avoid

A bakery accepted an order for 2,000 cakes for Tesla. Elon Musk had to mediate to avoid bankruptcy

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Large companies are not only a pole of job creation or direct wealth for those who work in them, but, indirectly, they are also a driver of indirect development for other companies in the area. Sometimes, they can also be your downfall. In early 2024, a small artisan bakery in San Jose, California, nearly went bankrupt when it tried to fill a huge order for cakes for Tesla’s offices. A last-minute change of heart left the small business on the brink of bankruptcy and in debt. As and how they counted in The Guardian, Elon Musk had to intervene. Laura’s sweet request Voahangy Rasetarinera, owner of the Giving Pies bakery, was challenged to handle an order of 2,000 mini pies for a Tesla employee event. This request represented a great economic opportunity for small businessbut it also represented a significant logistical challenge given its magnitude and the bakery’s limited resources. Rasetarinera consulted his staff and they agreed to accept the order by sending the invoice to Tesla. Delivery dates would be Tuesday and Thursday of the following week. Elon Musk’s company diverted payment for the cakes to a third-party supplier called City Flavor, which did not respond to payment requests after delivering the first round of cakes. “I remained optimistic as I waited for the payment on Thursday. However, when it didn’t materialize, I became concerned.” That same day, Laura, Rasetarinera’s contact at Tesla, called the bakery to apologize for the delay in payment for the first round, citing the inexperience of the suppliers. On that same call, Laura requested to double the cake order. In total, the bill already amounted to $16,000 for 4,000 cupcakes that Giving Pies was to deliver. The bakery was forced to redouble its efforts paying overtime to staff, purchasing more ingredients that he had not yet charged for, and, most importantly, rejecting other orders to meet Tesla’s enormous demand. After consulting with the employees again, everyone agreed to go ahead, so Rasetarinera sent a new expanded invoice to Tesla with the new amount and they got into trouble with the new shipment, but not before sending a message to Laura, to demand payment for the first batch of cakes. “I’m sorry to bother you again, but I’m a small business. I don’t have the luxury of infinite resources, so I really need to get paid to insure my staff,” the businesswoman wrote to Tesla, as published the local media Kron4. Tap on the image to go to the original message However, the joy was short-lived. Just a week before the delivery date, Tesla canceled the order without notice. Just like Rasetarinera explained on the bakery’s Instagram account, “we received an email saying they were canceling the order. There was no explanation. Just a message saying, ‘Hey, I’m so sorry, I don’t think we’re going to need this order anymore.’” Unpaid bills and 2,000 cupcakes in the oven The cancellation of the order had serious consequences for Giving Pies. The pastry shop He had already invested in ingredients, increased his staff and rejected other orders in order to fulfill Tesla’s order. What was shaping up to be a great opportunity to work with a great company had turned into a nightmare of unpaid bills. Rasetarinera explained on his social networks that “we had to buy additional ingredients, hire extra staff and schedule overtime.” All of this represented a considerable expense for a small business. “I had invested time, resources and effort based on Tesla’s guarantees, only to be left in the lurch,” declared the owner to Guardian. The news spread quickly on social networks and local media that echoed the bad trick that Tesla had done to this small merchant, generating outrage among users due to Tesla’s lack of consideration for a local business. The word spread through social networks, even reaching the ears of Elon Musk himself. Elon Musk and the unexpected solution When Elon Musk found out about the situation, he decided to take matters into his own hands. From your X accountMusk apologized for what happened to the bakery and promised to resolve the problem. “I just found out about this. We are fixing it immediately,” the billionaire wrote. Tap on the image to go to the original message Musk’s solution was simple but effective: Tesla would buy all the pies Giving Pies could produce, and he also invited the owner on a tour of the factory. “People should always be able to count on Tesla to do its best,” Elon Musk wrote in his X message. A Tesla representative would later confirm to KGO-TV that there had been a communication problem and that Laura did not have the capacity to authorize payments. For Giving Pies, this experience ended up being positive. Not only did they overcome the financial hardship due to the investment made in the order, but they also gained publicity and support from the community. As shown on your websitetoday, Giving Pies sweetens the holidays for some of Silicon Valley’s biggest tech companies. In Xataka | An Englishman named his restaurant “Tesla.” He was immediately left without a name and with a fine of 14,000 euros thanks to Musk In Xataka | Tesla has been suing buyers and journalists for criticizing its cars in China for some time. And he’s winning Image | DVIDS (Justin Pacheco), Giving Pie A version of this article was published in February 2025

