Month: October 2025

In 1965 the Franco regime wanted to build a huge reservoir in Extremadura: instead it had 50 deaths and a cover-up

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On October 22, 1965, a disastrous whistle began with a dismal sound in the working-class town of Saltos de Torrejón el Rubio, province of Cáceres, that at least some of the employees who at that time were working on the construction of the dams on the Tajo and Tiétar rivers have been fearing for days. About the nine twenty in the morning, while the children were hurrying through their breakfasts to leave for school, the hum of a siren began to resonate. The warning siren. The same one that screamed to warn of accidents. The problem is that that autumn morning Accident could very well have been written like that, with a capital letter. The discreet, humble and remote working-class town of the municipality of Torrejón el Rubioin the heart of Monfragüe, has just served as the setting that many still consider today as the worst work accident occurred in the history of Spain. A monumental work That is what the Franco dictatorship intended in the mid-1960s with the works in the channels of the Tiétar and Tagus rivers, to carry out an enormous reference work in Europe. It was the stage of developmentalism and only a few years earlier, in 1959, the regime had had to deal with the Ribadelago catastrophecaused by the failure of a dam that took away 144 residents of the Zamoran town. In Extremadura he wanted to make amends. In Xataka After the Civil War, Franco wanted to colonize emptied Spain. So 300 new towns were invented The project developed in Cáceres was certainly important. Neither more nor less than building two dams between the channels of the Tagus and Tiétar rivers, along with a huge canal between both infrastructures to transfer water and generate electricity. By October 1965 the works were already more than advanced. It is estimated that about 4,000 workers between 1959 and 1966, many of them residents of surrounding towns who found in the project a way to avoid emigration. In 2020, the anthropologist Manuel Trinidad he explained to elDiario.es that works of this type came to form a kind of guild, “the pantaneros”, who moved from one side of Extremadura to the other. The Negratín reservoir, in Granada. (Unsplash) To accommodate the workers who shaped the infrastructure for seven years, two towns were built, “the one upstairs”, designed for company officials and managers; and another for the laborers. Proof that it was an authentic town is that they had services such as a school, commissary, dining room, chapel, church and even a tavern, tobacco shop and a Civil Guard barracks. The Extremadura Newspaper precise that the person in charge of the construction was Agromán and the work was carried out for Hidroeléctrica Española, today Iberdrola. What happened? A combination of factors. One in which the meteorology is combined and everything indicates that negligence of those responsible for the project. The previous weeks had been especially rainy, which little by little caused the water level of the swamp to rise until it was barely 83 centimeters of the maximum authorized level. That the level and pressure rose did not mean, however, that the workers stopped working on the canal and the river bed. The inhabitants of the town were in fact preparing to witness quite a spectacle, like I would recognize years later one of the victims The Country: “Seeing the waterfalls of foaming water from the spillways for the first time.” It wasn’t like that. And what was expected to be a spectacle ended up being revealed as a branch. The pressure of the dammed liquid was such that a cofferdam ended up bursting. 14 tons that protected the pumping tunnel. Result: a violent torrent of water that ended up flooding the conduit, the underground plant and galleries. With everything that this implies. And the workers?  That is one of the keys to the tragedy. In the flooded canal between the Tagus and Tiétar dams, crews of workers continued to work and could do little to avoid the violence of the water. Not only that. The torrent expanded with such force that it ended up taking with it other employees who were toiling in the dry river bed. It is estimated that at that point alone there were some 400 people when the tragedy occurred. The force and speed of the water made it difficult for even them to get to safety. The event was so dramatic that it forced the town to be evacuated and rescue efforts to begin. “My father and many other workers were seeing him coming. He dreamed at night. He repeated many times: something is going to happen and it is going to be very bad. They want to try working with us,” remembers Flori Almendral in statements collected by The Jump. She is not the only one who retains memories of that episode. Paqui Martos tells for the same report how they managed to throw a rope to save a young man who was floating in a well. “It held on tightly with such bad luck that when it came out it broke.” His fate, he continues, was known shortly after: “15 days later we found him with the rope in his hands.” With the memory of what happened in Ribadelago still fresh, the Franco regime decided to silence the Monfragüe accident. The incident occurred on October 22 and on November 1 the NO-DO dedicated a brief space of 37 seconds to the news, remember The Daily Leapbehind a chronicle about a ball of the Barcelona bourgeoisie. Newspapers of the time, such as Above, Town either Alreadythey also passed on tiptoe about the tragedy. They officially recognized 54 fatalitiesbut there are those who raise the total number of deaths and missing people in the 1965 accident well above that figure, to more than a hundred. Specifying the exact amount is complicated. The workers remember that they moved 75 coffins and they were not enough to accommodate all the corpses. Some they even hold … Read more

