usatoday24

Air conditioners have been wanting to reach the north of Spain for decades without much success. Until the thermometer passed 40ºC

by

Here a server is writing these lines from Vigo, with the thermometer reading 28ºC (a temperature that in a few days will fire at 35ºC) and without air conditioning or ceiling fans. My only weapons against the haze are a small table fan that is almost (almost) the same decades old as me and the assurance that, no matter how hot the heat was, the temperatures in Galicia would always be tolerable. The first (the antediluvian fan) may not have done much, but the second did. Or so it was until now. In view of the heat waves that are coming at home, we are already thinking about installing a system that allows us to cool off with dignity. And we are not the only ones. On the contrary. We are one of the many homes from the northern peninsula that already look at brochures of air conditioners and fans. Ready for the heat? In the south of Spain it’s hotter than in the north. That was true before, it remains true now, and probably not much will change in the future. As I write this I enjoy a peaceful 28ºC in Vigo, eight degrees less than what the mercury shows in Córdoba. The problem is that there they are probably much better prepared to weather the heatwave than in this northern part of the country. I’m not saying it. The INE says it. From 64% to 0.4%. Although she is almost 20 years old, the Household and Environment Survey from the INE clearly shows that acclimatization facilities are much more frequent in the Mediterranean or Levant than in northern Spain. While in 2008 54% of homes in the Valencian Community had air conditioning, a percentage that rose to 57% in Andalusia, and 64% in Murcia, in Galicia, the Basque Country, Asturias and Cantabria the indicator did not reach 2% in any case. In the Principality it actually marked 0.4%. The INE data is old, but the SER chain recently disclosed a more recent survey confirms that the air conditioning map is still clearly divided between north and south. According to that study, only 17% of northern homes are acclimatized to the heat, far from 86% of the Mediterranean coast. Another Idealista report shows a gap even bigger. Changing the mentality. If they repeated that survey in a few years, it is likely that the ‘photo’ would be somewhat different. The heat wave that has shaken Galicia, Cantabria, the Basque Country either Asturiasleaving in some cases record temperatures that exceeded 40ºC, with hospitalizations due to fainting and deceasedhas led many families to look for new ways to cool their homes. Take a quick look at the regional press to check it out. Skyrocketing sales. In May The Montañés Diary counted how the demand for fans had skyrocketed by more than 80% in some businesses in Cantabria. Installers and stores of air conditioners and portable appliances also noticed the boom. I had something similar recently The Voice of Asturiaswho has spoken with companies in the sector that have noticed a 25% increase in requests for information. The Basque Journal confirm also an increase in the sale of ceiling fans, just like The Region in Ourense. From shops to homes. The most interesting thing is that the demand for devices does not come only from businesses. Andonio Suárez, from a company in the industry, recently recognized to ‘Hoy por Hoy Cantabria’ who in their business “do not stop” touring the community to install air conditioners. Not only that. Their technicians have gone from working basically in commercial premises installations to doing so in private homes, homes of people tired of being in the heat. “It is practically 50% between homes and businesses,” resume. “Before we managed”. Patricia lives in the province of Pontevedra and is one of the people (more and more) who has begun to think about ways to cool her home, beyond the use of floor, ceiling or table fans. “We had always managed, but now we are studying switching to a portable air conditioner or air conditioner because the fans fall short,” he confesses. In mind, you have devices that do not require the installation of exterior elements, such as evaporative air conditioners or tubeless air conditioners. “We save trouble and can take them from one home to another.” Poorly prepared floors. “The summers are longer and hotter, and the heat waves are more frequent. This year we already had a month of May with a week of tropical nights in which it was difficult to sleep, another in June, and summer had not yet started. A month of July is approaching in which it does not seem that we are going to go below 30ºC on most days,” explains Patricia before remembering that many of the apartments built between the 70s and 90s in Galicia “are not prepared nor do they have good insulation.” for the heat. “It has turned against us”. His experience is similar to that of Manuel, another Galician who recognizes that his house is designed to conserve heat, something ideal in winter, but not so much for the months from June to September. “The increasingly hot summers have turned against us.” Hence, she has opted for two portable air conditioners that she places in the living room and in her daughter’s bedroom, the room that accumulates the most heat. “I had been thinking about it for a while. Years ago it was not something that compensated, since it was not really necessary; but in the last five or six years the heat has been much more intense, even reaching days of 30-35ºC continuously.” More than just heat. Both Patricia and Manuel have opted for portable devices, which, among other things, they admit, has made installation easier for them. For systems that require an outdoor unit, it is necessary something more than you want to cool off: it is important to take into account both the municipal ordinances that regulate noise, urban aesthetics and … Read more

