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Putting four chickens in the yard seemed like a good idea to have cheap eggs. Bird flu just changed the rules of the game

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From November 13, 2025, there is no poultry farm in the country that can be outdoors. With mass confinement, the Government wants to contain the spread of the H5N1 bird flu. And it makes sense: so far this season, 14 outbreaks have already been recorded in poultry, several in captive birds and dozens in wild birds. The problem is everything that falls under the radar. “What do I do with my chickens?” In Spain, at least from 2024, all chickens must be registered. And yes, that includes ‘self-consumption’ chickens; some animals that, according to the data, they represent only 0.77% of the census (but all experts know there are many more). A report from El País from the spring of this year confirmed that “the figures do not reflect reality and that a large part of self-consumers have birds (especially the ISA Brown species) without census.” This has meant that in a context in which self-consumption does not have inspections (and lives unaware of animal health regulation), the doubts and risks have grown exponentially. As Cristina García Casado explained in InfoLibrethe question most frequently asked by veterinarians across the country is “what do I do with my chickens?” And the answer is very simple: confine them. Because the regulations do not understand sizes: a backyard chicken infected by contact with a wild bird can be just as big a problem as any other type of chicken. Or maybe more. After all, the European authorities they continue to qualify the risk to the general population as low; but they raise it to low-moderate for people in direct contact with infected birds or contaminated environments. Having unmonitored poultry increases the risk to the “civilian” population and if we are realistic we will recognize that they cannot be monitored. The problem has names and surnames: at least when it comes to the flu, all those domestic pens have the same sanitary requirements, but much less infrastructure. The ‘boom’ of homemade eggs. We must remember that this does not happen in a vacuum. The truth is that in recent years we have lived a real ‘boom’ in self-consumption chickens. It is the confluence of the “happy chickens” movements with the response of many citizens to a price that does nothing but go up. According to the National Institute of Statistics, have gone up 15.9% so far this year and, according to the OCUthe growth has been 105% compared to 2021. And, be careful, we are not talking about a luxury product. We are talking about what may be one of the proteins cheaper and more accessible of the world. Faced with this ‘ovoflation’, the accounts are clear: “a hen costs about nine euros, it is easy to raise and maintain with fruit, vegetables and feed, and it lays an egg every 25 hours.” How can there not be a problem? What to do if I have a chicken coop for self-consumption? If we are in that situation (or are thinking about setting up our own domestic corral) there are some things to keep in mind: Whether larger or smaller, the corral must be registered in the REGA (General Registry of Livestock Operations). Implement confinement and biosecurity measures: separate chickens from any contact with wild birds; control inputs and outputs; record all changes in a log book. Improve cleaning conditions, more frequent bed renewal and tightening daily management protocols. Introduce wellness programs to contain the problems associated with a sedentary lifestyle. But, above all, be extremely vigilant. There are many warning signs (apathy, drop in production, high mortality or flu symptoms). Therefore, it is best to be alert. Anything can happen. Image | Finn Mund In Xataka | H5N1 bird flu unleashes a massacre in Antarctica: half of the female seals have already disappeared

The only thing that Europe’s AI Law has achieved is to leave us lame. The question is whether turning back will do any good.