the company believes it has the solution

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Google just launched Gemini Enterprisea comprehensive AI platform designed specifically for businesses. The movement makes sense, since there is a whole barrage of tools based on generative artificial intelligence that have landed in offices, thanks in large part to companies like OpenAI or Anthropic. The first of them already boasts of its 5 million users with the ChatGPT plan for business and Anthropic has already closed agreements with giants like Deloittewhich Claude will deploy to its 500,000 employees worldwide. Google does not want to be left behind in the race to dominate AI, so it is time to see if its platform convinces. Google’s bet. Gemini Enterprise is not another Workspace addition or a cosmetic name change. It is an independent platform under Google Cloud that works as a toolkit for companies to create and deploy their own AI assistants. Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian has described as “the new gateway for AI in the workplace.” Image: Google What exactly does it offer?. The platform promises several key tools: access to the latest models Gemini 2.5 Pro and I see 3pre-built Google agents like Deep Research and Data Insights, a no-code workbench for any employee to analyze information and automate processes, and connectivity with business data hosted in Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Salesforce or SAP. All managed from a centralized framework that allows agents to be audited and secured. The differential factor. While its rivals also offer business solutions, Google prefers to go for more complete integration. According to the companythe platform can connect to both internal systems and more than 100,000 external partners, from Box to Slack to S&P Global. Google ensures that it also includes specialized tools such as data automation and exploration agents, useful for eliminating a multitude of manual processes. Real use cases. Google has announced some clients that already have Gemini Enterprise in their systems, such as Virgin Voyages, who claim to have deployed more than 50 specialized agents on the platform. Clients also include software design firm Figma and installment payment platform Klarna, among others. According to a study McKinsey’s recent report, in certain cases, integrating AI agents into workflows can increase productivity by between 20% and 60%, figures that are certainly attractive for companies. Prices. Gemini Enterprise Standard and Plus, designed for large companies, starts at $30 per user per month in annual plans. For small businesses and startups there is Gemini Business, which costs $21 per month per user and includes a 30-day free trial period. Cover image | Solen Feyissa and Alex Dudar In Xataka | A consulting firm scammed Australia with a report made with AI. The problem is that the AI ​​invented the sources and even the quote from a judge

