The Costa Brava flea market celebrates its eighth edition bringing some of the best restaurants in Spain to its space in Santa Cristina d'Aro The Saint has already come back down from heaven to settle in her branch on earth, the Costa Brava There are already eight editions of La Santa the flea market of Santa Cristina d’Aro that attendees can enjoy live music every day on seven different stages explore a wide variety of fashion and craft booths with unique designer pieces and delight in a spectacular gastronomic offering that includes options for all palates featuring some of the best chefs in the country La Santa brings some of the best proposals of the country to its corner of the Costa Brava the Albacete restaurant run by young chefs Javier Sanz and Juan Sahuquillo who hold a Michelin star and a Verde star for OBA- in Alicante as well as a Michelin star for Cebo in Madrid who brings his cuisine deeply linked to the territory to La Santa during the summer the cast of great chefs is completed with the pastry chef Lluc Crusellas already consolidated spaces like Frankfurt Pedralbes or El Quinchito who returns with his menu of hamburgers one hundred percent comfort food there are new proposals that will give a lot to talk about such as the gourmet pasta from Ritmo and the delicious rolls from Rollo’s the latter from the MasterChef 5 contestant La Santa also incorporates a series of monologues by great comedians such as Peyu The ticket to the monologues also includes free access to La Santa so that attendees can also enjoy all the attractions offered by the space It will be at the Privé Las Palmeras space where one of the big events of the summer will also take place: an intimate concert by Alfred García those who missed the horse show of Santí Serracamps last year cannot miss the appointment with this unique artist Santí and his horses present this year their new show La vida bona and perform a synchronized dance with skill and sensitivity demonstrating the deep connection between them the artist Jaime de la Puerta ‘Sevilla’ protagonist of several musical works of cowboy dressage also joins La Santa to offer a unique and emotional show You can check all the Program and information of the La Santa market 2024 on its website www.lasantamarket.com MICFootball will be played on 56 fields in 40 towns on the Costa Brava. These are record numbers for an edition, that of 2024, which will break all records, exceeding 400 teams for the first time. Figueres will once again host the opening and some of the finals on Saturday while the outcome of the rest of the categories will take place in Palamós during the weekend Banyoles will be the municipality in charge of hosting the Pre-MICFootball matches for another year an event that will once again serve to warm up the engines of faces at the MIC Maçanet de la Selva and Vilamalla) are added to the towns that repeat the experience lived in previous years: Bàscara Some of the municipalities have increased the number of fields that will host MICFootball matches in 2024 Marca de l’Ham and Albert Gurt stadiums; The matches in Girona will be on the fields of Gironès – Sàbat Fontajau (home of the women’s category) and Torres de Palau; The Palafrugell duels will be at the Josep Pla i Arbonès municipal stadium and at the Gregal; The action in Roses will take place in Mas Oliva and La Vinyasa; while Salt distributes its matches between the Penya Bons Aires and Comacros fields Copyright © 2025 MICFOOTBALL | Aviso legal y Política de privacidad Do you have some question? We are here to help you! Sorry, this product is unavailable. Please choose a different combination. Evacuated residents return home as firefighters benefit from better weather conditions to tackle blaze at night ACN | Castell d'Aro The wildfire that broke out early Friday afternoon in Castell d'Aro, one of the Costa Brava's most famous tourist hotspots on the northern Catalan coast, was stabilized on Saturday morning. The flames affected 70 hectares of vegetation, according to the rural officers. Hundreds of people had been evacuated since the blaze broke out near residential areas, but they were allowed to return home during the night and early morning on Saturday. Those staying at Club Golf Masnou, and La Coma, Les Teules, Can Batet, Can Riera, and Vallvanera residential areas can now access their homes after firefighters benefited from better weather conditions to tackle blaze at night. Humidity increased and wind from sea stopped, which helped professionals stabilize both right and left flanks. On Saturday morning, the firefighters still had around 30 water trucks reviewing the fire perimeter. According to the Catalan rural officers, forest cleanup works may have caused the incident. The coastal resort towns of Platja d'Aro and S'Agaró - which make up the Castell d'Aro municipality - and Sant Feliu de Guíxols are some 10 kilometers south of Sant Antoni de Calonge and Palamós. Both Castell d'Aro and the neighboring Santa Cristina d'Aro activated their local emergency protocols for wildfires on Friday. Get the day's biggest stories right to your phone v1.1.0. Copyright © 2025. Powered by EBANTIC. All rights reserved. This article is more than 2 years oldExtreme heat around the world in videos, photos and graphicsThis article is more than 2 years old a flurry of extreme heat events has led to deaths and disrupted lives since the start of July A rescue helicopter flies over the Punta Rocca glacier one day after a record-high temperature of 10C was recorded at the summit of a glacier on the Marmolada mountain in the Dolomites A helicopter pours water on a forest fire that started in Santa Cristina d’Aro in Girona on 1 July Between 1 January and 3 July more than 70,300 hectares of forest went up in smoke in Spain – almost double the average of the last 10 years Firefighters work to extinguish a forest fire in Monsagro A composite of photos showing the Tian Shan avalanche Five days after the glacier collapse in Italy on 8 July a British tourist captured an avalanche caused by another glacier collapse sweeping down a mountain in the Tian Shan range A man carries a plastic pool to his