Spain

Spain has the key to the next invasion of the Pentagon

by

In 1942, while preparing Operation Torch to land tens of thousands of Allied soldiers in North Africa, General Dwight D. Eisenhower arrived to a conclusion that would mark American military strategy for the following decades: a war does not depend only on soldiers or weapons, but on the ability to move them to the right place. That operation turned the Strait of Gibraltar into an essential piece. More than 80 years later, the map still says practically the same thing. The US threatens, the truth is very different. donald trump hardened again his speech against Spain to the point of proposing the breakdown of commercial relations due to discrepancies over military spending and the position of the Spanish Government within NATO. On paper, it seemed like the beginning of a rift between both countries. However, it is enough to observe the movements of the Department of Defense itself to discover an obvious contradiction: while the White House raises the political tone, the Pentagon continues allocating hundreds of millions of dollars to reinforce the two most important US military bases in southern Europe. In fact, hours later Trump himself turned back to the threats: “I must admit that I had problems with Spain, and I still do, but today Spain completely redeemed itself. Spain was very generous today. They agreed to an important payment request, and if they had not done so, we would not have even spoken to them,” he indicated. The valuable letter of Spain. The true origin of the clash was not in the tariffs, but in Iran. When Washington requested to use Rota, Morón and Spanish airspace during the operation against the Iranian regime, Madrid refusedforcing the United States to reorganize part of its deployment from Germany and France. That decision recalled something that for decades had remained almost invisible: although the United States invests billions in both facilities, they remain baces under Spanish sovereignty and its use depends, ultimatelywith the approval of the Spanish Government. Rattan The US response: more money. It we count at the time. What is striking is that the American reaction did not consist of preparing an exit from Spain. Just a few months after the veto, the US Air Force awarded a framework contract of about 400 million of dollars to maintain and modernize Morón during the next decade, guaranteeing its operation until 2036. Far from being interpreted as retaliation, the investment sent exactly the opposite message: the strategic value of the base is so high that no specific political disagreement justifies failing to reinforce it. The track was broken. A few days later a second, even more significant decision appeared. Washington announced the construction in Rota of a huge hangar designed for accommodate transport aircraft strategic as C-17 Globemaster and the gigantic C-5 Galaxydevices capable of transporting battle tanks, helicopters, air defense systems or hundreds of soldiers in a single flight. In an era in which the speed of moving troops is almost as important as weapons, expanding that capacity means preparing for future operations, not abandoning the base. Hummock The explanation is on a map. Rota occupies the entrance to the Mediterranean, one of the most important maritime corridors of the planet, while Morón connects Europe with North Africa and the Middle East in a few hours. Together they form a logistical bridge from which the United States can move ships, aircraft, fuel, ammunition and personnel to various theaters of operations almost simultaneously. Changing that combination to another location does not simply consist of moving troops to another European base: it would involve rebuilding for years a logistical infrastructure that already exists and works today. The impossibility of changing a geography. The own published analyzes The United States agrees that losing access to Rota and Morón would place an additional burden on US forces, even if they could redistribute part of their capabilities to other allied countries. The problem, therefore, does not lie only in the hangars, docks or fuel tanks, but in the place where they are built. Andalusia continues to be the natural gateway to the Mediterranean, Africa and the Middle East, exactly as it was during the Second World War. The Spanish asset: military logistics. That is why it is difficult to imagine that the business threats end up one day becoming a real rupture between both countries. Trump can use Spain as a political argument in his speeches, but the Pentagon has been sending a completely different signal for months with your budget. Every dollar invested in Morón and every new infrastructure built in Rota reminds us of an uncomfortable reality for Washington: when the next major international crisis, attempted invasion or start of a new war arrives, there is an extremely high possibility that the path towards it will begin again in southern Spain. Image | Commander, US Naval Forces Europe-Africa/US 6th Fleet In Xataka | The US threatened to take the Rota base to Morocco. Spain has buried it with an unbeatable offer: more territory In Xataka | The same day that the US threatened Spain and said it did not need the Rota base, the US invested 13 million in expanding the Rota base

the Hisense Series 5i smart washer-dryer arrives in Spain with heat pump and AI technology

