Mobile Tech & Gadgets

the flu marks 15-year highs in Catalonia and the worst is still ahead

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Spain is experiencing a great flu epidemic right now, with a large number of infections expected to arrive to its maximum peak at Christmas itself. The problem is that at the moment the ascending phase does not stop increasing, causing the flu curve to have an insane growth, being able to affirm that we are facing a historic epidemic and that the truth reminds us a lot of the wave we experienced during covid. Although above all it has targeted some communities. A localized anomaly. As the Ministry of Health points out, this epidemic does not stop increasing in our country on a national scale, but above all it has hit the most populated communities in our entire geography. Today, flu cases are estimated in an incident of 170 cases per 100,000 inhabitants nationwide. But some autonomous communities are seeing a greater impact with historic rates, as is the case, for example, in Catalonia or Madrid. Something that strains health services and forces measures to be taken, such as need to wear a mask in certain locations. An unprecedented epidemic. This is the case of Catalonia, where the graphs already point to a flu epidemic that is the worst in the last 15 years, with a graph that can undoubtedly be scary due to how sharp its escalation is. In this way, this clashes between the local situation in the autonomous community and the national paradigm where the ceiling has not yet been reached. The data published by the Catalan epidemiological service confirms a statistical anomaly in the week of December 1 to 7, since they suggest that The barrier of 300 diagnoses has been broken for every 100,000 inhabitants in primary care, with a weekly increase of more than 100%. It is something so intense that some experts they point because until the end of the year very intense days are expected in Primary Care and ‘wild’ guards in the Emergency Room. But some of them already point out that “and“This flu curve is insane.” The same in Madrid. Another quite worrying situation where cases reach 275 per 100,000 inhabitants, making it much higher than what has been seen in previous seasons, which also marks an unprecedented fact and which already forces vaccination campaigns to be intensified. ‘Zoom out’ from Spain. If one looks up from the Catalan and Madrid map and looks at the consolidated data from the Ministry of Health and the ISCIII for all of Spainthe film changes genre. It is not a disaster movie, but a thriller that is picking up pace. At the national level, this epidemic has been characterized by a significant advance in the epidemic wave, since at the beginning of December there was already an infection rate of 70-80 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. But despite this fact, national surveillance reports continue to increase to an overall ‘low’ or ‘moderate’ intensity. The measures that have been taken. At the national level, the autonomous communities managed to reach an almost historic agreement: recommending the use of masks in health centers. But Catalonia, with a historic epidemic, has had to take other measures such as is wearing the mask mandatory (something that also Murcia has approved) in health centers. Although, it is ruled out in other areas such as public transport. Primary care. One of the most affected by this epidemic, which has numbers of such magnitude from counting the cases at the primary care level. This contrasts with the data used by national surveillance organizations, which weight hospitalizations, ICU admissions and deaths much more. Something that is not happening critically, waiting for the peak of the epidemic to arrive. Images | Towfiqu barbhuiya In Xataka | Spain has spent years vaccinating only the elderly during flu seasons. Now he has decided to change it

An “invisible” Russian submarine has set off alarms in the Arctic. Europe’s response: Atlantic Bastion