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December 8 was a fateful day for the European Union, but not many realized it. And it was because that day the AI ​​Act was passedthe European regulation on artificial intelligence. Thierry Breton, European commissioner, he was pleased with a tweet that automatically became a meme. I was bragging about how Europe had tripped itself up. The responses to that tweet They made it clear that the reception of the regulations was very different from what the EU would have expected. The criticism was forceful and very clear: with these regulations the only thing the EU was achieving was to slow down innovation and make it even more difficult to compete in a segment that was defining the world. While the US and China joined the party without asking permission and without asking for forgiveness, Europe stayed at home happily crocheting. That regulation, which came into force in August 2024instantly caused the AI ​​segment out at two speeds: that of Europe, almost at a standstill, and that of the rest of the world, which stepped on the accelerator (without looking too closely at the consequences). We have seen the consequences of that in the last two years. Europe has been relegated to the second (or third) plane, and with honorable exceptions like the Spanish Freepik or the French Mistral, we have very little to talk about in this area. Meanwhile, the US dominates the commercial plane and China is a steamroller both at a training level as in your open model development. Europe wants to turn back: the question is whether it is too late Yesterday the European Commission presented a project for simplify various digital regulationsand the most important modifications actually affect the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPRor GRPD for its acronym in English). The changes proposed by the Commission will make it easier for companies to share sets of anonymised and pseudo-anonymised personal data. That will have a direct impact on the capacity of AI companies, which They will be able to legally use personal data to train their data models as long as that process meets the rest of the GDPR requirements. The proposal also softens one of the key elements of the AI ​​Act, which, as we say, came into force in August 2024 but included several elements that would come into force some time later. Thus, now the “grace period” for the regulations that regulate the high risk AI systems —those that pose a “serious risk” to health, safety or fundamental rights—is widespread. It was supposed to be activated in summer 2016, but now that regulation will only apply when it is confirmed that “the necessary standards and supporting tools are available” for AI companies… whatever those standards and tools are, yet to be defined. Other amendments in that new Digital Omnibus include simplified requirements for the documentation required of SMEsin addition to a unified interface so that companies can report cybersecurity incidents. Henna Virkkunen, vice president of technological sovereignty at the European Commission, explained that: “In the EU we have all the ingredients to be successful. However, our businesses, especially startups and small businesses, are often held back by a set of rigid rules. By reducing bureaucracy, simplifying EU legislation, opening access to data and introducing a common European business portfolio, we are creating space for innovation to be produced and commercialized in Europe. This is being done the European way: by ensuring that users’ fundamental rights remain fully protected.” These amendments to current digital regulations will now have to be approved by the European Parliament and the 27 member states of the European Union — which will need a qualified majority— to approve it. That process could last months, and during it the proposals themselves could see notable changes before being applied. As indicated in The Guardianthis “massive setback” of this regulation has caused concern among groups fighting to continue protecting privacy of European citizens. The European Digital Rights (EDRi), a pan-European network of NGOs, Indian that if the changes to the regulation are accepted, it will become easier for technology companies to collect and use personal data to train AI models without asking for consent. The European agenda seemed to change when former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi warned last fall of how Europe had fallen worryingly behind in the technology race. That speech was a breath of fresh air for Europeand European business groups have welcomed the proposal with optimism, but believe that they still fall short. A representative of the Computer and Communications Industry Association of which Amazon, Apple, Google and Meta are members indicated that “efforts to simplify digital and technology regulations should not stop there.” One click for cookies This simplification of regulation that affects all types of digital scenarios can have a positive effect. Accepting or rejecting cookies has become a daily torture for millions of Europeansbut the user experience may improve significantly in the coming months. And it may get better because the EU has proposed a modernization of policies related to cookies. To try to improve the browsing experience, it will limit the number of times cookie warning banners appear, but also will make it possible for us to accept or reject cookies with a single click. In fact, the future may be even more promising, because what is intended is that said consent (or denial) of cookies is integrated into our browser so that once we configure it, the websites are not constantly asking us if we accept cookies or not: the browser will know what we want and will answer for us at all times. In that “digital package” it is specified that once we accept or reject cookies with that “single-click“, websites must respect that choice of citizens for six months. Image | Christian Lue In Xataka | For the EU, our privacy has always been more important than AI. Until he understood that he was left behind

That CATL is going to employ 2,000 people in Zaragoza is good news. The problem is that they are going to be brought from China

