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Andalusia has been buying and burying garbage from the rest of Europe for decades. And now he has said “enough”

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Four years ago, 40,000 tons of contaminated soil and stones were blocked at the doors of the Nerva landfill in Huelva. They came from Montenegro and no, it is not an isolated event. During the last 25 years, Andalusia has been a massive recipient of hazardous waste. More than 100,000 tons traveled kilometers and kilometers each year to be buried south of Sierra Morena. That just ended. It’s good news and a huge problem. What has happened? On April 26, 2026, the last authorizations that still allowed companies from outside Andalusia to discharge hazardous waste into Andalusian landfills expired. Three years after the approval of the Andalusian Circular Economy Lawthe restriction on sending hazardous waste whose final destination is the landfill is now complete. It is not an absolute moratorium, of course. The entry of dangerous substances is still allowed for ‘recovery’: if waste from outside is recycled, regenerated or thermally treated on Andalusian soil, it can continue to be introduced into the community. That, according to the Association of Waste and Special Resources Management Companieshas left more than 100,000 annual tons of hazardous waste in the air that until April had been managed (‘burying’) in Andalusia. Hence the problem. Because hazardous waste landfills are rare and very expensive infrastructures; as they explained in Civio“any reordering of flows has an immediate impact on the economic viability of the plants.” These months are critical for the industry. However, the Andalusian movement is not well understood without some context: the Andalusian decision begins in the same place as this article, in Nerva. What exactly is Nerva? He Andalusia Environmental Complex, in the Río Tinto basin, has operated since 1995 and for decades it has received hazardous waste from the Huelva Chemical Pole, Campo de Gibraltar, the rest of Spain and abroad. It is, as a consequence of this and before this, a dangerous place. In Huelva, the main public health problems they associate to prolonged exposure to heavy metals and toxic compounds derived from decades of industrial activity (and from storing hazardous waste from other places). In fact, the two main focuses are the phosphogypsum ponds (about 500 meters from the city) and the Nerva landfill. I have to correct myself: they are not associated with that. Technically yes, health wise yes: but, in reality, the main public health problems are associated with the negligence of administrations, the lack of management and the recklessness that comes with just worrying about money. The Andalusian ban was necessary. Because, despite the legal tension (the fact of facing community law), at some point the administration had to assume its own responsibilities. This does not solve Nerva’s problem, as is evident. But it forces the industry to take charge of everything that has been going on for years without anyone watching. Image | Joe Patres In Xataka | China was the world’s dumping ground, today its problem is different: it does not have enough garbage to burn

