Spain

The largest glacier in Spain is in its final death throes, and this marks a before and after in the Pyrenees

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Although it may be a bit unknown, in Spain we have a glacier: the Aneto glacier, which is located in the Pyrenees. but there is bad news regarding its continuitysince although we knew that it was doomed to disappear, the reality is that the speed at which it is doing so is faster than we expected. And the latest data that has been known is clear: it has been definitively fragmented. It’s a reality. Although it may be an appreciation of veteran mountaineers who are already tired of seeing it, the reality is very different. The conclusion has been drawn after decades of LiDAR data, photogrammetry with drones and analysis of satellite images from 1981 to 2022 which confirm that the Pyrenean colossus has entered a phase of irreversible collapse. In this way, what was once a continuous mass of ice that flowed down the mountain is today an archipelago of fossil ice fractures that is doomed to disappear. Catastrophic data. Thanks to all the technological means that have been used to monitor this glacier, it has been possible to make a chronology of everything that has happened. And in a single year, the ice masses of the Pyrenees They have lost an average thickness of more than one meter. In specific points, the loss of ice reached four meters, which is equivalent to one and a half floors of a building. But the important thing is that this large amount of ice has disappeared in months. The most worrying thing is that this has occurred in a year that was not especially bad in terms of levels nor did it have the extreme heat waves of 2022. It is simply that the system could no longer take it. An evolution. If we look back, in 2022 the Aneto glacier lost a large lower area. But now the body has split in two so the Aneto is three disconnected masses of ice. And this has consequences even in the name, since the smallest part, under the Collado de Coronas, now stops being a glacier and becomes a glacier. If we continue looking back, there are figures that justify this thaw, since since the final of the little Ice Age in the mid-19th century and until 2017 the temperature of the area increased 1.14ºC. However, the turning point is clearly detected in the 1980s, with a dramatic acceleration of the decline starting in 2000. The technology behind. What differentiates this monitoring from observations made in the last century is its precision. The Cryopyr team It is not limited to driving stakes into the snow and seeing its level. It has been decided to use LiDAR technology and programmed drone flights to create digital models of the terrain. These studies, supported by publications in The Cryosphere and Naturehave made it possible to map not only the surface, but also the basal topography. Thanks to this, we know what is under the ice before it melts. And the most shocking thing is that the ice no longer flows. This is very important because a glacier is defined by its movement; When the thickness decreases so much, gravity stops pushing it down the slope. It stagnates. It turns into fossil ice obscured by dust, which absorbs more solar radiation (lower albedo) and melts even faster. And this is what has already ended up condemning it to its disappearance without anything being able to be done to reverse it. The case of Ossoue. If the Aneto is the symbol, the Ossoue glacier which is located on the border of Spain and France, is undoubtedly the sign that anticipated what was going to happen. This is because it has been the most affected of the season with average losses of 3.5 meters thick. And here history gives us a striking visual reference. In 1882, Earl Henry Russell ordered caves to be excavated on the rock at ice level to celebrate parties. Today, these caves are inaccessible holes hanging tens of meters high above the current ice. The future. What will be left when the ice is gone? This is the mandatory question after seeing this piece of ice melt in the coming years. The answer is that we will see lakes that will appear in the high mountains. And we already have a preview of what we will see what the Innominatea lake with turquoise waters that was formed in 2015 at 3,150 meters above sea level and is considered the highest in the Pyrenees. Despite being beautiful, we must not forget that it is the liquid “corpse” of what was once an ice giant. When will it arrive? There is no exact date on which this disappearance will end. What is known from the most recent reports is that if temperature and precipitation trends continue along the same path, all the Pyrenean glaciers will disappear within 10 years. Images | Pablo J Danis Joan Brebo In Xataka | The Arctic was one of the few corners safe from invasive species thanks to the cold. Until climate change came

For years, foreigners who wanted sun and beach bought a house in Spain. Now they are looking for something else: luxury housing

