Canary

While all Spain is pending that their children learn English, in the Canary Islands they have another obsession: the German

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The Canarian ties with Germany are strong. And they come from afar. They date back (at least) at the end of the 19th century And they have been reinforcing thanks to the Expats and the Huge weight which has the German market in the Canarian tourism sector, capital piece in the economy of the region. This link explains that in its classrooms it is studied more German than anywhere else in Spain and Parents committed in which their children learn at the same time the languages ​​of Cervantes and Goethe. It is the ‘Germanization’ of Canarian education. What happened? That Canary Islands show signs that little by little in a key area is being germanized: early childhood education. At least if we compare it with the rest of Spain. German influence on the archipelago (and more in zones With a strong foreign presence) it is nothing new, but there are indicators that help to better understand what extent they are pending in their classrooms and homes. The last one left it a few months ago The confidential in A report which shows how parents are betting on their children speak of Goethe’s tongue (almost) from the cradle or even cases of children who chapurre them before the Spanish. Are there figures to try it? Yes. Those of the Ministry of Education, which reflect how the teaching of German stands out in the archipelago against other regions of Spain. Although Canary Islands is one of the communities Less populated of the country is the one that has the most students studying German in the classrooms. At least in the 2020-2021 course They added 31,300considerably above the Community of Madrid (28,300), Catalonia (24,600), Andalusia (18,100) or Balearic Islands (13,800), two regions in which there is also a strong presence of tourists and Expats. And who studies it? That is the most interesting. The language is not only learned by young people who study ESO or university students. In the archipelago he has also penetrated among the youngest children. The 2020-2021 course there was almost 500 students Studying German in the Early Childhood Education stage, data that exceed only Catalonia and Andalusia, with much greater population. If we talk about Primary the figure, the largest registration in the country is triggered. In general the learning of German It is less extended than that of English or French, but still reaches a notable weight in the Canary classrooms. The region stands out For how extended the study of the second languages ​​is. What is the reason? There are several factors that explain that clear Germanization, but two stand out above the rest: the first are the Historical ties Between the Canary Islands and Germany, which date back to 19th century And they explain that there is a German school in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and another in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. According to the Canarian Institute of Statistics (Istac), the Germans are one of the main foreign population groups in the region, although they are significantly below nationalities such as the Colombian, Venezuelan or English. The second factor is tourism. The sector has A crucial weight In the GDP of the region, where it generates thousands of millions of euros every year. And much of that flow of money comes out of German pockets, such as I recognized Recently the Canary Islands government itself, taking stock of the 2024 campaign. statistics From Exeltur they show that in 2024 the German was The second market International most relevant to the tourism sector of the region. Only the British is overcome. What supposes that in practice? That speaking German becomes a key tool, both in the Canary Islands (work or not in tourism) and when looking for a job in the rest of the country or the EU. “Everything that is science and engineering is very enhanced in German, but nothing happens if the girl later chooses to be a hairdresser and not continue studying. I try to give her best for her future,” Explain to The confidential A Canarian mother who pays 600 euros per month (activities included) so that her daughter is formed at the German school. “I know people who have studied in this school and thanks to that they work or live outside.” Is it important? There are those who believe it. “Learning this language here is a priority for two reasons. First because it gives you the possibility of leaving the islands to, for example, exercising as an engineer or sanitary in other places. It is also essential to work in the southern area of ​​the island (Gran Canaria), where tourism is concentrated and people are always needed to deal with Germans,” Marta García reflectshistorian of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. “Here is key to accessing certain positions and ascending.” That influence explains that there are also adults who throw themselves to study the language to prosper, that the Canarian government has reinforced your bet For the linguistic immersion scholarships to study in Germany (and Ireland) or that there are even cases of children who begin to Chapurrean German before Spanish. Although it is not a generalized trend, a few months ago The confidential He reviewed A specific case, that of a four -year -old girl who entered the German school in Santa Cruz de Tenerife without speaking at all Spanish and surprised her parents by expressing themselves first in German. “I had a delay in language and I worried when I saw her speaking first German. I thought I was wrong and went to see the pediatrician, but luckily she started speaking Spanish last year.” Images | Norbert Braun (UNSPLASH), Guillaume Didelet (UNSPLASH) Via | The confidential In Xataka | For the first time in ten years, La Palma has shown the best creatures of its parties: the disturbing dwarfs that dance Polca