Anxious people get sick less because their brain detects risks before the rest

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There is a deeply rooted stereotype in our society: the anxious person, the one who worries about everything, the one who checks their symptoms on the internet at three in the morning, is condemned to live less. We tend to think that constant stress, that label of being the “pussy” or the “anxious” of the group, is a one-way ticket to physical and mental exhaustion. However, science has given a fascinating twist to this belief. What if living in a state of alert was not a factory defect, but a sophisticated survival mechanism? Psychology and medicine have begun to discover an extraordinary paradox: always being on alert has a hidden reward. Certain levels of anxiety and constant worry make people less sick from serious ailments, simply because their brain works as an anticipatory radar that detects risks long before the rest of us, allowing them to dodge bullets that the most “relaxed” do not even see coming. The dual nature of neuroticism For decades, the medical community has warned about the dangers of neuroticismdefining it as the general tendency of an individual to experience negative emotions such as worry, depression, irritability and emotional instability. Traditionally, it has been associated with a greater susceptibility to physical and mental disorders, a lower quality of life and, epidemiologically, with a higher risk of mortality. However, as explained in an article published in the scientific journal Science Bulletinwe were missing half the movie by ignoring the evolutionary perspective. From this point of view, having minimal reactions to threatening stimuli—that is, being an extremely relaxed person or with very low neuroticism—is generally not advantageous for survival. To mitigate risks and ensure survival, both animals and our human ancestors needed automatic responses to immediate and future threats. This biological need manifests itself through adaptive emotions such as fear and its anticipatory form: anxiety. The study even rescues an ancient Chinese proverb that perfectly summarizes this philosophy of survival: “Life springs from pain and calamity; death comes from ease and pleasure.” Thus, scientists propose that neuroticism is a paradox. It has evolved in different dimensions to adapt to ecological and cultural changes, influencing our lifestyle in very diverse ways. The claim of the worried We all know someone who is hypersensitive to environmental risks, or perhaps we ourselves suffer from that constant worry about health, the future or security. This new scientific approach offers gigantic emotional validation: that anxiety is not necessarily a weakness, but rather an ancient protective shield. Understanding this changes the rules of the game. It shows us that channeling this hypervigilance well translates into tangible benefits. That inner voice that forces you to go to the doctor when you notice a strange mole, the one that makes you put on your seat belt without thinking or the one that stops you from making a reckless decision, is the evolutionary legacy of your ancestors keeping you alive. But this is not just an abstract evolutionary theory; Clinical data are already demonstrating this. To understand how anxiety saves our lives, we have to look under the hood of personality. Recent large-scale research, such as the macro study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychologyhave shown after analyzing more than half a million people that our personality traits are a key driver that directly impacts our mortality risk. Going one step further to break down which parts of that personality protect us, an exhaustive meta-analysis published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research analyzed longitudinal data from six studies with 335,715 participants. Their conclusion was blunt: putting all anxiety and neuroticism in the same bag masks vital relationships between personality and health. Researchers found that neuroticism has different “facets,” and not all of them are bad. While traits such as pessimism or cynicism increase the risk of mortality, there are other dimensions that act as real life jackets. The survival mechanism has two aspects: The “Worried-Vulnerable” facet: Data revealed that people with high scores on this dimension have a reduced risk of dying from all causes, highlighting significant reductions in mortality from cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and respiratory diseases. As explained in the studyWorried people tend to be extremely vigilant about their health care. They become concerned at the slightest symptom and seek medical help much sooner, resulting in early diagnoses and life-saving treatments. The “Inadequacy” facet: Characterized by shyness and the feeling of incompetence in the face of adversity, surprisingly also reduces mortality. The key here is danger avoidance: these people are much more cautious and less likely to expose themselves to cumulative risks over time. On the contrary, the study confirm that the destructive facets are cynicism and pessimism, since these individuals tend to abandon themselves, smoke more and, above all, underuse health care services. The reward comes with age If youth and early adulthood are the battlefield where our “threat radar” (neuroticism) works overtime to keep us alive, old age is the time to reap the rewards. There is a false belief that older people become grumpy or rigid. However, the psychology has been demonstrating for decades that aging is, in reality, a process of psychological refinement. Based on the theory of the big five personality traits (Big Five), it has been observed that the passage of time sculpts us for the better. After the age of 60, an astonishing positive evolution occurs. Conscientiousness increases (we become more responsible and focused), kindness increases and, most importantly in this context, neuroticism drops dramatically. The emotional storms of youth and that constant hypervigilance that protected us from danger give way to profound emotional regulation and calm. The human brain appears to be programmed to prioritize stability and social cohesion as we age. Furthermore, current research shows a clear “advantage boomer“. Those born between 1946 and 1964 are aging better than their predecessors, maintaining high levels of extraversion, curiosity and personal agency. Reports like the Mental State of the World by Sapien Labs reflect a generation gap where those over 65 and 70 years old … Read more

