Month: November 2025

The color of your Ethernet cable is not for decoration: it is a key visual language

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We all have Ethernet cables at home and they are probably different colors. In my case, I have several yellows, but there are also red, blue, green… What many people do not know (myself included) is that colors are not a whim of the manufacturers, but rather They answer a practical question. A question of organization Contrary to what we might expect, the exterior color of an Ethernet cable will not tell us anything about its performance. If what you want is know the category of the cable (that is, the speed it supports), they all come with this detail printed on the cable itself. The color does not tell us if the cable is more or less fast, it is for something totally different: being able to distinguish and organize them better. In Xataka How to convert the antenna sockets in your house into an Ethernet network to bring Internet from one room to another. In a home it doesn’t make as much sense, but imagine a server or data center where Ethernet cables number in the hundreds or even thousands; If all the cables were the same color it would be crazy to identify them. Colors help manage large networks. Ethernet cable colors Although there are some guidelines on cable colors from organizations such as the IEEEand ANSIthere really is no universal color code for Ethernet cables. The meaning of each color can vary depending on the country, the sector and even the company. However, there are many similarities and widely used color patterns. These are the most common uses: Grey/white/black: These are the colors that we usually find for general home and office use. We see them in most routers. Blue: They are the most used cable for general network connections, servers or workstations. Yellow: They are usually PoE (Power over Ethernet) cables, that is, they provide power as well as connectivity. They can be used in IP cameras and VoIP phones. Green: to directly connect two devices such as computers, without an intermediate device. Red: They are usually reserved for critical connections such as security or emergency systems. orange and purple: They are less common colors. According to Cables and Kitsare used to connect systems that require a specific connection not compatible with the usual standards, for example to connect older systems that do not use Ethernet with newer ones that do. {“videoId”:”x8coltz”,”autoplay”:false,”title”:”ALL ABOUT ETHERNET CABLES_ TYPES, CHARACTERISTICS AND WHICH TO CHOOSE”, “tag”:”webedia-prod”, “duration”:”211″} As we said, the color of the cable does not determine its performance, but rather has a practical purpose for those who manage very large networks. With colors, maintenance time is shortened and serious failures such as the disconnection of critical systems are avoided. At home it can also be useful if you have several devices connected to your router and you want to clearly see which is which. Image |PxHere In Xataka | The submarine cables belonged to the teleoperators, and now the big technology companies are controlling them (function() { window._JS_MODULES = window._JS_MODULES || {}; var headElement = document.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)(0); if (_JS_MODULES.instagram) { var instagramScript = document.createElement(‘script’); instagramScript.src=”https://platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js”; instagramScript.async = true; instagramScript.defer = true; headElement.appendChild(instagramScript); – The news The color of your Ethernet cable is not for decoration: it is a key visual language was originally published in Xataka by Amparo Babiloni .

that the Russian hypersonic missiles do not reach the target believing that they are in Peru