Nvidia is the Canary in the mine for the world economy. It depends on whether a recession arrives or not

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Nvidia will present its results from the second fiscal quarter on Wednesday. The market Wait for income of 46,000 million dollars54% more than a year ago, with benefits per share of $ 1.01, 48% higher. Why is it important. Nvidia is no longer just one more technological company. With almost 8% of the weight of the American index S&P 500 and a market value of 4.3 billion dollars, its results move world bags. Investors hope that Wall Street ranges 0.9% after knowing the figures, more even after types of types of interest of the Federal Reserve. The context. Large technology still invests fortunes in artificial intelligence. Amazon, Microsoft, Meta and Google represent 40% of Nvidia’s income. Their investment plans in data centers and graphic processors do not show brake signals. Goal has just launched Your Superintelligence Laboratory. Tesla bets on autonomous cars and humanoid robots. The problem is that the market already discounts perfection. The action quotes in its historical maximums and any disappointment, however small, could trigger a brutal correction. Yes, but. China is still the great unknown. The Chinese government has just recommended to local businesses that Avoid NVIDIA H20 chipspecifically designed for that market. The United States had authorized sales in exchange for keeping 15% of incomebut the commercial war threatens a market valued at 50,000 million dollars. Between the lines. Analysts are still extremely optimistic. Nine investment firms have uploaded their target prices in the last week to an average of $ 194, 9% above Friday’s closure. But the option of options Sample nervousness: investors expect a 6% movement in any direction. Sectorial rotation has already begun. Technology has been the worst stock market sector in August and interest -ranking values ​​have taken off. Small companies rise 5% in the last month. The construction companies, 10%. At stake. If Nvidia disappoints, even if it is minimally, it could trigger a massive sale in technology and confirm bubble fears in artificial intelligence. If you exceed expectations, it will revive the technological increases and remove the ghosts of the recession. As says The strategist Art Hogan: “Nvidia has the potential to be the positive catalyst.” Or, we would add to sink everything. In Xataka | The countdown begins: Nvidia is going to give your chips to the push you need to maintain their domain Outstanding image | Nvidia

The Canary Islands will tend an underwater cable to Morocco. If Morocco decides to extend it, Spain will have a problem

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An underwater cable of 49 million euros will connect the Canary Islands with Africa, but it will stop just where the legal problem begins: the border of the Western Sahara. What is happening. The Ring of the East islands will first join Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura with the latest generation fiber. Then it will jump to the African continent, to Tarfaya, the last Moroccan city before the West Sahara. The Canarian government It has been clear: “The cable goes to Tarfaya, it has nothing to do with Western Sahara.” But Morocco has other plans. His government wants to extend that connection to what he calls his “South Provinces”, the euphemism with which he refers to the Saharawi territory since 1975, when Spain abandoned it. Why is it important. Submarine cables are Internet highways. 99% of data traffic between continents travels through them. This project promises to make the Canary Islands a digital node between Europe and Africa. But there is a huge legal problem. The EU Court of Justice considers any economic activity in the Western Sahara without consent of the Polisario Front, recognized by the UN as representative of the Saharawi people. And the Polisario He has already warned: If the cable reaches Saharawi territory, they will go to court. The context. Since Pedro Sánchez supported the Moroccan Autonomy Plan for Sahara in 2022Spain tries to maintain the balance between its economic interests with Morocco and its international legal obligations. This cable puts that test balance. If the infrastructure that Spain finances with European funds ends up facilitating Moroccan expansion in Sahara, could splash Spain with legal problems in European courts. The money trail. The construction has already begun with these numbers: 49 million total budget. 20 million provided by the European Investment Bank. Additional 7.5 million for connection with Tarfaya. In February, Canalink technicians – the Canarian public company that leads the project— Tarfaya visited to study the land and design the submarine layout. The cable will be manufactured in 2025 and will be deployed in 2026. The precedent. It is not the first time that Canary Islands connect with Morocco. Since 2011 There is a cable with Asilahin the north of the country. But that did not generate any controversy because it is far from the territory in dispute. This is different. It reaches the same border of the Sahara. And even if technically stops there, it creates the perfect basis for Morocco to complete what European companies cannot do directly by legal restrictions. The threat. The Polisario Front has a history of victories in European courts. He has lying fishing agreements and agriculture between the EU and Morocco for including resources from the Sahara without its consent. “We will carry out any action to guarantee the rights of the Saharawi people,” He said Abdulah Arabi, representative of the Polisario in Spain. A data cable would be your next goal if you cross the border. And now what. The project will continue because Canary Islands need this connection. The ESSI Spain will be able to maintain the legal fiction that its responsibility ends in Tarfaya. If Morocco extends the cable to the Sahara using the base infrastructure financed with European money, Spain could be found in the midst of another conflict between its economic interests and its obligations with the territory that it abandoned 50 years ago. And this time it will not be for fishing or phosphates, but for the control of the data between two continents. In Xataka | The Google Maps of submarine cables: an imposing interactive map that allows us to know the skeleton of the modern world Outstanding image | TelefónicaGoogle Maps

