The water reserves of the Balearic Islands are at 54% in March, four points below February, but slightly above the figure for the same month last year (52%). According to the Ministry of the Water Cycle, the trend is uneven across islands and territories, with general decreases despite a notable episode of rain.

The water reserves of the Balearic Islands stand at 54% in March, four points below February, but slightly above the figure for the same month last year (52%). As reported by the Ministry of the Water Cycle, the trend is uneven across islands and territories, with general decreases despite a significant rainfall event.

Almost all monarchs have had a distinctive nickname –like ‘the Emeritus’, in our times– and Alfonso, sovereign of the Crown of Aragon and, therefore, of the Balearic Islands, between 1416 and 1458, has gone down in history as ‘the Magnanimous’. Was he, really? It is now 575 years since the eternal fine that, with the king’s full powers, the governor of Mallorca imposed on the Part Forana, on April 9, 1451, for revolting against the injustices they suffered. Not much magnanimity there.

The Balearic Government is working on a new label, "Product Made in the Balearic Islands," which will allow manufacturers to promote their products made in the Islands, even if they use materials and raw materials from elsewhere. The initiative comes after current regulations on local products require that at least 50% of the ingredients be from the Islands for a product to bear the "Product of the Balearic Islands" label. This criterion, which many in the production sector fully understand, excludes many products made in the archipelago but with raw materials from elsewhere. This is the case, for example, with certain cheeses made with imported milk, cookies made with foreign flour, and traditional almond and coffee products that are made with imported ingredients. Although these products have a manufacturing process entirely rooted in the Islands, current regulations prevent them from obtaining official recognition as local products. According to the Director General of Industry, Alfons Gómez, the Balearic Government has made significant progress on the draft of the new seal, which "will allow, for example, a bleach producer to highlight that the process was carried out in the Islands, even if the ingredients used are not." In such a small territory, "it's not easy for raw materials to come from the Balearic Islands, but if processors add value, as is the case with many well-known brands, it's absurd that this cannot be recognized," he told ARA Baleares. "It's possible to differentiate between products with local ingredients and products made in the Islands, with a transparent system that reflects the production phase that does take place in the archipelago," he added. The measure aims to recognize and promote industrial and artisanal activity in the Balearic Islands and make it easier for consumers to identify products made in the Islands, even if they don't meet the 50% local ingredient requirement. It also aims to enhance the visibility of the work of local producers and boost the food and manufacturing industry of the Archipelago. considered by most experts as a catalyst for change in the current economic model, based on tourism monoculture.

Until the 1970s, one in three workers in the Balearic Islands was employed in industry. The islands manufactured a large part of what they used and even exported to mainland Spain and abroad. Today, the figures are different and show how this sector, considered strategic and essential for creating quality jobs, is practically negligible in the overall economy and continues to lose ground. Tourism has become so dominant that, at best, industry represents 5% of economic activity. According to data from the Balearic Government, which uses less restrictive parameters, there are approximately 6,000 companies. According to the Impulsa Foundation database, the figure is less than 700.

Little by little, without much noise, traditional cuisine of the Balearic Islands It's fading away. It's not happening for a single reason or overnight, but as a consequence of a profound change in how we live, eat, and relate to time. Globalization, the culture of immediacy, and a fast-paced diet have been displacing a cuisine that requires slow cooking, patience, and oral tradition. This has led to the disappearance of part of the culinary vocabulary and linguistic heritage that has defined the cultural identity of the Balearic Islands for centuries. Words that once circulated naturally in the islands' kitchens are increasingly unfamiliar to younger generations, reflecting how the disappearance of traditional dishes is accompanied by the loss of language and cultural knowledge.

