city

release (many) ladybugs around the city

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Every spring, urban parks across half of Europe deal with the same problem: pests. The most common and traditional response continues to be chemical pesticides: they are effective and cheap to keep insects such as aphids at bay, but they have a well-documented ecological cost on other auxiliary fauna and the soil. However, some European cities have been exploring an even older alternative for years: returning the natural predators that always kept them at bay to the ecosystem. Logroño has just taken that step: This spring it will release ladybugs and other insects in several of its green spaces. Ladybugs and Anthocoris as a natural pesticide. The City Council of Logroño, through the UTE Espacios Verdes Logroño, is carrying out these days biological control actions in parks and gardens in the maple trees and rose bushes on Paseo del Espolón, in the lime trees in Plaza Primero de Mayo, Parque Gallarza and Parque del Carmen and in the Cercis specimens on San Antón Street. As? Introducing their natural predators. Ladybugs are the friendly and well-known face of this operation, but beneath that mottled red mantle hides a voracious predator capable of devouring several hundred aphids during its lifetime. He Anthocoris nemoralis (a predatory bug) is much less known to the general public, but equally essential on a biological level: it is a predatory bug that attacks psyllids, mites and other phytophages that especially affect urban trees. Why is it important. Because it is a natural measure to decimate pests without the need for conventional phytosanitary treatments that also favors biodiversity in the urban environment. Conventional pesticides eliminate the target species, but they also kill pollinators such as bees and butterflies, contaminating the soil and aquifers. In the long term, they end up having a kind of rebound effect in the form of resistance, which forces the use of increasingly higher doses or more aggressive compounds. Hence Europe has been warning for some time about its use and the need to look for alternatives. On the other hand, this measure also has its relevance in public health: these urban green spaces are places of daily traffic where applying phytosanitary products in those environments implies human exposure that biological control completely eliminates. The WHO has documented the effects of chronic exposure to organophosphate and pyrethroid pesticides on health, especially in children. Context. It’s no secret that we are running out of insects: this specific study in Germany shows a disappearance of 75% of flying insects in 27 years (the study is from 2017), a trend that is expanding throughout Europe. The reasons are several: pesticides, loss of habitat, pollution and climate change are just a few. Cities play a role in that they bring together many species of insects in a small space. What is a biodiversity sink can become a refuge: cities like Barcelona, ​​Huesca, Zaragoza, Pamplona, ​​Madrid and Logroño itself They have been implementing for years comprehensive pest management strategies that include biological control as a central element. Vitoria-Gasteiz deserves special mention: one of the green capitals in Europe carries out environmental policies sustainable management of urban green areas. How it works. The biological balance is simple: predator – prey. In an ecosystem in its unaltered state, aphids would be naturally regulated by their predators and would only be triggered when the balance is broken, something that in fact happens in cities, where the diversity of auxiliary fauna is low. The solution is not to eliminate the pest with a chemical product, but restore lost predatory pressure. What makes this approach so valuable is that it is a selective measure: an insecticide destroys what is in front of it, while ladybugs and Anthocoris nemoralis concentrate their activity on prey that is part of their natural diet, leaving intact populations of bees or butterflies that visit the same flora. Yes, but. The initiative from Logroño has an important blind spot: the origin of the released insects. We do not know if these ladybugs and Anthocoris nemoralis come from local populations or from foreign commercial breeding. Introducing non-native specimens can alter the genetics of wild populations in the region and even end up displacing native ones. On the other hand, we do not know the number of insects released and whether there will be subsequent monitoring: to know if the biological control has worked it is necessary to measure the density of the pest before and after, record the survival and dispersal of the released individuals and compare with control areas where there has been no release of insects. In Xataka | The European Union believes it has a solution for the decline of wine in Spain: plucking the “green” grapes in La Rioja In Xataka | The terraces of hoteliers have been taking over city streets for years. Logroño has a plan for them Cover | Afaaq Afzal and Tom Winkler

The US believed it had crushed Iran’s missile city. They have counted the complexes again, and it is as if they had shot in the air

