Catalonia

In 2003 someone released 18 Bavarian beavers into the Ebro basin without saying anything. They have already arrived in Catalonia

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It was a matter of time. In 2005 and while studying the European mink on the banks of the Aragón River, biologist Juan Carlos Ceña realized that something didn’t fit. There were felled trees, remains of forage, footprints, burrows and very specific droppings: it was just what one would expect to find in the vicinity of a beaver community. But there were no beavers in Spain. Everyone knew that. The strange story of the Iberian beavers. For years, researchers have debated whether the last specimens disappeared in the 17th century, the 18th century, or even the 19th century. In the end, the consensus is that the only evidence available They place them in the 2nd century BC. After that moment, no one knows what happened to the peninsula’s beavers. Therefore, what Ceña had just discovered was a bombshell. But, as soon as they started investigating it, they realized that there was a lot of fabric to cut. Sometime in the spring of 2003, someone illegally introduced 18 European beavers from Bavaria. Nobody knows for sure who he was or why he did it. But we know that it continued to be done. Today, there are beavers in the Tagus and the Guadalquivir. And of course we know that your beaver expansion it’s not natural. In 2023, biologist Teresa Calderón calculation that the Tormes beavers would have taken 40 years to get there by their own means from the closest documented population. The Andalusian case is more bloody: there is no way for the beavers to travel on their own the 365 kilometers of southern subplateau between the stretch of the Guadalquivir where they were found in 2023 and the closest point where we had previously found them. The ‘beaver bombing’ was a reality. But the worst was not (only) that: the worst was that, once they reached a river, they were there to stay. As soon as they took root in an area, they did not abandon it: if in 2007 they had already ‘conquered’ 60 kilometers of riverbank, by 2023 the beavers were already in Mequinenza and the lower stretch of the Ebro. It was a matter of time before they arrived in Catalonia and the news is that they have already arrived. The Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications has confirmed the presence of the beaver in the Segrià region, in the province of Lleida. Good news. And I’m not talking about the expansion of the beaver. That, today, is neither good nor bad news. It just is. I’m talking about, according to a handful of recent articles, “Beavers can turn river corridors into permanent carbon sinks“That is, they can be a climate ally that helps us recharge aquifers, purify water naturally and help in the recovery of wetlands. It is the ecological version of the old Castilian saying that “when God closes a door, he opens a window.” And thank goodness, because invasive species are here and we will not be able to get rid of them. Image | Derek Otway In Xataka | 20 years ago someone thought it was a good idea to release beavers into the Ebro. Now Zaragoza has a problem that is difficult to solve

