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In 1808, a Canarian engineer had to flee Spain and go into exile in Russia. And thus shaped modern St. Petersburg

May 16, 2026 by usatoday24

Between the winters of his native Puerto de la Cruz and those of Saint Petersburg there are a few degrees of difference; but neither that, nor the change in culture, language or landscapes turned back Agustín de Betancourt when in 1808 he decided to pack his bags and move to the Russia of the tsars. He had fallen into disgrace in the eyes of the almighty GodoyIn Spain he had nothing left but family and memories, he had been in Paris for some time and had influential friends, so… What could he lose? Nothing. And so it was. His steppe adventure would bring him significant profits; but above all to Russia itself. So much so that if you walk around Saint Petersburg you will find several statues in his memory. The country of the tsars, that of the Alexanders and Nicolaseswhich today we associate with pageantry and alambic constructions, would probably have been somewhat less brilliant if it had not been for the genius of Agustín de Betancourt, the inventor who during the early part of the 19th century gave shape to his particular “Russia made in the Canary Islands”. Especially in the capital, Saint Petersburg. From Augustine to Agustinovich The one of Agustín de Betancourt y Molina (1758-1824) is one more name in the long list of national geniuses from whom Spain—before and after him, for one reason or another—did not know how to take full advantage. It happened to Isaac Peral, Monica Sanchez, Angela Ruiz, Emilio Herrera…and Betancourt. In his case, yes, in a peculiar way. At the beginning of the 19th century, the situation of the Canarian engineer in Spain was enviable in its own way. He came from a good birth, he had made a career between Madrid, Paris and London, earning the trust of the counts of Floridablanca either Aranda and enjoyed a well-established prestige with his work on steam engines or the optical telegraph that I had designed with Claude Chappe. As, in addition to being a man of action, he was also a man of letters, Betancourt had also encouraged the creation of the School of Roads and Canals, inspired by the École des Ponts et Chaussées in Paris. Despite all this prestige and status, their situation at the dawn of the 19th century was not what one would call comfortable. In 1805 a report with his seal on the Genil River had earned him the distrust of none other than Manuel Godoy himselfstrong man in the kingdom of Charles IV. That circumstance and the scenario that was emerging internationally encouraged Betancourt to liquidate his properties in Spain and move first to Paris —where Napoleon came to tempt him—and then to Russia. There, in Saint Petersburg, he knew how to gain the favor of the best godfather imaginable: Tsar Alexander Iwho probably saw in the canary a more than valid genius for the development of his country. What Spain had missed would be used in the Russian empire. If the future was not tempting for Agustín in Madrid, perhaps it would be in Madrid. 3,000 kilometers from there. So he collected his belongings, settled his pending matters in France and embarked for Saint Petersburg. There they waited with open arms for Agustín “Agustinovich” Betancour. Persuaded perhaps by his prestige or the interviews with Agustín himself, the tsar He soon showed his confidence in the canary. One of his first orders was the modernization of the Tula cannon factory, a strategic cog in the military apparatus of the Russian Empire. Betancourt was not new to the task and he knew how to take advantage of his knowledge of the double-acting steam engine and the operation of the Yndrid factory to give a twist to the ancient Russian system. Happy The result must have convinced the tsar. Only in this way can we understand that throughout the following years Augustine was in charge of tasks of capital importance for Russia and accumulated greater and greater prestige. In a matter of a few years, the formerly feuding engineer Godoy He became a lieutenant general in the Russian army and general director of Communications. In Moscow he took on the task of building a new Equestrian Exercise Room and around the same time he was in charge of what may have been his greatest contribution—and the most profound—to Russian urban planning: projecting a new commercial precinct able to take over the fair that since the 16th century It was celebrated near the Makaevsky Monastery. Its old center had burned in 1816 and the Russian Government wanted to recover it… but with greater packaging and in a better place, more accessible and capable of achieving greater projection. The responsibility of deciding where and how and coming up with the overall design fell on the canary’s shoulders. The venue opened its doors in July 1822 with a huge fair that brought together more than 200,000 merchants and helped for years development of the Volga region and the wealth of the empire. That Betancourt did not do badly in his endeavor is demonstrated by the fact that upon his death the Russian merchants installed a plaque of gratitude on his grave. Two hundred years later the footprint of the Tenerife native in Nizhny Novgorod still deep. Although the Nizhni Novgorod complex is perhaps its greatest urban heritage, the city in which it was used most thoroughly and in which it left the greatest impact is Saint Petersburg. There, in the capital of the empire, he showed his talent in at least half a dozen capital works for the metropolis: the new paper currency factory, the dredging of the port, several bridges and St. Isaac’s Cathedral. As the Orotava Foundation remindsBetancourt assumed in March 1816 the task of setting up a new money paper factory in Goznak, on the banks of the Fontanka canal, and for two years he was in charge of supervising the works. His involvement was not limited to the building: he organized its areas and machinery, … Read more

Spain counted on immigration to reverse its demographic drama. Now immigrants are also stopping having children