The poisonous species that reach the coast are the canary in the mine

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A few days ago We asked ourselves If the stabilization of the Mediterranean temperature responded to a long -term trend or if it was rather a transitory event, a brief cooling capable of tempering the waters of a sea that is more than one degree above its average for these dates of the year. The latest data remind us that we are facing a long -term problem. Seas tropicalizing. The seas of our environment, such as the Mediterranean or the Cantabrian, are immersed In a process that some already call “Tropicalization”This process refers to a series of changes in marine ecosystems derived from the increase in water temperature in subtropical principles. Starting from the beginning. The planet’s seas are gaining temperature. They do it little by little and irregularlybut some estimates talk about a 0.27 ° Celsius increase By decade on average. According to data C3S (Copernicus Climate Change Service), the month of July was one of the warmest of those that are recorded in regards to the surface temperature of the seas, at 0.12º to beat the record. This increase in temperatures has effects of a very diverse nature. It can affect, for example, marine currents, Arctic ice, or even at the temperature of the atmosphere and air circulation. And in addition, it can also affect marine ecosystems. Visible change. Changes in currents, ice or atmosphere can be difficult to perceive for the human eye, but some of the changes in marine ecosystems, not so much. There is much that occurs under the surface of the sea, but some of these changes have their reflection on our coasts, and that is what we are seeing now, the arrival of new species to our coasts, both sea invertebrates and fish, some of these species, dangerous. It is the example of two of the species we have heard about this summer, the Portuguese caravel (Physalia Physalis) and The blue dragon (Glaucus atlanticus). The Portuguese caravel belongs to the same edge as the jellyfish and can, due to their appearance, be confused with one. However, the effect of its poison goes beyond the efficient effect that jellyfish often causes. Portuguese caravel is part of the blue dragon diet, a mollusk with the ability to “recycle” the poison of its victims and use it as a defense mechanism. Another example of poisonous species that threaten to approach our coasts is The lionfish (Pterois Volitans). It is considered that the path of entry of this fish could be as an ornamental species for aquariumbut there are also those who warn of their possible expansion through the Mediterranean, via the Suez Canal, from the Red Sea. Risk, not only for bathers. The fact that these are poisonous species that can involve serious risks for bathers affected by their toxins, the risk associated with marine tropicalization goes beyond the bites of these animals. Species such as blue crab (Callinectes sapidus), have begun to expand through areas of the Mediterranean, putting local ecosystems in check with its voracity and the absence of natural predators. Algae also does not miss the opportunity to expand their habitat in our waters. The best example of this is Asian algae (Rugulopterix Okamurae), an increasingly present species on our coasts, whose impact reaches disparate coastal strips, From Galicia to Tarifa. The Mediterranean, again burning. We pointed at the beginning that, after a brief impas in which the sea It was close to thermal stabilizationthe Mediterranean temperature has firing again. Although the thermal anomaly of 2.26º has not yet been reached that We saw almost two months agothis anomaly has passed in just four days (from August 7 to 11) from 0.54º to 1.16º, According to data of socib (Coastal observation and prediction system of the Balearic Islands). The “rebound” has been greater in the Western Mediterranean, where in mid -June the thermal anomaly was around 2.65, before stabilizing up to 0.29º. The new increase places the anomaly in 1.27º, almost a degree of increase in days. In Xataka | “The Mediterranean already has only three stations”: the European Observatory of the drought confirms that winter is dying Image | LPT2000 / Tao Taylor

The Canary Islands gave 24 tons of sand from La Palma volcano to Madrid. Now Madrid doesn’t know what to do with them

