losing

Madrid plays 23.4 billion with data centers. The risk of losing them is in the electrical infrastructure

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Madrid has managed to position itself as The great HUB Digital of Southern Europe For the data centers industry, but the electrical infrastructure of the twentieth century cannot support the growth of the 21st century. Why is it important. The Community of Madrid leads Spain in data centers with 23.4 billion euros in investments planned until 2028. But 82% saturation This leadership puts this leadership against other European regions. In figures: Madrid concentrates 54.8% of the national capacity of data centers with 216 MW in operation. The forecasts point to 522 MW when the works under construction and up to 1.7 GW in 2030. The sector has grown 33% last year and will generate 35,000 jobs in six years. The threat. Ayuso is preparing allegations against what he considers A “over -regulation” of the Ministry of Ecological Transition, but the real problem is on the network. Electric distributors denied six out of ten access requests last year. Without immediate improvements, Spain would have already lost 60,000 million in investments, according to the employer’s calculations, Spain DC, collected by Digital economy. Between the lines. The Madrid paradox is evident: The region produces just 1,334 GWh … … but consume 27,487 GWh per year. It is an energy black hole that works because Spain exports electricity and technological ones sign long -term contracts. But that does not solve the saturation of the distribution network. What is happening. The Government He has put a Royal Decree until September 15 which will force data centers to report their environmental footprint, energy consumption and water use. Madrid considers that it can subtract competitiveness, but it is a minor problem compared to the lack of electrical capacity. Deepen. Spain DC claims an urgent modernization plan, and The electric ones ask the CNMC to raise the remuneration rate of 6.46% to 7.5% To invest in a network. The cost will be paid by consumers at the light bill, but without that investment Madrid will lose the train centers train against Frankfurt, Amsterdam or Paris. In Xataka | Emptied Spain has been filled with solar mills and panels, but waste energy for a simple reason: there are no cables Outstanding image | Community of Madrid

There are sharks losing teeth

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Sharks are seen as The perfect predator being the hunting machine perfected for millions of years in our seas. His most iconic weapon, a mouth full of rows of sharp teeth like blades, has assured them A place at the top of the oceanic food chain. However, an invisible and silent threat This formidable tool could be weakening: The acidification of the oceans. Sharks placed to the test. A new study published by A team of German researchershas tested the resistance of these teeth in the chemical conditions that are expected in our seas for the year 2300. The results, observed through powerful microscopes, reveal that even the teeth of the sharks are vulnerable, showing obvious signs of corrosion and structural degradation. This could compromise your ability to hunt, and therefore, your survival. Why the ocean becomes more acidic. Before entering the experiment methodology you have to know what oceanic acidification means. In summary, it is one of the direct effects of the increase in carbon dioxide, and it is that A quarter of the co₂ we emit is absorbed by the oceans. When coming into contact with water there is a reaction that forms carbonic acid that decreases the pH of the water causing it to be much more acidic. The forecasts are not promising. In this way, to understand how our seas pH will evolve, you just have to observe CO₂ release forecasts for the coming years. In this case, IPCC projections (Intergovernmental panel of climate change) are very worrying. If emissions continue to the current rhythm, the reality we will face is that the pH of sea water will fall from the current 8.1 to 7.3 in the year 2300. This change, although it may seem small, represents a mass chemical alteration with serious consequences for marine life. Teeth in the water of the future. To verify the hypothesis, the scientists collected teeth that black tips sharks had naturally lost in the Sealife Aquarium in Oberhausen (Germany) so as not to damage any alive animal. Specifically, there were 16 selected teeth that submerged two controlled environments. The first one was the control group where the teeth were exposed to a pH of 8.2, that is, the one that is now in the seas. The second group was the experimental where the teeth were exposed to artificially acidified marine water with CO₂ until a pH of 7.3 is achieved. In this way, it was about simulating the conditions to which they will be exposed in 2300. The microscope verdict. The results They were clear and alarming: while the teeth of the control group remained in good condition, those who were submerged in acidic water showed significant deterioration. The most affecting part was the base of the tooth, known as the root, where the corrosion level was 8.2% instead of the 5.3% suffered by the control group. The crown, the visible and cutting part of the tooth, also suffered changes with cracks and holes in the outer layer. But the most worrying thing is that the secondary rows of teeth, crucial to tear the meat from the dams, degraded. Interestingly, when measuring the perimeter of the teeth, those of the acid group showed a slight “increase.” This does not mean that they grew, but that their stress became more irregular and rough by corrosion in a clear sign of degradation. Why imports a damaged shark tooth. A damaged tooth is not just an aesthetic problem, since for a predator like the shark It is a matter of survival. Weak and less sharp teeth mean lower efficiency when hunting. This could force them to spend more energy to feed, affecting their growth and general physical state. They have not taken into account other factors. It is important to clarify that this study focused on the purely chemical effects on teeth already detached, without taking into account the possible biological repair mechanisms that a living shark could have. In fact, other studies with living sharks They have shown less drastic resultssuggesting that some species could have some compensation capacity. However, what this investigation demonstrates unequivocally is that the material from which the shark teeth are made, despite its incredible hardness (They contain fluoroapatitaa more acid -resistant mineral than our teeth), is not invulnerable. Images | Trust “Tru” Katsande In Xataka | The increase in the surface temperature of the ocean has accelerated: four times faster than in the 80s