The US is becoming obsessed with virtual brides, China with boyfriends

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There are more and more people who They have found a friend in AIa psychologist and even a romantic partner. “AI buddy” apps are increasingly popular and, same as in other aspects of the AI ​​race, there are notable differences between the approach being taken from the United States and China, which is taking two directions marked by culture. In China, what is popular are AI boyfriends. In the United States, brides. What is happening. They tell it in China Talk. There is a clear dichotomy in AI peer trends between the two countries leading the AI ​​race. On the one hand we have a United States where AI brides aimed at the male audience and with a clear sexual focus succeed. On the other hand, in China, boyfriends aimed at female audiences and with a focus on narrative immersion and game mechanics are more popular. Why is it important. Although with differences in approach, the rise of these apps reveals an underlying problem: widespread frustration with real human relationships. loneliness In a hyperconnected world, the ‘dating fatigue‘ of dating apps and other factors such as fear of rejection or marital failure are contributing to the use of these apps. According to this study that analyzed the 110 most popular AI companion apps, it is estimated that they have about 29 million active users per month, not counting more general use apps such as Replika either Character.aiwhere users can chat with various characters, not always for romantic purposes. The American approach. In the aforementioned study, it was seen that more than half of AI bride apps are based in the United States, while only 10% are in China. They are products designed for heterosexual men and often have the word “girlfriend” in the name (17% compared to only 4% with the word “boyfriend”). According to a report by girlfriend.ai published by Reuters, half of the users who use this app are young men who feel lonely and prefer an AI girlfriend than face possible rejection. The influence of the ‘manosphere‘ also plays an important role with misogynistic discourses that paint AI girlfriends as an alternative to real relationships because they are more controllable and submissive. The Chinese approach. Although there are also AI brides, the most successful format is the boyfriends aimed at the female public. One of the factors is the drop in marriage rateswhich in 2024 fell 20% compared to the previous year. There are many single people in China, but while many of single men live in rural areaswomen generally receive better education and move to cities, where it is easier for them to have access to technology. Furthermore, the advances in equality They have caused many women to deny the traditional family ideal and seek refuge in these pseudo-relationships. Two concerns. In the United States there is an open debate about the effects of AI on mental health and specifically AI colleagues are in the spotlight. The Federal Trade Commission has made a requirement to some of the most popular apps to provide information on how they are controlling the negative impact of their technology, especially on children and adolescents. In the United States, concern centers on the risk of addiction, emotional manipulation, and loss of contact with reality. In China too call for regulation to protect the youngest, but there is another reason that adds to their concern: the demographic crisis. They say in China Talk that, in the past, the strategy was to use the term “leftover women” in a derogatory way to push them to get married and have children (the classic “spinster” of a lifetime that the manosphere is resurrecting also in the West). In this sense, AI boyfriends pose a threat that can “distract” them from following the right path. Image | Girlfriend.ai / Zhumengdao In Xataka | China faces a bigger problem than the birth rate crisis: its young people are too busy to form couples

