group

hunt down Russia’s most ruthless group without a single shot

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Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the war in Ukraine has been a succession of adaptations forced, where each side has had to learn faster than the other to survive. What began as a bet on speed and political collapse led to a long conflicttechnical and increasingly ruthless, one in which the rules have changed as many times as the weapons on the field. From wear to operational calculation. After almost four years of war, Ukraine has begun to accept that inflicting massive casualties like explained recently A minister, by himself, does not change the logic of the conflict. Russia has shown that it can absorb huge losses without modifying its strategy, while using drones and deep strikes to erode the Ukrainian rear, cut off supplies and psychologically break the troops holding the front. This context has forced a rethinking from kyiv: the battlefield is no longer decided only on the line of contact, but in what happens dozens of kilometers behind, where commanders, drone operators and logistics routes support the Russian advance in slow motion. The war of the rearguard. In open regions like Zaporizhzhia, the difference between resisting and giving ground comes down to the ability to deny the enemy freedom of movement in the rear. Russia has converted medium-range drones in your key weaponattacking Ukrainian roads, convoys and equipment before they even enter combat. Ukraine, on the other hand, has depended for too long of death zones close to the front, betting on annihilating Russian infantry when it is too late to stop the general pressure. More and more Ukrainian commanders assume that, if it is not hit before to the system that fuels the assaults, war becomes a race of attrition impossible to win. The window of opportunity. This change of mentality coincides with a series of blows that have disorganized the Russian army. Disconnection of terminals key communications and internal decisions that have limited its own coordination channels have created a temporary vacuum in enemy command and control. Ukraine has read that weakness not as an occasion to launch local attacks, but as a strategic opportunity rare: for the first time in months, a large Russian formation appears exposed, dependent on fragile lines of communication and struggling to coordinate its defense in depth. And not just any one. The hunt for an army, not adding corpses. The plan that begins to take shape It goes far beyond “kill more or how many more.” The objective now is to encircle, isolate and destroy a specific and hitherto implacable formation of the Russian army, depriving it of reinforcements, ammunition and effective command until it becomes a a burden for Moscow instead of an offensive instrument. Where? In the southeast of Ukraine, where movements indicate that kyiv tries to wrap to the 36th Russian Navybut not through a great armored advance, but with a constant pressure on their flanks, selective attacks on key nodes and a systematic denial of their rear. In other words, it is not a spectacular offensive, because the least important thing is the shots, but rather a prolonged and methodical hunt. A risky but necessary position. There is no doubt, the shift involves risks more than obvious: for example, it demands more intelligence, more medium-range drones and even complex coordination at a time when Ukraine remains very limited by resources and irregular external support. But it also reflects a harsh and realistic conclusion: as long as Russia can rotate units and replenish men, the casualty accounting does not decide the war. Only the destruction of formations entire, unable to withdraw or reorganize, may alter the operational balance and, with it, Ukraine’s position both on the front and in any future negotiations. In that sense, what is underway is not just another offensive, but an attempt to change the rules of the game on the ground. Image | RawPixel In Xataka | An unprecedented experiment is happening in Ukraine: bombs have turned dogs into other animals In Xataka | Europe has been wondering for years “what Russia will do when the war in Ukraine is over.” The answers are not optimistic

A group of Spanish pilots wait in front of Russia for an alarm that will sound 500 times in 2025. They only have 15 minutes to launch their fighters