May 14, 2026 by usatoday24

I had never lived so many people in Spain. Not at least since there are official records. A few days ago the INE revealed that at the end of the first quarter of 2026 the country had around 49.7 million residents, “the maximum value in the historical series.” In reality there is little surprising about it. The INE takes time using that tagline in its statements on population, in which it also insists on another idea: if Spain is moving in record numbers it is basically thanks to the increase in people of foreign origin. The balance between births and deaths in the country is far away to be good. The problem is that this demographic salvation table shows symptoms that it will not work indefinitely. What has happened? What Funcas just published a studysigned by Héctor Cebolla and María Miyar, which basically analyzes whether Spain can rely indefinitely on migration to save it from the demographic winter. In fact, the report of think tank seek (literally) explore “the limits” of immigration for “demographic adjustment.” It is an important topic for two reasons. First, because the arrival of foreigners has become the great engine of population growth in Spain. Second, because despite the increase in the registry and the fact that the INE has been registering for some time record numbers of residentsthe truth is that the Spanish demographic engine is not exactly oiled. In 2025, the INE counted 446,982 deaths and 321,164 births, which leaves red numbers vegetative growth. And what is your conclusion? That although the migratory flow is acting as a demographic lifeline, we cannot trust that its effects will continue forever. “Immigration has made it possible to sustain population growth and cushion aging, but it has done so through a mechanism that requires continuous and increasing flows, loses effectiveness over time and does not correct the underlying trends of demographic imbalance,” comment María Miyar Busto, director of Social Studies at Funcas. It is not about denying the positive effects of immigration, but about “recognizing the limits of the model” and placing it “in its rightful place in the analysis of public policies.” Above all, thinking about the future in the medium and long term. “The short-termism that dominates the debate on the benefits of immigration has not allowed the analysis of the long-term consequences and has favored the absence of an explicit demographic strategy,” duck Onion. Why this warning? Because after analyzing data on migratory flows and tables of age ranges, birth rates and population growth, Funcas researchers have reached several worrying conclusions. For example, they have proven that although Spain manages to attract a significant number of immigrants, it is not as effective when it comes to retaining them. They have also confirmed that the population of foreign origin shows signs of a progressive aging and that over time their demographic patterns (such as birth rates) end up being similar to those of Spanish families. What does the data say? To begin with, Spain has a problem when it comes to determining the migrant population. The country is attractive enough to attract foreigners, but only a portion ends up putting down roots here, contributing to the demographics and economy. And to show you a button: although between 2002 and 2024 they entered Spain almost 15 million of people, the population only increased by seven million. That leaves our country in a peculiar situation. Spain is the main recipient of immigration in Europe in relative terms and between 2013 and 2023 it absorbed 16% of the immigration that arrived on the continent, however for years its retention rate has been one of the lowest in the region: 51%. That, remember Funcasforces Spain to maintain “high inflows to sustain a population that is constantly renewed.” Why is that a problem? Because for the model to continue supporting Spanish demographics, it requires “growing and uninterrupted” migration, something complicated every time that population arrives from countries (especially in America) who are also aging. Is it the only warning sign? No. The study de Funcas also questions whether immigration will serve to rejuvenate the registry. Researchers calculate that the foreign population that has already turned 55 years old shot up by 42% between 2021 and 2025. This is almost 20 percentage points more than the growth recorded by the immigrant population between 20 and 54 years old, which increased by 25%. What’s more, the think tank It is estimated that around a quarter (22%) of immigrants have already blown out the 55 candles. How young are the immigrants? “The population born abroad is no longer a young population, but rather less aged than the native population,” they respond from Funcas, which also warns that this “gap” between residents born in Spain and abroad will reduce as the immigrants who moved to Spain at the beginning of the century, between 2000 and 2008, before the great brick crisis, approach retirement age. To underline this idea, the research center provides a revealing calculation. “In absolute terms, the increase in the immigrant population aged 55 or over between 2021 and 2025 (42%) means that more than 615,000 people of that age were added to the Spanish population, a figure equivalent to the population of Malaga, a dynamic that anticipates greater pressure on the health and dependency systems,” slide. The phenomenon is especially clear in Spain, one of the EU countries where the most adult immigrants arrive. If you look at 2024, only 13% of new residents were under 15 years old. At the opposite pole, 18% were over 55. Do they behave differently? That is another of the keys that Funcas focuses on. If we Spaniards ourselves resist having large families or move to rural areas…Why should immigrants, people who often face a more complex economic starting point and lack a family support network, act differently? Onion and Miyar even talk about a “Spanishization” of reproductive behavior. Despite the significant increase in the number of women of childbearing age, the total number … Read more

While Ryanair cuts 1.2 million seats in Spain, the gap it is leaving has a name: Wizz Air