save the company from the worst crisis in its history

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Intel need a breakand Panther Lake could give it to him. The company has just presented its new SoCs, which boast 18A photolithography and will begin to appear in laptops and other devices – portable consoles are clear candidates – in early 2026. We are looking at a promising chip that will also be manufactured massively in the US and that now must face its greatest challenge: meeting expectations. Why is it important. These new chips from the Panther Lake family (Intel Core Ultra Series 3) are the first created with a 18A photolithographic node (roughly equivalent to 2 nm). This is a critical advance for a company going through the biggest crisis in its history and what you need before achieving success with this launch. According to the manufacturer, this 18A process allows up to 15% more performance per watt and 30% more chip density compared to its predecessors. Made in USA. The official press release Intel highlights how these chips will be manufactured at the recently opened Fab 52 in Chandler (Arizona, USA). It is expected to be massively produced there at the end of the year, thus achieving that boost to “domestic” chip manufacturing that the US wants to achieve to avoid dependence on China. We are facing a potential milestone for the aspirations of the US Government, which recently bought 10% of Intel to, among other things, try to strengthen the country’s “chip producer” role. What is Fab 52? It is a mega manufacturing complex that occupies an area of ​​more than 280 hectares (we would have to join together about 400 football fields to cover that area). Kevin O’Buckley, head of the manufacturing business at Intel, Indian that this complex that has cost 32,000 million dollars “has the most advanced semiconductor production technology today on planet Earth.” It is a bold statement, especially considering that TSMC or Samsung have managed to surpass Intel’s technological capacity for years. We will see without with this Fab 52 Intel also manages to fulfill its role as “chip factory for third parties“. A very promising CPU. The Panther Lake Socs arrive with a CPU configuration that can reach 16 cores that combine high-performance Cougar Cove cores (P-cores) and high-efficiency Darkmont cores (E-cores). CPU performance is up to 40% higher than its predecessors (Lunar Lake) in single-process, and up to 50% higher in multi-process. If it keeps that promise, we will be looking at truly exceptional chips in terms of the leap in performance. And the GPU will not be left behind. If we want graphical power, there is also good news. The variant with 12 of the new Xe3 cores is theoretically 50% more performant than the Lunar Lake variants with 8 Xe2 cores. Here the number of cores has an influence, of course, but also the behavior of each core itself. More leeway for AI tasks. The new NPU 5 of these Panther Lake SoCs also promises a notable performance jump and according to Intel it can reach 180 TOPS, when in the past the figure did not exceed 50 TOPS. This is a clear advantage if we want to run local AI models. Support for up to 96 GB of LPDDR5 memory with the new LPCAMM format It’s another demonstration of how these ambitious chips want to make the most of their opportunity. The most ambitious version of the Panther Lake SoC has 16 cores in its CPU and 12 Xe3 cores in its GPU, among other advanced features… We do not know models or prices. This preview of what awaits us with Panther Lake has not been complete. The company has not revealed the exact models or prices they will have. These SoCs will be intended for laptops and even portable consoles, and it is very possible that during the CES electronics fair in Las Vegas we will see the first machines based on these chips. Everything to prove. On paper, of course, these new Intel chips have a promising future, but it will be when they hit the market that they will really be able to demonstrate whether they actually have a chance in this ultra-competitive market. Intel and its leader, Lip-Bu Tanare facing one of the moments that can define their future for two reasons. The first, due to the performance of the chip itself, which we hope does not disappoint. The second, due to this massive commitment to manufacturing in the US, a radical turn for a company that clearly aligns itself with its government in this new stage. In Xataka | Intel has been making chips just for itself for decades. His only salvation is to make chips for everyone else

There are already right-wing rap singers

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In just a few months, two stars of rap and trap in Spanish (curiously, in a field absolutely dominated by male performers) have burst onto the scene with messages openly tilted to the right. Its extreme youth and the clear and frontal positioning, which has become the very core of its proposal, has clashed with the traditional image of these genres, associated with the marginal and criticism of the system. Angie Corine and BB Trickz They represent the spearhead of a new trend in Spanish music and youth, and although the musical quality of their proposals has been very discussedtheir indisputable popular impact makes them worthy of attention. Angie Corine, the tradwife sensation. Angie bursts into the Spanish digital landscape in 2023 and follows the viral logic of TikTok: short and controversial content, politicized from the first moment. He does not come from the world of hip hop (he has not cut his teeth in cock fights, did not go through the underground scene), but from the first moment she attracted attention for using aesthetics as part of her manifesto: exaggerated hyperfemininity (acrylic nails, eyelash extensions, makeup with hours of work), very studied outfits (mixing trap aesthetics with branded bags) and openly airs hypersexualizedwhich is what she criticizes in her songs. In his songs he addresses, with a very simple technical quality (simple rhymes, unsophisticated rhythms), themes that have earned him multitude of enemies: criticism of fourth wave feminism or radical feminism, defense of return to traditional values (claiming motherhood, marriagethe family -although she personally does not live subject to those theses-), anticommunism and defense of freedom from almost anarcho-capitalist codesand with a friendly nationalism with references to the flag and anti-independence. BB Trickz, tropical MAGA. BB Trickz must be approached with even more caution: provocation is part of its formula from the first moment, as is the unbiased mix of elements. Letters in wild Spanglish (due to his multicultural heritage), provocative accessories such as ‘Make America Great Again’ caps and other Trumpist parafornalis (which he defends more as a symbol of person “that says things clearly“that due to a deep knowledge of their politics), an aesthetic mix of traditional choni and luxury trap, and open, almost brutal sexuality. For all this (especially the last thing: BB Trickz has lyrics so explicit that a porn actor from the seventies would blush), the artist’s political position is clear, but almost performative: praise Trump, anti-progressivism visceral and not at all reasoned, broad-brush ultracapitalism… There comes a time when his political statements (absent from his songs most of the time) seem to be part of a posture as pronounced as his clashes with the rest of the scene. International precedents. Political rap emerged in the eighties as a subgenre that maintained variable rhythms, but politicized the lyrics. He took inspiration in the US from movements such as Black Power and the Black Panther Party, with groups such as Public Enemy, KRS-One, Boogie Down Productions or NWA rapping about topics such as racism, police brutality, economic inequality and corruption. Since the mid-2010s, an opposite phenomenon has been observed: the emergence of rappers aligned with right-wing political positions. In the United States, artists such as Tom MacDonald have starred a wave of “right-wing rap” or “troll-rap”where messages contrary to the traditional political left are displayed Friends of Vox. Of course, both right-wing parties rapidly rising among young people and artists thirsty for quick controversy find common ground to work on. In this way, Angie Corine has publicly expressed her support for Vox and its leader Santiago Abascalwhom he describes as a hope for a “model of order, security and economic freedom” to govern in Spain. This has led her to perform at events organized by groups close to the European radical right in Spain, like the Europa Viva 25 event in Madrid. Part of a trend. This doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Various recent studies and surveys reveal a growing trend of Spanish youthespecially among young men, to identify with conservative and right-wing political positions. According to various studiesidentification with liberal-conservative positions has increased in the last two decades, with factors such as family income, economic crises and the passage of time being influential in the adoption of these positions. The surveys They also reflect that a considerable part of young people, especially men, are showing inclinations towards authoritarian positions and a growing skepticism towards liberal democracy. And the latest generation of rap is there to take advantage. In Xataka | The “cayetans” are going to make noise in the squares. And it’s not just because of the love of bullfighting.