which cars can circulate and which rest on May 9

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This Saturday the Hoy No Circula Saturday scheme comes into force again, the mechanism with which the Environment Secretariat of Mexico City (SEDEMA) limits the circulation of certain cars to help control pollution in the Valley of Mexico. Once again, those who plan to use their vehicle should carefully review the finish of the license plate and the verification hologram before putting a wheel on the street. The restrictions do not only apply to the 16 municipalities of CDMX, but also extend to various metropolitan municipalities of the State of Mexico. The program is also valid in: Atizapan of Zaragoza Coacalco de Berriozábal Cuautitlan Cuautitlán Izcalli Chalco Chicoloapan Chimalhuacan Ecatepec de Morelos Huixquilucan Ixtapaluca Peace Naucalpan de Juárez Nezahualcoyotl Nicolas Romero Tecámac Tlalnepantla de Baz Tultitlan Chalco Valley Also, keep in mind that, even if you only cross one of these demarcations during your journey, the Today No Circula Saturday scheme also applies to you. What cars and license plates does Hoy No Circula Saturday affect? The central objective of the program is to reduce the number of vehicles in circulation to reduce emissions, but on Saturdays it is governed by particular criteria that complement what is established from Monday to Friday. Not all drivers rest on the same weekend: the type of hologram, the last digit of the license plate and whether Saturday corresponds to an even or odd week are the factors that determine who can go out and who must leave the car parked. It is also key to consider that Hoy No Circula Saturday does not operate 24 hours a day. The application schedule goes from 05:00 to 22:00so outside of that period —that is, during the night and early morning— the program does not limit the circulation of vehicles, unless an environmental contingency or another extraordinary measure is activated that imposes additional restrictions. For May 9, 2026, the calendar indicates that it is the third Saturday of the month, so it is classified as an “odd week.” In this scenario, cars with hologram 1 whose plates end in an odd number are the ones that must remain off the road while the program is in effect that day. If your car falls into that category, you must keep it stored until after 10:00 p.m. On the other hand, vehicles that carry hologram 0 and 00 retain the possibility of circulating without restrictions within the Today No Saturday Circula scheme, while those with hologram 2 are prohibited from circulating on any Saturday. In addition to the previous cases, it is important to remember that there is a set of exempt vehicles that can travel without being affected by these rules. Among them are: Electric, natural gas or hybrid technology vehicles Units with plates registered in the name of people with disabilities All those intended for urban public transport services (including funeral services) Vehicles used for school or passenger transportation Those assigned to public security and/or civil protection duties Those who decide to ignore the provisions of Hoy No Circula risk receiving a considerable financial penalty. The fine for failing to comply with the program ranges from 20 to 30 times the Measurement and Update Unit (UMA), which represents a minimum of close to 1,924.40 pesos and a maximum of approximately 2,886.60 pesos, in addition to the possible immobilization of the vehicle and the time that will have to be invested to resolve the offense before the competent authorities. These penalties are directly linked to compliance with the rules of Hoy No Circula Saturday. In conclusion, if you are going to travel by car this Saturday through CDMX or through the suburban municipalities of the State of Mexico contemplated in the program, the most prudent thing to do is to check before starting the engine which hologram your vehicle has, what the ending of your license plate is and if the calendar indicates an even or odd week. Hoy No Circula Saturday focuses on removing the most polluting vehicles from the streets, but it also forces us to better organize trips and evaluate mobility alternatives when the car has to stay at home. Photo | Osmany M Leyva Aldana In Xataka | The countries that pollute the most in the world, gathered in a detailed graph

the price of a hectare of olive grove falls in Jaén while the rest of the land soars

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Something is happening in Jaén. The price of a hectare of olive grove has fallen: it went from 17,682 euros in 2023 to 17,499 euros in 2024; the last year of which we have consolidated data. And it may seem like an anecdote (after all, it is a decrease of 1.03%), but it is not. Because while the olive grove loses value, the rest of the agricultural land increases: the orchard increases by 13%, dry fruits by 19.7%, arable land by 18.3% and subtropical crops by 26.1%. What is happening to the olive grove? A complicated question. We could talk about many factors (the collapse in the price of oil at source, the increase in production costs or a 2025-26 campaign that was expected to be bad before it started), but we would be focusing on the situation and not on the underlying trend. The central issue hidden in the data is that Jaén is the “canary in the mine” of the Spanish olive grove. After all, Jaén is especially sensitive to changes in the profitability of the olive grove: on the one hand, the monoculture concentration of the olive grove in the province has caused many parallel dry lands to be in slope areas that are difficult to mechanize and almost impossible to convert into intensive ones no matter how much water is available. And let us not forget to remember that the olive grove does not stop growing. With the only exception of the small decline in 2022 (0.08% already recovered in 2023), the hectares of olive groves They have grown year after year. Does demand grow and price fall? With the provisional data of the Survey on Crop Areas and Yields (ESYRCE) 2025 of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) in hand, the olive grove area in Spain reached 2,873,396 hectares. This is 1.63% more than in 2024 and 5% more than in 2015. And yet the price falls. The key is that does it unevenly: Irrigation gains ground over dry land, super-intensive olive trees in hedges spread over land previously dedicated to cereal or cotton, and investment funds concentrate their enormous resources in areas with more water. The great transformation of the Spanish olive grove. We said it years ago, Spain faces an enormous agrarian challenge, an unprecedented industrial reconversion: convert 1,901,529 hectares of olive groves into irrigation before it’s too late. And that “afternoon” is closer than ever because the Junta de Andalucía The cut in aid amounts to up to 22% to the Jaén olive grove that would derive from the proposal for the new CAP. Here is the key, here is the factor that will change the field in the coming years. Image | Txemari. (Navarre) In Xataka | Spain faces its greatest agricultural challenge of the century: converting 1,901,529 hectares of olive groves into irrigation before it is too late