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“There are Chinese manufacturers in Europe that assemble cars with Chinese components and Chinese personnel. It happens in Spain and Hungary, and it is not right.” This is the statement of Stéphane SéjournéVice President of Prosperity and Industrial Strategy of the European Commission, in light of the way some Chinese manufacturers proceed to avoid tariffs on electric car that comes from China. Evidence that Europe is not happy with the “removable” kits from Chinese manufacturers. There are companies that have a magnifying glass on their projects in Spain. CATL, with its 4.1 billion euro plant, is one of them. Now, his vice president has justified why its 2,000 employees will be Chinese. Removable kits. The tariffs came into effect at the end of last year for those electric cars not only from Chinese manufacturers, but that are manufactured in China. The Tesla Gigafactory in Shanghai either Europeans would also be included. What Europe seeks with these tariffs is to persuade manufacturers to establish themselves in the EU and create value in the points where they install themselves. Well: shortly after the tariffs began to be applied, the news broke that there were Chinese companies that were assembling their cars in Europe, yes, but they were not manufacturing them here. How did they do it? With removable kits. All work on key parts of the vehicle is done in China, where practically the entire car is assembled and then disassembled and the parts sent to the destination countries. They do it without wheels or steering wheel, but with all the critical parts, which are reassembled in factories in other countries. Europe did not look favorably on this measure and already raised an eyebrow, but more recently, both Séjourné and other European manufacturers –Josep María Recasens, president of Renault Spain– they raised the hare. Recasens directly stated that Chinese manufacturers are making “four plates with wheels.” Figueruelas Plant. There are plants that plan to change their way of acting in the short term, but what some point out is that this harms the area in which these companies are located. SEAT, for example, gives work to 15,000 people in Martorell, generating thousands of indirect jobs around it. And it is common: the manufacturer employs directly, but also generates work in the surrounding areas because logistics, auxiliary industries and local suppliers come into play. Another key point in this controversy is the factory that CATL wants to build in Zaragoza. It will be the result of a joint venture between CATL and Stellantis, with a investment of 4.1 billion euros which will be used to create LFP batteries. It is scheduled to begin production in 2026 and is expected to generate 3,000 direct jobs. The problem is that 2,000 of those workers They will come directly from China. CATL’s position. That would not meet the European Union’s desire to create wealth directly on the land on which they are established, but Meng Xiangfeng, vice president of CATL, has spoken out on the matter. It was during the COP30 climate summit held in Brazil where the manager was forceful: “it is not that we are not willing to hire local workers, it is that we need experienced technicians to build and perfect the production lines and start up the equipment.” According to Meng, they are not seeking to replace local employment, but rather to start the plant in the best possible way by requiring specialized knowledge. “During this process, we will train local workers so that they can gradually take over the operation,” assured. “You can’t come to Europe and build four plates with wheels and seats with little added value. We didn’t do it like that when we went to China, they shouldn’t do it when they come to Europe” – Josep María Recasens Local wealth. It’s no small feat: CATL is one of the leading companies when it comes to powering new energy vehicles and was one of those on the table during the debacle of the European Northvolt. In addition to Figueruelas, the company has another plant on European soil, in Erfurt, Germany. It was CATL’s first outside of China and the executive assured that the procedure at the Spanish plant will be the same as that already applied on German soil and will be applied at the other European plant in Hungary. Like BYD. and technology transfer. Once the plant is at full capacity, it will be possible to assess the extent to which the local wealth sought by the European Commission is created, but in addition to that issue, the issue of technology transfer is up in the air. Companies are jealous of their creations, and it is logical, but the president of Renault has a reason for Europe to force Chinese manufacturers to “teach us.” When Western manufacturers entered China, the country forced them to partner with local companies to produce on its soil. As a result of that knowledge we have cars like the MG4 Electricbut also the new Renault Twingo made in Shanghai and Japanese Mazda 6e developed by Changan in China. And what is sought is for that knowledge to be shared. As we say, we will see what happens, but Figuerelas will be a complicated case because those 2,000 employees who will come from China will practically double the current census of inhabitants of the municipality. Images | Stellantis In Xataka | “It is playing free trade with a totalitarian State”: three experts give their opinion on tariffs on Chinese electric cars