Madrid riders have been using municipal bikes for some time despite it being prohibited. The City Council is tired

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When it was released, more than a decadeBicimad was proposed as a public transport service with shared bikes. His idea was very simple: make it easier (and cheaper) for Madrid residents to get around the city by bike. Over time, its network of vehicles and stations has expanded, but it has also attracted a new type of user: riders interested in their benefits and low cost who rent them, skipping the regulation. Now the City Council has said enough. What has happened? That Madrid has grown tired of the riders use during your deliveries Bicimada public bicycle rental service. The message has been conveyed with crystal clear the delegate of Urban Planning, Environment and Mobility of the City Council, Borja Carabante, who recalled that the system was designed to be used by individuals (such as neighbors or tourists) not so that economic benefit could be taken from it, a possibility clearly banned in its regulations. Is the problem that serious? Yes. And no. The Municipal Transport Company (EMT) recognize that he is not aware that the riders are making “massive use” of Bicimad, although it has detected “some cases.” Much clearer has been Carabante, who assures that it is a practice that “we all see” on the street and seems to be getting worse. In fact, the City Council speaks of “an increase”. What does the regulations say? The issue is not so much that the practice is more or less widespread as that it completely fails to comply with the bases (and spirit) that regulate the service. In its chapter XI the document that sets the conditions of use slips several ideas, including one that closes the doors to riders and other delivery people. “The bicycle will be used exclusively for the transportation of users, and cannot transport other people, animals or merchandise,” collect the text. “Nor can the bicycle, nor the stations, be used for commercial purposes.” Why do they use them then? For its advantages. Bicimad offers more than 7,700 bikes and 630 stations spread across 21 districts of the capital. Those who use the service can enjoy electric bikes with a 250W central motor and 70 kilometers of autonomy for a fee of only 10 euros monthly. The service offers free, unlimited rides of up to 30 minutes. After that time, the second 30-minute fraction costs 0.5 and the subsequent three euros. In addition, its users are insured. A rider Anyone who wanted to buy a similar urban bike to deliver orders would have to pay hundreds of eurosat least. This without taking into account the wear and tear of the vehicle and another of the great advantages of Bicimad: the station network and charging points. Those responsible they calculate The service currently has 450,000 monthly users who make journeys that, on average, last just over 15 minutes. What does the City Council want to do? For now he has made it clear that he is aware that the riders They are misusing bikes and he is not willing to turn a blind eye. How he will respond and how far he is willing to go in his endeavor is another matter. The City Council has stated that it will look for a way to “disincentivize” delivery drivers from taking advantage of Bicimad and to do so, one of the options on the table is to apply extra rates to them. “We will have to see if there is some type of specific rate for this type of activity and we are analyzing possible alternatives so that it does not occur,” Carabante specifiedwho recognizes that what has sparked the interest of riders and has caused the use of Bicimad to increase among the group (according to the data managed by the City Council) it is precisely the “low rates” that the service applies, which “makes its use attractive” by the delivery people. Are you considering anything else? Yeah. Increase controls at street level. The City Council of the capital has recognized The World He plans to pay more attention to who rents the bikes to get a more precise idea of ​​the problem. “To assess whether any measure must be taken to avoid this type of use, the EMTE will soon begin a surveillance campaign to monitor these activities,” keep it up. “According to these results, actions will be applied to discourage use for commercial activities.” They won’t have it easy. The riders They use the same cards as the rest of the users and to confirm that they are using the service for commercial purposes, the police would have to stop them. Hence, for example, at the moment the improper use of bicycles is not being penalized either. The problem is not entirely new, but the City Council seems determined to put an end to a custom that, as the delegate alertsharms individuals who want to use public bicycles. Images | Bicimad In Xataka | There are no more 20 euro tickets: the trains between Madrid and Barcelona have become very expensive again for a reason