His plan to avoid it is to use AI

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I throw a question into the air: what would you say is the main problem with trains in Spain? There will be those who say that unpunctualityother people who complain about the price and also about those stations in emptied Spain where the train stopped passing a long time ago. It could be worse: it could be elephants being run over. It may sound like an exotic excuse, but it is a reality that affects a giant like India: between 2019 and 2024 alone, 81 wild elephants died on trains throughout the Asian country, according to official figures of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). One of the most notorious was in December 2025, when the Rajdhani Express ran over a herd of about 100 elephants, causing seven deaths and an injured calf. Five cars and the locomotive derailed and fortunately, there were no human victims, as reported by CNN. So they have a plan to avoid it: a very technological one that involves using artificial intelligence. The plan. In fact, the problem is so serious that a few days ago they had a conference titled “Policy Implementation for Minimizing Elephant Mortalities on Railway Tracks” (something like Implementing policies to minimize elephant mortality on railway tracks). It consists of an early warning system with AI and uses a network of 12 cameras mounted on towers equipped with thermal and motion detection technology. Thus, when an elephant is less than 100 meters from the tracks, the system automatically alerts forestry and railway personnel, so that the train can reduce speed, thus allowing the animals to cross safely. They have already tested it in Madukkarai, Tamil Nadu. Why is it important. Because it is the first time that automated detection replaces the old human factor at a critical point: a train driver cannot see an elephant at night on a curve, but this system can. In addition, it can raise alarms with enough time to act and avoid disaster. Thus, it turns late detection into real prevention Context. Elephants in India die so much from railway accidents that It is already the second cause of unnatural mortalityonly ahead of electrocution and ahead of poaching or poisoning. and India houses approximately more than 60% of the world population of Asian elephants. However, habitat fragmentation and the expansion of railway infrastructure in elephant areas have caused an increase in mortality of these pachyderms, especially in states such as Assam, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Chhattisgarh or Jharkhand. How are they going to do it?. To address the increasing increase in wildlife mortality on railway tracks, the (MoEFCC) along with the Wildlife Institute of India and the Ministry of Railways have identified hot spots for two animals that are National Animal Heritage: 110 sensitive stretches in elephant-inhabited areas and 17 stretches in tiger-inhabited areas. There are many sections and a lot of distance: 3,452.4 km, of which they prioritized 77 sections that comprise 1,965.2 kilometers. Among the package of measures there are others without AI such as ramps, bridges, underpasses or fences that can fulfill the function of avoiding accidents and facilitating safe passage. They have one more technological tool, called “Intrusion Detection System (IDS) based on Distributed Acoustic System (DAS)” with acoustic sensors that Indian Railways has deployed on 141 kilometers of the Northeast Frontier Railway to detect the presence of elephants on the tracks, generating alerts for train drivers, station masters and control centers. The East Coast Railway of India will adopt this system soon. AI has already arrived on the Indian railway. In fact, India has already incorporated artificial intelligence systems to improve safety and maintenance. The measures include the TRI-Netra system, which combines optical, infrared and radar cameras with AI to help drivers in conditions of reduced visibility, and the MVIS systems, capable of detecting loose or damaged components in moving trains. In Xataka | There are roads in India that suddenly turn red: the reason is to save you from running over a tiger In Xataka | AI is bringing back into fashion something that we thought was only for geeks: the command line Cover | Kishore V and Sean Foster

Taking money from a family member just before their death seemed like a great idea to avoid paying taxes. It wasn’t

