Month: February 2026

The most surveilled place on the planet is not Ukraine or Taiwan. You are on a Canary Island with thousands of sensors pointing to a lethal threat

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For almost three months, between September and December 2021, the island of La Palma experienced the eruption longest and most destructive of its recent history. It happened when the Tajogait volcanoand opened the earth in the Cumbre Vieja dorsal and forced the evacuation of thousands of people, buried entire neighborhoods under lava and irreversibly altered the landscape and life of the island, inaugurating a new stage in which the end of the fire did not mean the end of the volcano. The town that did not stop breathing volcano. In Puerto Naos The lava never arrived, but the volcano did, seeping under streets, garages and foundations in the form of carbon dioxide, an invisible gas that for years kept the neighborhood evacuated and turned daily life into a permanent risk equation. After the eruption of Tajogaite, the ground continued to exhale CO₂ of magmatic origin, reaching in some points extreme concentrationstypical of a lethal environment, forcing the closure of homes, businesses and beaches while residents learned that the danger no longer burned on the surface, but silently accumulated under their feet. Thousands of sensors and an experiment. They counted this week in a BBC report that has approached the enclave that the response transformed Puerto Naos into the most guarded place in the world in terms of CO₂, with more than 1,300 sensors distributed throughout homes, streets, streetlights, beaches, garages and hotels, connected to a continuous monitoring system capable of detecting any spike in real time. This deployment, driven by the CO₂ Alert projectallowed gas to stop being an unpredictable threat and become a measured, interpreted and managed phenomenon, making it possible the progressive return of the neighbors and the reopening of the urban center, always under the premise that normality here only exists as long as the data confirms that the air continues to be breathable. Living with alarms. For years, life in Puerto Naos was reorganized around the sensorswith garages permanently open for ventilation, closed basements, cordoned off areas and neighbors who learned to live with warning beeps as part of the soundscape. CO₂, denser than air, accumulated in the low points and it became visible like a diffuse waterfall in narrow courtyards, killing small animals along the way, corroding metals and remembering that the volcano was still active even though it was no longer expelling lava, molding not only the terrain but also psychology and decisions of those who refused to leave their home permanently. View of part of Puerto Naos Playa Chica, the pulse. In 2026 the problem is no longer general, but surgical: a small strip in Playa Chica and some specific garages where CO₂ continues to emerge straight from the underground through extremely porous terrain, one described by technicians as a “volcanic Gruyere cheese.” All the effort is now concentrated there, not so much to bring the town back to life (because it has already returned) but to close the last point where the volcano still sets the pace, remembering along the way that the eruption did not end when the fire ceased, but when the subsoil stopped breathing its last breath. Extract gas from the earth. The proven solution successfully by experts changes the traditional logic in these situations: instead of ventilating the buildings, the ground has been ventilated, capturing CO₂ underground and conveying it through pipes to controlled expulsion points near the sea, where the gas is quickly dispersed without danger. Not only that. Tests have shown drastic reductionsgoing from concentrations close to half a million ppm to safe levels. In other words, it has been confirmed that the method works and that the pending challenge is not a conceptual hypothesis, but a technical one, a fine adjustment to avoid load losses and guarantee that the system can operate in a stable and permanent way. Close the volcano. Puerto Naos it’s already openinhabited and functioning, but closing the volcano means turning this experiment into a complete a definitive infrastructureintegrate the extraction of CO₂ into the urban network and accept that the island will continue to be a “volcano” even when it seems calm. Perhaps for this reason, no one expects inaugurations or epic endings to what happened, just a silent moment in which Playa Chica leaves to be an exception and the air will once again be just that, demonstrating that on the island of La Palma the volcanic forces not only have shaped the earthbut also the way in which a community has learned to live, monitor and resist over it. Image | Eduardo RobainaHyperfinch In Xataka | Gran Canaria is increasingly at risk of blackouts. And he already has an idea on the table: imitate Russia in the Arctic In Xataka | The Canary Islands and Galicia have set off the Navy’s alarm bells. Russia’s ghost fleet has arrived in Spain with warships

