alfa Semedo, Lecomte, or, more recently, Ramon Ramos, Ünüvar or Cheddira. Also, that of Samuel Eto'o, loaned by Real Madrid in January 1999; he was 17 years old and only played 33 minutes in white and blue in the Copa del Rey and a little while in the Copa Catalunya.

]]>

With this chronicle, the Reader's Advocate section reaches sixty pages, which, on a fortnightly basis, is two years and a bit. Sixty pages of newspaper, in my format, are about 420,000 characters in round numbers, the same as a 250-page book approximately. A good time to do a summer chronicle of making of my work, with the understanding that next month I will present the data from the balance of the last year to the newspaper's editorial board and will make them public.Errors are naturally a constant in the complaints I receive, most of them related to linguistic issues, which show the importance of language for Catalan press readers, who love the language and know what struggles it has had to go through and still goes through. However, as error alerts are often sporadic and numerous, I cannot address them all. Concrete errors, however, when placed side by side, add up, and even more so if we add to them those that readers already correct with IT tools and digital comments at the end of articles. The conclusion is that many errors are made, and that, as I have suggested at other times, they would require a final correction or post-correction of each journalistic piece before publication, which in the past times of linotypes was done by the “plate editor”, referring to the reading of the composition plates, one minute before entering the printing press and avoiding that the blunders were stamped for posterity in the unappealable newspaper archives. I refer interested readers to the chronicle that, at the end of last year, I titled “Sisyphus and the enigma of the plate editor”, where thanks to various readers and subscribers I reviewed a series of errors, and I had the experience and academia of Professor Gabriel Jaraba.I'll give some examples of recent errors that readers have pointed out to me. Robert Serra ironically asks me if in "summer and holiday times... there is less text correction?", and sends me a screenshot of page 23 of July 25, where we state: "The efficacy of antiviral transplants makes possible a transplant between two infected people". No less ironically, Andreu Suriol writes to me on July 26, after one of the most mythical stages of the Tour: "Good morning, my lord (and all the readers who annoy me). Could you agree on naming orographic accidents in a single way? It seems that each sports reporter climbs the mountain slopes of the Tour on a bicycle to their liking. I have seen Alpe d'Huez written almost always with this spelling, but in the same brief headline one could read Aup d'Huès and, oh horror, Aup d'Uès. Shall we clarify?" Dear Mr. Suriol, in the trust that we already share, readers never annoy me, quite the contrary, I thank them for their ideas, criticisms and suggestions. And yes, we will clarify: on the paper page, which is what will go down in history, the toponym that appears is the classic French one, Alpe d'Huez, while the one referred to is the Occitan one in two – not "two" – variants.I also note that Josep Bruguera has sent me several phone messages about his critical perception of the newspaper, and in one of them he points out an error not as a farmhouse but as a castle, also without sparing healthy irony: on page 6 of the Tourism dossier, also from July 26, in a photo caption, Lloret Castle is identified as if it were Tossa's and “not everywhere on the Costa Brava where there is a castle is Tossa. We do not deserve to make these mistakes.” All this, in a couple of days that yes, are in the heart of summer, the staff are on vacation and the immeasurable heat of climate change drags lethargy.The reading of the newspaper by the Reader's Advocate is necessarily meticulous, but a point is reached where the words themselves struggle to save themselves, in the style of Espriu, and it is as if they themselves denounced the embezzlement and highlighted them in the red color of traffic lights. We also see, in yellow, words or phrases that are not errors but could be improved, for example, the reiteration of certain discursive connectors, especially "in fact" and "as for"; I swear like Scarlett O'Hara on the stairs of Tara that I have counted four "in fact" in a single "M" size article, not very long. Catalan proofreaders do enough to correct mistakes, that they should also worry about reaching here, the issues where the journalist should resolve before submitting the piece. Journalism is a literary genre, but I fear that, between the rush of immediacy and the digitalization that gave birth to it – the news spreads in real time –, the beauty of the language that proclaims the art of the word will step aside.“A step aside” is a very repeated expression, and there are others that also contribute to settling the balance of aesthetics in bankruptcy proceedings negatively. Stretching semantics hyperbolically, we break seams at will, we fire more torpedoes at the waterline than German submarines in World War II, if metaphorical tsunamis were real, the world would have ended long ago according to the Apocalypse, we open more melons than old roadside vendors, we tear up cards when there are no longer any paper ones and it is materially impossible, there are no medium measures but rather smaller ones, we highlight iconic images, the same meaning according to etymologies from Latin and Greek, we value more than on Wall Street... And journalism, which is the main producer of language, reflects like the cyclopean thermometer of Portal de l’Àngel the high temperature of its impoverishment. Having enjoyed Nolan's cinematic Odyssey has made me reread Carles Riba's Catalan verse translation (1948) and, alongside the exultation of verifying the richness of our language, the sadness for the vocabulary and syntax we are losing floated. The philologist Jordi Badia, in a tweet, mentioned expressions that his 18-year-old son, upon reading it, kept asking him what they meant: “cisellat”, “engrunar”, “encamellar-se”, “tudar”, “a cremadent”...The critical eye I have on my journalistic grievance memorial business does not deny the high definition of Nolan's IMAX camera and I emphasize, consequently, that in the total balance of what we publish, the margin of error is what all statistical morals admit. And thanks to the interactive contributions of subscribers and readers, we must temper them. In these 60 pages, I have given voice to 128 readers and, in this time, I have been able to personally attend to 203, although I have read the 407 messages I have received, by email or WhatsApp, as I have listened to the numerous phone calls. I thank them from here for their contributions that help us to constantly rethink the newspaper and each person's journalistic practice. By defending the readers, together we are defending ARA, because, in an increasingly interactive dynamic, with the unidirectionality of communication that preceded us democratically broken, it is clear that what is written contributes, but also contributes, and in what a way, those who read and convey their critical sense to us.The Reader's Advocate takes note of doubts, suggestions, criticisms, and complaints about the newspaper's content in its digital and paper editions, and ensures that the treatment of information is in accordance with deontological codes.To contact the Reader's Advocate you can send an email to eldefensor@ara.cat or record a message of no more than one minute to the WhatsApp number 653784787. In all cases, identification with name, surnames, and DNI number is required.