We have very good offers if we are looking for a new gaming laptop

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Now that we are in full Black Fridayone of the best times of the year to renew a device has arrived and yes, also gaming laptop. If we are looking for a new team to play, we have a very good opportunity, thank you to MSI’s Black Fridaynew promo that offers very good prices on this type of computers. Beyond the discounts that we have active, one of the things that stands out the most about this promo is that it has laptops for all types of needs or budgets, so we will have a very easy time finding one that fits us well. To make your task a little easier, we leave you below three examples of computers with very interesting Intel processors: MSI Raider 18 HX AI A2X by 3,299 eurosa team designed for those gamers looking for the best possible experience. MSI Stealth 16 AI A2HW by 2,199 euroslaptop with a more discreet design and very balanced features. MSI Cyborg 15 B2RW by 1,199 eurosone of the best options we can choose in terms of quality-price. MSI Raider 18 HX AI A2X We start with this MSI Raider 18 HX AI A2X. MSI’s Raider line is ideal for those users looking to have the best experience while gaming, which translates into having both outstanding performance as well as very good graphic quality. That’s exactly what we can expect from this laptop, one that’s coming out right now. 3,299 euros (a good discount if we take into account that its RRP is 3,999 euros). This device, which comes with Windows 11 installed as standard, stands out for coming with the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX processor, one of the best processors for gaming that we can currently buy. In addition, it has an NVIDIA RTX 5080, has 32 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD. This entire set is completed with an 18-inch screen with UHD+ resolution. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links MSI Stealth 16 AI A2HW A device from the Stealth line may be more suitable for us, made up of computers that have more sober and not so flashy designsbut they still contain components capable of offering great results while we play. This one in question, model MSI Stealth 16 AI A2HW, we have it available for 2,199 euros in its version without an operating system, the cheapest of the two available (we can get it for 2,499 euros if we want it with Windows 11). This device, which also has the same Intel Core Ultra 9 285H processor, comes this time with an RTX 5070 as a graphics card. In the same way as the previous one, it is also a computer that comes with 32 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD, so we will be well covered. Its chassis is made of a magnesium and aluminum alloy, so we can expect durability and lightness in equal parts. All without forgetting its screen, a 16-inch panel with QHD+ resolution. MSI Stealth 16 AI A2HWGG-047ES The price could vary. We earn commission from these links MSI Cyborg 15 B2RW We may be undemanding gamers or we may be looking to get our laptop and want something cheaper. So, betting on the Cyborg line can be ideal for us, since it is made up by equipment that stands out in terms of quality-price. This one that we bring you as an example, the MSI Cyborg 15 B2RW, is available right now for 1,199 eurosa good discount if we take into account that its RRP is 1,399 euros. For less than 1,000 euros we have a device that is perfect for playing at 1080p with good performance. As a processor, in this case, we have an Intel Core 7 240Ha CPU that will perform great for us for a long season. In addition, it has 32 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD, as well as an RTX 5060 as a graphics card. All rounded off with a 15.6-inch screen with Full HD resolution. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links There are three alternatives that are designed to enjoy our favorite video games, but offering three different experiences so that we can choose the one that best suits us. This is just a small sample of everything we have available on sale – if you want to see all the discounted equipment, just take a look to MSI’s Black Friday. 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 | MSI In Xataka | Best gaming laptops in quality price. Which one to buy based on use and six recommended models In Xataka | Cheap gaming laptops. Buying guide for gaming computers in 2024 with best recommendations for less than a thousand euros

The most unexpected treatment against cancer is LED light, and it is giving good results

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Currently there are many research groups that have a very clear objective: find a cancer treatment that is effective, specific and above all safe. Something that can be really complex because of everything that cancer hides behind it, but science continues to give us good news. The last one comes from the University of Texas and the University of Porto which have developed a technique based on tin oxide nanoflakes (SnOx) and LEDs that allows cancer cells to be destroyed with precision. The current problem. The therapy par excellence today in the fight against cancer, without a doubt It’s chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The first of these has numerous problems that have been tried to be corrected, such as low specificity, that is, it attacks both cancer cells like the healthy ones. And this ultimately produces many side effects that can cause you to not continue with the treatment. This makes the goal of science to seek specificity and for the treatment to attack only cancer cells. This is something that is being tried to achieve with immunotherapy and techniques like CAR-T which ultimately is part of personalized medicine for each patient and which offers a very specific selection of the type of cell to destroy. But science has not stopped here. The discovery. One of the techniques that appears to be promising is photothermal therapy (PTT). The concept in this case is quite simple to understand: inject nanomaterials into a tumor and then heat them using light. This logically causes a localized increase in temperature, which selectively destroys the cancer cells that have been marked before. The problem until now was materials and light. Many photothermal therapies require high-powered lasers, which are expensive and can damage surrounding tissue. Now, a team of researchers from the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Porto have found the key to changing the rules of the game. A secret ingredient. The team has developed a new photothermal agent called nanoflakes that are made of tin oxide. After all, they are tiny sheets with a thickness of less than 20 nanometers and what is really ingenious is how they were manufactured. The really ingenious thing is how they made them. They started from a cheap and abundant material such as tin disulfide, which ironically is useless for photothermal therapy. In this way, through a ‘green’ and scalable process called electrochemical exfoliation with oxidation, which only uses aqueous media, they managed to transform the inactive tin disulfide into tin oxide that was already ready to fight cancer. And the light came. Once this material was available, all that was left was to expose it to the LED irradiation low-cost that emit infrared light at 810 nm. In this case we are talking about radiation that is very safe and does not damage healthy skin as can occur with radiotherapy, and it is also extremely cheap and accessible to everyone (even developing countries). Results. To test the effectiveness, researchers have tested cells in culture. The first thing they saw was that this treatment had no effect on healthy cells, that is, it did not destroy them. But the best comes when applying it to cancer cells results in a great reduction in the different colonies. Specifically, in skin cancer there was a 92% reduction in the viability of tumor cells, while in colorectal cancer this percentage dropped to 50%, but still maintained good results. And all thanks to an increase in temperature from 37 °C to 50 °C in 30 minutes that killed cancer cells. The future. This study not only presents a more efficient material, but validates its use with safer and more economical light sources. The researchers themselves point to the potential of LED systems for applications such as skin cancer treatment, which could theoretically be self-administered at home. This would be a great advantage for patients and would reduce the burden on health systems, although there is still a lot of research ahead to see if this therapy can be viable in a range that will surely not be less than 10 years. Images | National Cancer Institute Logan Voss In Xataka | Colon cancers are increasing alarmingly among young people. We have a suspect: sedentary lifestyle