its 1,500 residents forced to leave the town due to the arrival of new rains

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The municipality of Grazalema in Cádiz without a doubt Leonardo is bearing the brunt of the storm As we have seen in numerous images where water can be seen in the streets, in houses or even coming out of power outlets. Given all this, the situation has reached a completely unsustainable point, so the authorities They have ordered the complete evacuation of the municipality. Heavy rainfall. This decision comes after receiving this Wednesday the town almost 600 liters of water per square meter surpassing all previous records. This large amount of rainfall has formed a symbiosis with the many liters that had fallen in the previous days and weeks, which has made the situation completely unsustainable. The problem is precisely what may come in the coming days. The AEMET has already alerted that this same Saturday the Grazalema region will be on orange alert due to rainfall that will once again reach tens of liters. Something that has activated all the machinery to relocate citizens while the weather situation returns to normal. Its magnitude. It is not an easy task, since we are talking about a town with nearly 1,600 residents who will now have to move to another point to guarantee their safety. Just as they collect local mediait was the president of the Andalusian Government himself who has announced this measure in an appearance with the mayor of Grazalema due to the absolutely anomalous situation that the town is experiencing. The main focus of concern is placed above all on the geological state of the municipality, and especially on its aquifer. Earth movements. The main danger that the municipality’s aquifer is full of water is that it begins to exert pressure on the terrain itself. This translates into ground movements with structural damage that would affect homes or the streets themselves. How will it be done? Although this evacuation will take place during the day and with weather conditions that are currently more favorable than those experienced yesterday, moving so many people is not easy. For now, the authorities have indicated that residents who can travel with their own means to Ronda, where they can be welcomed in a pavilion managed by the Red Cross. Although it is also possible that some neighbors move to the homes of relatives or acquaintances. In any case, having time ahead will ensure that this evacuation is done in an orderly manner and in areas such as the president himself points out of the Andalusian Government. Something that they point out must be kept in mind is serenity at this time so that chaos does not spread. It is an obligation. The evacuation of the municipality is not voluntary at all, but is mandatory for all resident neighbors who must leave the municipality following the instructions. In this way, tonight no one will be able to sleep in Grazalema without a clear date to return. Other evictions. Throughout these days we have seen how in different parts of Andalusia evacuations have had to be carried outsuch as in Dúdar (Granada). Although an evacuation of a municipality of considerable size with more than 1,000 inhabitants, the truth is that there are few precedents that we can have in mind right now. Images | Rob In Xataka | MAs water gushes from the ground in Grazalema, Andalusia’s last resort against flooding is already underway: the reservoirs

five experiences to celebrate Valentine’s Day as a couple

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Flowers, chocolates, that accessory or that device that you had been looking for for so long… What are you going to give for next Valentine’s Day? If you don’t have it yet, you don’t know very well what to give or you are simply considering different options, today we want to give you some ideas with five different gifts, experiences as a couple to surprise on Valentine’s Day. The Lion King, the musical from 27 eurosa live experience to enjoy the iconic musical based on the Disney film. luxury hotels by 249.90 eurosa gift box with two nights. Spa and massage by 47.40 eurosan experience for couples to relax. Les Miserables, the musical from 34.89 eurosanother quite interesting musical at the Teatro Apolo. Puy Du Fou by 130 eurosa couples experience with a visit to the Toledo theme park. The Lion King, the musical It may not be the most original gift, but it is an experience that is certainly difficult to forget. ‘The Lion King‘, the musical is available with the option to choose the date and time, even on Valentine’s Day if you want to go that same day. The price of tickets varies depending on the time or day, but is from 27 euros and the place is at the Lope de Vega Theater in Madrid. Of course, the musical will be available until March 29. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links luxury hotels Traveling can be a totally pleasant experience, especially if we treat ourselves a little and choose a great hotel. At Carrefour, for example, we can find a gift box for 249.90 euros about two nights in four and five star luxury hotels for two people. There is plenty to choose from with locations in Madrid, Asturias, Alicante and much more. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Spa and massage There are also many experiences that focus on relaxation, something that can be very interesting if we are looking for a moment of peace. On Amazon we found another gift box of spa and massage for two people with a great selection of spas, oriental massages and more. Its price is tighter than the previous experience, since it is available for 47.40 euros. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Les Misérables, the musical If you have already seen the musical ‘The Lion King’ and want a similar experience, at the Teatro Nuevo Apolo in Madrid you can enjoy the musical ‘Les Misérables‘. There are also many dates and times to choose from, and prices vary with the 34.89 euros the most economical. It is a musical that has received very good reviews, partly due to the adaptation of Victor Hugo, but also due to its cast and quality. Les Miserables, the musical The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Puy Du Fou If you want to take advantage of the gift so that you can travel as a couple, Carrefour has 130 euros a gift box Puy Du Fouthe iconic, and quite spectacular, theme park located in Toledo. The box includes two tickets and a night show, as well as many others that take place during the day. It is, in this way, a great idea to visit Toledo, get to know the theme park and enjoy one or more shows at the same time. 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 | Becca Tapert in UnsplashDisney, Smartbox, ATG Entertainment In Xataka | The 34 best apps and websites to organize your Easter holidays In Xataka | The best islands to visit or enjoy a vacation, organized in a beautiful graph