there are people learning it the hard way

by

Password sharing is a very common practice in payment services, one that those services don’t like it at all. There are people who have thought that if they shared the Netflix password, why not do the same with ChatGPT or Claude. There are reasons why this is a very bad idea. Goodbye privacy. Most people (myself included) have shared Netflix or Spotify passwords, where the worst that can happen is that you see your friend or family member’s viewing history. However, with an AI chatbot we share a lot more information, sometimes very sensitive. In it Wall Street Journal They tell of cases of several people who have had the most uncomfortable situations because they wanted to save money, such as a student who used ChatGPT to keep track of the symptoms of her Chron’s disease. His partner could see how many times he went to the bathroom and even know details of what each bowel movement was like. Customization issues. They also talk about the problem of Olivia Martin, a nursing student who shares a ChatGPT Plus account with at least six other people. There have been no cases of sensitive information here, but rather the chatbot works fatally. The reason is that they receive very disparate data since each one studies one thing, which means that they sometimes answer things that go beyond the topic of their study. Another student tried to write a letter of recommendation and ended up mixing up everyone’s work experience. He describes it like this: “It’s gotten a little confusing, like I think I’m a mix of all my friends.” Companies prohibit it. Both the ChatGPT terms of use as Claude’s They expressly prohibit the sharing of credentials with other people and warn that we are responsible for all activities carried out with our account. OpenAI does consider the possibility of us creating an account on behalf of another person, as long as they have authorized us to do so. They know too much about us. Years ago we were surprised that companies like Google know everything about usbut with AI chatbots the level of information has multiplied. Google needs to deduce our likes and concerns from things like our history, our location, and our searches. There are people who talk to ChatGPT to ask for love adviceThey tell him their problems as if he were a psychologist and also as if it were a virtual doctor. They are not searches without context, they are private conversations with many details. Incognito conversations. Sharing a ChatGPT or Claude account can make sense between people who are working on the same project, as long as we only use it for that. For more personal queries, both ChatGPT and Claude allow the creation of incognito chats that are not saved in memory, which prevents other users from seeing their content. Of course, he won’t be able to remember anything if you bring up the same topic again and you will have to explain everything to him again. Image | Xataka with Magnific In Xataka | Your Passwords Won’t Resist the “Quantum Apocalypse”: How to Protect Your Files with Post-Quantum Encryption Today

“In Spain we are not immune to the effects of climate change, we need to intensify conservation”