]]>

The progress of computer science in recent decades has been immense. The computers that guided the lunar missions of the 1960s had only a tiny fraction of the computing power of any of the smartphones we carry in our pockets today. In the 1980s, quantum computing began to be discussed, but while we are still awaiting its practical availability, it is the everyday electronic computers that have done the job. Perhaps the most spectacular has been how graphics processors (GPUs, for their English acronym), along with the enormous amount of data available on the internet, have enabled the current revolution in artificial intelligence (AI). Generative AI models are today so powerful that they inspire not only a certain respect, but also a bit of fear. There is talk of models that "jump the rails" (in English guardrails); that is to say, the limitations that the engineers who trained them have imposed on them. For example, not explaining how to make bombs, how to commit crimes, etc. If a model jumps over the railings that have been placed on it, does it perhaps have its own objectives, ambitions, consciousness, a personality? Following this path, we will soon come to think that models could stop being our kind slaves and become competitors or even formidable enemies.But can a model really bypass guardrails? The short answer is that, unlike humans, who can decide to break behavioral rules as we please, a model cannot independently bypass the guardrails put in place by its creators or trainers. However, there is a longer answer with more nuances.

]]>

For thousands of years, humans have looked to the sky seeking answers, and few phenomena have sparked as much fascination as an eclipse. When the Sun disappears in broad daylight, the order of the world is disrupted. Before understanding what was happening, different cultures sought explanations and turned that extraordinary moment into omens, celebrations, prayers, and various rituals. And it is that eclipses have not only been explained but also ritualized.