The DGT sold us a “reasonable period without sanctions” for the V-16 beacons. The fines are already coming

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Unwritten agreements have a problem: nothing is written. It seems silly but it is more than obvious. When there is talk of a “reasonable period” or “being flexible” but nothing is signed, the truth is that there are reasons to be suspicious. Because nothing and no one prevents breaking that supposed agreement with which all parties agree. Or if not, tell those who have been fined for not having the V-16 beacons. They are already fining. This is what they assure from Pyramid Consulting. This consultancy, specialized in appealing traffic fines, already indicates that its offices have received a penalty because a driver did not have the V-16 light to signal a dangerous situation. The penalty is 80 euros, as we already had in Xatakaand it reads that the reason for the sanction is “not having the corresponding V-16 regulatory sign installed on the vehicle.” The penalty was imposed on January 6, Three Kings’ Day, and the gift will be a financial penalty of 40 euros if the driver accepts prompt payment. “A reasonable period”. Penalizing a driver on January 6, 2026 for not having a V-16 beacon raises blisters among drivers. And Fernando Grande-Marlaska, Minister of the Interior, and Pere Navarro, director of the DGT, were faced with a pool full of contradictions and decided to jump into it headlong. In December 2025, faced with the prospect that drivers were not going to have the V-16 beacon on time, the DGT already announced that there would be no extensions in the application of the measure because, in their words, there would be no point in delaying it to the summer of 2026 since the situation would be exactly the same. Of course, they indicated that they had considered delaying it. However, that same month of December, the director of the DGT himself indicated that agents “will be flexible” so fines were not expected, at least, in the first days. They talked about “consolidating this issue” without having to deal with a barrage of fines. On January 8, Grande-Marlaska defended that the beacon was not tax collection, that “information would take precedence over the sanction” and that fines would not be imposed. a “reasonable” period of time. By then, Pyramid Consulting’s client had already been sanctioned. They think they are right. From the consultancy they assure that they are going to appeal the fine. The reasons they allege are that articles 9 and 103 of the Spanish Constitution specify that the Administration must guarantee the legal security of citizens. And they point out that the Administration’s actions must comply with and be: Foreseeable Transparent Consistent Adjusted to good faith They assure that Grande-Marlaska’s statements, in which it was suggested that the agents would not sanction “in a reasonable period of time,” invalidates the sanction and generates legal uncertainty for the citizen since a safeguard message is sent that in the end has not been fulfilled. The contradictions. The problem here is that those responsible for the Ministry of the Interior and the DGT sent messages that contradicted what is stated in the law. Both assured that there would be no fine for not having the beacon and not using it but, at the same time, they neither offered a specific time period nor was any type of order approved in which this was reflected. This left it up to the agents how to act. And if they considered that a car was not correctly signaling its position, there were sufficient reasons to sanction it, according to the approved regulations. And although the DGT’s public message was in the direction of not fining, the agents themselves have recognized that they have no order to act in this way. Photo | DGT and Pyramid Consulting In Xataka | The V-16 beacon has many problems: the manufacturer turning off its servers and leaving you offline is not one of them