May 13, 2026 by usatoday24

Ryanair continues in its thirteenth cutting seats at regional airports Spanish. The thing is that the rest of the low-cost airlines have not sat idly by and are taking advantage to have a greater presence. One of these airlines is Wizz Air, which is already thinking about grab a larger market share in Spain after the fight between Ryanair and Aena over airport taxes. Without its own bases, but with more routes and more seats. If some leave, others come. Ryanair has been in open war for months with the Government for Aena airport taxes. The Irish company considers that the rates at regional airports are unaffordable and has gone from threats to withdraw from several Spanish airports, closing its base in Santiago de Compostela, canceling flights in Vigo and Tenerife North, and will leave those in Valladolid and Jerez inactive. The total cut amounts to 1.2 million seats for the summer. In addition, next winter the airline also plans to reduce its capacity in Asturias, Santander, Zaragoza and several Canarian airports. Wizz Air has seen that gap. What Wizz Air is doing. The Budapest-based airline has decided to move in the opposite direction: it plans to increase its capacity in Spain by 39% throughout 2026. This is confirmed by Vera Jardan, the company’s corporate communications director, in statements collected by OkDiario. According to the media, the strategy does not involve opening its own bases, but rather expanding operations in the airports where it already has a presence and adding new routes. The company already operates in 16 Spanish airports, including Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga, Alicante, Bilbao, Ibiza, Santander and Fuerteventura, and offers 144 routes to 15 different countries. Its latest novelty has been a direct connection between Menorca and Budapest. What they say from within. “Spain is definitely an increasingly important emerging market for us, on which we are increasingly focusing,” counted Jardan in the middle. “We see that they are more open to adventures and impromptu trips, and we would definitely like to satisfy that demand with more interesting flights and destinations to different countries,” the manager continued. Wizz Air has been betting for years on routes to central and eastern Europe, destinations that large airlines do not usually cover so frequently. He Ryanair withdrawal. Just like we counted For some time now, Ryanair has historically maintained some low-demand routes thanks to advertising contracts with local institutions. When those contracts are no longer profitable (or more attractive incentives have appeared in other markets, like morocco), the company has not hesitated to withdraw its flights. Added to this is the impact of AVE to Galiciawhich has reduced passengers from the plane in a region that has already accumulated a drop of 15.5% so far this year. What changes the travelers. In the short term, those traveling with Ryanair from affected regional airports will have fewer options or will have to travel to another departure point. Wizz Air can cover part of that demand, but its destination network and operating model are still not comparable to that of the Irish airline. What is clear is that the Hungarian company sees at this moment a real window of opportunity to gain share in a market that, until now, Ryanair had dominated with almost no direct competition in the low-cost segment. Cover image | Paréj Richárd In Xataka | If you thought that Ryanair was living outside the Hormuz crisis, its CEO has a message. And it doesn’t look good for Spain

In its unstoppable expansion throughout Spain, mass tourism is claiming a new victim: the Albaicín of Granada

May 13, 2026 by usatoday24

History on all four sides. Culture. Views of the Alhambra. In theory, living in the Albaicín, a historic neighborhood in Granada, should be a privilege. In theory. The tourist overcrowding that has already devoured other cities from Spain (and other countries) is making everyday life in the most popular areas of the neighborhood resemble a gymkhana in which residents must navigate visitors in search of the best selfie. And that’s not even the worst. Part of the residents they take time warning of how tourism is affecting housing and services. They claim a “Livable Albaicín”. What has happened? That the list of Spanish cities in which the tension between mass tourism and the daily lives of residents is growing adds a new town: Granada. For some time now, the residents of the city, more specifically the Albaicín neighborhoodwarn of how the arrival of visitors to the area alters their routine and something just as or even more important: services, commerce and, above all, housing. It’s not something new. In fact, the platform that gives voice to the complaints of locals, ‘Albayzín habitable’, It was launched in 2024. However, a quick search on Google shows how their complaints have not stopped over the last two years. On the contrary. On Instagram, where they accumulate 10,200 followersshow intense activity in the streets. Their purpose, they clarify, is to act against “a tourism model that is killing the neighborhood.” They are not against the sector or visitors, but against overcrowding. What is the problem? The photo is not very different from what can be found in other points where the rope that unites residents and tourists has been tightening for some time. The group cries out against the transfer of housing that migrates from the residential market to tourist rentals (“where before there were neighbors there are now lockers“) or the risk of losing spaces for citizen use in favor of the sector, as, they warn, may occur with Saint Agnes and Saint Michael. The first is a old convent. The second was a juvenile center. Now they both could become hotelswhich has already brought out the neighbors to the street to protest. Is it that serious? On Monday The Country public a chronicle in which he points out other consequences of the tourism of the neighborhood, effects well known in other great destinations in the country, such as Barcelona, Santiago de Compostela either Palma de Mallorca. For example, crowds at the San Nicolás viewpoint to achieve the best selfie of the sunset or a change in the commercial fabric of the neighborhood, with traditional businesses that look with concern at the medium-term future and new ones that open despite not having any cultural link with the environment. “Look, now the groups of tourists surround us, before it was the neighbors who were on the street,” commented a neighbor sarcastically told the newspaper. But is it so noticeable? He is not the only one who points out this progressive mutation that, little by little, is making the neighborhood more adapted to the needs of those who are passing through and less to those of those who live there permanently. In August, Tatiana, a spokesperson for Albayzín Habitable, lamented the closure of a supermarket and a clinic, essential for residents. Businesses such as hairdressers or supermarkets give way to retail stores. take away and cold sangria. “Local shops and supermarkets continue to disappear and are replaced by trinket shops for tourists or hospitality establishments only available to the most privileged,” they insist on the neighborhood platform. @aidajr_93 The residents of Albayzin have united under the platform #albayzinhabitable to make ourselves heard and for the city council or the Andalusian board to hear us and regularize the uncontrolled tourism that we have in Albayzin, where speculation is driving out neighbors who have been in their homes all their lives to build tourist apartments, historic Carmens are converted into luxury apartments. The streets are uninhabitable for those of us who live here because they are always full of tourist groups, thefts, parties and it is impossible for the families who live here to take a bus because it is full of tourists. Elderly people do not dare to go out because they cannot go home, families with children cannot use the buses because it is impossible and if you are in a wheelchair, forget about it. We are not kicking tourism out of the neighborhood, we just ask for control and for neighbors to be more protected and to be able to be inhabitants of our streets and homes. #Grenade #UncontrolledTourism #stopspeculation #Albayzin @EL NIÑO DEL ALBAYZÍN @Sonsoles Ónega @Antena 3 @6️⃣LaSexta6️⃣ @Cuatro @RTVE @Pepe y Vizio @Junta de Andalucía @Andalucía Directo @Al Rojo Vivo ♬ original sound – Aidajr_93 Are they just impressions? There are also figures. Last year Albayzín Habitable estimated that in the area there were around 7,400 places for tourists, which would exceed, he assures, the number of registered residents, which is around 7,000. Correct or not, their data is not the first to warn of the tourist saturation that the neighborhood is experiencing. A few years ago the Granada City Council commissioned a study on the topic that concluded that Fígares and Albaicín are the areas with the highest concentration of tourist rentals in the city. By measuring the proportion of tourist apartments over available family homes in each part of the municipality, the technicians concluded that in both areas it reached 24%. In hard and fast figures, that translated into 715 homes out of 3,038. What are the consequences? The report suggests that this tourist pressure may be driving out neighbors. Although during the period analyzed (2015-2022) the whole of Granada had recorded a negative demographic dynamic, the trend seemed to be accentuated in Albaicín, with the transfer of 712 of the almost 9,300 residents initially registered. It is not the biggest ‘bleed’ in the town in net terms, but the data does stand out if analyzed in proportion. … Read more