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The real estate market emits signals which show that foreigners have won a relevant weight in the sale and purchase of luxury homes, which leads us to think about changes in the profile of the international buyer. Spain is no longer just a destination for families or couples from other countries interested in getting a small apartment for their vacation in search of sun and beach. It also receives wealthy people who want settle herein the cities, and is able to pay for his house out of pocket. The data are certainly suggestive. “First level destination”. I warned him recently in an interview with Idealista Paloma Pérez Bravo, CEO of Residencial de Lucas Fox, a platform specialized in the premium market: “Spain has gone from being a sun and beach getaway to a top-level luxury destination.” From your experiencethe country “has stopped being the home of the sun and has become the home of investment. People want more first homes than second homes because they are moving to Spain.” It’s not the only change he appreciates. Upon your signature, Bravo explains to SERdigital nomads are now arriving, entrepreneurs from America, English and American, also businessmen and investors who used to invest in the US and now find themselves with problems there due to Trump’s immigration policy. Is there data? Yes, although they come mainly from companies, so they must be handled with some caution. In your report On market forecasts for 2026, Lucas Fox reveals for example that 62% of buyers Those who close transactions worth more than 2.5 million euros are foreigners, more than 60% of ultra-luxury sales are signed without the need for financing and a good part of the acquisitions are made in search of a “main residence”, not to convert the property into a vacation home or as an investment. Looking ahead to next year, the company also expects that activity in the segments prime and super prime grow 3-6% and 6-10% respectively and leaves behind a fundamental idea that tells us about the profile of those clients who purchase the most expensive houses: “The international buyer is already the majority.” Specifically, the weight of Europeans stands out, followed by Americans and British. Other percentage: 92%. Lucas Fox is not the first to warn of the frequency with which foreign accents are heard in real estate agencies specializing in the premium market. A few months ago Barnes claimed that 92% of buyers from the Spanish luxury market were already foreigners. Of them, around half (49%) were also investors from outside the EU, with a notable presence especially of Mexicans, Colombians, Venezuelans, Russians, Chinese and Arabs. The community members They accounted for 43% while the Spanish, according to the real estate agency, were left with a meager 8% of the total. Are there more clues? The answer is once again affirmative. Another company that shared data recently is LuxuryEstatea premium housing portal that confirms that searches by international buyers interested in the Spanish market already represent a substantial part of its traffic. Above all, the demand for information from european countries such as Germany, France, Italy, Belgium or the Netherlands and the interest aroused by the premium segment of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, Madrid or the Valencian Community. Other regions, such as the Canary Islands and the Basque Country, also seem to be emerging. A consolidated destination. LuxuryEstate confirm in fact that ours “is no longer just an aspirational destination, but a highly competitive market.” The comment is in line with what it points out to Lucas Fox or even CaixaBank Research, which in a recent analysis Regarding the changes in the profile of the resident foreigner who acquires housing in Spain, he warns: “Spain has established itself as one of the most attractive destinations for luxury investment in Europe.” Different buyers. In the same reportCaixaBank recalls that the demand for housing by foreigners has grown in recent years, first after the pandemic and then thanks to the improvement in financing. It also clarifies that there are differences between resident foreigners and those who do not live here and are mainly looking for houses for their vacations or as an investment. On average, the former (residents) paid around €1,795/m2 in 2024 and the latter (non-residents) €3,063/m2. These are values ​​significantly higher than those recorded by national buyers, which moved at 1,713. However, the last balance of Property Registrars shows that foreign demand for housing has reduced in the third quarter of the year, representing 13.6% of the total. The percentage reflects the entire market, not just the luxury segment, although there are those who warn that the latter is not immune to the shortage of supply, which among other issues affects its prices. Images | DaYsO (Unsplash) In Xataka | After Catalonia, there is another autonomous community considering prohibiting buying a home to invest: Canary Islands