by

Renewing the main appliances in the house always involves a significant outlay, so hunting for a launch accompanied by cutting-edge technology is the perfect long-term move. Hisense has just made official the arrival in Spain of its new Series 5i free-standing washer-dryer (model WD511245BBRH). This model stands out for introducing efficient heat pump technology in an all-in-one format. Hisense 12 kg/1400 rpm Kitchen Fit washer dryer – WD5I1245BBRH Black The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Maximum energy efficiency combined with Artificial Intelligence The great revolution of this Hisense Series 5i lies in its heat pump drying system. Unlike conventional washer-dryers, this model uses a closed circuit that reuses the heat generated. This allows clothes to be dried at much milder temperatures, protecting the most delicate fabrics and achieving impeccable efficiency: it has a Class A label, which allows it to be more efficient than required in washing or in a combined washing and drying cycle. It is designed for demanding homes or large families, as it offers a generous capacity of 12 kg for washing and 8 kg for drying. All this under a design called iFitdesigned to be perfectly integrated flush with the kitchen or laundry room furniture. Furthermore, it comes equipped with AI Super Wash & Dryan ecosystem of 13 smart sensors that automatically measure the weight of the laundry or the dirt in the water to adjust the exact energy and time consumption without you having to configure anything. For everyday use, it has life-saving functions such as Washing and Drying program 49′capable of leaving a kilo of clothing ready in less than an hour, or the ECO Refresh technology, ideal for removing odors and wrinkles from barely worn garments using a minimum amount of water. Additionally, to celebrate its arrival in the Spanish market, Hisense is launching a refund campaign valid from July 1 to November 30, 2026. By purchasing its new flagship (this new washer-dryer) you can get a refund of 150 euros. ⚡ IN SUMMARY: new Hisense Series 5i washer dryer ✅ THE BEST Heat pump technology: a highly sought after feature in all-in-one washer dryers that drastically reduces electrical consumption and wear and tear on clothing. Massive capacity (12kg/8kg): More than enough space for duvets, full family laundry, and a design that doesn’t protrude from the countertop. ❌ THE WORST High-end starting price… As it is a recently launched model and with cutting-edge technology (heat pump and AI sensors), its initial retail cost is higher than that of traditional condensation models. Drying times with heat pump… Although it consumes much less light and is more efficient, heat pump drying processes tend to be slightly longer than traditional systems based on high-temperature resistance. 💡 BUY IT IF… You are looking for maximum savings on your electricity bill in the long term, you tend to use very large washing machines and you value the convenience of having a smart appliance decide the optimal parameters for you. ⛔ DON’T BUY IT IF… You have a very tight budget to start with and prefer a basic washing machine without smart drying functions or AI automation. Other Hisense appliances that may interest you Hisense RF632N4WIE – No Frost Stainless Steel French Door Combi Refrigerator The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Hisense WF1I7022BWJ – 7Kg Washing Machine, Class A The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | Hisense In Xataka | Connected dishwasher buying guide: what to expect from its intelligent functions, best recommendations and models from 300 euros In Xataka | Is a heat pump or condensing dryer better? Differences and keys to choose

Waymo has not confirmed that it will arrive in Spain. But your documentation says things

by

Waymo has registered three legal entities in Europe in fifteen days: Paris, Madrid and Amsterdam. They add to the I had already been in Munich since June. However, no release announcement accompanies the records. what has happened. The French company has an explicit corporate purpose: passenger transportation with autonomous vehicles. That is, the activity for which we know Waymo. Waymo Iberia was established in Madrid at the beginning of June. And the Dutch company points to something else, computing infrastructure, not transportation as such. The four share a shareholder and management team. What it doesn’t mean. A commercial registration like this is not equivalent to a launch date or an assured landing. Uber promised robotaxis in Madrid this year and, when asked for details, there was no response. In fact, the DGT was not aware of any request from him at that time. What does it say?. The name chosen for Spain is not coincidental. Waymo Iberia, and not Waymo Spain, suggests that the target includes Portugal, which A few weeks ago it opened a convenient legal framework for testing autonomous vehicles. Three of the four subsidiaries are in countries with advanced level 4 regulation. Only Holland breaks the pattern, and its subsidiary looks at data, not transportation. So it seems clear that Waymo is registering subsidiaries where the regulatory framework is in its favor. The precedent. Waymo just broke its alliance with Uber in Phoenixhis first city, and has recovered the cars for his own app. The number is small (a little more than a dozen vehicles), but the signal is not: as soon as a fleet gains its own brand and demand, as Waymo has presumably done after years of service, it has an obvious incentive to stop sharing between 20% and 30% of each run with an intermediary. In this case, Uber. The contrast with France. France allows commercial driverless operations from 2021 in specific areas, and An autonomous WeRide van is already circulating in Valence under that framework. The pending question It’s not if Waymo lands this year. It is whether Spain will have a completely ready legal framework, also in terms of insurance companies and municipal regulations, before the question becomes urgent. Waymo has purchased the option of being ready to disembark in Spain whenever it wants, but it remains to be seen if the country will also be ready by then. In Xataka | What happens if you are in a self-driving taxi and someone wants to get into the car and attack you? Waymo’s response is not encouraging Featured image | Xataka