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During the Gulf War, several American pilots returned convinced they had completely destroyed numerous Iraqi underground shelters. Days later, reconnaissance images revealed something disconcerting: Many of those complexes were still active because the explosions had barely blocked secondary entrances while the main infrastructure remained intact under tons of rock and concrete. The big surprise. For weeks, the White House presented the campaign against Iran as a crushing demonstration of modern military power: stealth bombers, precision missiles and coordinated attacks with Israel that had supposedly left the Iranian strategic network reduced to rubble. donald trump came to affirm that Tehran already “had nothing” in military terms and that its missiles had been dispersed and out of combat. However, the new secret evaluations US intelligence agencies describe a radically different and deeply uncomfortable scenario for Washington. After reanalyzing satellite images, underground access and logistical activity, American analysts discovered that Iran maintains operational 30 of its 33 complexes of missiles in the Strait of Hormuz and retains a good part of its mobile launchers and arsenals, in addition to having recovered the 90% access of its underground facilities. The feeling within some national security sectors is beginning to be disturbing: after spending thousands of missiles and selling the world the idea of ​​total destruction, the immense Iranian “missile city” remains practically where it was at the beginning. Architecture of a fortress. Here you have to remember something what do we count weeks ago. The real problem for the United States is not just how many missiles Iran retains, but how they were built and distributed their complexes for decades. Tehran turned entire mountains into underground defensive systemswith tunnels, protected warehouses, redundant access and mobile platforms capable of moving missiles from one point to another even after a bombing. Many installations were not designed to resist a specific attack, but to ensure that they always there will be something operational after any initial wave. That’s where the intelligence reports are causing real concern: Many of the entrances were temporarily sealed, but not completely destroyed, and the vast majority of the complexes they regained access operational in a matter of weeks. In some cases, the Iranians may even continue to launch missiles directly from the facilities themselves. The result is a very different image from the American public narrative: rather than eliminating the threat, Washington seems to have scratched the surface of an infrastructure conceived precisely to survive a war of technological attrition. The hidden price of the operation. The other great revelation of the conflict is not underground in Iran, but inside the own US arsenals. The campaign consumed gigantic amounts of advanced ammunition: more than a thousand stealth cruise missiles, around a thousand Tomahawks and more than 1,300 Patriot interceptors, figures that are equivalent to entire years of industrial production. The Pentagon attempted to balance two incompatible priorities: destroying extremely hardened Iranian complexes and, at the same time, do not empty completely its strategic reserves in the face of possible future crises with China or North Korea. This limitation explains part of the most controversial tactical decisions of the war. Rather spray completely many underground complexes, planners opted to seal access and entrances using fewer bunker buster bombs than necessary to destroy the entire facility. Now the consequences are beginning to appear starkly: it spent enormous amounts of high-end weapons, but the Iranian network continues to retain significant operational capacity. Hormuz as center of gravity. All of this takes on an even more delicate dimension due to where most of Iran’s surviving capacity is concentrated: the Strait of Hormuz. Approximately a fifth of the world’s oil circulates through that maritime strip, and US intelligence believes that Iran maintains enough missiles and launchers there to to continue threatening warships, oil tankers and critical infrastructure. The US Navy maintains a practically continuous presence in the area with more than twenty ships patrolling and holding the blockade, but the strategic reality is beginning to become uncomfortable: even after a gigantic military campaign, Washington has not been able to eliminate Iran’s ability to turn Hormuz into a nightmare for global trade. There is no doubt, this persistence completely alters the initial perception of the war. What seemed like a demonstration of technological supremacy is also beginning to look like a warning about the real limits of modern air power against deeply dispersed underground networks. The political contradiction. Ultimately, the conclusions of the intelligence “count” They are also opening an increasingly visible political rift in Washington. While the White House publicly insists that the operation was a historic success and accuses those who question that story of “virtual betrayal,” internal reports describe a enemy far away of being neutralized. And the contradiction threatens to become both a strategic and political problem. If the ceasefire collapses, Trump would have to decide between accepting that Iran retains a relevant military capability or relaunching an even more costly campaign using ammunition reserves that will most likely take years to recover. The dilemma is especially delicate because European allies They already fear delays in arms deliveries destined for Ukraine due to American industrial wear. The war against Iran was designed to demonstrate strength and restore deterrence, but what is beginning to emerge, however, is another, much more uncomfortable reading: that even the most powerful military machine on the planet may discover too late that destroying a “missile city” buried under mountains is much more difficult than announcing its destruction on television. Image | Iranian Media In Xataka | Suddenly, a military outpost sprouted up in the Iraq desert: it was Israel in its bombing campaign of Iran In Xataka | While everyone was looking at Hormuz, Russia has found a much more important route to supply drones to Iran

Toyota has created the city of the future and it is full of AI and cameras that protect you. It’s also a privacy nightmare