There is an AI battle that China is overwhelmingly losing against the US: that of Capex

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Beijing, we have a problem. It is much that the Asian giant has achieved In recent years to achieve compete from you to you With the US in the field of AI, but it is losing a crucial battle: that of investment. There his rival was already overcoming him before. Now he is crushing him. Investment gap. Winning in AI means doing it in many areas. China has managed to overcome many obstacles and is competing with the US in the ability of its models. Is even starting to have Really promising chips They can put things to Nvidia. However, China has a big problem in the field of investment, because its companies do not invest by far as much as the Americans do. The US capex is astronomical. In the last five years Google, Microsoft, Meta and Amazon They have accumulated A capex of 5.36 billion yuan. Meanwhile, the seven large Chinese technology companies (Tencent, Alibaba, Baidu, JD.com, Kuaishou – one, do not include Bytedance -, meituan, and netease) invested a total of 630,000 million yuan. The difference is spectacular, but it has been increasing over time. According to A report From Jinduan Research Institute, in 2020 the US capex ratio with China’s was 1: 6, but at present that ratio is already approaching 1:10. It is not so much that China does not invest: is that the USA invests much more. Source: Jinduan Research Institute Data centers send. Although not all the capex of these technological ones is intended for AI, the majority of that capital expenditure is certainly focused on this area. In fact, we have already seen how the great US technology have announced multimillion -dollar investments in data centers. From 100,000 million of dollars that intend to invest Amazon to 65,000 million of goal dollars, the figures are absolutely dizzy. Network effect. To that problem is added that of Network effect which is causing US investment. This effect occurs when a product or service becomes more valuable as more people use it. The US investment allows better models to develop and attract more users that generate more data. These data “feedback” AI and improve models, which in turn makes more users use it, and thus in an infinite loop. The quality of the Chinese models in front of those of the US is remarkable, at least according to some of the most popular benchmarks in the market. Source: Artificial Analysis. Adoption rate. The problem, they indicate in the Jinduan report, is in the adoption of the AI by the US, which is also supposedly far superior to that of China. According to its data, the AI adoption rate by companies in the US is 78%, while in China that figure does not go from 15%. The first data comes from A study of the consultant McKinsey, while it is not clear where China comes from. The same goes for the number of active weekly users of chatbots of AI. In the US, 1,000 million are exceeded – only chatgpt He already counts With about 700 million – but in China that figure seems to be only 70 million according to the study, a figure that a priori seems doubtful. The Questmobile consultancy revealed that last November the number of active users of AI apps in China exceeded 100 million users. China (probably) would like to spend more, but can’t. Although it is not clear if the adoption rate causes that minor capex or is the other way around, but what is certain is that Chinese companies would probably want to increase their capex to bet even stronger for AI. The problem is that they cannot due to export controls which has imposed the commercial war between the US and China. If the United States Veta chips export And advanced components from AI to China, those companies simply cannot dedicate more money to buying them. Dividends. The authors of the Jinduan report point to another reason for that difference in Chinese Capex-Eeu. Chinese companies are using the benefits obtained to repurchase actions and offer dividends instead of dedicating them to CAPEX. According to this report “in 2024, the total net amount of the repurchases of shares, dividends and debt amortizations of Tencent reached 1.68 billion RMB, more than double its capital expenditure for that year.” Thus, the restrictions imposed by the US are only part of the problem. The “deflation of AI” China seems to be due to a certain inaction by these companies, the report points out, and that can end up causing a big problem, especially in the long term. Image | Karolina recordowska In Xataka | The infrastructure boom for AI begins to show cracks: China accumulates unreasonable data centers, and is not the only one