We believed that the secret to rest was sleeping eight hours. A study has shown that we forget a big element

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One of the mantras most repeated ad nauseum in the field of health is related to the need to sleep at least eight hours nightly. A goal that has been widely studied with the repercussions that failure to meet it may have. But now we have seen how the regularity in sleep is a much more powerful preacher of long-term health than mere duration. It’s when you sleep. Although we had very ‘glorified’ how much sleep we have to, trying to make up for lost hours on the weekendthe reality is that the important thing is to have good consistency, as is the case with many other processes. The regularity. The scientific consensus on this paradigm shift is gaining strength, and the last major proof is published by the National Sleep Foundation with an article that points to this regularity as one of the most forgotten components of our nocturnal habits. The key here lies in the internal clock, since we must remember that the time of waking up and early exposure to natural light is what activates our internal system with the cortisol release. In this way, by maintaining a constant reference, we ensure that critical biological processes, from hormonal secretion to body temperature, are regularized. When we don’t respect it. Just like when we travel to another country and we follow schedules very different from ours, the same thing happens here. We have the classic situation on the weekend, where we go to bed late and get up two or three hours later than usual, and surely the feeling when we get up is exhaustion. This is what is now known as ‘social jet lag’ or ‘Monday jet lag’, responsible for that mental fog, lack of alertness and low cognitive function with which we start the week. A shield. Unlike total sleep duration, regularity is a direct marker of the integrity of our circadian system, since when the internal clock and the demands of the environment become out of sync, known as chronodisruption, the body suffers. Just like when we travel between countries or experience time change. Here, a study published in Health Data Science HE dedicated analyzed more than 88,000 adults in the United Kingdom and found that irregular sleep patterns are associated with a greater predisposition to suffer from up to 172 different diseases. In fact, actigraphy studies have shown that intra-individual variability in our sleep hours is a direct marker of all-cause mortality, so trying to accumulate hours on Saturdays and Sundays not only does not save the furniture, but it puts us at risk. The impact of irregularity. In this sense, a linear relationship can be seen between sleep instability and the risk of suffering a cardiac event. But trying to “compensate” for tiredness on the weekend also results in worse insulin sensitivity and ends up altering glucose metabolism, which causes the bill to be quite expensive in the long run. Furthermore, the lack of a clear sleep routine causes a chronic pro-inflammatory state. This alteration compromises our immune response to pathogens, worsens the regulation of autoimmune diseases, and decreases the ability of our cells to repair themselves and eliminate metabolic waste. In summary, following set hours of sleep is essential if we really want to have optimal results in our daily lives. Images | diana.grytsku in Magnific In Xataka | We have accepted that “deep sleep” is the standard for sleep quality: science points in another direction

