Hello good morning!
As Robert Oppenheimer, father of the atomic bomb, knew well, the future has a price that we are not always willing to pay. This is happening to Spain now, for example, with the strategic minerals that Europe needs. Exploiting them has a high environmental cost. How far are we willing to go? This is precisely the question that the American physicist asked himself. His biopic has won the Golden Globes.
Mining. Spain is rich in strategic minerals, but obtaining them has a high environmental cost. The business, however, is round. A ton of lithium was sold for 1,000 euros in 2016 and today for 40,000. The EU encourages extraction so as not to depend so much on third parties.
Technology. Spain is the EU country that uses the Internet the most. Furthermore, there is no gender or age gap among users. Older people use it almost as much as younger people and there are more women users than men.
Infrastructures. Thanks to EU funds, construction has experienced a golden biennium. Public tenders exceeded 25 billion euros in November. European aid, however, will end in 2025. Then, fiscal discipline will return and spending will be cut.
Policy. The Amnesty law will pass without problems the vote scheduled for this Wednesday in Congress. Three government decrees that, for now, lack a majority are not doing so well. The progressive and nationalist bloc that supports the Executive faces its first litmus test this week.
Euskadi. Election year and change of phase. Elections are scheduled for April. The PNV notices Bildu’s harassment. Only if he remains ahead will he be able to make an agreement with the PSE and continue governing.
United Kingdom. Keir Starmer aims to be the third Labor leader to win an election in 50 years. He has everything going for him. His only concern is not to make a mistake. The elections are scheduled for November.
War in the Middle East. The situation in northern Israel continues to deteriorate. The military escalation between the Israeli army and the Hizbullah guerrilla is constant and the Spanish UN forces suffer the consequences. Further south, in Hebron, only a wall separates the radical settlers from the Muslim faithful.
Natalia Osipova, dancer. “I’m a little tired of ballet that wants delicate beauties.” She read it here.
Cinema. The film Oppenheimer, about the origin of the atomic bomb, and the series Succession, about an American media saga, have been the big winners at the Golden Globes. The gala, a prelude to the Oscars, has been held in Beverly Hills and the red carpet, as always, was filled with stars.
Art. 2024 will bring together three heavyweights of the Renaissance in London: Michelangelo, Leonardo and Raphael. Matisse will be at the Miró Foundation in Barcelona and Chagall at the Mapfre in Madrid. The centenaries of Tàpies and Chillida will also be celebrated with several exhibitions.
Fashion. Venezuelan designer Carolina Herrera turns 85 in New York, her second homeland. The white shirt and pearl earrings are her trademark. “I don’t understand fashion without beauty,” she says. She created her firm in 1980 and in 1988 sold it to Puig.
Manuel Jabois, columnist and novelist. “Love is above who you or your partner sleeps with.” Read it here.
Amela