]]>

There were no clear favorites for the Golden Leopard at this 79th edition of the Locarno Film Festival, which also did not feature already recognized names, except for the recurring Hong Sang-soo. The jury, presided over by Belgian Fabrice Du Welz, honored two films: the Romanian You don’t belong here by Florin Șerban, Golden Leopard winner, and the Brazilian The Riverbank (A margem do rio) by Matheus Farias and Enock Carvalho, Special Jury Prize, both of which address the worrying global increase in hate speech and violence against those considered different. It also excluded films that were more stimulating in terms of their stylistic risks, artistic concerns, or expository sobriety. This is the case of Lejos de los árboles, by Meritxell Colell, which, however, has thrilled critics: it has won, outside the official awards, the FIPRESCI prize awarded by the International Federation of Film Critics, and the Golden Boccalino for best film, presented by Swiss independent critics.

]]>

Frenkie de Jong chose the Barça media to complain about an alleged campaign against him and pointed out journalists and false news that have been published, such as not wanting to play against Atlètic in the Champions League. He assured that his relationship with both Flick and the club is excellent. Some good friend within the bubble he lives in should warn him that he is mistaken and that there is a maxim that never fails: aim high. Especially since it is not the first time this has happened to him.

]]>

New grandiloquent promise from the President of the United States. Donald Trump has assured in the last few hours that he plans to declare the Strait of Hormuz as "United States territory" once the American army has fulfilled its mission to "defeat Iran". The leader assured this at a rally in New York, and quickly received a response from Tehran: "The Strait of Hormuz cannot be conquered with a tweet or with aircraft carriers, nor by issuing an order or with an electoral speech," wrote Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, on X.

]]>

Singer Ariana Grande, 33, made her relationship with Ricky Alvarez, a former dancer on her team with whom she previously dated a decade ago, official this week. The confirmation came via Instagram, where Grande herself published a photo album that includes two pictures of her and Alvarez together, tagging him directly in the post. Grande and Alvarez met when he was part of the singer's dance troupe during the Honeymoon Tour, around 2015. Their friendship then turned into a romantic relationship, although the couple only stayed together for approximately one year, until 2016. Since the breakup, however, they have maintained a close friendship.

]]>

British singer Robbie Williams, 52, has announced that he was recently diagnosed with autism. The former Take That member shared the news during a Q&A session held in London to mark the launch of the autumn-winter collection from Hopeium, his clothing brand, at the Flannels department store. According to various British media outlets, Williams told attendees that the diagnosis has helped him understand many of his peculiarities. Far from seeing it as a problem, the singer states that he has taken it "with humor," and says it now serves him "as a kind of wildcard to justify his more eccentric behavior."

]]>

Elsa Anka (Barcelona, 1965) was one of the most well-known faces on television in the 90s, when she co-hosted programs like Human beings with Mikimoto and Out balls to TV3 and The Great Game of the Goose to Telecinco accompanied by Andrés Caparrós. Three decades later, Anka has left the media frontline behind and no longer occupies the prime time as before. The presenter reoriented her career in the early 2000s; she decided to leave television and focus on public relations, a sector she had already worked in before her screen debut. She currently works as the head of communication for the IM Clinic aesthetic surgery clinic. Anka has also served as an ambassador for autorenting for Banco Sabadell, an image job that she has combined with her activity as a public relations officer.

]]>

"Lorca is a universal symbol and is alive in the memory of all of us, his work can be found in any library, but of the rest of thousands of murders in Granada there is hardly any information and they must be rescued from oblivion. There is a memory that could not leave the houses for fear of the Civil Guard, the police and the neighbors themselves," points out the archaeologist Francisco Carrión, who has led many of the excavations, including that of the Barranc de Víznar, in Granada.

]]>

Andy Burnham's arrival at Downing Street has spurred British veterans who participated in the UK's nuclear tests during the fifties and sixties to pressure the government for the current premier to fulfill a promise he had repeatedly defended when he was Mayor of Greater Manchester.

]]>