Nexperia had the entire European automotive industry in check. We have good news

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The Dutch Government is prepared to suspend the control it exercises over the semiconductor manufacturer Nexperia if China again allows the export of its most critical chips. According to sources Bloomberg, the Chinese government has already lifted the veto, so the move would end a conflict that threatened to paralyze automobile production world. The agreement on the table. According to Bloomberg, Dutch authorities were “prepared to revoke the ministerial order that gave them veto power over key Nexperia corporate decisions” as soon as next week. The condition: that the resumption of shipments of components from China be verified in the coming days and that the financial disputes between Nexperia and its Chinese operations be also resolved. China lifts veto. Just like assures In the middle, China has once again allowed Nexperia to export its semiconductors, paving the way for the Netherlands to suspend its powers over the Chinese-owned company. Chips have already started shipping again from Nexperia’s Chinese operations, officials from several auto companies confirmed to Bloomberg. The first shipments are already underway. Aumovio SE, a components maker that supplies Volkswagen, Stellantis and BMW, has shipped Nexperia semiconductors and components containing them after receiving an export license from China this week, according to declared its CEO Philipp Von Hirschheydt to Bloomberg. The manager added who informed him that the Chinese Ministry of Commerce lifted the export ban on Nexperia this Friday. “It will take some time before all procedures and processes return to normal,” the CEO warned. There is still the possibility of disruption in the next four to six weeks, but “if everything I know today is correct, we are not going to be affected,” he said. How it all started. The Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs, Vincent Karremans, activated a law dating back to the Cold War in September to take temporary control over Nexperiaowned by the Chinese technology group Wingtech. The reason was concern that Wingtech was weakening the company and putting the supply of vital components at risk. The Dutch government flagged some of Wingtech founder Zhang Xuezheng’s decisions as representing “misuse of financial resources for the personal enrichment of the CEO,” according to account Bloomberg. Wingtech denied these allegations. In response, Beijing imposed restrictions on exports of Nexperia products from China, which accounted for about half of the company’s pre-crisis volumes. Why does it matter? Nexperia makes power control chips used by large manufacturers such as Volkswagen. Until the conflict is resolved, European car manufacturers face production stoppages imminent as their reserves are depleted. Just like account Bloomberg, Honda Motor has already been informed of the resumption of chip shipments by Nexperia in China, so the Japanese carmaker plans to normalize its affected production during the week of November 21, according to its executive vice president, Noriya Kaihara. On the other hand, Bosch, one of the largest component suppliers in the world, also is receiving chips from Nexperia from China, according to sources close to the media. However, the media reports that until this Friday morning there were still production interruptions in several Bosch plants that manufacture automotive electronics. The situation remains tense. Despite positive signs, German supplier ZF Friedrichshafen is preparing for production interruptions, including temporary layoffs, as a precautionary measure. “It is unclear to what extent and at what speed deliveries from China could resume,” declared a company spokesperson told Bloomberg. “The situation remains very tense throughout the industry.” Signs of distension. The Dutch Government declared this Thursday that it expects Nexperia’s Chinese unit to resume chip supplies in the coming days. “Given the constructive nature of our discussions with the Chinese authorities, the Netherlands is confident that chip supplies from China to Europe and the rest of the world will reach Nexperia customers in the coming days,” Karremans said in a statement picked up by Bloomberg. Wingtech shares rose almost 10% in Shanghai after the news. European automakers and their suppliers also gained on the news, as Volkswagen shares rose as much as 2.7% in Frankfurt, while BMW rose as much as 2.5%. Shares of Mercedes-Benz Group and Stellantis also rose, according to the middle. What’s coming now. Resolution of the dispute will depend on effective verification that shipments resume and resolving outstanding financial issues between Nexperia and its operations in China. If these conditions are met, the Dutch Government could revoke his powers of intervention next week, putting an end to a crisis that has put the entire supply chain of the European automotive sector in check. On the other hand, the future of Wingtech founder Zhang Xuezheng remains uncertain following his suspension as CEO of Nexperia by an Amsterdam court on October 7. Cover image | Arthur Wang and Nexperia In Xataka | The EU wants to connect Madrid with Paris by AVE in 2035. Or in 2042 if you ask France