by

Europe has lived an inconceivable heat wave until very recently beyond the Pyrenees and the consequences have been dire. France attributes heat as the main cause of more than 1,000 deaths and in the windows they have come to see thermal blankets to reflect the sun’s rays and reduce the temperature in homes that lack air conditioning. The consequences today have been devastating in much of Europe. Melting roads and trams that drag the materials that stick their tracks to the ground. Firefighters who water the bridges so that the steel does not fracture. Trains canceled because the temperature was too high inside. The situation has been so dramatic that more than half of Europe is already looking south. Portugal, Spain and Italy are now the benchmarks when it comes to building new infrastructures, aware north of our borders that these episodes of extreme heat will be more and more recurrent. But Spain doesn’t have it that easy either. Although we have obvious experience in dealing with extreme heat when building our infrastructure, our country also has to remain alert to other episodes of climate change. Although in recent days the discourse has become popular on social networks that Spain has many lessons to teach northern Europe, the truth is that we have our own problems. “We share the same resilience challenges as the rest of Europe,” he warns us. Cesar Francopresident of General Council of Industrial Engineers and director of master’s degree in Industrial Engineering from the UAX. Our own challenges While the videos accumulated, the morality lessons piled up on social networks in southern Europe. If you have entered spaces like Or that their infrastructures do not have expansion joints. “It is an inaccurate statement. Joints exist and are essential in bridges, viaducts and concrete structures throughout Europe”, assures César Franco who points out that, in addition, “the use of Via Seamless (continuous welded rail) is an international standard” and is also used in Spain. “The difference is in the calculations. In central and northern Europe, resistance to extreme cold, frost, freeze-thaw cycles and the use of melting salts have historically been prioritized. Now facing prolonged heat waves with records typical of Mediterranean latitudes, the materials and neutralization temperatures of their pathways are subjected to compression stresses outside their historical design ranges,” explains the president of the Council of Industrial Engineers. The question, therefore, is not not knowing how to build an infrastructure, the question is what climatological effects they face. “Today, climate design is no longer limited to the asphalt-steel binomial. The real challenge is the concurrent risk. In addition to the heat, Spain must face episodes of torrential rain, DANA, storms, floods and associated geotechnical phenomena. This forces engineering to focus on general geotechnical stability: the behavior of the slopes, the capacity of drainage works to avoid scours on bridges, and the monitoring of clearings to prevent landslides that interrupt circulation,” explains Franco about our country. That is, while Europe now has problems with extreme summer heat, Spain must be careful with cycles of strong and recurring rainssomething for which, as we found just a few months ago, we are not prepared. “We have very robust regulatory and technical know-how in high temperature scenarios, but we share the same resilience challenges as the rest of Europe,” the General Council of Industrial Engineers emphasize. And the temperature can dilate the tracks of a train until causing the so-called “lateral buckling”. It is not, they explain to us, a structural failure, it is really “a collapse due to elastic instability of the entire system (track-fastening-sleeper-ballast).” The asphalt binder can also lose this stability, which “if it exceeds its softening temperature, it loses viscosity. The mixture loses rigidity and resistance to deformation, and under heavy traffic ruts, undulations or exudations (sticky surfaces) may appear,” explains César Franco. We do not have these problems in Spain because we are adapted to them, but the General Council of Industrial Engineers warns: “We have very robust regulatory and technical know-how in high temperature scenarios, but we share the same resilience challenges as the rest of Europe. Our network faces challenges linked to the aging of assets and the need to intensify preventive conservation. Spain’s advantage is the experience in the behavior of materials under heat; the common European challenge is the financing and speed of adaptation of existing networks to the new climatic normality”. And Spain and Europe face the same problem. Both have to find ways to make their infrastructure suitable during extreme weather events for which they were not designed. The European Union, César Franco reminds us, “requires that the main networks be fully operational and resilient against natural risks with horizons to 2030, 2040 and 2050” but the problem is that, everything indicates, we are not moving fast enough. Photo | Julian Hochgesang and General Council of Industrial Engineers In Xataka | AEMET asks that we prepare because “starting on Friday” a rise is expected that will put Spain “eight degrees above normal”

“Much sun damage occurs in daily activities that go unnoticed”

by

When we prepare the bag to go to the beach or the pool, sunscreen is one of the first items we have on our list of essentials. This is because we automatically associate these two places with the possible burns we expose ourselves to by being in the sun; However, we forget that in many other daily tasks we also receive sun exposure and we do not apply cream there. The dermatologists They are clear that this is a serious problem in the perception of the risk of exposing ourselves to the sun, since we believe that it only burns on the beach, but not while we walk down the street or drive in the car. This is precisely what dermatologist Miguel Sánchez Viera points out in statements collected by elDiario: “Much of the sun damage occurs in daily activities that go unnoticed” And he goes one step further by stating that “many times the cancer we diagnose today is a consequence of sun exposure that began decades ago.” The invisible danger. The WHO itself and the National Cancer Institute in the United States they are clear than sunlight and other sources of ultraviolet radiation that directly cause photoaging and skin cancer. But the important nuance is that we are facing cumulative damage. This is important, because it is not necessary to lie in the sun to add up “reports” of suffering from a serious skin disease, but walking to work, taking the dog or sitting and having a coffee on a terrace are forms of incidental sun exposure. It is these daily and casual exposures that add up to clinically relevant doses throughout our lives. In the car. One of the clearest examples of this false sense of security is the car, since many drivers assume that being behind glass blocks radiation. But science here suggests that, while modern windshields are designed to block most UVA and UVB radiation, side windows are another story. Multiple studies show that the side glass blocks UVB rays, which are the main cause of immediate burns, but allows UVA rays to pass in very variable proportions. UVA rays penetrate deeper into the skin and are largely responsible for premature aging and long-term cell damage. Therefore, driving or even habitually sitting near a brightly lit window silently contributes to our total dose of UVA. The solar callus. In recent months This concept has become popular pointing out that the skin can “get used” to the sun little by little to generate tolerance without the need for creams that have also been demonized. But health authorities are categorical in this regard, pointing out that the skin cannot safely get used to radiation. The damage to cellular DNA is cumulative and the skin has a “memory” and does not forgive excesses, whether they come from an intense burn in August or from twenty years of moderate unprotected radiation going to the office. In fact, the WHO and the ILO highlight that occupational outdoor exposure has a real and documented weight in the development of non-melanoma skin cancer. Sun protection is non-negotiable and it is advisable to stop associating it only with summer or days at the beach and pool. Applying it before leaving the house and exposing ourselves to UV radiation is imperative if we seek to maintain good dermatological health. Images | Amy Humphries In Xataka | Science warns of the dangerous success of anti-suncream hoaxes on TikTok: “Despite being a minority, this content is influential”