This is the flu that is already an epidemic in Spain

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The end of the year is undoubtedly the classic time to have a cold or a bad flu due to the drop in temperatures what causes a lowering of defenseswhich is used by viruses to sneak into all citizens. This gives us the feeling that now everyone has a cold, but the reality is that Spain has officially entered an epidemic of flu. There are reasons. And it is not a general feeling, but rather data from the Carlos III Health Institute confirms that the situation is radically different from that experienced last year. The wave of cases has started earlier, hits harder and brings with it a genetic novelty: the K variant. Tripling figures. The most striking thing about the latest report of the Acute Respiratory Infection Surveillance System (SiVIRA) is not only that cases are increasing, but also the vertical speed at which they do so. In the week of November 17 to 23the incidence in Primary Care reached 112.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, strongly breaking the baseline threshold established at 37 cases. To put it in context: in the same period of 2024, the incidence was only 12.8 cases. We are facing a scenario that practically triples the intensity at the beginning of the season compared to the previous year. This is also added to a positivity rate in which the tests carried out are already close to 20%, which indicates that out of every five people who come with symptoms, one has confirmed flu. A biological factor. Unlike previous seasons where the flu virus of the subtype reigned H1N1this year we are seeing a changing of the guard: the virus dominant is H3N2. And although it may seem somewhat minor, the reality is that the population has lower immunity against this subtype, since the body has not come into contact with it as frequently. Added to this is the ECDC alert (European Center for Disease Control): The virus is not exactly the same as we knew. A mutation has been detected that has given rise to a new subclade, called Variant K. What does variant K imply? Viruses mutate quite frequently, which is one of the reasons why a person who has been vaccinated can develop the disease. This is why this K variant can better evade the body’s defenses and nest more frequently. But it does not indicate that it is more or less serious (as when we talked about COVID), but yes it is more contagious due to this immune evasion and that could explain the increase in cases in the general population. Some vaccines… What don’t work? In recent weeks we have seen awareness campaigns for the vaccination of risk groups against the flu. But surely those who have been vaccinated are seeing how they are contagious and this raises many doubts about the usefulness of vaccines. But to do this, you must understand that flu vaccination is done for a very specific type that is expected to be the majority of the season. The problem, like this, is that in the end the virus ‘surprises us’ with a mutation that ruins all our predictions, making the vaccines not as effective as we expected. Although it can also reduce the intensity of the symptoms. The demographic map. The current epidemic that Spain is experiencing offers us a very clear photo of how it is moving. The citizens who are being infected the most right now are the smallest, that is, children from 1 to 4 years. These present a shooting rate of 428.5 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. A group that is the most affected, although also conditioned because parents go to the pediatrician at the slightest symptom, guaranteeing better case control. But the real problem is in the hospital impact. Although right now we are not in saturation at the national level, in regions like Madrid Hospitalizations of people over 80 years of age have doubled in one week, going from 9.43 to 20.44 cases. A worrying fact in this case is the increase in cases of the most common complication: pneumonia. In this way, the transmission vector is being the smallest, but the most affected are still the older people for whom the flu is a big problem. Even if they have been vaccinated. The forecast. The increase in flu cases It has been advanced between 3 and 4 weeks compared to what we would expect in other years. In this way, if we normally expected the peak of infections at the end of January or beginning of February, this year everything is going to change radically. In the case of Catalonia, the peak of cases is expected to occur between the second and third week of December, while other communities expect it during the Christmas holidays driven by family gatherings. In this way, as a positive point, whoever passes this flu first can avoid suffering its annoying symptoms in the middle of the Christmas holidays. Use of the mask. We already know one of the systems to avoid contagion: the use of a mask. Last year there was great chaos to reach an agreement and impose its use, and this year it seems that a very similar scenario will follow. There are already regions like Galicia and Aragón that have made a move recommending or imposing the use of masks in health centers and anticipating emergency saturation. And it makes a lot of sense that if we go to a health center we avoid infecting the people who are there, since they are probably older or immunocompromised and this can lead to a worsening of the disease. Images | Towfiqu barbhuiya Matteo Fusco In Xataka | H5N1 bird flu unleashes a massacre in Antarctica: half of the female seals have already disappeared

Mercadona has grown so much in Spain that for the US it is no longer just a supermarket chain: it is a “cultural phenomenon”

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The US Government has noticed a growing “cultural phenomenon” in Spain, one especially interesting for its exporting companies and which comes accompanied by millionaire turnover figures. What phenomenon is that? Mercadona. Literally. In your report Retail Foods Annualthe US Department of Agriculture dedicates special attention to Juan Roig’s company and slips that its weight in the retail It already transcends the limits of the retail sector. He even theorizes about the formula for his success. Under the spotlight of Donald Trump. It is not strange that Mercadona makes headlines. After all, it has become a crucial piece of the retail Spanish. Your market share in the sector around 30% (in some regions already exceeds that percentage), far above other competitors such as Carrefour, IFA or Lidl, and has been expanding for the country. What is much less common is for the Valencian retail chain to make headlines because it has caught the attention of US officials, which is exactly what has just happened. Table extracted from the report of the US Department of Agriculture. Attention, USA exporters. Mercadona is cited at least seven times in a report 10 pages published a few days ago by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), a document designed primarily for exporters from the country interested in the Spanish market. In it, the Washington technicians review the billing figures of Juan Roig’s firm, highlight its high weight in the sector (well above competitors such as Carrefour, Lidl, DIA or Eroski) and reflect on the keys to its commercial success. To be more precise, USDA recalls that last year Mercadona recorded sales worth an estimated $34.5 billion. The figure does not exactly match the disclosed by the company, but it is more than double that of Grupo Carrefour (12,000) and well above other well-established chains in the country, such as Lidl (7,500), DIA (6,150), Eroski (5,800) or Alcampo (5,500). “Mercadona occupies first place in the food retail sector in Spain, with sales almost three times higher than those of its second closest competitor,” check the reportwhich theorizes about the bet that has given the chain a market share of almost 30%. The formula for success. USDA highlights two features of the Valencian company. First, its Spanish food offering. Second, its strategic commitment to retail brands, especially Hacendado. “Private labels are very popular in Spain, driven by consumer attention to prices and quality. According to a study by the Aldi chain, Spanish households allocate 44% of their purchasing budget to private label products,” collect the reportwhich goes so far as to refer to the company as a “cultural phenomenon.” Is it something new? No. Washington is not the first to focus on the Valencian chain’s commitment to its own brands. A report from Kandar presented in 2024 by Promarca already pointed out the clear increase in distributor brands in Spanish supermarkets, a general trend that was accentuated in the case of Mercadona. Its external brand offering was cut by 45% between 2018 and 2023, while the value share of white label products reached 74.5%. Other sector reports have highlighted the same idea in recent months: Mercadona’s growing commitment to its brands. Added to this strategy are others deployed by the firm, such as the interest for foods already cooked and ready to eat. Roig himself has recognized openly that he is convinced that mid century Kitchens will disappear from Spanish homes, so people will eat prepared dishes. It is so sure of this that Mercadona has been betting on its section for years. “Ready to eat”. X-raying the sector. Beyond Mercadona, the report from USDA reveals some reflections on the food distribution sector in Spain. Its technicians are struck by, for example, the pace of opening of new stores (244 only between January and April of this year), the promotion of self-service stores and regional super chains (key piece of the national sector) or “the growing popularity” of healthy and convenience products. “Consumers are combining physical and online channels, favoring digital platforms for larger purchases and in-person purchases of fresh products. Retail strategies focus on efficiency, AI technologies, personalization and healthy products,” he comments. the USDA studywhich draws attention to the high “fragmentation” of retail trade and the concentration of the food sector, with Mercadona leading the way. Images | Mercadona, Gage Skidmore (Flickr) and USDA In Xataka | The shadow companies that are making gold with Mercadona: the silent success of Familia Martínez or Profand