If the question is whether you have to pay garbage tax for a parking space in Madrid, the answer is: good luck with the Cadastre

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April 8, 2022. The Government publishes in the BOE Law 7/2022, on waste and contaminated soils for a circular economy. Behind this name hides a small bomb that has been exploding, little by little, in each municipality. In Madrid, that detonation has come this year. Beyond the calculation, there are thousands of car parks that are now wondering: do I have to pay the new garbage fee? Where do we come from? My colleague Carlos Prego explained it a few days ago in Xataka. Madrid has recalculated its garbage rate, making reference to the famous Law mentioned above with a calculation that the OCU has come to define as “original and unfair”. The point is that controversy has arisen because Madrid City Council said “eliminate” this rate in 2015, alleging that they removed the tax burden from the citizen. The 2022 Law obliges municipalities with more than 5,000 inhabitants to begin collecting it, following European guidelines. To calculate that rate, The City Council has taken into account the cadastral value of the apartments or the tonnage of garbage that is collected in each neighborhood. That is, those who live in a neighborhood where more garbage is generated will pay more… and that directly affects neighborhoods with great tourist activity (hotels, tourist apartments…), commercial or very densely populated. a truce. The criticism has been so virulent on the part of the oppositionof the neighbors and of the associations of consumers who the City Council has partially rectified. They assure that now it will be taken into account the number of registered in each household looking ahead to next year. But what happens where no one lives? Yes, where, for example, there is a parked car because we are talking about a garage. And the garbage rate also affects the owners of a parking space… At least, apart from them. and a battle. Because although the neighbors seem to have received a truce with the new calculation in the garbage rate, which, yes, the City Council continues to defend that it will have little impact on obvious changes for neighborsthe new open front is what happens to the parking lots. And the door had been opened for a neighbor to have to pay a garbage fee for his home and another garbage fee for his parking lot. Despite the fact that, obviously, the garbage generated by a parking space is minimal or non-existent. Little more than general cleaning if we talk about a community parking lot. However, the rate taxes the provision of the service of collection, transportation and treatment of urban waste, in the words of the College of Administrators. That is, the same person (house and garage) could be charged for a single garbage collection. Who pays then? Those who will pay. Those owners of parking spaces whose parking lot is registered in the Cadastre as a “parking-industrial-use warehouse”, in the words of a circular sent by the Madrid College of Administrators to the Property Administrators of the Capital. What does this mean? They clarify it from the Cadastre which, upon consultation with one of these administrators, have confirmed that they are those independent garages that cannot be accessed from a home or from the common areas of a building. That is, those in which garbage is collected individually. Those who will not pay. Those owners of a parking space whose parking is registered in the Cadastre as “residential use”. Or, in a simplified way by this last entity, which are accessed from a home or from common areas with another building. In that case, they may be communities of different owners (garage and building) but if access is from the same common areas, the former will not pay the garbage fee. What does the City Council say? That they adhere to the type of land use specified in the Cadastre and, therefore, that it is the latter that specifies who should or should not pay the garbage rate. The only solution given in this case by the College of Property Administrators of Madrid is for the community to present a declaration of cadastral alteration to specify that the land use is residential and does not correspond to industrial use. The other alternative is to present a written due to discrepancies with the description of cadastral use. Photo | Kertis Stick and Madrid City Council In Xataka | The best horror movie of this winter has been released. And the protagonists are the owners of a home in Spain

There are scientists deliberately causing earthquakes in the Alps and they have a good reason for it