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A few minutes from Russian airspace, a handful of Spanish pilots live in the most tense routine that exists in peacetime: be ready to take off at any moment from an icy base from the Balticone where the sky is watched as if each blip on the radar could be the start of something bigger. Fifteen minutes. At Šiauliai, a Lithuanian air base that functions as first line of surveillance over the Baltic, the routine can be broken at any second with a siren and a countdown. When the alert goes off (in 2025 alone it did so up to 500 times), the Spanish pilots of the 15th Wing They put on their equipment, get into the vans and run towards the hangars with a single objective: to be in the air in less than fifteen minutes. It is a millimetric mechanic, repeated so many times in training that becomes automaticbecause the mission does not wait for anyone and because in that area an unidentified plane, without a transponder or without communication, can be the beginning of a serious incident. The shadow of an enemy. The function of these quick exits, called “scrambles”is to intercept and escort suspicious aircraft until they leave Allied space or their intentions become clear, and in the Baltic they are almost an everyday language. The route is especially sensitive because it connects Russia with the militarized enclave of Kaliningradand there intersect fighters, surveillance planes and traffic that sometimes fly without a flight plan or without the expected signals. The result is constant tension: some days there are several outings and other weeks everything seems calm, but the feeling is always the same, that the next warning can come when you are resting or half asleep. 15th Wing Fighter Mission since 2004. NATO started this baltic air police in 2004 to protect the space of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, and since then the countries have taken turns in rotation four months so that the umbrella is permanent. Over time, the deployment was expanded to other bases in the region, first after the first Russian invasion of Ukraine and later with further expansion, because the Eastern Front ceased to be a theoretical concept. In recent months, furthermore, the incursions became more disturbing due to a new detail: not only manned aircraft appeared, but also drones that crossed borders and forced us to react quickly. Spain and the fighters. The Spanish contingent arrived in December with more than 200 troops and eleven EF-18Ma modernized version of the Hornet that Spain operates and maintains ready to fly day or night. The planes are armed with air-to-air missiles and the pilots train with night vision goggles, because surveillance does not stop when the sun goes down. Behind each exit there is a system that monitors the sky relentlessly, control centers that detect traces on the radar and a decision chain that, when activated, turns the entire base into a fast, silent and perfectly rehearsed choreography. Drones change the script. The big twist is that now the problem is not only the classic military plane that approaches without identifying itself, but the emergence of cheap dronesslow, low and erratic, more difficult to classify and more complicated to stop with means designed for another era. It we have counted. In September last year, a wave of Russian drones penetrated Polish airspace during an attack on Ukraine, and then there were similar episodess that forced the activation of fighter jets in countries like Romania. In parallel, small unidentified drones began to be seen near airports, bases and sensitive facilities throughout Europe, fueling the feeling of vulnerability and suspect that someone is measuring response times and blind spots. Crow, the anti-drone. For this reason, in this deployment the 15th Wing arrived with a historical novelty for them: the Indra Crow systeman anti-drone defense that adds a different layer of protection to the base and its surroundings. Crow combines radars, cameras and sensors to detect small aircraft and, once located, attempts to take them down using signal jamming, that is, electronic warfare from fixed or mobile positions. Its range not only protects planes and runways, it also covers the nearby city, because the real goal is to shield critical infrastructure and reduce the risk of a cheap drone causing disproportionate damage. The cost dilemma. Behind this adaptation is a problem that NATO is being forced to solve at full speed: intercepting cheap drones with weapons designed to shoot down fighters is an unsustainable equation. Firing expensive missiles from a fighter jet to take down a small aircraft may work, but it turns every defense in a waste and opens the door to volume saturation. That is why procedures and tactics are being reviewed, looking for cheaper and more specific systems, and assuming that the fighter will no longer always be the best tool to put out the fire. The strategic signal. The arrival of fighters with anti-drone protection It reflects a Europe that begins to fortify the sky as if war were already knocking at the door, although it has not yet fully crossed. In the Baltic, each rotation is a political and military message: there is presence, there is a response and there is an intention to fill gaps that did not exist before. Thus, what was previously an almost routine escort and identification mission is becoming a comprehensive defense exercise against hybrid threatswhere the enemy can be a large plane, a tiny drone or a provocation designed solely to check if, when the alarm sounds, there is really someone capable of taking off in those fifteen minutes. Image | Pexels, Pavel Vanka In Xataka | There are “invisible” Russian submarines happily sailing through the Baltic and that has led Europe to unprecedented measures In Xataka | A Russian submarine has appeared off the coast of France. And Europe’s reaction has been surprising: have a laugh