Zamora and Ourense were only richer than the poorest provinces in southern Spain for pensions. And they are already losing them

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The pension system (and above all Your sustainability in the medium and long term) it may be a challenge for the State, but it is also a important economic engine. Retirees generate employment. And move wealth. Its weight is relevant especially in certain provinces of Spain emptied and depopulated in which those over 65 years of age come More than 30% of the entire population. The problem is that some points of the Spanish geography face A worrying threat: lose that last (and crucial) source of income. The reason is very simple: they lose more pensioners than they win. Spain, increasingly old. Spain ages. The average age of the population It has been increasing Throughout the last decades and if nothing changes it will continue to do so (at least) mid -21st centurya drift that arrives accompanied by a widening of the cusp of the population pyramid. And for sample A button: If in 1998 there were 8.63 million people over 60 years old in Spain, in 2022 there were already 12.57 million, 26.5% of the total census. The great paradox. If there are more elderly, it is normal to think that there will be more retirees charging pensions. And it is so, although with certain nuances. As remember Javier Jorrín in The confidential The situation is not the same in all regions of Spain, just as it has not been its demographic drift over the last years. And that in practice can lead to a curious phenomenon: that in a country in full aging there are provinces that begin to lose pensioners. What is the reason? A peculiar Sorpasso. In some provinces there are already more elderly that exceed the life expectancy (81.1 years for them, 86.3 for them) that workers about to retire, a mismatch that invites you to think that in not much time they will begin to lose pensioners. There are three province in fact that they already face that peculiar situation: Lugo, Ourense and Zamora. In all the population over 83, it exceeds the one that moves between 60 and 64. Why does it matter? For several reasons. The number of pensioners in these provinces still grows and the Galician Statistics Institute esteem For example, at the end of the next decade, the population over 65 years in Lugo will have increased sensitively, but there are certain signs that suggest that this increase will end up reversing. In 2039 In the same Galician province there will be 26,800 people between 60 and 65 years against 40,108 over 80 years. Something more than demography. That there are territories of empty Spain that face the perspective of winning less retirees than they lose is not a simple demographic curiosity. Pensions have become a key piece of the Spanish economy, especially of aging and depopulated regions. A study Recent of the University of Castilla-La Mancha concluded, based on data from 2021, that pensions paid to over 65 years Rondan 8% of GDP and his expense promotes the equivalent of 1.2 million of full -time jobs. Household Pilar. A few years ago CCOO developed another report that also revealed its weight in Spanish homes. According to union calculations, one in five Spanish households (21.6%) already depend on an economic level, to a greater or lesser extent, on a retired pensioner. “There are four million homes whose person and reference is retired,” The study concluded. The reason for that percentage? Both the increase in households formed by adults and “the precariousness of the working conditions of people of working age”, which explains that they rely on the resources provided by their retirees. With that data on the table there are Who already points that pensions have become the great source of solidarity towards unpopulated regions. A country with nuances. To understand the figures you have to take into account several keys. And especially the context. The number of pensions in the whole of Spain It has been increasing progressively over the last years and everything indicates that this trend will not be reversed. In spring the airf estimates that the total expenditure on pensions will grow more than 4% annual until 2040 promoted in part by the revaluation based on the CPI, but also the increase of pensioners. The really important thing is how that already withdrawn population is distributed and especially how it will do it as the Boomersa cohort that once starred in internal migration from Spain emptied to large population centers. In fact, while there are regions and provinces that lose inhabitants about to retire (60-64 years) in others their number grows at a good pace. A third key factor is the amount of the amount of the pensions themselves. Images | VLADA SARGU (UNSPLASH) and Philippe Leone (UNSPLASH) Via | The confidential In Xataka | Being your own boss has a price: an average retirement pension 657 euros lower than employees