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Why should an additional tax be paid for receiving money in inheritance for which the deceased already paid taxes? Many people ask that question and They decide to jump into the mountains (prosecutor) trying a thousand and one tricks to avoid payment of the Donations and Inheritance Tax. The most common trick is to empty bank accounts of the family member before he or she dies. Spoiler: it goes wrong. A solved case by the Superior Court of Justice of Madrid shows that this belief can be very expensive, and that the attempt to avoid the treasury can end up exactly where one wanted to avoid arriving: paying the Treasury even more than what they would have paid in the beginning. Money, what money? A woman was listed as the owner or authorized person on several of her sister’s bank accounts. In September 2017, this died without leaving a will. When the General Directorate of Taxes of the Community of Madrid began to investigate the case, it found that the deceased’s assets were much larger than what her sister wanted to make out. As of December 31, 2016, the three bank accounts of the deceased accumulated considerable balances: one with 9,217.08 euros, another with 51,216.58 euros and a third with 132,644.53 euros, in which the sister appeared directly as joint owner. In addition to these savings, the deceased had received 45,000 euros in April 2017 for the sale of her part of a property that she shared with her sister. By December 31, 2017, all the money in the accounts was gone. The Treasury calculated that the total money and assets that should have been declared in the inheritance amounted to 122,931.67 euros, to which was added the value of 50% of a property in Hoyo de Manzanares valued at 1,812.50 euros. ​No resignation possible. The sister responded to the first requests from the Treasury by assuring that the deceased had died without assets. Some time later he provided a notarial document of renunciation of inheritance dated September 29, 2020, more than three years after death occurred. His argument was that he did not know that his sister had assets, and that the only movements he had made in the deceased’s accounts were payment procedures for the residence where he received care his sister in her last month of life. The court that reviewed the case in the first instance initially agreed with him, considering that this payment could be interpreted as timely management. However, the Community of Madrid, in charge of collecting the tax, appealed and the TSJM resolved differently. Although in theory you can renounce an inheritance at any time during the process, doing so after having acted on the deceased’s assets has tax consequences that no notarial deed can erase. What does it mean to accept an inheritance without wanting to do so?. In Spain, you do not need to sign any paper to legally become an heir. The law includes in its article 999.3 the figure of tacit acceptance, which occurs when someone acts on the assets of a deceased as if they were already theirs, even if they have never confirmed acceptance of inheritance. Withdrawing money from your accounts, selling your property or simply managing your assets are examples of actions that, in the eyes of the law, are equivalent to saying “yes, I accept”, even if no paper has been signed.​​ The problem is that many people are not aware of this rule and believe that as long as they do not sign anything before a notary, they are safe. In reality, what matters is not what is signed, but what is done. The Supreme Court takes decades establishing that any act that unequivocally reveals that someone he is behaving like an heireven if informally or even unconsciously, has the same legal and fiscal effects as an express acceptance of the inheritance.​ What the law says about disappearing money. The TSJM applied the article 11.1.a of the Inheritance and Donation Tax Lawwhich establishes that the assets that would have belonged to the deceased up to one year before his death They are considered part of the inheritanceunless proven otherwise by solid evidence. Not only did the sister not provide any explanation as to what had happened to that money, but she did not even try throughout the entire process. The court also assessed that the deceased was admitted to a nursing home and was receiving special care, which made it highly unlikely that she would have been able to manage the withdrawal of the money from her accounts on her own. Given that the sister was the owner or authorized owner of all of them, the judges concluded that moving that money was equivalent, in the eyes of the law, to having accepted the inheritance. Pay the tax, but get rid of the fine. The TSJ of Madrid confirmed that the woman had to pay 26,217.11 euros as settlement of the Inheritance Tax for her sister’s inheritance. However, the judges annulled the fine of 17,999.73 euros that the Madrid treasury demanded, because the Community of Madrid failed to prove that the woman had acted with the deliberate intention of deceiving the treasury, something that the law requires before being able to impose a financial penalty of that type. In Xataka | The “Great Transfer of Wealth” is not only a thing for the rich: demographic change will concentrate wealth among the youngest Image | Pexels (cottonbro studio)

so you can transport it to avoid sanctions

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Pets take up more and more space in our daily lives and, for many people, that also includes traveling by car. Taking the dog on an excursion, to a family member’s house or simply to the vet is part of the routine of thousands of drivers. The problem arises when this seemingly innocent gesture becomes a risk on the road and, furthermore, a possible traffic violation. In Mexico City, transporting an uncontrolled dog inside the vehicle can not only compromise driving safety, it can also be expensive. Why do we talk about fines. If in recent days there has been talk of fines for traveling with dogs in the car, it is not so much because a new rule has appeared, but because the amount in pesos changes over time. Many violations are calculated based on the Unit of Measurement and Update (UMA)an economic reference that is reviewed every year by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI). For 2026, the daily UMA was set at 117.31 pesos and began to be applied on February 1. This adjustment automatically updates the cost of sanctions that were already provided for in the capital’s regulations. What the rules say about traveling with pets. The reference is in the article 38 of the Mexico City Traffic Regulations. This section regulates various behaviors that can interfere with driving, including the way animals are transported inside the vehicle. The text establishes that the person behind the wheel must not “hold, carry or place people or animals between their arms and legs.” According to the regulation, this situation can limit the driver’s movements and obstruct part of the visibility towards the road, two factors that increase the risk while driving. The fine and administrative penalty. The regulation also establishes the consequences for anyone who engages in this behavior. The penalty is calculated in a range of 10 to 20 times the current UMA, which with the value of 2026 is equivalent to approximately between 1,173 and 2,346 pesos. In addition to the payment, the violation implies three points less on the driver’s license. And, in the sections applicable to this case, the regulation also includes a point for vehicle registration, an additional penalty that should be taken into account. How to take the dog in the car without exposing yourself to a violation. The aforementioned official text does not prohibit traveling with pets, but it does require that they do not interfere with driving, so the objective is to prevent the animal from moving freely inside the vehicle. In Motorpasión México they explain A common option is to place it in the back seat with a breastplate or harness attached to the car. The idea is simple: keep the dog in a stable position and reduce the possibility of it ending up moving towards the handler’s area. The carrier alternative for traveling with pets. In addition to using a harness in the back seat, another recommended option is to use a pet carrier. Experts cited by UNAM Global point out These systems must be rigid, have good ventilation and have the appropriate size so that the animal can move with some comfort within its space. When the dog is used to this type of transport, the carrier can be an effective solution to keep it in a delimited area inside the car. In the end, the key is not whether or not the dog can travel in the car, but how it does so. As we can see, the Mexico City Traffic Regulations establish limits when their presence can interfere with driving. Following these recommendations helps to comply with this standard and reduces risks during the journey. Images | Blaire Harmon | Sandra Gabriel In Xataka | After 16 years, Mexico has managed to get a millionaire to pay his taxes. And they are going to use them to help young people