What they are and how to use them to put order among the members of a group

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Let’s explain to you what it is and how to use it Member Tagsa new WhatsApp feature for groups that has been rolling out over the last month. It is something that can serve both as entertainment within a group of friends and for the organization of more serious groups. We are going to start the article by explaining what exactly this new function is, as well as its possibilities. And then we will guide you step by step how you can create yours in any of your groups. What are member tags Member tags is a feature for WhatsApp groups. With them, any of the members of a name can add a label or nickname, and What you type will appear under your name when you write in one of these groups. The label will be visible to all group members, and will appear every time you type. Just as the name you appear under will depend on how each person has added you to their contacts, The label you put will be the same for everyoneand all members of a group will see the same thing. This means that the labels can be used to give context of who is who in those groups where you do not have the members in their contacts. When you don’t have someone in contacts, within a group you will only see their number or a kind of nickname that the person has set up, and the label can serve to better identify who each person is. You can change your label whenever you want and as many times as you want. Therefore, if you are not satisfied or if you have gotten bored with one you have placed, you can change it as many times as you want. And finally, The label you put on yourself in a group is only for that group.and it will not be seen in others where you participate. In fact, you can give yourself a different label in each group you are in. What can you use these labels for? Labels can be used for different things depending on the context of each group. In groups that are more serious, these can serve to identify each person that is inside. For example, in a group of parents of students each person can say who they are the father or mother of. In a more professional setting, member tags can be used to clarify the roles of each of the members. Think that you are in a group related to your work, because with them the human resources person or the boss can identify themselves so that everyone recognizes them. And in groups of friends, labels can also serve as entertainmentso that each member can give themselves a nickname, something descriptive or simply an inside joke. How to set your label in a WhatsApp group To configure your personal tag in a group, the first thing is Click on the image or group name to enter your settings. The easiest thing is to click on the image, since it is easier to hit it with your finger. Once you are in the group settings, you have to go to the members list and click on your name. The list of members will appear almost at the bottom. In the list you will also see the tags of the other members so that you can identify them as well. If you have never configured your tag in a group, you will directly go to the screen where you can write the one you want to use. And if you already have a label, an intermediate screen will appear with your name, telephone number and label, and you will have to press where it says Edit member tag. When you enter the screen to add or edit your tag, a writing field will appear where you can put the word or phrase you want. Below you’ll see a preview that shows you how the label will appear in messages you write. And that’s it. From now on, when you write in a group, all members will be able to see your tag below your name or phone number. You can also always see other people’s tags every time they write something. In Xataka Basics | How to translate WhatsApp messages: converting them from any language to Spanish

when Group C appeared on the streets because they wanted to compete on the circuits

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Speaking of cars, my father has always told me “why do you want 200 HP if you can only go 120 km/h?” Someone had to say that to the manufacturers who, in the nineties, registered beasts with more than 600 HP designed for driving on the street. Le Mansbut with which someone could go on a picnic on a Sunday morning. They are the heirs of Group C. And they could only have been possible in one era: the 90s. Supercars with license plate The world of motorsports has a lot of rules when we talk about competition. Logic tells us that technological advances should result in increasingly faster and, above all, powerful cars. However, the organization that is in charge of regulating all this four-wheel motor competition, the FIA, has been imposing a series of rules so that the power does not get out of control. The Lancia Delta S4, the Ford RS200, the Peugeot 205 T16 and the Audi Quattro, legendary group B rallies An