a polar Spain in the middle of a world above average

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The climatological autumn has its days numbered and is going to say goodbye in style. After a little rain and mild temperatures, the cold returns to our latitudes. And he is going to do it with force. However, that is not the worrying thing. The worrying thing is what comes next: that in the rain department, we are going to lose a good part of December. “Three days of pure cold.” That’s the summary of the rest of the week. And so says Roberto Granda, one of our greatest temperature experts. As explainedthe cold has already been noticeable in Tuesday’s lows. We have seen “drops of up to 4 and 6 degrees across the board.” Wednesday will be the coldest day of this episode with widespread frost and much of the interior of the country below 10 degrees. However, the coldest night will be Thursday and the minimum temperatures will be below five degrees in most of the peninsular territory. And after? Then we will have a reminder that we are still in autumn. One of those seasons in which the atmosphere casts lots for what is going to happen just before it happens. In this case, despite there being many scenarios on the table, the most likely is that at the end of the week a ridge will settle over Spain to collapse almost immediately, allowing a trough from the north to approach our positions. That would mean more rain: not a lot, but it’s something. Above all, because they may be the last for a long time. The European model has changed its forecast and everything seems to indicate that A NAO+ will be imposed during the first week of December. NAO positive? In general terms, the North Atlantic Oscillation It is the ‘dance’ between the Azores anticyclone and the Icelandic low, the two major atmospheric phenomena that govern the meteorology of the North Atlantic. When the index we use for “measure who is winning” is negative, the Azores anticyclone is weaker than normal and, for this reason, it cannot block the deep Atlantic storms. The direct consequence is that they circulate further south than usual: right at our latitude. yes how everything seems to indicate the NAO becomes positivenot a drop of moisture will enter from the west. The storms will move towards high latitudes (near Iceland and the Nordic countries) and, although stability will not be absolute, the situation will be very dry. Good news for tourism, I guess. Because as explains Samuel Biener“a predominant flow from the west or southwest, the temperatures could be between 1 and 3 ºC above the average in the center, northern third and on the shores of the Mediterranean” during the December long weekend. We do not have any quantification of what will happen in the south and in the Canary Islands, but we can get an idea. Image | TropicalTridBits In Xataka | The last hope of winter in Spain is desperate, but increasingly possible: the breaking of the polar vortex