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He Kinzhalpresented by the Kremlin as a hypersonic missile “invincible” capable of overcoming any Western defense, has experienced a series of technical improvements designed to further increase their lethality and reduce the possibilities of interception. In fact, until three months ago it was a real toothache for Ukrainian defenses. Until they have come up with an idea… and a song. Evolution of a missile. Derived from Iskander-M and launched from aerial platforms such as MiG-31K or the Tu-22M3the missile combines speeds that can approach Mach 10 with a deeply maneuvered terminal profile, capable of executing abrupt descents, sudden lateral changes and trajectories designed to break the radar lock of Ukrainian Patriots. Its ability to hide within mixed salvos, blending in with slower missiles, has drastically reduced interception rates: from 37% in August to just one 6% in September. This has made, in theory, previously interceptable missiles become threats that are very difficult to stop, especially when they are used in massive attacks that combine hundreds of drones and dozens of ballistic or cruise missiles. The hidden weakness. However, despite its speed and maneuverability, the Kinzhal has a technical Achilles’ heel: it depends on the navigation system. GLONASS satellite to correct the natural errors of the inertial system, whose precision tends to degrade over time. TO INS differencethe satellite link can be manipulatedinterfered with or supplanted. And here lies the Ukrainian advance. Although the missile incorporates controlled pattern receiving antennas (taking their number from 4 to 8, 12 and now 16 elements in a Russian attempt to counter interference), these electronic defenses have proven to be insufficient against systems designed specifically for front-line conditions. Ukrainian unity Night Watch has shown that, despite Russian improvements, the Kometa receivers They are still based on technology inherited from the Soviet era, unable to resist a spoofing well executed. This combination of high kinematic complexity and electronic vulnerability creates a tactical paradox: Russia’s fastest and theoretically most advanced missile can be diverted by manipulated digital signals if they manage to infiltrate its navigation cycle. A kind of electronic optical illusion. Music as a weapon of precision. Before the fall of the Patriot effectivenessUkraine has opted for a completely different weapon: Lima, a electronic warfare system which not only blocks the Kinzhal’s satellite communications, but also replaces its navigation stream with false data. This system creates a large zone of electronic denial in which missiles lose their spatial reference, but does so with sufficient precision to induce highly controlled errors. Their spoofing technique is more sophisticated than simple jamming: it does not turn off navigation, but rather manipulates it. Lima sends a signal in binary format that can include any content, but operators have chosen to embed the ukrainian anthem “Our Father Is Flag”both for technical and symbolic reasons. This deceptive signal, once accepted by the missile’s receivers, allows it to believe that it is thousands of kilometers to the west, specifically in Lima (Peru), forcing it to abruptly correct its trajectory. At speeds above Mach 5, these changes generate structural stresses that overcome the resistance of the fuselage, causing the missile to break up in flight or crash without detonating. In this way, Ukraine has managed to divert or destroy more than about twenty Kinzhales in a few weeks, a much more significant achievement given its scarcity and its cost to Russia. The controlled diversion. The results of the Lima system are visible in the impact patterns: craters that appear in dozens or even hundreds of kilometers of the planned objectives, sometimes up to 200 km off course. The change in accuracy is drastic. Although Russia claims that the Kinzhal’s CEP is around 10 meters, leaked images by military analysts show missiles falling with errors of more than 140 meters even in recent attacks. There is no doubt, when a weapon designed to penetrate underground bunkers ends up hitting an open field, the effectiveness of spoofing is demonstrated. In many cases, the missile does not even activate the explosive charge because the impact sequence depends on parameters that are altered by the confusion generated in the guidance system. Night Watch Operators they underline that Lima does not act on a single receiver, but on all of them simultaneously, which nullifies the Russian strategy of multiplying antennas to “jump” between signal sources. Each missile receiver, upon entering the affected area, interprets the false data as valid, which turns spoofing into a kind of “enveloping trap” that is impossible to avoid. A constant evolution. This confrontation between hypersonic missile and spoofing techniques illustrates the character of “cat and mouse” that defines contemporary electronic warfare. Russia adjusts software, redesigns terminal profiles and multiplies antennas, and Ukraine responds by creating systems that replace the entire satellite data constellation by a corrupt flow impossible to filter. In fact, the United States and Western companies are already working on technologies capable of detecting or neutralizing spoofing, as Russia explores more robust guidance systems. For now, however, the electronic advantage is Ukrainian: the weapon that Putin called as “invincible” and “capable of overcoming any Western defense” is falling into empty fields, breaking up in mid-flight, or drifting harmlessly away. At the same time, the technique also affects other russian missiles that transit through the interference zone, expanding the defensive range without the need to intercept one by one. The strategic lesson is clear: in a conflict where Russian industry produces only between 10 and 15 Kinzhales a month, losing them to electronic manipulation is a disproportionate blow to the Kremlin’s offensive capacity. Speed ​​vs information. In short, the confrontation between the Kinzhal and the Lima EW system is a reminder that military superiority no longer depends only on speed, armor or explosive power, but on who controls the flow of information. The missile can fly at Mach 10 and be almost impossible physically intercept, but if its guidance system interprets that it has been “teleported” to Peruall its kinetic energy turns against itself. For Ukraine, this achievement represents the opening of … Read more

OpenAI’s biggest fear is not that the bubble will burst. It’s just that I do it ahead of time

