Editorials for El Periodico
- Catalonia is facing a severe shortage of rainfall, which has depleted the internal basins' reservoirs.
- Soon, the Catalonian government might declare a drought emergency in the area of Barcelona and the Ter-Llobregat supply system.
- The scarcity of water can lead to severe restrictions affecting most of the Catalan population.
- The lack of investment and progressiveness in implementing the necessary reforms have exacerbated the problem.
- Responsibilities of the problem are not exclusive to the current government and local councils but also previous ones.
Conclusion: The severity of the current situation could be the definitive push to take all necessary measures to better cope with future droughts.
- Allegations and suspicions about the operations of the Tersa waste incineration plant have been ongoing since 2018.
- An investigation by the Universitat Rovira i Virgili found that levels of dioxins and furans in the vicinity of the plant were unusually high between 2014 and 2017.
- Judicial and journalistic investigations revealed a lack of crucial control over the temperature of waste combustion.
- The data provided by Tersa's managers were incoherent and indicative of significant errors.
- The alternative to procedural flaws is the concerning possibility of actual toxic emissions, with no detection or proper response.
- A report from the Civil Guard suggests that the plant could potentially be putting the population at "risk" due to exposure to pollutants.
Conclusion: The insufficient response from those responsible for the plant's operations calls for an extension of the judicial investigation of the years in question and assurance that the plant is operating in a transparent and safe manner.
- Iran has always acted indirectly in military interventions but this strategy might be changing.
- Missiles fired directly by Iran at enemies in Iraq, Syria, and Pakistan could put the Axis of Resistance in question.
- Iran's direct military involvement could ignite a vast region from the Mediterranean to the Indian border.
- Despite economic sanctions, Iran has strong military, oil resources, controls decisive maritime passes.
- The debate is how to contain the actions of pro-Iranian militias without fully cutting Iran's deterrent power in the region.
- The destabilization of pro-Iranian militias is evident, and requires defensive action and reducing their motives for action.
Conclusion: It is necessary to increase efforts in achieving a ceasefire in Gaza and open a new chapter in the Middle East leading to the establishment of a Palestinian state that can live in peace and security with Israel.
- Donald Trump has an 11 point lead over Nikki Haley in the republican primaries in New Hampshire.
- Joe Biden won in the democratic field in a symbolic consultation to the militancy.
- The South Carolina primaries will be decisive, especially for Haley.
- There is a paradox in which the polls show Haley as the likely winner against Biden.
- Biden's ability to mobilize the democratic electorate will be key, as well as the vote from young people, women and minorities.
Conclusion: The primary races are turning into a two-horse race with Trump and Biden leading. The deep division in American society may limit a significant shift in voter allegiance, and both Biden and Trump will need to focus on maintaining and mobilizing their existing base.
- A refereeing controversy in a match between Real Madrid and Almería created a storm in Spanish football.
- Real Madrid, which were losing in the match, benefited from contentious refereeing decisions.
- These decisions may have damaged Real Madrid's reputation.
- The use of VAR (Video Assistant Referee) has been questioned for its transparency and objectivity.
- The Federation decided to make public the conversations between the referees during the VAR consultation, but with mixed results.
Conclusion: Transparency in refereeing is vital to football, but it must be used in a way that doesn't favor any team and that enhances competition, rather than causing controversy.
- Barcelona is facing a challenge of improving public safety and the perception of insecurity.
- Although crime levels are still lower than in 2019, they have increased in the last three years.
- Images of the five most active thieves in the city have added to alarm and feeling of unprotectedness.
- The action plan Pla Tremall has arrested nearly 300 repeat offenders and has decreased crime.
- The reform of the Penal Code, allowing effective prison sentences after three convictions, is a positive step
- Serving the sentence in open mode, using GPS anklets, can facilitate this reform without overcrowding prisons.
- To change the citizens' perception, a broad consensus is required among political forces.
