Talk to your dog remotely and track him in real time

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Object location devices AirTag They have gained a lot of popularity in recent years to keep track of all types of belongings. However, when it comes to animals, passive Bluetooth systems fall short in field areas or when the animal is moving quickly. Mova, one recognized brand in the connected home sector for its robot vacuum cleanershas made the leap into animal care with the SureTrack Proa GPS tracker designed specifically for dogs and cats. Mova SureTrack Pro Pet GPS Tracker The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Hybrid positioning and calls to your pet Unlike a traditional tracker, the most striking point of the SureTrack Pro is its tracking system. two-way voice communication. Equipped with an integrated speaker and microphone, it allows you to call the animal remotely from your smartphone using the MOVAhome app. This is especially useful for calming the dog if it has become frightened, giving remote call commands or listening to its surroundings. To determine location accurately, the device does not rely on a single technology. Combine up to six positioning methods (GPS, AGPS, LBS, Bluetooth, WiFi and an active radar system), offering a range of metric accuracy and position updates every five seconds. Thanks to its integrated connectivity with eSIM (LTE/4G and 5G networks), it continues to offer coverage both on city streets and in the middle of nature or closed spaces. Light, resistant and designed for everyday use With a medal-type format that attaches directly to the necklace, its dimensions are quite small (52 x 36 x 22 mm) and its weight is only 36.4 grams. The brand recommends it for pets weighing over 3.5 kg. In the physical and security section, it has: IP67 resistance: prepared to resist dust, splashes and accidental dips. Battery up to seven days: in energy saving mode, fully recharging in about two hours. Smart geo-fencing: allows you to configure up to four safe zones to receive automatic alerts if the animal leaves the marked limits. LED light and buzzer– Incorporates a bright LED and a remote acoustic signal to find the animal if it is hiding in bushes or at night. Activity monitoring– Records daily exercise data and saved route history for one year. Availability and subscription plans This new Mova device has a recommended RRP of 99 euros, but now it is on an introductory offer for 89 euros. When carrying eSIM integrated to maintain a constant connection, the Mova SureTrack Pro requires a data plan after the first month free. Prices vary depending on the stay chosen: Annual plan: 8 euros per month (96 euros per year). Bi-annual plan: 6.66 euros per month (80 euros per year). Three-year plan: 6.11 euros per month (73.33 euros per year). All plans cover full 365-day history, activity heatmaps, real time alerts and the ability to share location access with multiple family members on an unlimited basis. ⚡ IN SUMMARY: mova suretrack pro pet tracker ✅ THE BEST Two-way voice communication: It goes one step beyond the simple map. The integrated speaker and microphone allow you to call your pet remotely to calm it down or use the acoustic signal if it is hidden. Compact and lightweight: With just 36.4 grams and a medal format, it is very comfortable and does not hinder the animal’s mobility. ❌ THE WORST Requires mandatory long-term subscription… As it depends on mobile connectivity (eSIM), it requires paying a constant monthly fee (between 6.11 euros and 8.00 euros/month depending on the chosen duration) to remain operational after the first promotional month. Limited to very small pets… Although it weighs little, its dimensions and the manufacturer’s recommendations do not recommend it for small cats or dogs weighing less than 3.5 kg. 💡 BUY IT IF… You are the owner of a dog that escapes or guardian of a dog that tends to flee after tracks in the field or it also serves to reinforce voice commands from a distance while they walk loose. ⛔ DON’T BUY IT IF… You are looking for a device without fees and prefer to make a one-time payment, this product is not for you since it forces you to pay a mandatory monthly subscription for the eSIM. You may also be interested in these products for your pet Enabot EBO Air 2 Pet Camera with App The price could vary. We earn commission from these links PETKIT New Automatic Cat Feeder with Camera The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Image | Mova In Xataka | Best robot vacuum cleaners in quality price. Which one to buy based on use and five recommended models In Xataka | These are the seven best cleaning devices to keep dirt at bay

Alejandro Llano, lawyer: “There is a type of dismissal that does not appear in the law but is the most popular: dismissal in July”