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Sam Altman has admitted in an internal memo published by The Information that Google is catching up technologically with Gemini 3. That’s a real problem for OpenAI, but OpenAI’s real concern isn’t that. It’s just that he needs the party to last long enough to give him time to build his own infrastructure. Why is it important. OpenAI plans to burn more than $100 billion in the coming years pursuing AGI. But it is completely dependent on Microsoft for servers, NVIDIA for chips, and external investors for financing. Google, on the other hand, already has its own TPUs and generates 70 billion in free cash flow per year thanks to Search, YouTube and Google Cloud. If the music stops early, one survives and the other doesn’t. The paradox of timing. OpenAI faces a very peculiar race against time: If investment in AI slows in 2026 or 2027, it will have spent tens of billions but will not have completed its own infrastructure. You will remain tied to expensive suppliers. You will not be able to compete on costs with Google. Staying halfway is the worst possible scenario. Instead, if the bubble lasts until 2030 or beyond, OpenAI will probably have reached the threshold of self-sufficiency. It will have its own chips, its own data centers, economies of scale. It will be able to survive even when the investment tap is turned off. It’s like building a bridge: it doesn’t matter how much you’ve spent a lot. If you only get halfway, it’s of no use. The absence of moat. OpenAI cannot protect itself with sustainable technological advantage. In AI there are no defensive moats (moats) real. Every time OpenAI or any other lab makes a breakthrough, the rest replicate it within months. The only sustainable advantage OpenAI has left is cost. If you control your infrastructure, you can offer prices that no one else can match. If you do not control it, you become a dispensable intermediary between the end customer and whoever does have the chips and servers. The context of the memo. The document published by The Information reveals that Altman anticipated turbulence after the launch of Gemini 3. Google’s new model stands out precisely in the areas that generate the most revenue for OpenAI: automation of web design and programming. Altman acknowledged to his team that “Google has been doing an excellent job lately” and warned that he expects “the environment to be tough for a while.” But he urged them to stay focused on “achieving superintelligence”, admitting this would mean being left “temporarily behind in the current regime”. The figures. OpenAI went from almost non-existent revenue in 2022 to projecting 13 billion this year. It is one of the fastest business growth in history. But it plans to earn 200 billion in 2030. To achieve this, it will need to multiply its current income by 13 in less than five years. Meanwhile, it plans to spend $90 billion on R&D alone through 2030. That represents 45% of its projected revenue. Large technology companies allocate between 15% and 30% of their gross profit to research, not their total income. If OpenAI falls short of its billing goal, that percentage will be even higher. Yes, but. Google has structural advantages that are difficult to overcome: Generates a huge cash flow thanks to consolidated and very profitable products. You can afford to burn money on AI for years without too much trouble. And it already has its own infrastructure after a decade developing TPUs. OpenAI, on the other hand, lives off external funding. His recent agreement with Oracle to design data center components in the United States is an attempt to build that self-sufficiency. Altman presented it as “a step to ensure that the core technologies of the AI ​​era are built here.” At stake. OpenAI’s technological advantage over rivals such as Google and Anthropic has narrowed. Investors have sunk more than $60 billion into OpenAI, recently valuing it at $500 billion, betting that it will continue to dominate the market for AI that creates content and reasons like humans. That bet falters. Anthropic, founded four years ago by former OpenAI employees, is skyrocketing its valuation and aiming to generate more revenue than its former home selling AI to developers and companies. Their models specialize in generating computer code. And ChatGPT is still far ahead of Gemini in usage and revenue, but the gap is narrowing. Between the lines. Altman concluded his memo by acknowledging the pressure: “It sucks that we have to do so many hard things at the same time: the best research lab, the best AI infrastructure company, and the best AI platform/product company. But it’s our destiny in life. And I wouldn’t trade positions with any other company.” The question is not whether OpenAI can technically compete with Google. It’s whether you can hold on financially long enough to stop depending on others. Featured image | Xataka In Xataka | There is a generation working for free as a documentarian of their own life: they are not influencers but they act as if they were.

the arctic cold returns this week

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You only have to look at the thermometers to be tempted to think that the “polar cold episode” has passed. And it would be logical to think so: temperatures have risen in almost the entire peninsula and this Monday a storm is sweeping the peninsula and leaving water in the entire northwestern quadrant. However, it is a tremendous mistake. And we don’t say it, AEMET says it. What is going to happen? As I say, according to the Agency“throughout the last week of November, masses of cold air will arrive again from high latitudes.” But the issue is more nuanced than it seems: the rain is going to persist until Wednesday-Thursday and, through the door that this storm will open, a mass of arctic air is going to burst through. What comes next is complicated. After all, this “polar” episode has been a little more moderate than expected, but only by a matter of luck. Finally, meteorological chance moved the intrusion of air to the east and the result speaks for itself. Last week (TropicalTidBits) As explained M. Herrerawhat you see in the image is colder than in January in the central Mediterranean and warmer than in July in the eastern Mediterranean. If that finger of cold air had drifted further toward our position, we would have had a much worse time. Logical uncertainties. What we know is that “the last week of November will be colder than usual for the time of year in most of the Peninsula and the Balearic Islands.” But there are many factors at play. We do not know for sure what the real impact will be. There are things we do know. Because as we know, this type of cold air intrusion does not have much rain associated with it and, behind that front“it looks like we will be back in meteorological misery for a few days.” This makes for a bad end to November and a beginning to December that doesn’t look good at all. Above all, because the shadow of sudden stratospheric warming still there. In fact, during these days, the surprise has been that the warming has been very very strong and, although the consequences are not clear (they never are), the possibility that we will experience a very cold blow in December. Be that as it may, the main problem remains the same as always: yes, the rains of recent weeks They have helped us increase the dammed waterbut the trend is very worrying (we are using water much faster than in previous years) and if the winter is bad, the spring is going to be complicated. And a lot. Image | TropicalTidBits In Xataka | The two most important weather models in the world are discussing whether Santander is going to freeze next week. And the cold is winning