Air conditioning is the new great political weapon in France: why environmentalists and the extreme right are fighting over it

by

The suffocating heat waves that are punishing Europe have caused something unthinkable a few years ago in France, since air conditioning has become a state weapon. In a country historically reluctant to artificial air conditioning, the extreme increase in temperatures has had the ceiling fans and blinds drawn are no longer enoughand in the face of the stress of a population not accustomed to temperatures around 40 ºC, promises have appeared. A debate. According to a recent analysis of the BBCthe debate on air conditioning has dynamited French political lines. On the one hand, the political party led by Marine Le Pen has put on the table a “climate plan” that defends almost universal air conditioning. On the other hand, the green block, historically opposed to these devices due to their environmental impact, has had to swallow saliva and admit that, in certain cases, air conditioning is already an “inevitable” measure. What is promised. To understand the magnitude of the debate, you have to look at the numbers. Le Pen’s party, called the National Group, has proposed a zero-interest loan fund of 20 billion euros so that between 30 and 40 million homes can install air conditioning systems such as reversible heat pumps and improve their insulation. And we are facing a great political strategy, because logically, in the midst of suffocating heat, promising aid to have a tool that reduces temperatures at home is a magnet for votes. However, these measures clash with the climate adaptation plans that are in force in the French country. In Xataka France has been determined to rob Spain of its position as a data center power in Europe The climate problem. The environmental bloc is at a crossroads, since massive air conditioning triggers energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions if the network is not 100% renewable or nuclear. But denying air conditioning to the vulnerable population, such as in hospitals, is political suicide and an unaffordable public health risk. Hence his speech has veered from prohibition to resignation to the “inevitable.” The poor adaptation. If we go to the more technical side of this debate, local media such as, for example, Le Monde or the Institute of Climate Economics have been categorical in classifying the mass adoption of air conditioning under the term “maladaptation”. This means that a short-term solution to climate change is being proposed that will end up aggravating the problem in the long term. Air conditioning is the textbook example, since, as experts point out, an air conditioner does not “destroy” heat, it simply removes it from the interior of the home and spits it out onto the street. A vicious circle. Climate models in dense cities like Paris have shown that if all buildings turned on the air conditioning at once during a heat wave, the temperature outside could rise by an additional 1°C to 2°C, further exacerbating the problem. But also, while people who can afford it cool off in their living rooms, people without resources find themselves on a much more aggressive “urban heat island.” In Xataka In the midst of an extreme heat wave, the French have started painting their windows with white chalk. It makes perfect sense France’s plan. Beyond the electoral promises that are made at a time when we are approaching the country’s presidential elections, France’s road map works under the premise of preparing the country for a +4 ºC warming scenario. To address this, the possibility of renewing the insulation of buildings, replacing asphalt with trees and creating urban cooling systems with centralized underground cold water networks that are more efficient and less harmful than having millions of individual devices on facades is being considered. In Xataka |AEMET asks that we prepare because “starting on Friday” a rise is expected that will put Spain “eight degrees above normal” (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 Air conditioning is the new great political weapon in France: why environmentalists and the extreme right are fighting over it was originally published in Xataka by José A. Lizana .