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Madrid has 24 tons of volcanic sand of the palm with which he does not know very well what to do. It sounds strange, but that is the peculiar outcome with which the consular and capital governments have been found after an initiative designed to value the Canarian cultural heritage in the Peninsula. The idea worked, but has ended up leaving that peculiar inheritance: bags and more bags of dark ash that accumulate dust (and controversy) without a clear destination. We explain ourselves. Presuming culture. May 17 was a day to frame in the history of Canarian culture. Or at least in one of its most popular disciplines: The Canarian fighta sport that hurts its roots in the first settlers of the islands. His practice is very popular in the archipelago, but not so much out. Hence, on May 17, as part of the Month of the Canary Islandsthe Government promoted A milestone In the discipline: the first day of official Canarian struggle in Madrid. FIGHTERS AND MUCH (MUCH) ARENA. For the appointment, fighters of the Saladar de Jandía and the Candelaria de Mircatwo key teams of the discipline that were measured in the twentieth day of the DISA Tournament of the Canary Islands. And something else: tons of volcanic sand transported from the palm to cover the pitch. The idea was to give even more epic to the appointment carrying a piece of the Canary Islands (literally) to Madrid and deploying it in the middle of Callao, where the Canarian fighters were measured. A 24 tons “ring”. The idea worked. The photos Shared by the Canarian government (with volcanic sand covering callus) they are fascinating and also show that the appointment attracted a good handful of curious. To host them, even a portable stand with capacity for 200 spectators. The event was also attended by President Fernando Clavijo along with regional positions and representatives of the institutional, sports and social life of the archipelago. In case that was not enough, the Executive took care of the last detail. Any type of volcanic sand was not transported to Madrid. No. The authorities chose ashes from the island of La Palma that were generated during the Tajogaite eruption In 2021. “The youngest of the islands, chosen as a symbol of identity, roots and renewal,” the Canarian government insisted in its community. In total some mobilized some 24 tonsaccording to the institution itself. And what happened to that sand? The fight was held on May 17, Jandía’s Salader won the Candelaria de Mirca in a fierce encounter (12-10), but … and then? What happened to tons of volcanic sand? That is the question that was asked recently eldiario.es, which after consulting with the Madrid City Council reached an amazing conclusion: the bags seemed to have vanished. “Without a trace of the 24 tons”, He titled The newspaper. The news was even more striking because, as confirmed by the regional government, the agreement contemplated that, after the May fight, the 24,000 kilos of ash were ceded to the Madrid City Council so that it could cover with it the fields of beach volleyball. From the Consistory they assured however not to have proof of that initiative. I wasn’t dead … It was not the last chapter of the curious soap opera of the traveling volcanic sand. On Saturday Eldiario.es published again Another revelation About the 24 tons of Tajogaite: the material was not lost by Madrid, but stored in work bags in a Torrelodones industrial ship. The reason? Although the initial idea was to allocate the sand to Madrid Volleyball courts, the authorities of the capital came to the conclusion that it was not a good idea to give it that use. His grains may serve for a Canarian fighting fight, but in the opinion of Madrid technicians they tend to heat up easily, which led the authorities to rule it out for the courts. And what will it be used for? It doesn’t seem to be very clear. At least according to the information handled by eldiario.es, which ensures that the Department of the Environment is looking for an adequate destination for the Canarian gift. The bags are also waiting for the Consistory Ultime for a collaboration agreement to accept the material, which, a priori, will have environmental use. In the authorization of the Cabildo it is noted that the material “lacks commercial value”, although as He put value The Canarian government does have a symbolic value. Images | The Government of the Canary Islands (X) and Canary Islands In Xataka | The Canary Islands have seven islands, but only one has escaped from the hordes of tourists: its secret is literally on earth

That year a concord took off from the Canary Islands and what happened has not happened again