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At the foot of Mount Fuji, Toyota he has been building a city for years entire designed from scratch to test their future inventions. It’s called Woven City, and it already has its first inhabitants. And although the city does not lack one bit of technology, living there also involves making certain concessions in terms of privacy. Below these lines we tell you all the details. Why does this exist? At CES 2020, then-Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda advertisement that the company was going to build a laboratory city on the land of a former factory in Susono, in the Japanese prefecture of Shizuoka. The idea was not to create just another corporate campus, but to build a real urban environment where engineers, researchers and residents would coexist and test advanced mobility, robotics, artificial intelligence and sustainability technologies. The project, developed under the subsidiary Woven by Toyota, has cost about 10 billion dollars, according to they count from Ars Technica, and its first inhabitants arrived just a few months ago. In detail. Woven City has, at the moment, about 100 hand-selected residents, who they internally call Weavers. They are Toyota employees and people chosen for their technological profile. They live in Japandi-style apartments (fusion between Nordic and Japanese) equipped with domestic robotics and health monitoring systems. The city is powered by rooftop solar panels and hydrogen fuel cells, and its streets are designed in three categories based on vehicle speed: expressways, personal mobility zones, and pedestrian-only areas. When completed, the total area will be about 294,000 square meters, although only about 10% of the planned space is operational right now. What is proven there. Residents act as beta testers for a diverse list of projects: from AI karaoke systems that choose songs based on mood to an air conditioning system capable of eliminating 95% of pollen from the environment, something relevant in a country where half of the population suffers from allergies. Delivery robots, tricycles or, as point the middle, the Guide Mobi, an autonomous vehicle that acts as a digital towboat to take cars out of the garage and take them to their owners without the driver having to move. According to they count From Ars Technica, 98% of residents have given permission for a robot with cameras to operate within their own homes. Here comes the problem. For all of this to work, Woven City is full of cameras. Many. According to the mediumyou could count up to eight cameras at a single intersection, and dozens more spread across the roofs of buildings, common spaces, and even the small cafeteria there. All that network of images feeds what Toyota calls the AI ​​Vision Engine, an artificial intelligence system designed to monitor, catalog and report on activity in the city. The system can identify people and follow them from camera to camera based on their clothing, without using facial recognition. They used it in a demo to detect potential thefts in a business. What Toyota says. The company says it has its own consent management system called Data Fabric, which allows residents to decide what data they share and what they don’t. “We allow Weavers to select what they want to share or not. Whether they don’t want to share anything or if they want to share everything is up to each individual,” explained John Absmeier, CTO of Woven City, told Ars Technica. The data, according to Toyota, is not sold to third parties. “At least for now,” they added in the media report. Between the lines. That 98% of the residents have accepted practically all the privacy conditions does not say as much about trust in Toyota as it does about the profile of the people who live there: they are selected technicians, who know perfectly well what they are agreeing to and who have come precisely to participate in the experiment. Kota Oishi, CEO of Woven City, recognized Japanese citizens, like Europeans, are especially sensitive to privacy and demand to know exactly what their data will be used for. The leap between this group of controlled volunteers and the implementation of similar technology in a real city with millions of ordinary people would be enormous, and questions about mass surveillance inevitable. The other big bet: a Own AI. While all this is happening on the streets, Toyota is working in parallel to not depend on the large technological giants in terms of artificial intelligence. Daisuke Toyoda, son of President Akio Toyoda and head of the Woven City project, counted on an interview in April to Automotive News that developing AI internally is key to protecting jobs and the company’s industrial knowledge. “If you only work with the biggest or best companies abroad, you run the risk of becoming a mere user,” he said. Toyota sees AI not as a tool to cut staff, but to digitize the knowledge of its best workers and raise the level of the rest. One of the most striking projects of this line is an AI clone of Akio Toyoda himself (even with his voice, his way of speaking and his philosophy) that is already used internally to train managers. And now what. Woven City is still in its infancy: only 10% built, 100 residents and many robots that “don’t do much yet,” according to counted the middle. The objective is reach 2,000 inhabitants when all phases are complete. Toyota does not expect it to be profitable in the short term; understands it as a long-term technological incubator to test its technology in more open, but controlled spaces. Cover image | toyota In Xataka | Chinese manufacturers no longer know what more innovations to incorporate into their cars, so they have added a toilet to one

While the hantavirus from the MV Hondius cruise makes headlines, the closest health risk is 10 km from any Mediterranean city