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Every year the same thing happens. July moves inexorably towards a well-deserved summer vacation, the offices and work centers are emptying little by little and, just then, the letters that no employee wants to receive begin to arrive: the dismissal letter. Alejandro Llanomanager of the legal office of UGT Catalonia, denounces a type of dismissal that is not officially recognized in the Workers’ Statute, but is well known to those who must defend the rights of workers: “There is a type of dismissal that does not appear in the law but is the most popular: the dismissal in July. In the last fortnight it is incredible.” The deadline runs even if you are not there. The key to Llano’s complaint lies in a detail that may go unnoticed, but is decisive in challenging a dismissal. He article 59.3 of the Workers’ Statute establishes that there is a period of 20 business days to challenge a dismissal in Spain. That is, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays do not count. On the other hand, the article 183 of the Organic Law of the Judiciary declares August as a non-working month for “all judicial actions, except those that are declared urgent by procedural laws. However, the General Council of the Judiciary, through regulations, may enable them for the purposes of other actions.” One of the cases in which the month of August is enabled as a business month is, according to article 43.2. of the Social Jurisdiction Lawthe dismissal of workers. That’s the trick. The Law Regulating Social Jurisdiction declares August a non-working month for almost everything, but makes an exception for layoffs, as it is an urgent procedure, generating confusion among laid-off workers, who may miss the deadline to challenge their dismissal thinking that justice “is closed for vacation.” “The rule, wanting to benefit the worker, is harming them, declaring August a business day for layoffs,” laments Llano. A dismissal notified on July 20 begins to expire while half the country is on the beach. When there is no lawyer available. Furthermore, moving the challenge of the dismissal to August has another perverse cost for employees: finding someone to defend you in time. “In August it is difficult to find a lawyer. Many offices are closed, because lawyers also take vacations,” highlights Llano. The specialized office Bermejo i Alegret, confirm the same phenomenon of increased layoffs in July from another trench. In his case, he speaks of a “silent practice with high legal costs” and warns of an aggravating circumstance in which the company knows that the worker is on vacation and even outside the country to begin the dismissal process. In these cases, the lawyer assures that “the courts can interpret this conduct as an indication of imbalance in the relationship” and point out the violation of your right of defense, tipping the balance towards the recognition of an unfair or even void dismissal. A phenomenon that statistics do not see. Here another paradox arises that, in part, explains why this continues to happen. Despite what Llano and other labor lawyers denounce from their daily experience, there is no official data that reveals how many ordinary layoffs occur during the month of July. The Ministry of Labor only measures collective dismissals on a monthly basis through its Employment Regulation Statisticswhich in July 2025 counted 4,864 laid-off workers, compared to 3,898 layoffs June or the 992 of September of that same year. These layoffs only tell part of the story, collective layoffs are growing, yes, but they only tell part of the story since they represent a percentage of total layoffs. The bulk of layoffs, individual and objective, are counted annually in the Dismissal Statistics and their Costwhich totaled 643,681 layoffs in the latest records of 2024, without the possibility of breaking them down month by month. The General Council of the Judiciary also does not monthly list the figures for dismissal claimsand only provides the quarterly and annual data. Therefore, we are faced with a phenomenon that, although labor lawyers see it repeated every summer, remains invisible to official statistics. In Xataka | Requesting a leave of absence from work has a catch: if you do not notify your return in time, you can lose your job forever. Image | Wikimedia Commons (Cberbell)