Conclusion: Barcelona's safety lies in improvements in police and judicial action, as well as the necessary shift in political rhetoric. The presented approach seems to be effective, although it requires firmer support and action from all stakeholders.
- The PSOE holds conventions with rules that favour their position and reinforce their leader.
- In the recent PSOE convention, activities and speeches were designed to glorify the party and its leader in the absence of representatives from the critical sector.
- The convention aimed to support its candidate in the upcoming Galician elections and to advocate for amnesty for the accused in the 'procés'.
- Amnesty is seen as the path towards full reconciliation between Catalonia and the rest of Spain.
- Support for amnesty is also an attempt to correct the inconsistency that came from denying such a possibility until the votes from the separatists were needed.
- A 'shock plan' was announced to improve education, based on recent disappointing results from the PISA report.
Conclusion: The PSOE is seeking ways to strengthen its position and regroup around its leader, using both the policy of amnesty and meaningful proposals to improve education.
- Pharmaceutical research mobilizes large sums of public and private investment.
- The cost-benefit relationship must justify its public financing and align with community health needs.
- The urgency for therapeutic solutions should not overshadow the necessary guarantees to confirm their effectiveness and possible side effects.
- A new directive on the European pharmaceutical strategy is under debate in the European Parliament.
- The current directive allows centers to apply experimental therapies bypassing some steps of the centralized authorization system.
- The popular and liberal parliament support an amendment to limit hospital exemption.
Conclusion: It is imperative to maintain the necessary balance ensuring that the benefits of therapies reach patients without putting them at risk, regardless of existing commercial or economic conflicts.
- Pakistan attacked pro-Iranian Baluchi targets in Iran, which had previously bombed a supposed Baluchi guerrilla base in Pakistan.
- These events could increase the risk of an escalation beyond any forecast.
- The Houthi militias, supported by Iran, have been increasing attacks against ships in the Red Sea.
- Iran is using these attacks as a pretext to increase its challenges in the region.
- The international community needs to pressure for a ceasefire and intervene in the escalation.
- The true reasons for the attacks and conflicts come from a web of interests and balances in the region.
- The situation has worsened due to the understimate of the United States in the region and its focus on the Pacific.
- The belligerent behavior of the Israeli government and the opacity of Russia complicate the situation.
- Trade between Europe and Asia is threatened by the situation in the Red Sea and the increase in energy costs.
- Instability goes beyond the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and is spreading to other regions.
Conclusion: A multilateral negotiation is urgent to stop the escalation of conflicts and prevent a forced displacement of the population in conflict. The response from the international community has been insufficient so far.
- Donald Trump has scored a resounding victory in the Iowa primaries, outdoing his nearest rival by 30 points.
- DeSantis' strategy to position himself as a more conservative aspirant than Trump has failed.
- Haley, although third, has chances for an honorable second place in the upcoming New Hampshire primaries.
- Trump controls the entire structure of the Republican Party and his ability to mobilize his voters remains intact.
- Biden's approval index has dropped to 38%, raising doubts about his suitability among the democratic electorate.
Conclusion: The current political scenario shows that Trump remains a prominent figure among Republicans despite his legal woes, while Biden's credibility among Democrats is waning.
- Spain will have to absorb the placement of 38 billion euros of public debt that was in the hands of the European Central Bank in 2024.
- This debt can be sold to different groups of purchasers, such as foreign investors, investment funds, and individuals.
- The demand for the debt remains high, despite the increase in interest rates.
- The new Minister of Economy, Carlos Cuerpo, has extensive experience in the matter but that alone will not suffice to handle the unique challenge of the debt.
- Spain suffers from a structural public deficit and high public debt, which constitutes a greater vulnerability.
- Managing the decrease in deficit and debt while increasing social spending seems more like an illusion than a reality.
Conclusion: Spain needs rigor in the administration of public accounts, avoiding falling into the euphoria of high public spending to maintain financial stability.
- Today, the primary process in the United States begins, with the Republican Party in Iowa, where Trump has around 80% support.