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In the heart of the Swiss Alps, more than a kilometer underground, a team of scientists is doing something that sounds almost insane: cause real earthquakes. And it is not that they want to destroy a country, but just the opposite: they want to understand earthquakes better to look for ‘warnings’ before they occur. Right now There is a lot of mystery around earthquakessince it is not well known how they are produced, and this means that we do not have clear information about when they will occur in a specific area. And it is something fundamental for us, since having a ‘witness’ to warn us that an earthquake is coming will allow us to notify the population so that they can protect themselves and avoid significant human and material losses. The idea. The FEAR project (Fault Activation an Earthquiake Rupture), led by researchers at ETH Zürich, are looking for answer the big question: how to detect the signs that announce an earthquake before it happens? For this, in the Bedretto’s underground laboratorygeologists have drilled a tunnel through an active fault. Through the controlled injection of water—and, soon, hot water—they are triggering microearthquakes of magnitudes less than 1. Their goal is to observe, with a densely distributed network of sensors, how ruptures occur and what physical conditions trigger them. But… Why the Alps? In this case, the natural conditions offered by the Alps are ideal to carry out these experiments. The enormous pressure of the mountains on the faults generates tensions that, with the slightest change, can release seismic energy. In this way it is known that in these conditions an earthquake is going to occur at some point and what they do is anticipate it and control it with many measuring equipment. Ground disturbed on purpose. The microearthquakes induced by the Swiss team have a curious parallel with another practice known for less scientific reasons: seismicity induced by the fracking industry. In regions such as Oklahoma and Texas, the discharge of wastewater into deep wells has also generated thousands of small earthquakes, providing scientists with valuable models of how water alters the friction between plates. But the FEAR project differs in detail with respect to what the industry can do for its work: absolute control of the environment. While industrial operations cause unwanted earthquakes, they cannot be controlled. But in the Alps we specifically seek to know what happens in the seconds before a rupture. Throughout 2024 and 2025, their tests will escalate until they cause earthquakes of magnitude 1, a level weak enough not to be perceptible on the surface, but enough to modify the stress state of a fault. If they manage to correlate specific patterns with the energy released, they could establish predictive models applicable to active seismic zones that would be an advance in the understanding of how the Earth releases its internal energy. They are not alone. In different countries there are many similar projects that try to understand earthquakes. For example, in Japan the Nankai Trough Seismogenic Zone Experiment (NanTroSEIZE) center pierces the seabed off the coast to reach the fault where future large earthquakes are expected to occur. Something fundamental when talking about a very affected area by earthquakes. In Iceland the DEEP EGS (Enhancing Geothermal Systems) program has also registered many microseisms due to the injection of geothermal fluidsoffering direct data on how faults become unstable. A great challenge. The challenge remains enormous: no model has managed to predict an earthquake with temporal and spatial precision. But experiments like the one at the Bedretto Underground Lab offer something that didn’t exist before: a way to study the actual physics of seismic fracture initiation. Images | Çağlar Oskay Marco Meyer In Xataka | China built the Three Gorges Dam with three objectives. Got a fourth: changing the Earth’s rotation

Michael Burry just shorted NVIDIA. All good except because he was the one who predicted the 2008 real estate bubble