In Spain more than 40,000 tourist apartments have ‘disappeared’. The question is whether we are facing the end of their bubble

by

The tourist rental business is no longer what was. Or that at least is the message that the real estate market seems to be sending, according to recent reports published by two organizations that (from different perspectives) know the sector well: the Bank of Spain and Fotocasa. The first warns in his annual report 2025, published just a few weeks ago, of the departure of tens of thousands of homes from the vacation rental market. The second, Fotocasa, speak directly of a “puncture” of the business, with a “flight of owners”. The big question is… Why? Cycle change? It is still too early to talk about a change of cycle, but the latest data from Fotocasa Research and the Bank of Spain (BE) suggest that something is changing in the country’s vacation rental market. Although tourism still booming and it’s not crazy that Spain reaches this year for the first time the 100 million of foreign visitors, the market is emitting signals that suggest that renting an apartment on Airbnb, Booking, Vrbo or Holidu is no longer the business it was a couple of years ago. Interest in buying apartments for tourist rental is falling and the number of landlords who decide to put their homes up for sale to leave that market increases. What do the figures say? That something is moving in the sector. Still very timid, but perceptible. The percentage of buyers who acknowledge that they are looking for a home to use as a vacation rental is reducing little by little. If in 2024 they represented 3.4%, in 2025 that percentage was reduced to 3% and the latest survey, corresponding to the first semester, places it at 2.8%. “Although the tourist modality continues to represent 3% of purchase operations linked to a second residence or directly to investment, the trend shows a progressive reduction in interest in this model,” comment the platform, which sees a loss of “attractiveness” of the sector. Is it the only indicator? No. The market also suffers at the other end, that of the sellers. Fotocasa Research has detected an increase in the number of landlords dedicated to tourist rentals who are trying to get rid of their homes. That is to say, there are fewer people interested in entering the vacation rental market… but also more people who are already in it and want to leave. The trend is once again tenuous, but eloquent. In 2024, 1.8% of the owners who went to real estate agencies to sell their homes dedicated them to vacation rentals. In 2025 the percentage was very similar (1.6%), but this year it has risen to 3.1%. “It represents practically doubling the weight recorded two years before and shows that more and more owners are choosing to abandon the tourist rental segment,” they explain from Fotocasa. And what does the Bank of Spain say? In your latest annual reportpublished a few weeks ago, the BE confirms that vacation rentals are deflating. To be more specific, its technicians documented an increase in the number of tourist apartments between 2021 and 2024, which placed the total stock at 400,000 homes that last year. In 2025, however. The average was 355,000 homes. The latest data from the INE show that in May they were advertised on online platforms in Spain 341,001 homes tourist, also far from the 381,837 registered a year before. That means between 40,000 and 50,000 fewer homes on the market. In some regions thousands of properties have been erased in recent years or even more than 10,000, such as happens in Alicante. What is the reason? For María Matos, spokesperson for Fotocasa, there is little mystery. If vacation rentals “are losing part of the attractiveness they had in recent years” it is mainly due to three factors. First, because investors are “reorienting” their strategies, looking for “stable alternatives.” Second, vacation rentals have lost profitability compared to a few years ago. And third (but not least), the changes at the regulatory level. “It responds to a context of greater regulatory uncertainty in which the regulations have been modified throughout the year,” comment Matos. The truth is that in recent years both the central government and some regional and municipal administrations have taken steps to prevent the flight of housing from residential to vacation rentals and, in the process, alleviate the rise in rents. Weight of tourist homes in the rental market of: Urban Area Center of the tourist area Malaga 29.9% 44.6% Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 12.9% 26.9% Seville 12.1% 44.9% Santa Cruz de Tenerife 9.6% 8.2% Palm 7.6% 0.7% Valencia 5.7% 9.8% Barcelona 4.0% 22.2% Madrid 2.8% 14.9% Saragossa 1.4% 14.9% Total Spain 10.8% 10.8% Has it changed that much? Yes. BE himself recognize that “regulatory limitations” on vacation rentals have taken their toll on the market, as has the transfer of homes to the seasonal rental market. It comes with taking a look at the newspaper archive to find town councils and autonomous communities that in recent years have applied moratoriums to the granting of new tourist rental licenses or toughened its regulations. The most forceful change was applied last year by the Government when it activated a single short-term rental registry, although this measure received a blow of the Supreme Court a few months ago. Another important regulatory change is that, since April 2025reinforces the weight of neighborhood communities when deciding whether or not they can operate housing for tourist use in their buildings. Will it be noticed in the market? Just because tourist apartments lose strength in the market does not mean that the price of residential rentals will go down. The B.C. remember that, in general, its weight is limited in the Spanish market. According to their calculations, vacation homes represent 1.5% of the total housing stock, although that percentage has fine print. If we talk about the rental market, its relative weight rises to 10% and if we refer to specific regions with strong tourist demand, that footprint skyrockets. In … Read more