The answer to how we move from one language to another

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Here a server lives in Vigo and, throughout the day, frequently switches from Spanish to Galician. Jumping from one language to another happens naturally, spontaneously, depending on who you are talking to, where you are, or even what you are doing. The same thing happens to many people around me who have grown up listening to both languages ​​or, in other parts of Spain, to people who have learned Catalan, Basque, Valencian, Aranese, Bable from the cradle… even dialects with much smaller communities of speakers, such as the gallery. That ability to jump from one language to another is something we take for granted, but it remains a fascinating phenomenon for linguists. Now a group of researchers wants to understand it better focusing the focus on two very specific areas of the peninsula quite far from each other: Galicia and Gibraltar. The key: multilingualism. The dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) defines the “multilingualism” as the “coexistence of several languages ​​in a country or territory”. It is a known phenomenon and to which we are more than accustomed in Spain, where although Spanish is the official language throughout the State and there are a handful of co-official languages ​​in certain regions, a rich melting pot of speeches, dialects and slang coexist. Now… Do we really understand how multilingualism develops? Why do we jump from one language to another? Majority, but unknown. The previous one is an interesting question because in the world there are millions and millions of people who switch daily from one language to another with complete naturalness: they do it depending on where they are, who their interlocutor is, if they are working or having drinks with their friends… It even happens within the same family. Curiously, despite the fact that it is such a widespread phenomenon, there are those who believe that we still have a long way to go to understand it. “Multilingualism is a majority reality in the world, but we still know little about how it works in diverse and changing communities,” they explain those responsible for ‘BabelBrain. The Babel Brain: Mapping Multilingual Ecologies’, a project led by an expert from the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC) who has set out to understand it better. And how do they want to do it? Studying what happens in two multilingual communities on the peninsula separated by more than seven hundred kilometers: Galicia and Gibraltar. The objective, they comment from the USC, is to compare both territories to “analyze how people build their social relationships between several languages” and “understand what this multilingual experience reveals about adaptation mechanisms and the human capacity for language.” In Galicia, Galician and Spanish mainly coexist, although it is also possible to hear other languages ​​that have arrived through the flow of migrants. In Gibraltar the languages ​​in contact are English and Spanish, which has in turn led to “own linguistic practices”, such as the plaina similar combination to spanglish although specific to that region. His use of Spanish is very marked by Andalusian usage and also incorporates words of other languages. Why Gibraltar and Galicia? If the idea is to study multilingualism in Spain, why not go to other regions with more speaking communities or where more languages ​​coexist? From BabelBrain they explain it clearly: Galicia and Gibraltar may be separated by seven hundred kilometers, but they share a series of characteristics that are especially interesting. “Both communities share the characteristic that one of the languages ​​is in decline (Galician in Galicia and Spanish in Gibraltar),” remember the groupwhich also specifies that the two regions need to be more analyzed. Two years ago the Galician Institute of Statistics (IGE) published a report which pointed out that residents who exclusively use Spanish already surpassed those who always express themselves in Galician. The first group represents 30%. The second, 24%. In Gibraltar there are also experts who recognize your “concern” due to the “level of deterioration” that Spanish is suffering there. One goal, two phases. To achieve its objective, the study will be divided into two phases. In the first, which was already underway in June in both Galicia and Gibraltar, researchers will collect samples of spontaneous conversations and work with questionnaires. “The objective is to document the real uses of languages ​​in everyday life,” clarifies the USC before specifying that linguists want to take care of rural areas that are usually left out of studies. The second phase will consist of “experimental studies” more focused on understanding how we process languages ​​and how linguistic experience, contexts or patterns of use influence them. With this objective, techniques of pupillometry and conceal tracking that help understand how speakers process information when reading, listening, or interpreting. At stake is a key task: better understanding our adaptation mechanisms, especially when it comes to language use. Images | Wikipedia and Michal Mrozek (Unsplash) In Xataka | In 1971, an aquarium in the United States took in an orphaned seal. Five years later he started doing something: speaking in English