example we saw it in the rally world. The category is extreme, with cars that accelerate like a racing motorcycle and display enormous speed. However, in the 80s, manufacturers began to modify both the engine and the chassis, taking it to the extreme and creating spectacular machines. Accelerations from 0 to 100 in two seconds on land. It was truly crazy. In five years, cars advanced a lot and what had to happen happened: uncontrolled power, maximum competition and pressure, insufficient safety measures and some negligence caused fatal accidents. One of the most remembered is that of Portugal in March 1986, when Joaquim Santos’ RS200 lost control and ran into a crowd, killing three spectators instantly, putting a fourth in the hospital and injuring around thirty people. In May of that year, those who died were those who were driving the car. Toivonen and Cresto lost control and fell off a cliff. The FIA ​​decided that would cut off the development of Group B because, directly, it had gone too far. And if I tell you all this nonsense it is because, in parallel to this extreme development of rally cars, Group C was also emerging. It was in 1982 when this group was introduced, designed for the competition of purely prototype sports cars. While in other categories the FIA ​​limited the engine displacement, braking power, in Group C the limitation came due to fuel. They were endurance racing cars. and control was achieved through 100 liters of capacity with a minimum of five refueling stops every 1,000 kilometers. That allowed 600 liters per 1,000 km. A stupid thing. The FIA’s intention was for manufacturers to limit themselves to improving power through turbocharging. For 20 years, Group C cars put on a show at endurance races and Le Mans, with legendary machines and racing technologies. Formula 1 who were adapting to that competition. The result? Perfect machines that reached average speeds above 200 km/h in Le Mans and peaks of 330 km/h in the Mulsanne straight. But after two glorious decades, the FIA ​​did what it does best: change everything and distort the competition. Within six years, the organization announced that it wanted non-turbo engines and races of 430 km at most (when before they were 1,000). That completely distorted the competition and the meaning of Group C. Furthermore, although the new engines would supposedly be more economical, developing them from scratch would be a great effort for the teams, so they abandoned them, and before the start of the 1993 season, the competition and the category were cancelled. This is how the GT1 was born and manufacturers like Toyota, Nissan, Porsche, Jaguar and Mercedes found themselves with hundreds of millions that were going to waste. And all this context for the girito: unless they took advantage of those supercars that, with a couple of changes, they could register and sell as a street car, taking advantage to finance the development of the cars of the newborn GT1. The Mercedes CLK that had nothing CLK, the most exclusive Nissan and the flying Porsche Taking advantage of this technology and development, the companies used the prototypes created for Le Mans to give life to a series of street supercars that shared many characteristics. They used to be carbon fiber monocoques, they had very high-power engines with sophisticated electronic management, transmission made for racing, active aerodynamics in some cases, very low weight and, in some cases, space for a cabin suitcase. The Porsche 962 When brands like Nissan, Toyota or Mercedes raced in Group C, they didn’t need to manufacture vehicles with street versions: they only focused on the most untamable beasts. However, heThe GT1 category required the production of some registrable units before validating the racing prototypes. The companies took advantage of some regulatory loopholes to get racing, but that need to have a street version caused wild racing cars to circulate directly on the streets. Our colleagues from MotorPassion They have reviewed some of the most representative specimens of this crazy period, and some stories are unbelievable. Heirs of the Porsche 962 Dauer 962 Le Mans It was one of the most representative cars at Le Mans and its chassis was taken as a reference by three manufacturers. One was the Dauer 962 Le Mansa car modified with the help of Porsche itself that had Kevlar panels, a flat floor for stability, a second leather seat, hydraulic suspension and a trunk in the front. The engine had 730 HP and, as it was one of the firstachieved approval by producing only 13 copiesnot the 25 street prices that would be requested later. How did they manage to homologate a racing car so that it could circulate on public roads? Through a hydraulic suspension that allowed the car to be raised up to 10 centimeters and, after passing some emissions and crash tests, the German ITV gave the go-ahead. There were some more heirs from 962, such as Schuppan 962R of which only … Read more