mining and industrial ponds

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Spain has its eyes riveted on the intense rains this week in Andalusia. According to meteorological expertsbetween 60 and 80 liters were expected, but the orography has acted as a wall causing accumulations of 180 liters, a scenario where the technology has failed by more than double in a short-term prediction. However, while the cameras focus on the water running through the streets of white towns, a much quieter and potentially devastating threat is brewing far from the media spotlight. The real technical and military concern lies in the stability of the industrial waste infrastructure in the province of Huelva and part of Seville. Over there, as detailed in the local pressis located the largest toxic waste deposit in Europe. It is a time bomb composed of mud and heavy metals that is being subjected to a water stress test without recent precedents. What has happened to the mining ponds? Before the arrival of the storm Leonardothe reaction of the authorities has been of unusual speed. Yesterday, the management of the Emergency Plan for the Risk of Floods commissioned the Military Emergency Unit (UME) to carry out an urgent analysis and assessment of the situation of these deposits. Officially, the message it’s calmsince the regional emergency service assures that the work carried out has provided “complete peace of mind” and that “no incident or probable risk” has been detected. However, the reality on the ground shows a different operational tension. Far from limiting itself to observing, the UME has taken direct action with a massive deployment: a contingent of more than 250 soldiers and 90 specialized vehicles has been mobilized to the area. According to Andalusian public televisionthe troops have installed a retaining wall using “Hesco Bastion” and heavy machinery in the Los Frailes mine, in Aznalcóllar, because the rainwater is already carrying pyrite and they are seeking to prevent it from draining into the reservoir at all costs. The war of stories. The situation has caused a mix of messages between political prudence, business demands and social alarm. The president of the Junta de Andalucía, Juanma Moreno, has been unusually explicit about the nature of the danger. As you have collected ABCthe Andalusian president has justified the military mobilization by the need for anticipation, crudely warning that these facilities are “mining ponds that could overflow with materials, some of which are toxic, especially in a very special way in the province of Huelva.” Faced with this political warning, the industry’s response has been blunt. The company Atalaya Riotinto Minera has issued a statement guaranteeing the safety of the waste deposits at the Riotinto mine. They ensure that their facilities operate normally in accordance with strict technical standards and that these exceptional situations “have been contemplated in the design and construction”, with adequate safety margins. Furthermore, the company wanted to emphasize that it maintains “full communication and coordination” with the competent authorities and the Civil Guard for continuous monitoring of the situation. At the other extreme, political voices like Izquierda Unida They warn that this is not a drill. The training indicates that the ponds, which accumulate toxic materials after decades of exploitation, enter a “potential situation of risk of breaking” due to the pressure of the water on the slopes. Its provincial coordinator has denounced the “historical inability” to maintain these soils and demands a truthful diagnosis in real time, describing the situation as a non-hypothetical risk. The ghost of ’98. The fear that runs through the spine of western Andalusia has a memory. The inevitable reference is the disaster of Aznalcóllar from 1998but the current dimensions are much larger. The main focus of the threat today is located in the Riotinto Mining Basin, in the Gossan, Cobre and Aguzadera dams. This complex stores more than 182 million cubic meters of sludge, an amount that exceeds thirty times the volume of the spill that caused the ecological catastrophe almost three decades ago. Environmental organizations provide disturbing data on current operators. They recall that the Aznalcóllar mine is now managed by a subsidiary of Grupo México, a company with a history of pond failures in its country of origin, such as the one in the Sonora River in 2014. In addition, they denounce that there were already prior warnings: in March 2025, during other intense rains, an episode of contamination occurred in the Agrio counter-reservoir due to runoff from the mine. ANDthenWhat are the forecasts? The current problem is not only the amount of water that falls, but where it falls. As meteorology experts explain“it rains in the wet.” The month of January already broke historical records with accumulations of 1,300 liters in some areas, leaving the soil, composed mainly of clay, completely saturated. The infiltration rate is zero; The ground no longer supports even one more drop. This takes us to a limit hydrological situation. The reservoirs of the province of Huelva are at 85.83% of its capacity, a figure much higher than the average of recent years. This has forced the Board to carry out preventive and controlled discharges in seven of the eight dams it manages to guarantee their safety. However, the greatest physical danger in mining ponds is technical, that is, the risk of sludge liquefaction. The experts warn that An episode of extreme rain increases the hydrostatic pressure on the retaining walls. If this occurs, the mud can lose its solid behavior and suddenly collapse the structure. There is one more threat. Beyond the mines, the Huelva orography hides another critical point: the phosphogypsum ponds in the Tinto marshes. There are 1,200 hectares that accumulate 120 million tons of industrial waste just a few kilometers from the capital. Studies add a factor of instability additional, since a “progressive sinking of the land” has been detected in this area. Added to this scenario is the opacity denounced by social groups. Ecologists in Action claims to have requested repeatedly provided information on surveillance reports on the raised walls in Riotinto and on the company’s financial guarantees … Read more