Navarra already has its longest stretch radar operational. It covers 30 kilometers, and yet it is not the longest in Spain

May 13, 2026 by usatoday24

Navarra has placed a medium speed radar on the AP-68 that controls more than 30 kilometers in a row between Cortes and Tudela. The device He is already monitoring this section and sanctioning. It is one of the longest in the country, but not the one that most. And the trend indicates that there will be more. The radar in question. The device is installed on the AP-68, in a descending direction, between kilometer points 115,027 and 84,483, that is, the route from Cortes to Tudela. In total, 30,544 kilometers under continuous surveillance. In addition, Navarra has launched a second section radar on the N-121-A, in an increasing direction, between kilometers 26.76 and 40.79, covering almost 14 kilometers in the area of the Belate and Almandoz tunnels. Both devices are already operational and sanctioning. Why have they settled there? The Government of Navarra and the DGT justify the decision with the accident data. According to the information published about the installation, in the section of the AP-68 76 accidents were recorded between January 2022 and June 2025, of which 19 left victims, with one deceased, one seriously injured and 25 lightly injured. On N-121-A the balance in the same period was 56 accidents. How this type of radar works. It does not measure the speed at a specific point but rather calculate the average throughout the entire journey. One camera reads the license plate at the beginning of the section and another at the end. The system determines how long the vehicle has taken to travel it and, if that time is less than the minimum that fits with the established speed limit, the report is processed automatically. What it can cost you. The sanctions range from 100 euros without loss of points in the slightest excesses to 600 euros and six license points in the most serious cases. Prompt payment, paid within 20 calendar days following notification, allows the financial fine to be reduced by half, although the points are still lost. It is not the longest in Spain. The national record It is still maintained by a radar installed on the CL-615in Palencia, which controls 33 kilometers in an increasing direction, as we counted a while ago. The Navarrese rider on the AP-68 is less than three kilometers from that mark, which places him in second position among the longest. And he is not alone in that category: according to data from the DGT, There are 16 section radars in Spain that exceed 10 kilometers. Expansion. In 2024 there were 92 section radars on the roads managed by the DGT. In 2025 the figure rose to 110 and today there are 149, according to they count from Motor.es. In addition, the DGT has planned a new wave of installations for the second half of 2026, aimed mainly at secondary roads and conventional roads, which is precisely where the majority of fatal accidents are concentrated. Navarra takes charge. The entry into service of this radar makes more sense than it seems. Navarre He assumed official ownership on January 29 of this year. of the almost 40 kilometers of the AP-68 that run through its territory. And as of July 1, the regional community will also have the power to directly process, resolve and collect traffic fines, according to Navarra.com. That is to say, the provincial government installs a large radar on a road that it has just assumed as its own and does so just before it can also manage the income it generates. Cover image | DGT In Xataka | Death to the oldest “shadow toll” in Spain: Murcia is going to say goodbye at the end of the RM-15 system

