Month: February 2026

Returning to the Moon before 2030 begins to seem like a political fantasy

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This same week we learned that the Artemis II mission, which was to put humans around the Moon again, it had to be delayed. The old ghosts of the space program, as it is the complexity of liquid hydrogenhas once again been a blow to NASA, which is increasingly closer to SpaceX to delegate part of its space missions. Hydrogen as a cursed inheritance. As a reminder, all the problems with Artemis II have arisen during the general refueling test, since it had to be stopped when a leak was detected in the hydrogen fuel lines. For fans of the show, this sounds awfully familiar. They are faults traced to which The Artemis I mission has already suffered and that seem inherited from the Space Shuttle era. Liquid hydrogen, being the smallest molecule in existence, has an astonishing ease of escape through the slightest imperfection, a situation that has been recently aggravated by the extreme cold on test platforms. The dependence on SpaceX. While the SLS rocket shows signs of technical and budgetary fatigue, with Boeing threatening staff reductions amid this crisisNASA is forced to pivot increasingly toward the private sector. This is where SpaceX meets with open arms. The current plan is complex: the SLS must put Orion capsule in orbitwhich will then be coupled with the SpaceX human landing system (HLS) to go down to the lunar surface. However, the SLS delays put at risk the entire chain of missions that come after such as Artemis III that could go until 2028. It has its challenges. But SpaceX is not completely perfect, since for the Starship HLS to reach the Moon, it requires an orbital resupply maneuver that could involve up to 12 prior tanker flightsan unprecedented logistical complexity. Although Starship also faces its own challenges and delays, different sources indicate that is the only lander contracted with real capacity to operate before 2030. Although NASA has opened the door to Blue Origin for later missions seeking to diversify, today, without SpaceX, the lunar rhythm would collapse. Until exhaustion. While SLS struggles to overcome basic leaks, SpaceX is following its “break things to learn fast” philosophy. By the end of 2025, the company completed its eleventh test flightachieving a key milestone: the smooth and controlled splashdown of the upper stage in the Indian Ocean and the successful restart of the Raptor engines in a vacuum. This flight marked the end of the “V2” era. Now, SpaceX transitions to Starship V3, an even larger and more capable beast, designed specifically to meet Artemis’ payload requirements. But introducing a new vehicle involves new risks and time-consuming certifications. More than a rocket. We often forget that the Starship HLS is not just a transport vehicle; It will be the “home” of the astronauts on the lunar surface for a week, which further marks this dependence. Although it does not stop here, since SpaceX has completed SpaceX recently completed 49 crucial contract milestones for NASA that go beyond propulsion, including life support that will keep the astronauts alive. Although they have also managed to validate the system for the descent of the crew on the moon or the Raptor engines that have demonstrated their ability to ignite after being exposed to the deep cold of space. Dependency is a problem. With the current data on the table, the optimism of 2025 has evaporated, delaying the date of the different missions to return to the Moon. And although the SLS is currently a bottleneck, the immense complexity of the Starship operation, which requires an almost weekly launch chain, is the real wall against which Washington’s political dates crash. Images | SpaceX In Xataka |