There are ‘Wednesday’, ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ and more

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October is Halloween month. There are many ways to celebrate this holiday that is celebrated on October 31, such as a good horror movie marathon. Alternatively, if we are LEGO® fans, we also have a wide selection of sets that They are ideal for Halloween and that belong to some franchises, series or movies that are very beloved, such as ‘Gremlins’ or ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’. It is a good opportunity to expand our collection of sets or give a gift to that friend or partner who is a fan of this holiday. Below, we leave you a selection that fits perfectly for Halloween: LEGO® Disney Tim Burton: The Nightmare Before Christmas by 199.99 eurosa set loaded with details and with six minifigures. LEGO® Halloween wreath by 39.99 eurosa floral crown with Halloween details. LEGO® House of Morticia by 99.99 eurosa set inspired by the Netflix series ‘Wednesday. LEGO® Gremlins: Gizmo by 99.99 eurosa set with accessories that can be assembled both standing and sitting. LEGO® Malfoy Manor by 149.99 eurosa buildable set ideal for both Halloween and Harry Potter fans. LEGO® Disney Tim Burton: The Nightmare Before Christmas The first of the sets we bring is this one from ‘Nightmares Before Christmas’, one of Tim Burton’s gems. We have Jack’s house, Hgalloween City Hall and the iconic Spiral Hill. The set consists of 2,193 pieces and includes six minifigures, as well as lots of details. We have it available for 199.99 euros. Disney Tim Burton: The Nightmare Before Christmas The price could vary. We earn commission from these links LEGO® Halloween wreath We now continue with a minimalist set, but it is perfect for giving a touch of Halloween to your home. It is a floral wreath that has several details closely related to this holiday, such as a ghost or a pumpkin. It has a string, so we can hang it wherever we want. There are more than 600 pieces and it costs 39.99 euros. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links LEGO® House of Morticia Turn of a set inspired by the Netflix series ‘Wednesday’. This is Morticia’s House, which can be rotated and opened to reveal all the rooms inside. In addition, it comes with the car that we can see in the series and four minifigures that include Morticia and Wednesday Addams. It is made up of 1,002 pieces and costs 99.99 euros. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links LEGO® Gremlins: Gizmo ‘Gremlins’ may have been released in the 1980s, but there are still many of us who remember these movies with great affection. This set stars Gizmo, the protagonist of the saga. It is designed so that we can assemble it both standing and sitting and comes with several accessories so that we can customize it. Costs 99.99 eurosalthough shipments of this set will not begin until November 6. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links LEGO® Malfoy Manor We close with a Harry Potter set, although with one that is perfect for Halloween. This is Malfoy Manor, which we saw in ‘The Deathly Hallows’. It has more than 1,600 pieces and has a lot of very special details that reproduce this scenario perfectly. Includes 9 minifigures in this case and costs 149.99 euros. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | LEGO® In Xataka | Your favorite series, comics and movies also in LEGO: 15 construction kits ideal to assemble yourself or give as a gift In Xataka | LEGO constructions on another level: the Technic Series has the models that any collector would dream of