Anthropic has taken Apple’s strategy against Microsoft to the Super Bowl: making using the rival look ridiculous

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Anthropic has opened the Super Bowl by attacking OpenAI with ads that show virtual therapists advertising dating apps and personal trainers selling boosts for short people. The message: “Ads are coming to AI. But not to Claude“(“The ads are reaching the AI. But not Claude.”) Sam Altman has responded in X calling them “dishonest” and accusing them of “doublespeak“, “double speech” in Spanish, although a better adapted translation could be “deceptive language” or simply “hypocrisy.” It seems like a minor skirmish, two rivals fighting over an advertisement. But under that hood is a billion-dollar question: What kind of business will AI be when it’s established? The history of the Internet is summarized in two great models: One free supported by advertising: Google, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok… regardless of whether they have premium versions. Other direct payment by subscription: Netflix, DAZN, Disney+, Apple Music, PSN… The first aims to maximize the audience, the second aims to maximize the revenue per user. The AI ​​is right now deciding which of the two paths it takes. In Xataka AI is breaking one of the oldest economic paradigms in history: that cheap equals "bad" OpenAI has already chosen and is starting to test putting ads on free ChatGPT accounts. Altman justifies it with the classic argument of democratization: “More Texans use free ChatGPT than the total number of people using Claude in the United States.” In other words: they want to reach those billions of people who are not going to pay 20 dollars a month. And for that you need advertising. Anthropic chooses the opposite. “Anthropic offers an expensive product to rich people,” Altman reproaches him. In a way, it is true: Claude is betting above all on contracts with companies and premium subscriptions of 20, 100 and 200 dollars per month. Their model depends on the AI ​​being valuable enough for you to pay for it. And so that you look from time to time to the higher plan with the temptation to go up one more step. Without advertising, without sponsored links and without responses being influenced by advertisers. The difference is not only business, it is product. An AI with advertising has different incentives than one without it. What happens when you ask the assistant what car to buy you and there is a manufacturer paying to appear in their answers? What about medical, financial, legal advice? OpenAI has promised that “ads do not influence responses.” That’s what he said in minute 0. But that promise will be increasingly difficult to sustain as monetization pressure increases. {“videoId”:”x9u4ml2″,”autoplay”:false,”title”:”Does Gemini 3 surpass ChatGPT? This is Google’s new AI”, “tag”:”Webedia-prod”, “duration”:”156″} Anthropic has its own problem: If it only reaches those who can afford to pay, AI becomes a tool of the elites. A technology that promises to democratize knowledge ends up reproducing the class divisions that already exist. We saw this coming with the arrival of $200 plans to access the AI ​​elite. A gap that creates another gap, The parallel with the history of the Internet is inevitable. Free social networks caught (almost) all of us in the 1910s, but in return they built advertising surveillance machines optimized for the engagementnot for anyone’s well-being. Payment services are cleaner, but also more exclusive. So AI is now at that bifurcation point: OpenAI is committed to being the YouTube of AI: free for everyone, supported by ads and with premium versions for those who want to pay. Anthropic wants to be the Netflix: better experience and free of ads, but only for those who pay. It is true that it maintains a free plan, but its limits are a continuous invitation to check out or leave. And now it’s up for grabs What kind of relationship with those machines that know more and more about us and from which we ask more and more?. Whether they will be services that serve us or whether they will be platforms that monetize us. In Xataka | The AI ​​of 2026 brings an uncomfortable truth: the most useful will be the one that watches us the most Featured image | Anthropic (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 Anthropic has taken Apple’s strategy against Microsoft to the Super Bowl: making using the rival look ridiculous was originally published in Xataka by Javier Lacort .