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When the MV Hondius left Ushuaia heading to Antarctica on March 20, no one could imagine the hell they were about to live: 150 people of 23 different nationalities, a relatively small ship and a virus that has already caused the death of three passengers. The Dutch shipping company Oceanwide Expeditions consider now docking in the Canary Islandswhich guarantees extra media attention. And yet, the health risk is minimal. In fact, the true health risk for Spain lies elsewhere: much closer. “Risk”? Yes, ‘risk’ is the word and the best example is Andalusia. March 2, 2026 the Board announced that its Strategic Plan for Surveillance and Comprehensive Vector Control until now limited to the West Nile virus will incorporate (for the first time) the monitoring of dengue, chikungunya and Zika. It seems somewhat anecdotal, but what it hides is a profound epidemiological change: not only Andalusia, but the entire Spanish Mediterranean is becoming the perfect ‘breeding ground’ for the mosquitoes that spread all these diseases. What’s more, all this coincides temporally not only with the largest dengue epidemic ever recorded in the Americas (12.6 million cases)but with the historical record of indigenous chikungunya in continental Europe. Dengue in Spain. It is worth stopping at this because, according to data from the National Center for EpidemiologySpain reported 1,119 cases of dengue in 2024 (compared to 615 in 2023, 503 in 2022 and 50 in 2021). It is true that the majority are imported, but indigenous cases are growing. It is not a minor issue: before 2018 We had gone almost a century without indigenous cases in Spain. What changes for someone who lives in Spain? Today, 66% of the Spanish population already lives in municipalities with confirmed presence of tiger mosquitoes. This means that the individual risk of contracting diseases such as dengue, chikungunya or Zika remains low and localized (without having left the country), but it is certainly on the table. As Pamela Rendi-Wagner, director of the ECDC, pointed out last year, we have entered a new normal. And we have to learn that this situation is not fought with headlines but by eliminating stagnant water in patios and terraces. It is worth remembering that the (immense) majority of epidemics in the last 40 years have not been due to unknown diseasesbut to known diseases that went beyond their usual niche. That’s what we’re about to see: a bunch of diseases moving across a continent that has no recent experience managing them. Image | Mithil Girish In Xataka | Mosquitoes attack me in summer and I tried these TikTok tricks to get rid of them

from futuristic city to the great logistical shortcut that eludes Hormuz

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In 1869, when it was inaugurated the Suez Canala long caravan of boats crossed for the first time an artificial pass that changed trade routes millennia in a matter of days, not months. What seemed like an almost utopian work ended up demonstrating that, when a strategic route is transformed, the entire balance of world trade can revolve around it. The map changes with a closure. He closure of the strait of Hormuz during the war with Iran has shown to what extent a relatively small strip of water can disrupt global trade. In fact, the Gulf Countries have been forced to improvise alternative routes to maintain the flow of goods and energy. Saudi Arabia, although less affected than other neighbors, has had to quickly reconfigure your logistics network. The result is that this kind of global shock has accelerated decisions that had been on the table for years and has changed strategic priorities. Neom comes down to earth. Yes, the futuristic megaproject and increasingly utopian of Neom, conceived as a fantastic vision with developments like The Lineit seems that it has entered a much more pragmatic phase. As we have been saying, the extra costs and the economic pressure have forced us to cut back on ambitions and focus on projects that generate tangible value. And in that turn, the neom port and the industrial city by Oxagon They have gained prominence. As? The logic has shifted towards what can be built, financed and operationalized within a realistic economic framework. The great shortcut: avoiding Hormuz from the Red Sea. The war has given immediate meaning to this reconversion. counted the financial times this morning that the port of Neom is positioning itself as an alternative door which connects Europe, Africa and the Gulf without passing through Hormuz. From that perspective, goods travel from Europe to the Mediterranean, cross Egypt and reach the Red Sea to redeploy to the Gulf by sea and land. This route, already in use by several European countries, has become more relevant as the strait was blocked. Neom Under construction… but already operational. Although the project is still in development, the port is already working and shows signs of activity growing. In fact, satellite images they have captured traffic of trucks and operations at the site, while infrastructure such as automated cranes, container terminals and sustainable energy systems are completed. The ambition is to turn it into an electrical porthighly automated and prepared for large vessels. All of this currently places it as an emerging piece within the Saudi logistics network. The turn to the west: the economy moves towards the Red Sea. Because the crisis has accelerated a structural change in Saudi Arabia. The economic weight, traditionally concentrated on the Gulf coast, begins to shift towards the red sea. Infrastructure such as the east-west pipeline and the port of Yanbu have gained importancewhile exports increase from that facade. The problem: that although the movement reduces vulnerability to Iran, it also introduces new risks in other areas. Beyond Neom: a network of routes to resist. Yes, because the momentum is not limited to a single project. Apparently, the Times said that Saudi Arabia and its neighbors are already developing logistics corridors, combining ports, roads and future rail connections. Multimodal routes connecting the Gulf with the Red Sea and other markets are also being integrated. The objective seems clear: create redundancy in supply chains to avoid depending on a single strategic step. From science fiction to real geopolitics. In this context, the scenario that is being glimpsed indicates that Neom stops being just a futuristic and hyperbolic symbol and becomes a whole a strategic tool. The war has acted as a catalyst, transforming an ambitious and possibly utopian vision into a practical solution for an immediate problem. There is no doubt, the project was not originally designed to avoid Hormuz by any means, but now it fits perfectly into that role. And in that change it is summarized the new reality: When routes fail, it is possible that even the most futuristic ideas may end up being necessary. Image | NEOM In Xataka | NEOM may have failed, but Saudi Arabia still has crazy things in its hat: a huge artificial lake at 2,600 meters In Xataka | While NEOM builds ski slopes in the desert, Dubai is going in the opposite direction: attracting tourism without going bankrupt