The new “Taxi Law” of Catalonia seeks to exclude VTCs

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Barcelona is preparing for a new Law on the Transportation of People in Vehicles but it is very likely that if we call it that you will have no idea what it is about. If I tell you it’s the new one taxi law, Anti-uber law either Titus Law…things are changing now. And Barcelona tries to shield the taxi. And that, everything indicates, is close to expelling the VTC from the city. A first step. At the moment, what is on the table is the processing of the new Law on the Transportation of People in Vehicles. That is, the law that has to regulate what happens with the operation of VTCs and, above all, if the taxi is declared an asset of commercial interest to protect it against the operation of companies such as Cabify, Uber or Bolt. The debate began last Wednesday after the amendment to the entirety proposed by VOX was rejected, which had the intention of overturning the process to carry out the new regulation that It was presented for the first time last September. Without support and with the abstention of the Popular Party, the procedure will continue its course with the support of PSC, ERC, the CUP, Comuns and Junts. Although, as we will see, we have had a surprise. What is proposed? The intention of the political parties that have supported the processing of the new normal is to protect the taxi from companies such as Cabify or Uber that operate what are known as Transportation Vehicles with Drivers. That is, the VTC. To achieve this, different measures are to be taken: If new licenses have to be created, taxis will be prioritized If a new VTC license is created, it will expire after two years and will be non-transferable Temporary limitations may be imposed on VTCs if it is considered that there is excess supply. Limitation of the service to interurban areas which implies that, in Barcelona, ​​they could not work within the AMB (their metropolitan area) which concentrates the vast majority of trips. In addition, other measures that would affect both VTCs and taxis have also been put on the table: Catalan level B1 for drivers GPS monitoring of vehicles to prevent abuse Introduction of environmental criteria for the creation of new licenses or the withdrawal of existing ones. In favor of the taxi. With these limitations, this new regulation begins to be known as Taxi Law due to the strong defense that is made of this service or as Titus Law because Tito Álvarez, spokesperson for Élite Taxi and who has led a large part of the demands and protests in recent years, is considered to be one of the people who has most influenced the new articles. The last vote on the VOX amendment paves the way for the regulation of the new regulations but, above all, it left the opportunity for political parties to express their opinion. PSC, ERC, the CUP and Comuns have made an expected defense of the sector, after supporting a review of the regulations, although the pro-independence parties defend that drivers have to speak at least B2 of Catalan. In favor of VTC. The support for VTC has come as a surprise. In addition to VOX, which proposed the amendment to the entire new normal, the PP, which abstained, has shown its disagreement by pointing out that “at peak times there are not enough taxis. The VTCs provide a great service”, in the words of Àngels Esteller, a PP deputy, reported by The Country. And, above all, the surprise has come with Junts. And the party supported the new text in September and has opposed the amendment to the entire VOX but has taken advantage of its intervention to position itself in favor of the “6,000 families that live off the VTC” for whom, says Montse Ortiz, Junts deputy, they will fight for modifications worked on through dialogue with the sector. We will guarantee the legal freedom of the sector.” Discrepancies in the taxi sector. As expected, VTC associations and companies have been against the application of the new standard. José Manuel Berzal, executive president of Unauto VTC, assures that the text lacks “legal rigor”, in words reported by The World. And he points out that there are “multiple inconsistencies and contradictions with European law and the jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the European Union.” The latter is also pointed out from The Vanguardwho claim that a report presented by the Bosch i Gimpera foundation indicates that the text contravenes European law and that the Court of Justice of the European Union will end up overturning it “in a few years.” But what is most striking are the discrepancies within the taxi sector itself. They collect in The World either Taxi Gazette that Tito Álvarez, from Élite Taxi, proposes that VTC licenses can be exchanged for temporary taxi licenses, with a duration of seven years and the possibility of a new extension of one more year. A proposal that has been frontally rejected by other unions such as STC, who describe it as a “genuine insult” that benefits “those who have built their business by breaking the rules while the taxi did comply.” The implications. If the new measure goes ahead with the current proposals, it is expected that they will have an immediate impact on the VTC sector. According to the first calculations: Between 4,000 and 5,000 direct jobs could be eliminated It is estimated that with the new restrictions only 15% of current licenses would be maintained (it is estimated that there are about 4,000 throughout Catalonia) In Barcelona, ​​600 of the 990 current VTC licenses would be eliminated VTCs would disappear from large cities as they would only be able to make interurban journeys Photo | BYD and Logan Armstrong In Xataka | “I save about 7,000 euros a year on gasoline alone”: three taxi drivers tell us their experience with an electric taxi

Catalonia wanted to create the mother of networks for its public headquarters with Huawei equipment. He thought better of it

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The Catalan Court of Public Sector Contracts has partially upheld the appeal presented by Telefónica and Cellnex against the award of the XCAT network contract to sirt and Huawei. The project to interconnect the strategic infrastructures of the Catalan territory will not be able to rely on hardware from China. Why? Catalonia has a fiber optic backbone network, a backbone that supports the Catalan administration. Hospitals, educational centers, public data centers… An infrastructure that has been around for years seeking independence with Spain and that, through the XCAT project, it was preparing its biggest technological leap in decades thanks to the local company Sirt Connecta and Huawei’s network technologies. The offer. Providing it with a budget of 127 million, the Generalitat was finalizing a plan to connect more than 5,400 institutional headquarters. All with its own infrastructure so as not to depend on national giants such as Telefónica, Vodafone or MásOrange. Sirt’s offer with Huawei was the best valued by the CTTIthe computer lung that supports digital services in Catalonia, but Telefónica and Cellnex filed an appeal before the Catalan Court. not so fast. Despite offering a cheaper proposal, Telefónica-Cellnex saw the balance tip towards the Sirt-Huawei proposal. They thus presented an appeal in which they challenged the award of the contract, criticized the technical assessment and indicated their doubts about the technical solvency and real capacity of Sirt to execute said contract. The Catalan Court of Public Sector Contracts has partially upheld the appeal presented by Telefónica and Cellnex, thus suspending the award. There is more. The European Commission’s proposal for a new cybersecurity law, presented on January 20, makes the awarding of the contract even more difficult. Europe wants to expressly prohibit (although the law will not come into force for at least a year) the use of Chinese technology in fixed network infrastructure. In other words, Catalonia cannot use Huawei equipment. If the court’s decision is appealed and the Sirt-Huawei solution is implemented, in just a year and a half all Huawei equipment should be replaced with others of Western origin. The silent dismantling. In recent years, the three large Spanish operators have expelled Huawei from their network cores. Telefónica now works with Nokia and Ericsson Orange with Ericsson Vodafone with Nokia The next step is what the Sirt-Telefónica conflict leaves us with: small local operators will also have to banish Chinese equipment from their hardware core to comply with upcoming European regulations. In Xataka | Huawei MatePad 11.5 S 2026, analysis: the secret of its success is visible and it is called PaperMatte