Train liberalization in Spain has been a success for travelers. The problem is that companies are losing a money

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Railway liberalization has reached cruise speed with spectacular results for passengers … but demolving for operators accounts. Why is it important. The train price war is changing the transport map in Spain. Users earn with more low options and prices, but companies are bleeding money in a battle that has also begun to question the sustainability of the current model. In figures: Almost 40 million travelers They used high speed in 2024. That is 77% more than in 2019, before pandemic. Prices They have fallen up to 42% On some routes. Passenger income is 35% below the levels prior to liberalization. The context. Ouigo has become the undisputed EY of low prices. In the first quarter it was the Most economical operator in four of the five liberalized runners: Madrid-Barcelona (18.59 euros). Madrid-Sevilla (29.09 euros). Madrid-Málaga (26.89 euros). Madrid-Aliante (20.80 euros). Only in Madrid-Valencia surpassed him Avlo, and it was for just 25 cents. This aggressive strategy It is giving results. The French subsidiary has managed to capture 36% of the market in Madrid-Aliante, 25% in Madrid-Valencia and 15% in Madrid-Barcelona. Yes, but. Profitability is another issue. The sources do not indicate the concrete losses of each operator in 2024, but The data They indicate that the average income remains far from the levels that Renfe achieved alone. The operators have increased only 6% the average income in Madrid-Barcelona, to the 8 cents per traveler and kilometer, a figure that remains 35% lower than the era of the monopoly. Deepen. Beyond numbers, liberalization is changing mobility habits. The train has won the battle to the plane bluntly: In Madrid-Barcelona, the rail share went from 65%to 81.5%, while other routes exceed 80-90%. And now the financial sustainability of the sector is at stake. If current margins do not allow long -term profitability, something will have to give in: either prices, or some operators will end up withdrawing from the market. In Xataka | Renfe trusted the Avril trains to face the Low Cost of Ouigo and Iro. They do not stop giving problems Outstanding image | Dani guitar

The bad news is that the EU is losing in the tariff pact with the US. The good is that Spain is relatively airy

