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The Fundació Turisme Responsable de Mallorca is leading the Consell's shift towards a sustainable, data-driven tourism model.
PUBLISHED: 2025-12-01 04:57:00The Council of Mallorca has formalised a significant change in its tourism strategy with the restructuring and renaming of its foundation, which is now called the Fundació Turisme Responsable de Mallorca (FTRM). This change marks a turning point in the management of tourism on the island, moving towards a more balanced and conscious model. The Minister of Tourism and President of the FTRM, José Marcial Rodríguez, has presented this reorganisation as essential technical support for the ‘paradigm shift being promoted by the Council of Mallorca in the field of tourism’.
The transformation of the former Fundació Mallorca Turisme responds to the need to align tourism policy with the island's current challenges, such as environmental sustainability, land management and coexistence between residents and visitors. As announced by the president of the Mallorca Island Council, Llorenç Galmés, in the General Policy Debate, the foundation is changing its name to ‘raise awareness and promote responsible tourism abroad’. In this regard, the word “promotion” has been removed from all references, emphasising a new way of projecting the Mallorca brand based on the essential concepts of responsibility, sustainability and coexistence.
Promoting the Mallorca brand based on the essential concepts of responsibility, sustainability and coexistence.
Beyond the name change, the FTRM has undergone a profound restructuring to become a more agile and effective tool in implementing the new tourism strategy. A fundamental pillar of this renewal is the incorporation of data intelligence and monitoring as a foundational objective. This involves defining standards and procedures for the collection, storage, processing and use of data, seeking to guarantee its integrity and security. The aim is to obtain a realistic view of tourism in Mallorca, which will allow for greater control of supply, improved competitiveness and more accurate strategic planning.
New data structure and governance
The Foundation has modified its founding purpose to integrate data intelligence and monitoring. Two key objectives have been added: first, to guarantee data integrity and security by implementing clear governance, defining standards and procedures for its management. Second, to collect, analyse, interpret and manage data that provides an authentic view of tourism in Mallorca, serving as an essential tool for controlling supply, improving competitiveness and optimising strategic planning. These actions seek to provide a solid basis for the design of campaigns, strategic plans and regulations, in a transparent manner and with verifiable information.
Provide a solid basis for the design of campaigns, strategic plans and regulations, in a transparent manner and with verifiable information.
All activities that previously focused on promoting the tourist destination have been redirected towards raising awareness of responsible tourism. This approach will be applied at local, national and international levels, as well as in interactions with other public bodies, marking a clear departure from the previous model and embracing a discourse aligned with current challenges.
Reorganisation of governing bodies
The Foundation's Board of Trustees retains its role as the highest governing body, and the Advisory Council remains one of the main consultative bodies. However, a new management structure has been established with the creation of two coordination roles. These are the Coordination of Collaboration and Awareness, and the Coordination of Intelligence and Monitoring, to which the vice-president may delegate part of his powers for more operational management.
Expansion of the Advisory Council
The new statutes have also updated the composition of the Advisory Council, seeking to ensure that it accurately reflects the socio-economic structure of the island. The aim is for this advisory body to be able to provide solid arguments and the best contributions to the new tourism strategy, guaranteeing an inclusive vision.
To this end, representatives from the Federation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises of Mallorca (PIMEM), the Cercle d'Economia, and entities linked to sectors such as accessibility, nature, local products and technology have been formally invited to participate. This expansion ensures that decisions are made with an inclusive and cross-cutting vision, creating a plural and effective consultation space that allows the FTRM to receive valuable and representative contributions.
A model focused on residents and collaboration
The FTRM's new direction seeks to place residents at the centre of the tourism model. It promotes tourism that respects local life, the natural environment and the island's unique identity. Awareness-raising is aimed not only at visitors, but also at the local community, fostering harmonious coexistence and pride in a responsible and balanced tourism model.
The FTRM will not operate in isolation, but will work in partnership with the sector to transition towards more sustainable tourism.