When Romina received her degree in digital communication in Argentina, she went out into the street in costume with her friends and they threw "eggs and a mix of things" at her to celebrate what they call "the received"for the achievement. She imagines, repeatedly, that such a scene is repeated; a fantasy of reliving it the day that obtain legal residency in Spain. She is 32 years old. She arrived in Palma almost three years ago, fleeing instability and a lack of opportunities in her country. Since landing, nothing has been as she imagined. "You always come with illusions that mask reality. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but not that it would be this difficult. They don't recommend anyone come without papers. It's living 24 hours a day, 365 days a year with constant uncertainty and frustration," she admits.

The Balearic Islands have obtained 534 points in the EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) 2025, the most comprehensive global ranking of adults' English proficiency, a slight improvement over the previous year (526 points). However, the region remains below the national average (540 points) and occupies one of the lowest positions in the regional ranking. According to the EF-Education First report, compiled using data from 2.2 million adults in 123 countries and regions, Galicia, La Rioja, and Madrid lead the way in English proficiency in Spain, with 563, 560, and 553 points, respectively. Conversely, Andalusia, Murcia, Extremadura, and Castilla-La Mancha registered the worst results, with scores below the national average. Other regions, such as the Valencian Community (537) and the Canary Islands (539), also fall below the average, while the Balearic Islands (534) remain in the middle range, despite the influence of the international tourism sector, especially in Palma. The city achieves 549 points, above the national average, and is among the cities with a medium-high level of English proficiency. Regarding language skills, the report confirms that reading is the main strength of Spanish adults (558 points), followed by listening comprehension (525 points). Written expression is at an intermediate level (506 points), while oral expression remains the weakest skill (462 points), indicating a priority area for improvement in the Balearic Islands and the rest of the country. Globally, the Netherlands maintains its world leadership, followed by Croatia and Austria, while major economies in Asia and Latin America continue to lag behind. Central and Northern Europe show slight progress, and the gender gap in Spain continues to narrow for the second consecutive year, with women and men increasingly close in language proficiency. According to EF, English proficiency goes beyond mere communication: it becomes a key tool for innovation, access to economic opportunities, and international collaboration, especially in a context where artificial intelligence and advanced technologies are largely developed in English.

The Balearic Islands ended 2025 with 19,500 households in which all members are unemployed, a figure that represents an increase of over 90% compared to the previous quarter, when 10,100 were recorded. This is reflected in the data from the Active Population Survey (EPA) published this Tuesday by the National Institute of Statistics (INE). Between October and December, the number of Balearic households with all members employed stood at 330,100, while households with at least one employed member reached 378,700. Meanwhile, in 94,100 households in the archipelago, there is no employed person, according to the same official statistics. The evolution of the data in the Balearic Islands contrasts with the trend recorded in Spain as a whole. In Spain, 2025 ended with 772,300 households where all members were unemployed, a figure that represents a reduction of 61,200 households compared to the previous year (-7.3%) and marks the lowest level since the third quarter of 2008. In the last quarter of the year alone, these households saw a decrease of 0 (-2.3%). In contrast, households with all members employed reached a new all-time high nationwide, with 12,166,300 homes, after increasing by 262,000 throughout 2025 (+2.2%). In the final quarter of the year, the increase was 128,600 households, 1% more than the previous quarter.

In this text, I briefly summarize a general consideration of how the proposed new regional financing affects the Balearic Islands. Despite the criticisms from various quarters, the proposal presented, as it is known, strictly speaking, does not constitute a new financing system. It is not unique to Catalonia, although it does benefit from it to a certain extent (but not only Catalonia: Andalusia, Murcia, and the Valencian Community also benefit). It does not remove Catalonia from the common regime nor place it under the Economic Agreement. It is not a faithful reflection of the investiture agreement, which has been so often discussed as separatist blackmail. It is not a fiscal pact. It does not commit to the desired ordinality. It is not a model based on the fiscal capacities of each region. It remains a model that guarantees needs based on the assumptions considered in population adjustments, and it grants little additional effective fiscal responsibility. The proposal is indeed somewhat simpler than the current system. It streamlines the treasury of the regions by reducing the system of advance payments. Although the results are ultimately interpreted in terms of relative rather than absolute gains, this is a model that, based on providing more funding, allows for the declaration that all regions "win."