first the Pentagon, then the rest of the world

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The United States had a maxim to win the AI ​​race: that there were no rules or limits. Politicians and regulators have turned a blind eye because what mattered was that US companies could develop the best AI models without restrictions. The problem is that some models have ended up being so good that now the US Government is beginning to fear their potential. Your easy solution: review them before anyone can use them. Is the open bar over? Donald Trump’s team is designing a plan intended to have a formal supervision process for new artificial intelligence models. Under this structure, a group of experts and government officials would analyze and review each new model and approve its launch. The implications are enormous, because the US Government would have preliminary and exclusive access to the model before its mass launch. Trump did not want restrictions on AI. Last summer, Donald Trump compared to AI with a “beautiful baby that has been born. We have to grow that baby and let it thrive. We can’t stop it. We can’t stop it with politics. We can’t stop it with absurd rules, not even stupid rules.” But he’s staying alone. This total support for AI is leaving the US president in an uncomfortable position. Both Democrats and Republicans they are worried over the risks posed by AI, and a Pew Research Center survey from last year Indian that half of all of them do not welcome how AI is increasingly used on a daily basis. Mythos as a turning point. This feeling of rejection has been growing among political groups, but fears have been reactivated especially after the launch of Claude Mythos Preview by Anthropic. The company only allowed access to the model to a small group of technology partners, claiming that it was too advanced in areas such as cybersecurity. The internal tests Of course They seemed to demonstrate their potential. Priority access. The White House wants to avoid political repercussions from a potential cyber attack created by AI, but at the same time the administration is assessing how these capabilities can be useful to the Pentagon and US intelligence agencies. Some government officials want this review system to be put in place that allows priority access to these models even if that does not block their launch. Good news for China. This type of plan has a big problem: it would slow down the development of new models and the innovation capacity of US companies compared to Chinese companies, which do not undergo this type of prior government review. And if they do, it is a problem that is not reflected in the advancement of the AI ​​models of Chinese companies, which are increasingly closer in terms of capacity to the best models of US companies. There is no more “AI czar”. These plans coincide with another unique event. In March, David Sacks, the so-called “AI czar” of the White House, left his position. He has been replaced by Susie Wiles and Scott Besset. While Sacks fully supported such a “no rules” policy for AI, both Wiles and Bessent intend to have more control over the policies that apply to AI. AI as a weapon. All events make it inevitable to compare the development of AI with the development of the atomic bomb in World War II. It was the US Government that led and controlled this technology in the past to have a definitive strategic advantage against its adversaries, and the same could happen with AI now that it is becoming a potential “cyber weapon.” In Xataka | Only a handful of US companies have access to Claude Mythos: the ECB already fears for the savings of all of Europe

Ryanair will cut 1.2 million seats in Spain but there is one region that will suffer more than the rest: Galicia