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The European Union He has accepted A 15% tariff on its exports to the United States. Although details about the agreement are still lacking – such that affect the automotive, pharma and semiconductor sector – this significantly clarifies the bases on which trade between the two regions will settle. Among the obvious pergouts, there is an inevitable for us: how this will affect the technological sector in Europe and, particularly, in Spain. The agreement. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, explained in its statement How the trade between the US and the EU has a value of 1.7 trillions of dollars per year and brings together 800 million people. The key data of the agreement are important. 15% unified tariff. The threat that weighed on Brussels was 30%tariffs. The increase is considerable with respect to the prior to the commercial war initiated by Donald Trump. The agreement is very similar to the one reached between the US and Japan A few days ago. Washington already applied to the EU (false) “reciprocal tariffs with an additional 10% to 4.8% general that already taxed the European products that entered the US before this climb. Even so the tariff is much higher than in the past: according to The World Trade Organization, before Trump reached the presidency the average tariff applied to foreign goods was 2.2% while that of the EU was 2.7%. More and more assignments of the EU. There will be no similar imposition for American products that buy Europe. Besides: Europe must buy energy (especially liquefied natural gas, LNG) to the USor value of about 640,000 million euros over three years. Von der Leyen, of course, has presented the figure as a way of disconnecting more from Russian crude and gas. There will also be European investment commitment in the US arms sector, but there are no figures. Trump Indian that the EU will invest 600,000 million dollars additional to current investments, but did not clarify whether those cited investments in military equipment are included in that amount. Commercial rebalancing. The Commercial Deficit of US goods with the EU It was 235.6 billion dollars In 2024 according to data from the US Census Office: Europe “was winning” so far, but that situation will be “rebuilt” following the agreement, such as highlighted Von der Leyen. Keep in mind that this US deficit was already balanced with the Exchange of digital servicesin which the US has a competitive advantage that supposed Something more than 100,000 million euros with data from 2023. Automotive. The automotive industry has been especially present in negotiations. According to the president of the European Commission, “we should not forget where we come from, today the cars pay 27.5% and we have managed to lower it to 15%. It is the best we could achieve.” German automotive giants such as Volkswagen, Mercedes and BMW were for example very impacted by those 27.5%tariffs. Spain does not manufacture cars that are exported to the United States, which makes The impact in this case Be null. Bad news for steelurgy. In the agreement, yes, there are also negative exceptions. Thus, 50%steel and aluminum tariffs are maintained, something that damages one of the important sectors of the Spanish industry and of course to the European. The EU already responded to those tariffs where it hurt: In soybeans. However, it remains to be seen if there are new details that impact that concrete situation in the future. Von der Leyen said, however, in the CE statement that in those matters “the EU and the United States face the common external challenge of excess world capacity. We will work together to guarantee a loyal world competition. And to reduce barriers between us, tariffs will be reduced. In addition, a quota system will be established”, but there were no specific data on this regard. Spain, little affected. As pointed out The governor of the Bank of Spain, José Luis Escrivá, Spain is a country little affected by the tariff because our exports to the United States are 4.7%, one of the lowest figures in Europe. The impact according to him will be “moderate”, although future classulas may negatively affect that situation. Although in the technological field Spanish exports are reduced, there are sectors such as electrical machinery or automotive components that will see their competitiveness reduced. Semiconductors. In the absence of details, 15% tariffs will also apply to products from the pharmaceutical sector and that of semiconductors, but According to the statement From the European Commission, the tariff “will not apply in the aviation industry, some chups, critical raw materials and some agricultural products.” There are no specific data on the scope of these exclusions of the Araceles, and it seems clear that this agreement still has notable fringes that could cause a sensitive impact on all types of sectors and companies. Gigafactories of AI. The European Union announced in February The research project ai to create “gigafactories” of AI with tens of thousands of ia chips. These projects have been part of the commercial agreement, because in the European Commission statement it is specified that “the US chips will help enhance our AI gigafactories and help the US maintain their technological advantage.” The agreement seems that among other things can stimulate the creation of these data centers in Europe and Spain. Your mobile and your laptop (probably) will rise in price. But the most obvious impact – and practically inevitable – will be that of the price increase. Although Donald Trump established exemptions for electronic equipment such as mobiles and computers in April, he also assured that they would review this matter. In the agreement with the EU there is talk of exemptions to tariffs for semiconductors as those that have already been announced at that timebut there are no specific data that clarify whether these types of products will be free of tariffs. Not only consumers are affected here, but of course companies: the operational costs of computer equipment will … Read more

Losing weight without losing muscle is the great challenge of drugs such as Ozempic. A protein keeps the key to face it