Spanish agriculture is reaching its moment of truth

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Tíjola is in Alto Almanzora, 700 meters above sea level; right between the Filabres mountain range and the Estancia mountain range. 35 degrees in summer, minimums around zero in winter. Esparto grass, rosemary, thyme, mastic. Some scattered pine forest. Little water, very little. Its water balance is negative almost all year round and, if it were not for the historical overexploitation of the aquifer and the Tajo-Segura transfer, nothing would grow except some almond trees, a little cereal and a handful of scattered olive trees. That is why the idea of ​​hectares and hectares of olive trees under intensive irrigation is so strange. Rare, but not impossible. In fact, according to the Almeria Ecologist Coordinatoris what is being done. SAT Olisurwhich has been working for years in the use of water resources, is carrying out the implementation of 14 hectares of irrigation. Something that, beyond the controversy, is above all an example that the big question of the moment is: at what price will those olive trees be grown? What impacts will be hidden behind intensive production in vulnerable areas? The end of an era. For thousands of years, olive trees have grown in the Mediterranean basin. It is a dry crop, with moderate densities and very close to the ground. The problem is that, in recent years, it has stopped being profitable. The best example is Andalusia. In the south of Spain, “good harvests have been obtained with 400mm per year.” However, in 2023 there are Andalusian dryland areas “that have not received even 200mm.” It was a catastrophe: a catastrophe that threatens to be repeated year after year. For this reason, more and more producers want to switch to irrigation. Because “dry” means “watered with what falls” and “irrigation” is “having water assured.” And the olive grove is good business, if you can water it. “The difficult thing is to have water because the Guadalquivir basin is already in deficit, so new concessions are not given,” explained Diego Barrancor a few years ago. Hence the olive trees are “fleeing” the Guadalquivir. And they go where they can. To Almería, for example. The diffuse limits of agricultural extractivism. The case of SAT Olisur is complex because, even if it seems like a bad idea, it is a company that has been working in the area for almost 30 years; who tries to survive with very bad cards. But not all cases are like this. In recent years, We have seen how ghost companies are dedicated to lease land, drain its resources and move on to the next thing. Agrarian extractivism is the order of the day and the conflict it’s inevitable. The crazy idea of ​​installing irrigated olive trees in Almería is simply an anecdote of an immense problem. The problem is that, as Hannah Arendt said, it is never easy to know the difference between a refuge and a trap. Image | WineCountry Media In Xataka | Spain faces its greatest agricultural challenge of the century: converting 1,901,529 hectares of olive groves into irrigation before it is too late

Spain wanted Ryanair to pay it 107 million euros. Now Europe responds: sanctioning file against Spain