friend’s apartment in San Antonio More than a dozen daily temperature records were broken over the weekend of 9-10 July in cities in Texas Heat warnings are in place for millions of Americans across the south-west and central US Jon David De Leon from the charity Eagles Flight Advocacy and Outreach delivers a fan to Juanita Alarcon in an apartment complex in San Antonio The most recent data from the United States Drought Monitor shows that most US states are experiencing some form of drought with the problem most acute in the south and west A man wearing a face mask pulls a cart on a street amid a heatwave warning in Shanghai on 13 July Heat alerts have been issued for scores of cities across eastern and southern China a museum in Chongqing closed for repairs after sections of its tiled roof melted The roof of a museum cafe in Chongqing was damaged by the heat on 11 July State TV shows a heat-damaged section of a road arched up at least 14cm in a town in Jiangxi province Residents in an air-raid shelter amid a heatwave warning in Nanjing on 12 July On 12 July authorities opened an air-raid shelter to escape the heat in Nanjing in Jiangsu province Forest fires burning near Carrazeda de Ansiães in Portugal on 9 July Fires have been raging for more than a week in drought-hit Portugal where about half of the country remained on red alert for extreme heat conditions on 14 July On 13 July a temperature a temperature of 46.3C was registered in the central town of Lousa Firefighters in action as a wildfire burns near the village of Barracão The Gironde forest fire seen from Dune du Pilat, the tallest sand dune in Europe have been battling two wildfires in the south-west Tourists look at the plume of dark smoke on the shoreline of Arcachon from the pier in Andernos-les-Bains on 14 July Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon We help you navigate a myriad of possibilities Sign up for our newsletter for the best of the city By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news Sign up for our email to enjoy your city without spending a thing (as well as some options when you’re feeling flush) Our newsletter hand-delivers the best bits to your inbox Sign up to unlock our digital magazines and also receive the latest news By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. Spain These are the best beaches on the Costa Brava the Costa Brava and brilliant beaches are one and the same after all (it loosely means “wild coast”) and this magnificent stretch of wonder is home to some of the best beaches in Europe You can definitely find tourist-centric spots along the coast but there are just as many untouched wonderlands waiting for you If you’re looking for a spot of sun worshipping there’s no better place to start than the Costa Brava RECOMMENDED:📍 21 beautiful places on the Costa Brava🇪🇸 15 best beaches in Spain At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! Foto: Goran BogicevicThis miraculously preserved cove has lived a lot of lives It's been a safe port sheltered from the strong Tramuntana and Llevant winds that blow in those parts and the dream (or nightmare for those who opposed them) of property speculators who wanted to convert it into a marina In few places on the Costa Brava is the footprint of history so visible as on this small shingle beach that stretches for 80 metres and is squeezed between one of the watchtowers from the medieval old town of Tossa de Mar and the slopes of a cliff that plummets some 50 metres down it's worth arriving early and leaving at midday when the sun is at its highest point you have to walk through the walled old town and climb down lots of steps it's popular with teens both local and visiting aren't actually props even if they seem like it; they belong to some old sea dogs who still go out in the early hours to practise their art.  twitterinstagramspotifyAbout us Contact Us Metrics details Competition among queens in polygynous societies may result in queen executions or conflicts over personal reproduction Understanding the factors that mediate the executions of ant queens should provide insight into how queen numbers are regulated in polygynous insect societies The Argentine ant is a widespread invasive species that displays secondary polygyny and workers execute 90% of their nestmate queens each spring we investigated: (1) whether ambient temperature and protein deprivation have an effect on queen executions and (2) whether workers select the queens slated for execution based on their cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profiles We found that the percentage of queens executed was positively correlated with temperature and queen number but that protein deprivation did not play a role the levels of some CHCs were higher in surviving queens One of these CHCs is associated with queen productivity (i.e egg-laying rate and ovarian index) suggesting that workers execute the least productive queens Our findings suggest that chemical cues related to fertility signaling may mediate queen executions in Argentine ants there are two likely mechanisms by which increased queen numbers could diminish individual fecundity if there are more queens sharing the same given amount of resources each queen might receive less food and thus create fewer eggs there might be pheromone-mediated reproductive competition among queens the mortality rate of queens was positively correlated with queen number which could suggest that workers execute supernumerary queens to regulate the level of queen pheromones circulating in the colony These differences seem to stem from a strategic response: the species is seeking to quickly colonise nesting sites along the invasion front where resources are more limited due to competition with the native ant community the question arises: what are the patterns of spring queen executions along the invasion front versus behind the invasion front are more queens executed in one location versus the other it seems possible that the low worker/larva ratios in nests in the spring could trigger queen executions: the presence of fewer queens would increase the amount of protein-rich food available for