The FTRM will not operate in isolation, but will work in partnership with the sector to transition towards more sustainable tourism. The aim is to attract visitors who are committed to preserving the balance and cooperating in the protection of Mallorca's natural, cultural and unique values. Data management, meanwhile, is becoming a strategic service for the sector, allowing supply to be adapted to real demand, anticipating changes and improving the competitiveness of the destination, which in turn improves the Consell's ability to control tourism supply and avoid saturation.
Wealth tax referendum tests Swiss appetite for redistribution
PUBLISHED: 2025-11-30 00:00:00ZURICH, Switzerland: Switzerland heads into a high-stakes referendum on November 30 that will gauge whether one of the world's wealthiest nations has an appetite for sharply higher taxes on its wealthiest residents.
The proposal, put forward by the youth wing of the Social Democrats (JUSO), seeks a 50 percent levy on inherited assets valued at 50 million Swiss francs (US$62 million) or more, with the revenue earmarked for climate-related projects.
Swiss tax authorities say about 2,500 people hold fortunes above that threshold, representing a combined 500 billion francs. But with recent polls showing that as many as two-thirds of voters oppose the measure, it is widely expected to fail. Analysts say the margin of defeat will offer important clues about public sentiment on redistribution.
UBS CEO Sergio Ermotti said at a business event in Zurich last weekend that he hoped the measure would be rejected, adding, \"But how it's rejected, what the outcome is, that's important. Because ... it does indicate where Switzerland is heading.\"
Switzerland is the world's largest hub for wealth management, though a Boston Consulting Group forecast suggests it could lose that position as early as this year. At the same time, voters have become increasingly focused on rising living costs; in 2024, they backed an additional month of pension payments for retirees despite affordability concerns.
If approved, the wealth-tax initiative would theoretically raise about 4 billion francs. JUSO leader Mirjam Hostetmann argues that the most affluent households contribute disproportionately to emissions, saying the 10 wealthiest Swiss families generate as much climate impact as most of the population combined.
Opponents warn that the tax could prompt wealthy residents to leave, ultimately reducing the country's tax base. The federal government has formally urged voters to reject the proposal.
\"The initiative would greatly reduce Switzerland's attractiveness for wealthy individuals,\" Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter said last month.
As AI guides gift-buying, retailers shift tactics to get noticed
PUBLISHED: 2025-11-30 00:00:00NEW YORK CITY, New York: As holiday shoppers increasingly turn to AI-powered tools for advice, U.S. retailers are reworking how they present products online in an effort to stay visible to systems like ChatGPT and Google's Gemini.
Most of this season's projected US$253 billion in U.S. online sales will still come from traditional website visits or from standard search results that reward companies that spend heavily on Google and Meta ads. But generative AI has begun influencing how consumers discover merchandise, prompting retailers to adapt.
Chatbots that can summarise reviews, compare prices, or enable in-model purchases are now part of the browsing process for many Americans. That shift has pushed brands to produce more content that AI systems can easily find and interpret.
\"We've seen brands that previously were putting out three or four new blog posts or articles a month, are now trying to do 100 or 200,\" said Brian Stempeck, chief executive at Evertune.ai, a platform that helps retailers optimise their websites for large language models. The company charges \"around $3,000\" per month for its services, he said.
Unlike traditional digital advertising, generative AI platforms do not offer paid placements. Retailers are instead experimenting with indirect methods to influence what chatbots recommend, including posting frequently in blogs, publishing product-focused content on Reddit, and increasing the volume of reviews and social media mentions for AI scrapers to pick up.
Some large retailers are even creating websites designed solely for automated scraping tools rather than human shoppers, ensuring that ChatGPT or Gemini receive the most accurate and favourable information about their products.
For now, traffic from AI sources remains small. Data from Sensor Tower shows that ChatGPT referrals to Amazon, Walmart, and eBay in October accounted for less than one percent of each site's overall visitor traffic. eBay said that while the share is modest, shoppers who interact with AI agents tend to show strong purchasing intent. Walmart did not respond to a request for comment.