- On Tuesday, 23, it will be the Democratic Party in New Hampshire, with Joe Biden as the sure winner.
- Super Tuesday, March 5, will be critical for both parties.
- Trump's theoretical rivals, Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley, show weakness and do not seem capable of challenging his leadership.
- The Democratic Party lacks a strong, consolidated candidate capable of mobilizing three important groups of voters: women, minorities, and young people.
- Biden is aiming for a second term despite having an approval rate of 40%.
- The primaries are predictable and will not clear up doubts about Biden's ability to mobilize voters.
Conclusion: The picture shows a race for the White House that seems to be defined from the beginning between Trump and Biden, with no clear adversaries for either. Even though Biden has a low approval rate, Trump does not appear to have strong opponents.
- The increase in cases of respiratory virus infections has led to the saturation of emergency services and the diversion of scarce resources in hospitals.
- The term 'tripledemia' highlights the return of the flu, Covid-19, and the proliferation of other common respiratory viruses at this time of year.
- Despite having managed a severe health crisis, there is a lack of streamlining in unnecessary medical procedures that obstruct the operation of health centers.
- Common preventive measures in other countries, such as mask wearing, have not been adopted.
- The hesitation of health authorities to push for preventive and protective measures causes problems.
- The flu and COVID-19 vaccination campaign has only covered a third of the population.
- The opportunity to activate the Public Health Agency with the necessary resources, autonomy, and prestige to be a trusted reference has been missed.
Conclusion: The management of respiratory viruses has been insufficient, with a lack of preventive measures and better coordination and streamlining of medical services, and the vaccination campaign has been inadequate. The opportunity has been missed to give greater prominence to the Public Health Agency.
- The bombing of Houthi sites in Yemen by the U.S. and U.K. exacerbates the crisis in the Middle East.
- The primary goal should be to halt the Gaza war and prevent a conflict escalation.
- The maritime traffic through the Red Sea, essential for trade between Europe and Asia, is under threat.
- The participation of U.S. and U.K. could give China and Russia greater influence over the war.
- The genocide claim filed by South Africa against Israel could sway public opinion but may not alter Israeli military operations.
- The judges' decision at The Hague could complicate the defense of Israel assumed by the United States.
Conclusion: The escalation of conflict in the Middle East intensifies, threatening commercial and political stability.
- Pedro Sánchez has passed the first test of legislature thanks to a last-minute agreement with Junts per Catalunya.
- One of the critical outcomes of the agreement is fiscal incentives for companies that left Catalonia in 2017.
- Junts has achieved the publication of fiscal balances and the delegation of competencies in immigration matters.
- There are doubts about how the transfer of competencies will be carried out and its constitutionality.
- The agreement with Junts, gaining representativeness disproportionate to its electoral weight, creates controversy.
- Sanchez's Government should refrain from issuing royal decrees without a solid majority.
Conclusion: This episode reveals the difficulties and complexities of governing with a minority and negotiating agreements with parties with different interests. It also highlights the contention between Junts and Catalan institutions, and the potential and problematic influence of Junts on immigration policy.
- The Toconao freighter lost six containers in Portuguese waters, as warned by the Portuguese authorities to the European Maritime Safety Agency and Spain.
- The Spanish government announced it via WhatsApp to the Galician authorities, although they claim to not have received the formal notice until January.
- The Government asked the Galician government to declare level 2 of alert but it did not do so until the Government of Asturias advanced, creating coordination issues.
- The political situation, notably the calling of elections in Galicia, has obstructed actions and evaluations of the situation.
- The plastic spill poses an environmental danger, but it may have been minimized by the Galician government to enlist the intervention of the central Government.
Conclusion: The management of this incident has been markedly influenced by political games and electoral calculations, hindering the accuracy of the environmental damage assessment and the effectiveness of the measures taken.
- Grifols, the family-based Catalan multinational pharmaceutical company, was severely affected in stock due to accusations of accounting manipulation published by the bearish fund Gotham City Research.