join Navarra and Catalonia by highway

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The Ministry of Transport has tendered for 153.6 million euros the Jaca bypass, the last major political and technical obstacle to completing the highway connection between Pamplona and the corridor towards Catalonia. With this work unblocked after years of neighborhood opposition, Aragon is about to complete its alternative route to the Ebro through the Pyrenees. Why it is important. For decades, the Jaca variant has been the most complicated link in this infrastructure. Much of the municipality was opposed to the project due to the works, noise and associated inconvenience, not without reason. In this aspect, its tender represents having removed the legal and social obstacle that was holding back the project. From now on, it’s all about building. Connections. The variant consists of a new 8 kilometer stretch which will bypass the city of Jaca and connect the A-21 (Pyrenees highway) with the A-23 (Mudéjar highway). This section will divert the medium and long-distance traffic that currently crosses the N-330a and N-240 highways through the center of Jaca, where the speed is limited to 50 km/h and there are numerous intersections and pedestrian crossings. Image: Ministry of Transport In detail. The work contemplate two roads with two lanes separated by a median of variable width, three main interchanges (Jaca East, North and West), three viaducts, five overpasses and a 200-meter false tunnel in the hospital area. According to the Ministry of Transport, the project includes environmental integration measures such as the revegetation of slopes, correction of the barrier effect with special attention to the Camino de Santiago, hunting fencing to prevent access by fauna and protection against noise pollution. The fitting of the puzzle. With the Jaca variant tendered, Aragón has practically resolved its Pyrenean corridor. In the coming months, the 8.7 kilometers that link Sabiñánigo Este with Sabiñánigo Oeste will be inaugurated, and in 2026 they should open another 11 kilometers between Lanave and Sabiñánigo. Only a section of about 12 kilometers will remain pending between Puente de la Reina in Jaca and the A-21 in Navarra, for which the drafting of the project has already been awarded, although the works will not begin before 2030, according to they count from 20 Minutes. Between the lines. This axis formed by the A-21, A-23 and A-22 (Huesca-Lleida) will become a strategic alternative to the Ebro corridorwhich is usually saturated along the route between Navarra, Aragon and Catalonia. In this sense, the project will aim to improve the territorial structure of Aragon and reduce the pressure on other roads at critical times, such as ski season weekends or holiday long weekends, which are times when kilometer delays are usually recorded in the area. And now what. The execution time for the Jaca variant will depend on the award and the pace of work, but the fact that there is already a tender is a relief for all those who were looking for such a connection. After completing this section and the rest that remain pending in the Sabiñánigo area, the Aragonese Pyrenean project will practically materialize, waiting only for the link with Navarra. Cover image | Ministry of Transport In Xataka | This interactive map prepares you for your next flight: it shows if there will be turbulence and how intense it will be before takeoff

Madrid and Catalonia are losing national population while gaining foreign population