imitate Russia in the Arctic

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While millions of tourists enjoy a privileged climate in Gran Canaria, the infrastructure that supports the island operates on the verge of collapse. The island’s electrical system, isolated and without connection to the mainland, operates with minimum safety margins, dangerously approaching what technicians call “energy zero”: a total blackout. The threat is not theoretical. The neighboring island of La Gomera had a blackout a couple of weeks ago due to the destabilization of the El Palmar thermal power plant, but the inhabitants still remember 2023 in which they spent 37 hours in the dark. Faced with a structural power deficit and a demand that is close to 550 megawatts (MW) at peak times, a technical proposal has emerged that breaks all taboos in Spain: bringing floating nuclear reactors to the Port of La Luz to guarantee electricity and water to the island. Urgency and the fossil “patch.” The energy situation of Gran Canaria is critical. It is estimated that the island has a firm power deficit—safe energy that does not depend on whether it is sunny or windy—of between 120 and 140 MW. Current thermal power plants, based on fuel oil and gas, are aging and the network lacks robust support. To avoid the blackout, the Government of the Canary Islands has chosen a solution emergency: hire a powership of 125 MW. It is a thermal power plant installed on a ship (Shark class) that will dock in the port of Las Palmas to burn fossil fuels and cover that gap. The study that supports it. It is in this context where the Peter Huber Center of the University of the Hespérides emerges. Through a study signed by experts Manuel Fernández Ordóñez and Daniel Fernández Méndez, direct criticism is launched at the current management: he powership It is a “patch” that perpetuates pollution, increases CO2 emissions in a dense urban environment and maintains dependence on imported fossil fuels. Their alternative is radically different: betting on floating nuclear reactors. According to the authors“we are not talking about an experimental technology, but rather an evolution of light water reactors that have been operating safely for decades on military ships and icebreakers.” The glass ceiling of renewables. Here lies the technical core of the debate. If the Canary Islands have plenty of sun and wind, why consider nuclear energy? The answer lies in network stability. Despite the efforts, the contribution of renewables to the energy mix of the Canary Islands has been stagnant at around 20% for four years. Although 2024 aimed for a clean production recordthe technical reality is stubborn: the island electrical grid, being small and isolated, needs an “inertia” that wind and solar energy cannot provide on their own. Without a firm power base, when renewables rise a lot, the system becomes unstable and energy must be dumped to avoid failures. Currently, the big bet to solve this It is Chira Falls: a reversible hydroelectric plant that will function as a 200 MW “megabattery.” This pharaonic work, scheduled to be operational by 2027, will pump water to store excess renewable energy and release it when necessary. However, the Hesperides University study argues that, even with storage, the system still needs a constant generating “backbone” that does not emit CO2. They argue that a 100 MW reactor would provide that fixed power and the auxiliary services (frequency and voltage control) necessary so that, paradoxically, more renewables can be installed without the risk of pulling down the grid. As Manuel Fernández explained in an interview: “The only reliable alternative to fossil fuels in the Canary Islands is nuclear.” Much more than electricity. The proposal goes beyond turning on light bulbs; It strikes a chord with survival on the islands: water. The water-energy nexus The Canary Islands are one of the places in the world most dependent on desalination. More than 70% of the water for human consumption comes from the sea, and these desalination plants devour between 10% and 12% of all the electricity generated on the islands. “The water security of Gran Canaria is strongly coupled to its electrical security,” the study says. While experimental pilots are tested like the DesaLIFE projectwhich seeks to desalinate using wave energy to supply some 15,000 people, the nuclear option presents a brute force solution. A reactor generates electricity and an immense amount of waste heat. According to the report1 MW of electricity can desalinate between 4,000 and 6,000 cubic meters of water per day. A single 70 MW nuclear ship, partially dedicated to this task, could cover a gigantic fraction of the water demand of all of Gran Canaria. The Russian mirror in the Arctic. The proposal is not based on futuristic plans, but on a tangible reality that operates today: Akademik Lomonosov. It is the first modern commercial floating nuclear power plant. It has been docked in Pevek (Russia) since 2020, supplying electricity and heating in extreme weather conditions. Its technology is two KLT-40S reactors (derived from icebreakers) that generate 70 MW. In 2024, it reached an operating factor of more than 94%. Russia is already working on the next generation (RITM-200M), which will offer about 100 MW with a useful life of 60 years. Regarding the logistics of powership fossil, which requires the constant docking of tankers with fuel, a floating reactor is recharged every 3 or 4 years. This would shield the island from the volatility of oil prices. The small print. To understand real viability, you have to look at the global context. Although Russia now leads the market and uses it as a geopolitical tool, the US was a pioneer in operating the nuclear ship Sturgis in the Panama Canal between 1968 and 1976. Today, Western companies such as Westinghouse or Seaborg are trying to regain ground against Chinese (ACP100S) and Russian designs. The “B side” is social rejection. Greenpeace has come to qualify these projects like “Chernobyl on ice”. The study defends security through “defense in depth” design (double hull, passive systems). However, analysts warn of specific … Read more

the founder of Telegram charges against Pedro Sánchez and sends a massive message