For the first time we have “touched” the event horizon of a black hole. This is how we got it

by

On January 14, 2025, the largest gravitational wave so far was detected. Today, these types of findings They are much more frequent than when the first of these waves was discovered, 10 years ago now. However, the fact that it was especially intense encouraged an international team of scientists to try something they had been wanting to try for some time: delve into the event horizon of a black hole. Less noise and a lot of intensity. Since the first gravitational wave was detected, the techniques used have been greatly refined, so background noise has been significantly reduced. Therefore, today it is possible to detect direct waves, a “jet” of gravitational radiation that occurs just when the two event horizons of the black holes that collided give rise to a single one. The study of these waves could provide very interesting information about black holes. However, a sufficiently powerful gravitational wave was necessary. For years, the authors of the study that It was just published in Nature They were exploring options, but they knew they were looking at the ideal candidate when analyzing one that was detected in January 2025. Important concepts. Before understanding what these scientists did we must be clear what are gravitational waves and what is the event horizon. Gravitational waves are produced by a very violent event, capable of disturbing space-time like a stone falling into the water of a pond. Normally, said violent event is the collision of two black holes, which merge to give rise to a single one. For its part, the event horizon is the theoretical limit from which nothing approaching a black hole can escape. Not even the light. When two black holes merge, we go from having two event horizons to just one. Just when that happens, that’s when direct waves form. The event horizon of a black hole remains a great unknown in many ways GW250114. The gravitational wave detected on January 14, called GW250114, was formed when two very similar black holes collided, one of 33.6 solar masses and the other of 32.2 solar masses. The result was a black hole of 62.7 solar masses. This is not the exact sum of the two black holes, because there was a surplus that was released in the form of very intense energy. This is how gravitational waves arise. Before and after. Generally, black hole collisions can be observed before and after. The vibrations of the approach and the stabilization after the formation of the new black hole are studied. There is a lot of mystery surrounding what happens in the “during.” Therefore, studying direct waves could provide a lot of interesting information. Finding the ideal fusion, these scientists identified the direct waves and proceeded to analyze them. As they had anticipated, this allowed them to extract data about the new event horizon. In turn, this allows us to extract data that cannot normally be measured from black holes, such as their rotation frequency or surface gravity. Was Einstein right? Scientists have been studying whether Einstein was right for years. His theory of relativity covers so many phenomena in the Universe that, with each new one that is discovered, an attempt is made to verify whether its predictions are fulfilled. Thanks to this first measurement of direct waves, it is believed that in the future it will be possible to study whether these black hole mergers obey the General Theory of Relativity. Basically, they want to check for the umpteenth time whether Einstein was right. Although for this we will first have to check if these direct waves can be detected together with other gravitational waves and, incidentally, if the resulting measurements are consistent with those that have been made now. This is just a start, but at least it is a small thread drawn from the tangle of mysteries that surrounds black holes. Image | NOIRLab In Xataka | The LIGO experiment could test Einstein’s theories. It won’t be easy

How to protect your WhatsApp username with a PIN so that only whoever has this password can write to you

by

We are going to explain how to configure WhatsApp so that Only someone who has a password can write to you using your username. The WhatsApp usernames They allow other people to contact you using a name, and thus not need to give your phone number. But what happens if your username gets spread? That’s when you can apply this layer of security. With it, in addition to knowing your username, it will also be necessary write a PIN so I can send you a message. Something perfect for when you see that it has gotten out of hand and anonymous people start writing to you. This does not apply to every time they want to write to you, but for when they want to send you a message for the first time. When you reserve your username you will see this option to choose from, but we will explain how to configure it later. A PIN to be able to contact you with your username on WhatsApp To configure your PIN once you already have a usernameyou have to go to the WhatsApp settings and click on the section Accountwhich appears with a key icon. Once inside the section Accountyou have to click on the option User namewhich you will find in the section Your account. You will go to the screen where you will see and be able to edit your WhatsApp username. Once you are here, click on the option Contact me by usernamewhich is the only one that appears. Here you will be able to define who can contact you using your username. By default it will be configured so that anyone can do it, that is, if you want to apply a security PIN, click on the option People who know my password. This will take you to a screen where a PIN code is displayed. You will be able to click on Get another key to regenerate it and give you another. When you are satisfied with the PIN that you have assigned, press the button Save key. From now on, in addition to knowing your username, you will also have to know your PIN to be able to write to you for the first time. In Xataka Basics | Send WhatsApp messages to yourself: How to do it and 11 uses for the function