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The latest data of the INE on population flows show a curious phenomenon (almost contradictory) in two of the most populated regions of the country: Community of Madrid and Catalonia. Although both maintain their capacity to attract emigrants from other countries, they have been losing already resident populations for some time. in favor of other autonomieswhich translates into an “internal” migratory balance in the red. In short: your migratory motor has two speeds. The big question is to what extent it is the result of housing cost. What has happened? that the latest data from the INE confirm that Madrid and Catalonia remain the favorite destinations for immigrants who decide to move to Spain, but at the same time both communities see how many of their own neighbors pack their bags to move to other regions neighbors, such as Castilla-La Mancha (case of Madrid) or the Valencian Community (case of Catalonia). The data is especially interesting if we take into account that they arrive with a residential market with skyrocketing prices. Community Total immigration balance SM Exterior indoor SM Andalusia 61,912 67,770 -5,858 Aragon 18,024 17,048 976 Asturias 14,225 10,340 3,885 Balearics 17,118 15,735 1,383 Canary Islands 27,770 27,331 439 Cantabria 5,977 5,051 926 Castile and León 26,407 24,316 2,091 Castile-La Mancha 27,746 23,819 3,927 Catalonia 122,593 129,030 -6,437 Valencian Community 115,742 104,776 10,966 Estremadura 4,008 5,096 -1,088 Galicia 30,325 27,730 2,595 Community of Madrid 100,971 113,964 -12,993 Murcia region 17,531 18,704 -1,173 Navarre 6,976 7,264 -288 The Basque Country 24,190 23,420 770 Rioja 3,906 2,998 908 Ceuta 217 416 -199 Melilla 630 1,460 -830 Is the trend so clear? Yes. It comes with taking a look at the tables of INE immigration balances to verify it. If we look at the balance of foreign migration (the difference between the population from other countries that moved to Spain and the Spanish population that settled in other nations), in 2034 the Catalan community registered a clearly positive result: +129,030 people. Things change when we talk about “internal migration”, which reflects population movements between the different Spanish communities, always within the country. In that case the balance left a negative result: -6,437. That is, there were 53,585 people from other regions who settled in Catalonia, but 60,022 Catalans who packed their bags to go to other autonomies. And in Madrid? The ‘photo’ It’s not very different. Its external migration balance showed a positive result of 113,964 people, but that of “internal migration” left a negative balance, with the loss of 12,993 residents. In 2024 there were 100,342 people from other communities who registered in one of the municipalities of Madrid, but 113,335 did exactly the opposite: they decided to pack their bags and change the capital for other regions. In fact, the Community of Madrid shows the worst internal migration balance (at least in net terms) in the country. Only Catalonia (-6,437) and Andalusia, which showed a negative balance of -5,858, come close (and by far). It’s not really a surprise. In May we told you how there are people from Madrid moving to Valladolid and taking the AVE every day to continue working in the capital. Can it go further? Yes. The INE allows you to go beyond the autonomous communities and obtain data at the municipal or even submunicipal level, by neighborhood. It is an interesting tool because it confirms how this double phenomenon is exacerbated in the two main cities of the country: Madrid and Barcelona. In the first (Madrid) the external migration balance was 73,959 people and the internal one was -18,722. In Barcelona these indicators marked +46,974 and -17,020, respectively. Valencia also presents a positive external balance and a negative internal balance, despite the fact that the community as a whole gained migration. Why is it interesting? Because population flows are not isolated phenomena. They occur in a context marked by multiple factors, among which is (especially if we talk about recent years) the increase in price of housing and an increase in ‘overcrowded homes’those in which people reside in overcrowded conditions. There are also another clear trend: the increase in certain migratory flows, such as those of Venezuelan origin, a phenomenon that is being felt in neighborhoods of all types of income. A recent study from Idealista confirms that Madrid and Barcelona are two of the most expensive cities in Spain. And he is not the only one. Photohouse calculate that Madrid and Catalonia are two of the regions with the most expensive second-hand housing in Spain, only surpassed by the Balearic Islands and (in the case of Catalonia) the Canary Islands and Euskadi. Does housing have that much influence? The INE study suggests this, especially because it appreciates differences within the municipalities themselves. “In some of the main cities it is observed that the most central districts are losing population, while the most remote ones are gaining it,” comments the organizationwhich cites several specific cases already confirm the trend: “In 2024 in Madrid, the subdistricts on the southeastern periphery were the ones that had the highest balance. In Barcelona and Valencia, those in the south were the ones that gained the most.” Of course more factors come into play. The Canary Islands or Balearic Islands, two regions very marked by rising housing prices and tourism, closed 2024 with a positive balance in both external and internal migration, just like the Basque Country. Castilla-La Mancha and Castilla y León also grew, receivers of a good part of the population that decided to leave the capital, and the Valencian Community, also a destination for internal migration from Barcelona. Images | Joshua Aguilar (Unsplash) and INE In Xataka | The silent surprise of Venezuelans: the number of immigrants has skyrocketed in Madrid, eclipsing Romanians and Moroccans