With the fashion of American kitchens, a refrigerator that makes noise can be torture when watching TV. How to choose well to avoid it

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How cool American kitchens are. You have, without walls, doors or partitions in between, the kitchen next to the living room and dining room. I love the concept itself, but there are two things that have always raised doubts in my mind. One is the smell, because imagine starting to do something that doesn’t smell good (like cooking cauliflower or making some fried fish, for example) and going to the couch to watch TV while you do it. And then there is the issue of noise. Of course, here you may think that it is the price to pay for having everything in the same space and you are right. If everything is together, you have to assume that, while you cook, you will have noise next to the TV. But the stove, the extractor or the oven are not the only things that make noise in a kitchen. What’s wrong with the refrigerator? This appliance makes noise and is not like the rest of the things in the kitchen: it is always working. For this reason, if you have an American kitchen, It is essential that you choose carefully which refrigerator you are going to place in it. Yes, it’s about looking at what decibels it emits, but there is something to it. I explain everything you need to know about the subject. Two or three dB more than necessary are enough to ruin your movie night A refrigerator is not as noisy as a washing machine when it starts spinning like crazy, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t make sound. In houses or apartments with traditional kitchens, this is not a problem. I have been living in my apartment for more than 20 years and, since the kitchen is at one end, I barely know the noise my refrigerator makes. Things change if the kitchen is American. I put you in situation. Imagine that you are on the couch watching a movie with a blanket and popcorn. During shootings and explosions you will not hear anything other than the TV, but things change when there is dialogue or even nothing at all. There, if your refrigerator sounds more than necessary, you are going to hear a hum that is anything but pleasant. Okay, but how do I know how loud a refrigerator sounds? If you take a look at the technical data sheet of any refrigerator, you will find the sound it emits measured in decibels (or dB). It is obvious that the higher the dB number, the greater the noise it emits. What is not so obvious is that A difference of just 3 dB will make us perceive twice as much noise.. To put it bluntly: a refrigerator that emits 40 dB or more in a kitchenette can be really annoying when watching TV. The ideal is to search for this type of spaces a refrigerator that emits 39 dB or less. But of course, since two or three dB less is noticeable, the less the refrigerator emits, the better. The noise comes from the compressor, but not all are the same We have talked about the noise, but not its origin. The sound that refrigerators emit comes from their compressor, which is responsible for keeping your food and drinks very cool. And what does that matter to me for my American kitchen? The answer is very simple: depending on the type of compressor or motor, the type of noise is not the same. Refrigerators that are a few years old have a traditional motor or compressor. This, in summary, only has two modes: either it’s off or it’s on. If the refrigerator detects that the temperature inside is too high, it starts the compressor at full speed to cool down. This means that, when this happens (which often happens if you open the door too much, for example), we will hear a loud noise when starting, followed by a humming noise that will last until the compressor stops. That changes with Inverter motors. These are basically always on and they regulate their speed depending on the temperature. If you open the door and it gets a little cold, speed up a little. However, if your refrigerator has been closed for a long time, it will run very slowly, so the noise will be less. This way, the noise made by the refrigerator will be quieter most of the time. And of course, you get rid of the “noise” of the traditional compressor when starting up. If you are looking to save as much as possible, refrigerators with traditional compressors are cheaper. In price, because traditional compressors consume significantly more energy than inverter motors. However, I would only place one of these in a conventional kitchen and away from the living room or bedrooms. For an American kitchen, in 100% of cases, I would always recommend a refrigerator with an inverter motor. Not only because they tend to emit, on average, less noise. It is due to the fact that we are not going to hear them start suddenly, something that does happen (and very often) with those that have a conventional engine and that can be annoying if we have the refrigerator next to the TV. Therefore, with that clear, it is time to take a good look at the dB. The good and the bad of both options, face to face 36 dB or less between 37 and 39 dB THE GOOD 🟢 You won’t hear it even when the protagonists of your movie look at each other without speaking. They are cheaper and, at the same price, you get a refrigerator to store more food or drinks THE BAD 🔴 It is a more expensive option that may cause you to have to cut back on capacity or features You will hear a slight hum while watching TV that can take you out of the movie Ideal for: Do not hear any type of hum or vibration when watching TV Families who … Read more