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Ryanair will reduce seats, cancel routes and raise ticket prices. That is the strategy that the company envisions for Spain during next summer. And Eddie Wilson has confirmed a strategy that has been talked about since last October when the CEO of Ryanair already threatened to take more flights from Spain if the situation did not change with Aena’s rates. And one autonomous community is feeling it more than the rest. 1.2 million seats. That will be the cut that Ryanair has prepared for our country next summer. It is something that was already reported in October and was confirmed last Monday. Counterscheduling the distribution of Aena dividends among its partners, Eddie Wilson has taken the opportunity to point out that its activity will be reduced in Spain in just a few months. They do so because the Government takes advantage of “(Aena’s) monopoly position in Spain’s main airports, obtaining excessive margins of 60% at the expense of local economies, which depend on affordable air travel for tourism and employment.” Without a change in airport taxesRyanair confirms that it is withdrawing flights in our country and that it will replace seats in larger airports. The reason is the repeated one in the last months of this Government-Ryanair battle: They consider that Aena’s rates at regional airports are too high. Once again, regional airports. According to the company, Aena’s airport taxes in regional spaces are uncompetitive and a burden on tourism and the economy of these cities. This has caused, according to the company, its departure from the airports of Asturias, Valladolid, Jerez, Tenerife North and Vigo and its activity to be reduced by 79% in Santiago compared to the summer 2024 figures. Not only that, in addition to this cut in seats, Wilson has not hesitated to warn that if the price of jet fuel becomes scarce, the first victims will be the regional airports, prioritizing the large seats. What about Galicia? Although Ryanair claims that its departure is fatally damaging the less frequented Spanish airports, the truth is that not all of them are suffering the same fate. A good example is Zaragoza. Compared to 2024, it will have 45% fewer seats, three routes canceled and two others cut. Despite this, Aena data They say that in 2025 the number of passengers grew by 1.9% (especially on domestic routes) and that in 2026 it is growing by 2.6%. Photography is very different in Galicia. So far this year, A Coruña airport is the only one that has grown. Without Ryanair, Vigo is falling 3.4% this year but the most worrying thing is in Santiago. At this airport, Ryanair has cut its activity by almost 80% compared to the summer of two years ago. In 2025 it has already fallen by 14.3% and this year it is falling by 29.6%. The lower activity at this airport has caused flights in the region to fall by 6.9% last year and so far this year this has worsened to 15.5%. There is only one worse fact. From all regions, Galicia is the one with the worst figures. And so far this year, only Castilla y León has lost more travelers, with a drop of 18.6%. However, its volume of travelers is much lower than that of Galicia. In the first three months of 2025, 40,051 people moved by plane in the region, while this year 32,613 passengers did so. That’s a drop of less than 8,000 seats filled. In Galicia, however, so far this year 987,812 passengers have taken a plane, while in 2025 a total of 1,168,745 people had taken a plane. That is, in the first quarter of the year, 180,933 passengers have been lost in the first quarter of 2026. And more than 200,000 passengers compared to 2024 when more than 1,194,032 people moved by plane in the first three months of the year. Not only the rates. When Ryanair announces that it is leaving an airport, it usually points to airport taxes, but the reality is more complex. The truth is that the company has maintained some commercial routes with low demand because it had advertising contracts that supported its routes. Contracts that he has not hesitated to break, as in Vigowhen you have found more juicy economic incentives like those that have arrived from Morocco. It must be taken into account thatthe launch of the AVE to Galicia It has also been a hard blow for airline companies that have seen how part of their customers move to the train since it offers more affordable rates and travel times that, adding the waits at airports, are similar to those of the plane. In fact, companies like Iberia have also reduced their supply because demand did not compensate for the effort. Photo | Left Victorian and Simone Muzzi In Xataka | The new EU border system is leaving people without flights. Ryanair has a solution: close check-in early

in DeepMind they use Claude, the rest of Google engineers want to and cannot

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Things are hectic at Google. In recent months, some DeepMind engineers have had access to Claude Code and Anthropic models, but in many other parts of the company this tool, which is currently considered the best on the market, has been banned. This has caused strong internal tensions in the company, and is also a sign of something worrying: Google’s AI cannot compete with Anthropic’s at the moment. what has happened. Steve Yegge is a software industry veteran who worked for years at Google. Last week posted a viral tweet in which he explained that after speaking with a current manager, he was concerned about the adoption of AI tools in this company. “The bottom line is that Google engineers have about the same adoption of AI as John Deere, the tractor company,” he said. Or what is the same: one of the most cutting-edge technology companies in the world was being anything but cutting-edge in its use of AI. Demis Hassabis gets angry (and a lot). Recent Nobel laureate Demis Hassabis, head of DeepMind, criticized Yegge’s tweet and told him to stop spreading nonsense. “This publication is totally false and is simply clickbait,” he said. Yegge returns to the fray. The engineer spoke in the following days with more current Google employees and discovered more things that he told in another long tweet. According to their conversations, the internal adoption of AI at Google follows a conventional pattern: 20% reject it, 60% use it in a basic way, and 20% take advantage of it intensively. Either you let me use Claude Code or I’m out of here.. But there was something else: some engineers are prohibited from using Claude Code because it is a competing product, but the vast majority do not have access to those tools because the company wants them to use Google’s tools — that is, the Gemini models in Gemini CLI, its alternative to Claude Code. According to Yeggewhen they tried to force DeepMind engineers to stop using Claude Code and Anthropic models, they refused to stop using the tool and threatened to leave the company. Internal sources of the company confirmed the data published by Yegge in a published news on Business Insider. Sergey Brin gets going. This week, The Information public that Sergey Brin has sent an internal memo to DeepMind engineers and researchers and confirms what was already being said. “To win the final sprint, we must urgently close the gap in agentic execution and turn our models into world-class developers,” the Google co-founder wrote. According to this data, an “assault team” has been created with the direct participation of Brin himself and DeepMind’s CTO, Koray Kavukcuoglu. That statement makes it clear that Gemini is below Claude in capabilities, because otherwise there would be no talk of “closing the gap.” Google and fragmentation. It’s not just that Claude Opus and Claude Code are now better than Gemini and Gemini CLI. Es que además esto ha dejado claro que en empresas tan grandes como Google la fragmentación operativa puede llegar a ser un problema grave. That some can use something that others cannot, and that worse tools are forced just because they are their own, can end up generating internal tensions, as has happened. That is what Google now seems to want to remedy so that all its employees row together. Another victory for Anthropic. All this controversy does nothing but favor Anthopic, which has managed to take the lead in this race – rather marathon – of AI. That the engineers at the prestigious DeepMind prefer their AI platform to Google’s own is an unequivocal sign that today Anthropic is ahead for AI experts. Image | Alex Dudar In Xataka | The tech industry is spending billions of dollars on GPUs for AI. 95% are inactive