- The information suggests that Grifols has less profits and more debt than it has declared, indicating a higher level of leverage than reported.
- These accusations have created uncertainty among investors about the real situation of the company.
- Despite the accusations, Grifols denies the allegations and maintains that its figures are validated by auditors KPMG.
- Gotham City Research has a questionable track record, with false accusations, but also with investigative successes.
Conclusion: If the accusations prove to be false, it would be a serious attack on the company. If true, the risk of bankruptcy would be highly probable, triggering an accounting scandal. This case highlights the need for transparency and rigorous verification in financial reports, and the responsibility of auditors.
- The Government does not have the necessary votes to validate the three decrees that will be debated in Congress.
- The Spanish parliamentary scene has evolved from imperfect bipartisanship to equally imperfect bibloquism.
- The blocs on the scene respond more to two fronts of mutual rejection than to a programmatic axis.
- The investiture bloc is composed of left-wing forces, nationalisms and more centred ideologies, without a common model of a plurinational Spain.
- Maintaining all the votes of the investiture amid components with such heterogeneous interests will become increasingly difficult.
- JxCat and Podemos still resist giving their endorsement to the decrees for various reasons.
- Two of the decrees in question are the one extending part of the anti-crisis package to 2024 and a decree that includes other measures related to European funds.
- The endorsement of this text is necessary for Spain to receive the fourth instalment of the Next Generation funds, and the president of the PP has shown willingness to promote his group's abstention in exchange for certain conditions.
Conclusion: The scenario is sterile for the interests of the citizens. The PSOE and the PP, as major governing parties, must regain political transversality on State issues.
- The history of Catalan has been a constant struggle against its exclusion and the integration of new Catalan speakers.
- Catalan usage is decreasing among youth, with Spanish establishing itself as the lingua franca.
- The fight for Catalan's preservation requires more than just political and cultural promotion.
- Catalan is at risk of becoming the internal language of a stagnant linguistic community, which could eventually lead to its extinction.
- The preservation of Catalan requires ensuring universal knowledge of both Catalan and Spanish, and beyond this, the promotion of models of coexistence and mutual respect.
Conclusion: The future of Catalan is at stake. Catalan needs to be presented as a meeting and exchange point, and not as an imposition.
- Vox's leader, Santiago Abascal, aims to illegalize separatist parties.
- The Spanish Constitution aims to identify those who violate it not by their ideas, but by their actions.
- The Spanish Penal Code already provides for the illegalization of parties, if they violate the law by acting openly against Spain's existence.
- The People's Party proposes a reform of the Penal Code to fill the vacuum left by the elimination of the crime of sedition.
- This proposal by the People's Party is delicate and must be handled carefully to avoid political contradictions and potential defeats before the European Court of Human Rights.
Conclusion: It is imperative that political parties understand and respect the fundamental principles of Spanish democracy, avoiding actions driven by political polarization rather than respecting the spirit and letter of the Constitution.
- A radical protest took place in front of the PSOE headquarters on New Year's Eve.
- The protesters hung and beat a doll symbolizing President Pedro Sánchez.
- The PSOE has strongly condemned this action, calling it fascist violence.
- The Popular Party has been criticized for its lukewarm condemnation of the actions.
- Radical rallies are becoming increasingly minority and radicalized.
- There is an observed use of double standards in political judgment.
- Such protests, with high levels of violence, albeit symbolic, contribute to the dehumanization of the adversary.
- These acts are framed within freedom of expression, unless they include explicit incitement to violence or discrimination.
Conclusion: The piece highlights the importance of condemning such acts of violence, dehumanization and political strife. However, it emphasizes the need for consistency in responses, avoiding the use of double standards.
- Tension in the Middle East has significantly increased with the death of Saleh al Arouri, number two in Hamas, escalating hostilities and raising the possibility of the Gaza war extending.
- Egypt has suspended its mediation between Hamas and Israel, highlighting the increasing hostility and pushback against Israel by militant groups like Hezbollah.