Spain has done well in the hantavirus crisis

May 12, 2026 by usatoday24

What do the WHO, the UN, the European Commission and the European Council have in common? May all of them They have publicly congratulated Spain for the management of the hantavirus crisis. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus He has described her as “the role model”. Tough to the “mission accomplished” of Minister Mónica Garcíait’s not all over yet. However, there are enough facts already accomplished to recognize that in this mess Spain has not only done what had to be done, but has also done it well. An epidemiological bomb. When the Dutch ship MV Hondius set sail from Usuaia on April 1, 2026, it did not know the chaos that was about to be generated in half the world. The figures speak for themselves: 147 people were on board (88 passengers and 59 crew members of 23 different nationalities) and, as the days went by, the outbreak generated three deaths, (at least) 10 confirmed cases and 125 people evacuated thanks to an international operation coordinated from the Tenerife port of Granadilla. That’s where Spain comes in. An ethical success. Does it make sense for us to talk about ‘technical success’ in a context in which everything (absolutely everything) tends towards almost instantaneous politicization? Well, there are three things that allow us to see it like this: The international contrast: we must not forget that Spain assumed leadership of the operation after Cape Verde recognized that it did not have the capacity to carry out the evacuation nor that the Radboudumc university hospital in the Netherlands has had to quarantine 12 health workers for two consecutive biosafety failures. In contrast, Spain has executed the operation perfectly and, as far as we know, everything has gone according to plans and protocols. The social climate. Despite the initial refusal of the Government of the Canary Islands, Clavijo’s unscientific vaudeville and localized (and reasonable) protests by some unions, the operation was finally imposed through International Maritime Law (obligation to provide relief) after the formal request of the WHO. The relative complexity. It is not a minor issue, because organizing 10 special medical flights, coordinating biosafety protocols with 19 different countries and articulating a landing of these characteristics in rough sea conditions is complex. Above all, because everyone was watching and any failure had the potential to become a media circus. Is it all good news? Of course not. Whether we buy the terminology or not, the Canary Islands are right to complain that the Spanish Government has approached the matter with certain ‘colonial’ touches. Although finally, faced with the unfeasible demands of the Cabildo and the Autonomous Government, it was cut short; The truth is that the country’s institutional architecture requires a more respectful approach to competencies (or, failing that, designing a clear exception protocol for public health emergencies). What’s left to do? A lot. After all, there are many days of active surveillance left. The 45 days of incubation of the virus make epidemiological tracking very complex and the positives that have occurred after the evacuation only confirm this point. And beyond all that, a deeper debate remains pending on zoonotic exposure in scientific and tourist trips in endemic areas. We have turned the world into an amusement park and we are not aware of the risks. A few days ago we were talking about how the unlikely combination of an African bird, an American plant and an Asian plant had created a new habitat on the peninsula that was putting Valencian citrus trees in trouble. These “coincidences” occur in thousands every day and are, by their very nature, unpredictable. That is the world we face. For that reason, it is good news that everything has worked reasonably well. Image | Ministry of Health In Xataka | The hantavirus was going to reach Europe sooner or later and, as always, it caught us offside