Amazon has a plan to stand up to Starlink

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Until recently, losing coverage meant being left off the grid until you found another terrestrial antenna. That logic is beginning to break down: low-orbit satellites can now communicate directly with certain mobile phones and maintain basic services where conventional infrastructure does not reach or stops working. We are not yet talking about replacing the networks we use every day, but rather extending them beyond their limits. In that race, Starlink already provides service and Amazon has outlined a large-scale plan to try to achieve it. Amazon’s plan. The company has requested to the United States Federal Communications Commission authorization to deploy up to 5,105 satellites in low orbit. The future network, called Amazon Leo Direct-to-Device, would be designed to communicate with compatible mobile phones and Internet of Things devices using spectrum bands assigned to Globalstar. Amazon plans to begin deployment in 2028, so we are still talking about a proposal subject to approval. Its objective covers voice, data, messaging, connected vehicles and remote operations outside the reach of conventional networks. It is not the same broadband constellation. Surely you are wondering if those 5,105 satellites will be limited to reinforcing the network that Amazon is already deploying. The answer is no. The D2D system would work alongside that constellation, but would have a different mission: to connect directly with compatible mobile phones, while the current broadband service requires specific terminals such as Leo Nano, Leo Pro or Leo Ultra. Amazon already has more than 390 satellites of this first network in orbit and hopes to begin providing fixed service during 2026. A network in five layers. The project distributes the constellation at 510, 540, 560, 570 and 580 kilometers in height to extend coverage across mid, high latitudes and near the poles. Communication with the devices will use the L and S bands, while the links with the ground will operate through Ka and V. The design foresees that each satellite incorporates signal processing, optical connections and digital beams. Amazon estimates a useful life of six to eight years before lowering them up to 360 kilometers to complete their natural retreat. The key was in Globalstar. Amazon does not intend to build this new network completely from scratch. In April it agreed to acquire the satellite operator for about 11.6 billion dollars, an operation that it hopes to complete in 2027 and that includes authorized spectrum, infrastructure and the HIBLEO and C-3 constellations. These assets would work in coordination with Amazon Leo systems. Globalstar also has a long-term agreement with Apple, which uses its satellites for services available on select iPhone and Apple Watch models, from messaging to roadside assistance. It’s already happening. forest fires near Madrid they offered a concrete example of this technology. Starlink confirmed that it provided Free SMS connectivity to MasOrange and Movistar customers located in the affected areas, as long as they used compatible LTE smartphones. Phones could automatically connect to Starlink Mobile when the ground network was unavailable, although the service worked best with a clear view of the sky. Movistar, Orange and Vodafone also reported the activation of emergency satellite connectivity to help maintain communications. Starlink starts with advantage. By the end of 2025, its direct connection service to mobile phones had already reached 22 countries and six continents, according to Teslarati. The publication placed the network at over 650 satellites, with 27 associated operators and more than six million monthly customers. Faced with this deployment, Amazon plans to start its own in 2028, as long as it obtains the necessary authorizations. What we have before us, therefore, is not only a race to deploy more satellites, but to extend mobile coverage beyond terrestrial antennas. Images | amazon In Xataka | If you live in Madrid and want to see the total eclipse on August 12, write down these 52 towns

GPS leaves us stranded inside buildings. An alternative is already in orbit and has shown that it can arrive indoors

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We enter a shopping center, go down to a parking lot or cross the door of a station and the blue dot begins to hesitate. Sometimes it takes a while to react, other times puts us on the next street and, in the worst cases, stop following us completely. We have become accustomed to the mobile phone almost always knowing where we are, but it is enough to put several walls and ceilings in the way to remember that the signals that arrive from space still have very specific limits. The answer you propose Xona Space Systems It’s called Pulsar and it already has hardware working in space. Its first dedicated satellite, Press-0has transmitted signals that could be followed from inside a building, a relevant test because it directly addresses one of the weak points of traditional satellite navigation. The demonstration, however, is only the first step, while offering a stable, immediate and accurate position indoors requires more satellites, compatible receivers and coverage that has yet to be deployed. Satellites closest to the Earth’s surface Although we usually call everything GPS, that name corresponds only to the Global Positioning System of the United States. Our mobiles can also combine signals from Galileo, from the European Union; GLONASS, from Russia; and BeiDou, from Chinaall of them included under the term GNSS. Their architectures are not identical, but they share a difficulty: transmissions arrive very weak after traveling thousands of kilometers. In the case of the American system, the GPS office itself recognizes that buildings can block the signal and that its bounces off walls introduce errors in the position. Recreation of Xona satellites Pulsar attempts to change that relationship by bringing the transmitters much closer to the surface. While the GPS satellites orbit at about 20,200 kilometers altitude, the architecture requested by Xona would place them around 1,080 kilometersa distance that allows the signal to arrive with greater power. Its rapid movement also generates Doppler variations that can provide additional information to the position calculation. The advantage comes at a price: each ship covers less territory and remains visible for less time, so hundreds are needed to offer continuous service throughout the planet. The project was not born with Pulsar-0 either. Xona carried out a first orbital demonstration with Huginn in 2022an experimental payload that allowed its architecture to be tested before launching, in 2025, a dedicated satellite. Since then, the company has transmitted for hundreds of passes, updated its in-orbit software, and managed to get different commercial receivers to track their emissions. It has also opened its own factory in California and ordered new units from Aerospacelab. There is, therefore, hardware and an industrial base in place, although the constellation necessary to provide continuous service has yet to be built. A view of Xona’s laboratory What Xona has demonstrated inside a building is not yet comparable navigation to what we expect from a mobile phone, although there is an important nuance: the entire test was carried out with a single satellite and receivers installed in specific positions. In a work signed by engineers from the company itself, an indoor antenna accumulated measurements of Pulsar-0 during its passage to estimate the position, while the comparison equipment failed to acquire GPS signals in the main test. This ended with 38.7 meters of horizontal error; Other selected records were between 0.6 and 3 meters, although in those cases the algorithm started from an initial estimate close to the real location. For a single experimental ship, the result is promising; To guide us as we walk indoors, the net still needs to be deployed. The next announced step is to launch a first batch of six production satellites, scheduled for October 2026, and initially offer intermittent coverage to some time-sync customers. For Pulsar to provide immediate and precise positions, several ships will be required to be visible at the same time, much broader coverage and receptors capable of interpreting their signals. It will not replace GPS overnight nor will it solve any interior problem on its own. But what we have seen demonstrates at least one thing concrete: a navigation signal sent from low orbit can be received inside a building at a point where GPS failed to do so. Images | Xona (1, 2) In Xataka | One study said that trees “sense” eclipses 14 hours in advance. The real explanation is much more boring