there is more money in less time and too many eggs in few baskets

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The expectation and unbridled optimism about the AI ​​revolution is giving way to a stage of nervous laughter. The question It is no longer whether there is an AI bubblebut when it will explode and what impact that explosion will have. It is inevitable to compare this situation with the one we experienced with the rise of the internet and the dotcom bubble, but this is even worse. Dog years, mouse years. Vinton Cerf, one of the fathers of the internet, spoke in 1999 how “a year in the internet business was like a dog year, that is, seven years in the life of a normal person.” Everything was going very fast then, but now it is spoken of “mouse year”: each of them would be equivalent to about 35 human years. In AI everything certainly goes much faster, and that is very, very dangerous. Stock market crashes don’t help. Until a month ago, the extraordinary optimism that existed in this market had caused the big technology companies to continue growing on the stock market while the rest of the economy barely did. NVIDIA has been the best example of this, but in the last month a good handful of technology stocks have fallen. NVIDIA itself, (-4%), Microsoft (-10%), Meta (-20%), Amazon (-2%), Broadcom (-4%), Oracle (-30%), AMD (-20%), Intel (-10%). Only Google (+15%) and Apple (+3%) seem to resist this downward trend. The bubble is huge. The last estimates for capital expenditures (capex) added to the investments of venture capital already exceeds 600,000 million dollars by 2025, and the consulting firm Gartner indicated that according to its data in 2025, spending related to AI will amount to 1.5 trillion dollarswhen in 2024 it was 988,000 million. By 2026, it is estimated that it will exceed two trillion dollars. And it has grown much faster. As explains Analyst Fred Vogelstein, that spending “is happening in a fraction of the time. The internet bubble inflated for 4.6 years before bursting. The AI ​​bubble has inflated in two-thirds of that time.” The numbers continue to grow without stopping, they get bigger and they start to make no sense. And when they don’t make sense, they probably don’t really make sense. Too much concentration. There are differences between this bubble and the dotcom bubble. For example, much of the gigantic investment in data centers comes from technology companies themselves, and not so much from venture capital or investment firms. Even so, the concentration is enormous: Microsoft, Alphabet, Meta, Amazon, NVIDIA, Oracle and Apple represent approximately a third of the critical S&P 500 market, which was already aiming for it years ago, even before everyone started talking about AI. We have already seen this year how if technology companies fellthe economy suffered noticeably. This is not an investment, it is a bet. Companies like Microsoft, Alphabet, Meta or Amazon are talking about projected capital expenditures (capex) of $70 billion to $100 billion in data centers. These companies are risking everything on AIwhen at the moment there is no reasonable justification to do so because the uncertainty is total. The best way to understand that philosophy is to remember what Mark Zuckerberg said about his investment in AI: “We’re going to invest aggressively. Even if we lost a couple hundred billion dollars it would be a bummer, but it’s better than being left behind in the race for superintelligence.” Or what is the same: if you don’t risk, you don’t win. OpenAI, bubble paradigm. If there is a company that represents the AI ​​madness, it is OpenAI. This valued at 500 billion dollarsbut the company itself estimates that until 2029 you will not start earning money. It is estimated that its “cash burn” in 2025 will be $8 billion, and that in 2026 that figure will be $17 billion. It’s growing in revenue, yeahbut not at a sustainable pace at the moment. The accounts don’t come out, but the important thing for Sam Altman (and his investors) is that theoretically they will end up coming out. Or so they say. Source: Bloomberg. Circular financing. We are experiencing another warning sign with the recent circular financing agreements between big companies technological. In these alliances OpenAI and NVIDIA (among others) are becoming something like banks and investors that guarantee the demand for their products. This means that these companies will probably emerge stronger, but it also increases the systemic risk of this bubble burst. We are seeing it with Oracle, which issued $18 billion in bonds and has raised its total debt above $100 billion. Others are in a compromising situation also. Crazy reviews. And we have more disturbing warnings, of course. Among them, those that affect the multimillion-dollar investments and valuations that AI startups are receiving. Reflection AI, the company founded by two former Google DeepMind researchers, has raised 2000 million dollars in one round, while Safe SuperIntelligence, the startup created by Ilya Sutskever, is valued at 32 billion dollars without having any public product. It is estimated that there are 498 AI unicornsand it does not seem that the investment fever has stopped, as demonstrated by the interest in Yann LeCun’s imminent startup. Altman, Nadella and Pichai warn. Even the technological leaders They recognize that there are signs of a technological bubblealthough they do it with nuances. Pichai talked about observing “elements of irrationality”, and in that same vein they were Satya Nadella (Microsoft) or Sam Altman (OpenAI). Meanwhile, Robin Li, CEO of Baidu, explained months ago that we are facing a bubble that will make only 1% of companies survive. China. This excessive spending has also been helped by the rise of China in this area. The Asian giant has demonstrated its ability to develop open models extraordinary. The DeepSeek effect It caused companies in the US to add even more fuel (money) to the fire while China takes a position more conservative. Mastering AI is a major national security concern and that ties assessments to political and tariff unpredictability. Source: Financial Review … Read more