the x-ray of taxes and tolls in Spain

May 12, 2026 by usatoday24

Although it sounds like science fiction that the Spanish electricity market has come to pay for consuming energy, marking a historical record of -10 euros per megawatt hour (MWh) On a Sunday at three in the afternoon, the reality that reaches the mailboxes is very different. Spain today boasts of having the cheapest wholesale electricity in Europe, surpassing powers such as Germany or France, but, paradoxically, households end up assuming a bill that is above the European Union average. The great paradox that frustrates citizens is evident: how is it possible to generate almost free electricity and end up paying for it at European luxury prices? The silent revolution. To understand the miracle of the wholesale market, you have to look at the data in depth. As analyst Jan Rosenow details in his recent reportSpain has not just added solar panels and windmills on a fossil fuel base, but has replaced them. The turning point was the year 2022, when the sum of wind and solar energy generated more electricity than all fossil sources combined. The secret of this price collapse lies in how the European electricity market works, where the latest technology that enters to cover demand (normally the most expensive) is the one that sets the price for all the others. During the last decade, that role was played by gas. However, renewables have pushed gas out of the equation: in 2022, gas marked the price 55% of the hours, while in the first four months of 2026, that figure has plummeted to a mere 9%. The result is devastating: at the start of 2026, the average wholesale price in Spain was just €44/MWh. In that same period, Italy paid €127, Germany €96 and the United Kingdom €103. The big question: Why don’t we notice it more? The short answer is that the price of energy is just one ingredient in the cake. According to Rosenow,the wholesale cost of energy represents only 41% of a typical Spanish domestic bill. The rest is a sum of network tolls (23%), VAT (17%), system charges (10%), electricity taxes and commercial margins. Cheaper wholesale energy is a necessary condition for lower bills, but it is not sufficient. Added to this tax cocktail is a consumer behavior problem. According to expert Joaquín Coronado In a recent publication in LinkedInnational demand is practically “inelastic.” Analyzing a time period where electricity cost a paltry €0.51/MWh, Coronado observed that there was no additional Spanish demand willing to take advantage of that bargain. Consumers are price-takers passives. And here comes the twist: since we do not consume that excess of cheap energy, French and Portuguese agents end up buying it to export it, which paradoxically drags our market upwards through European coupling. The unequal impact. This market dynamic does not affect everyone equally, leaving a transition to the next idea much clearer: there are obvious winners and households in tension. On the one hand, the great Spanish electro-intensive industry is experiencing a sweet moment. According to data from the AEGE associationby paying for electricity at €66.50/MWh compared to almost €68/MWh for the powerful German industry, they have achieved a surprise vital competitive. For families, the Government maintains an active “fiscal shield” (with VAT reduced to 10% and the electricity tax to 0.5%) that covers up the impact of tolls. But there are regulatory clouds. The European Commission has targeted the Spanish regulated tariff (the PVPC)to which almost 30% of households are covered. Brussels demands that it be progressively dismantled to push consumers into the free market, arguing that the intervened rates discourage savings and competition. The Spanish Government, for its part, resists eliminating it, defending that it is an indispensable security cushion and the main requirement to access the social bonus that protects the most vulnerable. The mirage of summer. Experts agree that we should not trust ourselves. The current spring bargain has an expiration date. When summer arrives, high temperatures will reduce the efficiency of solar panels, air conditioners will increase demand and, in all likelihood, expensive gas will have to be turned back on to avoid blackouts, driving prices up again. Furthermore, the green revolution has a “shadow bill.” Rosenow emphasizes that, Although energy is cheaper, keeping the system stable now costs more. Spain has to pay more for balancing services, voltage support and new transmission infrastructure to take solar and wind energy from where it is generated to where it is consumed. And those costs, inevitably, end up being passed on to the consumer through system charges. The solution to this bottleneck Joaquín Coronado himself points it out: The system cries out for new loads designed to arbitrage price. We are talking about batteries, industrial thermal storage and new hydraulic pumps. That is, each megawatt that we manage to store when electricity is at zero euros will be a renewable megawatt that we will not throw away, thus stabilizing the price for everyone. Incomplete success. Spain has achieved an indisputable structural feat. We have become a European pioneer, largely decoupling our prices from international gas volatility and gaining invaluable energy independence now measured in euros per megawatt hour. However, it must be taken into account that the energy transition does not end with solar panels. As long as the structure of tolls, networks and taxes continues to weigh almost 60% on families’ final bills, the European dream of zero-cost electricity will continue to be, for the average consumer, a spectacular figure that only exists on the screens of the financial markets. We generate almost free, but the labyrinth to the plug still costs us at European prices. Image | Unsplash Xataka | While Europe panics about the price of electricity, in Spain the opposite is happening

There is a “nuclear” gift from Russia to North Korea off the coast of Spain

May 12, 2026 by usatoday24

In the 1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, many Western experts began to fear that Russian scientists and military technology would end arriving in North Korea through opaque means, silently fueling Pyongyang’s weapons programs. Since then, every strange move between Moscow and the North Korean regime has been observed with a mixture of concern, secrecy and suspicions that are difficult to prove. A collapse full of unknowns. counted this morning CNN in an extensive report that the sinking of the Russian freighter Ursa Major off the Spanish coast has ended up becoming one of the strangest and most opaque stories to emerge around the Ukrainian war, as well as one of the most delicate. Officiallythe ship suffered several explosions in December 2024 before sinking in the Mediterranean. However, from the first moment they began to accumulate details difficult to fit into the version of a simple maritime accident: a cargo absurdly described as “manhole covers”, a Russian military escort for much of the journey, strange maneuvers before the sinking, subsequent explosions on the wreck and a very unusual silence from both Moscow and the Spanish authorities. Little by little, the case began to look less like a conventional shipwreck and more a strategic operation that went wrong in the middle of an extremely sensitive geopolitical context. The suspicion that changes everything. The great suspicion arose when Spanish researchers and sources cited by CNN They began to point out that the Ursa Major could transport nuclear reactor components similar to those used in Russian submarines. The captain himself would have ended up admitting to Spanish investigators that those supposed “manhole covers” were actually linked pieces to two naval reactors, although he claimed not to know if they contained nuclear fuel. The most disturbing hypothesis is that the final destination was not Vladivostok, despite officially appearing on the route, but the North Korean port of Rason. That is where the story takes on a completely different dimension, because the sinking would no longer be just a maritime incident, but the possible interruption of a technology transfer extremely sensitive between Moscow and Pyongyang, just after North Korea sent thousands of soldiers to support Russia in the Ukrainian war. The WC-135 off Spain. The arrival of the WC-135 aircraft Americans was the detail that definitively set off all the alarms. These planes, known as “nuke sniffers,” are not just any aircraft: they are extremely specialized platforms designed to detect radioactive traces and analyze nuclear contamination in the atmosphere. Washington normally uses them to monitor nuclear tests, atomic accidents or sensitive activity in places like the Russian Arctic or Iran, in any case, not to routinely fly over the Mediterranean off Spain. that the United States will send twice These devices over the area where the Ursa Major rests immediately fueled the suspicion that he feared something much more serious than a simple shipwreck. Although there is no public confirmation of radioactive contamination, the simple deployment of these planes left a sensation that is very difficult to ignore: Russia could have had a nuclear “gift” destined for North Korea sunk in front of Europe. Let us remember that a few months later, Kim Yong Un showed the world his alleged nuclear submarine. Explosions, spy ships and an uncomfortable wreck. The sequence after the sinking made the story even stranger. According to the research quoted by CNNthe ship did not seem doomed to sink immediately after the first explosions. However, hours after Spanish rescue resources arrived, the Russian ship Ivan Gren It launched red flares over the area and new explosions were recorded, detected even by Spanish seismic systems. Days later it also appeared the Yantarofficially a Russian research ship but designated for years by NATO as spy platform submarine. He remained on the wreck for several days before to register more explosions underwater. All of this continued to fuel the theory that Moscow may have attempted to destroy sensitive evidence at the bottom of the Mediterranean, especially if the ship was carrying advanced military nuclear technology or compromised documentation related to North Korea. The theory of silent sabotage. Another of the most surprising aspects of the investigation is the possibility that the Ursa Major was attacked with an extremely unusual weapon. The Spanish authorities are handling the hypothesis of a small hole just 50 centimeters caused by a supercavitating torpedo Barracuda typea weapon capable of moving at very high speed by reducing the friction of water using a gas bubble. The disturbing thing about this type of torpedoes is that they can pierce a hull without necessarily generating a large audible explosion, something that would fit with the account of the Russian captain, who stated not having heard no impact as the ship began to lose speed. Other experts believe the use of limpet mines or attached charges to the helmet. In any case, the mere fact that sophisticated sabotage is contemplated in waters near Spain reveals to what extent the case has stopped looking like a conventional accident. The reflection of a new alliance. Beyond the concrete mystery of the Ursa Majorthe case reflects something even more important: the rapid rapprochement between Russia and North Korea. For years, Moscow avoided crossing certain lines related to the transfer of strategic military technology to Pyongyang. However, the war in Ukraine has changed many priorities. As we have been countingNorth Korea contributes ammunition, missiles and soldiers, and Russia could be returning the favor with technical knowledge much more sensitive. The images released months later of the sinking with Kim Jong Un showing the helmet of a supposed North Korean nuclear submarine fit closely with this possibility. If there really was an attempt to move Russian naval reactors to North Korea, the sinking of the Ursa Major could represent one of the most important (and most secret) episodes of the new military relationship between both countries. Whatever it is is still in the Mediterranean. To this day, the wreck remains at about 2,500 meters deep … Read more