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The launching of the Khabarovskthe new and ultra-quiet Russian submarine capable of deploying nuclear torpedoes Poseidonhas reactivated a fear that had been latent for decades in cities like London: the possibility that the naval balance of the Atlantic is once again tilting in favor of Moscow. The response from the United Kingdom has been forceful, and it is called Atlantic Bastion. Submarine warfare. Although the public image of the Russian threat usually revolves around research vessels like Yantarsuspected of mapping and potentially manipulating underwater cables and pipes, European specialists know that what is truly disturbing lies much further down. Russia has spent decades reducing the acoustic signature of its submarines to levels that they border on invisibilitycombining new propulsion systems, composite coatings and virtually undetectable cooling pumps. In this environment, where silence is power, a ghost submarine with nuclear capacity alters not only the sea routes, but the very heart of the strategic infrastructures that connect Europe with the world. UK reinvents itself. Faced with the resurgent threat from Khabarovskthe Royal Navy has launched what they have called as Atlantic Bastiona plan designed to restore British strategic advantage in its own and allied waters. Its origin is not new and it we have counted before: the United Kingdom has been monitoring the Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom gap (GIUK gap) since before the creation of NATO, and the Second World War already demonstrated that controlling that maritime corridor was essential to prevent enemy forces from slipping into the North Atlantic. But what used to be destroyers and acoustic sweeps is becoming a hybrid framework that combines Type 26 frigates equipped with new generation sonar, aircraft P-8 Poseidon capable of patrolling thousands of kilometers and, above all, swarms of underwater drones equipped with artificial intelligence. According to the Ministry of Defensethis architecture aims to detect, classify and follow any enemy submarine that tries to penetrate British or Irish waters, and to do so constantly, autonomously and with an unprecedented range. The algorithms arrive. The core of the project will be Atlantic Neta distributed network of autonomous underwater gliders equipped with acoustic sensors and guided by artificial intelligence systems capable of recognize sound signatures with a level of precision that until a few years ago was little less than the preserve of science fiction. Unlike the SOSUS of the Cold War, based on gigantic fixed hydrophones placed on the seabed, the new generation will be mobile, expandable and adaptable to the routes and behaviors of increasingly soundproof submarines. The ultimate ambition is to deploy hundreds of cheap, persistent units that together create aa surveillance mesh much harder to evade. The metaphor is revealing: if finding a silent submarine is like searching for a needle in an oceanic haystack, modern technology makes it possible to exponentially multiply the number of searching hands. Khabarovk The technological challenge of hunting shadows. However, even with this technological revolution, experts warn that detecting new Russian submarines will continue to be an extremely complex undertaking. Since the 1980s, Moscow has drastically reduced lacoustic emissions of its fleet, which requires combining passive and active sensors and complex configurations such as bistatic sonar, where one vessel emits a pulse and another collects the echo. These techniques require coordination, multiple platforms, and significant sensor density, something that Atlantic Bastionaims to provide but it is still far from being deployed on a full scale. The arrival of the Type 26 frigates, designed to be the flagship of British anti-submarine warfare, is fundamental to this purpose, as is the cooperation with Norway and other allies that are also strengthening their capabilities in the North Atlantic. The Russian Bastion Puzzle. Even if Atlantic Bastion managed to limit the presence of Russian attack submarines in the Atlantic, there is one dimension that no Western system can solve: Russian strategic submarines already they don’t need to abandon its own bastion in the Arctic to threaten Europe or the United States. Its intercontinental ballistic missiles can hit targets thousands of kilometers without moving from the Barents Sea or the White Sea, protected by layers of defenses and favorable geographical conditions. There they play a hiding place lethal where the West cannot penetrate without significantly escalating the conflict. The paradox is clear: the United Kingdom can reinforce its waters and monitor every meter of the GIUK gapbut it cannot deny the Russian nuclear capacity deployed in its natural refuge, a reality that frames the entire British effort within a logic of containment rather than domination. An underwater chess. If you want, Atlantic Bastion ultimately represents the recognition that underwater competition has returned with a vengeance, now fueled for digital capabilitiesdistributed sensors and autonomous platforms that transform the nature of ocean surveillance. The North Atlantic once again becomes a stage silent maneuvers where Russia and the United Kingdom measure their technological resistance in an environment reminiscent of the Cold War, but with algorithms and autonomy as new weapons. A career that is not decided by great battles, but by the ability to listen better, process faster and anticipate invisible movements. In this theater of shadows, the advantage is not whoever shoots the most, but rather whoever is able to detect first (already happens in Ukraine). Thus, Atlantic Bastion aspires to return that capacity to the British, although the contest that is opening now does not look like it will be brief nor simple: In the depths of the Atlantic, the prelude to the next era of strategic rivalry between Russia and the West is underway. Image | SEVMASH/VKONTAKTE In Xataka | A Russian submarine has appeared off the coast of France. And Europe’s reaction has been surprising: have a laugh In Xataka | Russia’s most advanced nuclear submarine was a secret. Until Ukraine has revealed everything, including its failures

Torrejón de Ardoz promised them happiness as the epicenter of the Madrid festivals. Until he started canceling them