A Chinese driver bought a spectacular electric SUV to travel to Europe. Everything was perfect until he reached the border

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Fabio Belmone is Volata di Peluca. At the beginning of last year he went viral when he posted that he was going to Tokyo. So far, everything is normal. Another millennial going to Japan. What made Fabio Belmone’s trip special is that he planned to reach the Japanese capital by car. 25,000 kilometers and 80 days later, the account Volata di Peluca confirmed that it had arrived in Japan. But perhaps the most curious thing about the trip is that, in addition to crossing all of Europe and Asia, the car chosen was a Fiat Marea. The only thing he could afford with 900 euros, he explained to The Vanguard. “I have crossed two continents, but my car can’t enter Barcelona,” he said in the interview. And perhaps, precisely because of that, because the car was tremendously analog, the adventure was able to reach its destination. Because in any country they could fix it. And, above all, because it wasn’t a car that was going to stop for crossing a border. The owner of this Zeekr 9X cannot say the same, explain our French colleagues from L’Automobile. At least he’s not standing still That transcontinental journey is having its particular replica from China. Mr. Liu is a Chinese driver who wants to repeat Fabio Belmone’s adventure in reverse. From Europe to China. Of course, aboard a Zeekr 9X, one of the most luxurious SUVs in the country. He Zeekr 9X It is a car that costs, in direct exchange, just over 61,000 euros. That means that in the Asian country it is one of the most luxurious options you can buy since manufacturers have filled their cars with technology at ridiculous prices. In this case we are talking about an extended range electric vehicle (a particular version of a plug-in hybrid) that in China it reaches 1,300 HP of power. The car, in fact, has just arrived in Europe although reduced in power, with an 897 HP version. But beyond the power figures, what is truly interesting about this car is inside, with six seats (or rather six seats), this huge SUV can become a rolling living room. Heated, ventilated and massaged seats that can be faced until they become a kind of hammock, 32 speakers spread throughout the cabin, two consecutive 16-inch screens to manage the infotainment system and even a third 17-inch screen that slides from the roof so that the rear passengers can enjoy it while they are driving. Inside the Zeekr 9X The experience of traveling in the car goes far beyond traveling through countries because, unlike with the Marea, the beauty is on the inside. Mr. Liu must have been thinking something similar when he began the trip. But a few thousand kilometers later, upon crossing the first border, the dream turned into a nightmare. Suddenly, your Zeekr 9X hood a multitude of functions. All software functions fell apart when it crossed the border into Kazakhstan. The loading ports and access to the warehouse also did the same. The reason was simple: the car, using GPS, had detected that the border had been crossed. They explain in CarNewsChina that the driver could not find a way to continue his journey for 30 hours. The reason, they explain from the specialized media, is in the vehicle’s anti-theft system. Automatically, the car detects through GPS positioning whether it is in China or beyond the borders. In the latter case, the vehicle repeatedly sends warnings but if it continues moving it blocks the vast majority of the functions. The system is activated by default in the car. The company has recognized in the Chinese media National Business Daily that, indeed, most of the car’s systems were blocked but that the vehicle can continue moving. To unlock the gas tank and charging socket you have to press and hold some specific buttons. This information, according to the company, should be known to the owner. What they explain however in CarNewsChina is that Mr. Liu knew about the blocking system before leaving China so went to a dealer. To avoid theft or illegal exports, what they do at the point of sale is certify the validity of some documents such as the driving license or the purchase contract. At that moment and after knowing the client’s intentions, they should have deactivated the anti-theft system with GPS positioning but they did not do so and it was not clear to the driver what he should do if this situation arose. But this time, what the software takes away from you, the software gives you. With an activation code, the brand was able to update the car via OTA and unlock the anti-theft systems, leaving the car ready to be used again. Photo | In Xataka | China wants to throw the door on the European electric car. Zeekr is your argument in the premium segment