Spain wants 90% of the people on this map to have an AVE station 30 minutes away. There is small print

May 12, 2026 by usatoday24

The Ministry of Transport and Urban Mobility wants to turn the train into one of the great mobility axes of our country. To this end, the objective has been proposed to promote the use of high speed in the west of the Iberian Peninsula. The project has a clear headline: an AVE station half an hour away for 90% of the inhabitants of the Atlantic corridor. What has been announced? 9% of the population of the Atlantic Corridor will have access to a high-speed station within half an hour in 2030. This is the conclusion reached by the Territorial accessibility analysis carried out by the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobilitythrough the Office of the Commissioner of the Atlantic Corridor. If the plans are fulfilled, the Ministry assures that in less than five years a total of 62 high-speed stations will be ready, spread across 28 provinces and 11 autonomous communities. The jump will have to be substantial because right now there are 33 stations available with high-speed service distributed in 8 autonomous communities and 19 provinces. What is the Atlantic Corridor? Within the mobility of the European Union, the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) defines nine major corridors to define your roadmap and investments. These corridors are large spaces through which a very important part of the citizens of the European Union and their goods move. In the different corridors, therefore, all mobility nodes are taken into account, from ports and airports to railways and roads. In the case of the Atlantic Corridor we are talking about a set of communication nodes that link the south of Germany with Paris and the entire west coast of France with Spain (on its western slope) and Portugal, culminating in the Cádiz area. In these moments, the Atlantic Corridor as it passes through our country offers the following data: 5,400 kilometers of railway tracks 2,900 kilometers of roads Nine seaports Five international airports Nine intermodal stations Four cross-border crossings with Portugal or France And it is linked to 13 autonomous communities and 40 provinces By train. Among the infrastructures designed to facilitate movement through all these places is the train. And, specifically, the boost to high speed that the European Union wants to give to encourage the use of this means of transport instead of the plane. These investments, according to the Ministry of Transport, will have to be completed before December 31, 2030 and represent an investment of 3,123 million euros. It must be taken into account that the European Union has been demanding better connectivity by train from Spain and Portugal than should crystallize with a Madrid-Lisbon in 2030. But It won’t be until 2034 when this line is completely a high-speed route. What does it imply? In order to achieve the milestone set by the European Union, it will be necessary for Spain to complete the “Basque Y”, the high-speed project that has been underway for more than 20 years to provide the region with a qualitative leap in railway connections. that seem not to arrive. Additionally, the entire project will need to be completed to connect Spain with Portugal through Extremaduraa journey in which, at the moment, it is not always possible to travel at high speed. And it will also be necessary to bring high speed to Huelva. 90% with small print. The big headline, as we said, is that 90% of the population of the Atlantic Corridor will have a high-speed station less than half an hour from their home… as long as such a station exists in their province. Here is the headline’s trick, if the province does not have a high-speed station, the percentage drops drastically in some cases. For example, in the press release no reference is made to Salamancaone of the conflicting points when talking about high speed in the Atlantic Corridor. The European Union roadmap marks a connection between the Spanish city and Porto but there is little progress in this regard. Another of the region’s usual demands is also discarded: recover the Vía de la Plata railway. The truth is that this project is neither here nor expected. Other data must also be taken carefully. The Ministry of Transport says that 100% of the inhabitants of the Basque Country will have access to a high-speed train station… but in this case less than an hour away and not 30 minutes. La Rioja will also make a qualitative leap, from the current 14% to 99% although no high-speed train stops in the region. These data lead us to the fact that, in 2030, 70% of the population of the Atlantic Corridor will have a high-speed station less than an hour from their home. The Ministry of Transport puts this number at 26.8 million people. Some controversies. However, having a high-speed line close to home does not mean that we have a high-speed train that is always accessible. Spain, the second country with the most high-speed roads in the world (second only to China), is a good example of how a poorly studied growth ended with high speed stations with very little traffic. Nor does living in a provincial capital guarantee that the train always stops. A paradigmatic example of this is Zamorawhere they fight so that more high-speed trains that cover the Galician corridor stop at their stop. And sometimes, The best solution is to offer high-speed stations in the middle of nowhereas a link between large populations. Increasing the number of high-speed stations does not automatically mean having ample schedules to take a high-speed train. However, this shouldn’t be bad in and of itself. A good example is Japan’s dense high-speed network where there are trains that stop exceptionally between origin and destination and others that dot their journey with more or fewer stops. Of course, there the density of passage in the number of trains facilitates mobility and the connection between “fast” trains and those that stop more frequently. Photo | Adif In Xataka | High speed in Madrid … Read more