While Madrid becomes the “European Miami”, a group has grown to historic numbers: Venezuelans

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In the streets of Madrid every time it’s easier hear Latin American accents, but there is one in particular that stands out above the rest: Venezuelan. The number of Nicolás Maduro’s compatriots has skyrocketed in recent years in the community. So much so that the latest data from the INE show that they have already overcome the barrier of 200,000 peoplewell above the 120,400 of just five years ago. In fact, there are those who already refer to part of the capital as the “Little Caracas” or see one in Madrid “European Miami” which attracts immigrants of all kinds, including rich people who want to buy. The data shows that they are not wrong. The “Latin American” Madrid. That the Latin American population and specifically the Venezuelan has been growing for years in Madrid, it is nothing new. A year ago The Country revealed that the region had for the first time surpassed the symbolic figure of one million immigrants arriving from Hispanic America, a milestone achieved largely due to the increase in Venezuelans. Now the latest data from the INE They confirm that, far from reversing, the trend continues. And clearly. Community of Madrid Venezuelans Romanians Moroccans 2025 210,408 111,309 100,939 2024 184,387 115,911 98,360 2023 158,422 117,274 94,631 2022 130,779 123,834 92,563 2021 120,434 128,793 92,279 One figure: 210,408. The figures They speak for themselves. In 2021, the INE counted 120,434 people born in Venezuela in the Community of Madrid, the following year there were 130,779, in 2023 there were 158,422, in 2024 there were 184,387 and this year the figure has taken another rise until reaching 210,408. In short, a growth of almost 75% in a matter of five years. If we look back a little further and go to the last decade, the growth is even clearer. In 2020, 115,289 people born in Venezuela resided in the community, in 2019 there were 90,254 and in 2018 the indicator marked 66,421. A collective at the head. Beyond the percentages, there are two other approaches that demonstrate the extent to which the Venezuelan population has grown in the region in recent years. The first is that right now it is the most abundant foreign group in Madrid, significantly above the other most populous groups: Colombians (199,760), Peruvians (164,786), Ecuadorians (140,794), Romanians (111,309) and Moroccans (100,939). What’s more, The Confidential remember that Venezuelans in the region now exceed the sum of Romanians and Moroccans. The other clue is obtained by looking beyond Madrid and analyzing the Venezuelan diaspora in Spain as a whole. According to the INEIn our country there are 692,316 people born in Venezuela, of which 210,408 (almost a third) live in the Community of Madrid. The capital’s figure far exceeds that of any other region. In fact, the other two with the largest volume of population from Venezuela are the Canary Islands and Catalonia and in none of them do Venezuelans even reach 90,000 people. In Andalusia, there are barely more than 47,000. Year Population born in Venezuela registered in Spain 2025 692,316 2024 599,769 2023 518,918 2022 440,953 2021 411,996 One question: Why? At this point the big question is: Why? What is the reason for this migratory flow to Madrid? There are several factors at play. One (crucial) is the Venezuelan diasporathe volume of people who have left the country in search of better opportunities or as exiles. UNHCR estimates that 7.9 million of people have left Venezuela in search of protection or a better life. In 2024, Nicolás Maduro himself assured that between 2013 and 2023 2.5 million Venezuelans They emigrated from the country, although at that time he maintained that half (1.2) had returned between 2020 and 2023. The Trump factor. Beyond the dance of figures, the undeniable thing is that Spain has long been one of the main destinations of Venezuelans who choose to pack their bags as immigrants, refugees or asylum seekers. Years ago many of them headed to the US, but with Trump’s return to the White House “the American dream became a nightmare” for a large part of that diaspora refugee in the US, such as recognized in May Saray Díaz The Country. He knows well what he’s talking about. She is Venezuelan, she had resided in the US since 2024 thanks to a humanitarian permit and basically dedicated herself to cleaning houses. After Trump activated his policy anti-immigration Saray received an email from Department of Homeland Security inviting him to “leave” the US. A few days later he was on a flight to Barajas. It is not a unique case. During the first trimester 23,724 Venezuelans They requested asylum in Spain, a record. But… Why Madrid? That so many Venezuelans choose to settle in Spain and more specifically in Madrid is not a coincidence. Influences the open arms policy applied for yearsthe presence of relatives who have already migrated to Spain (this is, for example, the case of Saray, who had relatives here) to help them upon their arrival and of course the cultural ties with the country. Like other cities in the country, Madrid has also welcomed protests of critics of the Maduro regime and in defense of the opposition María Corina Machado. “There are several ingredients to take into account. The political and economic crisis in Venezuela is worsening. Trump’s immigration policies, together with a possible military intervention, with this situation of insecurity, also have an impact. And we must take into account that in other Latin American countries the entry of Venezuelans is being rejected,” comment to The Confidential Elisa Brey, expert in international migrations and professor at the Complutense University. “In Madrid there are already many Venezuelans and more arrive through contact and support networks.” Beyond the statistics. The influx of Latin Americans and specifically Venezuelans is felt beyond the statistics, in society, the economy and even in the residential market, as explained in 2024 the BBC network, which reminded that not only people in difficulties come to the capital. In fact, … Read more