China is giving an overwhelming lesson in nuclear power plant construction to the rest of the planet

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The time it requires the construction of a nuclear power plant From the moment the concrete is poured until the moment it is connected to the electrical grid, it takes between 15 and 19 years in the West; between 7 and 9 years in Asia and the Middle East; and 6 to 10 years in India and Russia. And the total cost of the project usually ranges between 24,000 and 60,000 million dollars. Barakah 4 nuclear power plantin the United Arab Emirates, has four nuclear reactors, took 9 years to build and cost $24.4 billion. On the other hand, the nuclear plant Hinkley Point Cin the United Kingdom, clearly illustrates the execution problems faced by some Western nuclear projects. After several delays Its first reactor will come into operation at best 13 years after the start of construction of the plant. And its final cost will exceed 50 billion dollars. At an intermediate point, Vogtle Unit 4 is established, in the US, which has taken 11 years to be operational and has cost about 35 billion dollars. As can be expected, the number of reactors and the technology they use have a profound impact on the cost of the plant and the time that needs to be invested in its development. Even so, as we have just seen, construction costs and time vary greatly from one region of the planet to another, especially if we introduce China into the equation. And in this scenario the country led by Xi Jinping is unbeatable with a average construction time of 6 years per nuclear plant and a cost of $2,500/kW compared to the 10-year average and almost 8,500 dollars/kW for the rest of the planet. China’s recipe is the most competitive Shangwei Liu explains clearly in the article you published on the website of the Roosevelt Institute what is the strategy that China has devised to reduce the cost and time invested in the construction of its next-generation nuclear power plants. Its plan is based on two pillars: the reconstruction of the supply chain and economies of scale. To a large extent, China’s success is due to the fact that it has managed to create a national supply chain that is immune to the ups and downs and instability of the international market. In addition, it has a lot of qualified labor in all links of its supply chain. There is only one country on the entire planet capable of approaching China’s numbers in this complex and demanding scenario: South Korea. On the other hand, the economy of scale that has given China so much joy in a very wide range of markets also has a place in the production of the components required by nuclear plants. Furthermore, when replacing components manufactured abroad by local elements This Asian country managed to drastically reduce costs during the first decade of this century, and stabilize them during the last decade. However, there is another factor that works in China’s favor and that we cannot ignore: its coordinated industrial policy and stable regulatory framework allow it to carry out long-term planning. There is only one country on the entire planet capable of approaching China’s numbers in this complex and demanding scenario: South Korea. Its latest nuclear plant projects show a cost of between 3,500 and 4,500 dollars/kWwhich places it close to China, with 2,500 dollars/kW, and well below the average of 8,500 dollars/kW for the rest of the planet. This achievement is the result of approaching nuclear energy as an industrial assembly line and not as a set of isolated engineering projects. Again, economy of scale makes the difference. The US numbers are much less favorable. And the total cost of its latest nuclear plants exceeds $15,000/kWalthough presumably this figure will moderate until it barely exceeds the $10,000/kW in future projects. If Western countries want to drastically reduce their costs and moderate the time it takes to construct their nuclear power plants, they will necessarily have to look towards China and South Korea. The reconstruction of their supply chain is essential, and, in addition, they will have to resolve the crossroads posed by the commitment to large reactors, or by compact modular reactors. At the moment there are no other options on the table. Image | Generated by Xataka with Gemini More information | Roosevelt Institute In Xataka | The future of energy is floating in the Arctic: Russia’s ace up its sleeve is a nuclear plant