We still have deals available on mobile phones, tablets, watches and more

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The last week of November comes the final fireworks of the Black Friday. It is true that many outstanding offers have already flown, but that does not mean that we have already lost the opportunity to take home bargains in technology. In fact, AliExpress still has quite a few of them. in his latest promoa which will end next November 28. We also have coupons available to save a little more, although some of them may no longer be available. Discount minimum purchase coupon 1 COUPON 2 3 euros 18 euros BFES03 ESBF03 4 euros 26 euros BFES04 ESBF04 9 euros 59 euros BFES09 ESBF09 14 euros 89 euros ESBF14 – 15 euros 89 euros BFES15 – 20 euros 139 euros BFES20 ESBF20 30 euros 209 euros BFES30 – 35 euros 239 euros ESBF35 – 40 euros 279 euros BFES40 ESBF40 50 euros 329 euros BFES50 – 60 euros 379 euros ESBF60 – 70 euros 499 euros BFES70 ESBF70 As we always tell you, these types of promotions are perfect for renewing our old device, to advance Christmas shopping or even to treat ourselves. There is a lot to choose from in this marketplace right now, but below we leave you a selection of offers that we find very interesting. Xiaomi Pad 7 by 211.65 euros with the coupon ESBF35, a very balanced tablet with a great quality-price ratio. Realme GT 7 Pro for 440.22 euros with the coupon ESBF70, a high-end phone with a monster battery. Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra by 256.53 euros with the coupon ESBF40, one of the best smartwatches there is. nintendo switch 2 by 421.13 euros with the coupon ESBF65, the new console from the Japanese company along with ‘Mario Kart World’. Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 by 111.99 euros with the coupon ESBF14, a very economical mobile phone ideal for the tightest budgets. Xiaomi Pad 7 If we are looking for a tablet with good quality-price ratio, this Xiaomi Pad 7 It can fit us very well. It is compact and has an 11.2-inch screen with 144 Hz and Dolby Vision compatibility. In addition, it does not lack power thanks to the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 and its 8 GB of RAM is more than enough for normal tasks or for studying. We can get it right now for 211.65 euros with the coupon ESBF35. Xiaomi Pad 7 (8 + 128 GB) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Realme GT 7 Pro A high-end phone at a mid-range price: that’s what this one offers Realme GT 7 Pro. It is a phone that has one of the best processors there is, such as the Snapdragon 8 Elite, as well as a very good 6.78-inch screen with a peak brightness of 6,000 nits. What stands out most about it, however, is its battery. It is a huge 6,500 mAh battery that also charges in a breeze thanks to its 120 W fast charging. 440.22 euros with the coupon ESBF70. Realme GT 7 Pro (12 + 256 GB) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra If we talk about watches and we are looking for one with Wear OS, one of the most powerful options is the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra. It is a very complete and resistant device that comes with a 1.5-inch AMOLED screen with 3,000 nits of maximum brightness, so we can see it without problem even outdoors. Its performance is great thanks to the Exynos W1000 and it has all kinds of sensors to monitor our health and our workouts to the millimeter. Costs 256.53 euros with the coupon ESBF40. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links nintendo switch 2 AliExpress Black Friday is one of the best times of the year to get a new console. We have available nintendo switch 2 right now for 421.13 euros with the coupon ESBF65, a great price if we take into account that it is the version that includes ‘Mario Kart World’. A great console that allows us to enjoy its catalog at 4K and with good performance if we use its mode docked with a television. And if not, we can use its portable mode to play wherever we want. Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Not all users always look for the best of the best. For all those looking for an affordable phone that allows them to make normal use between messaging apps and social networks, this Redmi Note 14 It’s ideal. It costs right now 111.99 euros with the coupon ESBF14 and has a 6.67-inch screen with AMOLED technology, MediaTek chip, 5,500 mAh battery and a triple rear camera system that more than meets the requirements if we take into account that it costs just over 100 euros. Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 (8+256GB) 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 | Xataka, Xiaomi, Realme, Samsung, Nintendo In Xataka | The best mobile phones, we have tested them and here are their analyzes In Xataka | Best tablets. Which one to buy and 8 recommended models for all pockets and needs

A 28-page US document has brought peace in Ukraine closer than ever. The problem is that it is the translation of a Russian text