sexualised larvae the role of protein availability in regulating queen executions is unknown affect the mechanisms used by individuals to recognise each other acting through shifts in pheromone mediated communication could potentially affect the aggressiveness displayed by workers towards their nestmate queens nothing is known about the effect of temperature on queen executions the CHC data for executed and surviving queens were obtained by taking samples of queens before and after the execution period in the field Directly analysing the CHC profiles of executed queens could provide more information about how workers decide a queen’s fate The aim of this study was to improve our understanding of the mechanisms that underlie social organisation in the Argentine ant a globally invasive species that displays secondary polygyny we were interested in clarifying the factors that help regulate queen abundance and the basis for queen fate The potential effects of ambient temperature and protein deprivation on queen executions We hypothesized that an increase in ambient temperature and queen number might trigger a higher level of queen executions by affecting pheromone biosynthesis which may be greater at higher ambient temperatures and queen numbers We also hypothesized that protein deprivation in colonies with low worker/larva ratios could trigger queen executions so as to promote larval development The potential effect of queens’ CHC profiles on the selection of the queens to be executed Based on a previous study that suggested that Argentine ant workers may cull queens based on their CHCs we hypothesized that the CHC profiles of executed queens would be different from those of surviving queens and that these differences would determine queen fate Percentage of queens (mean ± SE) executed by workers according to ambient temperature (24 °C White bar: monogynous nests; grey bar: polygynous nests with four queens; black bar: polygynous nests with eight queens The different letters denote significant differences (p < 0.05) Weekly changes (mean ± SE) in the number of queens (a) and the estimated percentage of queens executed (b) in May in the contact zone and the invaded zone Protein deprivation did not play a significant role in queen executions because there was no difference in the percentage of queens executed by colonies given a protein-rich diet versus by colonies given a protein-free diet (GLMM: t = −0.012 they pupated earlier than larvae from the former colonies the workers that emerged from these pupae were smaller than average (pers Example CHC profiles for a surviving queen (a) and for an executed queen (b). Compound names are provided in Table 1. UI: unidentified non-hydrocarbon compound. Arrows indicate the compounds 5,11-diMeC29 and 5,11-diMeC33, respectively. Discriminant analysis conducted using the relative quantities of CHCs in the profiles of (1) surviving and executed queens and (2) experimental versus control queens from the supporting experiment controlling for the effect of death on the profiles. Amount of 5,11-diMeC29 (a) and 5,11-diMeC33 (b) in the CHC profiles of surviving and executed queens (mean ± SE) when levels of queen pheromones were too low or too high workers would be spurred to bring the concentration back within the optimal range by either adopting new queens or executing supernumerary queens It seems possible that queen pheromones could play a key role in the regulation of queen numbers in the Argentine ant as well; it could explain why the decrease in queen numbers was higher in the contact zone than in the invaded zone Queen pheromone levels seem to be the factor that determines how many queens are killed in the colony because nests in the contact zone have greater numbers of queens workers are detecting higher levels of queen pheromones This hypothesis is consistent with our finding that both areas had the same median number of queens—approximately 1.6 queens per two litres of nest soil—at the end of the execution period It is probable that this queen number represents the threshold at which larvae overcome the weakened inhibitory control of the few surviving queens The larvae can thus continue their development nothing is known about the effect of temperature on pheromone biosynthesis or emission in ants it seems reasonable to hypothesise that temperature influences the emission of queen pheromones in the same way we posit that the increase in temperature led to an increase in queen pheromone levels when protein is in high demand by queens and larvae—such as during the execution period—workers would eliminate supernumerary queens to enhance larval development we found that protein deprivation did not provoke queen executions in the Argentine ant which suggests that factors unrelated to diet are in operation the di-methyl alkanes identified here could serve as releaser queen pheromones in the Argentine ant (i.e. queen pheromones that affect the behaviour of other nestmates) and thus increase worker aggressiveness towards queens reproductive competition occurs among a colony’s queens and leads to the execution of the least productive individuals during the queen execution period the results obtained in the present study provide new information about the biological reasons beyond the annual execution period in the Argentine ant Further research is necessary to assess whether the compounds mentioned above are queen pheromones that help regulate queen numbers and whether they have a role in suppressing egg laying activity by fellow queens in polygynous situations It is also important to identify the inhibitory queen pheromone present in this highly polygynous ant species This information will allow us to gain a broader understanding of the social organization of polygynous ant species and inform strategies for managing Argentine ant invasions potentially through the use of pheromones that induce colony self-destruction the inner sides of the structure were coated with liquid PTFE (Fluon) The colonies were kept under conditions of 80% relative humidity To test the effect of temperature and queen number on queen executions and four polygynous