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Torrejón de Ardoz does not seem willing to become the epicenter of the Madrid festivals. Although City Councils usually boast of their ability to attract concerts, fairs and other mass events, a few days ago the Consistory of the Corredor del Henares did exactly the opposite: published a statement to announce the cancellation of “all macrofestivals that were made in the city.” From their extensive list only one will be saved, Elrow Town. The rest will be forced to find a new location next year. What has happened? Que Torrejón de Ardoz has announced the “cancellation” of three music festivals: Brava Madrid, Madrid Salvaje and Torrejón Summer Fest. The reason? The Consistory alleges basically two reasons. The first, that he wants to “minimize the inconvenience to the neighbors.” The second, that in the opinion of the municipal government, the leisure offer for the inhabitants of the town is already well covered with the Magical Christmass and the patron saint and popular festivals. “They offer an excellent offer of free leisure and a sufficient attraction, such as large events, to promote the Torrejón Ciudad de Moda brand,” he says. Is everything cancelled? No. They fall at least Brava Madrid, Wild Madrid and Torrejón Summer Festbut not the Elrow Townwhich will be celebrated on a holiday (May 1) during daylight hours. From the Torrejón City Council they argue that the festival does not cost the municipal coffers money and represents an “important” source of income for the town. In addition, residents will have the right to purchase tickets starting in April with a 50% discount. Click on the image to go to the tweet. What does it mean for Torrejón? A priori and how recognize the City Council itself, the fairgrounds will be left without events for most of the spring-autumn season of 2026. At the moment there is nothing scheduled for March, April, July, August and September. In June and October there will also be no appointments, except for the celebration of Popular and Patron Saint Festivals, respectively. The strong month will be May, with elrow Town, Tributos, Locos X80 and Urban. The City Council assures that an effort will be made to reduce the acoustic impact, which would even include orienting the stage towards the Polígono de Las Monjas, in such a way that the sound is not directed towards the homes. During elrow Town, the installation of acoustic screens is planned to protect the buildings. Why is it important? Because of the context. Madrid Salvaje, Brava Madrid and elrow Town had not been in Torrejón de Ardoz for long. What’s more, the three festivals they relocated there this year after having to leave IFEMA. In the Torrejonero area they found a large, close space, well connected to Madrid and with green areas. Its great potential led to some saw to the town of Corredor del Henares as the potential new “epicenter” of the Madrid festivals, a not unreasonable possibility after the turn from IFEMA. A few months ago the IFEMA consortium confirmed their decision not to hold outdoor festivals at least in 2025 and focus on indoor ones. The measure came at a special time, with those responsible for the fair institute betting on the organization of the Spanish F-1 Prize, which will be held in September 2026. in spring The World public In fact, IFEMA’s step back from the open-air festivals sought to appease the residents’ spirits ahead of the Formula 1 event and the noise that the cars may cause. Perfect, right? It doesn’t seem like it. Although the festival organizers stood out At the time, the advantages of moving to Torrejón de Ardoz had, in practice things seem to have been different. At least for its inhabitants. In the statement in which it confirms the cancellation of “all macro-festivals” (except elrow Town), the City Council insists that the objective is to “minimize inconvenience to neighbors”, a maxim that goes beyond the musical calendar. “The City Council, listening to the feelings of many Torrejoneros, is going to reduce and celebrate fewer events, concerts and parties, and will focus all its efforts on taking better care of and keeping the city cleaner,” the statement continues. Neither Torrejón nor the neighborhoods close to IFEMA are the first to have seen how difficult it can be to combine the residential use of an area and the celebration of mass shows. Probably the most publicized case is that of the complaints of surrounding neighbors of the Bernabéu, which even led to heavy fines. In Torrejón, an extra element was also added that has little or nothing to do with noise: several festivals They were tarnished by their ties to a pro-Israel fund in the midst of the Gaza war. Image | Elrow Town In Xataka | Madrid has turned Manzanares into a new tourist attraction with LEDs. The neighbors have something to say

We criticize the EU a lot with its obsession with regulating Big Tech. There are at least two examples that justify this obsession

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The Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the AI Law They are two of the great exponents of something that the European Union is highly criticized for: his regulatory obsession. It is true that these regulations restrict companies and can slow down European innovation – this has happened with AI – but these worrying side effects are accompanied by others that are much more welcome. Especially because this regulation has made the world a little more interoperable. There are two great examples of this. First example: USB-C. The adoption of the USB-C connector as the mandatory Being able to charge mobile devices and other hardware products is undoubtedly positive for users. Although the standard has its own problemsits use as a universal connector has avoided the use of proprietary connectors that made interoperability difficult and caused greater problems for the environment in the form of electronic waste. Second example: Universal AirDrop. We have also recently seen how Google offered support on the Pixel 10 to be able to transfer data to an iPhone or iPad thanks to AirDrop support in QuickShare. That support will be extended to other Android phones soon, and that improves interoperability between both platforms. From now on it will be much easier to transfer photos directly from mobile to mobile (be it iPhone or Android) wirelessly, and there we have to thank the European Unionwhich forced Apple to modify the way AirDrop works to comply with the DMA. And there is still more. These efforts to improve interoperability will soon be even more rewarded. Google and Apple have announced their collaboration in making portability between different platforms much easier. Thus, changing from an Android mobile to an iPhone or vice versa it’s going to be easier thanks to the efforts that both companies are making. Why have they made that decision? Again, due to the “regulatory obsession” of the EU. The EU sticks out its chest. Euroregulators in fact celebrated this decision by Google and Apple these days, and affirm that the renewed interoperability “is an example of how the Digital Markets Act (DMA) offers benefits to both users and developers.” That same regulation was what allowed iOS 26 to add support to transfer an eSIM to and from an Android mobile, for example. The EU against (almost) everyone. The EU’s regulatory obsession may often be criticized, but the truth is that it is the great reference when it comes to confronting the unlimited ambition of Big Tech. It has done so in the past with the RGPD or with the DSA and the DMAand now with the AI ​​Law. In all of them the ultimate goal is normally reasonable, although it often happens that the regulation ends up being exaggerated or, as with AI, comes too soon. The last chapter of obsession. European regulators suspect that Google is using content from news publishers and other creators to train their generative AI without permission and without offering compensation. These practices may constitute an abuse of Google’s dominant position in the market, which would negatively affect both competition and content publishers themselves. This research also affects “AI Overviews,” which extract and summarize information from other websites, potentially reducing traffic to those original sources. Brussels Effect. The application of these regulations in a market like the European one causes the so-called “Brussels effect”. For large technology companies such as Apple or Google, it is more efficient and profitable to adopt a single standard for all their products worldwide than to design specific versions only for the European market. Thus, this obsession not only benefits us European citizens (when it does), but also ends up becoming the de facto standard worldwide, as has happened with the USB-C connector. This regulation ends up becoming a powerful engine of global change. It is not perfect by any means, and we are seeing it with the AI ​​Law or the cookie nightmare, but even in those cases the EU seems to have realized and is trying to change things. The challenge of the AI ​​Law. If the DMA pursues interoperability, the AI ​​Law seeks transparency and compensation to prevent these monopolies from consolidating in this era of generative AI. The investigation into Google is not only a defense of copyright, but a preventive measure against competition. Meanwhile, the US and China seem turn a blind eye and we have even seen how the leaders of big technology companies They ask that copyright laws not be applied arguing the famous “fair use” of those contents that have little de jusot, at least for content providers. In Xataka | All the big AIs have ignored copyright laws. The amazing thing is that there are still no consequences