“93% of all foldables that have been sold in Spain are Samsung”

by

The foldable phone market is no longer at the point where Samsung had to explain why a folded screen might make sense. That phase is far away. Since that first Galaxy Fold of 2019 to the most recent generations, the category has gone from raising very basic doubts to occupying its own space within the high range. The question, now, is another: what to do with a family that has gained ground, that already has competitors looking at the same terrain and that hints that its next step may not be limited to repeating the known format. That’s where your own conversation comes in. David Alonso. The director of Mobile Experience at Samsung Electronics Iberia spoke with Xataka in Madrid after a meeting focused on the history of the brand’s folding devices. Its reading is relevant because the South Korean company is not speaking from outside the category, but from a position that it claims is dominant in the country. Samsung no longer has to prove that foldables exist, now it has to defend why they are still its territory The figure that the firm puts on the table helps to understand where it is speaking from. As Alonso defended during the meeting, with data provided by the company at the end of the first quarter of 2026, “93% of all foldables that have been sold in Spain are Samsung“It is a very high figure, but it should also be read with caution: it does not in itself describe the future of the category, but rather the starting point from which the company interprets this new phase. Having arrived earlier and, among other things, having built a recognizable family gives it an advantage. Samsung has begun to leave clues on networks about the next move of its folding family Samsung’s argument is based on a simple idea: trust was not given, it had to be built. It’s a reasonable way to count the journey. We are talking about an expensive category, with a folding screen as a differentiating element and with an initial history marked by very specific doubts. Alonso formulated it as a learning experience accumulated over seven generations. “Since then there have been seven generations, seven generations of folding, because the family has been increasing. And what have we learned during this time? Well, we have learned several things. First, that trust is earned, because in the end it is true that it was a category that has created doubts.” That tour also changed the way the foldable was presented. The first Fold clearly aimed at productivity, with a larger interior screen and a logic closer to the mobile that opens to work, read or do several tasks at the same time. Then came the Flip, that moved the axis towards another type of user: less focused on gaining screen space and more attracted to a compact, different format and more linked to social uses. This expansion of the family helps to understand why the brand is no longer talking about a single folding product, but rather about a category with different paths. There is also an economic reading behind this bet. The director of Mobile Experience at Samsung Electronics Iberia defended during the conversation that the segment of more than 1,500 euros is the one that is growing the most in the market and linked it to a greater demand from the premium user. In this vision, product quality, user experience and integrated artificial intelligence increasingly weigh in the purchasing decision. The arrival of other manufacturers changes the balance of that conversation. For Samsung, the fact that there are more competitors in folding products serves as proof that the category has a long way to go. So we could say that if more brands enter the same field, the manufacturer that arrived first no longer competes only against the user’s initial doubt, but against alternatives that try to appropriate part of the story. Alonso himself put it this way during the interview. “For us, the next milestone is to continue maintaining ourselves as a benchmark in the market. Because one thing has happened that is very important, which is that competition has arrived, which for us is very important, because when competition comes it means that there is opportunity and that we are doing something well, right? If not, we would be totally alone, which is not good.” That’s why the teasers published Now they have more weight than a simple campaign. What was seen on social networks points to an evolution of the Galaxy foldable experience and suggests that the next step may move in the field of format. All this, together with the fact that part of Samsung’s launches in recent years have been concentrated between July and August, invites us to look towards an upcoming presentation, but at the time of publishing this article there are no official announcements. Images | Xataka | Samsung In Xataka | Samsung is ahead of the presentation of the Galaxy Z Fold8 by showing the design change of the foldable. At last