One of the biggest box office failures in film history will have a second chance. A totally different one

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The year was 2012. Facebook bought Instagram, Apple launched the iPhone 5we all sang ‘Gangnam Style’, we were afraid that the world ended because of a Mayan prophecy and Disney launched its next great franchise: ‘John Carter‘. He did it with great aspirations, with the aim of ushering in a new era of science fiction (after all, it is a story with 11 much-loved novels), but it ended up being quite the opposite. The bases weren’t even that bad. ‘John Carter‘ is an original literary work by Edgar Rice Burroughs, creator of ‘Tarzan’, and has influenced great titles such as ‘Star Wars’, ‘Dune’, ‘Super Man’ or ‘Avatar’. The ingredients were there, but they didn’t work. With John Carter, Disney signed one of the biggest financial disasters in film history. That is why it is striking that they are going to try again, not with a live-action film, but with an animated series. Context: the John Carter disaster The story of John Carter is curious. It’s not that the movie was bad, but the desire to eat and hunger came together. On the one hand, the feature film had an excessive budget of approximately 300 million dollars, to which about 100 million had to be added in marketing. That already sets the bar very high as far as box office is concerned, so high that 284 million were not enough. On the other hand, its director, Andrew Stanton, had just made ‘Finding Nemo’ or ‘WALL-E’ and I had no experience directing films with live actors. Filming an animated film and a live-action film is totally different in terms of filming, effects, repeating scenes, etc., which also raised the final cost. Finally, it never hurts to remember what happened to the name. The original work is titled ‘John Carter of Mars’, and Disney, at that time, was not in the mood to go back to betting on things from Mars after the failure of ‘Mars Needs Moms‘. He chose, therefore, to leave the title in ‘John Carter’, which, together with some most confusing trailerscaused the public to not understand the film. The production left the Mickey Mouse company a hole of about 180 million euros ($200 million). That’s more than enough for the movie to appear. in the Guinness Book of Records as the biggest box office failure in history. ‘Brave’ live returns to Mars More than 14 years after this disaster, John Carter will have a second chance. Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc., the company that manages the copyright, is developing the animated series ‘John Carter, Warlord Of Mars’. This time the approach is totally different: instead of a movie for theaters, it will be a series; and instead of real action, we will bet on animation. Although the project was initially announced in 2025, it is now that it has taken its most important step. Mark Andrews, an Oscar-winning animation specialist, has been hired as lead director and co-showrunner. Andrews already knows John Carter very well, since he was one of the screenwriters of that failed Disney film. Mark Andrews directed alongside Brenda Chapman the Pixar film ‘Brave‘, which won the Oscar for best animated film in 2013. In ‘John Carter, Warlord Of Mars’ he will work closely with Michael Kogge, known mainly for his ‘Star Wars’ novels, who will serve as main scriptwriter and co-showrunner. Andrews has assured that he has been passionate about the John Carter universe since he was a child, especially for its mix of science fiction and fantasy. The new series aims do justice to the scale of the original work thanks to the possibilities offered by current animation: “Animation is the perfect medium to bring Burroughs’ world to life,” he explained, justifying why he believes that the result will be very different from that of three decades ago. This new project is not, under any circumstances, a sequel to the Disney film. The series will be based directly on the novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs and will rewrite the story completely independently. At the moment the voice actors, the visual style or the platform on which it will be distributed have not been revealed, nor is there a planned release date. Via | filmstarts Image | disney