Others are seeking visibility by amplifying traditional forms of attention. Brooklinen, a bed linen company, has been paying influencers on Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to highlight its towels and comforters, said Chief Operating Officer Rachel Levy. AI scrapers can pull details from reviews, captions, and transcripts of those posts. The company has also submitted products for awards at publications such as the New York Times' Wirecutter to increase the likelihood of appearing in AI-generated gift lists.
Miami-based hair-care brand R+Co is buying ads on Amazon's voice assistant Alexa that are tailored to the queries users make to Rufus, its own AI agent, said President Dan Langer.
Google recently added tools to help shoppers track prices and purchase goods through AI-enhanced features. To appear in these results, retailers must ensure their product information is accessible through Google's merchant centre or easily readable by its scrapers, said Lilian Rincon, vice president of product for Google Shopping. Google is testing ads in its AI Mode in the U.S., though not within the Gemini app.
This week, ChatGPT added shopping features that help users compare items and search for \"lookalike\" products. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said in October that shoppers using its Rufus assistant are 60 percent more likely to complete a purchase. Walmart and Target have also announced chatbot-enabled shopping tools ahead of the holidays.
Cyclone Ditwah brings worst flooding in decades to Sri Lanka, killing hundreds
PUBLISHED: 2025-12-01 04:35:09According to the UN relief coordination office, OCHA, 998,918 people across all 25 districts have now been affected, with 212 deaths reported and 218 people missing. More than 180,000 people from over 51,000 families are sheltering in 1,094 government-run safety centres as search and rescue efforts continue.
Cyclone Ditwah made landfall on 28 November before moving back over the Bay of Bengal, triggering some of the most severe flooding Sri Lanka has seen since the early 2000s.
The hardest-hit districts include Gampaha, Colombo, Puttalam and Mannar, as well as Trincomalee and Batticaloa, while deadly landslides in the central hill country have devastated Kandy, Badulla and Matale.
Homes destroyed, infrastructure shattered
Initial assessments indicate that more than 15,000 homes have been destroyed. Over 200 roads remain impassable, at least 10 bridges have been damaged, and sections of the rail network and national power grid affected.
Flooding along the Kelani River, which runs through Colombo and surrounding low-lying areas, continues to hamper access and disrupt information flow from affected communities, complicating rescue and relief operations.
Severe disruption to electricity, mobile and communications, and transport networks are reported in northern districts such as Jaffna, with entire villages isolated.
Access to clean water also remains a major concern, with several areas reporting little or no supply.
Health system under strain, food insecurity looms
Sri Lanka’s already fragile health system is under severe pressure, OCHA said. Several district hospitals remain flooded and are receiving only limited supplies, with critically ill patients being airlifted to functioning facilities.
Response is further hindered by recurring landslides and the breach of multiple tank bunds (embankments or barriers), including at Mavilaaru, heightening risks in Trincomalee and Batticaloa.
Authorities have also warned of rising food insecurity, as submerged farmland, damaged storage facilities and severed supply routes threaten shortages and price increases in the weeks ahead.
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that floods significantly raise the risk of vector-borne, food-borne and water-borne diseases, urging communities to prevent mosquito bites, ensure food safety and use safe drinking water wherever possible.
UN mobilises coordinated response
The United Nations in Sri Lanka activated its emergency coordination system on Sunday to scale up a unified response with government agencies and humanitarian organizations.
Sector coordination has been set up across food security, health, water and sanitation (WASH), education, protection, shelter and early recovery, while a multi-sector needs assessment is under way with disaster management authorities to identify the most urgent gaps.
“The UN in Sri Lanka is mobilising its teams across the system to support national rescue and early recovery efforts, in coordination with authorities. We stand in solidarity with all affected communities,” said UN Resident Coordinator Marc-André Franche.
Despite access challenges, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has delivered portable water to 25 safety centres in Badulla in the central hills, which had been cut off from the rest of the country by floods and infrastructure damage.
To support government-led efforts, India and Pakistan have deployed emergency teams to work alongside Sri Lanka’s armed forces in the worst-hit districts.