How your city parks have become the best therapy for modern anxiety

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A morning walk through almost any urban park reveals an increasingly common scene: calisthenics bars, wooden benches and grass esplanades have ceased to be simple elements of the landscape and have become the new fashionable gym. Accustomed to the monotony of traditional indoor gyms, with their relentless fluorescent lights and repetitive music on loop, going out to exercise in the park offers a radical and revitalizing change of scenery. As Nikki Fraser explains to the The New York Timesexercise physiologist, we tend to take training in our adulthood too seriously, seeing it as a strict “obligation” (something we have to do) rather than an “opportunity”, but by looking at a park, we regain the wonderful possibility of “playing”. The rise of the street as a training area. What has happened is that strength routines have left the basements and pavilions to conquer the streets. To perform a full-body workout, it is no longer essential to have complex machinery; All you need is a park bench and a piece of grass to perform routines that include climbing steps (step-ups) and push-ups, to lunges, squats and triceps dips. In addition, nature itself provides an extra physical challenge: unlike the repetitive monotony of a treadmill, the outdoor environment forces our muscles to constantly adapt to uneven terrain, which promotes balance, improves agility and burns calories dynamically. “The great moderation.” Behind this movement towards asphalt and grass is a profound generational and economic change. Young people are changing the classic bars for sports when it comes to socializing, a phenomenon that economists, as Joe Wadfordthey have already baptized as “the great moderation.” Instead of allocating a large portion of their monthly budget to going out at night and having to deal with an inevitable hangover the next day, many young people They prefer to invest their money and time in ways that are more rewarding for your health. In fact, as we already analyzed When explaining why the gym is the new bar to combat the loneliness epidemic, the data supports than 39% more young people Generation Z, compared to Generation fitness to meet new people who share your same interests. And there is science behind this. A systematic review long-term clinical trials that compared outdoor exercise versus indoor exercise revealed a revealing fact: of the 99 comparisons analyzed, the 25 that showed statistically significant results favored, in all cases, outdoor exercise. This natural environment encourages higher levels of positive emotions, tranquility and motivation. If that were not enough, simple exposure to sunlight provides a natural boost of vitamin D and works as a powerful antidote to reduce stress, anxiety and depression. Beyond the muscle. The true impact of this trend transcends body aesthetics and economic savings; It has a profoundly transformative and therapeutic power on a social level. The BBC reported the case of Raymond Goodfield, a 53-year-old man who, due to depression and his dependence on alcohol, had ended up living on the streets. After joining free weekly outdoor gym sessions in his local park, his life took a radical turn: he stopped drinking, lost his shyness and found a supportive community. To make these urban spaces truly inclusive and not just a haven for elite athletes, researchers at Loughborough University have worked closely with the community in the design of new park equipment. This machinery is designed to improve balance and postural control, which makes it suitable for a very wide range of users, including those who are undergoing physical rehabilitation processes. A paradigm shift. All this establishes a strong contrast with the wellness trends that prevail in exclusive areas of cities. In the era of “cuqui fitness”where sport has disguised itself as therapy to charge you more money, we have seen how the industry commodifies calm. People pay large sums for low-impact disciplines or “somatic” classes, which consist of making tiny movements to try to relax the exhausted nervous system, turning well-being into a luxury item. The park, however, offers the rebellion of simplicity: an alternative where reconnecting with nature and forming a community act as that same escape valve against modern pressure, but completely free of charge. The triumph of simplicity. In short, using calisthenics bars, grass and benches as training tools is much more than a clever trick to avoid paying a sports club fee. It is the reflection of a society that seeks to heal. Going out to exercise outdoors represents an instinctive response to an excessively digitalized and isolated world. At the end of the day, the park gym reminds us that the goal is no longer just to sculpt the body, but to build real bonds, nourish ourselves with vitamin D and claim our most basic right: to go out and play again. Image | Magnificent Xataka | The big lie of “cuqui fitness”: sport has been disguised as therapy to charge you more money

If you have been excited because your city will see the August eclipse at 95%, we have something to tell you