colonies with eight queens were placed in environmental chambers kept at one of three temperatures (±SD): 24 °C ± 0.1 We chose these temperatures because we observed in previous studies that workers executed queens with varying frequency within this range We checked the colonies daily for a period of three weeks to count the number of executed queens we assumed in this study that the decline in queen numbers in May was the result of queen executions To compare queen numbers during the execution period in these two areas we collected 2-litre soil samples from a total of 24 nests in the contact zone and 24 nests in the invaded zone the nests sampled were at least 10 m apart Samples were taken weekly during the whole month of May (six nests were sampled in each area every week) We assumed that the execution period had ended when queen numbers remained stable for two consecutive weeks which had occurred by the last week of May All the queens present in these samples were counted in situ in the field by manual extraction of the queens present in each sample The contact zone and the invaded zone were ±1 km apart and had similar environmental characteristics which meant that differences in queen numbers were unlikely to be related to abiotic differences between the areas To investigate the effect of protein deprivation on queen executions we collected 12 nests before the execution period (in early April) from the same location as for the temperature/queen number experiment each containing 15 queens and approximately 100 workers per queen They also all contained larvae from several developmental stages (mainly from earlier stages so that larvae require more food from workers) 0.1 g of larvae were weighed to the nearest 0.01 mg using a digital analytical balance They were then carefully introduced into the experimental colonies workers and larvae were from the same nest of origin Each experimental colony was housed in a rectangular plastic box (17 × 11 × 3 mm high) with a water source (a plastic tube filled with water that was wicked through a cotton ball) the inner sides of the box were coated with liquid PTFE (Fluon) The colonies were kept at 26 °C ± 0.1 and under conditions of 80% relative humidity; they were exposed to approximately 1 h of light per day (i.e. The twelve colonies were fed on a daily basis but their diet differed: six received the Bhatkar diet We checked the nests daily for three weeks to count the number of executed queens We extracted the CHCs of the queens from the artificial colonies used in the temperature/queen number experiment we collected 19 executed queens that had remained in the colony for 0–24 hours until their corpses were found we collected 19 queens that had survived the three weeks of observations we also sampled 24 queens before the execution period (in early April) from the same location as for the temperature/queen number experiment All the samples were frozen (−20 °C) until CHC extraction could occur The queens’ gasters were eliminated to prevent any contamination by the Dufour gland The samples were thus composed of just their heads We immersed the corpses in 50 μl of dichloromethane (GC grade) for 10 min and the resulting extract was stored at −20 °C until further analysis The extracts were evaporated and then redissolved in 50 μl of dichloromethane containing eicosane (8 ng/μl) as an internal standard 1 μl of each extract was injected into a gas chromatography (GC; Agilent 7820 A Series USA) equipped with a HP-5 capillary column (30 m × 0.32 mm × 0.25 µm) and a flame ionization detector Sample analysis was performed using helium as a carrier gas; the flow rate was set to 2 ml/min (34.9 cm/sec); an injection volume of 1 µl with a split ratio of 1:5 was used; and the inlet temperature was set to 275 °C The following temperature program was used: 75 °C held for 0 min; an increase from 75 °C to 200 °C at a rate of 20 °C min-1; then another increase from 200 °C to 315 °C at a rate of 5 °C min-1; and 315 °C held for 15 min The FID detector was set to a temperature of 300 °C CHCs were identified using standard alkanes CHC quantities were determined using the eicosane area as the internal standard (ng per head and thorax [i.e. the two groups did not differ in their total quantities of CHCs (GLMM t22 = −1.54 p = 0.19) or the quantities of the two main CHCs responsible for the differences in the CHC profile between surviving and executed queens (5,11-diMeC29: GLMM: t = 0.27 These results indicate that the CHC profiles of Argentine ant queens did not significantly degrade even if dead queens remained in the nest for 24 hours prior to being collected Generalised linear mixed models (GLMMs) were performed to compare the percentage of executed queens (binomial error distribution and logit link function) based on the ambient temperature and protein availability (presence/absence) When overall significant differences were detected pairwise comparisons were performed using t-tests employing pooled standard deviation The numbers of queens in the contact zone and the invaded zone were analysed using GLMMs (Poisson error distribution and log-link function) The area (contact zone or invaded zone) and time (specific week of May) were fixed factors and location (Santa Cristina d’Aro or Pedralta) was a random factor We used the function glmmPQL in the MASS package to carry out the GLMMs we obtained the relative contribution of each CHC peak to the total Only identified peaks whose mean relative quantities were above 2% in at least one of the groups of queens were used Discriminant analyses were then performed to investigate how CHC profiles differed between executed and surviving queens To identify the CHCs that characterised each group principal component analysis (PCA) was used We focused on the CHCs demonstrating the greatest differences—those whose factor loadings on the first axis had an absolute value > 0.70 We further investigated these data using GLMMs in which the response variable was the mass of a given peak in nanograms (calculated by comparing the area of the peak with that of the internal standard) and colony was a random factor all the variables