How to watch Spain – Portugal: date and time of the World Cup round of 16 match, and where you can watch it on any device

by

Let’s explain to you How and where you can watch Spain’s match against Portugal. This is the round of 16 of the knockout round of the 2026 World Cup, an excellent Iberian duel from which only one will be able to advance to the quarterfinals. Let’s make the article simple. First we are going to tell you the date and time to which this match is played. And then, we will tell you what your options are to be able to watch it from any device. Date and time of Spain – Portugal Spain’s match against Portugal will take place this Monday, July 6 at the Dallas Stadium in Texas. It is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. in Spanish peninsular time8pm in the Canary Islands. Where to watch Spain – Portugal As we have explained to you when we told you where you can watch the 2026 World Cupsince it is a match for the Spanish National Team, you will be able watch it for free live through La1. This will allow you to see it both on DTT and on mobile phones or browsers through RTVE Play. Obviously, the party It will also be issued in the payment options that you could have to watch all the World Cup matches. It will be broadcast on DAZN and you will be able to watch it on any device if you have it contracted. You can also see it on the DAZN Mundial channel, available on both Movistar Plus and Orange TV. In Xataka Basics | Apps for football results: the best 14 applications to receive notifications and see match statistics

Spain has a license only for automatic cars and more and more people choose it

by

Getting your driving license without using the clutch and changing gears is now a reality within the reach of anyone who wants to learn to drive in Spain. This is permit B limited to automatic vehiclesa modality that more and more driving school students choose, but which also generates many doubts about how it works or how to request it. That’s why below these lines we tell you all the details. The same permission, but with a nuance: only automatic Despite what many people believe, there is no new or independent license for automatic cars. We have approached some driving schools to ask about it and, as they explain, the permit is the same as it has always been, B, only in the document an annotation is added which indicates that the holder can only drive with automatic transmission vehicles. As expected, those who obtain their license with a manual gear car, however, are enabled to drive both types of transmission without any restrictions. That note It is popularly known as “code 78” and appears printed on the back of the card, next to the permit category. In Spain, the Instruction 2019/C-134 of the DGT, something already marked in the General Regulations for Drivers, says: “if the applicant takes the practical exam with an automatic transmission vehicle, that circumstance must be reflected in the permit and will only enable him to drive cars with those characteristics.” Why is more and more requested? The rise of this type of permit goes hand in hand with the automobile market itself. Two decades ago, automatic transmission was almost a rarity on Spanish roads; Today, however, there are more and more models (especially electric and hybrid, which do not have a clutch) that They are sold exclusively with this transmission. According to share El Periódico, of the 600,000 category B permits issued each year in Spain, between 33,000 and 37,000 already carry this limitation to the automaticwhich places code 78 between 5.5% and 6.2% of the total. However, as the media points out, in the driving school sector the figure they handle is around 10% of the licenses issued. Gear lever on a Volvo CX60 Asking several driving schools, they affirm that this modality has been implemented for a few years. On the other hand, Raül Viladrich, president of the Federation of Driving Schools of Catalonia, counted to El Periódico that the demand started between 2018 and 2020, although it clarified that it is still much lower than that of the traditional card. It is also a case of generational changesince more and more young people see manual transmission as something of the past and, directly, have no intention of ever driving a car with a clutch. How is it obtained and what is the difference with the traditional exam The learning process is identical to that of the conventional B license, that is, you go to the driving school, you take the theory exam, you have your practical classes and a final exam, with the only difference that both the classes and the driving test are done with an automatic transmission vehicle. You also don’t have to make the decision when you first register, since you can start with a manual car and, if you decide, you can upgrade to an automatic car at any time. This is exactly what a former student, Elena García, tells us, who opted for the automatic mode. Elena says that she chose this route because the car she had at home was already automatic, so it seemed like “the best option” to learn directly with the type of vehicle she was going to use later. Even so, he explains that he started his internship with a manual car, but that, after fifteen or twenty classes, he decided to switch to an automatic car. According to him, in your driving school the automatic option existed and was offeredalthough at first they directly recommended the manual. Elena admits that, almost a year after getting her license, not having access to manual cars does not worry her. And in your immediate surroundings you only have automatic vehicles and, when you travel or need to rent a car, you always find hassle-free automatic car options. What happens if you drive a manual car with this permit Basically, if they catch you, fine the song. “They are prohibited from driving any type of car that is not automatic,” assures Sergio Olivera, president of the National Confederation of Driving Schools (CNAE) to El Periódico. And the thing is that whoever has a license with this entry and uses a vehicle with a manual transmission faces a fine of 500 euros and the loss of four points on the license. The Traffic Law considers this situation a very serious infraction, comparable to driving without a permit. In the event that you have obtained your license only with an automatic car, but you want to drive a manual one, it is currently mandatory to go through a practical exam again, this time with a manual transmission car, without the need to repeat the theoretical part. Less procedures to remove the restriction This requirement, however, has an expiration date. And it already exists a European directiveapproved at the end of 2025, which It is intended to replace the complete practical exam for a training course of only seven hours at a driving school to be able to obtain the B permit without any transmission limitations. According to explained Viladrich to El Periódico, this course can be taken both during the process of obtaining the license itself and later, and its entry into force is expected, in principle, for 2029, although there is still no set date for its application in Spain. This model, in fact, already works in other European countries. In France, Germany or Switzerland, drivers with this limitation can eliminate it through specific training, without having to be re-examined from scratch. The future is automatic Just ten years ago, automatic cars accounted for … Read more