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This summer we will have the first of the three eclipses that will make up in Spain the already known as the Iberian Trio. This will consist of two totals, in 2026 and 2027, and an annular one in 2028. For months, the places in which totality will be reached They have begun to organize all kinds of events to commemorate this phenomenon. Meanwhile, in the less fortunate points, where the Moon will not completely hide the Sun, we are left to look at what percentage of the sun will be obscured. If you have seen that in your city the eclipse will be 95%, you may have thought that that is already a lot. But the difference between that and the totality is abysmal. The Moon in the middle. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Earth, Sun, and Moon align in such a way that the Moon completely obscures the Sun for some observers on Earth. The areas of the Earth where the complete phenomenon can be seen are within what is known as the strip of totality. It is basically that, a strip of the map in which the lucky points are included. In these places, begins to see little by little how the lunar disk hides the solar disk. Then, after a few seconds or minutes of totality, in which the occultation is complete, the reverse process occurs. The sun is gradually uncovering, revealing more and more light. During the time of totality, it becomes completely night. Bias is not the same. When an eclipse is partial, part of the occultation of the Sun is seen, but it is not completely visible. Those seconds or minutes of totality do not take place. It is usually calculated what will be the maximum percentage of the Sun that will be covered. That’s why we talk about eclipses of 80%, 90%, 95%, 99%… Logically, the higher that percentage, the better, but even if it is a very high percentage, the spectacle is not even close to that of a total solar eclipse. As if it were cloudy. The Sun is very bright. So much so that even a tiny uncovered fraction will be enough to illuminate the Earth. That’s why, as explained in Forbes University of Texas astronomer Angela Speckwhen the percentage is very high, the effect that we observers see is similar to that of a cloudy day. But that dusk does not occur during the day that has so fascinated humans throughout history. Weather conditions matter. In the same article of Forbesretired NASA astrophysicist Fred Espenak explained that weather conditions and pollution also greatly influence the visualization of these phenomena. “If you have a lot of scattered clouds and aerosol particles in the air, they will scatter the light into the shadow, making the eclipse brighter.” Instead, “if you have a very clear atmosphere without clouds or particles, then there is less scattering of the atmosphere and it is much darker in the shadow.” The lucky places. The strip of totality of the solar eclipse on August 12, 2026 goes from Greenland to the Balearic Islands. Therefore, there will be many places in the north of Spain in which that daytime dusk will be seen. Specifically, they will be the north of Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, La Rioja, the north of Castilla y León and the Valencian Community, La Rioja, and a part of the Basque Country, Navarra, Madrid, Aragon, Catalonia and Castilla la Mancha. Of course, also almost all the Balearic Islands. Still, a partial eclipse is also a rare phenomenon worth watching. If you are not in the zone of totality, do not suffer, you will be able to see something wonderful. Image | POT In Xataka | The trio of eclipses that await Spain on the horizon: an unprecedented and historic chain between 2026 and 2028

a “free city” in the heart of Copenhagen

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In September it will be 55 years since the birth of Christianiaa place as peculiar as it is unknown to so many people. I myself admit that I had never heard of this “social experiment”, as they called themselves at least initially, until I visited Copenhagen. And what is Christiania? Well, a neighborhood located right in the heart of the Danish capital, and at the same time separated from the world. A self-governed and independent neighborhood, where more than a thousand people live together in peace and oblivious to social norms. Getting there is shocking. You walk through a normal and ordinary city, and suddenly you stand in front of a door, or rather a sign, that delimits the entrance. And when you cross it, you immerse yourself in a completely different place than where you came from. Going through that door is like entering a time machine. Suddenly you don’t hear the traffic or the noise of the crowd. Only calm, the passing of bicycles, calm voices, guitars, songs and even the chirping of birds. Formerly the Christiania lands belonged to the army, but they abandoned it back in 1971. It was then when a group of young people met and “took” those lands and their corresponding barracks to found a free community that still endures today, despite the multitude of battles they have had to fight with politicians and law enforcement. Many of these battles come caused by drug sales inside Christiania. At first they were allowed, but that ended up getting out of hand and “legality” was limited to soft drugs. On Pusher Street you can find marijuana plants everywhere, and even stands selling hashish. (Unsplash) Surely this is the main reason why taking photos there is frowned upon, and not what they argue that a photo does not reflect the spirit of the neighborhood. But when it comes to hard drugs, you won’t find anything. In fact, to avoid problems with the police, it is the residents of Christiania themselves who are first interested in ensuring that they do not appear on their streets. The idyllic corner of Copenhagen Christiania has a beautiful lake surrounded by paths where the homes of its inhabitants are located. The houses are each more unique and striking, with the most peculiar shapes and colors. In them, you can find people of all kinds. Without going any further, I met an old man who was building a boat. And they don’t bother to close their houses. They don’t believe in private property. In Christiania sharing is a way of life. Recycling is a norm, and they take advantage of all kinds of seemingly useless things. So you can find benches, chairs, or sculptures built with scrap metal and the like. But although it may sound poor, the workmanship of these artists turns them into the most homely and valuable objects. Christiania is famous for its “Cristianiabikes”, bicycles that they themselves invented with a kind of box in the front, which has spread throughout Copenhagen with the aim of transporting the little ones in the house on it. (Unsplash) They also have their own mail systemits restaurants (vegetarian), exhibition halls, daycare, shops and even concerts. Without going any further, characters and groups of the stature of Bob Dylan, Alanis Morissete, Blur, Portishead, Green Day, Rage Against The Machine and Eric Clapton have performed in Christiania. If you go to Copenhagen, don’t miss the opportunity to visit a magical place. A small neighborhood that flees from social norms and impositions, to live in its own style. You will feel welcomed and at peace. You can get lost in its paths surrounding the lake, fall in love with its houses, listen to the silence in the heart of Copenhagen. And when the time comes to leave and you cross that kind of door, or frame, again, you will be able to read its characteristic message: “You are now entering the EU” (You are entering the European Union.) They consider themselves a world apart. They are. In Xataka | Schrödinger’s tourists: Japan both wants and does not want more visitors to come to the country In Xataka | Americans are the only way for Spain to reach 100 million tourists. And something is going wrong

to be the first city in Europe with an “astroport”