As Japan runs out of children, it’s starting to adopt some ceremonies for one group on the rise: dogs

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Does a few weeks Miki Toguchi, a 51-year-old Japanese woman, went to a temple in Tokyo so that little Kotora could participate in the Shichi-Go-Sanan ancient Shinto ritual during which we thank children for their birthdays and pray for their protection. The ceremony is usually performed by young people aged seven, five and three, which is why it is often called that: ‘7-5-3’. Kotora is now five years old, hence Toguchi’s determination to have him blessed. The funny thing is that Kotora is not a child. Not a girl. It’s a schanuzer miniature that upon arriving at the Tokyo sanctuary for the ‘7-5-3’ ritual, he met other poodles, pomeranians, chihuahuas, bichons… Together represent better than any statistics demographic drift from Japan. A different ‘7-5-3’ ritual. The story of Kotora (and others like it) has just been told The New York Times in an article in which he reveals how in the sanctuary Ichigaya Kamegaoka (Tokyo) dogs are slowly replacing humans in the Shichi-Go-Sana ceremony designed for children. The origins of the ritual date back to Heian period (794-1185 AD), a period with a high infant mortality rate, which explains why the country’s aristocrats celebrated when their children reached three, five and seven years of age. Parents came to the shrines with their little ones, showed gratitude and prayed that their offspring would enjoy long, prosperous and healthy lives. From children to dogs. The ‘7-5-3’ has maintained its spirit for generations, but as Japan ran out of babies Shrines like Ichigaya Kamegaok have had to make a living. The country may have fewer and fewer children, but their homes they have been filling of dogs and cats, so dozens of temples throughout Japan have chosen to adapt the ritual to animals. The idea is the same: the little ones are blessed, thanks are given for their lives and protection is prayed for… although in this case the little ones are not children, but poodles, Pomeranians, Chihuahuas, bichons or Akitas (among many other species), dogs that often appear before the priests with kimonos and amulets. For reference, TNYT remember that the Tokyo temple receives seven times more pets than infants every fall: about 50 children compared to 350 animals. “Obsolete shrines”. Kenji Kaji is a priest at Ichigaya Kamegaoka Temple and explains that he has had to tweak some sentences to fit the pets. It may not be an orthodox practice, but he himself acknowledges that there is a less attractive scenario: “The worst thing would be if both Shintoism and the shrines became obsolete.” So pray that families and their furry friends enjoy “happy” lives. For the ceremony they ask 5,000 yen ($32). In cases like Kotora, the temples have found two things: a new source of income and a way for young people to get closer to tradition. “People have gone from having children to having pets,” Toguchi confesses.. She doesn’t have children, but she wants her pet to participate in ‘7-5-3’. It is not an isolated case. Looking back. In 2023 Reuters spoke already from an ancient temple located 35 km from Tokyo, the Zama sanctuary, which had a special prayer area designed for pets and their families to participate in the Shichi-Go-San. At the time, Natsumi Aoki, a 33-year-old woman who had blessed her Pomeranians, lamented that there were not enough pet-friendly sanctuaries in Japan. Today The New York Times assures that in the country there are already “dozens” of sanctuaries willing to say prayers for dogs. Much more than a ceremony. That the ‘7-5-3’ is opening up to pets and there are temples in which more rituals are already celebrated for more dogs than children is more than a simple anecdote. It is a symptom of the social changes that Japan is facing, mired in a deep population crisis from which it cannot escape. In 2024 the country registered 686,061 birthsa disastrous fact for two big reasons. The first is that it marks a new historical low. Never since records began in 1899 has Japan received fewer babies. The second is that this rate of births was far below the rate of deaths. Last year they died in Japan about 1.6 million peopleso for every baby born, two deaths were recorded. The result is a vegetative balance in the red that cost the country the greatest population loss since at least the late 1960s, which is when records began. Fewer babies, but no pets. During the pandemic the country saw how they increased cats and dogs in homes, although at the beginning of 2024 the Japan Pet Food Association detected that this increase was slowing down. That does not mean that pets have become a business of millionaire with growth forecast. Images | Rosewoman (Flickr), Japanexperterna (Flickr), Radim Jaksik (Unsplash) In Xataka | Japan has been mired in a demographic catastrophe for years. Now you know the price to get out of it: foreign babies

How to make a Christmas greeting by creating a family or group photo from separate photographs

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Let’s tell you how to create Christmas greetings by generating a group image from separate photos. For this we are going to use artificial intelligencespecifically Gemini with its Nano Banana, being possibly the best free alternative to do this. Here, the secret is again to use an appropriate prompt in which you describe exactly what you want. We are going to tell you everything you should take into account and the prompt you should use later to create the image. You will see that it is quite simple. Group Christmas greeting with Gemini Before you start, you first have to Carefully select the photos you want to use. Try to have similar lighting, or that the same part of everyone’s body can be seen. Gemini is going to try to cut and paste all the photos together making as little modifications as possible, so keep that in mind. They should be photos that look similar. Of course, you should also know that you will be able to change their clothes to the people in the photos. Therefore, and although the ideal is for everyone to be dressed similarly, it is not essential, because then you can have Gemini put the clothes you want on them. Once you have everything, start a conversation with Gemini. Inside, first upload the photos you are going to use. Afterwards, you can copy and paste the following prompt and send it along with the photos: I want you to create a Christmas card with a family photo. I’m going to give you separate photos of people, and I want you to create a family photo where they all appear together. Under the photo you have to say “Merry Christmas”. Make the background with Christmas motifs. In this prompt you can make changes or more details. You can describe the background to be used, and also the font and text. Don’t be afraid to try, experiment and try again if the first result doesn’t work out for you. After doing so, as we have told you before, you can ask Gemini to change their clothes. This way, if people’s clothes are different in the photos, you can unify the result a little. In fact, if you have a group photo you can also simply ask them to change their outfits. Another option is to upload the group photo and then an individual photo of another person who is not there and ask Gemini to add this person. And do you remember when we told you how to turn your photos into video game scenarios either in a character from Stranger Things? Well, you can also use these tricks here to make the greeting as original and personalized as possible. In Xataka Basics | Gemini Image Editor: 16 Ways and Tricks to Squeeze Nano-banana with Google’s AI

What it is and how to use it to share group statistics with several friends at the same time