a Roman sanctuary for women unique in the entire Empire

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At first glance it looks like a huge grotto located in Millares, in Valencian lands, but over the last few years Cova Dones has shown historians that it is a true archaeological treasure. In fact, every time the speleologists enter the cave and examine its walls, they take away a new surpriseeach one more impressive. In 2023 they confirmed the presence of one of the largest collections of Paleolithic rock art on the peninsula, in 2024 they also located a hidden Roman sanctuary more than 200 meters deep and in 2025 they identified more prehistoric vestiges. Now the 2026 campaign, completed in June, has revealed something else: 120 inscriptions that make Cova Dones a unique site in the world. What has happened? The Cova Dones site has been home to relevant archaeological finds for years, but until now none had been as impressive as the one just disclosed by the universities of Alicante and Saragossa (Unizar), two of the institutions involved in their study. The research carried out between May and June in this Millares cave, in Valencia, has made it possible to identify at least 120 Latin inscriptions, most dated to the first two centuries of our era. Archaeologists had already found similar remains when examining the grotto, but to a much lesser extent. Until now, only a dozen and a half engravings were known. Why is it important? There are two reasons. The new campaign allows us to better understand the function that the Valencian cave had in Roman times and those who visited it, but above all they turn it into a unique site in the world. Other similar cave-sanctuaries are spread throughout the territory that covered the Roman Empire, but none preserve as many Latin inscriptions. With its 120 engravings, Cova Dones is no longer the grotto of its type with the most vestiges in Hispania, it is in the entire territory that Trajan or Augustus came to dominate. “What was known as a Roman sanctuary with about 15 inscriptions has increased to 120, positioning itself as the largest set of Latin inscriptions known in a cave-sanctuary of the Empire,” they comment from the University of Zaragoza. “The joint study of the inscriptions and the preserved archaeological materials will allow us to reconstruct with greater precision the ritual practices developed in this space for centuries.” Is it so relevant? Yes. And not just because the list of cave inscriptions has multiplied eight-fold almost overnight. Researchers have already examined part of those 120 engravings and have reached several conclusions: most date from the 1st-2nd AD and there are several that include female names. It might seem like a minor detail, but it reveals something fascinating about the Valencian grotto. “Preliminary results indicate that Cova Dones was a cave-sanctuary frequented by women,” the team advances led by Virginia Barciela and Aitor Ruiz-Redondo, experts from the UA and Unizar, respectively. What was done in the cave? That is another mystery that we have partly clarified by analyzing the letters carved into the rock. “Thanks to a quintet of votive inscriptions we know with certainty that in Roman times a goddess who was reverentially called Domina, ‘the Lady’, was worshiped in the cave and that women had an active participation in her cult,” explains Silvia Alfayéfrom Unizar. “In three of them you can read ‘MALACI’, an unpublished invocation to refer to a hitherto unknown goddess. This goddess had a specific invocation, perhaps related to water, whose definitive reading we are working on,” abounds the Ancient History teacher. The team has several hypotheses about how to interpret the invocation ‘Domina’, but in any case they already have something clear. “The existence of at least five inscriptions dedicated to this same deity shows that we are not dealing with sporadic visits with a generic religious purpose, but rather with a specific cult of a specific deity,” confirm Sergio García-Dils, professor at UNED-Seville. In his opinion, the fact that the engravings are concentrated in a very specific area, far from the entrance, reveals an “organized cult.” Have they found anything else? Yes. In the Valencian sanctuary they have also found two rings, a bracelet, chalice-shaped glasses, ancient ceramic fragments, remains of fauna and “numerous fusayolas”, pieces that were placed as a counterweight on the spindles that were used to work with thread. It is another relevant clue because it allows archaeologists to think that spindles were offered in the cave as an offering, “a textile work instrument that, in ancient times, was associated with the female sphere.” This detail, added to the engraved letters or the name of the site itself (Cova de les Dones) are indications that point in the same direction: the presence of women in the cave-sanctuary. What do we know about the site? Basically, it is a box of archaeological surprises. The project that is allowing us to know it in depth is called DONARQ and it started in 2023 thanks to the support of the Generalitat Valenciana and the British Academy. Since then, several campaigns have been carried out. In 2023 it was confirmed that the cave houses the largest collection of Paleolithic rock art in the eastern peninsula, with a hundred long paintings and engravings more than 24,000 years old; In 2024, a Roman sanctuary located more than 200 m deep was identified, and in 2025, more than one hundred speleofacts, stalagmite formations purposely modified in prehistory, were analyzed. Now researchers have gone one step (or several) further, confirming the enormous symbolic value that the grotto had during Roman times. Images | University of Zaragoza In Xataka | In Italy they were promised happiness with a new Roman amphitheater from the 4th century. Until it was discovered that it was a “fake” concrete