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After more than 50 years of silence imposed by the sonic stamps, the United States has decided open again the heavens on the supersonic flight on the mainland. The Executive order Signed by Trump revokes the 1973 regulations that prohibited these operations on American soil, then motivated by citizen complaints to the deafening roller generated by the planes to overcome the sound barrier, an acoustic impact of up to 110 decibels. That same year, a concord arrived on the island of Gran Canaria for Make history. Concorde in the Canary Islands. On June 30, 1973, Spain was part of one of the scientific experiments more unusual and ambitious never undertaken to study the sun: a supersonic flight of the concord that pursued the Shadow of a solar eclipse total about Africa. The geographical location of the Canary Islands, perfectly aligned with The eclipse trajectoryallowed the country to be integrated into an international operation led by scientists from the United States, France and the United Kingdom, with the logistics collaboration of the Spanish Air Force. That day, the prototype of the Concorde, even without entering into commercial service, took off from Gran Canaria after landing on June 27 with the island covered by Calima. Its objective was not to transport passengers, but to become a flying observatory capable of staying inside the lunar umbra for a record time. Supersonic laboratory. The mission, developed and coordinated from Toulouse, transformed the Concorde 001 in A scientific platform unprecedented. To do this, the aircraft fuselage was modified drilling its roof and installing quartz crystals that allow the cameras to capture without distortions the infrared emissions of the sun from an altitude of More than 17,000 meters. Although the British initially opposed the aircraft, Air France accepted their temporary conversion enthusiastically In Air Laboratory. Inside the plane there were hardly any seats: scientists had to be held as they could during the maneuvers, in a small space and adapted to the minimum indispensable for the observations. The rudimentary preparation (including cleaning the windows manually before the flight) contrasted with The magnitude of the challenge scientist they faced: record from the air phenomena impossible to see from the earth’s surface due to atmospheric distortion. From Gran Canaria to eclipse. Thus, that June 30, 1973, the team of scientists aboard the prototype of the Concorde made one of the most spectacular exploits in the history of observational astronomy: they followed the shadow of a total solar eclipse on Africa during 74 uninterrupted minutesthanks to the ability of the plane to fly more than double the speed of sound. Don LiebenbergAmerican physicist and organizer of the experiment, was one of the seven investigators on board that since that altitude of 17,000 meters they observed the curvature of the Earth and captured Images of the solar crownthe critical region of the Sun whose emissions can affect from satellites to electrical networks on Earth. The path of the entire eclipse The problem. Equipped with infrared cameras installed on carries carved on the roof of the plane, the concorde 001 took off from the island and crossed the sahara behind the lunar umbra, achieving prolonged observations Never before. The problem? That although scientific results, such as First oscillation indication Five minutes at the intensity of the crown, they were technically impressive, its impact was limited: much of the material remains without digitizing and no significant conclusion was published. Concord 001 on display A feat that exceeded the results. As we said, despite the spectacular images and the technical audacity of the mission, the scientific legacy of the Concorde flight It was discreet. Most of the data, stored in hundreds of 35 mm film rolls, It was never digitized Due to lack of resources, and the analyzes were never formally completed. The flight, however, left an indelible mark on the collective memory of astronomers and fans of space exploration. Liebenberg himself, today attached professor at Clemsson, He recalled in National Geographic The moment when the concord penetrated the shadow of the moon A Mach 2.2 and darkness wrapped the sky in broad daylight. Despite the low immediate scientific profitability, the experiment served as a model for future missions and demonstrated the potential of supersonic flights in solar investigations, a field that still It is still active half a century later. Historical milestone Although the concord would return to Visit Spain In 1977 (already in commercial service and under sponsorship of El Corte Inglés), its 1973 scale in the Canary Islands was much more transcendent. Not only represented the first operational use of the plane for an international scientific mission, but consolidated Spain as relevant actor in solar research and in European aerospace logistics. That flight, often forgotten by the general public, symbolizes an era of bold experimentation, where the borders between aviation, astronomy and geopolitics are They blur at the speed of sound. Broking the myth. If you want also, that was a feat of international collaboration, technical innovation and scientific audacity that opened a door that today Cross again With new tools. For Liebenberg, the eclipse of 1973 was not only an experiment, but A sensory experience Unforgettable: absolute darkness to Mach 2, the vision of the curved horizon, the emotion shared by a handful of researchers determined to run after the shadow of the moon. Half a century later, the concord with perforated roof and clean windows remains as a testimony that, during more than a fleeting moment, science reached the eclipse and Spain was there To see it. Image | Spaceaero2 In Xataka | The Bombardier Global 8000 is preparing to enter service: it will be the fastest civil plane in the world from the concorde In Xataka | 20 years ago the concordal took off for the last time: this was the favorite plane of entrepreneurs and celebrities

If you have not reserved your vacation in the Canary Islands, it is possible that it costs the same to go to the Caribbean