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Airlines have limited “freedom to set prices.” At least that is what the European Commission, which has sanctioned our country, believes. It did so with a statement published yesterday, Wednesday, October 8, in which it clarified that the Air Navigation Law prevents airlines from charging for this service. The decision is also a hard blow for Spain’s role in its open judicial fight against Ryanair. The European Commission. She was the last to give her opinion. And he has done it in the worst possible way for Spain. In a public statementthe European entity confirms that it has opened a sanctioning file against our country when it understands that it is taking measures to restrict the freedom of airlines to charge for a service to which they are entitled. That right is to charge for hand luggage, a service for which Spain has already imposed a sanction on five airlines. The cost of that punishment was close to 180 million euros and Ryanair was the company most punished, receiving a fine that exceeded 107 million euros. According to the European Commission, these sanctions also fail to comply with Community regulations. Right. According to the European Commission: “Spain’s National Air Navigation Law does not allow airlines to subject the carriage of carry-on baggage to an additional charge, restricting the freedom of airlines to set prices and differentiate between a service that includes the right to a larger carry-on baggage allowance, and a service that does not offer that possibility and simply provides the smaller allowance that constitutes a necessary aspect of the carriage.” From Europe, therefore, it is understood that Spanish airlines are allowing the minimum necessary luggage that is mandatory to pass through completely free of charge. On the contrary, it considers that our country is preventing charging for larger packages and that, therefore, companies are prevented from charging more for the service and are forced to abandon this income option. “Reasonable”. The problem right now is that there are no established bases for what is or is not considered “carry-on luggage.” The Court of Justice of the European Union noted, as stated in the European Commission’s own statement, that hand luggage “should, in principle, be free as long as it meets reasonable requirements in terms of weight and dimensions, and complies with the applicable security requirements. Hand luggage that exceeds such reasonable requirements is subject to price freedom.” But what is reasonable? For the European Union, companies like Ryanair already complied with their previous measurements of 40 x 25 x20 cm (expanded to 40 x 30 x 20 cm last summer). For Spain, however, that size or a smaller one does not allow the transport of basic belongings and does not meet those “reasonable requirements in terms of weight and dimensions.” Justice. That same debate, in fact, has been experienced by the fined companies themselves in our country. First because they have received some of the higher economic sanctions on companies in the history of Spain. And, second, because not even the Spanish Justice has shown a clear criterion when deciding whether companies or consumers are right. In SevilleFor example, Ryanair won a lawsuit against a consumer who was charged at the boarding gate for not having checked luggage on time. In Salamancait was the consumers who beat the company for the same reason. A setback for Spain. The decision of the European Commission is a hard setback for Spain, although it was expected. The Transport Commissioner of the European Union himself, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, received the CEO of Ryanair personally a few days ago. Pablo Bustinduy, Minister of Consumer Affairs, preferred to attend to him remotely by video call. The company had also threatened to take the legality of the fine imposed in our country to the European courts. Now, it has the backing of the European Commission should the matter go to trial. For Bustinduy: “the charge for hand luggage represents a conflict between the interests of the large airline industry, which profits from these practices, and the rights of consumers. Unfortunately, today the Commission has decided to position itself on the side of the interests of the multinationals,” in words reported by The Country. An interested movement. As we already told a few weeks ago, the European Union is seeking to reach an agreement on the minimum measures for hand luggage. Both the European Commission and the European Parliament are deciding what minimum measures are imposed. However, until now measures have been put on the table that were almost identical to those offered by Ryanair and other companies low cost. The Irish company also subscribed to the decision of Airlines for Europe (A4E), an association of airlines including Ryanair, to confirm that increased the minimum size allowed in their cabins at 40 × 30 × 15 cm. They are measures slightly lower than those that Ryanair has ended up adopting and similar to those sought by the European Union, in what is a clear nod to those who have defended these latter positions. What happens now? With this file, the European Union gives our country a period of two months to adapt national legislation to European regulations or to give a reasoned response to it. If the changes are not implemented or the response is not considered sufficiently reasoned, the European Commission may issue a reasoned opinion. This is the second formal phase of the procedure and if Spain maintains its positions, the case can be referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union. Photo | Niklas Jonasson and Andrijana Bozic In Xataka | Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair: “I don’t want the money. Let them fly without suitcases”

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