- Hezbollah has hinted at severe consequences following the assassination of al Arouri, increasing pressure on Arab governments and heightening uncertainty in the region.
- Iran's influence is strengthening in the war, with its support for Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthi militia.
- The death of Arouri may result in a global spread of the crisis with significant political and economic consequences.
Conclusion: The escalating tension in the Middle East and Egypt backing out of mediation point to a possible widening of the conflict. Iran's growing influence and the fallout from the death of al Arouri can lead to an intensification and globalization of the crisis.
- This Christmas and Kings Day campaign is the first in which the agreement on children's toys advertising comes into full force, with the aim of promoting gender equality in the adverts.
- Despite progress, experts point out that equality is more evident in traditionally masculine toys than in feminine ones.
- The influence of toys and the gender roles they represent is considerable because children use them to experiment and assume adult roles and identities.
- Advertising can influence prevalent values and behavior models, but the real transformation comes from the children's immediate environment, such as the family, school and media.
Conclusion: While strides have been made in promoting gender equality in toy advertising, real equality will come about through changes in family, school, and other immediate settings.
- 2023 was a year marked by political polarization, not only in Spain but also in numerous countries.
- The advancement of general elections in Spain resulted in the inability of the central parties to understand each other.
- Despite this polarization, a fragile agreement was achieved to reform aspects of the Constitution and renew the General Council of the Judiciary.
- Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the massacre perpetrated by Hamas in Gaza have escalated international tensions.
- Despite everything, there were significant strides such as the agreement at COP28 to abandon fossil fuels.
Conclusion: 2023 was a year of political and social tensions, marked by polarization, but it also saw significant advances in areas such as the environment.
- FC Barcelona is theoretically in reconstruction, but its situation has worsened in recent months.
- The stability of the club and the trajectory of the professional teams, especially football and basketball, are threatened by various factors.
- Laporta's presidential and personalist style has failed to reverse past mistakes and has worsened the current situation.
- The sale of club assets to investment funds threatens its financial autonomy and viability.
- The club member reacts timidly to the transfer to the Montjuic Stadium.
- Increasing doubts about the works of the renovated Camp Nou and Espai Barça.
- The European Super League is not seen as a lifesaver for the club's current financial situation.
- The journey of Barça's women's team is also in jeopardy, with announced layoffs and difficulties in the renewals of the stars.
- Institutional reactions opt to blame the environment and seek external enemies.
Conclusion: Possible sporting successes would only mitigate a crisis that is expected to be long-lasting.
- Pedro Sánchez believes that fiscal consolidation and the reduction of public debt and deficit are a duty for his government.
- The 'social shield' had a significant cost for the State, 22,000 million euros in 2022 and 15,000 in 2023.
- Despite this fiscal burden, an economic slowdown is expected.
- The government will seek fiscal consolidation and the implementation of social aids.
- A gradual increase in the VAT of electricity and gas is expected.
- Taxes on financial and energy companies have been extended.
- There are question marks over the appropriateness of maintaining measures that benefit all sectors indiscriminately.
- Indiscriminate benefits are ineffective as emergency measures for the most vulnerable.
- Sánchez asserts that the Spanish economy is on the 'right track' and shows 'solidity and strength' despite global concerns.
Conclusion: There are doubts about the balance between social measures and fiscal consolidation, as well as the suitability of indiscriminate benefits. Despite this, Sánchez maintains an optimistic tone about the Spanish economy.
- The poor results of the PISA report reveal the influence of poverty and segregation in education.
- The unequal distribution of resources also contributes to the poor results.
- Regulating digital hyperconnectivity in the school environment is an important issue.
- More resources are needed, as well as a reduction in the number of students per classroom.
- The impact of project-based pedagogy should be evaluated.
- Teachers are also responsible for educational outcomes.
- Improving initial and ongoing training for teachers is necessary.
- Cooperative work and the exchange of experiences are strategies to explore.
Conclusion: It is important to evaluate and explore new strategies to improve education.