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At the beginning of the year, apparently “good” news had a second reading for the millions of tourists who use the plane. Since January 1, airlines operating in the European Union are obliged to incorporate 2% sustainable fuel (SAF) on its flights, as part of the Fit for 55 plan To reduce emissions. In Spain, this will translate into an extra cost of 235 million euros In 2025. And yes, that came with a small print: the extra cost was going to be noticed in the tickets. Thus, in Spain a “homelands” vacation was going to get cheaper than cross the puddle. It turns out that. Between the Caribbean and the Canary Islands. I told it THE WEEKEND THE COUNTRY. The unstoppable boom of international tourism in Spain is raising vacation prices within the country to levels that touch the absurd. How much? For example, today, spending a week in all inclusive in Gran Canaria, Menorca or Mojácar costs practically the same as flying to the Caribbean. According to An analysis of the Destinia agency, destinations such as Menorca (2,726 euros per couple) or mojácar (2,694) have reached prices that They hardly differ Of the 2,883 euros that costs to travel to Punta Cana or the 3,094 of Riviera Maya, although the latter involve crossing half a planet. The great paradox. As we said, this paradox occurs in a context in which the price of the air ticket has not stopped uploading the new European regulations that impose on airlines the use of that 2% sustainable fuelwhich further more expensive long -distance journeys. However, the overdexanda in enclaves like Balearics, Canary Islands wave Almeria Costa He has triggered hotel rates in Spain to historical maximums, with an average price of 160 euros per night and annual increases 13%. The price of success. In 2024, Spain reached its absolute record with 94 million tourists foreigners, and everything indicates that in 2025 the 100 million will be exceeded. This flood has generated an unprecedented pressure on the tourism market, with an international demand that grew 23% In the first quarter, while the reserves of national travelers They fell 17%. The result, and here is the response to the paradox, is an excessive hotel inflation fed by appetite of foreign touriststhat not only seem to have absorbed the available offer, but are willing to pay more for it. Meanwhile, the Spaniards face a summer with prohibitive prices in their own country, which has led many to delay reserve decisions, shorten stays or even value international destinations as Türkiye (2,496 euros in Anatolia), which, despite the obligatory scales, is significantly cheaper. When the local is expensive. In his report the country had a case that was especially illustrative: Mojácar. We talk about a road accessible destination, without flights or scales, where a week for two people can cost just 189 euros less What tip Cana. This disparity reveals that the true engine of the increes is not in transport, but In hotelsthat take advantage of the high demand for impose prices unprecedented. Far from adjusting to an economic context marked by the uncertainty and containment of spending, the national hotel sector seems to have found in international tourism a way to maintain its margins, even at the expense of losing the local client. Intoxicated of success. In short, it could be said that this summer the Spanish tourist points, much to his own success. The national tourist model, based for decades in the Sol and Beach binomial, now faces a Increasing contradiction: His success as a global destination threatens to expel his own citizens of the holiday market. An evil that reproduces in As many nations. Saturation, pressure on prices and mismatch between offer and purchasing power are leading to the most desired national destinations are less accessible than His exotic counterparts. Thus, in the middle of the mass tourism, there is the great paradox that flying at 8,000 kilometers can leave so expensive (or even cheaper) to enjoy the sea from home. Image | Pxhere In Xataka | A fact summarizes well what is happening with tourism in Spain: foreigners upload, nationals are stagnant In Xataka | Mass tourism has the days counted in Spain thanks to a phenomenon outside its control: extreme heat

In full world cocoa crisis, in the Canary Islands they have had an idea: cultivate them themselves