the flu marks 15-year highs in Catalonia and the worst is still ahead

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Spain is experiencing a great flu epidemic right now, with a large number of infections expected to arrive to its maximum peak at Christmas itself. The problem is that at the moment the ascending phase does not stop increasing, causing the flu curve to have an insane growth, being able to affirm that we are facing a historic epidemic and that the truth reminds us a lot of the wave we experienced during covid. Although above all it has targeted some communities. A localized anomaly. As the Ministry of Health points out, this epidemic does not stop increasing in our country on a national scale, but above all it has hit the most populated communities in our entire geography. Today, flu cases are estimated in an incident of 170 cases per 100,000 inhabitants nationwide. But some autonomous communities are seeing a greater impact with historic rates, as is the case, for example, in Catalonia or Madrid. Something that strains health services and forces measures to be taken, such as need to wear a mask in certain locations. An unprecedented epidemic. This is the case of Catalonia, where the graphs already point to a flu epidemic that is the worst in the last 15 years, with a graph that can undoubtedly be scary due to how sharp its escalation is. In this way, this clashes between the local situation in the autonomous community and the national paradigm where the ceiling has not yet been reached. The data published by the Catalan epidemiological service confirms a statistical anomaly in the week of December 1 to 7, since they suggest that The barrier of 300 diagnoses has been broken for every 100,000 inhabitants in primary care, with a weekly increase of more than 100%. It is something so intense that some experts they point because until the end of the year very intense days are expected in Primary Care and ‘wild’ guards in the Emergency Room. But some of them already point out that “and“This flu curve is insane.” The same in Madrid. Another quite worrying situation where cases reach 275 per 100,000 inhabitants, making it much higher than what has been seen in previous seasons, which also marks an unprecedented fact and which already forces vaccination campaigns to be intensified. ‘Zoom out’ from Spain. If one looks up from the Catalan and Madrid map and looks at the consolidated data from the Ministry of Health and the ISCIII for all of Spainthe film changes genre. It is not a disaster movie, but a thriller that is picking up pace. At the national level, this epidemic has been characterized by a significant advance in the epidemic wave, since at the beginning of December there was already an infection rate of 70-80 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. But despite this fact, national surveillance reports continue to increase to an overall ‘low’ or ‘moderate’ intensity. The measures that have been taken. At the national level, the autonomous communities managed to reach an almost historic agreement: recommending the use of masks in health centers. But Catalonia, with a historic epidemic, has had to take other measures such as is wearing the mask mandatory (something that also Murcia has approved) in health centers. Although, it is ruled out in other areas such as public transport. Primary care. One of the most affected by this epidemic, which has numbers of such magnitude from counting the cases at the primary care level. This contrasts with the data used by national surveillance organizations, which weight hospitalizations, ICU admissions and deaths much more. Something that is not happening critically, waiting for the peak of the epidemic to arrive. Images | Towfiqu barbhuiya In Xataka | Spain has spent years vaccinating only the elderly during flu seasons. Now he has decided to change it

It looks like a conch, in reality it is a “sound technology” manufactured 6,000 years ago in Neolithic Catalonia