The subscription to avoid ads is now official in Europe

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The rumors had been circulating for a long time.but now we are no longer talking about speculation. Meta has confirmed that the ads will come to WhatsApp. The company thus introduces advertising in the most used messaging application in the world and, at the same time, opens the door to an alternative for those who prefer to avoid them: a subscription that will allow you to eliminate advertising from your mobile phone itself with a few touches. The change is not minor. In fact, everything indicates that we are facing one of the most important turns in the history of the platform. WhatsApp with advertising: what changes. With official confirmation on the table, the immediate question is where these ads will appear and to what extent they will alter the user experience. As explained by the company itself on its help pageadvertising will not invade private conversations. Ads will be displayed only in states and channels, while “personal messages and calls” will remain ad-free. In other words, the most intimate spaces of the application will remain intact, while advertising will be concentrated in the areas closest to public or shared content. How to remove WhatsApp ads. With the arrival of ads, another question inevitably arises: how to prevent them from appearing. If we do not want promotional messages to sneak between the states or the channels we follow, the only way will be to pay. Meta has chosen to introduce a subscription that will allow you to recover an ad-free experience within the application. It is a strategy that fits with the movement that the company has already started on Facebook and Instagramwhere it offers ad-free versions in exchange for a monthly payment. WhatsApp subscription. This is where the option to remove ads comes into the picture. According to the company, this subscription will be available in the European region, although not all users will be able to activate it automatically from the first moment. In order to subscribe, it is necessary to meet two conditions: have the WhatsApp account linked to the Meta account center and be over 18 years of age. The process to activate the subscription is done from the application itself and follows these steps: In WhatsApp, tap Settings > Account. Go to Ad Preferences for States and Channels and select No Ads. In the Account Center, tap Ads Preferences > Subscribe for ad-free use. Press Continue with subscription. Review the subscription and tap Continue > Continue Payment. Tap Pay Now to complete your payment through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Tap Close after seeing the confirmation screen. How much does a WhatsApp subscription cost?. The price is, without a doubt, one of the most relevant aspects, and for now it remains surrounded by some uncertainty. In our tests from Spain, the option to activate the subscription is not yet available, something that could be explained by a gradual rollout that Meta would be carrying out in phases. With a WhatsApp account linked to the account center, it is currently only possible to activate the subscription without ads on Facebook and Instagram, with a price of 5.99 euros per month for one account and 4 euros per month for each additional account if the management is done from a web browser. The specialized site WABetaInfo, a regular source to follow WhatsApp news, points out that the payments of this subscription will be monthly. As explained, the price may vary depending on the platform and the user’s location. Those who subscribe from Facebook.com or Instagram.com usually pay around 3 euros per month to remove ads, while doing so through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store would raise the figure to about 4 euros per month. It is advisable to take this information with caution. For our part, we have written to Meta to try to confirm the details and clarify what the final price will be. What happens to the privacy of chats. The arrival of advertising also raises another obvious question: what happens to the privacy of conversations. At this point, WhatsApp insists that the operation of the platform does not change. Messages are still protected by end-to-end encryption, meaning no one outside the conversation can access their content. As Meta explains, ad targeting will be based on limited signals, such as language, country, or user interaction with other ads within the platform. The conversations, at least on paper, will remain private. Images | Goal In Xataka | We already know how ads will work on ChatGPT. We have bad and not so bad news

The emptied Spain seemed condemned to depopulation. Until a town in Palencia found a way to avoid it