This is the new offer that also allows you to finance your mobile at 0%

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The Google Pixels have been receiving very good offers for quite some time, and not only in the minimum storage configuration, which, in this case, is 128 GB. In fact, right now is one of the best times to make the jump to the current generation of the brand, since MediaMarkt has a double discount on the Google Pixel 10 that leaves it for 674.10 eurosalmost its historical minimum. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Double discount on the Google Pixel 10 He Google Pixel 10 that can be found on sale at MediaMarkt has a 256 GB configuration. It has a double discount: one direct and another that is applied when registering and logging in (it’s free) in the store. In addition, it can be financed at 0% with the MediaMarkt VISA. Regarding the mobile, we are talking about a compact model that incorporates an excellent OLED screen with a diagonal of 6.3 inches and refresh rate between 60 and 120 Hz. Internally it has the Google Tensor G5 which, despite not being the most cutting-edge processor on the market, offers good performance and a good day-to-day experience. Without a doubt, one of the key points of this mobile, and of the rest of the brand’s models in general, is that it has excellent computational photography, offering a very good experience when taking photos. In addition, it has a 5x telephoto, something that is appreciated. ⚡ IN SUMMARY: Google Pixel 10 offer today ✅ THE BEST It has an excellent multimedia section. The photography section is very goodand includes a 5x telephoto. ❌ THE WORST Its processor is still behind the competition. Its fast charge is only 30W. 💡 BUY IT IF… You are looking for a mobile phone to take advantage of its photographic section, since that is where this mobile phone stands out the most. ⛔ DON’T BUY IT IF… You want to prioritize other sections such as power, since its chip falls short compared to its direct competitors, or the battery and its charging power. You may also be interested Google Pixel Buds 2a – Wireless Earbuds with Active Noise Cancellation – Lightweight and Comfortable – Water Resistant – Bluetooth Compatible – Moss Green The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Pixelsnap Case for Google Pixel 10 & Pixel 10 Pro – Durable Protection – Stylish Protection – Obsidian (Created by Google) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | Pepu RiccaGoogle In Xataka | Best mobile phones 2026. Which one to buy based on use and six recommended models In Xataka | Best wireless over-ear headphones. Which one to buy and five recommended models

the only thing you need is for Social Security to accept it

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When you’re looking when can you retireaspects such as retirement age They are key. However, what affects the amount of the pension, how much you are going to collect in retirement, are also the years you have been listed. And of course, meeting your minimums is not always easy, because in a career there may be stoppages, layoffs, temporary jobs or other things. Therefore, it is worth knowing that There is a way to continue contributing if you are not working. No, it is not an aid or an automatic contribution system, it is a voluntary mechanism that you have to propose to Social Security, and that they have to approve. The method to contribute without working. There is a mechanism to continue contributing to social security while you are not working. It is a special Social Security agreementand is intended for those people who for some reason have stopped working, but want to try to ensure they can have a complete retirement. The mechanism itself is quite simple, what you have to do is pay your own contribution as if you were working. You already know that your Social Security contributions are paid by your company if you work as an employee, well, if you are unemployed or want to be without work for a while, you can take care of this contribution on your own. With this, there is no question of you going to retire early or anything like that. It is simply about continuing to add months and years to your contribution, so that when you reach retirement age you can have more guarantees of reaching the minimum number of years of contributions to have a full retirement. Requirements to pay your own contribution. To be eligible to pay your own Social Security contribution, you must have contributed for at least 1,080 days in the last 12 years. Here, in this sum of days, contributions from other previous special agreements can also be counted, and even leaves of absence to care for family members. In addition to proving this prior contribution, it is also necessary that you are not collecting unemployment at the time you submit your application, and that you are not registered with any Social Security scheme, nor do you collect a retirement pension or permanent disability. You must make this request within a period of one year from the situation that gives you the right to sign the agreement. Come on, since you stop working. And obviously, you will also have to give your bank account to direct the payments. People who have been hired with a contribution base lower than the average of the 12 months prior to losing their previous job, and unemployed people who have stopped collecting unemployment benefits, can also request this. Those people who request withdrawal from Social Security can also request a pension that has later been denied. It won’t always pay off. The fee you have to pay will be calculated by Social Security, and depends on the basis for which you want to contribute and its applicable rules. You should know that this agreement will not always compensate you, because sometimes you may end up with a fee so high that facing it puts you in a complicated situation, and it may be too much of an economic effort if you are not collecting the payment. Image | Unsplash (Sweet Life) In Xataka | There is a way to retire at age 63 in Spain. The key requirement is not age, it is pension

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