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Let’s tell you how to create a Wrapped Party and the data that appears in it. This is one of the new functions of the Spotify Wrapped 2025where you can create a group, have several people join it and compare the statistics of all of them. It is quite fun, since you will be able to know the rankings of those who have listened to the most music, and they also tell you some other interesting data. We’re going to start by telling you how to create one of these Wrapped Parties, and then we’ll tell you what appears in them. What is the Wrapped Party This is a new feature of Spotify Wrapped, where you create a group of users and then go to a single view. In it, various statistics of all participants are comparedlike who has listened to the most music or discovered the most artists. You will be able to see these statistics ordered by participant. The Wrapped Party is an internal function of Spotify itself, you don’t have to install anything. In addition to statistics, there will also be a kind of awards ceremony where you can see which participant has dominated the most in less common statistics. How to create your party and invite contacts The first thing you have to do is enter Spotify on your mobile and click on the section Wrapped that will appear at the top. When you do, go to the section especially for youand in it press where it says Wrapped Party. This will take you to the splash screen Wrapped Party . In it, you will have options to start a party or join a friend’s party. Here, click on the button to start a party or start another if you have already created one. This will take you to the settings screen, where you can choose name and profile photo that you want to use. By default your name appears, but you can use any other. When you have it, click on Continue. This will take you to the Wrapped Party waiting room. In it, you have a button to generate and share the the link to invite other people. When these people join, you will be able to see them in the list of participants, and once you are all there you can click on the button to start it. What shared statistics are there? Once you are all in the waiting room, the Wrapped Party begins. When you do it, a series of group rankings will begin to appear sharing several characteristics of all participants. For example, you will be able to know Which participant has listened to the most musicyou will also be able to see who has the most peculiar listening, who has made the most musical discoveries or who is the most unconditional fan of a specific band. At the end, the general level of affinity of all the members will be said. There is also some kind of awards ceremony. Data is no longer compared, but you will know from all the members who listens to the most music at night, who listens to the most romantic songs, or who has shared the most music. There is also a final combined award that tells you some general characteristic of everyone, such as whether there is a great overall compatibility. Group statistics and prizes given may vary. Everything will depend on the combined statistics of the members of the Wrapped Party you are in. You will also be able to share all this data. It’s quite a fun thing and a new feature. In Xataka Basics | 53 third-party tools and apps to get the most out of Spotify with statistics, playlists and new features

There is a Facebook group available 24 hours a day that even doctors attend. Your mission: identify poisonous mushrooms

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“Hello, I have a human patient with late-onset gastrointestinal symptoms after ingesting these mushrooms.” This is how one of the many messages you receive in ‘Poisons Help; Emergency Identification For Mushrooms & Plants‘, a Facebook group formed by experts in the identification of poisonous plants and mushrooms. They are available 24 hours a day and not only receive consultations from individuals, but also doctors and veterinarians. ID. There are more than 100,000 species of fungi, of which more than a hundred are poisonoussome even mortal. And the same thing happens with many plants. If a person or animal ingests one of these by accident, it is crucial to identify the species to see what steps to take. However, distinguishing these species is not an easy task; in-depth knowledge of botany and mycology is required. In 2018, several experts founded a Facebook group to help identify poisonous species in emergencies. And they are extremely effective. For emergencies only. When you enter the group, a message appears with the rules for posting. The first thing they make clear is that it is a group for emergencies, that is, you can only post if a person or animal has ingested the mushrooms. If someone has a question because they are curious to know details about a specific specimen, there are other groups for that. They also have a warning for trolls: “People come here at scary times for immediate life-saving help, please don’t make jokes, judge or criticize. This is not the place to test your sense of humor or correct others.” Strict rules. For the group to be effective, in active cases no one is allowed to comment other than the administrators themselves or the people who have reported an emergency. It is necessary to provide all possible data: location, amount ingested, time since ingestion, photos of the specimen, weight of the person or animal that ingested it, etc. Doctors and veterinarians. Many of the posts are made directly by professionals who have a patient with problems after ingesting an unknown mushroom or plant. Most are veterinarians, but there are also many cases of doctors with human patients in the same situation. Even there have been cases in which the poison center itself has been the one who recommended going to the group for identification. Recognition. In addition to being a source of consultation for professionals, its work has also been recognized by associations such as the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology, which last August invited them to give a talk in one of his conferences. Among the group administrators There are mycologists, botanists and also amateur hobbyists. Cover image | Vladimir Srajber, Pexels In Xataka | Sex is deadly for many males. The octopus has a strategy to survive: inject poison into its partner

In 2007, 20% of homes were bought by young Spaniards. Now that gap is being filled by another group: foreigners