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And suddenly a 28 page document unpublished to date has suddenly entered as a missile in the negotiations of the war in Ukraine. Promoted by Washington, it has unleashed a diplomatic storm in Europe and in kyiv because, far from having been prepared with the main parties involved, it had been conceived in discreet negotiations between the American businessman Steve Witkoff and the Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, with the participation of Jared Kushner and the late endorsement of Trump. The origin of a plan. The result of these meetings was a text that Europe and Ukraine had not seen and that, to further alarm (according to one Bloomberg exclusive), preserved the linguistic structures typical of an original written in Russian, confirming the suspicions that Moscow had achieved filter your vision of the war in a document presented as a US initiative. The pressure exerted by Dan Driscoll (a close ally of JD Vance) on European and Ukrainian diplomats, urging them to accept territorial concessions in a matter of days, ended up setting off all the alarm signals. For European governments, which considered themselves central partners in any peace negotiations, the origin of the plan became a strategic question: they needed to know who had written it and with what objectives before sitting down to discuss. This information gap triggered a race against time to stop the imposition of a text that, in its initial form, was not only surprising for its demands, but also for its obvious alignment with Moscow’s interests. Territory, legitimization and a threat. The most explosive section of the American plan required that Ukraine will withdraw of the fortified urban centers that it still maintains in Donetsk, breaking the “belt of fortresses” that has slowed the Russian advance since 2014. This withdrawal would not only imply the displacement of tens of thousands of Ukrainian citizens, but it would open a corridor that would leave exposed to key cities like Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia. To make matters worse, the document proposed that the occupied areas be recognized as “de facto Russian”a more favorable formula for Moscow than the already problematic “de facto under Russian control”, and which, in practice, brought the international community closer to accept territorial changes achieved by force. Added to this was the idea of ​​converting the evacuated territories into a demilitarized zone whose violation by Russia (not an implausible scenario given recent history) would allow Moscow to open a new, even deeper offensive in the future. From the Ukrainian perspective, accepting this point would be sowing the conditions for a future war in worse terms, reinforcing the impression that the document did not seek a stable peace, but rather formalized a strategic result that Russia has not been able to obtain through military operations. Security cut and promises broken. The security guarantees included in the plan were vague to the point of irrelevance: they promised “reliable protection” without detailing mechanisms, but simultaneously prohibited Ukraine from entering never in NATOprevented the stationing of allied troops in its territory and forced kyiv to modify its Constitution to renounce accession. For a country marked by the experience of Budapest Memorandum (formal guarantees that prevented neither the annexation of Crimea nor the 2022 invasion), accepting an even more ambiguous framework would amount to to be left helpless facing an aggressor who has systematically broken all previous agreements. Red lines. The absence of a commitment type Article 5 and the refusal to allow training missions or deterrence forces on Ukrainian territory reinforced the conviction that Ukraine would be trapped between a strengthened Russia and a West that would reserve the right to “diplomatically support,” but not to intervene. This component fueled rejection in European capitals, which consider it essential that Ukraine keep an army strong as a land barrier that protects the continent. Limit to 600,000 troops to the only country in Europe at war, without imposing a similar restriction on Russia, was perceived as covert disarmament and a prelude to a future Russian offensive. Amnesty and frozen assets. One of the most shocking elements of the plan was the proposal of a general amnesty and Ukraine’s renunciation of any legal claim about war crimes, deportations or deliberate destruction of infrastructure. For an exposed population to documented atrocitiesthis clause meant not only the denial of justice, but also the elimination of the legal basis that allows Europe to advance the reparations loan backed by frozen Russian assets. That loan, of 140,000 million of euros, is considered by the EU as the more solid path and less expensive to sustain Ukraine during the postwar period. The US plan not only made it unviable, but also redistributed those funds in an unusual way: 100 billion would go to a US investment vehicle that would deliver half of its profits to Washington, another 100 billion would be contributed by Europe and the rest would go to a joint fund with Russia. For Berlin, Paris or Warsaw, the message was clear: Russia would obtain indirect financial relief while the Europeans would see their most effective tool of strategic pressure weakened. The attempt to force kyiv to renounce all moral and legal responsibility for the aggressor reinforced the perception that the plan sought to resolve the war “quickly,” not “fairly.” The Russian strategy. Since the beginning of the invasion, Moscow has not changed their fundamental demands: more territory in the east, military neutralization of Ukraine and permanent veto on its accession to NATO. This strategic immobility, together with gradual advances on the front, has allowed it to capitalize on Western fatigue, the political fractures in kyiv and transatlantic tensions. For the Kremlin, the leaked plan demonstrates that its commitment to prolonged resistance, military pressure and the erosion of Western will is bearing fruit. Putin openly celebrated it, affirming that the document could serve as a basis and that rejecting it would only lead to new Ukrainian defeats. Likewise, Moscow has hinted that even a signed agreement could be used as leverage to resume the … Read more