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When we think of the Neolithicthe truth is that we imagine the use of polished stone tools, how they began to flirt with ceramics or how they killed each other. But to this we must now add the acoustic engineeringwhich seems to have also been somewhat dominated thanks to the conch shells. Something that happened right here in Spain. The investigation. It was the University of Barcelona that was able to confirm that twelve sea shells found in the sites of Catalonia They were not leftover food or decorations, but rather sophisticated musical and communication instruments that are capable of producing a powerful and modulable sound similar to that of a modern horn. Something that can be considered the first musical instrument in history. This finding has been published in the scientific journal Antiquity and suggests that these shells Charonia lampas They were modified by the locals themselves to become what is now called one of the “oldest sound production technologies known to man.” The shells. Without a doubt the protagonists of this study and that have been dated between the end of the fifth and the beginning of the fourth millennium BC. That is, about 6,000 years ago. Some pieces that have been collected from different locations in Catalonia such as the Gavà variscite minessettlements in the Penedes and the Llobregat basin. But beyond how old they are, their technical intention also stands out, since these conch shells were not collected to eat the mollusk. Science suggests that they were collected already empty and collected for their size and ergonomics to be used as a musical instrument. From this raw material, the tips were precisely removed from all the pieces to create a mouthpiece to generate the sound. The idea in this case was to have the right size to be able to carry it with you and have an adequate sound. Testing the sound. Beyond having the conch on the table, we also wanted to know what prehistory was listening to. To do this, they chose the eight conch shells that were in good condition and blew through them. The result was very spectacular: when blowing through them, vibrating the lips in the same way as is done with the current brass instruments (like a trumpet or trombone), the shells came to life. The resulting sound was powerful, stable and with a timbre similar to that of a French horn. But although it may seem that he only had one note available, the reality is that by inserting his hand into the shells he could lower the pitch and change the note. And even if the tongue was articulated, the texture of the sound was modified. In this way, in prehistory they not only made an instrument, but also had the possibility of ‘playing’ with the sound. A telephone. Beyond their musical capacity, these objects fulfilled a vital function as long distance communication tools. The study itself points out that in a world where there were logically no telephones or WhatsApp, trumpets served as a communication system to coordinate communities. Six of the conch shells were found in the Gavà mines, suggesting their use to send signals between workers in the different underground galleries or to communicate with surrounding agricultural settlements. Its importance. This discovery is not trivial, since it opens up the debate on the origin of music in humanity. The question is quite clear: Was it born out of pure utilitarian need (coordinate hunting, warning of dangers) or out of an aesthetic and emotional need? For now, it can be concluded that both functions were used together. They were pragmatic tools for social management and work in the mines, but their melodic capacity could also be used in the rituals or celebrations of different tribes. Images | Steve Adams In Xataka | Neither lions nor hyenas: at the top of the food chain 30 million years ago, there was a “pig” weighing more than a thousand kilos

There are those who think that the housing crisis can be solved by building. At the Polytechnic University of Catalonia they believe they are wrong