Meanwhile, in the wider Asian region
Severe monsoon flooding continues across Thailand and Malaysia, affecting more than two million people in southern Thailand alone and displacing nearly 25,000 people in Malaysia, according to OCHA. People have been evacuated in several hard-hit Thai provinces, while the rainfall is expected to ease in coming days.
In Indonesia, media reports cite at least 440 deaths from floods and landslides, with more than 400 people missing, particularly in parts of Sumatra, where thousands remain stranded without access to food and water.
Nasralla pide esperar que el Consejo Electoral termine el conteo de votos: «En este momento no hay un ganador oficial
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Duplantis, McLaughlin-Levrone named World Athletics' athletes of year
PUBLISHED: 2025-11-30 00:00:00MONACO, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- Sweden's pole vault star Armand Duplantis and American sprinter Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone were named the World Athletes of the Year at the 2025 World Athletics awards ceremony on Sunday.
In 2025, Duplantis broke the men's pole vault world record four times and was unbeaten in all 16 of his competitions, including sweeping both the indoor and outdoor world titles. According to World Athletics, the 26-year-old has become the first male pole vaulter in modern athletics history to remain undefeated in a single event for two consecutive years.
McLaughlin-Levrone won the women's 400m title in Tokyo with a time of 47.78 seconds, breaking a 42-year-old World Championships record. She became the first athlete in history to win world titles in both the 400m flat and the 400m hurdles. She also helped Team USA secure gold in the 4x400m relay at the Tokyo Worlds.
Duplantis was also announced as the men's field athlete of the year and McLaughlin-Levrone as the women's track athlete of the year. Spanish racewalker Maria Perez and Kenyan long-distance runner Sabastian Sawe were confirmed as the out-of-stadium athletes of the year, while Kenya's 800m runner Emmanuel Wanyonyi received the men's track athlete of the year honor and Australia's high jumper Nicola Olyslagers claimed the women's field athlete of the year accolade.
This year's Rising Stars went to world medalists Edmund Serem of Kenya and China's Zhang Jiale. Zhang improved the world U20 hammer record to 77.24m at the Chinese Championships in Quzhou and clinched bronze at the World Championships in Tokyo.
Serem also won bronze in the 3,000m steeplechase at the Tokyo Worlds. He was runner-up in the Diamond League final and achieved top four finishes in four other Diamond League meetings during the season.
\"I want to thank all the athletes present for their inseparable contribution to a memorable 2025, with its crescendo World Athletics Championships in Tokyo - the most widely covered and commercially impactful edition of our sport's flagship event in its history,\" said World Athletics president Sebastian Coe during the awards ceremony.
Also in this year's awards, China was honored with the Member Federation Award.
Trump carga contra el gobernador demócrata de Minnesota por permitir el ingreso masivo de somalíes: «Algo no está bien en él, sin duda»
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Air quality improving, but just over 180,000 deaths still attributable to air pollution in EU | Press releases
PUBLISHED: 2025-11-30 23:45:28Premature deaths can be avoided
Reducing air pollution to WHO guideline levels could have prevented 182,000 deaths attributable to fine particulate matter exposure, 63,000 to ozone (O3) exposure and 34,000 to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) exposure in the EU in 2023, according to EEA estimates.
Eastern and south-eastern European countries suffer the most significant health impacts from air pollution due to high pollution levels.
Key information for each country is included in a separate factsheet annex to this press release, including information on national level health impacts.
Quality of life suffers significantly
In addition to premature deaths, the impacts from living with diseases related to air pollution are significant. For some diseases caused and/or aggravated by air pollution, such as asthma, the main impact is poorer health. For others, such as ischemic heart disease and lung cancer, it is premature death. New evidence suggests that air pollution may also cause dementia. Dementia’s disease burden is estimated to be higher than that of other relevant diseases, the EEA briefing says.
New EU air quality rules in place
The revised ambient air quality directive, which entered into force last year, brings the EU air quality standards closer to the WHO recommendations, supporting further reductions in the health impacts of air pollution over the coming years. Still, air pollution continues to be the top environmental health risk to Europeans (followed by other factors such as exposure to noise, chemicals and the increasing effects of climate-related heatwaves on health), causing chronic illness and attributable deaths, especially in cities and urban areas.