Telefónica sought to dismiss 4,525 employees with its ERE. Now you have a problem called 5,124 volunteers

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Telefónica has closed the first phase of your ERE in Spain with more employees wanting to leave the company than places available in the ERE. 5,124 workers from the different subsidiaries of the operator presented themselves as candidates to benefit from the ERE. Of these volunteers to leave the company, 352 candidates have been left out because the maximum number of dismissals agreed with the unions has been exceeded. This excess of volunteers worries union representatives. Volunteers to be fired. At the end of December, the company and unions signed the conditions for the Employment Regulation File that will affect seven subsidiaries of the Telefónica group: Telefónica de España, Telefónica Móviles, Telefónica Soluciones, Telefónica Global Solutions, Telefónica Innovación Digital, Telefónica SA and Movistar+. There A minimum of 4,525 departures was set for the entire group, reducing the number of layoffs by 25.6% from the 6,088 that the company planned at the beginning. This implies a reduction of 26.2% of the 17,248 employees of those seven companies. The bulk of the layoffs he was going to concentrate on the matrix and its two main subsidiaries. That is, Telefónica España, Telefónica Móviles and Telefónica Soluciones for which a minimum of 3,765 departures and a maximum of 5,040 were marked. According to pointed Digital EconomyIn these three subsidiaries, 3,995 volunteers have been registered in Telefónica de España, 990 in Móviles and 179 in Solutions, adding up to a total of 5,124 requests to join the ERE. 84 more than the maximum limit provided for them. How many applications are accepted. Of the requests presented for these three subsidiaries, Telefónica has accepted a total of 4,772 exits, which are distributed as follows: 3,649 exits in Telefónica de España, 960 in Mobile and 163 in Solutions, reaching 100% of the objective. That leaves 352 rejected, distributed as follows: 306 in Telefónica de España, 30 in Mobile and 16 in Solutions. It is not the first time that there are more applications for membership than departure places. A similar phenomenon also occurred in the company’s previous ERE. In fact, the unions are asking that priority be given to those employees who were rejected in the previous ERE of 2024reinforcing the voluntary nature of the measure and avoiding forced dismissals. Unions are concerned about the excess. In a statementCCOO insists that the ERE is voluntary and agreed upon, but the excess of applications submitted to the company’s headquarters has them worried. The union insists on analyzing the background that has led so many employees to express their desire to leave the company. “The large number of requests also shows discontent and the need to leave Telefónica, a worrying issue because it indicates a clear dissatisfaction of the staff in the exercise of their professional development,” the union interpreted. What remains to be decided. With the three majority subsidiaries of the Related Companies Agreement already almost closed, it is time to analyze the applications from Telefónica Global Solutions, Telefónica SA, Telefónica Innovación Digital and Movistar+. For these three subsidiaries Global Solutions, Telefónica SA and Telefónica Innovación Digital, 416 volunteers have presented themselves for the 585 planned departures (109 in Global Solutions, 182 in Innovación Digital and 294 in Telefónica SA). This accession leaves these subsidiaries with coverage of 71.11% of the total, forcing the company to look for new candidates and opt for forced dismissals. Something that unions want to avoid at all costs. In other words, while in the group’s headquarters some employees want to leave and cannot, in the smaller subsidiaries they will have to fire employees who want to stay. No news from Movistar+. The Movistar+ TV platform It is the big unknown at the moment, since the numbers of applications to benefit from the ERE, which will affect 175 employees of this division, which represents 20% of its workforce, have not yet been made public. In Xataka | Severance compensation: when there is the right to collect it according to the type of dismissal and how it is calculated Image | Telephone