Don Benito and Villanueva wanted to show Spain the advantages of merging town councils. They have ended up doing the opposite

by

He February 20, 2022 It promised to be a historic day in Extremadura. In Spain, in general. After months of debate, arguments and growing media interest, that Sunday the residents of Don Benito and Villanueva (Badajoz) cast the ballot to decide something crucial for the future of both municipalities: whether they would merge into one. The ‘yes’ vote won, although with such a narrow margin and, above all, such a low level of participation that the union did not come together. Four years later, just jump into the air. February 20, 2022. To understand what just happened in Extremadura you have to go back at least four years, to February 20, 2022when the residents of Don Benito and Villanueva de la Serena held a referendum to decide whether to unite into a single town. Both town halls are located in Badajoz, they are separated by a few kilometers almost completely urbanized and share services like a hospital complex. Furthermore, in 2022 both were governed by PSOE mayors and they were in favor of their respective consistories embracing each other as one. A muted ‘yes’. The referendum backed the merger, which for a time seemed to clear the future of ‘Vegas-Altas’, the name under which he wanted to be baptized the new village. The problem is that that support was not strong enough to close the debate. To begin with, participation in the 2022 vote was modest for a decision of such significance: in Villanueva (25,873 neighbors) 58.94% of the census participated; in Don Benito (37,310) 50.42%. In the first location, 90.49% of the votes supported the alliance; but in Don Benito only 66.27% did so. It may seem like a high percentage, but the town councils had agreed that to move forward the support had to be at least 66%. That is to say, in Don Benito the procedure was passed by a few votes. As if that were not enough, there is another fundamental factor: the referendum was actually a popular consultation with advisory naturenon-binding. The merger was never ratified in a plenary session nor did the Board approve any constitutive decree. Only a protocol was signed in 2023 that remained a dead letter. Buried and buried well. That was almost five years ago. If the failed merger between Don Benito and Villanueva de la Serena is news again Now it is because, after more than four years without real progress, the first town (the most populated) has decided to definitively bury the union. Although the project has been stalled for some time, the Dombeniense Government, now led by the PP and Always Don Benitohas definitively shelved the idea. On Monday the municipal plenary session unanimously approved a motion declaring its definitive stoppage. What’s more, for “reasons of transparency, legal certainty and political clarity”, the Don Benito City Council has decided Formally communicate your decision to all the parties involved: the Ministry, the Government of Extremadura, the Provincial Council of Badajoz and of course the Villanueva City Council. Their approach is simple: they want to continue “collaborating” with their neighbor, but without ‘going through the altar’, limiting their agreements to the Comprehensive Services Association that already exists. “It’s not the time”. Don Benito’s decision is not important just because of what he says. Equally or even more relevant is who says it. The motion has passed with the unanimity of the plenarywhich means that all groups are in favor of putting it in the box. Including the PSOE, the party that promoted it in 2022. Each party (PP, Siempre Don Benito and PSOE) puts forward its own arguments and places emphasis on one issue or another, but the reading seems clear: the merger has it very complicated even if there is a change of government in 2027. “This is not the time to talk about the merger now,” assume in the PSOE, which advocates “recovering the economy and exciting the neighbors again.” Crossover of arguments. The case of Don Benito and Villanueva de la Serena is interesting beyond the province of Badajoz or Extremadura because it shows how difficult it is (on a political and social level) to unite two town councils. And in this case the neighbors had a good handful of arguments in favor. Beyond the economic and service cohesion that already exists, in 2021 the University of Extremadura published a report which concluded that the new urban area would be the second economic center of Badajoz and the first at the regional level in agriculture and livestock. According to their calculations, ‘marriage’ would increase household income by 2.75% and employment by 5%. Together they would add up today to a population of around 64,000 registeredmore than Merida. Opponents of the merger they put the accent at another point. They argue that the project is nothing more than “the result of a political decision driven in haste, without the necessary social consensus and without rigorous technical planning.” In fact, they regret that in February 2022, “the legal complexity” of the link was not clearly explained to the neighbors, nor were its “risks” and “real costs.” Broadening the focus. Except for a very strange surprise, everything indicates that the dream of Vegas Altas It will remain just that: a dream. In Spain, however, there are other examples of local mergers that have gone ahead. Two of the most recent are those of Oza dos Ríos-Cesuras and Cerdedo-Cotobadeboth in Galicia. The first It was forged in 2013setting a milestone that has not been experienced since 1981, and the second in 2016. Although in Galicia the processes advanced more agilely than in Extremadura, they have not been free of challenges. In 2022 The Country still warned of the challenges that Oza Cesuras had ahead of him a decade after his marriage, with unfulfilled investments and timid changes. In Galicia there has continued to be talk about some other unionalthough without landing them. Why does it cost so much? The million dollar question. In Spain there are almost 1,400 municipalities … Read more