which cars can circulate and which rest on March 28

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This Saturday the Hoy No Circula Saturday scheme is launched again, the program with which the Secretariat of the Environment of Mexico City (SEDEMA) restricts the circulation of some vehicles to contain pollution in the Valley of Mexico. Once again, those who plan to use the car should carefully check the finish of their license plate and the verification hologram before going out on the street. The restrictions are not limited to the 16 municipalities of CDMX, but also extend to several metropolitan municipalities of the State of Mexico. The program also operates in: Atizapan of Zaragoza Coacalco de Berriozábal Cuautitlan Cuautitlán Izcalli Chalco Chicoloapan Chimalhuacan Ecatepec de Morelos Huixquilucan Ixtapaluca Peace Naucalpan de Juárez Nezahualcoyotl Nicolas Romero Tecámac Tlalnepantla de Baz Tultitlan Chalco Valley Also, remember that if your route passes through any of these locations, the Saturday No Circulation Day also applies. What cars and license plates does Hoy No Circula Saturday affect? The logic of the program is to reduce the number of cars in circulation to reduce emissions, but on Saturdays specific rules are applied that complement the scheme from Monday to Friday. Not all vehicle owners are forced to leave their car on the same weekend: the hologram, the finish of the license plate and whether Saturday corresponds to an odd or even week are the parameters that determine who stays parked and who can drive. It is also essential to consider that the Not on Saturday Circulation Today It does not apply 24 hours a day. The application hours go from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., so that outside of that time frame—at night and early morning—the program does not limit vehicle traffic, as long as no environmental contingency or other extraordinary provision that adds additional restrictions is declared. In the case of March 28, 2026, the calendar indicates that it is the fourth Saturday of the month, which is why it is classified as an “even week.” Under this configuration, vehicles with hologram 1 and license plates ending in an even number are those that must remain out of circulation during program hours. If your car fits that combination, you’ll need to keep it stored until after 10 p.m. On the contrary, cars with hologram 0 and 00 retain permission to circulate without restrictions within the framework of Today No Circula Saturday. Those with hologram 2 cannot circulate under any circumstances on Saturdays. In addition to the previous assumptions, it is important to remember that there are a series of exempt vehicles that can circulate without being affected by these limitations. These are: Electric, natural gas or hybrid technology vehicles Units registered with plates for people with disabilities All those intended for urban public transport services (including funeral services) Those dedicated to school or passenger transportation Those assigned to public security and/or civil protection Those who decide to ignore the provisions of Hoy No Circula are exposed to a considerable financial penalty. The fine for violating the program ranges from 20 to 30 times the Measurement and Update Unit (UMA), which is equivalent to approximately 1,924.40 pesos at the minimum and up to 2,886.60 pesos at the maximum. Added to this economic impact is the possibility that the vehicle will be immobilized and the time that will have to be invested in resolving the situation before the authorities. Which cars and license plates are affected by Hoy No Circula Saturday? In conclusion, if you are going to travel by car this Saturday through CDMX or through the suburban municipalities of the State of Mexico included in the program, it is advisable to check before starting what hologram your vehicle has, what the ending of your license plate is and if the calendar shows an even or odd week. Hoy No Circula Saturday focuses on removing the most polluting cars from circulation, but at the same time it requires better planning of trips and evaluating mobility alternatives when the vehicle must rest. Photo | Vanessa Krebs In Xataka | The countries that pollute the most in the world, gathered in a detailed graph

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