were log-transformed prior to being used in the discriminant analyses and the PCA Levene’s test was used to determine whether the variables displayed homogeneity of variance; only those that did were retained We used the function lme in the nlme package to carry out the GLMMs The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request The number of queens: an important trait in ant evolution Ecological determinants of queen number in ants In Queen Number and Sociality in Insects (ed Regulation of queen number by workers in colonies of social insects Queen recruitment in a highly polygynous supercolony of Formica lugubris (Hymenoptera Queen acceptance and nestmate recognition in monogyne and polygyne colonies of the ant Formica truncorum Queen acceptance and the complexity of nestmate discrimination in the Argentine ant Distribution and ecology of queen number in ants of the genus Myrmica Colony founding in Myrmecocystus mimicus Wheeler (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and the evolution of foundress associations Social interaction among pleometrotic queens of Veromessor pergandei (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) during colony foundation In Biology and Evolution of Social Insects (ed Colony founding by queen associations and determinants of reduction in queen number in the ant Lasius niger Etude de la polygynie chez la fourmi Plagiolepis pygmaea Latr La fécondité des reines en condition expérimentale monogyne Evolutionary implications of polygyny in the Argentine ant Iridomyrmex humilis (Mayr) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): an experimental study Effect of temperature on the oviposition rate of Argentine ant queens (Linepithema humile Mayr) under monogynous and polygynous experimental conditions Vander Meer, R. K., Morel, L. & Lofgren, C. S. A comparison of queen oviposition rates from monogyne and polygyne fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, colonies. Physiol. Entomol. 17, 384–390, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3032.1992.tb01036.x (1992) Mutual pheromonal inhibition among queens in polygyne colonies of the fire ant Solenopsis invicta Le nombre de reines chez les fourmis et sa conséquence sur l’organisation sociale The seasonal life cycle of the Argentine ant Iridomyrmex humilis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Kin structure and queen execution in the Argentine ant Linepithema humile Queen execution increases relatedness among workers of the invasive Argentine ant Queen control or queen signal in ants: what remains of the controversy 25 years after Keller and Nonac’s seminal paper Le rôle des reines dans l’agression du covain sexué par les ouvrières de la fourmi d’Argentine Iridomyrmex humilis Elimination of sexual brood in the Argentine ant Linepithema humile: queen effect and brood recognition Pheromonal and behavioral queen control over the production of gynes in the Argentine ant Iridomyrmex humilis (Mayr) Gyne development in the Argentine ant Iridomyrmex humilis: role of overwintering and queen control The killing of nestmate queens in ant colonies Effect of seasonal dynamics on queen densities of the Argentine Ant (Linepithema humile) in an invaded natural area of the NE Iberian Peninsula More and bigger queens: a clue to the invasive success of the Argentine ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in natural habitats Food distribution within laboratory colonies of the Argentine ant Control of brood male production in the Argentine ant Iridomyrmex humilis (Mayr) Foraging activity and dietary spectrum of the Argentine ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in invaded natural areas of the northeast Iberian Peninsula Effect of temperature on the development and survival of the Argentine ant 97 available online: insectscience.org/10.97 (2010) Will climate change affect insect pheromonal communication Cuticular hydrocarbons correlate with queen reproductive status in native and invasive Argentine ants (Linepithema humile Queen replacement in dequeened colonies of the Argentine ant Iridomyrmex humilis (Mayr) Temporal and temperature-induced changes in emission rates and blend ratios of sex pheromone components in Trichoplusia ni The smell of change: warming affects species interactions mediated by chemical information Seasonal changes in bait preference by red imported fire ant A year in an ant’s life: opportunism and seasonal variation in the foraging ecology of Aphaenogaster senilis Selfish strategies and honest signalling: reproductive conflicts in ant queen associations Identification of an ant queen pheromone regulating worker sterility Etude de quelques facteurs impliqués dans la détermination de la caste royale chez la fourmi d’Argentine Iridomyrmex humilis Mayr Factors controling dealation and egg laying in virgin queens of the Argentine ant Linepithema humile Fecundity of ant queens in relation to their age and the mode of colony founding Cuvillier-Hot, V., Lenoir, A., Crewe, R., Malosse, C. & Peeters, C. Fertility signalling and reproductive skew in queenless ants. Anim Behav. 68, 1209–1219, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2003.11.026 (2004) Nest connectivity and colony structure in unicolonial Argentine ants Artificial diet for rearing various species of ants The life history of the Argentine ant Iridomyrmex humilis Mayr Incidence des facteurs écologiques sur le cycle annuel et l’activité saisonnière de la fourmi d’Argentine R Core Team. R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. URL, http://www.R-project.org/ (2013) StatSoft, Inc. STATISTICA for Windows [Computer program manual]. Tulsa, OK: StatSoft, Inc., 2300 East 14th Street, Tulsa, OK 74104, phone: (918) 749–1119, fax: (918) 749–2217, email: info@statsoft.com, WEB: http://www.statsoft.com (2001) Download references Gómez from the Mass Spectrometry Unit of the University of Girona for identifying the CHCs and for her help during all the chemical analyses Pearce for her English-language editing services This work was financially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and the European Regional Development Fund (CGL2010-16451) prepared the figures and wrote the manuscript The authors declare no competing interests Publisher’s note: Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations Reprints and permissions Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-46972-5 Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science The 20th edition of the international MICFootball (MIC-Mediterranean International Cup) tournament was presented today at CaixaBank’s headquarter in Barcelona as a result of the financial institution’s historic sponsorship of the tournament for 10 years The event was attended by Nico González and Aitana Bonmatí The tournament will be held from 12th to 17th April 2022 at Costa Brava and returns after three years with the attendance of 300 teams from about 30 countries and 6.000 participants spread out in 9 categories (from U12 to U20 among men’s and women’s grassroots football and functional diversity) The opening will be held in Figueres –main stage– Lloret i l’Estartit while Roses will be the novelty of the 33 headquarters in Girona that are a part of it recognized as one of the world’s most prestigious grassroots football tournaments has the two blue and scarlet players as godfathers.Nico Gonzalez who took part in 5 editions of MICFootball with the FC Barcelona’s grassroots football team MIC is really special because it was my first football tournament with Barça It’s a week that you look forward to and it’s a special tournament that you enjoy with your friends the midfielder has pointed out that “we are very excited about the Europa League winning my first title would be the most special thing that has happened to me in my sporting career but we don’t want to fool anyone either author yesterday of a goal in the historic FC Barcelona-Real Madrid CF Champions League match (5-2) with 91,553 spectators at the Camp Nou has asserted that “it was a day hard to assume we have received many messages and I want to thank people for their support I hope that what happened yesterday was a turning point and that it will go on The blue and scarlet midfielder didn’t play MICFootball in her grassroots football stage but “I was a loyal fan of the tournament and when I had finished training at the Ciutat Esportiva Seeing how the boys and girls enjoyed it was great” adjourned 2020 and 2021 editions because of the pandemic and this year returns from 12th to 17th April the tournament’s inauguration (13th April) will be held simultaneously in four headquarters: Figueres –with Vilatenim’s stadium as a main stage– The rest of the tournament’s headquarters are: Bàscara It will be attended by 300 teams from about 30 countries and nearly 6,000 participants including players and members of the coaching staff There will be representatives from the United States Players from 12 to 20 years old will take part aimed at people with functional diversity and supported by l’Obra Social “la Caixa” there are 11 out of the 20 LaLiga’s clubs (FC Barcelona Television and streaming broadcasts will also be present in this edition and a large part of the tournament can be watched from anywhere in the world The event began with a welcome speech by Alfredo Bustillo he highlighted the role of the organization as “one of the pioneering companies in sports sponsorship with more than 30 years of experience” He also emphasized the involvement with the tournament stating that the relationship “goes far beyond the historical sponsorship of the championship with which we have been linked for 10 years and which helps us to continue in the strategy of promoting the sport as an inclusive tool for society and that helps sports and cultural organizations and institutions to develop projects that can help social and economic progress This afternoon’s presentation also featured speeches by Jordi Masquef diputat d’Esports de la Diputació de Girona; Juanjo Rovira CaixaBank’s territorial director in Catalonia Sports journalist Gerard Romero led the event Juanjo Rovira explains that “we come back with the utmost enthusiasm We haven’t been able to do it for two years and after all that has happened a figure we would have accepted without a second thought three months ago We will adapt to the current situation to get as close as possible to what the tournament was before the pandemic” emphasizes that “we are looking forward to seeing how big and small teams live together and discover football promises Jordi Masquef underlined that “we all really want MIC after two years without being able to celebrate it due to the pandemic a total of 33 Girona municipalities will be the scene of the tournament which is an excellent platform for the international projection of these municipalities and allows us to further promote our territory as a sports tourism destination” Jaume Masana accentuated CaixaBank’s commitment to the territory Masana thanked the work of CaixaBank volunteers: “We are very proud of their contribution to the tournament by actively collaborating with the organization supporting them and giving everything operational support” MICFootball has proven to be a real cradle of footballers in the 19 editions that have been played A wide range of elite players has played it which this year again has the Girona Provincial Council and CaixaBank as its main partners mobilizes 400 volunteers and improves the position of the Costa Brava as a destination for sports tourism and projects it internationally According to the MIC – Mediterranean International Cup 2018 Economic Impact Study commissioned by the Costa Brava Girona Tourism Board the 2018 MICFootball generated a return in the territory of more than 11.5 million euros with a budget of 2,8 MEUR For every euro invested by the public administration there was a return to the territory of more than 100 euros The values that MICFootball tries to convey are also reflected in the Dani Montesinos Sports Journalism Award with the aim of remembering the figure of the journalist and with the objective of promoting sports journalism and young journalists promoted by MICSports in collaboration with Mediapro will recognize for the 10th year a work written by a journalism student who will at the same time obtain an internship on the GOL Channel Castell d'Aro and Santa Cristina d'Aro activate emergency response as over 60 firefighter crews work on site ACN | Barcelona This article is outdated. Check the latest updates of this story here Firefighters are working to put out a wildfire that broke out early Friday afternoon in Castell d'Aro one of the Costa Brava's most famous tourist hotspots on the northern Catalan coast 77 firefighter crews and 15 aerial units were working on the site at 5pm while civil protection authorities have evacuated at least 15 residents in the nearby Les Teules area Residential area of Can Manel, Hotel Mas Torrellas Vallvanera area and Golf Masnou were also evacuated and the evacuees have been moved to the municipal sports center facilities.  