Carrefour sells off this MiniLED TV with 65-inch Google TV and you get a gift coupon for 85 euros

by

If there is a store where you usually find good deals on televisions, it is Carrefour. If you are looking to renew your old TV and want one with MiniLED technology (ideal for living rooms with lots of natural light), now you can get this one at a discount TCL 65C61K by 569 euros. In addition, they give you a coupon with 15% of its value (85.85 euros) for future purchases and you can pay it in up to 12 months without interest. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links A good, pretty and cheap TV with Google TV If there is something that stands out about this TCL TV and makes it a good purchase option, it is the technology. QLED MiniLED of your 65 inch panel. This guarantees that, on this TV, you will enjoy good brightness and pure colors. Another thing worth highlighting about this TV is its 144Hz native of refreshment, which makes it an option to consider if you are going to use the TV as a gaming monitor. Thanks to this feature, you will be able to take full advantage of everything offered by next-generation consoles such as the Xbox Series X wave PS5. The operating system under which this TV works is Google TV and another of its assets is the audio section, since it is signed by Onkyo. In the connectivity section, it stands out for integrating four ports and, finally, it should be noted that it is a TV compatible with formats such as Dolby Vision, HDR10+ and Dolby Atmos, so you can enjoy cinema-quality content. ⚡ IN SUMMARY: offer for the TCL 65C61K smart TV today ✅ THE BEST Spectacular gaming performance (144 Hz): Its strongest point is, without a doubt, fluidity. Offering a native refresh rate of 144 Hz on a diagonal of this size and for this price is a true rarity on the market. When using it with a powerful computer or new generation consoles, the gameplay feels impeccable, with immediate response and zero image jerks. The Google TV experience: is committed to an intelligent environment that for many is the undisputed king of the sector. It stands out for its agility, very clear menus and the most complete repertoire of applications that exists. In addition, the integration of the voice assistant saves you the hassle of having to type with the remote buttons when searching for your favorite series. ❌ THE WORST Audio somewhat flat… The standard speakers are more than enough for everyday use or watching the news, but they lack the punch and bass that a good action movie session requires. Taking into account the high quality and dimensions of the screen, the sound is perceived as somewhat unbalanced, so you will appreciate the use of an external sound bar. Be careful with direct light sources… If you plan to place it in a living room with large windows right in front, the panel may suffer due to glare. Without the advanced anti-glare filters of models twice their price, daytime viewing can lose some strength in extremely bright rooms. 💡 BUY IT IF… Your priority is gaming and you are looking for a huge screen that offers the best quality-price ratio at the moment. It is also a fantastic alternative if you want to set up a home theater without spending a fortune. ⛔ DON’T BUY IT IF… At home you have very wide living rooms with sofas at the ends. If family members are going to watch television from very forced or lateral angles, the image fidelity will not be the most optimal. Some sound bars that may interest you for this TV ULTIMEA 5.1ch TV Sound Bar with Dolby Atmos The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Hisense HS3100 – Sound Bar 3.1, 480W The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Images | Webedia and TCL In Xataka | Best televisions in quality price. Which one to buy and seven recommended 4K smart TVs In Xataka | Best sound bars in quality price. Which one to buy and seven recommended models from 140 euros