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until recently Nava walls (Palencia) was a remote town known above all for its heritage and being the birthplace of the poet Jorge Manrique and the painters Peter and Alonso Berruguete. That was until not long ago, we say. In recent days the name of this town in Tierra de Campos has grabbed headlines throughout the country for another reason: against all odds, it has become proof that the ‘Spain emptied’ and the rural peninsula do not have to resign themselves to losing population. In Paredes they have certainly worked a miracle. The most curious thing is that he has done it with a recipe quite obvious. Looking at the INE. Although its tables are basically made up of figures, percentages and rates, from time to time the INE gives us the odd mystery. It happens in Paredes de Nava, Palencia. If we take a look at their census we observe a curious phenomenon: despite the fact that their region (Land of Fields) has spent the last decades losing density of population, in line with much of rural Spain, in recent years Paredes has gained neighbors. In 2023 they were registered in the town 1,985 peoplejust one year later there were 1,911 and in 2025 the observatory already counted 1,927. Is it that curious? Yes. It may not be spectacular growth, but it is striking if two factors are taken into account. First, it breaks the negative trend that Paredes had experienced in recent times, accustomed to losing a few 25 residents every year. Second, the town had not moved in its current population data for quite some time. We have to go back to 2018 to find a better result and the town hopes to reach the psychological barrier of the 2,000 registereda figure that has not been used since 2013. And how is it possible? If the case of Paredes has attracted attention beyond Palencia or Castilla y León, it is because this increase in population is neither coincidental nor the result of chance. On the contrary. Responds to a strategy that already has sparked interest from other towns and relies on two legs: immigration and affordable housing. To understand it, we have to go back to 2024, when the mayor of the town, Luis Calderón, contacted YourTechoa Spanish SOCIMI that seeks solutions to “homelessness and lack of housing.” The entity works in several fields at the same time, but in the rural Their bet basically consists of recovering empty houses to turn them into “accessible” homes for “vulnerable families.” Objective: home… and roots. In practice, this means that they acquire homes and then rent them to the City Council so that they end up being rented to new residents in an initiative with a marked social focus. On walls for example 75% of the beneficiaries are foreigners, especially Latinos. Since the idea is for newcomers to the town to take root, it is easier for them to take root. different shapes. As? Through contracts of leasing for those who need a vehicle or rentals with option to own. And the work? The councilor assures There are no shortage of vacancies in the province. In addition to the Renault factory, livestock and agriculture there are a project to open an olive oil refining factory. “There are plenty of jobs, there are more than 1,200 unfilled, that is without taking into account the social and health needs and those of Renault,” guarantees Calderón, who optimistically awaits the opening of the new oil refining factory: “We are going to need many more houses.” “The solution, in rural areas”. The demographic pulse of the town is not new. It started after the pandemic, when a special office focused on repopulation opened. Years ago he decided to welcome 200 Ukrainian mothers and their children, in 2024 he contacted TuTecho and today he boasts that the town has managed to attract 150 new inhabitants. Of them, a third (49) have arrived thanks to TuTecho, which has in turn acquired 11 homes in the Palencia municipality. Initially the company had acquired only four. “The solution to the country’s main problems, housing and immigration, is in rural areas,” he defended. a few days ago the councilor in statements collected by The Newspaper. The truth is that Paredes’ experience seems to have encouraged other people. Those responsible for TuTecho explain that they have already made the leap to a dozen towns, where they also collaborate with city councils to articulate a residential rental offer that makes possible what for a long time seemed like a pipe dream in emptied Spain: “Restock”. “A bridge between both”. The founder of Tutecho, Blanca Hernández, sums it up clearly: “Depopulation is a challenge, homelessness another. We realized that we can be a bridge between the two,” relates to The Confidential. “It’s about matching the profiles of inhabitants that the town needs with the families that meet those requirements and need a home.” In the case of Paredes, they have even managed to ensure that the school, which until not so long ago seemed on a tightrope, faces the future with some peace of mind. Not bad if you take into account that, as stated in a recent EY report, 48% of the territory Spanish does not reach the European density threshold (12.5 inhabitants per km2) and 80% of small rural municipalities are losing population. Images | Santiago López-Pastor (Flickr) and Wikipedia In Xataka | Empty Spain is now officially one of the quietest places on the planet. There is no risk that it will cease to be

More and more athletes are drinking pickle juice to avoid cramps. This is what nutritional science says

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For a few days now, there has been no other topic of conversation in the world of elite sports: athletes like Carlos Alcaraz or Tadej Pogačar have exchanged the most advanced isotonic drinks in the world for something much simpler and pedestrian: pickle brine. When we talk about elite sport, the line that separates brilliant ideas, absurd fashions and the most delusional superstitions is very finite. So we’ve asked ourselves… Does all this make sense? But let’s explain it well. In endurance and high-performance sports, the idea of ​​always carrying “pickle juice” (the brine from pickles) or other products inspired by it has become popular to “cut off cramps when they have already started.” And it makes sense that it has caught on. To begin with, because cramps associated with exercise are one of the most frustrating things there is. Furthermore, for years, we have missed the mark: we thought they were a product of dehydration and lack of salts, but everything seems to indicate that They are something much more multifactorial than it seemed. In fact, everything seems to indicate that the main problem has more to do with altered neuromuscular control than anything else. And in this context pickles arrive. Because yes we have evidence (somewhat limited, it’s true) which shows that brining works. Although not because of what we usually believe: researchers realized that the mechanism works too quickly for it to be a matter of electrolyte replacement. There is simply no time for physiology to do its job. So? The truth is that the mechanism in question is still mysterious. It seems that the hypothesis stronger right now is that these liquids play with the oropharyngeal reflex: a very acidic/irritant/aggressive taste could stimulate certain receptors and, as a consequence, trigger a neurological reaction that resets and adjusts neuromuscular control. And this is important because, if so, they do not replace (strictly speaking) to isotonic drinks if they are necessary. At least, not in the short term. Does it make sense? On a purely scientific level, I think the most reasonable thing to do is to think that we have some evidence to suggest that it works in some people. However, let’s not fool ourselves: to date we have no evidence that it is more effective than the traditional approach (mechanical measures such as stretching or load change). In this sense, it is worth remembering that superstition plays a key role in elite sport. Superstition? What superstition? Thanks to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Kinesio tapes became popular. Some brightly colored ribbons that say they can be used for almost everything but whose effects are not proven at all. At the 2016 Rio games, the boom was taken by cupping. As I argued then, athletes are tremendously superstitious beings. A lot. And they are because it works for them.. From the eightieswe know that sports rituals have a positive impact on their execution. And, curiously, increasing ‘perceived self-efficacy’ It is usually related to increasing effectiveness in actual execution. Ultimately, what studies tell us is that these rituals “helped strengthen feelings of control and confidence that were otherwise lacking” in times of great stress. It doesn’t matter if they are lucky underwear or a lump of brine: they are things that function beyond their physiological plausibility. The problem, as always, is another. Whether we like it or not, athletes are role models for the general public. With these fads, they are spreading pseudoscience beliefs in society and generating business in companies with few scruples. Something, in itself, much more dangerous than drinking pickle juice. Image | Ketut Subiyanto In Xataka | Why are the best athletes in the world getting bruises on their skin?