BYD pours cold water on its hypothetical factory in Spain

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BYD does not have a plan on the table to open a factory in our country. At least, that is what Alberto de Aza, general director of BYD for Spain and Portugal, maintains, who in an interview with EFE has stated that the company is focused on its Hungarian factory. According to De Aza, there are neither production problems nor are there intentions to open a plant in Spain. BYD is interested in Spain. Spain has sounded strong on two occasions to be the home of a BYD car production plant for Europe. He did it first in 2023 when it was learned that the company was touring Europe looking for a location to a factory. Before the end of that same year, we knew that Hungary had been chosen. Now, information has suggested that BYD is once again studying the opening of a factory. And, according to ReutersSpain was once again one of the first candidates. Its operating costs and good performance in the country seemed to be two incentives to take into account for the future. There are no plans. That is what Alberto de Aza, general director of BYD for Spain and Portugal, answered in an interview with EFE. The head of the company in our country has indicated that “there is no specific plan at this time to implement a production center in Spain.” The response is a bucket of cold water to the information that indicated that Spain was the first on the starting line of this new race. In fact, just a few days ago the Generalitat of Catalonia confirmed that they had held conversations with company representatives. And shortly before, in October, the De Aza spoke of Spain as “an ideal place” to expand the company’s European manufacturing. For now, Hungary. At the moment, BYD seems to be focused on opening its plant in Hungary. Everything indicates that “you’ll see later.” And the company has started very strongly in our country but a good part of the European market is resisting. The commitment to plug-in hybrids at attractive prices, such as the BYD Atto 2 DM-i It is confirmation that they try to find solutions and alternatives. To this we must add that the company has faced some complications related to its Hungarian plant. The first is whether you are using enough local employees. The second is whether it is going to create a sufficiently dense industrial network around it. complicated lace. BYD is not the only company that is in the eye of the European Union for how they manufacture (in this case, hope to manufacture) their cars on European soil. At the moment, electric cars coming from China are taxed with specific tariffs for each company but not so with plug-in hybrids. To avoid this specific and general tariff (10% on imports arriving from China), Chinese manufacturers talk about producing in Europe. However, the European Union closely monitors how these cars are manufactured. And there is talk of producing vehicles using almost assembled kits that arrive in Europe by boat and are given the finishing touches on European soil. Something like if a puzzle of 1,000 pieces arrived assembled without joining four large groups of them. This, European regulators assure, might not be enough to skip tariffs. It is a practice that already has delayed the arrival of the electric Omoda 5 to the Barcelona factory, for example. Spain, why? To the above we must add a detail: Spain has moved into a complicated game of balance with China. In addition to the fact that our country offers lower operating costs (labor or energy) to manufacturers compared to other European nations, the truth is that there is another point of view. In the final approval of tariffs on Chinese electric cars, Spain veered from a resounding “yes” to abstention. Shortly after its application, it was leaked that the Chinese State had ordered its manufacturers stop all investments in the countries that supported those tariffs. Italy, for example, would have been one of the most affected countries. Since then, it has been leaked that BYD was interested in Spain to house a new European factory. But also CATL reached an agreement with Stellantis to launch a battery production plant in Aragon. It is no coincidence that Spain has pampered its relations with China lately. Photo | Mercedes and Xataka In Xataka | “They assemble Chinese cars with Chinese components and Chinese personnel”: the EU is beginning to suspect the manufacturers’ plants

Spain has to get serious about dental anesthesia

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Going to the dentist is a visit that may not be very pleasant and that can cause great fear in some patients due to the pain or discomfort that may arise from undergoing a treatment such as treating a cavity. This has made it popular in recent years to sedate patients who are more afraid or who are going to undergo long treatmentsbut this has left very bad news in the last week. The case. The focus on sedation procedures has been placed in the focus of public opinion after learning the death of a six-year-old girl after dental treatment with intravenous sedation in a clinic in Alzira (Valencia), and the admission to the ICU of another one who was treated at the same dental center. These two tragic events, which are currently being investigated, have raised many doubts about this procedure, how common it is and, above all, how it is regulated in our country. Because logically it is something really shocking to go get a tooth filled or have a root canal and not survive the procedure, when a priori it seems like something completely safe. Although there is one detail that sometimes we completely miss: anesthesia (even if it is sedation) is not nonsense and has very important risks that not everyone can control. Sedation in dentistry. To understand this situation, you must know that in dentistry there are different levels of anesthesia depending on the procedure to be used. The most common is undoubtedly the one in which an anesthetic medication is pricked into the gum itself (something that hurts quite a bit) to be able to do a filling or an extraction. A local anesthesia that disappears after two hours and does not last longer and that the dentist himself can apply after interviewing the patient and asking about his or her allergies. But beyond this ‘normality’ we have other treatments for patients who fear being in that situation or who are going to undergo annoying and long procedures. Here you bet on a ‘conscious sedation‘. In this case the patient maintains protective reflexes and the ability to respond to commands such as opening your mouthbut remains completely relaxed The problem is that the border between “conscious” sedation and deep sedation (where this type of reflex is lost) is quite blurred, especially when powerful intravenous drugs are used in the pediatric population. Precisely for this reason scientific societies They have been demanding for years that these techniques be regulated and are executed only with specifically trained personnel and in environments prepared to respond to an emergency in seconds. Because in part, the safety of anesthesia It is thanks to the professionals who administer it daily, controlling all the patient’s parameters and having a lot of experience behind them with these drugs. Because a drug of this style seems harmless, but the reality is that there are many emergencies that can arise from the use of anesthetics, such as the great feared malignant hyperthermia. The regulations. Procedures of this style They have regulation which right now is fragmented. That is, there is no state standard that applies to all clinics in the country, but rather it depends on each autonomous community through its authorization decrees. Even so, different common elements are repeated in the regulations that are: Specific authorization to administer intravenous sedation or advanced anesthesia techniques. In the case of Alzira, that authorization did not exist. Something that also raises questions about how he could access these drugs without authorization to do so. Existence of a doctor responsible for sedation who may be an anesthetist or a dentist specialized in these techniques. But the important thing is that it is a different person than the one doing the treatment so that they can monitor the patient. Specific training in sedation, airway management and also accreditation in cardiopulmonary resuscitation techniques. Patient monitoring: the clinic box must have at least monitoring of constants such as blood pressure, heart rate or oxygen saturation. But you must also have the appropriate equipment to deal with an emergency in the middle of the intervention. ​ In Catalonia, for example, the Official Col·legi d’Odontòlegs i Stomatòlegs maintains a specific registry for clinics authorized to perform sedation, with personnel, equipment and audit requirements. Other communities, such as Madrid or the Valencian Community, include the demands in orders of technical-sanitary requirements for health centers and in their catalog of authorizable activities. ​What a mistake. The information that has emerged from Alzira’s case illustrates well the clash between real practice and what the regulations require. The Ministry’s reports now indicate that the dental clinic was authorized as a dental center, but not to perform sedation on patientsdespite the fact that he administered drugs this way to a six-year-old girl at the hands of an anesthetist who also is being investigated. Now it is something that is in the hands of justice that also contemplates the possibility of poor condition of the medication used to sedate patients. After the death of the minor, doubts have arisen from associations of anesthetists warning of the “serious risk” of perform sedation outside the hospital setting or without specifically trained personnel, and remembering that even “conscious” sedation can quickly evolve into life-threatening respiratory depression. The combination of younger age, intravenous route and an environment possibly not prepared to the level required by best practices constitutes a high-risk scenario that the regulatory framework precisely aims to avoid. A regulation with obstacles. Although many communities have been fine-tuning their regulations, several legal and technical reviews highlight that the regulation of sedation in dentistry in Spain remains scatteredunequal between territories and, in some cases, ambiguous regarding who can do what and under what conditions. In some autonomies, complex sedation and general anesthesia are regulated in detail, but “conscious” sedation in consultation, especially when they switch to intravenous medications and benzodiazepines, remains in an area where interpretation weighs more than a unified framework. What should we look at? With this unfortunate case, … Read more