60% of truck drivers drive fatigued and are clear about who is to blame

by

Fatigue, tiredness and drowsiness while driving. The conclusions are as clear as they are worrying. 60% of truck drivers drive fatigued, according to a study by the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) that criticizes the inaction of the European Union in the face of what it considers “a safety crisis” caused by lower wages than recommended and pressing stress. “A security crisis”. This is how Livia Spera, General Secretary of ETF (European Transport Workers’ Federation), defines the situation in the sector, in words collected by Transportation Diary: “For many professional drivers, every day is the longest. Fatigue is systematically built into their working conditions. This represents a safety crisis generated by unfair wages, poor application of regulationsdisproportionate pressure and supply chains that prioritize the lowest price over a sustainable road transport industry” The words were spoken during the report presentation ceremony Driver fatigue in road transport. It highlights the problem of fatigue at the wheel and the pressing need to take action to the European Commission. The data. ETF (European Transport Workers’ Federation) It is a union organization which brings together unions and labor organizations from all over Europe since 1999 and represents five million workers through 200 organizations. What they have presented to the European Union is a report that contains the following data: 60% of truck drivers and 66% of bus and coach drivers said they drive while tired on a regular basis. 772 drivers said they almost crashed or caused a major traffic accident due to driver fatigue. Almost a third of truck drivers and a quarter of coach drivers reported having fallen asleep at the wheel while driving. 57% of bus and coach drivers and 52% of truck drivers say they would like to stop and take a break when they feel tired but cannot due to work reasons. Because? For ETF the reasons are clear: labor problems. They assure in their report that this chronic fatigue among truck and bus drivers is caused by low salaries, the impossibility of knowing the work time ahead of them, that the rest time is not real or that the facilities and spaces for resting and sleeping are not well equipped. These reasons are repeatedly pointed out by the unions that in March They already threatened to strike so that Social Security recognizes their right to early retirement, ensuring that these workers face a constant risk given the high accident rate in the sector. In 2024, in fact, road transport was the sector with the most work accidents with fatal results. were counted in Spain. That year, 138 transportation and storage employees died during their work day in our country. Drivers are missing. In Xataka We have been talking about the pressing lack of truck drivers that is putting pressure on the market and resulting in insufficient rest times and excessively long days. Last November 2025 It was already estimated that Europe is short three million truck drivers despite the fact that 85% of the goods are moved with their work. In Spain, the problem is just as serious. In fact, it is estimated that in our country 30,000 more truck drivers are needed to handle all the accumulated work. Countries like Morocco either Türkiye They have become a fishing ground for workers due to the lack of labor. and bad conditions. “My wheels were in terrible shape, completely smooth, and the ones on the back platform burst. (The truck) made me the scissors (…). I went into the ditch, against a river.” The narration is by Roberto Pérez, a truck driver interviewed by The Country who told his experience about his biggest scare behind the wheel. He reported that the wheels of his truck were finished and that they ended up bursting. This, along with fatigue and rest times, is the other great demand of the sector. In 2023, The DGT reported that a campaign lasting just one week left 72 trucks immobilized that did not comply with minimum safety conditions. And the problem has been recurring for years. In 2021a company was accused of homicide because its worker died in an accident caused by the poor condition of the tires. In addition, the truck had more than a million kilometers behind it and the MOT had expired. Two years lateranother company was investigated for forcing its driver to drive with wheels in poor condition, with the worker himself notifying the Civil Guard to immobilize the truck. Photo | Bhargav Panchal In Xataka | Four trucks and a total of zero truckers: China seeks solutions to a huge labor crisis

Samsung and SK Hynix have pledged $880 billion in chips and AI. It’s a South Korean survival story.

by

President Lee Jae Myung has summoned the leaders of the world’s two largest memory companies, calling them “national heroes” and describing the plan as a matter of “survival.” This is not usual in political rhetoric. South Korea has presented its largest coordinated technological investment plan in history: At least 1.35 trillion won (about $880 billion) in semiconductors and AI data centers. Samsung and SK Group will build two chip factories each in the southwest of the country. And other companies, led by Naver, will build 8.4 gigawatts of data center capacity before 2029. Why is it important. South Korea produces most of the RAM and HBM on the planet. SK Hynix is ​​the main supplier of HBM chips to NVIDIA, and Samsung is the second. With Google, Amazon, Meta and Microsoft announcing more than 700 billion in capex by 2026, the memory supply chain is the bottleneck that can stop all that expansion. Apple and Microsoft have already announced price increases for their devices due to the increase in the cost of these components. In figures: 880 billion dollars in total investment, equivalent to about 5% of South Korea’s GDP in 2024. 4 new chip factories in the southwest of the country. 8.4 gigawatts of AI data center capacity by 2029. $295 billion: China’s five-year semiconductor investment plan, the benchmark South Korea has in mind. Between the lines. The plan is industrial but also has a lot of politics: Lee’s approval rating has fallen to its lowest level since he took office a year ago, pressured by the economy, the weak won and housing. Locating the factories in the southwest (far from the Seoul metropolitan area, where all advanced production is concentrated) responds to an agenda of territorial redistribution that Lee has made an electoral banner. Yes, but. The announcement did not sit well with the markets. Samsung fell about 5% on the day of the event and SK Hynix fell 1.7%. Investors have read it as a warning of possible oversupply if demand for AI chips slows before factories are operational. Added to this are the known material challenges in this sector: building state-of-the-art factories requires quantities of water, electricity and talent that the government has promised to support… but without yet detailing how. The context. This is not the first time that the Asian country has announced this type of commitment. The difference now is the urgency: the boom of AI has accelerated deadlines and the competitive framework has changed. Japan subsidizes TSMC to build on its soil, China has been closing the gap for years with state financing and the United States has committed tens of billions through the CHIPS Act. In Xataka | Who are Openchip, the Catalan company that designs RISC-V chips… and has just received 115 million from the Government Featured image | Daniel Bernard

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.