the firefighters said that the blaze has affected between 50 and 55 hectares and this could increase up to 100 in the best case scenario and up to 250 if the flames go beyond their estimations.  They also said that "if things go well," the wildfire may be already stabilized on Friday evening.  forest cleanup works may have caused the incident The coastal resort towns of Platja d'Aro and S'Agaró - which make up the Castell d'Aro municipality - and Sant Feliu de Guíxols are some 10 kilometers south of Sant Antoni de Calonge and Palamós Both Castell d'Aro and the neighboring Santa Cristina d'Aro have activated their local emergency protocols for wildfires Weather conditions are favorable to put it out, as reported by the local radio broadcaster Ràdio Capital de l'Empordà. The media outlet also confirmed that humidity is at around 40% and 60% and wind from the sea helps keep the temperature low, although there are gusts of wind of up to 40 kilometers per hour. Firefighters added that the area affected, in the Girona region, is in a "slightly" better situation regarding the ongoing drought in Catalonia. Yet, they called on the public to be cautious across the country since due to the lack of rain, "any wildfire rapidly expands soon after it has started." With many restrictions still in place, here is a lowdown of all that is still possible this festive season Natacha Maurin | Barcelona The carnival in Catalonia usually consists of massive meringue fights seven days of pure and total fun with your neighbours An excuse for Catalans to let loose and eat lots of good food the carnival falls just before the harsh boundaries brought in by the Christian holiday of Lent which means this year it will start on Thursday 11 With the Covid-19 pandemic forcing measures that prevent, well, nearly everything the carnival is about, what is still possible this festive season in Catalonia, and how can you enjoy these seven days of fun safely? The carnival kicks off on ‘Dijous Gras’ or Fat Thursday in English, a day where indulging in fatty foods is allowed and even encouraged.  Now, this is one event we can all take part in from home. Get out your cooking utensils and the main ingredient of the season: eggs! From egg sausage (botifarra d’ou), truita (egg and potato omelette), and coca de llardons, a dessert made from pork fat, there are many traditional carnival recipes to keep all cooks well entertained.  If you find yourself in Vilanova i la Geltrú, a seaside town south of Barcelona that holds one of the most attended carnivals, you will be able to dabble in making your own truita, or even the town’s own dish of xató, a combination of salad, olives, sardines, and more.  The organizers of this year’s online carnival are organizing a social media competition to find the best xató in the city, all it takes is to upload a picture and hashtag it #xatoacasa i #elmesimporantesviure to enter.  Many of the carnival events surround the carnival King, the leader of the festivities. His arrival is usually accompanied by floats, costumes, and street parades, with the taronjada - a throwing of oranges, which has been replaced to a less messy fall of orange confetti.  In Barcelona, the King will still arrive followed by his seven minions, all named after traditional Barcelona districts, to help him with his mischief. The organizers will be conducting an opening event titled “K’arriba l’Arribo!” with dance and music included that you will be able to catch online.  Most big Catalan festivals such as Vilanova and Sitges, just north of Vilanova on the coast will be offering an online covering of all the festivities and carnival royalty are urging you to come and witness this arrival for yourself. The party atmosphere, which is usually in full-swing by the weekend of carnival, will be slightly dampened this year. Nonetheless, in Tarragona, the townspeople are not letting Covid-19 be an excuse to skip the costumes this year, with a contest amongst shopkeepers for the best costume and decorations in shop windows.  In Barcelona, individual neighborhoods have managed to keep some of the season’s traditions alive, and around a hundred events will take place throughout the city. Community centers will be holding concerts, exhibitions, and workshops to make up for the loss of street parades, and the Gracia neighborhood are organizing a mask customization contest - a sign of the times. Smaller Catalan towns are also getting in on the fun, with Santa Cristina d’Aro, on the north-eastern coast of the country, is organizing a costume contest where adults and children can enter to become the king and queen of the carnival. With €300 and €100 euro prizes up for grabs, make sure to have your best royal dress at the ready! Unfortunately, the weird and wacky celebrations like the Vilanova meringue fights, the (fake) donkey hitting in Solsona and the bed races in Lleida as well as the Reus confetti fights, will not go ahead this year due to the preventative Covid-19 rules currently in place. However, there are no rules against throwing meringues at anyone within your household bubble, so there is no reason to let traditions die hard! At school, students usually make the most of carnival by dressing up everyday. One day a class might have to all wear the same odd pair of socks, and the next a certain colour hat, so kids might enjoy one tradition that Covid-19 can not touch, as schools are still open. All festivities will come to a close, with the traditional burial of the sardine … yes you did read that right, the burial of the sardine.  