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He package of measures of the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, to regulate social networks has not only aroused the ire of Elon Musk, who has launched several disqualifications through X. It has also provoked a reaction from the CEO and co-founder of Telegram. Pável Dúrov is sending a message this afternoon to Spanish users of the platform in which he frontally rejects the proposal and warns of what, in his opinion, would be its consequences. Hey, you have a message from Durov. If you use Telegram and have a Spanish number, it is very likely that this afternoon you received an unusual notification. The official ‘Telegram’ bot, the same one usually used for security communications such as login codes, displays a message forwarded from the channel @durov. “The government of Pedro Sánchez is promoting new dangerous regulations that threaten your freedoms on the internet,” the text begins. From there, Dúrov promises to “explain” why he considers that the package of measures represents an alarm signal for freedom of expression and privacy. Durov Dúrov’s message translated into Spanish in the Telegram bot Against the prohibition of social networks for minors under 16 years of age. One of the central criticisms of the founder of Telegram points to the proposal to restrict the access of minors under 16 years of age to social networks. Dúrov maintains that such a measure, in practice, would imply strict identity verification controls that would go beyond that age group, citing formulas such as DNI or biometrics. “It sets a precedent for tracking the identity of EVERY user, eroding anonymity and opening doors to mass data collection,” he says. “What starts with minors could spread to everyone, stifling open debate,” he adds. Here it is important to clarify something important: for now, the Government has not fully detailed what specific technical measures would be applied for this age verification, nor how they would be implemented in practice. That is to say, Dúrov’s interpretation is based on a harsh scenario, but the actual implementation will depend on how the initiative ends up being drafted and the mechanism chosen to apply it. Risks of “overcensorship”. The message also focuses on another point of the proposal: tightening the responsibility of the platforms, including their managers, if they do not remove content considered illegal or hateful. According to Dúrov, this would push companies to act preventively and aggressively, with a clear collateral effect on public debate: “this will force over-censorship—the platforms will delete anything minimally controversial to avoid risks, silencing political dissidence, journalism and everyday opinions.” And what about the algorithm? The initiative also proposes legally punishing the manipulation of algorithms and the deliberate amplification of illegal content. Dúrov interprets this point as a potential paradigm shift: that the control of the order of what we see on the Internet becomes a regulated matter with room for political intervention. “Governments will dictate what you see, burying opposing opinions and creating state-controlled echo chambers,” he writes. In the same block, he warns that these types of measures would end up affecting the free circulation of ideas. Measures against polarization. Another leg of the package is the creation of a system described as a “footprint of hate and polarization,” which would quantify how platforms amplify social division and serve as a basis for future sanctions. Durov dwells especially on this point, questioning the fit of categories that, in his opinion, are too open and moldable: “vague definitions of ‘hate’ could label criticism of the government as divisive, leading to closures or fines. This can be a tool to suppress the opposition.” A message without gray, waiting for the small print. Overall, Dúrov presents the proposal as an inseparable block of threats against freedom of expression and privacy, hardly distinguishing between measures or opening room for nuances. It is a reading aligned with Telegram’s usual narrative, which tends to frame regulation as a direct risk to digital rights. But it also leaves a decisive factor in the background: several parts of the plan, as we say, are still pending completion, both in its final formulation and in its technical implementation. Telegram does not come to this debate from scratch. Dúrov’s intervention also occurs in a complicated context for the platform. Telegram has been under the spotlight for some time due to the role played by some channels and groups in the dissemination of content that is difficult to moderate, and due to the recurring debates about responsibility and cooperation with authorities. Added to this is that the founder has been noted in France in the framework of investigations linked to the use of Telegram against criminal activities and certain illegal content. This history helps to understand why these types of messages are not just political criticism. Images | Dima Solomin | Moncloa In Xataka | We don’t know if banning social media for those under 16 is going to solve the problem. Yes we know that it will generate others