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Michael Burry, the well-known investor and fund manager who predicted the 2008 financial crisis, has recently shown his bearish positions against NVIDIA and Palantir just after launching on social networks a warning about excess optimism in the market. Warning which the Bloomberg media has qualified ‘cryptic’, for several reasons. The movements, made known in regulatory documents filed on Mondayhave reopened the debate on whether artificial intelligence is generating a speculative bubble. What exactly has Burry done. His investment fund, Scion Asset Management, has bought put options (puts) worth $186.5 million against NVIDIA and $912.1 million against Palantir, according to mandatory filings with the SEC. These options benefit if the stock price falls. Burry also took bullish positions (calls) in Pfizer and Halliburton, two stocks that have underperformed the market this year. Why does it matter? Burry is not just any investor. Its history is marked by having bet short against the US real estate market two years before the 2008 crashenduring criticism from his investors until Lehman Brothers went bankrupt and his fund multiplied its profits. His story inspired the film ‘The Big Bet‘. Having gained that fame, when Burry bets against something, the markets pay attention, although his track record is not infallible, as he has been wrong in the past with other bubble predictions. Click on the image to go to the post The context of their movements. Days before these positions became known, Burry broke two years of silence on social networks with a disturbing message: “Sometimes we see bubbles. Sometimes you can do something about it. Sometimes the only winning move is not to play,” accompanied by an image of his character in the film. On Monday night he posted again, this time sharing a Bloomberg chart about concerns about circular financing between OpenAI, NVIDIA and other AI companies. Market reactions. Palantir shares fell more than 10% following the news, even though the company had just raised its annual revenue guidance. NVIDIA also fell by up to 2.9%. Palantir CEO Alex Karp responded in an interview with CNBC calling the idea of ​​shorting against companies like Palantir and NVIDIA, which he says are doing “noble tasks,” “crazy.” The bubble debate. For months, many investors have expressed concern about whether the AI ​​boom is being artificially sustained. Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, warned recently told CNBC that “there are many things that look like bubbles,” although he clarified that bubbles do not usually burst until the Federal Reserve tightens its monetary policy. According to its “bubble indicator”, approximately 80% of market gains are concentrated in large AI-related technology companies. An important nuance. It’s not entirely clear whether Burry is betting directly on the downside or whether these options are part of a more complex strategy to protect other investments. And just as share Bloomberg, regulatory filings only reflect long positions, so if you were using these puts as a hedge for other investments, we wouldn’t know. The curious thing is that its first quarter presentation did include a note explaining that puts “could be used to cover long positions”, but the third quarter presentation does not say anything about it. Scion’s recent history. This is not the first time Burry has bet against NVIDIA. During the first trimester He has already liquidated almost his entire portfolio of listed shares and bought put options against the chipmaker. However, it has also achieved success: in the third quarter it closed positions in Alibaba (with a 36.5% profit), Estée Lauder (27%), ASML Holdings (45.7%) and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (10.8%). Canary in the mine or false alarm? The question on Wall Street is whether Burry is once again detecting a bubble before anyone else or if he is wrong this time. NVIDIA is up 54% this year until reaching a capitalization of 5 billion dollarswhile Palantir has soared 173% thanks to its expansion in AI-related businesses. Valuations are high, but both companies continue to grow and expand their business. Be that as it may, if there is a bubble, we will find out in the worst possible way: when it bursts. Cover image | Solen Feyissa and ‘The Big Short’ In Xataka | The geopolitical irony that we are experiencing in the chip war has an unexpected beneficiary: Russia

A guy has been studying the diets of the oldest people in the world for years and is clear about what a good breakfast is.

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Dan “Longevity” Buettner is a controversial guy. He was the one who popularized the idea that five specific regions (Sardinia, Okinawa, Icaria, Nicoya and Loma Linda) had two things in common: a very high longevity and a diet with particular characteristics. Over time, the idea of ​​blue zones has been harshly criticized and rightly so. However, studying what people over a hundred years old were like, what habits they had and how they ate, has given us very interesting reflections. The importance of breakfast is one of them. We already know that breakfast is not the most important meal of the day. Although, of course, that doesn’t mean we can neglect it. Therefore, in a recent videoBuettner has given some recommendations. “The breakfasts of people who live longer do not include sugary cereals or greasy bacon,” he explained. On the contrary, the best breakfasts can be defined by three characteristics: it’s salty, it’s simple, and it’s rich in fiber. And it makes sense. For example, the evidence supporting fiber consumption. A diet with between 25 and 29 grams of fiber per day is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and even “all-cause mortality.” This is especially recommended in Spain where dietary surveys show the majority of the population below the recommendations. Something similar happens with “simplicity.” It’s not that more elaborate breakfasts are problematic per se. The fact is that the current rhythms of life make it easier for us not to complicate our lives and the “quick breakfasts” that the market offers are usually accumulate very high amounts of sugar (and salt). If we do not find simple and healthy alternatives, the drift will lead us to worse solutions from a nutritional point of view. Just the kind of things that “shorten” our lives. And then? Buttner makes some suggestions, of course: things like beans with rice, bread with avocado or even minestrone. That is, except perhaps the avocado (and thanks to the millennials), all the options are proposals that are somewhat far away from us – culturally speaking. However, breakfasts with legumes, whole grains and vegetables are not impossible. On the contrary, there are things “very much ours”, like tomato toast, that with a little care, would work as a scandal. What is clear is that, beyond Buttner, the available nutritional evidence is clear: we have to abandon cookies, cereals and other sweet breakfasts and adopt cheap, satiating and fiber-rich options. It doesn’t matter if it’s avocado and hummus or tomato, bread and olive oil. The important thing, as always, is to be more aware of what we eat. Image | Leti Kugler | Mae Mu In Xataka | Eating late in the morning is a bad idea. Now science knows better why

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