Today the V16 beacon that you need to avoid the first fines that are already arriving arrives at Aldi (and at half price)

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Although it seemed that they were not going to arrive, the first fines for not having the V16 beacon on the vehicle are arriving, leaving behind the “grace period” that the DGT had announced. If you had passed this measure and still do not have yours, today (February 11) this arrives at Aldi lowered V16 Trophy beaconwith a discount of more than 50%, and can be purchased for only 29.99 euros, as we can see in its weekly brochure. DGT approved v16 beacon with geolocator The price could vary. We earn commission from these links A fully approved beacon This emergency light Trophy sold by Aldi is fully approvedso security is fully guaranteed. Furthermore, at this price, it becomes a cheap option to buy it now and have it in the car and not wait for a long trip (like your next Easter getaway or summer vacation) or for the triangles to disappear permanently. But above all, it is perfect for avoiding fines since if there is one thing clear, it is that no one likes having their pocket touched. As for the characteristics that this one stands out for, V16 beaconone of them is its powerful high-intensity LED light, which makes it visible from a kilometer away and at 360º. Besides, works with AAA batteries and it has a powerful magnetic base, which makes attachment to the roof of your vehicle perfect. Another advantage it presents is that it comes with eSIM with data included until 2038. And the best of all is that you don’t have to install external apps nor enter any type of personal data. If you have a breakdown or emergency, you just have to press the button to turn it on and nothing more. ⚡ IN BRIEF: V16 trophy beacon offer at aldi ✅ THE BEST Its price: Nowadays, we can find beacons almost everywhere, so there is no excuse to have your own. Practically, they all do the same thing so their price is the main attraction. Your base: Although all beacons have a magnetic base of this type, it is true that this model stands out for being powerful, remaining well adhered to the roof of the vehicle. ❌ THE WORST There is no online sale: Rather than saying that it has some characteristic that weakens it, the negative thing about this beacon is that it is only sold in a physical store. So if you don’t have a chain supermarket nearby, forget about being able to buy it. 💡 BUY IT IF… You refuse to spend a fortune on a V16 beacon for your vehicle that you will rarely use. That is, it is the perfect model to have just in case without spending more. ⛔ DON’T BUY IT IF… I can’t tell you a reason not to buy it because it’s cheap and good. Of course, if you don’t have an Aldi nearby, probably forget about getting it because when you maybe get to the store, at this price it is sold out. Of course, you can look at some models online that also have a more than reasonable price. The V16 beacon that sweeps Amazon and costs the same With this V16 beacon Help Flash+ IoT that Amazon sells even five cents cheaper (29.95 euros), you can forget about having to go to an Aldi supermarket or keep an eye on whether they restock in your nearest store. In addition, this model is the best seller on Amazon and there are no shortage of compelling reasons. help flash IoT+, V16 Emergency Light with Geolocation and more than 290 candela power The price could vary. We earn commission from these links The first of them is that it offers 290 candles (which is much more than the 40 minimums required by the DGT for this type of vehicle safety devices). It is also manufactured in Spain, so reliability is maximum. Although if there is something that has made her succeed, it is her compatibility with the myIncidence app. In it you can register the data of your vehicle and your insurance policy to be able to notify immediately in case of a breakdown or accident. Other cheap V16 beacons that may interest you HIBRON EXTRASTAR Emergency Light Beacon V16 Approved DGT with Geolocation The price could vary. We earn commission from these links LEDONE – DGT Approved v16 Beacon with Geolocator 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. Image | Aldi and Netun Solutions In Xataka | V-16 emergency light for the car. Purchasing guide, regulations and when they come into force, characteristics and approvals In Xataka | Clarifying all the mess that the DGT has on its hands: the V-16 light, the V-27 signal and the emergency triangles

The ships of the oil “ghost fleet” turn off their GPS to avoid being detected. Malaysia is going to hunt them with drones