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Last week, Ghana expelled all foreign companies that operated in the gold market. The situation had become unsustainable. Not only are they “disastrous economic, health and environmental consequences“Of artisanal mining (which has skyrocketed in recent years), nor the battered accounts of the Ghanaian state; but the boom of gold exploitation was eroding other national industries. The clearest example is that of cocoa. What about cocoa? Only in the last year, Ghana (the second country that produces the most cocoa) lost 20% of its total production. And that happened in a global context in which bad harvests, pests and climate change fired cocoa prices at historical levels: the ton surpassed The $ 10,000 in the New York Stock Exchange. The problem is that for Ghanaian farmers, gold was more profitable in the short term. The arrival of Chinese operators changed the rules of the game a few years ago and the consequences began to be seen now: cocoa was not the ‘golden chicken’ for the African country industry; but it was much more sustainable than the Galamsey: stir tons and tons of land Almost handmade, illegal, dangerous and little regulated form To sell the gold they find. It is also an “infectious disease” and Ivory Coast (the world’s main cocoa producer) already begins to suffer The same problem. Where some see a problem, others see an opportunity. And for “another” I mean Canarian farmers. Because, like They said in the province“It has subtropical climatic conditions that make it a different region to the rest of the continent.” And that has consequences, above all, for agriculture. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Canarian Institute for Agricultural Research (ICIA) I have been two years “Analyzing the possibilities of culture growth (cocoa) in farm -pea farms.” Nor is it that its results are positive. The new jewel of Canarian agriculture? I wouldn’t say so much. As in the case of Café Granada, the Canarian cocoa It does not consider right now as a large crop. It would be about looking for a “boutique” product, something that allows “diversifying” Canarian agriculture and fleeing from the “bananodependence”. But it is not so easy. Because it is not only about convincing enough producers to achieve considerable productive stability; but of being able to develop the entire industrial chain: things like the fermentation of the grain and its drying. And many problems arise: because raising that industry is almost impossible (profitability is very low) and selling cocoa without further ado leaves you in a very bad strategic place. You have to think very well how to take the steps so that this does not become academic hobby. Since the end of 2023, cocoa has gone from quoting at $ 2,581 per ton at 10,371. It is something extremely sweet and, therefore, little by little that we are wrong a deadly trap for the Canarian field. Image | Majestic Lukas | Kyle Hinkson In Xataka | We go to the most expensive chocolate in history: how the cocoa crisis will shoot its price

The Canary Islands have seven islands, but only one has escaped from the hordes of tourists. His secret is on earth, literally

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The Canarian archipelago is officially seven islands: Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro. In addition, we have four islets and a series of Roques (next to a centenary dispute for tiny lands, although that It is another story). The curious thing about the islands is that almost all, to a greater or lesser extent, have ended under the influence of mass tourism. With the exception of one, whose nature gave an “advantage” over the rest: iron. Shine without looking for it. Ironthe smallest, western, less visited and better preserved from all the Canary Islands, has begun to attract the attention of a time to this part, although surely, despite many stores. First was the Netflix series Iron in 2019 the one that put it on the audiovisual map. Later, during the pandemic, he once again occupied headlines in half the world. The reasons: to be one of the first territories of Spain in get out of confinement In June 2020, and for having registered alone A COVID-19 case during the health crisis. Thus came the international recommendations that placed it between the Best destinations in Europe In 2021, but the island continues as is, it has barely changed its leisurely way of life, or its resistance to the transformations that did shape the rest of the archipelago in recent decades. His secret is a paradox: What does not have He does it more strong to the hordes. The island of “No”. The peculiarity of the island resides in what it has decided Do not have: Without chain hotels, without tourist complexes, without elevators or buildings of more than two floors, the island also does not have extensive beaches, although it possesses A network of puddles (natural pools) of an incomparable beauty. Here its geography is key, since reaching it outside the archipelago already implies at least two journeys (by plane, via Tenerife or Gran Canaria, or in Ferry, via Tenerife), since there are no direct international flights or maritime connections from the peninsula or abroad. With just 11,000 inhabitants And a surface that is equivalent to half of Ibiza, the traffic is very small and the sensation remains to be in a territory where modernity has barely touched essential things. And yet, since 2018, iron almost completely self-abused with renewable energies, thanks to its hydro-eolic power plant Gorona del Vientoconsolidating itself as a world reference in sustainability. Indomitable nature. While the major islands of the Canarian archipelago face a growing social resistance to the Mass tourismIron has deliberately adopted a radically different model. Instead of joining the urbanization spiral, direct flights and mass tourism, the island has opted for a strategy of leisurely growthintegral sustainability and an intimate bond with nature. Arising from the ocean 1.2 million years ago For violent underwater eruptions, the island displays an abrupt and wild geography where impressive cliffs, volcanic boilers and dense laurisilva forests coexist with undulating meadows, centenary pine forests and abrupt black rock costs that make it a paradise for hiking, contemplation and, ultimately, an unstable instance. To get an idea, in 2023 Just 20,300 visitors They arrived on the island (in contrast to the more than 6.5 million that Tenerife receivedFor example). Sabinar Tourism to last. There is more, of course. As we said before, since 1997, iron develops an ambitious Sustainable Development Plan which has oriented its tourist model towards a way of traveling with limited impact, focused on the valuation of the natural environment and local culture. They have been created Seven Visitors and Museums CentersInfrastructure has been improved without breaking the landscape balance (the first asphalted road came in 1962 and even today there is only one traffic light), and activities that privilege contact with the environment have been encouraged. In this regard, Davinia Suárez Armas, insular director of Tourism and Transportation, summed up the BBC The spirit of the island: grow without deteriorating the quality of life of residents or compromising their natural resources. In fact, it is possible to travel in less than an hour from the warm coast of the South to the Capital of Valverdecrossing microclimates ranging from arid plains to humid fog forests, where more than a hundred endemic species thrive, including criticism El Hierro giant lizardwhich motivated the entire island to be declared Biosphere Reserve in 2000 and Geoparque in 2014 for Unesco. Resistance symbols. Among closed curves, volcanic landscapes and pastures whipped by the wind, it appears The pasturewhere the most famous trees of the enclave grow: the Sabinares twisted for centuries of Alisios winds, turned into living symbols of the Herreña resistance. In that sense, self -sufficiency has been part of the island DNA since the arrival of The bimbachesBerber people settled around 120. Without rivers or natural lakes, they learned to collect water from the fog, especially from legendary tree Garoéwhose location is traveled today through the Water route. Plus: this 16 -kilometer circular path San Andrés connectsthe tallest town on the island, with deposits, aljibes and remains of primitive hydraulic technologies, all witnesses of a history marked by water scarcity and migratory waves, especially towards Venezuela. The Virgin Downfour -year party dedicated to the Virgen de los Reyes (who, according to tradition, ended the Great drought from 1741), keeps that spiritual legacy that mixes need and faith alive. Self -sufficiency. In 2014, the island opened Gorona del Vientothe pioneer central that combines wind and hydraulic energy thanks to its privileged geography. The system pumps desalted water from a coastal deposit to a volcanic boiler at 700 meters of altitude when there is a surplus of wind, and releases that flow in times without wind to generate electricity with hydraulic turbines. In August 2015, he first managed to supply the entire island for four hours. In 2024, he beat a global record: 24 consecutive days operating exclusively with clean energy, which avoided the emission of 13,708 tons of CO₂ and the consumption of more than 4,500 tons of diesel. Yet, Climate change … Read more