turn off cell phones when night comes

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On the Ukrainian front, the battle for the networks It has been escalating in importance over the months. Ukraine has been clear about this since a date to remember its troops took place. It happened with Operation Spiderwebwhen the Ukrainian Security Service smuggled small FPVs near five Russian air bases in trucks. The drones were launched and controlled via the Russian telephone system. The result: the destruction of at least ten strategic bombers. That was recorded in Moscow, and now they are using it. The transformation of the telephone. The war in Ukraine has turned something as everyday as mobile phones into a decisive system combat, revealing a profound change in the nature of modern conflict: civilian networks have become de facto military infrastructures, and every signal, every SIM, every tower and every data packet can be an offensive tool or a weak point. Tension has escalated to such a point that Russia, unable to fully control how Ukraine exploits its cellular network to direct precision drones over long distances, has begun to cut off mobile service at night in entire regions. The situation illustrates a disturbing paradox: without mobile phones the aerial threat is limited, but with them civil life, emergencies, commerce and governance itself are kept functioning. For the first time, a great power is openly assuming a social and economic cost in exchange for stopping the advance of the connected war. The tactical revolution. The ability of Ukrainian drones to use Russian infrastructure as if it were their own has been one of the most striking developments in the conflict. Cheap devices, such as DJI cellular donglesturn an FPV drone into a platform capable of operating hundreds or even thousands of kilometers from the pilot, as long as there is 4G coverage. As we said, that same technology allowed the famous Operation Spiderweb. The pattern now repeats itself: Iranian Shahed modified with 4G modems that transmit video in real time, Ukrainian FP-1/2 drones that avoid defenses thanks to cellular links, or Russian Molniya that act as aerial nurses to transport FPV above electronic interference waists. The drone no longer depends on the range of its antenna: it depends on the telephone infrastructure, turning each tower into an involuntary military node. The Russian response. Faced with this new front, Russia has tried close the gaps without disrupting the entire digital ecosystem… but intermediate solutions are failing. His first step was block for 24 hours any SIM that had been roaming, a measure designed to detect Russian cards clandestinely sent to Ukraine. Then it expanded the blocking to inactive cards for 72 hoursa sign of growing fear that thousands of Russian SIMs are involved in attacks without their users even knowing. Finally, in several border regions the most extreme measure– Cut off mobile data at night, when attacks typically occur. This dynamic not only harms to the civilian populationbut also illustrates the loss of control of a State that sees its commercial infrastructure turn against it with disconcerting ease. The historical precedent. The West already knew about the problem of telephony as a weapon, although never on this scale. In Iraq, a simple Nokia 105 could detonate explosive devices improvised with a reliability and range that would have seemed like science fiction in the nineties. To counteract this, jamming systems were deployed. as Warlockcapable of blocking signals in the surroundings of military convoys and columns. Today, that same logic reappears with more complexity: any drone that uses a cellular network can be neutralized by blocking the signal, but doing so involves simultaneously blinding ambulances, firefighters, security forces and millions of users. What was once a tactical dilemma has become a strategic one: what can be blocked without leaving an entire country in operational silence? An even more difficult future. The next technological leap makes this equation even more fragile. Both Russia and Ukraine already operate drones equipped with Starlink receivers or other direct satellite connectivity services. This marks the end of the absolute dominance of the electromagnetic territory: a drone that receives orders from orbit is immune to cell towers and to classical terrestrial interference patterns. As direct-to-satellite terminals for civilian use proliferate, it will be nearly impossible to distinguish between benign communications and command signals for hostile drones. In that scenario, an operator located on another continent could direct an attack with surgical precision without depending on any network national security or expose oneself to foreseeable countermeasures. The battlefield ceases to be geographical and becomes a global digital space, where physical borders matter less than the availability of orbital constellations. Control the spectrum. If you also want, the case of mobile phone in Ukraine illustrates how modern warfare has infiltrated all layers of civilian life, blurring the lines between public infrastructure and military capability. The Russian decision to turn off the network at night is not only a symptom of technological vulnerability, but also a advance of the type of conflicts that are coming: wars where each smart device is an antenna, each user a possible vector and each network a battlefield. In this new paradigm, the question no longer points to how to defend a country, but rather to how to defend an infrastructure designed to connect millions of people without turn it into a weapon involuntary. Image | Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Ministry of Defense of Ukraine In Xataka | Hybrid warfare in Europe has crossed a red line: drones have reached France’s nuclear submarines In Xataka | 40 nations built a fortress to contain a deadly threat. Until a drone projectile set off the alarms