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With the skyrocketing priceshe decoupling between supply and demand in cities and a market increasingly inaccessiblethe notaries of Spain have found themselves with a curious fact (not unexpected) when reviewing the home buying and selling data. Operations led by young people have collapsed in recent decades. If in 2007 they represented 22.5% of the total, now they do not reach 10%. Of course, all groups have followed the same dynamic. The statistics Notaries show that there is another group of buyers that has experienced a diametrically opposite trend: foreigners. What has happened? That the General Council of Notaries (CGN) has launched a new tool on-line which helps us better understand the Spanish real estate market. Above all to study key aspects such as the evolution of prices, the pace of purchases and sales or the amount of operations, offering an alternative vision to that of portals such as Idealista. If something has attracted attention During its presentation, however, another indicator was: the weight of young people in the real estate market. Or rather, how it has been receding little by little. What does the data say? The conclusion of the notaries is quite clear. If we look back and analyze the last two decades, we see that “the presence of young people in the market has been drastically reduced.” In 2007, the younger population (those between 18 and 30 years old) was behind 22.53% of sales. Today that percentage has been reduced to 9.55%. In fact, the statistical portal shows that they are one of the groups with the smallest footprint on the market, only behind the group that is already over 70 years old. In general the latest data Updated CGN data show that those under 31 years of age have represented 9.35% of buyers over the last year, far from the 25.7% of the 31-40 age group or 26.89% of the 41-50 age group. For more than a decade, in fact, the average age of those who buy has been around 50 years old. It’s not surprising at all. Other studies have been pointing out for some time the difficulties with which young people encounter to access the real estate market (only a part manages to buy or rent) and above all its gradual weight loss. Do they show anything else? Yes. Young Spaniards may play a much more discreet role in the sector today than just a few years ago, but there is another group that has grown. So much in fact that has covered the gap left by those less than 30 years old. CGN data show that operations carried out by foreigners have skyrocketed in the last two decades: from representing 7.5% of the total in 2007, they have risen to 20.1%. The Vanguard specifies that the increase has been especially pronounced in the case of non-residents, who would be purchasing of the order of 50,000-60,000 properties per year. He statistical portal of notaries allows us to go a few steps further and get a more approximate idea of ​​which foreign citizens are interested in the Spanish real estate market. According to their updated data, the British represent 8.7%, the Moroccans 7.7% and the Italians are close to 7%. They are followed on the list by Germans (6.9%) and Romanians (6.4%). It is interesting that in some of these groups, such as the British, the percentage of non-resident buyers is higher than those who do have their habitual residence in Spanish territory. When comparing the evolution of foreign buyers and young people (between 18 and 31 years old), the data must however be handled with some caution, since the General Council of Notaries does not clarify to what extent they overlap. And what about the prices? In recent years the real estate market has been marked by another phenomenon as or even more relevant: rising prices. The data of Idealistic show that, in Spain, on average, the square meter of residential use cost 1,522 euros in September 2015. It now stands at 2,517. The data does not exactly match the calculated by the notaries, but it still gives an idea of ​​the increase in housing prices. The group estimates that last year the sector recorded a variation rate price increases of 7.12%, one of the highest in the last decade. In fact, it was only surpassed in 2022, when the figure was 7.23%. “From January to August 2025, apartment prices in Spain (new and second-hand housing) have increased by 8% compared to 2024. This situation is worsened in the country’s capital, with Madrid registering a price increase of 15.2%. In Barcelona the increase reaches 9.23%,” concludes the CGN. The director of the Technological Center of Notaries, Alberto Martínez Lacambra, admits In fact, the rise in housing prices “is beginning to be worrying.” And beyond prices? The weight loss of young people is explained by several factors. Although the increase in the price of residential m2 is a key factor, there is an added difficulty in saving (costs rise in the purchase and sale market, but also in the rental market) and accessing credit or deep imbalance between demand and supply that the most saturated markets suffer from. The situation is so complex and young people have it so difficult that in fact notaries have found another revealing surprise: they are increasingly most common donations of housing (or cash for purchases) between parents and children. Regarding the increase in foreign buyers, the trend coincides with another undeniable reality. One that goes beyond the effect of extinct ‘golden visa’: he general increase of the foreign population, which has helped Spain increase its GDP and strengthening of the registry, a reality recognized by the INE itself. In recent years, the country has also gained appeal as a vacation destination, to the point that it threatens to become with more visitors of the planet. Images | Emil Gabrovski (Unsplash) and Roberto Tjalondo (Unsplash) In Xataka | A 40m2 “capsule” for 25,000 euros: the Chinese solution to housing that … Read more

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