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Spain has a problem with housing. That is an (almost) objective fact. The CIS says so, which places it as the great concern of the Spanish, but a quick review of the newspaper archive arrives to confirm it. During the last months few topics have generated more political debate or have taken out so many people on the street such as difficulties in accessing a home. What is no longer so clear is how to solve this “crisis” residential area recognized by the Government itself. Should we build more houses? Does Spain suffer from a housing deficit? Do we need more land to build? Usually the answer to those three questions is a strong ‘yes’. Now a new study signed by two professors of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) and published in a magazine linked to the Ministry of Housing points out that perhaps we were wrong. What has happened? That two professors from the Higher Technical School of Architecture of Barcelona (ETSAB), Blanca Arellano-Ramos and Josep Roca-Cladera, have published a study about the problems that Spain is facing in terms of housing. The report in question is titled ‘Five theses about housing policy in Spain’ and is included in a monograph of CyTETa magazine published by the Ministry of Housing. So far nothing exceptional. The curious thing is that the text questions many of the ideas rooted in the real estate sector, such as that our country suffers from a housing deficit or needs more land to build. While the Bank of Spain (BE) estimates 700,000 homes the mismatch between supply and demand, the study questions whether there really is a ‘hole’ in the market or that prices will go down if we build more. Is there a housing deficit? As already indicated in its title, the article is structured around five theses. And the first addresses precisely that point: Does Spain suffer from a housing deficit? The question is interesting because it is one of the most deeply rooted ideas in the sector. The Bank of Spain itself has calculated that it would be necessary 700,000 houses to meet residential demand. For Arellano-Ramos and Roca-Cladera the reality is quite different. In his opinion, one cannot talk about a deficit without first taking into account the excess of housing accumulated between 2011 and 2021 and the stock of vacant properties. The researchers remember that between 2011 and 2021 the housing stock exceeded the growth in the number of homes by 959,554 units, generating a considerable pocket. In fact, they assure that in 2021 the “accumulated excess” was close to 8.1 million properties, a “‘cushion’ more than enough to absorb temporary housing deficits such as the one produced during the 2021-2024 period,” recalls the UPC in the statement in which he reports the study. What does that mean? That for researchers it is not so obvious that Spain suffers from a shortage of new housing. In their analysis they also remember that a good part of the excess of houses and apartments corresponds to second homes and empty homes. The INE itself estimates that at least in 2021 there were 3.84 million of uninhabited properties, 14.4% of the real estate stock. That percentage far exceeds what most experts consider “desirable” (5%), but at least in the statement The UPC does not address another fundamental aspect: the distribution of these wasted properties, if they are located in stressed markets, such as Madrid, Barcelona or Malaga, or in centers where demand is minimal or even non-existent, in the case of emptied Spain. What if we build more? That is the second question the researchers address. What if we build more homes? Would prices be reduced? Their response is once again skeptical to say the least: increasing buildings will not lead to greater social equity nor will it serve to soften prices. “On the contrary”, slide the UPC note. “According to the authors of the study, the solution is not to build more new homes so that the laws of the market balance prices. In addition to having serious environmental effects, what favors is the real estate bubble like the one that occurred around 2000.” What happens in other neighboring countries? Among other arguments, Arellano-Ramos and Roca-Cladera recall that the rise in prices is not a problem exclusive to the Spanish market, but rather something widespread on the continent. So the question is obvious: if the increase in prices is due to the imbalance between supply and demand, do the majority of EU countries share that same problem? “Is there simultaneously a restriction of supply in relation to demand occurring throughout Europe in relation to demand that explains the increase in residential prices? It does not seem that this is plausible. Therefore it is not reasonable, prima facieturn to the scarce construction of new housing as the main cause of the price of housing”, they reflect the authors before remembering that Spain has invested a higher percentage of GDP in construction than the European average. Do we need more land? The researchers also question whether in Spain the problem of lack of accessibility to housing can be explained by the scarcity of land. And to prove it, they go to the newspaper archive: between the late 90s and the early 2000s, buildable land was made available in the country, which allowed for “massive construction” of residential housing. This boom was not accompanied, however, by a reduction in the price of the square meter. Quite the opposite: residential prices increased, as in other parts of Europe. If Spain saw housing prices rise between 1996 and 2008, it was not because there was no land on which to build or build new homes. “Spain became more urbanized than ever and the result did not represent a reduction in prices, on the contrary,” underlines the UPC in your statementwhich recalls that between 2000 and 2012 Spain was the European country with the greatest “consumption” of land: more than 2,400 square kilometers (km2), almost as … Read more

He vibrated so much that “the Water of the Váter came out.” Renfe has a problem in Catalonia and the AVE of Lleida is only the last example