Every summer Spain is more of an oven. This map of AEMET records demonstrates it station by station

by

Climate change is bringing increasingly hot summers and a rather hopeless consolation: increasingly it’s harder to remember a cool summer and the feeling that this torrid summer will be the coolest of our lives (this applies equally this summer to the previous one or next summer). And it’s not just sensations: there is data. Without going any further and according to AEMET datathe Spanish state has just experienced the most extreme heat wave ever recorded in the month of June with some days, June 22 and 23, 2026, which were the warmest of that month in Spain since at least 1950. +7.1 °C above usual values. Faced with this reality, someone has thought of marking the maximums recorded by the Spanish State Meteorological Agency on a map that reveals that the frequency and severity with which the temperature breaks records happens more and more often. And if the pattern holds, this historic June could be, in a few years, just a normal June. The dev and data analyst Adrian Maqueda has developed an interactive map from Spain showing each station in the AEMET network and the latest heat record that he has beaten. That there is a new record? (because unfortunately this summer it will surely happen again) Well, the map updates automatically. This system works with both maximum and minimum temperatures. The updated reading data and historical records come from AEMET’s OpenData. From here the readings are crossed to, in case of a new record, indicate it. The more recent the milestone, the more striking the color and the older the color, the more subdued. In this way it is intuitive to detect the thermal records on the map with the naked eye. Of course, it is not the same for a centennial station to set a record as for one that is only a few years old to do so. How hot it is (it doesn’t matter when you read this) Spain, in maximum temperatures Precisely what makes this map so valuable is how visual it is to verify that They are not isolated phenomena applicable to a specific areabut a pattern that covers the entire territory. And it happens more and more frequently: according to the Report on the State of the Climate in Spain 2025 According to AEMET, in Spain in the last decade 221 records for warm days have been broken and only 7 for cold days. Seen with perspective, the average temperature in Spain has gone up 1.75 °C since 1961 and The 12 warmest years in the historical series are all from the 21st century. The widespread and sustained increase in temperatures has direct consequences for health. In fact, the heat already kills us more than the cold. This trend is not exclusive to Spain: according to the World Meteorological Organizationheat waves in Europe are becoming more frequent, more intense and extending to regions that barely suffered from them before. And be careful because Europe is also the continent that comes out worst off. The Tama station (Cantabria) has just renewed its maximum Returning to the map, last week’s heat wave meant renewing a few of those orange circles to set records because of the network of 828 AEMET stations, 13 new maximum temperature records were recorded. For example, it is the case from Tama station (Liébana), in Cantabria: it reached 43.7 degrees on June 23, the highest temperature recorded in that community in any month of the year. The days were an oven, but the nights became tropical: in southern cities like Jaén or Segovia, the nighttime minimums exceeded 28 degrees. In Xataka | This map reveals the exact ‘climate clone’ of your city (and the result is surprising) In Xataka | The easiest way to understand global warming, in this climate map with data from 1940 Cover | Adrian Maqueda