Spain has never been a land of skyscrapers. Now someone wants to build one for luxury tourists in Malaga

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Malaga is known for the Alcazaba, Gibralfaro or its Cathedral. If Hesperia and the Qatari fund Al Alfia manage to move forward with their plans, in not too long it will also be for another building, one that will also mark their skyline: the Port Tower. The project is not new (it has years on the table) and has generated considerable controversy in the city, but its promoters have just made it clear that they are not giving up: after receiving green light of the Port, the companies that are trying to move it forward have organized an event to share dates, data and investments. Their objective is to demonstrate that they are still committed to building a 144-meter tower in a country, Spain, that stands out for its little hobby by the skyscrapers. What is the Port Tower? A megaproject which has been in the offices of administrations for almost a decade and (above all) generating debate in Malaga. And the “mega” thing is more than justified in this case. At least if we pay attention to the latest data broken down by their promoters. The idea is to build a skyscraper 144 meters high, 59 meters wide and 19 meters wide at the end of the Levante dock, in the middle of the port, near the maritime station where the cruise ships dock. The tower will act as a huge hotel 382 roomsbut its promoters they insist in which it will arrive accompanied by a much more ambitious and useful infrastructure for the city that will cover, in total, 54,000 square meters. “The hotel will be located in a currently depressed area, where there is nothing, and we are going to recover that environment for the city and the citizens,” slide from Hesperia, a fundamental piece in its promotion together with the Qatari fund Al Alfia. Is more information known? Yes. Both about the hotel itself and the urban development that will accompany it. The icing on the cake will be the skyscraper: 144 meters high whose centerpiece will be accommodation focused on the high-net-worth clientele that comes to Malaga. The objective, in fact, is for it to operate as a five-star Grand Luxury hotel and be managed by an international chain (there are already interested parties). Beyond the hotel, the complex will include a 2,500 m2 auditorium, underground parking, a restaurant, a plaza and a 1.3 km boulevard with viewpoints, a bike path, green areas… The development companies in fact calculate that the complex will cover around 54,000 m2. “It is not a speculative project, it will have a return for the developer, but above all for the city because it creates many public spaces,” investors claim in The Opinion of Malaga. How much will it cost? There is talk of an investment of about 200 million eurosalthough initially the figure was quite inferior. This high amount (along with the special status of the land) explains why the promoters insist on the “transformative” and social dimension of the project and the return it will have for Malaga. The reason? To begin with because the promoters they do not rule out qualify for European funds and have support from the administrations. Before even thinking about financing, the project must nevertheless get its future cleared by the Council of Ministers, for which it is key that its public utility be demonstrated. Why is it news? The initiative is by no means new. A quick search in the newspaper archive arrives to verify that he has been chaining procedures for years, a complex path during which he even changed his star architect: the Valencian José Seguí He moved not long ago to the Londoner David Chipperfielwinner of the Pritzker Prize (the Nobel Prize for architects) in 2023. In recent weeks, however, the tower has been in the news again for two reasons. The first came in October, when the Port Authority gave the green light to the complex and allowed him to move on to the next stop in his processing: the State Ports table. There they must study it in depth before it reaches the Council of Ministers, which must rule on whether the hotel complex fits into the Levante dike. That is, whether or not it authorizes the hotel use of that space. The second reason why the tower is being talked about these days is because its promoters, Hesperia and Al Alfia, have organized an act to emphasize that they are not giving up. In fact, the quote served to explain details of the Chipperfield project and outline the schedule managed by the companies: their objective is to resolve the pending issues “in the medium term” to start the works as early as 2026. According to their estimates, the work will last about three years. Will that be possible? First, the project must overcome certain obstacles. And not all of them have to do with financing. The project needs the green light from the Council of Ministers and Óscar Puente, Minister of Transportation, since has warned that the Executive will not move until it knows the judicial resolution to the appeals presented by the Defendamos Nuestro Horizonte platform and the Academy of Fine Arts of San Telmo, critical of some aspects of the project. They are not the only ones. ICOMOS, linked to UNESCO, has warned also the landscape impact of the tower. Spain, country of skyscrapers? Although in Spain there are skyscrapers like the Crystal Towerin Madrid, of 249 m, and in Andalusia itself we find the Seville Tower (180.5 m), the truth is that our country does not exactly stand out for its large buildings. Some time ago Skyscrapercenter made a ranking with the nations with the highest number of towers that exceed 150 meters and Spain occupies 32nd place, behind other European countries, such as Germany, France or the United Kingdom. The Malaga tower is a reminder of one of the controversies generated by this type of structures: its impact on the landscape … Read more