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A train in which it was impossible to travel with relative comfort. Let’s not say sleep or work. The videos in which an Avant is shown that vibrates extremely in the Lleida-Barcelona line are only the last example of a high speed that does not stop accumulating problems for Renfe. “The Water of the Váter came out”. This is what A user assured of the Avant Lleida-Barcelona train that circulated with extreme vibrations on August 19. Views the images that can be found on social networks, what Kevin Bruque, spokesman for users Avant Catalunya, is not very far -fetched RAC1. The violence with which the train moved while in motion has left us publications in which it is observed to backpacks moving violently and Water bottles that remain standing miracle. Many complaints. It is not the first time that Avant users between Lleida and Barcelona complain bitterly about the conditions of the journey. “People get dizzy” in an hour “that they could take advantage of to rest or work,” Bruque emphasizes. Extreme vibrations are only the last case of a line that accumulates complaints and demands of users. Already in March, Segre He collected the demands of the passengers who claim a greater number of frequencies and an early early option since the first train leaves at 7:05. They also emphasized the constant delays and breakdowns suffered by the line. Renfe’s response. Those days, Segre He collected that Renfe’s response to this request for an Avant that leaves before 7:05 points to Rodalies. The company defends that service is also provided with a regional train and that, therefore, the line is already covered. However, the platform ensures that the service is not comparable since with Rodalies it takes more than three hours to arrive in Barcelona from Lleida while in Avant and Ave they move on the border of the hour. This causes taking the first Rodalies train to arrive even later in Barcelona that with the first fast train of the day. Rodalies in the spotlight. Renfe’s performance in Catalonia is under the spotlight. In what we have been, Rodalies has not stopped adding breakdowns, suspensions and delays. To the point that the circulation has been suspended up to three times. In railroads.org They collect the incidents that are added daily in Rodalies. On August 18, six incidents were counted in the network. On August 19 another four and August 20 increased to 17 incidents of all kinds. When we write these lines on August 21, 33 incidents have been counted so far. But also high speed. In the first week of this August we met the end of a soap opera that had begun in July, that of the Avril trains. Renfe decided to withdraw these trains of its Madrid-Barcelona line when cracks are detected in them. A few days before, the information had jumped that some of these trains were literally breaking. Renfe threw balls out And he just said that had reorganized the line. Subsequently, Pópuli voice He showed the images where a crack was clearly seen on the train. Renfe had already decided to get these trains out of circulation although at first he opted for circular at a lower speed. An unforgettable summer for the user. And to forget by Renfe. The company has been in which it has faced a breakdown in the line to Andalusia that left users without air conditioning and in the middle of anywhere For 13 hours. Those same problems, with less serious consequences, They were subsequently repeated. Also in Andalusia the circulation had to be suspended momentarily by Goteras in a Malaga tunnel. Then came the aforementioned case of cracks in the Avril trains. And finally, fires have stopped circulation between Madrid and Galicia during a week in which Renfe has offered solutions With lights and shadows. Photo | Kabelleger / David Gubler In Xataka | “In 1961 it took Bilbao for three hours and five minutes. Now it takes three and ten”: Cantabria and the drama of Spain with the train

Catalonia and Murcia were two of the areas most affected by the drought. Now they are in the center of the storm

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Of the 10 meteorological stations that Yesterday they collected more rainfall Five were in the province of Barcelona. At 11:00 today, the five stations that have collected more rainfall today are in the province of Murcia. A trough in summer. During the last days a trough has traveled the north of the country and the Mediterranean basin, but it has been this last area that has taken the worst part. This event has left large hail images and some overwhelmed channels in the center and north of the Mediterranean slope. The good news is that these areas where the rains now accumulate are some of the most punished by the drought that until a few months ago ravaged the peninsula. A drought whose effects still last in some of these areas. The most affected by drought. The Catalan and Safe internal basins were among the basins most affected by drought. In March last year, the Catalan basins stayed Below 15% of its capacity. After a slight rebound, at the beginning of this year their levels were Something above 30% of its capacity. Since then the Catalan basins have recovered and their reservoirs They are now to 77.6% of its capacity. Something that has not happened in the case of reservoirs in the Segura Basin. These reservoirs came to 19.2% of its capacity And, although they have recovered, they still remain in a modest 28.7%. The passage of a trough. The arrival of the last trough I could help To relieve the situation in areas such as the Safe Basin and to consolidate the stabilization of the basins of the north of the Mediterranean aspect, not only in Catalonia, also in the Júcar. For now the figures left by the trough are only provisional, although in the last Weekly balance of rainfall Made by the State Meteorology Agency (AEMET) stand out accumulations greater than 60 mm in Catalonia during the day after day, day 23. The data of the weather stations of the area indicate that yesterday’s was another rainy day. Change of trend? Meteorologists expect the situation to calm down today, but the longest tendency is not so clear. A few days ago it seemed that we were in a brief Impla before the return of heat. Now The models speak of a dough of cold air stagnated on Europe. Change of trend? Summer It is not usually A time of hydrological relief, so rain can become great news for those who look with concern the possibility of a new drought that puts the resistance of the water system again. This is especially true in the basins that have not had the opportunity to recover completely during the last months of hydrological bonanza. In Xataka | The next great drought is a matter of time. It is the one we have to solve the problem of sediments in reservoirs Image | SUPERCHILUM, CC by-SA 4.0

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