After his seven days of debauchery and all-in-all deviant behaviour, the king of the carnival is judged and condemned to death on Ash Wednesday in a satirical funeral procession.  So where do the sardines come in? Well, often at the end of the festival it is not the king who is burned but rather a big sardine. Online, a range of carnivals such as Vilanova’s, will be replaying past years’ processions, so you can relive the fun from home. Banco Sabadell’s participation in the Intermón Oxfam Trailwalker charity race is part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy the goal of which is to contribute to sustainable development and the wellbeing of the communities in which the Bank operates The Bank believes that the fight against climate change and poverty are two of the most significant challenges of our times and it is therefore committed to supporting initiatives that help to address them The Intermón Oxfam Trailwalker is the largest team walking sporting event The challenge is to cover 100 kilometres in 32 hours 55 kilometres in 16 hours or 10 kilometres in 4 hours and to accumulate steps to address the effects of the climate crisis We also share with Trailwalker values such as teamwork — Banco Sabadell (@BancoSabadell) April 8, 2024 This year, 49 #TrailwalkerSabadell teams are due to take part in #Trailwalker2024: 32 teams will tackle the 100 kilometre challenge 300 people from Banco Sabadell will take part in the walk enriching experience and will contribute their steps to help people living impoverished On Saturday 6 April the #TrailwalkerSabadell teams will set out from Olot and tackle the first kilometres with hope walking together and stopping at the feeding and rest stations The teams covering 55 kilometres will arrive at Fira de Girona whilst the 100-kilometre race ends at Sant Feliu de Guixols it will be the turn of the teams who have chosen the 10-kilometre option They will start in Santa Cristina d’Aro and also finish in Sant Feliu de Guixols Banco Sabadell’s involvement in the Intermón Oxfam Trailwalker is an example of how business can contribute to a more sustainable and more just world The Bank encourages other companies to join charitable initiatives like this and be part of the fight against climate change and poverty registered with the Mercantile Register in Barcelona Fiscal Identification Number (NIF) A08000143 Credit institution subject to the supervision of the Bank of Spain and registered in the special administrative register under number 0081 and instead head to one of these splendidly isolated natural spots to lay out your towel and really get away from it all One of the favourite dinner-table conversations of Catalans consists of remembering days on the beach of summers gone by It's not surprising: they’re essentially sun-loving beings and the younger generations – not the older ones; 60 years ago there wasn’t the same obsession with going so regularly to the beach – have grown up diving into the waves and sunbathing without proper protection to an extent that's bound to  catch up with them one day When a dinner is particularly cosy and the company exceptionally pleasant that the beans get spilt on those secret coves ('cales') or corners of the Costa Brava where people go to lose themselves even at the height of summer – where you're basically guaranteed to not even find a hermit crab Everyone knows which are the best beaches on the Costa Brava but the ones listed here are the most secluded: sandy areas that it’s difficult to get to but for which the effort is completely worth it because the memory of that day in the sun will keep you going until next spring Take note because we might not tell you again which featured in the beloved BBC sitcom The Vicar of Dibley within stumbling distance of the Bull & Butcher pub Accessed via the grounds of St Mary the Virgin church the 870 sq ft home features a sitting room with an open fireplace a kitchen with access to a lower-ground-floor cellar WC and a back door that leads to the garden plot each with far-reaching views of the village green church and beyond to the hilltop Cobstone Windmill The riverside delights of Henley-on-Thames are only a 20-minute drive away.Air pollution 9.3mcg/m³ particulate pollution annual average; 4.3mcg/m³ above the WHO guideline of 5mcg/m³ Girona it's a major topic of conversation and opinion Locals tend to either love it with their very being to the extent that it makes up part of their DNA or they run screaming from it in the opposite direction there are two factions that are completely opposed to each other to the extent that it can cause disharmony among friends family and lovers: on the one hand are those people who love going to the beach in the summer while on the other are those who will only go during those mild days of anti-cyclone weather during the winter months when the view isn't blighted by bodies with second-degree burns or kids armed with dangerous weapons like inflatable crocodiles your partner or mates are part of Team Beach in Winter we've got good news for you: you don't have to miss out on a refreshing dip in the area during the hot summer months.  Girona is full of places for inland swimming spots where the picnic and breaststroke don't have that 'we can only do this for a week a year' air of desperation which drives so many visitors to lie out in the sun far beyond any recommended limit But making sure that these places remain tranquil also depends on our approach: leave the speakers for your smartphone in the car twitterinstagramAbout us Contact us Time Out Worldwide of course there are plenty of bars and clubs for everyone In a town as lovely as Girona and with the Costa Brava as a glorious backdrop what better setting for meeting up with friends grabbing a drink and/or dancing until dawn Find out where in these top LGBT (and hetero-friendly) bars and clubs in Girona and beyond This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page.