finding the winner has not been easy at all

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For many, choosing a phone with a camera that really delivers what it promises has never been so complicated. A few years ago the map was simple: the options were clear and each range had its well-defined place. Today that ground has moved. New players have entered, the level has been equalized above and It is no longer enough to look at the usual ones If what we are looking for is mobile photography at the highest level. This is even more noticeable when the focus is on the telephoto lens, one of the sections that most separates a “very good” mobile phone from a truly outstanding one. With so many alternatives on the table, the question arises: which one is worth buying? in a new Versus from Xataka We wanted to respond precisely to that. We have faced seven of the best zoom phones of the moment so that you don’t have to, and we have put them against the ropes in a battery of tests designed to see both the muscle of the hardware and the weight of the processing. As is usual in this format, where we have analyzed products and platforms with very different approaches (of the AirPods Max versus the Sony WH-1000XM6 to the iPhone Air vs. the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge), the system is clear: each round adds points and, in the end, only one takes first place. A zoom duel with very serious candidates Ana Boria has been in charge of leading this comparison, with a lineup of protagonists who have already says a lot about the moment that mobile photography is experiencing: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, Xiaomi 15 Ultra, iPhone 17 Pro Max, Vivo X300 Pro, OPPO Find X9 Pro, Realme GT8 Pro and HONOR Magic8 Pro. The test starts with a relatively controlled scenario, daytime photos with good light and optical zoom, and then raises the level of demand as it progresses. the video we just published on our YouTube channel. “In the case of the colors of this garden, it is the Xiaomi, the VIVO and the OPPO that I like the least because of their saturated and bright, somewhat artificial processing. On the other hand, with this sunset, precisely that play of saturation in the colors makes my eyes go directly to those photos,” says Ana while comparing results and showing some of the images captured during the test days. Beyond the pure and simple zoom, there is a particularly revealing block: portrait-type shots without activating portrait mode. The idea is not to evaluate a software effect, but to check how telephoto lenses behave when asked the most difficult things, separate the subject from the background naturally. And there, as usually happens when the level is so high, it is not only important how close each mobile phone gets: it matters how it does it. A particularly interesting result appears in this section. which is detailed in the video. From here comes the most delicate territory: the digital zoom designed to maintain detail without turning the photo into a pixel puzzle. It’s the kind of promise we’ve all heard, but only some phones manage to keep. “If we talk about colors, it depends a lot on the photography whether we notice more or less differences between the seven phones,” explains Ana. At this point, very different trends are clearly seen between brands: from models with “a more intense HDR” to more conservative and balanced proposals, with a more consistent white balance and a less aggressive final image. And if there is a theme that runs through the entire video, that is the role of artificial intelligence. Because today zoom is not just optics. It is also an algorithm. It is also reconstruction. In this part of Versus it is appreciated which manufacturersThey put more into AI to “improve” the capture and what is gained (or lost) with it. Sometimes the result is striking, even spectacular. In others, excess translates into photos that are too artificial, with an aesthetic that may not be to everyone’s taste. “Although if we look at these portrait photos, and we look at my face, the Vivo photo is all AI and my skin has completely lost its texture,” says Ana about the Chinese brand’s mobile phone, although the video leaves more examples of the extent to which AI can mark the character of an image. The comparison does not stop at photography. It also includes optical + digital zoom in low lighting conditions, video tests and, as it could not be otherwise, the section that arouses the most curiosity when we talk about telephoto lenses: the external accessories that allow you to take the zoom to another level. Only three of the models analyzed have this type of option, Xiaomi, vivo and OPPO, and it is one of those details that not only changes the final result, but also changes the experience. “The thing is, how do I get back to my iPhone now?” Ana asks herself after checking it out. To know the winners of each round, see the complete tests and discover Ana’s final conclusions, we invite you to watch the video on the Xataka YouTube channel. And as we always do, you can leave us your opinion both here and in the comments of the video. Images | Xataka In Xataka | It had been a long time since a cell phone left me speechless. So I went to China to test the Honor Magic8 Pro camera