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It is usual for us to often get news about hopeful scientific advances made in mice. These experiments always leave a question in the air, if the discovery can be applicable to humans. This does not always happen, but sometimes MITCH Silence the expression of a simple protein in our muscles can lead to weight loss and, more, more, It can allow us to lose weight Without putting our muscle mass at risk. The protein in question is called Mtch2 (Mithochondrial Carrier Homolog 2), but has been nicknamed “Mitch” by those who study the compound and its effects. The last analysis of this protein and its associated gene has observed that its “erased” in human cells causes in these lower efficiency Energy What is perhaps more important, this silenced causes cells to stop using carbohydrates as a priority energy source and in place they preferably use body fat. Different fuels. The cells of our body need energy and billions of years of evolution have given rise to a series of biological mechanisms that allow us to maintain a calorie reserve that allow us to feed these cells in times of greater shortage. These mechanisms imply that our cells can resort to different fuels according to the situation. While the carbohydrates we consume and the fats that we use as a reserve are the main fuel Ozempic. From mitones to mitochondria. According to Explain the responsible teamthe new study has its bases in a previous experiment conducted with mice that observed in the rodents an “improvement” in their body composition in the form of “protection” against obesity and the development of more muscle fibers. This accompanied by greater consumption of greater oxygen consumption and an increase in resistance. The results were promising but left the team with a doubt, if it would be possible to “inoculate” the body against obesity by silencing the expression of a protein without this negatively affecting muscle mass. To look for an answer, the team went on to focus on the role of the mitochondría, the organelle in charge of providing energy to the cell. The key is in the fact that the “mitch” protein plays an important role in the merger of the mitochondria, a fusion capable of increasing the efficiency of these organelles. By silencing protein, organelles would lose the ability to resort to this fusion which also implies less efficiency and thereby a greater need to consume energy resources of our body. It only remained to prove if this was also true in human cells. Less efficiency, more consumption. They thus verified that by silencing the protein in human cells, the “mitochondrial network” was undone and, as expected, energy efficiency fell. This left the cell in a “permanent state of energy deprivation.” And what is more, the team also found that this led to the cells to prioritize the use of fats as a primary energy source, instead of other possible sources such as carbohydrates. “After erasing Mitch, we examined, every few hours, the effect that it had in more than 100 substances that take part in the metabolism of human cells,” pointed in a press release Sabita Chourasia, co -author of the study. “We saw an increase in breathing, the process in which the cell produces energy from nutrients, such as carbohydrates and fats. This explains the increase in muscle resistance of previous experiments in mice.” The details of the study were published In an article In the magazine Journal embo. An intermediate step. The study takes an important step in the long process between the first results in animal models and the design of a treatment for weight loss based on what was learned. In following studies, the team intends to elucidate new aspects about Mitch’s role in the accumulation of fat in the body. The fact that women usually have higher levels of this protein can help researchers discover if Mitch is also responsible for the differentiation of fatty cells. In Xataka | We are increasingly clear that our microbiome is key to our health. Our protein sources can also alter it Image | Weizmann Institute of Science

Obssing with losing weight is a very bad idea to lose weight. Luckily, science has many more effective

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A young doctor appears before his boss and, although he does not say it out loud, he thinks “the last time I was in front of him, I swept at least a liter. But now I’m going to sweat at least ten, that guy will find out what is to sweat!” Then, do not sweat a drop. It is not fiction, it is A real case collected by psychiatrist Viktor Frankl In 1994. He did to explain that many times our fears, objectives and intentions play against us. And yes, we are talking about losing weight. Against us? It’s as if, for using A metaphor of another psychologists (Steven C. Hayes)“We fell into a deep hole and the only thing we had to go out was with a shovel. As we don’t know very well what to do and we despair, we started using the shovel.” The result, despite working day and night, is that we are deeper than before. What in the background tells us a good number of psychologists (from Logotherapists to Specialists in acceptance and commitment) is that we are so culturally attached to certain behavioral strategies that, although they are not useful, we cannot get rid of them. The obsession with “losing weight” is a problem. And yes, obsession is the word. In Spain, where 52% of the adult population presents overweight or obesity, seven out of ten people (72%) They have tried to lose weight at least once in their life. In fact, According to the Mapfre Foundation datathey have done it, on average, about seven times. That leads to “53% of Spaniards has ever followed a popular or miracle diet with the aim of losing weight.” It is not an accident; It is the consequence of what I commented: in the popular imaginary, the way of losing weight is that. That is to say, In words Giuseppe Russolillopresident of the Spanish Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, “the population is not fully aware that the methods that use weight losing are extremes and can put their health at risk and that the recovery of the lost weight is frequent.” And what can we do? The first is to banish false myths. Sï, obesity is a health problem; but Not so clear that overweight is in general terms. “The life expectancy of people overweight is not less than that of Normopeso”, He told us Juan Ramón BarradaProfessor at the University of Zaragoza. Many ideas that we have above all this and that we use to justify our behaviors, are still disciplinary stories. That does not mean that health is not important. It means that many of those ideas about overweight, health and beauty are cultural strategies equivalent to getting to cabin being inside a well. So? There are no scientific knowledge that can help us? “From what we can extract from current investigations, there are three tips that can be given to anyone: Eat healthyexercise and Accept your body. Today, everything is reduced to weight loss, “he continued Barrada. Therefore, “we must be clear that stigmatizing people overweight or obesity such as ‘vague’ or ‘lack of will’ is to promote suffering” unjustified. And do it with ourselves too. Luckily, as Barrada pointed out, there is another way of doing things. Image | I Yunmai In Xataka | The scientific reason why miracle diets do not work is