For experts the question is whether we are in uncharted territory

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For hours, the state of the Fresnillo dam was subject of rumors, hoaxes and concern. The reservoir, extremely close to the urban area of ​​Grazalema, was being monitored by the UME and preventive evictions had been carried out in the homes near the Gaidóvar riverbank. Finally, the mayor had to come out to deny that the rip of the dam was a scenario that was on the table. But the day was not over. 229 kilometers from there, around twelve at night, the Civil Guard began the complete eviction of Dúdara town in Granada at the foot of the Quéntar dam. The swamp It was at 101.46% of its capacity and I had to start pumping out water at full speed. A few kilometers from there, the Genil destroyed the Fabriquilla bridge and part of the old electrical installations of Hazallanas Other neighbors in the area, too They were relocated due to the rise of the river Aguas Blancas and, in Poniente Granada, hundreds of people slept in sports centers before the overflow del Genil, Colomera, Cubillas and the problems around the Frailes and Cacín rivers. In Córdoba, Navallana has been forced to unload and, as a consequence, the Guadalquivir channel receives more pressure. Back in Cádiz, the Bornos reservoir too is approaching its maximum capacity and, according to the local pressthe dam has dawned with two backhoes in case the floodgates had to be opened even more. That is to say, the lamination capacity of the Andalusian containment system is reaching its limit. The UME is taking control of entire municipalities and there are more than twenty roads blocked in several southern provinces. And the worst is not that. The worst thing is that it is going to continue raining. An overflowing community At this time, 14 rivers are under red warning today and another 31 are under orange warning. Rivers such as the Guadalete, the Genil, the Guadiaro and the Guadalhorce They are not just responding to today’s rain.but to the inability of the basin to drain what has accumulated in the last 48 hours. The best example is called Huétor Tájar (in Granada). There the Genil River – the largest tributary of the Guadalquivir – completely overflowed and the chaos has been so enormous that The army has had to take control of the entire area. Above all, because this occurred before the discharges from the headwaters of the river (still contained by the Canales reservoir) reached the area. But the key data is that of Grazalema. Although the official figures will obscure the record (because they are measured by hydrological days), the truth is that that corner of Cádiz has received more than 600 liters per square meter in 24 hours. Today, in addition, there are more than 100. And that is key because every dam (every river engineering work) is made with one key piece of information: the return to 500 years. That is, the risk of flooding at 50, 100 and 500 years. What if what is happening in Grazalema is not something specific? What if climate change is updating the chances that extreme events of this type will happen much more often? We tend to have a stereotypical view of global warming, but these are the things where it really makes a real difference: in the ability to put our infrastructures in check more criticism. In this sense, when the worst of this crisis is over, when the rain and floods give us a break, we will have to understand all this as a great stress test for our water system. And more importantly, we will have to act accordingly. Image | Dream Flower In Xataka | 180 liters where 60 were expected: why the high-resolution models have “crashed” against the Grazalema wall

The most brutal rains in the history of Andalusia have already ended. Now the real problems begin

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The storm Leonardo little by little begins to fade from the maps, leaving in its wake mainly alerts for strong gusts of wind in certain regions of Andalusia. The problem is that its footprint on the ground is just beginning to show its true dimension, since the main danger is that even if rainfall begins to decrease, the water continues to rise in the rivers. And this gives rise to the feared floods that are already has caused numerous evictions. Extreme saturation. To understand why authorities and the AEMET maintain the emergency level 2 and red warnings despite lulls in rainfall, we have to look under our feet. The soil functions, under normal conditions, like a sponge capable of retaining large volumes of water. However, after weeks of constant rainfall, Andalusia has reached its saturation point. In this way, the land does not support any more water, which increases the runoff coefficient throughout the territory. This means that each new liter that falls, no matter how small, will barely filter through the ground. The result is that it will run on the surface, turning slopes and mountains into giant slides towards the rivers. Increase of the channel. This is the reason why 14 rivers are under red notice today and another 31 under orange. Rivers such as the Guadalete, the Genil, the Guadiaro and the Guadalhorce They are not just responding to today’s rain.but to the inability of the basin to drain what has accumulated in the last 48 hours. We have an example in Huétor Tájar in Granadawhere the Genil River overflowed, making the entire town become a large lake. And this is the main risk we face despite the fact that rainfall is beginning to reduce its intensity. The reservoirs. The other major front of this crisis is hydraulic engineering. The reservoirs act as buffers during floodsretaining the water to prevent it from devastating the towns downstream. But Leonardo has managed to finish filling these reservoirs to their maximum limits. This has forced us to initiate technical releases with increasing amounts of water to avoid breakages or uncontrolled overflows of the dams. The problem is that doing so injects more flow into rivers that are already at the limit of their capacity, keeping towns like Ubrique or the lower areas of the Guadalquivir in suspense. Sierra Nevada. Gravity in the Genil basin is not based solely on precipitation, but on thermodynamics. Leonardo is not a cold storm of polar origin, but rather an Atlantic storm loaded with humidity that is causing snow accumulated in previous weeks melts at a high speed. The result here is clear: a greater flow in the rivers that drain the Sierra that joins all the factors that we have mentioned before. Landslides. For the next few hours, in addition to the increase in the riverbed, we must also keep in mind the risk of hillslide. In these cases, water saturation increases the weight of the soil and reduces its internal friction. This translates into a greater risk of landslides on roads and slopes, something that can especially occur in mountain areas such as Cádiz or Axarquía in Malaga. More rain on Saturday. Faced with overflowing soil, the last thing you want is to receive more rain. But the reality is that this same Saturday a new storm comes in that has already activated an orange alert in a region that has been greatly punished by Leonardo such as Grazalema. In this case, accumulations of up to 80 liters per square meter are again expected, which may further aggravate the situation that is being experienced. Images | Ted Balmer In Xataka | We have always believed that London is very rainy and that Barcelona is not. The only problem is that it’s a lie