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In the crystal clear waters of Southeast Asia, where the Strait of Malacca meets the South China Sea, a war is being fought that does not appear in conventional military reports. There are no trenches, but there are rusty helmets that turn off their GPS signal to disappear from international radars. This is the kingdom of the “ghost fleet”, an ecosystem of lawless ships that, according to the latest researchhas found its safe harbor in Malaysia, doubling its activity in just twelve months. However, the time for impunity appears to be running out: from the use of artificial intelligence to the deployment of naval drones, technology is beginning to illuminate the darkest corners of the ocean. The black market boom. The situation on the east coast of Malaysia has ceased to be an open secret and has become a global security problem. According to the specialized media Seatrade Maritime“ship-to-ship” (STS) oil transfers have recently doubled, going from just seven weekly operations to peaks of fifteen in just one year. This increase responds to an infrastructure designed to circumvent the sanctions imposed on Russia, Iran and Venezuela, using Malaysian waters as a gigantic clandestine service station before the crude oil continues on its way, mainly to China. Analyst Charlie Brown, of the organization UANIhas managed to capture a disturbing reality through satellite images and direct photos. In mid-January 2026, some 60 vessels linked to Iranian oil and another 30 with Russian and Venezuelan cargoes were waiting at anchor in Malaysia’s Exclusive Economic Zone. These ships not only operate outside the law, but they do so under deplorable technical conditions. Images distributed by UANI show tankers with false names broadbrushed on their hulls and flags of convenience hidden under tarps to deceive authorities. The metamorphosis of the threat. What began as a purely economic strategy to keep Moscow’s revenue flowing has mutated into something far more dangerous for European security. As the chronicles of my colleague Miguel Jorge relate in XatakaRussia has converted part of this fleet into covert hybrid warfare platforms. It’s not just about moving barrels; Now these ships incorporate “technicians” who, under a civilian guise, are usually special forces veterans or mercenaries linked to the Wagner group. These agents wield authority that often exceeds that of the ship’s captain and have been accused of photographing military installations and monitoring underwater cables in EU and NATO waters. An example of this tension was experienced with the oil tanker Boracaywhich after embarking Russian technicians in the Baltic, was intercepted by the French navy off Brittany after suspicious drones were detected flying over critical infrastructure in Copenhagen. The ghost fleet is today, in essence, an extension of the Kremlin’s security apparatus sailing with impunity under the flags of countries like Gabon or Gambia. A new fragmented energy order. From the academic level, the Elcano Royal Institute’s analysis highlights that this phenomenon is the symptom of a “deglobalization” of the gas and oil market. In your reportresearcher Gonzalo Escribano explains that international value chains, previously based on efficiency and transparency, are being replaced by “geoeconometrically armored” circuits. Europe finds itself at a crossroads: although it seeks to disassociate itself from Russian energy, the persistence of these black markets complicates strategic autonomy. This fragmentation has even reached the LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) market. According to Bloombergsanctioned Russian gas transfers have been documented in Malaysian waters, a technically much more complex operation than crude oil. The ship Pearlmanaged by an opaque company based in a Dubai hotel, is the face of this new network that desperately seeks buyers in Asia for the gas that Europe no longer wants. The technological response: AI and drones to the rescue. Faced with a fleet that “turns off” the real world by hacking GPS signals (spoofing) and the shutdown of transponders, the response is being purely technological. The middle CNBC highlights thatof the ships loaded with Iranian crude in 2025, 96% made dark transfers and 77% falsified their location. To combat this “blackout”, Ukraine has shown the way with an innovation that has made conventional fleets obsolete: the use of artificial intelligence in naval drones. The drones Be Baby have multiplied its capabilities thanks to AI, allowing precision attacks from thousands of kilometers away. In a recent operation near the Turkish coast, these drones hit Russian ghost fleet tankers, specifically targeting their rudders and propulsion systems. The objective is not to sink them, which would cause an ecological disaster of catastrophic dimensions, but to render them useless and turn them into an unbearable economic burden for those who operate them. This “precision offensive” is forcing insurers and shipping companies to reconsider the risk of collaborating with Moscow, raising the costs of war for the Kremlin. The dilemma of safety and the environment. The proliferation of elderly ships, without liability insurance and with dubious maintenance, is an environmental time bomb. Lars Barstad, CEO of the operator Frontline, warned in the Financial Times that organizations such as the International Maritime Organization (IMO) appear to be “sleeping at the wheel”. Barstad notes that it is only a matter of time before a major disaster occurs, as these ships operate outside of any regulatory framework. Meanwhile, diplomatic pressure increases. The US has begun a campaign of aggressive seizures, such as that of the ship Sailor (before Bella 1), which was boarded by the US Coast Guard in North Atlantic waters after a chase from the Caribbean. This “gunboat diplomacy” of the 21st century, analyzed by the Atlantic Councilposes immense legal challenges: once a steel giant full of crude oil is seized, the maintenance and storage costs are astronomical. The end of the shadow. The current geopolitical dashboard report shows that Malaysia, Spain or the waters of the Caribbean are just scenes of a larger battle for visibility. The ghost fleet survives in the shadow of legal ambiguity, but the advance of artificial intelligence and constant satellite monitoring are tightening the fence. As the analysis concludes from my partnerthis is not a frontal … Read more

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