There are dozens of influencers obsessed with helping us choose the perfect can of tuna. The problem is that what they say doesn’t make much sense.

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There is a fine line that connects volcanic eruptions, oil combustion, and waste incineration with our kitchens: mercury. A mercury that is produced in dozens of activities (mostly human), which ends up deposited in the waters, transformed into methylmercury by millions of microorganisms, stored in fish and, finally, in our stomach. It was only a matter of time before it became the huge food scandal it is today. Methylmercury also reaches social networks. The problem is so big that there is no shortage of experts and influencers that defend messages such as choosing cans of “tuna” over cans of “light tuna.” The music is that of institutions such as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) that recommends avoiding large fish; The lyrics hide many problems. At the end of the day, the viral message mixes correct intuitions, with more than debatable scientific evidence (it uses, to begin with, commercial classifications that do not have direct Spanish correspondence). This is not the first time that an idea that sounds good ends up giving us headaches. And why is that a problem? Because, like it or not, fish is a centerpiece of many diets. Not only for its protein contribution, but as a priority source of certain fats that are very difficult to replace by any other means (e.g. omega-3). The thing is, with all that, comes methylmercury. And exposure to methylmercury is a tricky thing: it can harm brain development and be toxic to the nervous system. In fact, it can cause symptoms such as tremors, memory loss, and cognitive dysfunctions. The most vulnerable groups are pregnant women, nursing mothers, babies and young children. Do all fish have the same amount of mercury? No, it doesn’t. According to the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutritionthere are four really dangerous species: the swordfish or emperor, the bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus), the shark (dogfish, mako shark, dogfish, dogfish and blue shark) and pike. These are problematic in women who are pregnant or planning to be pregnant, nursing mothers and children under 10 years of age. In fact, AESAN recommends directly avoid its consumption. The rest of the species are not problematic for the effects of mercury: they are safe and healthy. And the AESAN recommends between three and four servings a week even in the at-risk population. And aren’t there more differences according to levels? That is, are there only dangerous and non-dangerous species? No no. It is true that each species contains a different amount of mercury. In fact, each copy has different levels. That’s where the problem comes from: we need simple ‘rules’ to help us deal with uncertainty. On a practical level, according to the available studies, we can only define species with low mercury content as those on this list: Pollock, Anchovy, Herring, Cod, Bacaladilla, Cockle, Mackerel, Squid, Shrimp, Crab, Cane, Coquina, Carp, Squid, Clam, Choco/Cuttlefish, Lobster, Coquina, Sea bream, Sprat, Prawn, Horse mackerel, Lobster, Prawn, European sole, Dab, Sea bass, Mussel, Merlan, Hake, Razor clam, Oyster, Pomfret, Flounder, Squid, Octopus, Shrimp, Atlantic salmon, Pacific salmon, Sardine, Sardinella, Sardinopa, Plaice, and Trout. Everything else has medium levels and making distinctions between them is impossible on a practical level. So it doesn’t make sense to follow these types of recommendations? In general, any attention we pay to food is good. The system is configured in such a way that, if we let ourselves goour diet gets worse. However, we know that Obsessing over diet is also full of problems.. Using heuristics that complicate the purchase without substantial improvements is not as good an idea as it seems. Image | Tobias Tullius In Xataka | The scientific reason why miracle diets don’t work is you

Spain adds eight more billionaires in 2025. A single fortune accounts for six out of every ten euros: Amancio Ortega, of course