2,300 years ago Plato already knew what to do with social networks

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“This invention will produce forgetfulness in those who learn it, because they will not exercise their memory: they will trust in the external, not in themselves.” These words are not from a neuroscientist talking about artificial intelligence, nor from a politician regulating social networks. They are from Thamus, king of Egypt, who 2,300 years ago, in Plato’s ‘Phaedrus’, argued that any technology that helps remember ends up weakening. He was talking, of course, about writing. But, curiously, the arguments are so current and relevant that they could have been stated today: banning social mediaFor example. And this is the interesting thing. What was Plato’s argument? The quote, as I say, is from the end of the Phaedrus. There appears the call ‘myth of Theuth and Thamus‘: the god Theuth presents writing as a fantastic technology that would improve memory and Thamus, in contrast, responds that what will improve is forgetting. Although it is usually brought up in the context of classical disputes about whether writing is good or bad, the truth is that the good Plato’s argument is a little more subtle: what he is interested in confronting is rather the difference between internalized and practical knowledge, on the one hand; and the knowledge that, even though it is easily available (thanks to writing), has not left a mark on the subject. That is, Plato does not contest writing. He was, rather, describing a pattern: each cognitive technology reconfigures the skills we practice and those we don’t (and therefore let atrophy). ‘Cognitive offloading’. That is the ‘word’ that, from certain areas of cognitive science, is used to download mental work. They can be using notes, to-do lists, calendars, GPSs or search engines… it doesn’t matter, the phenomenon is very similar to what Plato commented on. The available evidence tells us that, in effect, there is a trade-off: Using these systems improves immediate performance (as Theuth argued), but can reduce deep learning (as de Thamus argued). And it makes sense. When we know that something will be accessible, the tendency is memorize its content less and dedicate those resources to memorizing where to find it. In other words, it changes what we do with those resources we have to try to make their use as efficient as possible. In fact, in the same way we have to recognize that this has problems (especially with content that is fundamentally important), but it also has benefits. This ‘resource release’ allows us, for example, learn new things. PlatoGPT. The issue is always very similar: new technologies trigger moral panic in society and then, with hindsight, we see if they were right or wrong. That is to say, we have been in a very long war between early-adopters and late-adopters for 2,300 years. Now it’s up to artificial intelligence and Plato’s reflections are good. Above all, because they help us see AI as something that goes beyond “a tool”: it is a complete system of incentives that pushes us to improve certain skills and atrophy others. The key is whether those skills that we atrophy are necessary for something else. “Put doors on the field.” A few years ago, the philosopher Antonio Diéguez visited us and explained that the idea that technologists repeat so much that “you can’t put doors on the field” was somewhat problematic. Of course you can. It has a cost, it is true; But there is also a risk of being uncritical with all the technologies that knock on our door. We have learned it the hard way in recent years. We live in strange times when nobody knows anything about the social impact of new technologies. But what is clear is that this should not confuse us and make us believe that we cannot know anything about it. Yes we can, yes we can. It’s more. As Plato said, it is our obligation to know. Image | Raphael / Robin Worral In Xataka | Why being a teenager has always been shit and in the age of social media even more

Cars will drive underground in 2026

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Madrid is about to complete one of its most ambitious works, which has been disrupting traffic and surrounding homes for some time. The burial of the A-5 This Monday it reached a key milestone by connecting two sections of the tunnel that were being excavated independently. The good news for drivers: before the end of 2026 They will be able to circulate through the tunnel. And for the residents of the southwest of Madrid, the City Council will put out to tender this month the works that will convert the surface into the promised great green promenade. What has happened? This Monday an excavator broke the earth wall that separated two underground galleries under Villamanín Street, thus joining two sections into a continuous 1.3 kilometer tunnel. The cale, which is what the operation that has been carried out to achieve this is called, will be repeated until completing the total 3.8 kilometers of the burial. So far, 2.1 kilometers have been excavated along the entire route, as confirmed by the City Council. The deadlines are maintained. The mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, guaranteed that “before the end of the year it will be possible to circulate” through the tunnel, thus fulfilling the initial forecasts despite the meteorological difficulties. According to Almeida, this January “it rained twice as much as in January 2025”, which has complicated the work. The schedule seems to be going intact, with 600 workers and 400 machines working daily in the area. It should also be noted that the project has progressed mainly underground, which has protected the work from the rains. What happens to the surface. This February the contract to develop the Paseo Verde del Suroeste will go out to tender, with an approximate budget of 75 million euros. The mayor advertisement that the surface works will start in November, when traffic already circulates through the tunnel, with the intention of creating 80,000 square meters of green areas. The goal is for residents to be able to walk through at least one of their gardens in spring 2027. Union. The works aim to eliminate a physical barrier that has fragmented neighborhoods such as Lucero, Campamento, Batán and Aluche. In this way, the objective is that the tens of thousands of cars that circulate daily on the A-5 can do so underground, while residents can cross from one side to the other without the need for underpasses. The Madrid City Council considers this work “the most emblematic that is being done in the city since the burying of the M-30”, according to counted Almeida. The next step. The priority of the work now is to complete the excavation of the tunnels, scheduled for April, followed by the installation of ventilation systems, emergency exits, cameras and extractors. The Consistory has guaranteed that no further traffic detours will be necessary until the end of the works. In fact, some of the current ones are going to be eliminated, such as the curved detour of the Amusement Park that was already eliminated on January 14, and those of Yébenes, Boadilla and Batán, which will be eliminated in the summer. Technique. Just like share Since 20 Minutes, the project uses the ‘cut and cover’ method, which allows it to work in parallel both underground and on the surface. First the retaining walls were built using piles, then the slabs that cover the tunnel were installed (already 83.5% completed), now excavation is underway under these slabs and, finally, the surface will be urbanized while the tunnel is given its final finishing touch. And now what. The City Council is already working on drafting a second phase that contemplate bury another additional 700 meters to extend the tunnel to Cuatro Vientos. This expansion should go “in parallel with Operation Camp,” according to the mayor, although it is still in the preliminary project phase. In Xataka | Madrid wants to put 110,000 tons of weight on the M-30. And the challenge is not technical: it is not to collapse the road