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In a matter of months (if the deadlines) Europe will premiere a shiny new starporta facility designed to accommodate stratospheric flight aircraft. The curious thing is not the complex itself, which can be used to work with airships capable of flying at 20,000 m altitude. It’s not even the enormous size of his hangar and ship. What is striking is that this starport It will not be in any of the metropolises or industrial centers of Europe, but in Teruel. And it is already taking shape. From Teruel to the stratosphere. Although half the planet is awaiting the mission Artemis II and his pioneering flight over the hidden side of the moonin Aragon the NASA program is sharing headlines with another major aerospace adventure: the construction of the starport of Teruel, a complex designed for operations with the stratosphere. Their works started a little over a year ago, in March 2025but the installation has been in the news again these days for a visit of the acting Minister of Development of Aragon, Octavio López. Clearing the calendar. López’s was not just a formal act. During the meeting, the project schedule was cleared: the idea is that the work will be ready before the end of this year and the installation can be launched (after some procedures still pending). throughout 2027. “The works are going smoothly and on schedule, as can be seen. Everything suggests that in the last quarter of 2026 the tender can be launched so that the aerospace complex can be operational and active in the first quarter of 2027”, celebrated the Aragonese counselor. And as a picture always says more than a thousand words, the ad was accompanied by photographs in which you can see how the metal skeleton of the complex is already silhouetted on the horizon. “Singular and unique”. There are many aeronautical facilities, but from the Aragonese Government it is insisted that this one in particular will be “singular and unique in Europe”. The complex will provide the Teruel airport with capacity for stratospheric aircraft flights with dirigibles HAPS typeships designed to operate at 20,000 meters of altitude. Hence the word ‘astropuerto’ (or ‘stratoport’). “Teruel is going to be the center of construction, commissioning and assembly, recycling and maintenance of those units that are going to be the reference in Europe,” stands out López, who during his visit to the works was accompanied, among others, by the mayor of Teruel, Emma Buj, and the director of the airport. Why is it important? Basically because of its scope, pioneering nature and what it means for the entire region. “It will allow the airport to be provided with capacity for stratospheric flight aircraft, obtaining the characteristics of starport for the launch, landing, control, manufacturing and maintenance of spacecraft”, precise the communication portal of the Junta de Aragón. It is estimated that in its hangar some 35 airships stratospheric every year. Its use is interesting both for scientific research and for atmospheric observation, monitoring and communications tasks. And what will it be like? starport? Its measurements are certainly surprising. The hangar and the airship production hall will occupy a total of about 2.66 hectares. Its shape is rectangular and its plan dimensions are around 376.2 x 70.8 m. On the sides it will include offices and assembly and maintenance workshops. “In front of the east façade of the hangar, a platform for an airship is designed with dimensions of 330 x 220 m, another 6.6 ha more,” precise the Government. Shaping such a titan will require mobilizing tons and tons of materials. Teruel Diary assures that 2,266 tons of steel and 12,000 bars and balls will be used in the metal structure alone. One of the most impressive pieces will be the hangar doorwhich will measure 60 x 52 m and will be handled with a folding system. Only that piece will require a millionaire investment. Thinking about the future. The first stone of the complex was laid on March 11, 2025, after the works were awarded by 39.8 million (without VAT) to a UTE formed by Aldesa and Ideconsa. The execution period is 20 months, which would be completed at the end of this year. The Government wants to launch the tender to operate the facilities, thinking as early as 2027. The idea, remember The Aragon Newspaperis to transfer them for 40 years to the successful bidder, who will have to pay a fee. “Between October or November we will be able to issue the specifications to coincide the end of the construction of the warehouse with the start of the corresponding activity,” recognize the counselor. The aerospace company Sceye has shown your interest to be installed at the Teruel airport, but the Aragonese Executive wants the tender to be opena, so that any interested company in the world can opt. Images | Teruel airport and Government of Aragon In Xataka | Qatar Airways flight to Teruel: the Aragonese airport has become a refuge from the war in Iran

The war has led many expats to look beyond Dubai. In Italy there is already a city willing to take advantage of it