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Before the arrival Christmas lottery and change the luck of some people, the latest report ‘Billionaire Ambitions 2025’ from UBS, reveals that Spain is experiencing a new leap in the elite of great fortunes, with more billionaires than a year ago. But that’s not all, since the report indicates that not only has the number of billionaires increased, but the volume of existing assets has also grown. That is, richer than they are richer. The rest of us mortals only hope to be healthy after the Lottery draw. Spain wins “ultra-rich.” He UBS report points out that in Spain there are already 32 people with assets exceeding 1,000 million dollars. This represents a net increase of eight new ultra-rich in the last year since the same 2024 report recorded 27 assets over one billion in Spain. UBS calculates that, together, these 32 great fortunes reach 213.1 billion dollars, equivalent to about 182.6 billion euros, as calculated Forbes. …and they are getting richer. This equity volume represents a growth of 21.5% compared to the previous year, an increase that UBS links to the good performance of some of the main businessmen in the country and to the greatest concentration of assets in the hands of a few families. According to these same sources, Spanish billionaires have added around 11.6 billion dollars (about 9.94 billion euros) to the national wealth in the last year, reinforcing the weight of this small group in the economy. Six out of every ten euros in the hands of Amancio Ortega. Within this new photo of the new ultra-rich in Spain that UBS has left, the weight of the enormous concentration of wealth in a single person has not gone unnoticed: Amancio Ortega, founder of Inditex. The UBS report indicates that the Ortega’s heritage It has remained at average levels of $124.1 billion during the last two quarters of 2025, after having increased its fortune by about $21 billion in just one year. This increase marks Ortega as the owner of approximately 58.2% of all the combined wealth of Spanish billionaires. That is, about six out of every ten euros of that group are concentrated in their personal fortune. The solidity of Pontegadea and the “great success” of Inditex. The strong increase in Ortega’s assets in 2025 is explained, to a large extent, by the strength of investments of Pontegadea, already converted into one of the real estate most solvent in Europeand by the behavior of Inditex on the stock market. In fact, Ortega’s textile empire has recently experienced one of the days most bullish of the yearin which each share of the company rose by around 8.9%, closing with a revaluation of 8.86%. This surge in the stock market has directly impacted the wealth of Ortega, who controls 59.294% of the capital of Inditex, causing the valuation of his fortune to skyrocket by $16,100 to the current $140.2 billion. assigns Forbes on your list. In Xataka | Amancio Ortega has collected dividends at Inditex: he has bought Amazon’s headquarters in Canada and has money left over Image | Unsplash (Igal Ness)GTRES

There are good offers on Xiaomi, Realme phones and more

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Just a few weeks ago we had access to a ton of deals thanks to Black Friday. These are already gone, although that does not mean that we cannot find important discounts on technology, especially for mobile. If you’re looking for a new phone (either for yourself or as a holiday gift), you might find something that interests you on the AliExpress Christmas Promo. In addition to offers for these, we also have some discount coupons to further reduce our purchases. Discount minimum purchase coupon 1 2 euros 15 euros ESGS02 4 euros 29 euros ESGS04 7 euros 10 euros ESGS07 10 euros 79 euros ESGS10 15 euros 109 euros ESGS15 20 euros 159 euros ESGS20 30 euros 249 euros ESGS30 45 euros 369 euros ESGS45 60 euros 469 euros ESGS60 65 euros 569 euros ESGS65 Keep in mind that the stock of these is intermittent, so you may not be able to use one or more of them. AliExpress currently has several interesting offers on mobile phones such as the following: POCO X7 Pro by 223.96 euros with the coupon ESGS02, one of the best quality-price phones in recent months. Realme GT 7 Pro by 539.85 euros with the coupon ESGS02, a high-end phone capable of giving three days of autonomy. VIVO X200 FE by 651.99 euros with the coupon ESGS02, ideal if you like compact phones. Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G by 195 euros with the coupon ESGS02, the best option under 200 euros. OnePlus 13 5G by 741.65 euros with the coupon ESGS02, a very balanced and powerful phone with a 6,000 mAh battery. POCO X7 Pro We start with one of the best quality-price mobile phones in recent months: the POCO X7 Pro. It is a device that offers a lot if we take into account that we can buy it right now for 223.96 euros with the coupon ESGS02. It stands out for its 6.67-inch screen with 1.5K resolution, a good processor such as the MediaTek Dimensity 8400 Ultra and a good-sized battery: it has 6,000 mAh and 90W fast charging. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Realme GT 7 Pro Speaking of autonomy, there are few better things we are going to find right now than the Realme GT 7 Pro. Its battery, which is 6,500 mAh, is capable of providing up to three days of autonomy, which is truly incredible. In addition, it has one of the most powerful processors such as the Snapdragon 8 Elite and has a large 6.78-inch screen compatible with Dolby Vision. It’s coming out right now 539.85 euros with the coupon ESGS02. Realme GT 7 Pro (12+256GB) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links VIVO X200 FE If you are one of those users who prefers a compact mobile phone, the VIVO X200 FE. This device has a 6.31-inch screen with 1.5K resolution and a peak brightness of 5,000 nits. Now, just because it’s small doesn’t mean it’s not powerful: it has the Dimensity 9300+ and 12 GB of RAM. In addition, its battery is 6,500 mAh and it has a triple rear camera system. comes out for 651.99 euros with the coupon ESGS02. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G If our budget is 200 euros, then one of the best options we can buy is the Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G. It is difficult for a phone to offer us more than this one because of the 195 euros which costs with the ESGS02 coupon: a good 6.67-inch screen compatible with Dolby Vision and HDR10+ (ideal for watching multimedia content), more than enough performance for day-to-day use and a 5,500 mAh battery that also has 45 W fast charging. Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G (8+256GB) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links OnePlus 13 5G We close this selection of discounted mobile phones with this OnePlus 13. It is a very interesting phone if we are looking for a balanced and powerful experience, since it has the Snapdragon 8 Elite and a 6.82-inch screen with QHD+ resolution. Its camera system uses three 50-megapixel sensors and has a 6,000 mAh battery that is compatible with 100 W fast charging via cable and 50 W wirelessly. Costs 741.65 euros with the coupon ESGS02. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | Xataka, Xiaomi, Realme, Vivo, OnePlus In Xataka | Best wireless headphones. Which one to buy and 21 models from 15 euros to 470 euros In Xataka | The best mobile phones, we have tested them and here are their analyzes