There is a potentially habitable planet only 59 light years from Earth. The IAC has just discovered it from the Canary Islands

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Spain has a lot to say in the search for potentially habitable explanets. On this occasion, an international team led by researchers from the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands (IAC) has discovered a planet in the habitable zone of its star, just 59 light years from Earth. The finding. The newly discovered planet is called GJ 3998 d. It is a superstierra, which means that it is significantly larger than our planet, in this case with a mass six times greater than land. The important thing about GJ 3998 d is that orbits its star Within the “habitable zone”which means that it could have liquid water on its surface, whenever it is a rocky planet like ours. The habitable area. This new exoplanet orbit the GJ 3998which is a red dwarf. This type of star is much smaller and colder than the sun, so the habitable zone is at a lesser distance. GJ 3998 D completes an orbit around its star in approximately 42 days, a sixth part of what lasts a land year. Despite the proximity to the red dwarf, it only receives 20 % more radiation than the earth, which makes it a candidate to house the necessary conditions for life. Neighbors. Another point in favor of this new extrasolar planet is that it is relatively close to us, 59 light years away, which makes it a perfect candidate for more detailed studies in the future. Scientists plan to investigate whether GJ 3998 D has atmosphere and if there are signs of oxygen, which would be a strong indicator of the possible existence of extraterrestrial life. But for this they will have to wait for the future spectrograph Andes of the Extremely large telescope (Elt) of that, who will be able to analyze the composition of his atmosphere. Or to the telescope Exo Life Finder (ELF), currently in development by the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands. A red dwarf galaxy. Red dwarfs are particularly interesting because they are very common in our galaxy. They constitute almost three quarters of all known stars. In addition, its low mass facilitates the detection of planets that orbit around it. GJ 3998 has three known planets: GJ 3998 B, GJ 3998 Cy the newly discovered GJ 3998 d. This discovery was possible thanks to the Hades project, an international initiative that uses the Nazionale Galileo telescope (TNG) at the Rocque de los Muchachos Observatory, in La Palma, to look for planets around small and near stars. Image | Gabriel Pérez Díaz (SMM, IAC) In Xataka | The Webb Telescope has observed a planet so extreme that the clouds are rock and in the cold night 600 ºC ago

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