We thought that the olive oil sector was so broken that the olivers were losing 270 million euros. Is more than double

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When Jesús Cózar, general secretary of UPA Andalucía, gave a press conference saying That “the olive growers have stopped receiving 270 million euros in the month of March, or what is the same, more than 8 million daily, due to the current situation of ruin prices in origin,” many raised an eyebrow. That’s the milkmaid accounts, they said. Now a team from the University of Jaén, the University of Córdoba and the Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research and Training has calculated the alleged imbalance of the oil market and a clear conclusion has arrived: Cózar fell short. Market imbalance? In general terms, we can conceptualize the olive oil market as if it were a huge equilibrium machine: the final price of the oil arises from a balance in which many things intervene; But above all, the total stocks and the expected demand. If there is little oil, as happened in recent years, the price tends to rise until the demand fits the amount there is. If there is a lot of oil, it occurs just the other way around. Well, with that principle in mind, we can evaluate whether the market is unbalanced: that is, if the price is above or below what it should be. That is what they have measured. After weeks and weeks with the fly behind the ear, the Provincial Council of Olive Oil of the Provincial Council of Jaén requested a report on the current market situation. To evaluate the real situation, the UJA/UCO/IFAPA team has used a series of new computer analysis models of imbalances. According to your conclusionsthe price of the AVE in origin should be between 5.55 and 6.14 euros/kg. The fork is due to the fact that some data are still missing and the final production can reach between 1.29 and 1.5 million tons. What does this translate? Basically, the 270 million euros spoken by the Secretary of the Andalusian UPA are an anecdote: what the Spanish olive groves are ceasing to receive are 626 million euros. From October to March, the average price at source in these months has been € 4.49. That is, one euro below the minimum estimated price in the study. What is happening? They don’t even know. A few days ago, Juan Luís Ávila, the head of the Olivar de Coag sector He wondered “What is happening in the market so that prices remain artificially low.” In fact, he is preparing a complaint with the National Markets Commission and the competence to find out. Why is it interesting? Because All this situation (That arrives, remember, at a particularly delicate moment for the olive industry after years of crisis and hoping that this year would be resolved) is very complicated: it is still clear that, Despite the weight of Spain in the sectormarket mechanisms are easily alterable. And not even in contexts Where we have the “pan for the mango”there are useful instruments to have it controlled (or even know that everything is working correctly). Image | FERI TASOS In Xataka | In the middle of the largest commercial chaos, olive oil seems immune thanks to a factor: consumption in Spain

The north of Spain has been complaining about mass tourism for years. Asturias has discovered the bitter consequences of losing it