The Government applauded Repsol’s discounts in the midst of the gasoline crisis. Competition the fine now with 20.5 million for them

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February 2022. Spain is still suffering the economic consequences of the coronavirus crisis. After two years with workers suffering ERTES, Russia invades Ukraine and a war breaks out that we continue to suffer four years later. Immediately, the economy of the entire continent is reeling. Basic products skyrocket in price and, among them, fuel enters a runaway inflationary race. One that, in turn, once again raises the prices of basic products. February 3, 2022 we counted on Xataka that gasoline was more expensive than ever. We paid 1,538 euros per liter. 24% more than the previous year. In summer we were close to two euros per liter. By then the Government had launched its action plan. After a transport strike and with France applying state aid to the purchase of gasoline, the State began to subsidize with 20 cents/liter the purchase of fuel for all drivers. The measure only proved to be a plug through which water leaked. In summer the most pessimistic voices already pointed to a price of up to three euros per liter in gasoline. The pump price, fortunately, did not reach that point. In fact, that same summer another war began. This time at the service stations. And although the price of gasoline continued to rise to the point that at the till We were paying 1.80 euros for each liter again, The big oil companies brought out all their weapons: points cards, temporary discounts, loyalty plans… Movements that hid something that the CNMC already warned about that same summer: the big oil companies were getting rich. Now, it is the same CNMC that has made a decision: to fine Repsol 20.5 million euros. Abuse of power against competitors The CNMC has confirmed a sanction of 20.5 million euros to several Repsol Group companies and punishes them with disqualification from participating in public contracts for six months on the understanding that they abused their position of power to narrow profit margins with the intention of driving competitors out of the market. Competition defends that the discounts applied during the year 2022, which at the time were applauded by the Governmentthey narrowed the profit margins in the sale of fuel to the point of preventing companies selling low-cost fuel from competing on equal terms. The CNMC alleges that “competition law requires that companies in dominance position are especially responsible for not restricting competition. They assure that after various complaints they went to the Repsol Group service stations at the end of 2022 and that at the end of 2023 They initiated the disciplinary proceedings with the information collected. In the investigation. The behavior of Moeve, then Cepsa, and BP was also analyzed. However, only Repsol has been sanctioned. From the company, they point out in Five Daysassure that they will appeal the fine while arguing that “it is the first time in the history of national and community competition law that the CNMC sanctions a company for applying discounts.” Those days of 2022 were marked by the role of the oil companies. In April, when the State began to apply the discount of 20 cents per liter of fuel, low-cost operators They threatened to strike because they understood that the money they had to put out of their own pocket (of the 20 cents/liter, five were borne by the operator) destroyed their profit margins. Later, the CNMC confirmed that the companies in charge of supplying fuel were obtaining a juicy profit with the increase in fuel prices, to the point that their profit margins had widened despite having to put money in to subsidize fuel, with record gross margins. Now, the entity in charge of ensuring competition points out that Repsol also took the opportunity to try to sweep away the competition. It will have to be Repsol that manages to demonstrate that it did not act in this way and as the CNMC defends. Photo | Repsol In Xataka | For the first time, electrified cars are outselling gasoline cars. It is the beginning of the inevitable