The mansions of the most exclusive urbanization in Spain are usually a mystery. Marc Márquez has opened it up a little

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The MotoGP rider has had no shame in reveal the value of his mansion in La Finca, along with other details about how he manages an asset that exceeds 80 million euros. Far from the clichés of the millionaire athlete, Márquez talks about fiscal responsibility, professional advice and a clear philosophy: money has not changed his lifestyle (or at least not in everyday things). The mansion as an investment, not as a whim. Marc Márquez has resided since 2022 in La Finca, the most exclusive urbanization in Pozuelo de Alarcón, where he has neighbors such as Cristiano Ronaldo or Cristina Pedroche. His property, valued at around 10 million euros, has 1,300 square meters distributed in seven rooms, a gym, a two-story swimming pool and a minimalist aesthetic with straight lines and light tones. When asked about the price, the pilot responds: “10 million? Around there. That area is around there. But it is an investment,” according to declared on Imagin’s ‘The End of the Month Podcast’. He also states that “the house is paid for.” This case, in fact, It was owned by Mariano Díazformer Real Madrid player and current Deportivo Alavés forward. The jump to Madrid. The move from Cervera to the capital was not just a matter of comfort. According to revealed to ‘Todo Circuit’the decision was motivated by medical reasons, being close to his doctors after the injuries that have marked his career, and by logistical efficiency. “I save hours on the train, with events and commitments,” he explained. The Finca also offers you the privacy you are looking for, being a refuge where you can disconnect from the circuit without fanfare. The lesson of the first million. The path to economic stability began in 2013, when Márquez won his first MotoGP title at just 20 years old. That bonus of more than a million euros opened his eyes about money management. “More than 50%, bam!, Treasury. 10% for the manager, training motorcycles…”, remembered in that same interview. It was then that he met the lawyer who still advises him and learned the importance of not losing his mind: “They told me: ‘it seems like a lot, but it’s little, leave it in the bank.’” Since then, he assures that his advice is provided by a lawyer and an accounting manager, without limited companies. “I am self-employed, I am not a company, I do not have a SL,” he says. An empire beyond motorcycles. In addition to his residence, Márquez has diversified his assets with investments in the audiovisual sector with his brother Álex. They participate in companies such as Fast Brothers Productions, dedicated to film and series production, and Café Para Muy Cafeteros, focused on podcasts. They also founded Vertical Management SL, specialized in representation and advice of athletes and content creators, together with Vertical Content Creators SL and Bamboleo Events SL, the latter focused on organizing sporting events. With this network of companies, he not only manages his image, but also builds a professional future that will be very good for him once he retires from his profession. 2025, year of 10. His season with Ducati has been historic: he has won his ninth world title, achieved 11 victories in grand prix and 14 in sprint. This, according to Forbes, has reported him extraordinary income that totals more than 5 million euros in bonuses, in addition to his base salary of 12 million. Added to this are sponsorships with brands such as Estrella Galicia, Alpinestars, Shoei or Audi, which represent a substantial part of a total assets that exceeds 80 million euros. Money without posturing. “I’m lucky that money hasn’t changed my lifestyle,” says Márquez. “I have the same time with my friends anywhere, I don’t need to show off.” He has no debts, declares himself self-employed and maintains a low profile. “I don’t want to be in the newspapers or anything like that,” he confesses. It is the same solvency with which he rides a Ducati: a cool head, long-term vision and feet on the ground. In Xataka | An atoll in the South Pacific has become a magnet for millionaires. Its great attraction is not its beaches, it is its banks