On its way to increasing military production, Spain already has two new candidates: Seat and Ford

May 11, 2026 by usatoday24

Europe rearms. The war in Ukraine and the constant pressure from the United States Government for European countries to increase their defense spending has driven a rearmament that crosses Europe and has raised blisters among the nations that invest the least in defense. One of them is Spain. But Spain, like many other European countries, is already looking for spaces to increase its weapons production. And he has an idea: car factories. What has happened? Spain is already considering using car factories to promote its military modernization programs. That’s what it says Expansiona medium that points to internal Defense sources as the voices that advance the conversations that the Government would have had with companies such as Ford and Seat. According to this medium, the conversations are part of the implementation of “the budgets and sizing of the new military modernization programs (PEM) that are going to be launched.” The objective is to define the budget to be used and where it could go, with the intention of presenting them around summer and assigning them at the end of the year. Seat and Ford? That Seat and Ford are the first to be mentioned makes a lot of sense. With its conversion towards the electric carMartorell planned to reduce staff and resize its facilities. In 2022 they estimated a surplus of almost 2,000 direct jobs and with a commitment to new technology, the El Prat plant focused on gearboxes is one of the most notable. For its part, Ford seems to be looking for a new future to its Almussafes plant or, at least, part of it. The company has significantly reduced its production and, although it has confirmed the assembly of a new modeleverything indicates that Ford does not fully trust the plant. In fact, the latest rumors suggested that The Chinese company Geely wanted to take over part of the facilities. With a view to Defense. Although there is now open talk of converting part of the plants of these two companies into spaces to produce military material, the truth is that this idea has been floating around Seat for a few weeks. Last March it already emerged that Seat negotiated with Indra to manufacture light military vehicles. The agreement, they assured in Five Dayswould have the approval of the Government, which already stated last year that the reconversion of the automobile industrial sector could involve, at least in part, supporting Defense. It also coincides with the increase in Indra’s investments in the military field. Not only in Spain. Reconditioning automobile facilities to produce war material is not an idea that was born in Spain, far from it. In Germany, there have been negotiations that one of the Volkswagen plants begins to manufacture tanks. Last year there was also talk of Renault’s turnaround, pioneer in tank productionto manufacture drones bound for Ukraine. And not just vehicles. Last March there was already talk of the possibility that Volkswagen will start producing parts for missiles at its Osnabrück plant, according to Financial Times. The intention is that trucks would leave their facilities to transport them but also basic equipment such as shuttles or electrical generators to activate them. A key moment. If governments are looking with eager eyes at European automobile plants, it is because they know that the industry is not going through its best moment. The conversion to electric cars points to massive layoffsespecially because they lack a good part of the mechanical components that are present in any combustion car. Furthermore, its simplification points to shorter assembly times, a greater presence of robots and less human capital. These massive layoffs could be saved, at least in part, with the reconversion of these plants. It must be taken into account that manufacturing in Europe is more expensive than doing so in Asia or countries with preferential trade agreements with Europe such as Morocco either Türkiye. This is moving part of European production to these countries. Especially the smaller ones that are more complicated to make profitable. Spain is of the countries that are suffering the least from the blow because, at the level of salaries and energy costs, we are more competitive than plants from Germany or France. However, both Volkswagen with Seat and Ford, Stellantis either mercedes They have dropped that they are willing to reduce their workforce and production in our country. Photo | Caesar and seat In Xataka | Ford invested 1 billion to produce electric cars in Europe. Now it will invest money in laying off 1,000 employees

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