Background
The EEA analysis covers 41 European countries, including the 27 EU Member States, other EEA member and cooperating countries and additional European microstates. Türkiye is not included in the PM2.5 estimations as the number of background monitoring stations from which data are available was too low to produce concentration maps for fine particulate matter. Consequently, PM2.5 estimations were made for 40 countries.
The EEA has been estimating number of deaths attributable to exposure to air pollution since 2014. The EEA uses the recommendations for health impacts set out in the 2021 WHO air quality guidelines. As with previous years, the health impacts of different air pollutants should not be added together to avoid double counting due to some overlaps in data. This is the case for both mortality and illness.
Air quality improving, but just over 180,000 deaths still attributable to air pollution in EU
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‘Every step is a fight’: Disabled Nigerian leads campaign for dignity and inclusion
PUBLISHED: 2025-11-30 22:54:00“Sometimes I feel like the world isn’t made for people like me,” Shiminenge says, his voice firm despite the weight of the words. In Gbajimba, in north-central Nigeria, the 32-year-old lives daily in a camp for internally displaced people that offers little space, security or accessibility for people with disabilities.
Around her, tents stretch out on dry, uneven ground. The paths become muddy and difficult when it rains. Toilets and water points are further away than she can reach without help. Yet, every morning, she overcomes the same obstacles, determined not to disappear into a place that was never designed for her.
Shiminenge is one of the most 480,000 people displaced by intercommunal conflict in Benue State.
She fled her village of Guma in 2018 and has since lived in a displaced persons camp in Gbajimba. Like many others, she left with little more than the hope of finding safety.
But his journey began long before the trip.
At just nine months old, her parents were told she would never be able to walk after a diagnosis that shaped the course of her life. Growing up with limited mobility meant constant adjustments and an early understanding of what it means to move through the world without accessible support.
Today, life in the camp adds another layer of daily challenges: poor housing conditions, no accessible sanitation, and a landscape that is almost impossible to navigate.
Speaking before the International Day of Persons with Disabilities celebrated every year on December 3, she said: “In the camp, every step out of my tent was a struggle. » It’s not just about physical obstacles; it’s the feeling of being invisible, of being forgotten in a place where surviving is already so difficult.
Barriers to services and dignity
The feeling of invisibility described by Shiminenge is shared by many people with disabilities in displacement contexts. They are often among the most marginalized among internally displaced populations, facing unique barriers to shelter, health care, sanitation and essential services.
In these environments, inaccessible infrastructure and limited targeted support can increase the risks of neglect, exclusion and abuse. As these barriers accumulate, they make movement even more difficult and further endanger the rights and dignity of people with disabilities.
Despite these limitations, Shiminenge refused to give up. Resourceful and determined, she began selling mosquito repellent in the camp, earning a small income while helping to protect other camp residents from malaria.
Her resilience quickly turned into advocacy. She helped create a disability association in Gbajimba, bringing together 18 other disabled people to lobby for mobility aids, equitable access to resources and more inclusive facilities.
Camp upgrade
In August 2024, a team from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) visited the camp to assess the living conditions of the displaced people. After years of feeling invisible in a crowded place, the visit was different. “For the first time here, I felt like someone was listening,” she said.
In response to the association’s requests, IOM, with the support of the Benue State Emergency Management Agency, carried out a total overhaul of the camp to ensure that the specific needs of persons with disabilities are met with dignity and respect.
As part of the overhaul, nearly 4,000 improved emergency shelters were constructed in Gbajimba, each built to withstand the region’s seasonal rains and provide safer living conditions for displaced families.
The revamp also introduced a dedicated disabled section, offering disabled-friendly toilets, accessible water points and kitchens designed to be easy to use.
Throughout the area, gently sloping ramps and common social spaces have been added, allowing residents to move around independently and participate more fully in daily camp life.
“These changes mean more than just practicality; they give us a sense of dignity and belonging,” she said.
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