There are many reasons why I admire my cousinDespite being four years younger than me, I feel it would be incredibly difficult to teach her anything. I'd be mortified to have to teach that amazing woman anything. At 26, she has the same survival instinct as a single, divorced mother of four. She seems to have been born with half her life already lived, as if adulthood arrived at 18. "It's a miracle I turned out so well," she always tells me, with that dark humor that came with her Brazilian leg. And it's true. I'd like to say I'd defend her against anything and anyone, but the truth is, she's never given me the chance. She's smart, quick-witted, and vibrant. Her life is like a "Mexican soap opera"—she also says—but she outruns the misfortunes. Perhaps that's why she's been blessed with a very small bust, but also with a sharp eye and a protective mind, which lead almost everyone to mistake her for something she's not and—quickly—realize it. In fact, my favorite photo in the world is one where we appear side by side – me, at 10 years old, and her, at 6 – with such a disproportionate level of physical development that next to her, I look like a giant, about to crush a dwarf.

The Civil Guard has dismantled a criminal organization in Mallorca dedicated to trafficking women for sexual exploitation. The operation resulted in the arrest of five people—four men and one woman—and the rescue of twelve undocumented immigrant women, most of them from South America, especially Colombia. According to the investigation, the group recruited the victims in their countries of origin with false job offers in the hospitality sector in Spain. Once they arrived on the island, they were forced into prostitution under threats, coercion, and constant control, taking advantage of their vulnerability and fear of deportation. The women lived in a constant climate of intimidation, and, as detailed by the Civil Guard, many were forced to use and transport drugs, often at the insistence of clients. This situation prevented them from accessing healthcare, police services, or other social services. The criminal network profited from both direct payments for sexual services and the sale of drugs and sexual enhancers. Investigators believe the organization may have exploited up to fifty women over the years. Once the perpetrators were identified, officers carried out three raids on homes in several municipalities in Mallorca, seizing cash, doses of drugs prepared for sale, and firearms, including shotguns and rifles. Following the arrests, the victim protection protocol was activated. The women were taken to safe houses, where they have begun a comprehensive support process and have been informed of their rights. The investigation remains open, and authorities have not ruled out locating additional members of the network or the emergence of new witnesses who could uncover other recruitment and exploitation methods. The operation was coordinated by the Court of Instruction number 3 of Inca, under the direction of the Prosecutor's Office for Trafficking in Human Beings and Immigration of the Balearic Islands, and involved various specialized units of the Civil Guard.

The National Police have freed 15 women of Chinese origin in Palma, victims of sexual exploitation who were recruited through social media advertisements by a criminal organization from that Asian country. As part of the operation, 14 people have been arrested—12 in the Balearic Islands and two in Barcelona—seven of whom have been remanded in custody by court order. According to a statement released by the Police this Saturday, those arrested include 13 Chinese nationals and one Spanish citizen. The investigation has dismantled a network that forced the victims to be available 24 hours a day, under constant surveillance, and to provide sexual services both in apartments and at clients' homes. The women had no freedom of movement and, according to the investigation, were even "bought and sold" between different exploitative organizations to be moved from one location to another. In some cases, they were forced to have sex without condoms, so the network charged clients a higher price.

The Rotger Villalonga Foundation hosted the inauguration of [event name] on November 18th. 20 years of the Forest Network: Prevention is action. A culture of risk awareness in the face of forest fires.An event celebrating two decades of environmental awareness, preventative management, and outreach in the Balearic Islands. The day included a public talk, a documentary screening, and the presentation of children's drawings about environmental risks, linked to the educational project 'Ni 1 Foc al Bosc!' (Not One Fire in the Forest!). Since its creation, Xarxa Forestal (Forest Network) has promoted thousands of activities throughout the region—reforestation, workshops, talks, forest outings, and visits to firefighting facilities—with the aim of fostering a culture of risk awareness among municipalities, schools, and residents of forest and urban-forest areas. Toni Llabrés: "A fire doesn't start when it burns, it starts when we allow the land to be vulnerable."

Toni Llabrés, the Forest Network's awareness-raising specialist within Ibanat, opened the event and recalled that, from the outset, the priority was to build partnerships with forestry districts, municipal technicians, and local leaders. The network, she emphasized, "was not designed as a closed system, but rather has been built collaboratively with the people who live in and manage the land."

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