The disaster in Nepal, where a Himalayan glacier collapsed, has also brought attention to the nearly 140,000 mountain glaciers estimated to exist on Earth, which are losing ice at a rapid pace. Currently, few glaciers have thorough on-site monitoring, although much progress has been made with new technologies. In Spain, the 14 existing glaciers, all in the Pyrenees and retreating, are monitored and pose little risk. What is now of particular concern is the permafrost, the frozen ground and rocks, given the increase in landslides that cause accidents.

The National Cancer Research Center (CNIO) has lost its private sponsors, as reported by El País and confirmed by La Vanguardia after consulting all parties. The departures announced today of the BBVA Foundation and the Cris Against Cancer Foundation add to that of the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC), which occurred on March 9 and was already known. The exit of the private institutions is motivated by the reputational damage that has affected the oncology research center, after the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office opened proceedings last December regarding an alleged scheme that may have diverted up to 25 million euros from budgets over 18 years through the alleged rigging of contracts, and also due to the recent resignation of the manager, José Manuel Bernabé, accused of harassment.

The Provincial Court of Barcelona has sentenced Yago Zarroca to three years in prison and Màrius Montmany and Oriol Hernández to two years each as responsible for the organization Yes We Help for a crime of aggravated fraud. Although the sentence is not final, the Chamber considers it proven that the alleged NGO of “international volunteering” was actually seeking to recruit and deceive hundreds of teenagers under the promise of participating in humanitarian projects in Ghana and Sri Lanka.