the science behind a geological risk that repeats itself every 1,200 years

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Although the tsunamis seem like effects that are reserved for the Japanese coasts, the reality is that Spain He also has many ballots to suffer an event of this magnitude on our coasts. Cádiz is one of the locations with the highest risk of suffering a tsunami in Spain, and the authorities wanted to verify that the emergency and response systems they work in case this type of event occurs at any time. In order to verify this, the authorities carried out a drill in mid-November in which the ES-Alert systemseveral schools and all emergency services. And given this great display, the question is mandatory: what are the chances of a tsunami occurring in Cádiz? Cádiz is at the center of this simulation because it is the area with the greatest danger from tsunamis in the country, due to the history behind it and the seismicity of the Azores-Gibraltar area. For this reason, the Junta de Andalucía has prepared a Emergency Plan for the Risk of Tsunami (PEMA) and has chosen Cádiz for the largest tsunami simulation carried out in Spain. Because. In the past, geological records indicate that at least five large tsunamis have occurred in the Gulf of Cádiz in the last 7,000 years. All of these associated with megaearthquakes at the plate boundary between Africa and Eurasia. Added to this is the historical reference: the tsunami linked to the Lisbon earthquake of November 1, 1755which completely flooded Cádiz and part of the Andalusian coast with waves of several meters in a matter of dozens of minutes. The paleoseismology works of the CSIC and several universities place the recurrence interval of these events between 1,200 and 1,500 yearslong enough to be socially forgotten, but too short to be ignored in risk planning. This places the southwest of the peninsula as one of the most exposed areas in Europe to tsunamis, despite the fact that the “perceived risk” on the street has historically been very low. And this is precisely something that has been analyzed in the layers of sand and marine remains left inland and that gives us information about what happened thousands of years ago. Although logically always with a time frame that is approximate. Why now. The fact of doing the simulation in this month of November may make us think that scientists have found evidence that a large tsunami is coming to Cádiz, but nothing could be further from the truth. What is happening in this case is that a risk that has been known for a long time and for which, until now, hardly anything had been tested on a large scale, is being taken more seriously. That is why this scientific evidence that tells us about the real risk that exists in this case on the coast of Cádiz has been transferred to the regulations. In 2015, the Basic Planning Guideline for Civil Protection against the Risk of Tsunamiwhich recognizes the Gulf of Cádiz as a critical area where the expected wave height exceeds 0.5 meters. A framework that is not limited to pretty maps, but defines decision guidelines according to magnitude and location of earthquakes, chains of command, warning protocols and response time objectives, with the National Geographic Institute, AEMET and the future SINAM network as input sensors. What has been simulated. In this case, Cádiz has simulated an earthquake with an approximate magnitude of 7.5-7.6 to the southwest of Cape San Vicente, very similar to the one in Lisbon in 1755 and which generates a tsunami that points directly to the western Andalusian coast. In this scenario, the propagation models estimate between 45 and 60 minutes from the activation of the alert until the arrival of the first wave from Cádiz, which in practice is the clock with which Civil Protection works. The objective of the exercise was to virtually save as many people as possible in that one-hour window: horizontal evacuation to non-flood areas, vertical evacuation to high floors, beach and port rescues, protection of cultural assets and management of damaged buildings were tested. On paper, all this already existed in manuals and maps; What was missing was to see how a real city behaves when a tsunami warning sounds in the middle of a work morning.​ Images | Matt Paul Catalano In Xataka | There are scientists deliberately causing earthquakes in the Alps and they have a good reason for it

If it is better to collect in 12 or 14 payments

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One of the most common questions that many workers answer when starting to work in a new company is: How do you want to collect your salaryin 12 or 14 payments? It is a question that seems simple, but choosing one or the other can be decisive for the personal finances of each employee. As finance experts explain, understanding the advantages of each modality is essential to plan expenses and savings during the year or obtain greater profitability from your salary. That is precisely the question that labor lawyer Andrés Millán posed since your profile on LinkedIn“if I could earn 15,000 euros in January, with knowledge of capital management, it would be ideal.” More salary or more pay As confirmed to us Marta Rayaces, tax expert TaxDownthe annual salary is the same, whether it is paid in 12 or 14 monthly installments. However, the amount that employees receive every month and the way in which each extra payment is received can change some financial habits. The workers’ salary is not calculated monthly, but annually from of your gross salary. Then, depending on the choice of each employee (or by company imposition), that amount is prorated into 12 or 14 payments. That is, if a person has an annual salary of 16,000 gross euros per yearthat amount will be the same in either of the two options, it is just distributed differently over the months. In the 12-month prorated option, the worker earns more each month (1,333.33 euros gross), but does not receive extraordinary payments. With the 14-pay option, the monthly salary is lower (1,142.85 euros gross), but two extra income is generated, usually in June (summer pay), and December (Christmas pay), key months for the highest expenses. This difference is reflected in the availability of cash by the worker, so that he can manage your money. Rayaces points out that the higher salary provided by the 12 monthly payments leaves more cash in the employee’s pocket, which allows him to establish a savings planinvest or meet regular expenses with greater liquidity. On the other hand, with 14 payments you obtain less cash each month, but the two additional payments are useful to cover seasonal expenses, such as vacations, going back to school or the increase in expenses incurred during the Christmas holidays. Personal income tax withholding and tax effects According to the Taxdown expert, the choice between 12 or 14 payments also modifies how the tax is applied. monthly income tax withholding, although it does not affect the final amount paid to the State. “The annual gross salary is the same, the only thing that varies is the frequency of payment. It is just a question of how the withholding is distributed throughout the year,” Rayaces pointed out. The personal income tax withholding It is calculated based on a percentage of the total salary. Therefore, as was the case with the annual gross salary, the lower the monthly amount, a proportional withholding is applied, so the amount that is withheld as personal income tax is also lower in the same proportion. That is, taxation will not be a differential factor between the two options since it is exactly the same annual percentage in both regardless of whether it is done in 12 or 14 payments. Manage or let others manage Rayaces points out that the main condition that must prevail in this decision is the ability to manage the personal finance. “If you have financial and investment knowledge, it is better to pay 12 to earn more month after month,” says the Taxdown expert. In that way, you can invest part of that salary and obtain profitability from it. On the other hand, if you do not organize well and then you have problems making ends meet when seasonal expenses arise (planning vacations, gifts and meals at Christmas, going back to school, etc.), then it is better to receive your salary in 14 payments and thus you will receive more money when those expenses occur. In Xataka | Good news, salaries in Spain are rising: the problem is that if you are young you probably don’t know it Image | Unsplash (Andres Simon)