Spain promised them happiness with its airports increasingly full of tourists. Until someone calculated how it affects rents

by

Of the 96.8 million of foreign tourists that Spain received last year, 80.5 million, something more than 83%they arrived through airports. The plane is not only the main entry route for foreign visitors (well above, for example, the road or ports), it also shows a clear growth trend and has led several terminals to arise its expansion to gain capacity and (simply) do not collapse due to the tourist boom. Against this backdrop, someone has asked themselves a question:What impact does it have? that avalanche of ‘air’ visitors in the Spanish real estate market? Tourists and real estate agencies? That tourism influences the residential market, encouraging the flight from housing to vacation rentals and raising prices is not no news. There are studies that have already thoroughly calibrated the phenomenon. What is curious is what the New Economics Foundation (NEF) has done in a report commissioned by Transport & Environment (T&E), an organization to which it belongs Ecologists in Action: Its technicians have examined how the increase in ‘air tourism’ is influencing housing rentals and, above all, whether we can expect a price increase in the short term. And what have they found out? That there is a direct connection. One, by the way, not at all favorable for the tenants. After analyzing “the effects of air tourism” on the real estate markets of the 12 main economies in Europe and calculating the evolution of prices in the medium term, for the period 2019-2031, NEF technicians have reached a worrying conclusion: the increase in visitors arriving in Europe through airports will affect the pockets of tenants. “We show a transfer of wealth whereby landlords benefit at the expense of tenants, as annual rents in some of Europe’s largest tourist economies are projected to rise by more than €150 a year over the next five years,” points out NEFand warns: “These increases, which represent national average increases, will be concentrated in the main tourist destinations and will mainly affect low-income households.” Can it go further? Yes. That is the general photo. The report commissioned by T&E provides other data that is just as or even more curious. For example, if we focus on the largest European economies dependent on tourism, the impact between now and 2031 will be greater: in Greece the annual increase in rental prices will amount to €163, in Portugal to €193, in Spain to €217 and in Ireland (the worst stop) to €251. In the specific case of Spain, NEF estimates that we will face an “extra increase of 1.6%” annually over the next five years, between 2026 and 2031. If we talk about rents, the average increase is 217 euros. In the case of the average price of housing, the study speaks of 3,500 euros. “Taken together, this would mean an aggregate annual increase in the rental burden of 648 million euros for landlords located in Spain. In the same period, the increase in tourist arrivals by air is projected at 11.8%,” explains. There is another key: these figures show national averages, so the phenomenon may worsen in the most touristy regions. More climbs on the islands? The T&E figures give food for thought. After recalling that there are certain parts of Europe where “local reactions” against tourism are taking place, such as the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Crete and Madeira, T&E points out that these areas are also the most exposed to the arrival of air travelers. There, in the tourist centers, the report warns“tourism can reduce the supply of residential housing by shifting it towards tourist rentals, directing new promotions to visitors or non-resident buyers and making it difficult for local households to move or access a first home.” “We cannot separate the protests against tourism that occur in the streets from the increase in flights above our heads. Trying to manage tourist overcrowding while expanding the airports of Dublin, Barcelona or Lisbon is a losing battle,” claims Bosco Serrano, from T&E Spain. For reference, in the Balearic Islands there are 9.2 arrivals of foreign tourists per resident, the eighth highest value of the European regions. In the Canary Islands they are 4.9 and in Catalonia 2.0. The average for the EU as a whole is just 0.9. What are the causes? For T&E the key is in the “uncontrolled growth of tourism”, driven by the increase in supply, investment in new infrastructure and (in general) the rebound in airport traffic. It’s no surprise. In 2025 Aena registered a record data of passengers. It is important to take into account in any case that the flow of visitors that move the airports may “exacerbate” the crisis of rent (something to be expected if we take into account that many tourists from northern Europe with greater purchasing power fly to Spain), but the reality is that there are other factors that influence the evolution of housing prices. And not all of them depend on tourism. What else comes into play? The imbalance between supply and demand, the fact that new housing is built at much less speed from which new homes are created, the increase in price of materials, the concentration of demand in certain points or the attractiveness that apartments have gained as an investment asset also explain the increase in rents. None of these factors depend on tourism. In fact, there are those who already appreciate signs of a “prick” in vacation rentals, with a loss of interest on the part of investors. Does it only affect housing? No. The report analyzes the impact of tourism in other areas, such as labor or business investment. Regarding the first point, T&E warns that the arrival of more visitors on board airplanes does not always lead to better salaries for workers in the sector. “Tourism employment does not necessarily equate to an improvement in well-being. In 2023, hospitality represented 10% of all hours worked in Spain, but only 5% of the national gross added value,” warns the organization. That tourist rentals rise can … Read more

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.