While Big Brother sinks, ‘The House of Twins 2’ triumphs with a wild, online and unfiltered reality show

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This past December 7, a digital reality show achieved what seemed impossible: surpassing the format that for decades had been the undisputed king of Spanish reality shows, ‘Big Brother’. ‘La Casa de los Gemelos 2’, produced by brothers Carlos and Daniel Ramos for YouTube and Kick, attracted more than 200,000 simultaneous viewers during its inaugural gala. The figure is especially significant when compared to the parallel collapse of ‘Big Brother 20’, which Mediaset has been forced to cancel early after registering historic audience lows. But what is broken is not the format, but how it is presented. The first edition. How we count on your daythe first edition of ‘The House of Twins’, released on October 12, 2025, raised questions about the limits of unfiltered entertainment. That experiment, an imitation of ‘Big Brother’ that worked with the fauna cultivated in the Twins’ debates, completely lacked structure: there was no presenter or rules, and the Ramos trusted that the mere coexistence of explosive TikTok personalities would generate content for a full week. The result was both an operational disaster and a viral phenomenon. The program reached peaks of 48,000 viewers connected simultaneously and exceeded one million accumulated views in just nine hours of broadcast. The house became the scene of physical fights between contestants such as La Marrash and La Falete, there was visible consumption of alcohol and substances, destruction of furniture and moments of tension that they bordered on criminal. The program was emergency canceled in the early hours of October 13. A subsequent debate attracted 150,000 spectators and became trending topics number one in Spain. Reality television without filters. The next step was to professionalize the format, but without losing that fundamental idea along the way. And the Ramos bet heavily on this new iteration. As revealed by Kiko Hernández himself in the program ‘We are nobody’, the production has a budget of more than 600,000 euros, a figure well above what is usual in Spanish digital entertainment. The prize for the winner is doubled compared to the first edition: 100,000 euros for those who resist until December 31. Familiar faces. The creators have gone directly to the Mediaset ecosystem and derivatives: José Labrador, from ‘Gandía Shore’; Eros Vidal and Gabriella Barbu, from ‘Temptation Island’; Nissy Lahr, from ‘Secret Story’, make up a core of personalities that the Spanish public already knows. Them they add up Kiko Hernández as master of ceremonies, Víctor Sandoval as “dictator” of the house, and Coto Matamoros as “executioner” in charge of punishments. To bait the audience. From the first moment at the premiere, audiences skyrocketed and the program became trending on social networks. Among the most significant moments, an accidental nude of La Marrash during a moment of lack of control or the reunion between Kiko Hernández and Coto Matamoros, two figures who had not met on screen since ‘Crónicas Marcianas’, and between whom great tension was palpable. Kiko took the opportunity to attack Mediaset and to the fame that ‘Big Brother’ drags: “There has never been a rape here, right?”, he said in reference to the case of Carlota Prado in ‘Big Brother Revolution’. The ‘Big Brother’ disaster. While ‘The House of Twins 2’ celebrated its digital success, ‘Big Brother 20’ was the star of the most resounding failure in the history of the format. The premiere in September 2024 it barely achieved a 17.4% sharesetting the program’s worst inaugural mark. But the decline accelerated week after week until hitting rock bottom in November with a devastating 11.3% share and only 636,000 viewers. The panic in Mediaset was unleashed with the abrupt cancellation of the daily strip and erratic programming decisions. The domino effect reached the entire chain: Telecinco closed November with a 9% monthly quota, its worst historical record for that month, chaining five consecutive months under the 10% threshold. On December 5, Mediaset decided close the program before Christmasproducing a triple expulsion to accelerate the pace of the programs. Two months in broadcast, record down. The problem is not the format. Some analysts talk about a flat casting and without charisma, too sweetened content, and viewers have complained that practices that gave excitement to the galas, such as on-set interviews, have been abandoned. ‘The House of Twins 2’ recovered precisely the elements that made the original ‘Big Brother’ great: 24-hour retransmission without manipulative editing, authentic profiles even if they are uncomfortable, and freedom for conflicts to develop organically. While Telecinco must comply with strict regulations on child protection schedules, advertising limits and content control, the Ramos brothers operate on YouTube and Kick with almost total freedom which allows them to experiment without corsets. The program allows itself the morbidity and transgression that the public demands, but without the restrictions that paralyze conventional television. In Xataka | ‘Temptation Island’ is one of the few things that works on Telecinco. So much so that they are already recording a new season