the plan to turn Asturias into the great energy shipyard that Europe no longer knows how to build

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For decades, the West operated under a mirage: believing that making things was no longer relevant and that the future lay only in software. However, China has woken up Europe of that dream, showing him that national sovereignty depends, ultimately, on knowing how to melt metal. Now that “bath of reality” has just docked in Asturias. The Port of Gijón, El Musel, has ceased to be just a strategic enclave for local coal and steel to become the epicenter of a global ambition. The Asturian group Zima and the Chinese giant Dajin Offshore they have sealed an alliance to build a foundation plant for offshore wind. However, there is a problem and size does matter, a lot. The landing of a colossus. Dajin and Zima have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop a facility that will not only manufacture components, but will function as a port for marshalling —the logistics area where these pieces are collected and pre-assembled—. As detailed in The Economistthe objective is to supply the European market and alleviate bottlenecks in the sector. Dajin is not just any actor. As detailed in local media, It is the largest Chinese private manufacturer of offshore wind structures. This alliance will reinforce the strategic role of the region in the European energy transition. The Gordian knot: the crisis of space. Zima’s initial project occupied 153,753 square meters on the North Pier. However, the entry of Dajin changes everything: the multinational need more space. Making XXL “monopiles” is not like making cars. According to technical data provided by Energetica21Dajin has the capacity to manufacture structures up to 12 meters in diameter, 120 meters in length and 2,500 tons in weight. “Moving and storing these steel cylinders requires massive esplanades that are currently compromised,” warn industry sources. in LNE. El Musel finds himself facing a puzzle. The land requested by Zima borders Ionway’s future battery plant. As LNE explainsthe Port Authority is studying with “the best disposition” how to meet this demand, either by extending towards the sea or looking for non-contiguous plots. An “Electrostate” in the Cantabrian Sea. To understand this project you have to look at the global context. Today, China builds 74% of the planet’s renewable energy. By settling in Gijón, Dajin brings what the West has lost: heavy industrial capacity. As Miquel Zorita, director of Zima, points out, in The Economistthe desire is to integrate local suppliers. This is vital because European wind turbine manufacturers such as Siemens Gamesa or Vestas are going through a deep profitability crisis. Chinese technology in Asturias could be the necessary oxygen ball, even if it is under a foreign flag. The industrial clock against the bureaucratic clock. The success of this operation will not be measured only in the millions of euros of investment or in the jobs created, but in the size of the facilities it will depend exclusively on the space they obtain in the port. Asturias has before it the opportunity to stop being a “quarry” of resources and become a center of high added value. But, as Craig Tindale’s thesis warnsa civilization that sacrifices its material base ends up losing its independence. Gijón is redesigning its map; Now it remains to be seen if El Musel has enough soil to support so much weight. Image | Bafpg and ShellAsp Xataka | Inspecting an offshore wind turbine no longer requires stopping it: the drone that uses AI to ‘x-ray’ moving blades

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