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He skyline It may be Dubai’s most recognizable feature, however in recent decades the city has gained something much more important (and complicated) than its skyscrapers: prestige. For years the expats half the world has seen in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) a destination in which to settleattracted by their tax advantagesadministrative facilities, luxury and stability of the country. Now the shock wave of the Iran war is erasing some of that image and has led some expats to look for alternatives in safer cities. An Italian city already appears on the horizon. The other bill of war. As with all wars, that of Iran It looks a lot like a set of dominoes. Operation ‘Epic Fury’ launched on February 28 by Washington and Tel Aviv on Iran ended the life of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, supreme leader of the Islamic regime; but that was only the first step of the war. The first in a long chain of pieces. Since then the conflict has escalatedaffecting international markets, skyrocketing the price of crude oil and infecting the rest of the Persian Gulf. We had the most graphic proof in the first days of the war, when Iran harshly punished some US allies in the region, including the UAE. Their attacks blocked Gulf airspace, unleashed the biggest crisis of aviation since the pandemic and left images that until recently were unimaginable, such as luxury residences attacked by Iranian drones. Reputation blow. The casualty toll in the UAE is relatively low (the Emirati authorities numbered at 13 those killed during the attacks launched by Iran), but the reputational damage has yet to be measured. For decades, the Emirates knew how to carve out a niche for itself as a favorite destination for expats from other countries. As explained a few months ago Guillaume Giroux, of the Dubai Inmo firm, in cities like Dubai, fortunes found tax facilities, bureaucratic agility, stability, an attractive real estate market and a high standard of living, especially for people accustomed to luxuries. Some of that magnetism remains, but the Iran war has tarnished the image of a safe, reliable and ‘boring’ (in a good way) destination created by the UAE. Has it changed that much? Public discourse certainly has. If it is news for hosting more than 81,000 millionaires or attract thousands of residents wealthy in just one yearDubai has made headlines for the chaos unleashed by the Iranian war. At the beginning of March Financial Times spoke of people driving 10 hours to cross the border into Oman, desperate to leave the region. In Guardian even they assured that a jet company was asking 85,000 euros (triple the normal amount) for a flight to Istanbul. They are specific cases, but they punish the UAE’s global projection. Looking for alternatives. It is unlikely that Dubai will suddenly lose the image that has been built up for years and it remains an unknown what the effect of the war will be in the medium and long term. there are those already warn that he is not considering leaving the Emirates. None of the above means that there are already millionaires looking for alternatives. I confirmed it recently Guardian in a chronicle explaining that as Dubai sees its reputation as a safe haven erode, there is expats thinking about the best way to return to Europe. The article, signed by Lauren Almeida, focuses on British billionaires, but still leaves out an interesting idea: when looking for European destinations, there is one in particular that seems to be winning. Which? Milan. “Those leaving the UAE can easily imagine themselves living in Rome or Milan, metropolitan and international centres,” point Armand Arton, who is dedicated to advising millionaires on citizenship and investment plans. Why’s that? For a sum of factors. In a way, Milan offers the rich a package similar to the one they find in Dubai: a attractive tax regimea rising real estate market (something especially interesting for those who buy with an investment mentality) and above all luxury. It’s nothing new. In September the Italian edition of Idealista explained that Milan was becoming one of the most attractive destinations in Europe to attract great fortunes. “Italy offers the best advantages: single tax and good quality of life,” insist Arton. “It’s a beautiful country. Milan has a very developed financial services sector, many of the things that are attractive in London, Milan also has them,” adds Marc Acheson of Utmost Wealth Solutions. This sum of factors, added to its environment, schools, services and cosmopolitan lifestyle, explains that the Italian city be home now from some of Europe’s biggest investors and bankers. Also the increase in price of your home. Luxury and something more. The attractiveness of Italy as a city is not the only factor that explains its ability to attract expats. Another is its tax policy. In 2017 the country introduced the “single rate”also known as “Ronaldo tax” and that it is designed precisely to attract wealthy foreigners. In summary, the regime allows new residents (foreigners and returned Italians) to pay 300,000 euros annually for income obtained outside the country. It may seem like a high tax, but as its name indicates, it is applied in a fixed manner, regardless of the base amount, which makes it an interesting option for large fortunes. Until recently, its amount was also lower, making it even more attractive. When it was introduced, the “single rate” amounted to 100,000 euros annual. In 2024 that figure rose to 200,000 and did not reach its current level, of 300,000 euros, until this year. This tax advantage can be enjoyed for only 15 years, but it has extras. Marking distances. It’s not just about what Italy has done. As explains the Golden Visas platform, the Italian system gained attractiveness after in 2024 United Kingdom review its tax regime for non-domiciled residents and for Portugal to also rethink its system. Reuters precise that in 2023 around 1,500 people took advantage of the single rate regime in Italy, … Read more

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