He was the great-grandson of the prominent Mallorcan politician Antoni Maura, as well as Duke of Maura and Grandee of Spain—as are all dukes—a law graduate, and also a diplomat. In January 1976, 50 years ago, Ramiro Pérez-Maura took office as Civil Governor of the Balearic Islands, to lead a process whose direction was then unclear to most: the Transition. Later, he would be one of the founders in the Islands of the Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD), a senator, and a member of the pre-autonomy government.

The craft beer sector in the Balearic Islands is going through one of its most delicate periods after years of hard work and the boom of a decade ago that boosted sales and the industry. Far from the image of expansion that characterized the years before the pandemic, small producers and brewers report a continuous decline in consumption and are struggling against increasingly burdensome and restrictive regulations. They denounce that this crisis has led to the disappearance of many historic brands and is constantly suffocating those that remain. "We haven't recovered from what we had before COVID, not by a long shot," warns Miquel Amorós, founder and owner of Mallorca Beer Co., a company that currently produces in an emblematic location that was once another industrial site: Menestralia, in Campanet. However, the brewer maintains that currently, "every day is a fight to avoid closing down."

For centuries, women were considered 'factories of God's children.' Not having children was frowned upon. For most, the only possible contraceptive method was choosing the days of their menstrual cycle when they didn't ovulate. And this wasn't always calculated accurately. Then they had to think about the moment of childbirth, which took place at home in less than ideal conditions. Catalina Noguera Garí, 85, remembers that experience very well. She greets us sitting near the brazier in her house in Vilafranca de Bonany, intrigued to know what interest her life might hold. Two of her four children, Maria and Miquel, are with her.

"Wanted for the destruction of Spain," "European lives matter," and "We export engineers, we import machete-wielding thugs" are slogans that can be seen on several streets in Mallorca, especially in Palma and Inca. They have been hung by members of the neo-fascist group Identitas. Thus, it's not just screens and social media; neo-fascism also occupies physical spaces in Mallorca. It's a limited, small space, but the presence of youth groups with neo-fascist ideology is growing, and they are also organized. Football stadiums are, and continue to be, one of their main points of socialization—historically linked to far-right ideologies—as well as some gyms, especially martial arts gyms, although in this case, their activity is more individualized and often under the supervision of sports federations. Explicit militancy, on the other hand, is more marginal.

The Balearic Islands are already preparing for what many experts anticipate will be one of the most complex—and massive—events of recent decades: the total solar eclipse of August 12, 2026. The phenomenon, which will occur shortly before sunset and has not been visible in the archipelago for over [number of] years of astronomical observation, is expected to draw an extraordinary influx of visitors, scientists, and enthusiasts. In anticipation of this, the Balearic Government has decided to preempt potential organizational chaos and has approved the creation of the Commission for the Management of Actions Related to the 2026 Total Eclipse, a cross-cutting, collegiate body that will coordinate all actions linked to the event. The agreement was adopted by the Governing Council at its session of December 12, 2025, and will come into effect the day after its publication in the Official Gazette of the Balearic Islands (BOIB). An astronomical phenomenon with an impact far beyond the sky

The eclipse is not only an exceptional scientific event, but also a major logistical challenge. Mobility, public safety, civil protection, natural space management, institutional communication, and scientific outreach are just some of the areas that will be affected. The Government acknowledges that the international appeal of the phenomenon could strain key infrastructure, especially in the middle of August. In this context, the Executive is invoking the broad regional powers granted to it by the Statute of Autonomy—in transport, emergencies, tourism, the environment, research, and civil protection—to justify the need for comprehensive and coordinated planning. The goal is to avoid improvisation and ensure an efficient response to any incidents arising from the eclipse. Institutional coordination and a scientific perspective

The new commission is attached to the Ministry of the Presidency, Coordination of Government Action, and Local Cooperation, and will include representatives from various directorates general, especially those for Emergencies and Interior, Coordination and Local Cooperation, and Communication and Open Government. The involvement of astronomy associations and scientific and outreach organizations is also planned. According to the Government, the body will be responsible for ensuring both the safety and management of large gatherings of people and leveraging the phenomenon as an opportunity for scientific, educational, and tourism promotion of the Islands. The aim is to combine scientific rigor, high-quality outreach, and environmental protection. An exceptional event at a critical time.