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The formula of nature, calm and good kitchen that for years promoted Rural tourism In Asturias It seems to lose bellows. AND clearly. Although the photo of recent years is distorted by COVID, the housing of the principality specialized in this type of tourism have seen how His activity descended until they were driving before the pandemic. At least according to INE data. It is not so much a “puncture” in the flow of travelers and in that of the rooms (They last less) and the loss of interest in the national market. The phenomenon is interesting because it coincides with another or even more media: complaints in a large part of the peninsular northern ( Galicia to Cantabria or in your own Asturias) For precisely the opposite, the effects of tourist massification. While in Cantabria they cry for not being “The North Ibiza” And Galicia complains about The “fodechinchos”inside and the Asturian mountain the hoteliers cry out for measures that avoid the slow decline of rural tourism. An icon in low hours. A quick search arrives on Google to verify that rural tourism does not go through its best moment in Asturias. TO The news of the Regional Press about The fall of activity those in the sector claiming are added “Specific aids” and those of the Principality trying to reassure him. In fact, in January Adrián Barbón He promised to “rethink” rural tourism of the region “to recover thrust.” Shortly after its executive announced a Bond program With discounts designed to encourage demand. That the situation of the sector arouses so much interest in the Principality is more than understandable. In the mid -80s, and thanks largely to your campaign “Asturias Paraíso Natural”the community managed to make a place in a sector in which until then the tourism of Sun and beach prevailed. Today Asturias adds hundreds of establishments with thousands of places (in August the INE computed almost 1,400 and 14,800respectively) and stands out for its volume of rural houses per capita. What do the data say? That the sector has known better times. The INE shows that last year the Rural Accommodations of Asturias received some 304,000 travelers who paid for 924,400 overnight stays. The first data is not exactly bad. It is a slight increase of 1.7% compared to 2023 and is online of 2019. The second worries. In a Growth scenario The number of hired nights fell 3.2% year -on -year and remains away from the almost 975,000 overnight stays that the sector managed in 2019. The 2025 start has not been especially good. During the first quarter the volume of travelers and overnight stays fell with respect to last year, although the data should be handled cautiously. First because in 2024 Holy Week, a period of strong tourist demand, fell in March and this year did so in April. Second because There may be variations important from one month to another. In fact the Principality He has checked already for the growth of February. “Very black winter”. The truth is that the sector is far from satisfied. Recently the president of the EO-Porcia association implied in An interview with eldiario.es that the balance has been of everything but good in recent months. “50% of the peoples that are still inhabited today are for rural tourism. Fixed population and allows you I recognized. In its own accommodations, three apartments and a house, it did not register any reserve between the Bridge of the Constitution and last Holy Week. Looking for the causes. The big question is … What are you due to these data from the sector, especially overnight stays? Why if in August 2001 the average stay In rural accommodations, was 6.13 days passed to 4.76 in 2019 and 4.24 last year? For Ana Llanoof the Fuentes del Narcea Association, one of the keys is the change in demand. Tourists are looking for different things today during their vacations. Or rather, it does so at a different rhythm and way. “Before people came to spend the summer, to spend a few days in nature, to enjoy the house themselves. Now people want regrets In eldiario.es. His comment is in tune with the data on the duration of the rooms and another key indicator: the overnight stays fall in the rural one, but grow in the set of Asturias. “They end rural tourism”. To that challenge others are added: the de -stationalization, the need to enrich the offer with packages or the competition of other types of accommodation, such as Tourist housing (VUT) or the “illegal establishments” that (precisely by acting outside the administration) also blur the balance of the sector. There are those who speak of tens only between Vegadeo and Navia and who focuses the focus on the VUT. “They are ending rural tourism,” they said recently From the sector to The voice. Foreign lifeguard. The general photo leaves another interesting nuance. Asturian rural accommodations may be invoiced today less overnight than before pandemic, but that fall is mainly due to domestic demand. The nights hired by Spaniards fall, but those reserved by tourists from outside the country have grown considerably. With that backdrop last autumn the Principality launched A campaign aimed above all to the Asturian themselves. His slogan: “Are you sure you know Asturias?” When tourism does not arrive. The case of Asturias is interesting for something else. Between record tourism data and with the open debate on the effect of the sector on the real estate market, over the last years in much of Spain they have happened The protests against tourist. Especially in points such as the Canary Islands or Balearic Islands, but also in areas of the North, including Galicia or Cantabria, where the saturation of certain points has become a matter of debate. The Asturian rural and interior situation leaves a key question: what happens when tourism stops arriving or comes less? What if the Fodechinchos Do they stop traveling or areas that have developed … Read more

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