has 31.5 million reasons to do it

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Public television has renewed David Broncano’s contract until the end of 2028 with an investment of 31,555,572 euros for two new seasons of ‘La Revuelta’, as confirmed The Confidential and The World. The RTVE Purchasing Committee approved the renewal in December 2025, eight months before the current contract expires. The figures. The new agreement increases the budget per season by 1,701,651 euros (from 14,076,135 to 15,777,786 euros per course) and sets the average cost per program at 98,611 euros, compared to 87,975 in the initial contract. The operation ensures the permanence of the presenter on La 1 during the next electoral period and guarantees its continuity even if there is a change of Government after the general elections. Each program will cost 10,646 euros more than in the current season. Early renewal. The deal was closed with unusual speed. RTVE sources explain that they have dispensed with waiting for the end of the season, which is usual in this type of negotiations, and the renewal has been processed when there are still eight months left on the contract, since the presenter has signed his current agreement until September 2026. The operation includes about 160 episodes per season, from Monday to Thursday, with a duration of between 70 and 80 minutes each. The contract establishes a guaranteed minimum of 155 deliveries per course, with the possibility of expanding through addendums if RTVE requires it. In the first season, 159 of the 160 planned were broadcast. Who is behind. The production companies El Terrat (from Mediapro Studios) and Encofrados Encofrasa (the company of Broncano, Ricardo Castella and Jorge Ponce) will continue to lead executive production. The agreement maintains the technical conditions: false live broadcast, with the option of broadcasting live due to the needs of the network and prior agreement with El Terrat. The presence of David Broncano as driver and Jorge Ponce and Ricardo Castella as directors is mandatory unless expressly agreed otherwise. Why has it been advanced? The decision to bring forward the renewal responds to a strategy that avoids risks. Sector sources point out that RTVE feared the appearance of offers from private channels, especially after the unexpected signing of Marc Giró for Atresmedia. The calendar is key: the agreement guarantees the presence of ‘La Revuelta’ on La 1 during the pre-electoral period and the first two years of the next legislature, regardless of the political color of the government. This protects RTVE, which ensures that it maintains its main asset in prime time access, and the presenter and his team, who obtain job stability in the event of a possible government replacement. The controversial beginning. Unlike the first contract (which caused a institutional earthquake which culminated in the departure of President Elena Sánchez and Content Director José Pablo López), this renewal has been processed without media noise or conflictive votes. The Government responded to that crisis with a Royal Decree that transformed the governance of RTVE: among other things, it transferred powers from the Council to the executive presidency, which began to directly control some 400 million euros per year in external hiring without the need for approval. José Manuel Martín Medem, advisor proposed by Unidas Podemos, said in The Spanish that Elena Sánchez received pressure from those around the President of the Government, including former President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. The controversy grew with accusations from conservative sectors about alleged political interference to counteract the influence of ‘El Hormiguero’ on Antena 3. economic analysis denied part of the criticism: The cost per episode of ‘La Revuelta’ (87,975 euros) was lower than that of ‘4 Estrellas’, the series that occupied the same slot, with a budget of 110,000 euros per episode. The hearings. The data on screen shows a downward trajectory for ‘La Revuelta’ since its notable start. Between September and December 2024, the program closed with an average quota of 15.7% compared to the 15.6% of ‘El Hormiguero’. In the strict time period, Broncano’s advantage was clearer: 16.3% against 15%. But in 2025 ‘La Revuelta’ experienced a progressive erosion: it started in September 2024 with 17% share average and decreased to 11.3% in May 2025. The balance of daily victories is eloquent: the Antena 3 program won 166 days of direct competition, compared to 44 victories for the La 1 space. The last time Broncano led the slot consistently was in January 2025. The RTVE program has, however, had exceptional audience peaks, such as Rosalía’s visit on November 10, 2025. For now, ‘El Hormiguero’ maintains its position as leader of access prime time for eleven consecutive years. In Xataka | The exception of ‘El Hormiguero’: no ​​successful program in the history of Spanish TV has lasted so long