The fact that the eclipse will occur before sunset and in the middle of summer increases the complexity of the operation. Natural areas, viewpoints, beaches, and elevated spaces could become mass viewing points, with the consequent environmental and safety risks if not managed properly. With the creation of this commission, the Balearic Government acknowledges that the 2026 eclipse will be much more than an astronomical spectacle: it will be a litmus test for the Balearic Islands' capacity for institutional coordination and for managing an exceptional event in a limited and highly pressured territory.

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They hadn't even been playing their first concert for a year, back in July 2023, when the members of The Ripples – Toni Sbert, Nacho Andreu, Juan Andreu, Berto Meana, and Jordi Rullán – entered the famous Abbey Road Studios to record one of their songs. It was April 2024 when, after the band's first few tracks, they reached a milestone they hadn't even set out to achieve. "I always say that, whatever happens, the band has already been worth it for that," confesses Toni Sbert, singer and guitarist of The Ripples, "and I was already telling them that while we were there."

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I will go to the cinema as I always try to do when Gus Van Sant premieres a film. We are talking about the director of contemporary cinema classics like My Private Idaho and Good Will Hunting. He now returns to one of his most excellent genres, fiction based on real events – where he has excelled with titles like Last Days and, above all, Elephant – to Prime Crime: A True Story, where he tells the story of a man who, after being defrauded by a bank, kidnaps one of the executives. From April 24th in Aficine cinemas.

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Names that for decades had defined the identity of the Balearic Islands—such as Tomeu, Sebastià, Joana, and Francisca—have practically disappeared in recent years. Statistics published by the Balearic Islands Statistics Institute (Ibestat) confirm a profound shift in family preferences, with families increasingly opting for names commonly used in the rest of Spain, such as Sofía, Martina, and Hugo, among others. This change reflects not only the impact of trends and globalization but also a gradual distancing from the traditional repertoire that had once defined the islands. the onomastic landscape of the Islands

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Just a few weeks ago, the group Fades, along with Maria Hein from Felanitx, were crowned the big winners at the eighth edition of the Enderrock Awards for Balearic Music. The gala took place in early November at the Principal Theatre in Palma, and Enderrock director Lluís Gendrau celebrated the current boom in Catalan-language music in the Balearic Islands, with a record number of releases: 125 albums and 250 tracks between September 2024 and September 2020. Members of Fades, upon receiving their three awards—including Best Song for "Mon cheri, go home," a track co-written with Maria Jaume—offered another perspective on these figures. "We're here to celebrate Catalan music," they said at one point, "but the reality is quite different. Spanish is being spoken again in the Catalan Parliament, the exclusivity of Catalan in the City of Palma has been eliminated, and its use as a language of instruction in schools is being questioned," declared Vicenç Calafell, Ferran Pi, and Àngel Exojo. None of them were even born—all three were born in 2001—when some of the most veteran bands on the current scene, which have remained active with little or no interruption, began their careers, many of them with the defense of the Catalan language as one of their main objectives. This is the case of Al Mayurqa, a band celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, which has also been 30 years of advocacy. "The fact that singing in Catalan is no longer an act of rebellion, as it was when we started, and that it has even become normalized, doesn't mean the problem is solved, not by a long shot. It will always be necessary to stand up for certain things, even more so in such a globalized, totally capitalist world. They've even allowed interviews to be conducted in Spanish," says Miquel Carbonell, one of the founders of Al Mayurqa.

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