Renfe needs new AVE and is already pressing for China to be its supplier

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That relations between China and the European Union are complex does not surprise anyone. That Spain is becoming one of the countries that is pushing the most to get closer to the Chinese State is another obvious fact. And our country has long been playing a complex game of balance in which it tries to keep all trade doors open with the Asian country while remaining within the rules set by the European Union. The evidence is there for anyone to see. The Ministry of Defense itself publish an article on your website in which he promotes the Spanish position as mediator between the European Union and China. The Government of Pedro Sánchez already tried to maintain balance during the April crossover game in the trade war between the United States and the Asian country. Months before, investments on Spanish soil were unlocked, like the CATL factory mounted together with Stellantis in Aragon, while was punished to the countries that were in favor of lifting tariffs against Chinese electric cars. Now it is the trains that are in the spotlight. Spain is looking for new high-speed vehicles. Renfe wants renew your fleet and it is confirmed that in the coming months it will launch a tender to which those companies that want to win the contract will have to attend. And meanwhile, Óscar Puente, Minister of Transportation, is surveying the different companies to get an idea of ​​the deadlines they manage. A round of interviews in which a manufacturer stands out. It’s Chinese, it has the fastest trains and they deliver them before anyone else. Puente has already made it clear. The question is what Europe thinks of all this. The best but with doubts “Chinese manufacturers deliver trains at half the price in a period of six months to two years, while the European industry offers them to you in 60 months. I am a politician, the one who buys, and I’m not 60 months old. I have discussed this problem with the European industry and with the EU Commissioner, and I believe that in the railway sector things should change and move towards the Airbus model, with which the aeronautical industry was saved.” With these words, Óscar Puente made it clear who he would entrust the purchase of Chinese trains to if it were only in his power. The person he is talking about is China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC). Their trains are the ones that are currently operating in the Asian country at 450 km/h (the infrastructure would have to be adapted so that in Spain they comfortably exceed 300 km/h) and according to Puente they can deliver them in much less time than those offered by European companies or Hitachi (Japanese). The words were spoken by Puente in an interview in the Chain Beingwith words collected by The Countrywhere it is noted that the Minister of Transport also has visited the German facilities from Siemens, another of the companies that could opt for the next big contract being prepared in our country. Siemens’ flagship train, the Velaro Novo, can also reach speeds of around 400 km/h top speed but the company has yet to demonstrate its ability to mass produce them. In Trenvista They analyzed the three vehicles that may be on the table, including an option with second-hand trains. Among the other competitors Featured is Hitachi. The Japanese company produces its trains in Italy. We are talking about the ETR-1000 or Freccisarossa, the same train that Iryo uses in Spain and which is underused in terms of top speed because the Spanish infrastructure does not allow it to reach the more than 350km/h for those that are approved. Alstom and CAF are also among the companies surveyed for transport. Companies that would be ahead of Talgo with whom the Government maintains an open conflict due to the delay in the delivery of trains and the breakdowns occurred on the Madrid-Barcelona line with cracks that They have taken AVLOs out of circulation on that line. All of them will be companies that will fight for a contract that is expected to reach around 27 million euros per unit purchased, according to 20 Minutes. In order to pay that money, Spain would go to European Investment Bank (EIB) to finance yourself at the best price. That would be one of the biggest complications for the Chinese manufacturer. CRRC is in the crosshairs of the European Commission which accuses the company of receiving huge state subsidies that allow them to put their trains on the market at a much more competitive price than that of European manufacturers. It is, therefore, a very similar case to what happens with the automobile market. The first conflict arose as a result of the intention of the Government of Bulgaria to acquire Chinese trains through a contract of more than 600 million euros. It included the delivery of 20 vehicles and their maintenance for 15 years. With the opening of the investigation, the manufacturer withdrew from the competition and finally the European Commission shelved the matter. Now it is Spain that is pressing to either acquire trains from this manufacturer or put the “Airbus model” on the table for the railway sector, with the aim of improving the competitiveness of the European Union in this market. Photo | Alejandro Luengo and Xataka In Xataka | The countries with the most kilometers of high-speed train, displayed in a graph with a brutal dominator: China

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