the merger of SpaceX with xAI is an example

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There is an idea that sounds almost radical in 2026, but that has actually been operating for decades in several European countries or in the form of internal experiments in companies: that workers have a real seat on the boards of directors of the companies where they work. The debate has returned to the front line due to a proposal from Yolanda Díaz, third vice president and Minister of Labor, based on the report of the International Commission of High Level Experts “On Democracy at Work”. Curiously, one of the best metaphors to understand what this report proposes is not in a factory or an SME: it is in the upcoming merger of the Elon Musk’s business universe. Díaz’s proposal. The Ministry of Labor presented a report which proposes two major changes in the relationship between companies and workers: giving workers more voice in the strategic decisions of companies and facilitating access to company property. The underlying idea is simple and has been applied for some time in certain managerial ranks and industries, in which part of the remuneration is in the form of shares or participations in the company itself. The report suggests that, if a workforce is an essential part of a company, their participation should not be limited to negotiating salaries or schedules, but rather to be an active part of its management. For this reason, it proposes introducing more worker representation on boards of directors. Not as a symbolic gesture, but with real weight. The proposal is staggered: in medium and large companies (50 to 1,000 employees), a portion of the board seats would be reserved for staff representatives, with percentages that would grow depending on size. Furthermore, the report states that companies should make it easier for employees have a part of the capitalwith formulas that can range from participation plans based on shares, to more structured models in the form of trusts or funds. SpaceX: employees who are “owners”, but without a voice. In Silicon Valley, and especially in startups, it is very common for companies pay part of salary in sharesoptions or units that are consolidated over time or based on objectives. This means that thousands of workers end up being, de facto, partial owners of the company they work for. However, and here the shock appears, these workers/owners do not have a voice in the decisions made by the company, leaving so much your workplace as your propertyin the hands of third parties. In a merger as decisive as the one that has been proposed between SpaceX and xAI (or in any similar operation in the Musk ecosystem as the one that occurred before between X and xAI), employees find out about these decisions after the fact, through internal channels and without leaving room to maneuver. Europe has been doing it for years. One of the keys to the report is that it does not propose an isolated occurrence, but rather an adaptation of models that already exist and on which research has been done. The best known case is Germany, where the co-management model It has been integrating worker representatives into supervisory or administrative bodies in large companies for decades. Also has been tested in Norway in a law implemented in 2020, or with the Rebsamen law of 2015 in France. These previous studies have shown that the participation of workers in company decision-making improves labor relations, greater investment in training and long-term productivity, although the effects may vary depending on the sectoral context and institutional design. The report insists that Spain is behind in this area and recalls that the article 129.2 of the Spanish Constitution It already marks the obligation to promote the participation of workers in the company. The proposal, therefore, is presented as a way to ground that mandate in a modern model that improves labor relations. It is a paradigm shift in Spain. The great value of the Ministry of Labor’s approach is that it unites two concepts that normally go separately: labor participation and ownership. Although this remuneration formula that motivates workers to improve your performance and thus improve your personal capital, is not something common in Spain. However, giving workers a greater presence would also give the workforce power to influence on key decisions such as relocations or restructuring that lead to closure “preventing viable companies from being liquidated or sold to predatory investment funds,” the minister said. In Xataka | Elon Musk’s fortune has reached an unprecedented $600 billion. And it’s not thanks to Tesla Image | Flickr (The Left, World Economic Forum)

The world is amazed by Moltbot (formerly Clawdbot). It turns out that China had already invented it almost a year ago

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The phenomenon of the end of January has been Molbotformerly known as Clawdbot. It is one of the AI agents most powerful of the moment, to the point that it warns of its own risks even before being installed. An agent who seemed to have no competitor and to be one of a kind. We were wrong. TARS-1.5. Although it has not made as much noise, in April 2025 it was launched UI-TARS-1.5an open source multimodal agent capable of performing all types of tasks within desktop environments. UI-TARS-1.5 is a multimodal agent designed to interact with the digital world through graphical interfaces, using the screen, mouse and keyboard. It came into the hands of Bytedance, a company behind giants like TikTok and one of the main players in the development of artificial intelligence in China. The difference. 1.5 is an AI agent designed to use a computer as a person would do. See the screen, identify visual elements and act using mouse and keyboard. Unlike Moltbot, it does not execute code or commands directly on the system, but rather interacts with the PC from the outside, at the interface level. It’s safer by design, because you can’t break the system by running arbitrary code. In addition, it reasons before each action, which reduces errors accumulated in long tasks. UI-TARS does not control your computer. He uses it. Moltbot does not use your computer. He controls it. What can you do? UI-TARS interacts “talking” with your computer. It is capable of executing tasks in our interface by analyzing what is in it. Serves as a programming assistant. It can behave like a human to test apps. It works as a tutor to perform complex tasks. You can manage desktop tasks and PC management. Why is it important. The new war for AI will not focus exclusively on models like Gemini, ChatGPT or Claude: the next step is to achieve a local AI capable of acting like a human, but with certain security guarantees. Moltbot, UI-TARS, Kimmi K2.5 (also Chinese)… Although agentic AI sounds distant, the war to make it part of our daily lives has been brewing for years. Image | Xataka In Xataka | Studying with AI without thinking teaches nothing: these tips can help you take advantage of it and really learn

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