Renewable gasoline and diesel are the last bastion of combustion cars to be able to circulate in Europe: they have a difficult time

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Whether for lack of infrastructure, strict regulationsocial perception, or by many other factors, electrification is a process that is advancingbut very slowly. Meanwhile, more than 20 million diesel and gasoline vehicles continue to circulate in Spain, many of them more than a decade old (or two). However, there are solutions that try to make this energy transition more bearable, and one of them involves the use of renewable fuels. What exactly are these fuels?. They don’t have a single drop of oil. They are produced from organic waste such as used cooking oils, animal fats, forest waste or crop remains. The catalytic hydrogen generation process transforms these wastes into fuels with properties similar to those derived from petroleum, but with a key difference: the CO₂ they emit when burned is the same as that which plants have previously absorbed from the atmosphere. Here we would therefore speak of a closed cycle, unlike fossil fuels, which release carbon stored underground for millions of years. Emissions. Repsol states that its Nexa diesel can reduce net CO₂ emissions by up to 90% compared to conventional diesel, while your Efitec Nexa gasoline discount more than 70%. In this case, although the engine continues to emit CO₂, it was already in the atmosphere before being converted into fuel. However, there is a nuance: nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) continue to be generated during combustion, because they come from nitrogen in the air when exposed to high temperatures. And for now, studies show conflicting results, with some indicating slight increases in NOₓ with certain biofuels, while others like the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory they conclude that renewable diesel reduces both CO₂ and NOₓ. What is consistent is the reduction of particles and soot. Full compatibility with current cars. This is probably its biggest practical advantage. Any diesel or gasoline vehicle can use these fuels without technical modifications. There is no need to change the engine, adapt the tank, or install new pumps at gas stations. In the case of Repsol, its Nexa diesel also complies with the European standard EN 15940 for paraffinic fuels, and Efitec Nexa gasoline with EN-228. In addition, the company ensures that, thanks to its high cetane number, it improves combustion, reduces engine noise and has a cleaning effect on the injection system. Where to find them in Spain. Repsol clearly leads the deployment, with more than 1,000 stations that offer Nexa diesel and with the goal of reaching 30 stations with Efitec Nexa gasoline by the end of the year. BP too offers HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil) in strategic locations such as Tafalla, Getafe, Villacastín Norte or Olaberria, although its network is more limited and is oriented towards professional transport. To locate them, the most practical thing is use web search engines of each company, since they include filters to find gas stations that offer renewable fuels. It is worth remembering that the conventional diesel sold at practically all gas stations in Spain already contains up to 7% biodiesel (B7 label), but it is not comparable to a 100% renewable fuel if we stick to emissions. Cost and availability. Price is one of the main obstacles. Nexa diesel costs approx. 10 cents more per liter than conventional diesel, placing it in the range of premium fuels. Renewable gasoline follows a similar trend. Furthermore, although Repsol has expanded its network, coverage remains limited outside large urban centers and main corridors, especially in terms of renewable gasoline. Industrial production. Repsol produces renewable diesel in its Cartagena refinery and 100% renewable gasoline at the Tarragona plant. The company assures that it has been researching these processes for more than twenty years in collaboration with Honeywell. In 2026, the opening of a new facility in Puertollano with capacity for more than 200,000 tons per year is planned. Who is using them already?. In addition to the fact that anyone can now go to a Repsol gas station to try these fuels, their use has transcended commercial vehicles. And they have been tested in competitions like the Dakar Rallyand even sustainable fuels are used on commercial flights. Also transport companies such as Scania, Alsa or Grupo Sesé have signed agreements for adoption. An intermediate solution. The current European regulations The CO2 emissions test for new vehicles measures emissions from the tailpipe. With this approach, the result is zero for an electric car, but not for one that uses renewable fuel, even if it is carbon neutral in its entire life cycle (from production to consumption). It is for this reason that the industry and defenders of these fuels are asking for a change in the methodology so that the complete life cycle of the fuel is considered. Repsol and other players in the sector They ask for adapted taxation and long-term objectives that provide stability to investments. The Spanish mobile fleet has an average age of 14.5 years and it has more than eight million vehicles that are more than two decades old, according to data from ANFAC (Spanish Association of Automobile and Truck Manufacturers). Therefore, renewable fuels could be an intermediate alternative in this stage of energy transition, especially since they do not leave millions of drivers behind. Cover image | engin akyurt In Xataka | In 2001, Renault launched a car ahead of its time: it was a miserable failure that now has another chance

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