While everything is going through the roof, a product is cheaper than ever in Spain: cocaine

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Those who are dedicated to probing the coca market have encountered a curious phenomenon: while the CPI rises and the prices of products such as the coffee either cocoacocaine undertakes the reverse path. Its cost seems to be in free fall. If a few years ago there was talk of more than 30,000 euros per kilogram of white powder, today there are sources that place it at barely 13,000a collapse that also coincides with an apparent increase of traffic and a high consumption. A difficult equation to solve. What do the figures say? It is not easy to talk about cocaine trafficking and the price. There is data and people dedicated to studying it, but for obvious reasons much of the information available is based on estimates. I shared the last one a few days ago The Catalan Newspaper in an extensive report in which he assures that right now a kilo of cocaine on the black market is around 13,000 euros. The same newspaper recalls that not so long ago a kilo brick was around 20,000 euros, but if you use the newspaper archive you will find information which show that a mere decade ago it was priced at between 27,000 and 29,000 euros in the Rías Baixas or even above 30,000 in Madrid and Valencia. What’s more, just a few months ago The Voice of Galicia assured that the official reference with which the Ministry of the Interior worked when calculating the value of the seized drugs set the value of a kilo at just over 30,500 euros. Is it something new? No. And that’s the curious thing. The media has been reporting on the drop in the price of coca for more than a year, sometimes with slight swings. Now does it The Newspaperbut a year ago I did it the Galician press and in 2023 it had the same message ABCwhich already at that time included the words of Fernando Iglesias, head of the Customs Surveillance Service in Galicia: “Its price has plummeted and that leads to a brutal offer.” “Cocaine prices have been devalued by almost half compared to just a few years ago, and that is a very clear indicator of the current abundance of this drug,” agreed the head of the Galician Foundation against Drug Trafficking. According to the data what he was driving at the time ABCthe kilo of Colombian coca that 20 years ago was paid for 30,000 euros had gone to price 17,000. Prices, however, always refer to a kilo. Curiously, this accelerated cheapening of drugs does not seem to have transferred to the street. Where the gram still costs the same than before: it remains around the 50 and 60 eurosdespite the fact that those who handle large quantities of drugs do so at a much lower cost. Are there more trends? Yes. Again they are based on estimates and indications, but they are just as interesting. The first tells us about the type of drug that is consumed. Not only has a kilo of coca become cheaper, it also seems to be purer. That at least is what emerges from the data from Energy Control, an agency dedicated to analyzing samples delivered by anonymous buyers. Their studies show that, on average, the samples that arrive have a purity that exceeds 70%. Other studies They have also noted an increase in purity. What about consumption? If there is a clear (and relevant) trend, it is the one that tells us about demand, which can be analyzed based on two key clues: studies on consumption and seizures of caches. In the first case (demand), the European Drug Report 2025 stands out, which reveals that Spain is the country with a highest percentage of population that has taken coca at some point in their life. The figure here reaches 13.3%, well above France and Denmark (9.4%). Do we have more clues? Yes. The European study, presented in June, slid that there are indications that consumption is increasing in the EU and even advised administrations to prepare for a rebound in demand for treatments. The percentage of people who admit to having tried the white powder also has been increasing over the last few years. The latest EADES survey (2024) indicates that 13% of individuals from 15 to 64 years old admit having used cocaine at some time, which marks the maximum in the historical series. In 2022 that indicator marked 11.7% and if we go to the early years of the 2000s the data was even lower. The Man Project Observatory also has noted its increase among users seeking to detoxify: in a matter of a decade it has gone from being the main addiction of 27% of users to extending its shadow to reach approximately 41%. What about seizures? They are another thermometer. At the end of the day, whether more or fewer caches are ‘hunted’ depends on the authorities’ aim, but also on the intensity of traffic. The Newspaper remember that the police only manage to seize a relatively low percentage of all the drugs that arrive at the ports. In the absence of more updated data, the 2024 Annual Drug Statistics published in July by the Intelligence Center against Terrorism and Organized Crime (CITCO) shows that last year Interior recorded an increase in cocaine seizures of 5.2%, which places them at approximately 123 tons. “There is more cocaine than ever”recognize police sources to The Newspaper about the situation that exists in cities like Barcelona. The same medium specifies that in 2023 and 2024 Customs Surveillance located just over 60 million tons of coca hidden in containers arriving by sea from South America. The reason for these data? One possibility is a change in routes that reduces the volume traveled through Holland and Belgium and places Spain as a gateway to Europe. What about the prices? If demand does not seem to be suffering… Why are prices falling, at least in the channels where kilos are moved (another … Read more

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